The chaotic sounds of the stock market echoed in my ears. The phones were ringing nonstop; each ring brought another investor's angry shouts. The office had become a war zone. Interns running between desks, stacks of papers, graphs painted red on the screens… And I, Kevin, stood frozen in the middle of this hell, my hands buried in my hair. The screen above my desk showed that oil company stock prices had hit their lowest point in a decade. My expression was a mixture of shock, anger, and despair. I was smart, right? I was always one step ahead. So how did I get here? Damn politicians! The tension between the two countries had sent oil prices soaring. "This is a great opportunity," I said. I had directed my investors to oil. What could possibly happen? Everything turned upside down in an instant. When the president of the country went on TV and said, "No price hikes, everything is under control," all my plans collapsed. Oil crashed overnight. And I, Kevin, the golden boy of the office, was suddenly the biggest loser.
My phone wouldn't stop ringing. Each caller was more insulting than the last. "You idiot, you blew my money!" "You'll pay for this, Kevin!" The voices echoed in my head. The sweat on my forehead dripped onto my shirt. I was smart, yes, but this time I'd been too smart. A stupid ambition, a stupid risk. And now, I'd lost everything.
At that moment, the roar from the boss's office drowned out all the noise.
"KEVIN! GET YOUR ASS UP AND COME TO THE FUCKING OFFICE NOW!"
I stood up quickly, but in my haste I knocked the laptop off my desk. The screen hit the floor, and I heard a cracking sound. I didn't even care. I quickly put the laptop back on the desk and ran to the boss's office. Everyone in the office was looking at me. Some had relief in their eyes, some sadness, and some disgusting opportunism. It was like I was walking into a gladiatorial arena and the audience couldn't decide which emotion to display.
When I entered the boss's office, his face was bright red. He banged his fist on his desk and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE, KEVIN? THERE ARE NO LIMITS OF COMPLAINTS I'VE RECEIVED SINCE THE MORNING, YOU STUPID BASTARD!"
He continued without interrupting me. "YOU ARE AWARE OF THE KIND OF PEOPLE OUR INVESTORS ARE, RIGHT? WHO WILL COVER THIS LOSS? YOU WILL BURN ALL OF US, NOT JUST YOU!"
I tried to explain. "Sir, I've only been reading the market—" But he cut me off.
"FUCK YOU, YOU'RE FIRED!"
At that moment, it was like the world had stopped. I felt a strange heaviness in my heart, an inexplicable emptiness. I slowly walked out of the office. I went back to my desk and started to pack my things. My laptop screen was broken. Of course, why not? Everything was piling up. I gathered the few remaining papers in my bag, the pen, and my pride. As I left the office, I didn't make eye contact with anyone. I just looked at the ground, silently passing through these corridors where I used to walk like a king.
I pulled over to a small pizzeria on the edge of town. I spent the last of my money, $100, on an x-large pizza. The sky had darkened, but the LED lights in front of the pizzeria illuminated the surroundings. The chirping of the grasshoppers outside was piercing the silence of the night. I loosened the tie on my shirt, unbuttoned a few buttons. I took a deep breath. It was like I was breathing for the first time.
I watched out the window until my pizza arrived. My life… How quickly it had sunk. I was smart, ambitious, but unlucky. I had always been unlucky. When I was a kid, my father went bankrupt. That ridiculous scandal in college when I was supposed to get a full scholarship. And now, this. Maybe I was cursed.
I was startled when my pizza arrived. I slowly started eating it, my thoughts getting more and more confused with each bite. What was I going to do? Find a new job? Who would hire me with this stain? Maybe I should just leave everything and go to another city. Or… I don't know.
Just as I was leaving the store, the doorbell rang. Two masked young men burst in. One tall, the other short. The tall one had a knife shining in his hand. He shouted in a harsh but trembling voice:
"TAKE OUT THE MONEY, QUICK!"
The cashier, a young girl, was frozen in fear. She was shaking, not knowing what to do. The short thief lightly scraped the girl's arm with the knife and shouted:
"I SAID GIVE ME THE BLAME MONEY!"
At that moment, something inside me kicked in. Maybe it was stupidity, maybe I was just angry. My life had already hit rock bottom, what more could I lose? I quietly approached the short thief. I grabbed a heavy water jug from the counter and smashed it on his head. The boy collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
I turned to the tall man and spoke calmly. "Hey, man. Calm down. You think you can rob a store like this? Is it worth risking your life for $500? You'll go to jail, you know?"
The tall thief panicked as his friend collapsed to the ground. He pointed the knife at me, but there was fear in his eyes. "GET AWAY FROM MY FRIEND! WE'RE GOING TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS PLACE!"
I was about to step aside when I felt a sharp coldness on my back. I turned around slowly. Two shadows were running away in the darkness. My vision blurred. My knees shook. As I collapsed to the ground, I heard the cashier scream. Then… everything went black.
Newsletter: ShockingMurder!
Last night, a tragic incident occurred at a pizzeria in the city center. 32-year-old stockbroker Kevin Stone was attacked by two masked robbers. According to eyewitnesses, Stone confronted the robbers to save the cashier. However, he was stabbed in the back by an unknown third party. Stone, who died at the scene, had a great impact on the city. Police are searching for suspects. Kevin Stone was in the news recently because he suffered a big loss in the stock market. His family and friends say he was a brave man. The investigation is ongoing.