Fortune's Deceit

“Hold on a second, Marsha.”

Peter’s conversation was suddenly interrupted by a series of knocks coming from behind his closed door.

“Come in!”

As he turns around to check who it might be, Peter immediately recognizes a familiar face. It is Brad, his friend but also the Head of HR in the company. He gestures with a raised index, to indicate that it will just take him a short moment to end the call.

“Marsha, I am so sorry, but we will have to continue this talk later. I’ll call you back.”

Then, turning to his visitor, “Good to see you, Brad. What brings you by?”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your call. Do you have a minute?”

“Of course! What’s going on?”

With some hesitation in his voice, Brad says, “Well, I need to talk to someone in HR. I feel stuck in this job. It’s been…what…eight years since I’ve joined the firm?” 

“Seven years and eight months, to be exact,” interrupts Peter.

“Right, that long! And look where I’m at?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m still not considered for a job upstairs!”

“You’ve been doing well, Brad. You’re one of our top salespeople here in the company.”

“Glad SOMEONE is paying attention!”

“Not, not just someone. HR is, I am and both the VP and the President are. So, if it helps, “upstairs” is very much aware. They’ve seen your numbers, Brad.”

“Okay, so how come you guys have not made promoted me yet?”

“It’s not that simple. We need to be strategic about. Trust me.”

From his desk, he leans forward as if he is about to share a big secret. For some reason, he stops halfway, and pushes his chair away to get up. Assuming the conversation is over, he looks at Brad and then takes a seat back in his chair.  

While he moves his chair, Brad carries on with his questioning, trying to better understand the situation.

“So, what’s holding them back?”

Realizing that he was not done asking questions, Peter leans to open a file cabinet. He pauses for a moment, first, looking outside and then, looking at his colleague.  

“Honestly, I don’t know, Brad. I tell you what…let me make a few calls. Our next review meeting is in a few weeks.”

The two had known each other for years. Brad knew something was off and that Peter was getting uncomfortable, but he did not know why.

“Right, thanks man! I appreciate that. Keep me posted,” he says and leaves the office.  

“You bet!” responds Peter, as Brad closes the door.

On his way back to his office space, he sees through the glass doors a group of employees gathered in the kitchen. One of them waves at him, inviting him to join in, but as he walks in, many avoid any eye contact.

“Hey Brad, how are you?” says Andy, acknowledging his presence.

“Hey guys, Matt, Andy, Tom—” Looking puzzled, he says, “What’s going on? Why the faces?”

“Faces?” goes Andy.

“You don’t know?” says Tom.

“Know what?”

“Hey, what’s going on here. Did I miss something—” says Tony, another colleague who also enters the room.

At that point, everyone in the room, except for the last two people who just walked in, feel uneasy about sharing the latest company update. Realizing that none of the colleagues were ready to say anything, Andy breaks the silence with an order, “Read your emails!”

Curious to know more about the big mystery, Brad reaches to his pocket and pulls out his phone. He enters his password and starts scrolling. This is when he stops, for a quick second and drops an “F” bomb. He gives one look at everyone around him and leaves.

Without knocking on the door, he storms straight back into Peter’s office.

“Care to explain this?” he says, showing him the message on his phone.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you earlier, but then, I though, that may be it was best you receive the message.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you. How could you hide this from me, Peter? How did this happen?”

“Let me explain.”

“Please do!”

Peter gives Brad a wishy-washy explanation, saying that Matt had long been sought out for a promotion. He had just closed three major deals for the firm and “upstairs” was very impressed by his performance and wanted to bring him closer.

From the sound of his voice and his hesitation, Brad did not buy any of the explanation. On the contrary, he felt the company had let him down and that once again, someone else’s work and career were put above his.

He leaves Peter’s office and goes back to his office. He avoids the corridor leading to the kitchen and thinks it is best he packs a few things and heads out.    

At the elevators, he runs into Matt. This time, he congratulates him, “Hey Matt, congrats on that promotion. It’s well deserved!”

“Thanks, man! Coming from you, it means a lot,” Matt replies.

After that, he presses the down button of the elevators. While he is waiting for the elevator to arrive on his floor, Peter comes running. He is out of breath. “Brad, please, wait. You need to hear me out about this. I did not give you the full story.”

The fact that he tried to see him after what had just happened infuriated him further.

“Peter, it’s okay. Let’s talk tomorrow.” He was done for the day.

