After his plane touched down, Zed immediately rushed to the law firm, as it was late and they were about to close. Half an hour later, he arrived at the law firm and went inside. Initially, security did not let him in, but later he managed to gain entry with the help of some money. He went directly to the office of the owner, who was not only a successful lawyer but also the principal contributor to the company.
Knocking on the door, Zed entered without waiting for a response. Inside, a man sat in his chair, reading documents with a serious expression. The man was handsome and wore golden glasses. Zed sat down on a couch a few meters away from the man and waited. While waiting, he looked around. The office was quite luxurious, adorned with various brands. Zed also noticed many awards the lawyer had won in his career. While Zed was scanning the office, the lawyer finished reading and put down the document.
"Can I help you?." The man said this, looking at Zed, who was busy scanning around.
"Oh, yes, you can." Zed replied, looking back at him with a smile. "I want to buy this law firm," he stated straightforwardly.
"And I want to become a Hollywood star." The man said this as he laughed a little.
"I'm serious. Tell me the price, and I will pay." Zed said, raising his eyebrows while maintaining a serious face.
"Look, I don't intend to sell this company. I brought this company to where it is today, and I want to keep my ownership." The man said this as he leaned over the table and interlocked his hands.
"$500 million?." Zed asked, raising his five fingers.
"No."
"$700 million?." he asked again.
"No." was the response he received.
"Look, you are not being helpful here. I want to buy this company, and I will let you retain 50% ownership. We will make decisions together, and I promise I won't make things harder for you. Now, how about $1 billion?." Zed asked, trying to convince him again.
"Why is this so important for you?." The man asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I need a law firm that will help me do business. Right now, I have tons of paperwork that needs to be done, and I definitely don't want to handle it myself. So take me seriously, and let's negotiate on the price and terms." Zed said as he took a chocolate from a jar on the table.
"You need lawyers to be your lackeys for paperwork?." he asked, finding the idea bizarre.
"Yeah, and my name is Zed, by the way. How rude of me."
"My name is Yavuz. I don't really have any plans to sell this company, but if you want it that badly, we can negotiate terms." He said.
"Yes, first, I will pay you the amount required to acquire 50% of the firm. Secondly, I will act as a silent partner in how you manage the business and provide only financial support, though obviously, I will need your assistance quite often. Thirdly, the decision-making will be shared between us, but I promise I will not make things harder for you; in fact, it will be much easier, as you'll see. My terms are as follows, so you can state yours and we'll discuss any changes needed. How about it?." Zed said, looking directly into Yavuz's eyes.
"Just three terms? I'll need more than that to sell part of this company. Let me state my terms. Firstly, I will accept the payment for 50% ownership. Secondly, the decision-making process will be handled by me while you support the company financially. Thirdly..." Yavuz continued listing his terms, and a few minutes later, he was already on the tenth. Zed was getting bored and just wanted to conclude the deal.
"Alright, alright, whatever you want will be as you want. I just want to add one thing: even at the busiest times, if I need the firm's help, everyone inside will work on it without exception." Zed said, raising one finger.
Yavuz pondered for a second before accepting. He was actually playing around, as he had doubts. The young man in front of him was around the age of 20, yet he had the courage to come here, barge into his office, and keep him occupied with something as nonsensical as this.
"Alright, I'll be transferring you $1 billion for the acquisition of 50 percent ownership. Then we will sign the contracts to finish this up. Is it okay for you?" Zed asked, pulling out his phone.
"Yeah, a contract; it's just paperwork, isn't it?" Yavuz said it mockingly. Later, Zed asked where to send the money, and Yavuz gave him his IBAN, thinking that Zed wouldn't be able to send money and that the fun would end here before he got arrested by the cops waiting downstairs.
"Okay, I sent the money. Can you check it for me?" Zed said, putting down his phone.
"Sure, give me a sec." Yavuz said as he pulled out his phone. There was a notification indicating that money had been transferred to his account. Clicking on it, he entered the password and logged into his bank account. The next second, Yavuz's eyes were wide open as he looked at his balance, which was $1 billion more. Looking back and forth between Zed and the phone, Yavuz couldn't hide his shock.
