Rock Bottom

Thwack!

Thud!

The sound of a body hitting the ground echoed in the empty alleyway. Which continued by multitude of fists and kicks that landed on the poor soul.

"That's what you get for not just giving us the money, old man!"

After a moment of senseless beating, the group of delinquents stopped thrashing the man and rummage through his belonging, finding themselves an authentic leather wallet and a gold watch.

"Look, we don't like beating people up. It'll be easier to just give us what we want. Ptuih! Let's go boys, we got our drinking money!"

"Haha! Boss is the best! It takes great skill to zero in a fat helpless cow like this dude!"

The group noisily walk out of the alleyway back into the busy night street of Old Keer City, scaring the passerby as they walked past them. In Old Keer City, you better mind your own business unless you don't want to live anymore.

"Argh.." The beaten up man painfully stood back up, gasping for air while hugging his painful abdomen. The man checked himself of his possessions, disappointed by the lack of it.

"They even took my watch.. Well, that's one way to get rid of it. But at least spare me some cash for a cab... And what's with the old man comment, I'm still in my 20s.."

The man limped slowly out of the quiet alleyway and into the streets, making passerby avoiding him like a plague because of his battered appearance.

"Good ol Old Keer City, where the people are heartless and the weak gets trampled."

The man slowly walked along the streets, going back to his home. All the while thinking about the misfortune that has befallen him for the last month.

The man is Adam Fortuna. An orphan of the SunShine Orphanage of Old Keer City. A diligent and hardworking young men. Graduated from the Economics & Sciences Old Keer University with top honors, destined to rise to the top with his new logistics company. Even had a beautiful fiancee, a modest house, the whole shebang.

But the happy times wouldn't last long. His best friend from high school, Eric Johannes, sabotaged his company and made him filed for bankruptcy. The cause? His fiancee gave out all the insider information to Eric. Why? His fiancee was Eric's mistress. Now he no longer had a fiancee, no company, no the whole shebang.

Forced to mortgage his house, he now lives in an old apartment complex in Red Maple district, the poor people district of Old Keer City. Security, conveniences, public transportation, all are lacking, but at least the rent's cheap.

Adam closed the door of his apartment, locking it with a pitiful lock to which a kick would do the trick of completely breaking it. He took out an ice pack from the freezer and a can beer, sat down on an old armchair and carefully placed the ice pack on his bruises, to which a single ice pack is definitely not enough.

As he sat down trying to alleviate the pain, he look around the living room. A small dilapidated space, an armchair in the middle of the room, and a small rickety coffee table beside the main door. The armchair is facing the window of the living room, so Adam can see the outside world through it, of whatever he can see since his view is blocked by other other apartments and a holo billboard advertising a new brand of toothpaste that came out.

"Sigh.. Madam Greer doesn't think I'm a good choice since I failed my own business. Mr. Jett likewise thinks so too. And other places think that me taking some lower position doesn't suit me and would just be a waste. Bunch of bulls. Oh right, I haven't check my emails yet."

Adam pull over his wrist and push a button on his bracelet, which is an essential household item to be had in this day and age. It displayed a holographic screen, on which you can find any kind of application a smartphone and a computer would have.

"Spam, spam, men medicine, dating site, spam, scam... Is my email THAT compromised!? Hmm? 'The Howell Company graciously invites you to a banquet.' Isn't that one of the most influential company in the city? Why would they send me an invite? Is this a fake?"

Under the email, there's an insignia of Raven holding a black rose in it's beak. Doubling as Howell Company emblem and a pass into the banquet.

"It's tomorrow at 10am, in the Howell Hall. Formal wear, and a custom rose lapel pin? Where would I get that? Hmm? It said to check my coffee table?"

There, in the corner of the coffee table, lay a small box. It look inconspicuous enough with all the miscellaneous stuff strewn around. Inside it lay a custom rose lapel pin.

"How did it get here? Didn't notice any sign of forced entry on the door..."

Taking the custom rose on hand, Adam carefully look at it, it's normal rose shape, but black in color, with thorns surrounding it, and a feather of a raven in the center. It look exquisitely made and full of details for something so small. Adam realizes there's a small note tucked in the box.

'Please do come. Or the next thing that will come here will not be as harmless as a lapel pin.'

"What have I gotten myself into..."

Adam sighed and put the lapel pin back into the box and slowly walked to his bedroom. There's only an old small bed, a study table and a wardrobe, pretty basic and absolutely no miscellaneous stuff. He opened the wardrobe and took out his only prized possession he had to date. His only Armano suit, which looked brand new.

Adam treasured this suit as much as his life, since this is the first suit he bought after finishing his degree. They say that clothes makes the man, and this suit made Adam feel empowered and confident that he could take whatever life throws at him. And his obsession with suits since a young age helped with that.

He hang the suit at the back of the bedroom door, so he wouldn't forget about the banquet. Adam's not a morning person, he would usually takes a few minutes to gather his thoughts after waking up. Adam laid down with the ice pack still on his abdomen, he prepared to take a deep rest.

"Even with the threat, which I think a company like Howell shouldn't do, this could be an opportunity. I can meet some important people and expand my network. Surely they would understand business sabotage."

With that in mind, Adam closed his eyes, trying to ignore the numbing pain and get some rest.