When he finally arrives in the garage, Brad gets in the car, throws his jacket on the driver seat. His briefcase lands on the backseat. He turns on the engine, synchs his phone to the car and selects one of his favorite songs, “Blue Ain't Your Color” by Keith Urban. This was his mom’s favorite.

Exiting the garage, he turns the volume up and starts singing:

'Cause blue looks good on the sky

Looks good on that neon buzzin' on the wall’

Rather than taking his anger and disappointment on anyone, he gives himself the afternoon off. He was allowed to, after all. He decides to go home, play with Bailey, his loving lab. She would be happy to see him arrive early.

In fact, as soon as she spots his car entering the driveaway, she starts barking.

For the next few hours, Brad makes no plans. Before going upstairs to change his clothes, he pours himself a drink.

The drink felt good too. It was just right: strong enough to numb his pain. He needed that. Today, he felt unappreciated, defeated and he was down. Bailey was by his side to bring some comfort.

Growing up, Brad’s family had very little. He lost his father when he was nine. He and his sisters worked from a very young age to support their mom. He was the only son, the youngest child, and the workaholic of them all.

Brad was also his mama’s pride and joy. He always felt the duty to help and give her everything she had dreamed of but could not get because she had to raise the five of them, on a small salary. So, to compensate, he worked all the time.

Work was his passion, work was his drug—to kill his sadness and pains, to bring joy to his family, to live a better-than-expected lifestyle.

He throws himself on the couch. Not knowing what to do next, he turns the television on but then decides to simply relax—something he rarely took time to do.

He was so tired that he quickly falls asleep to wake up several hours later by a strange light coming through the window. He tries to turn on the lights, but he has lost power. At first, he thinks this must have happened while he was asleep.

All of a sudden, while Brad is trying to get some light in the room, Bailey starts barking. He assumes she must have seen someone approaching his house, so he looks outside the window.  

“Bailey, what’s the matter?”

The lab continues to bark, looking in the void, but towards the entrance.

Not knowing what she was staring at, Brad decides to try another switch. No. Same thing.

“Great! Now we have no power in here,” he says out loud.

As Bailey continues to call his attention by barking, Brad begins worry. Could there be an intruder in his house?

He didn’t see how. He was not expecting anyone, and he would have known by the sound of a car. He lived in an area where you could see more trees than houses. His next-door neighbor lived about a mile away.

Not knowing what or who might have been lurking nearby, Brad makes his way in dark to reach the kitchen counter and grabs a big knife. He was ready to defend himself if it came down to that.

When he walks back to the living room, something startles him. He feels a presence in his house. Something like a shadow. It moved very quickly, by the entrance.  

“Hello! Anybody there?” he shouts.  

“Hello Brad!”

A creature looking like a human suddenly appears in his entry hallway. It is wrapped in shadows, with piercing eyes that are glowing with an otherworldly intensity.

Brad summons his courage to ask, “Who are you?”  

“My name is Ludvik.”

“How did you get in my house?”

“It was open. You came in upset and forgot to lock behind you.” He spoke with confidence and walked fast. Before he could even finish those few words, he was just a foot away from Brad.

He could now see him clearly. He kept his composure but was frightened by this thing. He takes a step back, holding his knife tight in his hand, ready to strike.

“I came in to help you,” he says.

“Help me. Who said I needed help”?

“Me.”

“With what?”

“Look, Brad—” as he moves even closer, Bailey starts barking louder.

“You know my name?”

“Yup! I know everything about you,” he responds while removing his cloak.

“Bailey, stop!”

“I know what happened today,” Ludvik carries on. “I was there. I saw how Matt’s promotion infuriated you. To be honest, it should have been you. But you know something? I can take care of that if you let me, of course.”

“How?”

Ludvik carries his conversation while taking a photographic memory of every corner, every object, and the smallest item in the room. He even goes as far as making himself comfortable on the couch and laying on it in the same position as Brad was a few minutes before.

"I can grant you the recognition you desire," he whispers, his voice enticing and seductive. "In exchange, I ask for your soul when your time on this earth comes to an end."

“Wait what?” Brad was overwhelmed by the attention and confused. This was surreal. For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming but his dog’s barking made him realize it was truly happening.

“Trust me!” Ludvik says laughing. “I can give everything, executive suite, penthouse, cars, women, money, lots of it, anything your heart desires…but for a price. I want your soul in exchange, Bradsky!”

He kept an eye on his strange visitor. His deal was tempting. Brad scratches his head, then wipes his drink from his lips, takes another sip, seats, and shakes his head.

He was fascinated by the offer. His heart was also torn between a dream and the ominous price he would have to pay someday. That said, his craving for recognition overpowered his caution, and so he agreed to the deal.

