137 Memory

As the words "Raimi Inventors" entered Will's ears, a memory rose to his mind's eye.

A broken man, not in body but in mind, crying on the ground.

A ruthless figure claiming that it was all acting, and that the man had gotten what he deserved.

A child, watching from a small hole in a door.

And himself, being told that life was a cruel thing, and that people should not be taken at face value.

He did not remember further, as if the rest was hidden in clouds of billowing smoke.

This…was that kid?

"Sam Raimi. Your father called you…Dimples."

Liz had been staring with a puzzled expression on her face after Sam had made that statement. She didn't know what to think of the situation, but for some reason, she couldn't believe that the man she had hugged yesterday could do something like that.

Of course, Sam hadn't been insinuating that William was the culprit; instead, he was blaming his father.

However, hearing the CEO speak, Liz heard a hint of guilt in his voice which made her look at him with shock.

In response, Sam smiled the widest since she had entered the room, making two dimples appear on the sides of his face.

They made him look scary, almost as if he had been poked at those two spots to make those perfect holes appear.

When she looked closer, she realized something: it was the rest of his face which made her think like this; if it were someone normal, maybe they would have been called handsome.

"Yes. Dimples. I'm glad you remember, Mr. CEO. I won't waste my breath on you. Get out. Go tell your company that Sam Raimi is here to make them pay. They can try to stop me, but they will fail. It should be clear from the fact that I obtained inside information that I am prepared. This is a plan that I've been working on for years, after all. We will meet again, and then, you will be feeling at least a hint of what my father felt-seeing your business being ruined under you, but unable to do anything to stop it. Bye for now!"

Saying this, Sam nodded at the two henchmen who moved towards Liz and Will.

However, Will had already caught Liz's hand and was leading her outside.

Meanwhile, Liz was still staring at Will, and she hadn't even reacted properly when she saw herself being dragged out.

Could he be responsible in some way for something that unethical?

In fact, it was common in business, as was evidenced from her first meeting with him.

However, there had been no guilt then.

Why was it present now?

Wait…was it even guilt?

Indeed, at first she had thought that it was something else, but Liz had discarded that thought as it didn't make sense.

Yet, it looked like that was more likely now:

Aversion. The CEO had felt aversion when he had spoken before, as if he had buried that memory in the farthest reaches of his mind, and was loth to be reminded of it now.

….

Back in the car, both Liz and Will were sitting in silence.

Liz was waiting in silence, while the CEO looked like he was in deep thought.

However, he felt the constant glances that were being shot at him by Liz, who was sitting beside him.

Finally, after a few minutes, he pressed a button which raised a panel between them and the chauffeur, isolating them and preventing anyone from hearing their conversation.

Seeing this, Liz turned toward Will, but again, she didn't say anything.

However, looking down, she saw that they were still holding hands.

So, she squeezed, which made Will finally raise his eyes and look at her.

Liz was sure that she was not a bad judge of character. In business, ruthlessness was needed, but cruelty was something that she would never be able to stomach. Her instincts told her that this man was not cruel, and she believed them.

So, she waiting with an encouraging smile on her face.

Finally, Will spoke after looking into her eyes for a few moments.

"Elizabeth, I had no intention of you having to hear about my father so soon, but I guess there is no other choice. My father took out middling family business and raised it to a level that is enviable by almost anyone in the world. In one shot, he made our family stand amongst the top in the world. We had wealth before that had been passed down, but he made it so that we didn't even need to use that wealth.

"Such a thing…cannot be accomplished by a normal man. He was willing to do anything to achieve his goals. He expected a lot from himself, and later, he did the same from his children."

Will sounded strange. Liz hadn't been very surprised when she saw him begin speaking about his father, but what startled her most was that his words were like those of a bystander's, instead of those coming from a son.

"I was pushed into business at a young age, and the company of this man's father stands out to me, as it was the first business negotiation which he took me to. He said that I needed to start seeing the world in a different way; that I was too soft for business, and that he could not trust me to handle the fortune he built.

"I was 12 years old. His expectations were just too high. Seeing the man's tears and the fear in the kid who must have been Sam, I couldn't take it. I don't remember the rest, as I buried this memory a long time ago. After that, though, I resumed a more normal education for quite a long time."

Liz could imagine it. A small boy, witnessing the dark side of life.

However, as the CEO spoke again, her eyes widened with alarm.

"All that is beside the point. Whatever the facts of that takeover were, Sam is a highly intelligent and driven individual. If he says he has set out to accomplish something, he will. The main problem is this: he seems two steps ahead of us. If this remains the case, he will win. We cannot allow that to happen. I will speak with my father to unearth what happened then. You-I need you to figure out his plan. Good luck. All resources are at your disposal."