London, August 2071
In an era where the police possessed exceptional forensic capabilities and advanced surveillance cameras monitored everyone and everything, an average person would have been astounded by the idea of getting away with murder.
Yet, Sebastian Montague was far from average. Fuelled by megalomania, he considered himself immune to consequences. In his mind, it was a foregone conclusion that he’d escape capture. It just wouldn’t happen. He had planned every detail, eliminating all chances of discovery. Dodging consequences was an ingrained expectation, an absolute certainty in his world.
Sebastian was full of joy at the news of his father’s passing, a burden lifted that he had long despised. No more enduring the disdainful glares, no more carrying the oppressive weight of his father’s legacy. With a careful glance around to ensure privacy, he raised a victorious fist into the air, a grin of liberation gracing his lips.
“Good riddance, you old bastard,” he murmured.
Sebastian’s father had been a prominent figure, often featured on the covers of the world’s most influential magazines. As the founder of the Advanced Materials and Metallurgy Research Institute (AMMRI), orchestrating his downfall had carried significant risks.
He had planned his father’s demise with unsettling ease, having enlisted the services of a professional hitman. This wasn’t just any assassin, but Jonas, a man of unswerving loyalty, committed to carrying his secrets to the grave. In the shadowy realm of contract killers, honour held precedence over all else, a code that Jonas upheld without question or doubt.
Jonas stood as a seasoned professional, having honed his craft to perfection. He maintained a resolute dedication to his clients, ensuring that his targets seemed to innocently meet their end through either accidents or natural causes. Such was the case with Reginald Montague, who died in a tragic road incident. His car collided head-on with an oncoming truck at a combined speed of 150mph, an impact that claimed the man’s life in an instant.
Law enforcement suspected Reginald had either fallen asleep at the wheel or suffered a cardiac arrest. The latter theory remained challenging to confirm as there was no body to undergo a post-mortem examination. The collision had sparked a fierce inferno, incinerating Reginald beyond recognition. This intense fire, driven by the electric vehicle’s batteries, raged at temperatures exceeding 1,100 degrees Celsius.
The hit hadn’t come cheap, demanding an astonishing five million pounds sterling. For Sebastian, this sum was mere pocket change. With the old man being a billionaire, his inheritance now made Sebastian one too; as the sole heir to Reginald’s estate, he now possessed the financial means to pursue his wildest dreams.
The fee was steep due to Sebastian’s inability to make an upfront payment. Jonas had agreed to settle the bill once the inheritance was finalised. It was a considerable display of trust, but Sebastian was well aware that you didn’t cross a man like Jonas. The moment he could afford it, the killer would receive his due payment, in addition to a significant bonus. Sebastian had an additional motive for ensuring Jonas’ contentment; he anticipated the need for an assassin’s expertise in his imminent schemes. He wasn’t thinking about murder, but rather the cultivation of fear – a task for which Jonas was well-suited.
Jonas was an intriguing mix of being unassuming yet also unnerving. Despite his slender frame and sinewy build, there was an undeniable air of danger that surrounded him. His age was a mystery, shrouded in layers that suggested decades of experience that would have been far beyond his appearance of a forty-something man.
His most striking feature lay in his eyes – piercing and unusually grey – seeming to penetrate to the very core of those who met his stare. They held a chilling intensity, capable of unsettling even the most composed individuals – as if they could see into the depths of one’s soul.
Though his hair now displayed the traces of time with streaks of grey, it lent him a distinguished air, accentuating his enigmatic aura. A faded scar etched across his neck, a remnant of a past encounter with a knife during his tumultuous twenties, a witness to the dangers he had faced and survived. He was, indeed, a man of extreme intimidation.
On 17th September 2071, Sebastian attended his father’s funeral and made a concerted effort to appear as the grieving son, trying to emulate the solemn expressions of the many attendees who had come to pay their respects. Yet, inside, he was devoid of any genuine emotion. Despite the earnest condolences and praises for his father’s virtues, Sebastian remained disconnected from their sentiments, his inner world untouched by their words of solace.
His father had profound resentment toward him, irrationally holding Sebastian responsible for his mother’s passing during childbirth. In his childhood, Sebastian’s home had resonated with opulence, and he was lavished with gifts while receiving tailored education. Yet, his life lacked the nurturing warmth of parental guidance. Instead, a revolving door of nannies, cleaners, gardeners and other sundry servants struggled to manage Sebastian’s insatiable need for attention and his blatant disregard for rules.
Isolated and lacking companionship, Sebastian sought unconventional means of amusement, with one of his preferred diversions being the torment of his nannies. Between the ages of nine and eleven, he indulged in a sinister game, motivated by a desire to test how swiftly he could drive a nanny to quit. His best time was a mere two hours.
Despite Sebastian’s behaviour, one particular lady, a Scot named Agnes Brown, seemed impervious to his torment, no matter what he did to try to make her resign. Unperturbed, she remained steadfast in her role, so – frustrated by her resilience – he resorted to extreme measures to get rid of her. As she strolled through the garden during her daily morning walk, she crossed paths with him in a carefully orchestrated encounter. It was a moment destined to linger in her memory forever.
To Agnes’s horror, Sebastian had tethered a blackbird to a garden chair and, with a magnifying glass, harnessed the sun’s rays to burn the helpless creature. The bird writhed in agonising pain, its pitiful cries shattering the tranquillity of the day. A pungent and acrid odour accompanied the scene, a nauseating blend of burnt flesh and singed feathers that permeated the air with a smoky, bitter aroma. Her shock was evident, and her expression mirrored a mix of disbelief and horror as she witnessed this reprehensible act.
Sebastian, anticipating her imminent report to his father, acted with calculated precision. Silencing her, he pressed a finger to his lips, emitting a soft “Sssssshhhhhhhh.” Then, with a chilling gesture, he dragged his forefinger across his neck. It was an unmistakable threat that planted seeds of uncertainty and fear in her mind. Unable to shake off the disturbing encounter, Agnes made the painful decision to resign from her position that very day.
Sebastian reminisced without a sign of remorse; he had relished it, a stark contrast to the current predicament he faced. He found his father’s funeral tedious, yearning for the day to conclude. The scorching heat only added to his irritation.
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