Chương 160: Chapter 158 – And the Award Goes To…

Mordak twirled his pen between his fingers, tapping it against the page in measured rhythm. Conquest alone wasn't enough. He wanted erasure… total annihilation of the Fairy and Elven realms, a purge so complete that not a whisper of their existence would remain. His father had taught him well, the lessons ingrained through decades of ruthless real estate acquisitions. He had mastered the formula long before setting his sights on entire civilizations. Step one: Ruin the land's reputation.

Paint it as lawless, hopeless, decayed. Let the masses believe it was already lost. Step two: Introduce chaos. Send in his enforcers, ensure resistance crumbled fast and hard. Step three: Depress the market. Devalue everything until the land itself was worthless. Step four: Claim it. Strip it down to nothing. Step five: Reshape the narrative. Tell the world that the destruction was salvation. Once the Fairy and Elven realms were obliterated, the remnants of the goblin people… the elderly, the frail, the useless…

would be relocated into their place. One territory would become a prison, the other a perceived refuge. In reality, however, both would be nothing more than holding pens for the unwanted. With the right restrictions, no meddling hands of do-gooders like that, Farrand guy would reach in to undo his work. He would make sure of that. He glanced down at his notes, smiling widely, exceptionally proud of himself applying his real estate philosophy to other world takeovers.

"If it 'aint broke, don't fix it." He snickered. A light knock came from the door to his office.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir." Tuthmosis said apprehensively.

"But a special bulletin just came in." Mordak sat looking at him blankly waiting for him to finish.

"And?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"What did it say you dim witted moron? Do you think I can read your mind?" Tuthmosis let Mordak's comment slide off his back. He had grown so accustomed to the insults that they no longer had any impact.

"Well, Sir, it seems that Jethro Hardscrabble's body was just found."

"Really?" Mordak asked, doing his best to feign shock and surprise.

"That's terrible, what happened?"

"They suspect it was a suicide, Sir." Tuthmosis said, solemnly. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! Mordak stood up and placed his hands on his desk leaning forward.

"Suicide, you say?" He tsked.

"Well that is terrible news. When I had to let him go this morning I had no idea it would cause him to do something as rash as kill himself." He removed his hands from the desk and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"If I had any idea he would go to such an extreme, I would have had Wentworth on standby, you know to talk him down." He sighed.

"I guess I should have seen it coming after the fiasco at dinner last night." He said, turning away, desperate to hide the smug smile he could feel forming on his lips. He looked out the window, hands clasped behind his back, before turning back toward his assistant.

"He did seem a little…um…unhinged," Mordak said, turning back to his assistant.

"I guess one never knows about these things," he said regretfully.

"Would you like me to send condolences to the widow and children, sir?" Tuthmosis asked. Mordak looked at him, seemingly to ponder the question with deep thought.

"I will handle it personally," Mordak finally said, solemnly.

"He had been… well up until today anyway, a highly regarded member of the team."

"Very good, sir. Would you like me to send out a company-wide address regarding Mr. Hardscrabble's passing?" Tuthmosis asked.

"Yes… yes. Let's just keep the fact he was let go this morning out of it," he said, his voice tinged with sadness.

"We should leave him with that tiny bit of dignity. No one needs to know that he left in disgrace. We will let his memory rest with some sense of fulfillment," he sighed.

"That's the least we can do."

"Very good, sir, can I get you anything?" Tuthmosis asked. Mordak, seemingly lost in thought stared blankly for several seconds, then blinked.

"What was that?" He asked, "I'm sorry, I was just wondering what else we could do for poor Anita, and those children. Those poor kids, to lose their father in this manner, it's very unfortunate." He sighed.

"It was so selfish of Jethro to do this to them… so thoughtless. It is surely a scar they will carry with them for the rest of their lives," Mordak said, turning around quickly to avoid his assistant seeing him laugh.

"Are you alright, sir?" Tuthmosis asked. Mordak's shoulders hitched up and down as if the man was crying. Mordak held a hand out with his pointer sticking up to indicate he needed a minute, while he bit the fingers on his other hand.

"Can I get you a tissue, sir?" he asked, his arms now folded. Mordak nodded no.

"I just need to collect myself, that's all," he said, his voice cracking.

"Very well, sir, I'll leave you to it then," he said, not waiting for Mordak to respond and made his way for the door.

"Thank you, son," Mordak called out. Mordak waited for the door to close completely then began to laugh quietly. I should have been an actor, that was award winning if I do say so myself. He walked back toward the window, catching sight of the multiple first responder vehicles pulling up outside. No one can put my fingers on this one. I was here the whole time.