Contracted Love

Chapter 1: Havoc and Hope

                                                                        Roy's P.O.V. 

I arrived at the company with a smile on my face as usual. But looking around, I found that there were fewer employees than usual present. Trying to think of any reason why so many people may be absent, I walked into my office. 

Only, it didn’t look like my office anymore. 

The bookshelves were lying on the ground, with all the books strewn across the floor. Drawers were opened and the files were sticking out at odd ends. The glass plaques that I had received had been thrown to the floor and broken, the shards spread all around the room. 

Utterly confused, I turned around to walk out when someone grabbed my shoulder roughly, “Are you Roy Jacobs?” a gruff voice asked, with a heavy Irish accent. 

“Yes, I am, but what is-“ 

The gruff man grabbed my collar, pulled me closer to his face and snarled, “You little thief. Give me back my money.”

“Excuse me? I didn’t-“

“Stop lying, you bastard. Where’s the 200 million?” 

“I didn’t borrow 200 million,” I said, completely confused and shocked. 

“Oh yes you did, sonny. You took 200 million outta this company and spent it God knows where.”

Frustrated, I replied icily, “I have no idea what you’re talking about right now.”

“YOU TOOK OUT THE MONEY AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE YOU FOOL. NOW YOUR COMPANY’S BANKRUPT AND YOU OWE ME MONEY,” he shouted, bits of spittle flying everywhere. 

I froze. My company is—bankrupt? The company I built with my own hands, slowly, carefully, working overnight and overtime is—broke? I slumped in the man’s grip and shook my head. Is this a dream? Could I be dreaming? 

“Did you get him, Joe?” I heard another gruff voice coming from the entrance of the door. 

“Yeah I did, Jason. But he says he has no idea what we is talking about,” replied Joe, who was still holding my collar tightly, wrinkling the aligned creases. 

“Huh, oh really?” replied Jason, who I assumed to be the leader, walking slowly towards me, “Say what sonny, I’ll tell you what happened,” he leaned in, “your faithful older brother embezzled 200 million dollars from the company account promising to pay us back for all the money he borrowed. But do you wanna know the funny thing? He never gave us that money.” 

The look of horror on my face caused the men to laugh obnoxiously, “See the look on his face!” “Oh, brotherhood ‘tis a great thing.” 

Joe let go of my collar roughly, causing me to fall to the ground. Jason squatted down to have his face level with mine, “Now look here, your brother is gone. Gone with the wind, so of course, his little brother must still pay up. I want to see my 200 million back in my hand soon, bud. I’ll make sure to stop by every day to see how it’s going, all right?” Jason ruffled my hair and led his ruffians out the door, leaving me in the mess that used to be my office. 

I held my head in my hands—how could everything just suddenly go wrong? 

I sat in my office with my head held in my hands, still trying to take in what Jason had said, "Your company is bankrupt..." "...your older brother embezzled 200 million from the company...gone with the wind..."

Bankrupt...bankrupt...bankrupt. 

I felt the fury rising in my chest and balled my hand up into a fist. Slamming my clenched hand down on the floor, I breathed heavily. This couldn't be true, could it? I felt my phone buzz against my pocket. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced at the caller ID: Robert.