The night wrapped around the city like a velvet shroud, its neon veins pulsating with life. From the towering skyscraper, Ochieng stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the chaos below. He could see the world he once belonged to—the struggling workers, the desperate dreamers, the ones who fought tooth and nail for a chance at survival. But up here, in the halls of power, things were different. Ruthlessness was currency, and loyalty was a fragile illusion.
Behind him, Walter swirled a glass of whiskey, his expression unreadable. Rolex lounged in a leather chair, exuding the quiet confidence of a man who had never known true defeat. The air was thick with expectation.
"You hesitate," Walter observed, his tone smooth yet probing. "Doubt is a dangerous thing in this world."
Ochieng turned, his eyes sharp. "I don't doubt. I calculate."
Walter chuckled, setting his glass down. "Good answer. But calculation without action is meaningless. Are you ready to take the next step?"
Ochieng's mind whirred. Every decision he had made so far had led him here. He had burned bridges, severed ties, and stepped into a battlefield where men like Walter dictated the rules. But he wasn't here to be another pawn.
"What's the next step?" he asked.
Walter's smirk deepened. "Eliminate the past."
The words hung heavy in the air. Rolex watched, waiting for Ochieng's reaction.
Walter leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Your past weakens you. Loose ends make you vulnerable. If you want to truly rise, you must sever them."
Ochieng's thoughts flickered to the people he had left behind—Brian, the man who mocked him; Seline, the woman who abandoned him; Celestine, who lay recovering in the next room. Could he truly erase them all?
Rolex finally spoke. "You're not the same man you were before. But if you hesitate now, you'll never be anything more than a man who almost had power."
Ochieng's jaw tightened. He had clawed his way from nothing, but this… this was different.
Walter's voice softened, but the edge remained. "Kill the past, Ochieng. Or the past will kill you."
A knock at the door interrupted the charged silence. A man entered, dressed in black, his expression grim. He whispered something into Walter's ear. Walter's expression darkened.
"Well," Walter said, standing. "It seems the past doesn't like being ignored. We have a problem."
Ochieng's pulse quickened.
Walter turned to him, eyes glinting with something dangerous. "It looks like we're going to find out just how ready you really are."