The Saga of Doury & Youdi – Chapter 7a

“You will be assassinated tomorrow…”

That’s when the love affair started.

 

There is the glitz and glamour of a multi-billion-dollar corporate conglomerate. And there are the stark dark hidden underbelly multi-billion-dollar businesses that help a lot of these glitzy corporate conglomerates run. The grey market caters to the large bottom of the pyramid economy which combined, easily outnumbered the glitzy corporates. The actual muscle and the leg work for a lot of these glitzy corporates was carried out by this so-called underbelly. It was an all together different empire, where there were no designated CEO, COO or Executives, but ran a much smoother well-oiled machinery.

Hademz was one of the emperors of this massive underbelly empire. Hademy was the beautiful sister of Hademz who managed all the complex negotiations with the glitzy legitimate corporates. She was fair and just, loved and respected by everyone who knew her or ‘knew of her’!  Both the siblings were chalk and cheese. Hademz was ruthless and believed, to rule his part of the world,  you need to peddle fear, display actions to keep the fear alive.

Hademz had this wild idea that one permanent way to keep the fear alive was to assassinate one of the biggies from the big corporates. He chose Bremz, or at least one of the Paendeeys. He nurtured this wild idea of assassinating Bremz. If he could do it barehand or perhaps with a sleek switchblade, it would seal his eternal seat of power. Slay the huge brawny Bremz, you prove both physical and organizational prowess.

Hademy pleaded Hademz not to put a well-oiled machinery into disarray with wild ambitions. Hademz was too proud to heed her. And Hademz had the brawn to match, if not better Bremz. He wanted to prove his own physical prowess too. He argued with Hademy that your reputation always precedes you, and he would have sealed his seat of power for life and maybe beyond, for his successors. Planning an assassination was anyway routine and his cronies will handle the logistics.

Hademy knew it would be the end of their clan if this foolish plan was put to action. And she did the unthinkable. She went and met Bremz !

Confronted him at his gym. Her team had ‘sanitized’ the gym. Bremz was impressed by the sheer bravado! Coming to meet lion at his lair and telling him that on his face.

“Your lair for the next 3 minutes is actually mine. As you see, there are no other familiar faces in your own gym…”

Bremz loved the sheer confidence and the bravado. He loved it. Almost loved her!

“You will be assassinated tomorrow. I don’t want that, for business reasons…”

Bremz laughed out loud.

“I hope you know; my boy could have shot through your skull as you laugh. The one on the top right corner, sitting in a sling from the ceiling. I am not here to crack jokes. Hademz, my brother, would lunge for you with a switchblade. He is strong, perhaps stronger than you…”

Bremz was now almost gawking. He never felt this before. He just saw the face and the lips moving. Couldn’t hear a word. Was this love?

“…But he has got a weak left knee. If you are swift and your kick and your punch is as strong as they say, you will have the advantage. You will need to finish him off, otherwise it will just be a repeat action someday somewhere. I need nothing from you. I do this for my people. My business…”

Bremz was still just staring at her.

Hademy’s heart also felt a flutter, but she shooed it away. She can’t possibly fall for one of these glitzy morons! Nonetheless, the complete absence of fear in Bremz’s eyes, knowing fully well he had a sniper’s gun aimed at his head, was something Hademy had to respect.

“…If you die, perhaps Hademz may manage it all, and I have nothing to fear. But if you win, we can both benefit. Strictly business. Remember, the weak left knee.”

Bremz was shot by Cupids arrow for sure. Every second his love for this amazing woman just grew stronger. And he has met her for the last 30 seconds or so !

She snapped her fingers at Bremz’s face. She could sense he was floating in and out of some dream. She had never confronted any man like him. The snapping fingers got Bremz back.

“Remember, It is tomorrow. As you walk out of this very gym.  Left weak knee. He will have a switchblade. No one else will attack. That’s on me…”

To cut a long story short, Bremz used Hademz’s  knife to kill him, in self-defence. No case was registered.

He paid back a visit to her lair, to thank her. Alone.

And that’s how the love affair began. And Ghatzy was born. They never married, but everyone knew they were a couple. The glitz and the underbelly gelled well. Bremz helped Hademy to grow her business further, by building in rules to reign in an unruly mob. Hademy and her clan’s reputation also helped the Paendeeys, with no undesired interference.

Ghatzy took over from Hademy. He was feared and loved equally by everyone. He was ruthless with his enemies and loyal to his friends. He made a conglomerate of the underbelly. He grew to be more powerful than anyone else, even more than anyone from the glitzy corporates. His maze of loyal friends and contacts made him omnipresent. He was feared and respected.

Ghatzy loved Bremz. He was touched by the openness of Bremz’s heart and the way he held no grudges or prejudice about the underworld. He just treated it as another business. He always said, someone had to do this work, so why not you!

 Ghatzy chose to lie low. He never fancied the limelight. He did not need that. He was elusive and preferred to stay away from the glitzy fanfare.

He promised his father, he would be by Bremz’s side whenever he desired. He just needed to think of it and Ghatzy would be there. Bremz laughed at that.

“Don’t pretend to be a genie in a bottle, that you would hear me, if I thought out loud!!”

“Dad, my power lies in information. I have eyes and ears everywhere. You taught me that. So, believe me, when I tell you, just think out loud and your Ghatzy will be by your side with his life…”

Bremz never thought Krey would take that line literally.

When Krey asked Bremz to call for Ghatzy, Bremz knew he was seeking Ghatzy’s life! Ghatzy actually was keen to give up his life, willingly for his father.

Krey wanted Goliaths to fall on their own, to save the Davids!                                  (to be continued…)