Payback Ch 9 Novels & Stories

Give me back my hard-earned eight-pack abs! END OF CHAPTER 1

“1.2 million dollars. With the promise of paying it back as 1.5 million dollars within nine months. It has been 13months Mr. Andrew, and my company was not built of forgiveness and innovation.” “Please Mr. Nathan...I will pay you back every dime..every..” “Of course, you will, And you are going to do that now.” The shock and confusion that rocks up his face are not hidden. They all look the same in these circumstances. “What?” He asks, settling back into the chair as he looks at me with wide eyes.

George picked up a hammer and, in front of every camera, smashed it down—once, twice. The rigid metal twisted and bent. The words "The bank is not responsible once you leave the counter" became unreadable. Spontaneous applause erupted from the crowd. Some cheered. Some wiped away tears. Perhaps they had all suffered because of that plaque. I clapped along. I took the five thousand dollars cash from my bag, along with the passbook, and placed them on the counter. "I'm returning the money. Together with the original balance. But I want you to remember this: rules are made to govern people, not to bully them."

There were gasps and murmurs as the investors leaned forward, evidently enthralled by the room. The voice of Lucas was stable as he described the financial breakdown. "The first investment payback is estimated to be two times after three years and it increases steadily every year thereafter." His claims were hollow, as were those of others, his eyes glanced quickly at Liam, "--our numbers are supported by data, checked reports, and sound prognoses."

Ethan replied. "Very well, what about him?" Alfie asked. "I was contemplating how you would pay Steven back if you were in my predicament?" Ethan queried. "Ethan, 'a mistake made is already made.' The only way to rectify a mistake is to ensure it is not repeated, and we must move forward. I understand that Steven has wronged you in the past, but seeking retribution may exacerbate the situation," Alfie stated. "Hmm, do you have a solution for me or not?" Ethan pressed.

The reason underneath the method. Passed down. Carrying forward. Into the next chapter. Which is already beginning.

left when the rest of Manhattan spits his name like poison. He’ll cling to me harder than ever. He’ll think I’m the reason he survived, that I’m the one thing keeping him sane. And the more he falls, the sweeter my revenge will taste. Payback was delicious. But watching Darren Johnson fall in love with the woman planning his ruin? That was divine.

The smugness and malice in her voice made my mind go completely blank. More and more voice messages from her kept popping up. "Not only can we get back all the money we gave her for the groceries in the past, but every one of us can get tens of thousands of dollars extra. "We would've gotten peanuts if we'd left that money, which is only about a thousand dollars each, in a bank account. We're going to make a killing from giving it to Jessica instead. You guys should really thank me, you know. You wouldn't be making so much money if I hadn't suggested this back then."

Liam finally realized what he had lost. Three hundred million dollars in financial fraud. That was enough to rot in prison for the rest of his life. The man who, just moments ago, had been threatening to cut off my funding, dropped to his knees and started banging his head on the floor. "Emma! I was wrong! Chloe tricked me! For the sake of our three years together, please let me go! I'll be your slave for the rest of my life!" I looked down at him sobbing like a dog. There wasn't an ounce of warmth in my eyes.

His voice was steady but not as calm as before. "Mr. Zeller, the recording can be fabricated. Anything can be done using AI nowadays. I suggest examining the recording—" "I already did it." I took out the fourth document from the briefcase and placed it on the table. "This is the voiceprint comparison report provided by Zaston Forensic Center. The submitted voiceprint sample shows a 99.3% similarity to the voiceprint of Zachary's speech audio. It's been confirmed that the sender was Tony Zink." I stared at him. "Mr. Zachary Lowe, is there anything else you'd like to examine?"