128 - Benjamin Scott
128 - Benjamin Scott
Benjamin Scott
It was supposed to be quick. A simple message. I had been in that blood-reeking space for a while, watching him squirm, tied to the chair, struggling to breathe. Oleg, always with a mouth full of insults, had cursed me the moment I arrived, but now his mouth was shut. The silence I had imposed cut through the air cruelly.
The room was cold, absent of muffled screams. The only sound was the creaking of the chains binding Oleg, his eyes searching for something, perhaps a chance to escape. But today, there was no salvation for him.
All the terror he made my little devil endure would end today. There was nothing he could say that would stop me from cutting off his hands before killing him. It was time to make him pay.
I was calm, composed, but inside, a storm raged. He had crossed a line he shouldn’t have. Oleg wasn’t just a man who had infiltrated my managers; he had meddled in matters concerning my home.
“You know why you’re here, don’t you?” My voice was low, almost a whisper, but loud enough for him to hear. His eyes, wide with fear, met mine.
“I… I didn’t… didn’t do anything!” he stammered, his voice faltering. “If there’s no loyalty in your house… it’s not my fault!”
Sweat trickled down his forehead. Every word he uttered was a lie, and it only made me laugh inside, fueling my desire to end him once and for all.
“Liar.” I stepped closer, the gleaming blade in my hand.
The feel of the metal in my hand brought me a strange and deliciously dark sense of calm. It was as if it knew I was finally in my element, and I was enjoying it, far more than I ever enjoyed delivering a sermon.
The realization that I was exhilarated by what was about to happen only heightened my desire to toy with Oleg. He had been beaten enough, and now, as he sat with his hands outstretched on the blood-stained, dirty wood, I glanced at Jackson, who seemed unsettled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked my cousin.
“Amelia said she’s cramping,” he replied, and I stepped closer to him.
“Then leave. Go take care of your wife. Victor is here with me…”
Despite my words, my cousin was stubborn, shaking his head and insisting he wouldn’t leave until that scum was dead.
Of all our wives, Amelia was the furthest along in her pregnancy. She was over six weeks ahead of Camilla and nearing the birth of her baby, Ravi. Perhaps my cousin thought it was another false alarm, like the ones they’d had a few weeks ago. I took a deep breath and turned my attention back to Oleg, who widened his eyes as he saw me checking the blade’s sharpness.
“You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew that by provoking my managers to betray me, you could get closer to Camilla,” I said, holding his gaze.
He had manipulated the men’s ambition, exploiting Maximilian’s desire to become the boss since he was one of the managers. Now, he would learn what happens to those who dare look the other way. My gaze shifted to the wall behind him, where all my other managers stood.
I had already killed the one who thought he could take Maximilian’s territory, a territory I would give to Oliver, who had proven himself far more deserving than any of the men before me.
I watched as Oleg tried to mutter something, but I was already beside him, making the first cut between the joints of his wrist, a gentle slice to test his endurance. I smiled as blood began to trickle, his scream of pain startling the other managers watching my work.
I stared at Oleg for a moment, letting him savor the fear and agony he was feeling. Every movement I made on his wrist to dismember him was a clear declaration of his imminent death.
“Did you think you’d get away with it?” The blade slid to the side.
It opened a deeper, more visceral wound, exposing the white of the bones, tendons, and veins. I observed how he was trembling now, his legs buckling, but there was still pride in his eyes, a glimmer of resistance. But I knew it wouldn’t last. Oleg didn’t have the strength to endure much longer.
“Let me show you something before you die!” he said.
My voice is calmer now. I stepped back and signaled for the other managers to approach, silently but with expectant gazes, watching the end of Oleg.
“These men, the ones you thought to turn into allies in your attempt to harm my wife…” I pressed the blade against the last tendon holding his hand to his body. “They will learn that betrayal has consequences. It’s not enough to show them; they need to feel it. They must understand that if they dare to eye my position, the only thing waiting for them is death.”
I lifted my gaze and saw my soldiers entering the room, moving closer to my managers. The five men were forced to their knees, and at that moment, I understood why all of them had been loyal to my father and uncle.
“Fear, dread, that is what will govern my empire. And if any of them dares to betray me or even thinks of doing something similar to what Maximilian did, I will kill them…”
With a smile on my face, I watched my soldiers overpowering my managers and pressing blades to their throats, making them bleed.
Oleg tried to mumble something, but he was already exhausted from the beating he had endured and the massive amount of blood he had lost. Even his breathing was labored. I approached him and grabbed his jaw, forcing his eyes to lock with mine.
“I will kill you, but first, I will ensure everyone here knows what happens when someone touches what is mine or becomes ambitious enough to try to take what belongs to me!” I said, finally looking at the managers, who didn’t resist my soldiers.
I raised the blade high enough to deliver a fatal strike to the man who had assaulted my devilish one the day I met her, the man who had exploited Camilla’s fears to torture her so deeply that it took months for her to feel safe by my side.
I smiled when I saw him lift his head, an ironic smile forming on his face. And with an unexplainable satisfaction, I brought my hand down harder this time. The strike was precise, hitting the top of his head, and the blade pierced through his skull, killing him instantly. I exhaled with relief as Oleg fell to his side, no longer able to speak, no longer breathing heavily.
I turned my back, leaving his corpse there to be dismembered and incinerated later, and looked at the men who stood in silence, absorbing the message delivered to each of them.
But upon closer observation, they all bore expressions that were difficult to pinpoint.
Fear? Respect? Reverence? It didn’t matter at that moment. What mattered was whether the message had been understood.
“Now…” I said, addressing the others. “Do you understand what happens to anyone who dares to act against me and my house? This isn’t just about Oleg or Maximilian. It’s about all of you. Each of you knows the path. If any of you forgets, you will meet the same fate.”
I finished by pointing toward the two dead men in that basement.
Taking one of the towels Victor handed me, I began to wipe the blood from my hands. I glanced once more at the five men still with blades at their throats and exited the room, leaving behind not just those two bodies but also the silence of a group of men. They now understood that in my house, loyalty wasn’t optional.
It was a requirement. And those who failed would face the consequences.
Outside, I heard footsteps approaching. I knew it was Jackson and Oliver coming to stand by my side, as they always would. These two men were the ones I trusted blindly and who deserved far more recognition within our family.
As I began climbing the stairs to take a shower before returning to the hospital, I said, “I’ve made a decision!” catching sight of the whiskey barrels. “The area that belonged to Maximilian will go to Jackson, and the trash we just dealt with will be yours, Oliver.”
I smiled as I noticed the two fools stop following me and turned to see their reactions. Oliver’s eyes shone, while his older brother seemed incredulous at what I had just said.
“Are you sure?” Jackson asked.
“You two are the only ones I trust. There’s no one better suited to take care of everything here than you.”
“I will do my best to prove my loyalty to my leader,” Oliver said, still looking astonished.
“I’m sure you will. But for now, let’s go. Jackson needs to take care of Amelia, and at this moment, I want to see my devilish one and my babies!”
Leaving was quick, and it didn’t take long for me to be outside my wife’s room, dressed in clean clothes and with Victor by my side for security. I glanced around and saw some of my men guarding her.
But today, I was sure no harm would reach us. There was nothing left to fear; all my enemies had been silenced. Finally, it was time to rejoice in the birth of my children, my heirs!