“Deal!” he says in the end.

Ludvik was satisfied. He had accomplished his mission.

He stands up, looks at Brad with shiny eyes and smiles. The two don’t shake hands—devils never do—although Brad had for an instant that they would.

“It’s a deal then!” he says, holding his head up high. “By the way, this is a gentlemen’s agreement. You keep your promise, and I will keep mine.”

“Okay, so how is this whole thing going to work?” Brad asks.  

“Be patient. You will see the results soon enough. You won’t see me again, well…until my time to collect my price.”

Those were his last words. As soon as he finishes talking, so he disappears, letting the power come back in the house.

Brad was left shaken. Even Bailey looked confused.

Soon after Ludvik’s visit, Brad’s career soared to unimaginable heights. Now, he had it all, or so it seemed.

A few weeks after Marcus’s promotion, there was a terrible accident. The company private jet carrying the two executives crashed on the way back from a business meeting. There were no survivors.

As it said often said, someone’s misfortune can be someone else’s fortune.

Brad thought this sad incidence might have been a sign from Ludvik. It was in fact the beginning of his ascension.   

Soon after the funerals, Peter called Brad to ask him to step in. He was offered the top job and he accepted.

Now President, Marcus was the new Vice President. Together, they made many changes in the hiring and promotion of people in the firm. People wanted to work for them.

Everyone knew that Brad had his employees’ back. For that, each employee sang his praises. Across the country, people showered him with fame, fortune, and adoration.

As years went by, however, he began to notice the toll his pact with Ludvik had taken.

Whispers of darkness followed him everywhere, haunting his dreams and clouding his mind. The joy he once found in overworking were now replaced by an insatiable hunger for validation that could never be satisfied.

One fateful evening, his car skid off the road and collided with an electric pole. He was unharmed. He was not speeding and had his seatbelts on. The mere possibility of this road accident turning fatal reminded him of his sinister contract.

Out of fear of what could have happened to him, he became desperate to break free of the deal and find a way to nullify it.

Brad thought about Derek, his childhood friend from Baton Rouge. They had known each other since they were both kids. Brad recalled one day when Derek confessed that he had been initiated—well sort of—to voodoo. So, he felt no harm asking him for help.

As soon as he finishes telling him the story, Derek reminds me about the ties between some humans with the “otherworld.” He then reveals to him “the secret long forgotten by the world.”

To sever the bond with Ludvik, Brad needed to find a child—one who had lost both parents—that he would love as his own and for whom he would be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice of his own life.  

The next day, Brad begins his search. He contacts all the orphanages in the country. He doesn’t give up and keeps looking.

One day, he receives a call, telling him about a young boy who just came in. Relived, Brad decided to travel right away to go meet him. When he meets the child, his heart is full of joy and love for this boy. Without any hesitation, he adopts him and brings him home.

After that, Brad’s life changes for the better. He becomes a devoted father. He never misses any of his son's school games. He also starts spending more time with his family to the point of forgetting about his deal with Ludvik.

At the dawn of this 60^th birthday, he collapses in his office. Thankfully, his Executive Assistant finds him and calls 911.

Before the ambulance arrive, Ludvik’s shadow shows up in his office. He is there to collect his dues, in case the man dies.

When they arrive at the hospital, the doctors examine Brad and declare that he’s simply overworked. They recommend he spends the night, but Brad prefers to go home.

Upon his release from hospital, Brad calls home to make sure his son is awake and let him know he is on his way.  

Ludvik gets angry because he thought he was so close. He follows Brad to his house to confront him.

When Brad gets there, he recognizes the strange light in his living room. Realizing that Ludvik was out there, he asks for him. As the creature comes out of the darkness, Brad’s son rushes out of nowhere to hug him.

“Dad, you’re back! I have missed you,” he screams, not seeing who was also in the room.  

Hearing those words, Brad eyes well up with tears. He realizes that his son is that human bond he needed to break his deal with Ludvik.

Unwilling to let go of his prize, Ludvik appears in front of both, ready to unleash his dark powers. But the warm embrace between father and son forms a radiant shield that pushes back his darkness. When this light washes over Ludvik, he lets out a piercing scream and vanishes into the abyss from which he came.

The deal was now broken, and Brad was finally free.

From that day forward, he not only took better care of himself and his family, but he also found a new appreciation for the genuine connections he had made. Although he knew his time on this earth was limited, he treasured every moment, knowing that true love had the power to conquer even the darkest of pacts.