The Tycoon's Odyssey

Celina paced back and forth nervously.

She had been unable to sleep ever since she heard about Evan's accident. It was supposed to be just a simple tour, but who would have predicted that such a misfortune would befall Evan?

RING! RING!

She had called Aria several times, but Aria hadn't answered, which made her even more anxious.

"W....Why is Evan's luck so bad? What did he do wrong to always find himself in such situations?"

After numerous calls, Aria finally answered and Celina immediately shouted.

"Why weren't you picking up the calls?"

[I…I had gone to pay the bills and had put my phone on silent.]

"Uh…Then Aria how is the situation?"

[It's good, he is out of…]

"Huh!"

A deep frown etched on Celina's face as the call was abruptly cut off.

She tried calling once again, only to find that Aria's phone had been switched off…

"It seems her battery died out…," Celina murmured to herself, but for some reason, her heart raced with anxiety.

_____

Meanwhile,

"Uuhhhh!"

A groan escaped from Evan's lips.

His entire body was on fire, making him quiver and forcing him to open his eyes but he tried to, his eyelids refused to listen to his commands.

'Dream...Was I dreaming of Brother Leon..?'

'But where am I? And what is this place?'

After a harrowing moment of conflict, he finally opened his eyes. The sudden influx of light blinded his eyes, forcing him to shut them again.

Soon, the memory of the accident flashed in his mind, sending a shiver through his body.

Taking a moment, he opened his eyes again, and what greeted him was a dim, hazy vision of a white world.

Everything was shaky and dizzy, but the shakiness soon disappeared. As Evan finally got a sense of his surroundings, a palpable gasp of horror escaped from his lips.

"UHHHHH!"

"Calm down, it's not good for you to be so shocked."

A familiar middle-aged man's face appeared in his vision, surrounded by a few other men.

"Mr...Steve...."

"Mr. Evan, there's no need to hurry. Take your time. Once the drug kicks in, you will come to your senses soon enough."

"Drug…"

Evan wasn't able to finish his voice as it felt hoarse, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

The burning sensation and dizziness were worse than when he had woken up after the coma.

When Evan's vision finally cleared, he looked down at the condition of his body. Several bandages wrapped around his right arm all the way across his head and a large plaster cast encased his right leg.

A few moments later, Evan felt something wrong. His whole body suddenly seemed to be full of energy. At first, he was feeling lethargic but now there was a sudden boost of adrenaline kicking in.

He locked his gaze on Steve who sat down on the chair and had put on airs with his legs folded arrogantly.

"You... What did you do to me?" Evan demanded, his brow furrowing with concern and confusion.

As he looked at Steve, he could clearly see an expression that seemed to be telling him:

Surprise…Suprise..m*therfucker…

Steve nodded slowly in response as if he had anticipated this question.

"Quite quick to catch on," he remarked calmly.

"You have been unconscious for three and a half days. I know you need to recover, but I don't have much time. And so, I administered your medicine to wake you up and finish things. Once the effect wears off, you'll be back in slumber," Steve explained with a smug.

Evan's heart raced with a sense of foreboding.

"Why are you here? Where is Miss Aria?" he asked sharply, glaring at Steve.

"Ohhhh! Calm down, Evan... Calm down. No need to get agitated," Steve smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

CLAP

With a sudden clap of his hands, the group of people around them parted, revealing two men holding a gagged Aria.

Evan's eyes widened in shock and concern as he saw her struggling against her restraints.

Her left cheek was swollen, showing a clear hand imprint and her lips were stained with blood while her eyes seemed to be shaking with fear.

"Don't worry, we haven't harmed her, nor do we intend to. I have just silenced her just for now," Steve muttered, his tone almost casual despite the gravity of the situation.

A whirlwind of emotions swept through Evan. It didn't take a high IQ to understand what was going on. Now he was 90% sure that the reason behind his accident was none other than Steve.

"Are you disregarding the law? Do you think you'll be safe once everyone finds out? The Pears group will bear the brunt of your actions," Evan exclaimed, his voice tinged with anger and disbelief.

Steve burst into laughter at Evan's words, his amusement mingled with a hint of disdain as he stared at Evan with a mocking gaze.

"Evan... Oh, Evan... What can I say except..." Steve paused, his tone laced with condescension.

"You are quite dumb and naive aren't you?" he stated bluntly.

Evan's expression twisted in disbelief, his brow furrowing deeply.

"Listen and mark my words, Evan," Steve continued, his voice gaining an edge of certainty. "In this world, governments, politicians, businessmen and criminals are all nothing but the wheels of a machine. And that machine is driven by one thing above all else: money. Money is what truly matters, and..."

"So, we the money maker is law maker."

Steve paused for a moment, locking his eyes with Evan as his expression narrowing with disdain.

At this moment, Evan was bewildered to the point he couldn't find words.

"Do you think Presidents and Prime Ministers are elected by the people? No," Steve scoffed. "They are elected by us."

"Your Prime Minister is just a puppet elected by Talwars, Mahajans, and Amdanis, but the real power lies with the Rajputs..."

At the mention of Rajputs, Evan's entire body tensed, as if struck by a sudden shock.

Who didn't know about the Rajputs?

The bravery and honour of the Rajputs were legendary, a source of pride and tales of valour.

"The royal families of the old days may not be in the spotlight anymore, but they still control everything from the shadows. Monarchy never truly faded; it simply adapted different forms, pulling the strings behind the facade of democracy..."

"Monarchy is the true essence of democracy," Steve spoke with a glaring smile that shook both Evan and Aria to the core.

"It has always been and will always be."