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"Has the money arrived? Can we start signing so I can go back to my city?" Zed said, waving his hand in front of Yavuz. With an absent mind, Yavuz nodded while looking at his phone.
Then a realization hit him: a billion dollars in his bank account without proof was really a big issue. Luckily, the banks were closed and no one could see this transaction right now, so he had enough time to arrange contracts. Quickly calling his assistant, Yavuz told them to send the cops away. Then he rushed over to his computer and started tapping on the keyboard.
Half an hour later, the contract was ready, and the context of the contract was favorable to him.
After wrapping up the signing, which went smoothly due to the few terms involved, Zed exchanged phone numbers with the Yavuz, then strolled out of the law firm and headed for the airport.
He called an Uber and began waiting for his ride. Just then, his phone buzzed. He answered it.
"Hello, am I speaking to Zed Atlas?" The voice on the other end asked.
"Yes, it's me. Who's this?" Zed replied.
"I'm calling from New York City Airport. The flight scheduled to depart at 7:00 p.m. has been delayed due to detected malfunctions on the airplane. As of now, the new departure time is 11:00 PM," the caller informed him.
After asking a few questions and getting the details he needed, Zed ended the call. Realizing he wouldn't be spending the night in his cozy dorm room, he shook his head and redirected his Uber to the nearest hotel, promising the driver a nice tip for the trouble.
Half an hour later, Zed checked into the hotel and booked a suite for the night. Once in his room, he took a quick shower and then collapsed onto the bed, settling in comfortably before drifting off to sleep.
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"Philadelphia Police Department, open up!" came the voice from outside Zed's family house. Receiving no response from inside, one of the officers moved towards the window and peered inside with a flashlight. There, he saw two bodies lying on the ground.
"Control, this is 9-P-14. We see two bodies lying on the ground; be advised, we are making entry. Send additional units and medical assistance." The officer quickly communicated over his radio before moving towards the door.
Then, with his partner, they made a quick entry into the house and checked every room first before checking the bodies lying on the ground.
"Control, this is 9-P-14. We are 10-4; there are no suspects inside the house. Inform medical units and request detectives at the scene, as we have two deceased individuals inside. Copy and out." One of the officers used his radio to inform.
"Copy that 9-P-14."
While waiting for the detectives to arrive, officers secured the perimeter and blocked it off with crime scene tape. Ten minutes later, the detectives arrived and began their investigation.
The first thing they noticed was a table set with four plates, yet there were only two bodies, suggesting that the other two individuals might be suspects in this murder.
Upon examining the house, the detectives found a room clearly belonging to a girl and then discovered a boy's room that seemed untouched for some time.
After completing their initial investigation, the coroner's team arrived at the scene. The detectives had already deduced that the wine was infused with poison, which was used to kill the father and mother. However, questions remained: Were the daughter and son responsible for this, or were they abducted by the person who killed their parents?
In hopes of finding answers, they requested personal information about Zed and his sister. After receiving the information, they sent an additional unit to check if Zed was inside his dormitory. Ten minutes later, the patrol unit reported that Zed had been absent that day and had not returned after leaving the dormitory.
Finding this suspicious, the detectives requested the unit inquire locally about Zed's whereabouts, but no one knew who Zed was except for Elena, Zed's ex-girlfriend. She told the detectives about an incident that happened yesterday and expressed her regret over the events. This information led the detectives to consider Zed as the primary suspect.
They pieced together a scenario: Elena had cheated on Zed with his best friend due to Zed's financial situation. That night, overwhelmed by emotions and alcohol, Zed passed out. The next morning, still enraged and feeling betrayed, he allegedly returned to his family's home and poisoned his parents.
This tragic theory frames Zed as acting out of a deep sense of hurt and betrayal, prompted by personal and financial grievances. The detectives now needed to locate Zed to verify the details and motivations behind the suspected actions.