Corruption Mimic Novels & Stories

Ava read the screenshot four more times before she trusted herself to drive home. By the fourth read she had stopped looking for new information and started looking for an explanation that made it less than what it appeared to be, some context that would turn a conversation with her name in it into something harmless, a misunderstanding, a coincidence. She did not find one. The conversation was dated three weeks ago. It mentioned her by name, multiple times, in a tone that suggested planning rather than passing comment, and the two participants were people whose names she recognized well enough that the recognition itself felt like a small betrayal.

"No worries, we're family. But embezzlement and bribery are serious issues. If you needed money, you could have just told me." "Do you have money?" Debra asked with interest. "I might need one billion dollars to cover that gap. The police said embezzlement is easy to fix; just fill in the money. But bribery and corruption might be a bit tricky." Ralph's eyelid twitched, a telltale sign of his nervousness. "Did you really commit bribery and corruption?" Debra replied, "I grew up under your watch. Do you think I would?" Ralph shook his head vehemently. "Of course not. This must be a frame-up. If I find out who's behind this, I'll make sure they..."

He smiles back, his hand too occupied to wave. "You're so stubborn." His partner shouts at him, shaking his head but smiling. He laughs loudly and enters his car, horning at them with his car one last time before driving off, leaving his work of fourteen years behind because of something very much worth it. Corruption. Whenever there is corruption in something, it begins to eat it from the inside, until it begins to show on the outside and then, there is nothing left to show for it. He has refused to be eaten by the corruption from Hank Williams, who incidentally and unfortunately, is his own uncle.

He had them cornered. “This,” he said finally, “contains files from the pharmacy company. Files that might just implicate you both in something very… ugly. Corruption. Bribery. Illegal transactions. I’m sure there’s much more, but these are just the highlights.” He chuckled darkly, watching their reactions carefully. Sasha shot to her feet, her chair scraping against the floor with a loud, sharp sound. “You’re insane,” she spat. “You think we’re just going to…what? Hand over money for this? For some file you stole?”

"The corruption is not just physical. It is memetic. Infectious ideas that spread through consciousness itself." "Then we counter with our own infection." I pushed memories through our merged awareness—the moment we had chosen each other despite impossible odds, the decision to free the Devourers knowing it would complicate everything, the choice to attempt healing despite knowing erasure was easier. Hope as counter-infection to despair. Purpose as antidote to nihilism. Love as resistance to entropy. The corruption recoiled from the conceptual assault, and in that moment of disruption, we struck.

“I suppose I’m more direct.” She nodded. “Yes, Mr. Demetri, I’ve noticed that about you.” I took a deep breath. “Deloris told you that Demetri Enterprises is connected to some less than savory dealings. Mostly I can blame Oren.” “Mostly?” she asked. “Mostly,” I confirmed. “But Infidelity, for example, that was me. I learned about the company. I’m the one who made the investment. Some of the people we do business with very well could be involved in straight-up prostitution. I don’t know. I don’t want to know. So whether that letter was referring to Infidelity or a less organized business, the fact is that Demetri Enterprises could more than likely be connected to prostitution. As for the accu

Althea recoiled sharply. Varis noticed instantly. “You hear it too.” It was not a question. Althea looked at him in horror. “What is happening to him?” Varis hesitated. Too long. Dorian answered instead. “The corruption adapted to the counterpart bond.” The High Arbiter stepped forward slowly now, suppression weapon still glowing in his hand. “If the corruption reaches synchronization—” “It won’t,” Althea snapped immediately. Dorian’s gaze remained cold. “You don’t know that.”

Inside, the flash drive from Jack seemed to throb, emitting a hot energy that burned my palm—a reminder of the dangerous mission I was undertaking. ​This small object was the physical proof of Mike’s involvement with a disgusting high-level corruption network. Mike felt he had just caught me in the trap of his sharp questions, when he didn't realize that I had just laid the first stone for the tombstone of his entire life. He thought he was a skilled chess player, when he was nothing more than a pawn I was herding toward destruction.

"Whatever Nora's reporter did with what we sent him, it's clearly reaching people already." Corvin continued, unbothered by the interruption, laying out the fabricated charges in that same smooth, measured tone he always used, presenting lies with the same precision he might've used presenting genuine facts. I felt Ronan's hand tighten slightly at my back with every false accusation, my own jaw clenching harder the longer Corvin spoke. "The evidence before this council," Corvin said, gesturing toward a stack of documents laid out on the table before him, "clearly demonstrates a pattern of orchestrated sabotage, designed specifically to manipulate sympathy and secure continued protection unde

"That must mean you need something." Lena sat across from her. "I want to know how deep this goes." Walsh tilted her head. "And if I refuse to answer?" "Then you go to prison," Lena said. "And when you do, we’ll make sure the world knows exactly who you are and what you did." Walsh smiled slightly. "Oh, Ms. Thompson. You still think this is about the truth." Lena narrowed her eyes. "What’s that supposed to mean?" Walsh folded her hands on the table. "You think exposing people like me will change anything. You think shining a light on corruption will make it disappear. But corruption isn’t a disease, Ms. Thompson. It’s a function. A necessary part of the system."