Chapter 1
I was the most forgettable janitor in the whole company.
I was so unremarkable that nobody even bothered to learn my name.
But what nobody ever expected was that I took this job just to keep my real identity under wraps.
In reality, I was only here to cover up who I truly was, a modern-day corpse driver.
During the day, I helped the living clean up their messes, making bodies disappear without a trace.
At night, I helped the dead keep their family lines going.
I always planned to retire once I'd saved up 30 million.
But one night, I landed a 15-million job.
*****
When I saw all those zeros, my sleepy brain snapped wide awake and I shot up from bed.
It was 15 million dollars.
With this job done, I could retire on the spot and kick back for good.
Just thinking about it, I was so pumped I could barely wait to accept the mission.
But just as I was about to hit confirm, my rational side took over.
Something this out of the ordinary was bound to be fishy.
There was no way that they would offer a price more than ten times the usual rate for no reason.
Playing it safe, I asked a few more questions.
The client replied almost instantly: [The situation here is a bit unusual. The family is so devoted to their son that they just can't bear to move his body.
[So we need you to help the deceased leave an heir right at the scene, and then clean up afterward.]
I frowned and replied: [I don't do risky jobs.]
I'd worked my ass off for years to save up a few million.
I wasn't about to throw it all away before I even got to enjoy it.
Seeing my response, the guy on the other end was getting desperate.
He only hesitated for less than three minutes before he spilled the truth.
He told me the deceased was Crispin Holt, the only son of the richest man in Cealdan.
Driven by heartbreak, Crispin took his own life at home, slitting his wrists.
The way he died was especially gruesome.
His mother, Jessica Holt, who'd always spoiled him, took just one look and passed out cold.
His father, Fletcher Holt, was freaking out that if the news got out, the company's stock would tank.
He was also losing sleep over the Holt family fortune having no one left to inherit it.
So he decided to call me in to fix this whole disaster.
The client wrote: [Obviously, you're not getting this kind of cash for nothing.
[You have to pull it off perfectly, no screw-ups. And we'll need to frisk you to make sure nothing leaks out.]
I ran a quick calculation in my head.
In this business, my rep was everything.
Staying discreet was just as crucial.
Once this job was done, I could finally call it quits.
It was best if as few people as possible ever found out about this.
Just like that, I said yes.
The Holt family really lived up to their reputation as the richest in Cealdan.
Half an hour after I confirmed the job, a helicopter was already parked on the lawn right outside my building, ready to pick me up.
When I got to the Holt family's place, the villa was so fancy it nearly blinded me. My jaw just dropped.
I couldn't help but start calculating in my head.
With a janitor's salary of 1000 dollars a month, even if I never spent a dime and lived for hundreds of years, there was no way I'd ever afford a mansion like this.
Just as I was lost in my own thoughts, Jessica's sobs yanked me back to reality.
I looked up.
The living room was decked out with traditional wedding decorations.
Big red decorations were slapped onto a pitch-black coffin.
In the dead of night, the whole setup gave me the chills.
As soon as Fletcher saw me, tears streamed down his face.
He pleaded, "Madam, you have to help us. We've spent our whole lives working hard, and he's our only son.
"Now, to have us outlive our child... If we lose even this last hope, my wife and I wouldn't have the strength to go on."
He had gray hair at his temples and looked completely worn out.
He was a far cry from the charismatic Fletcher I'd seen on TV.
I remembered the news stories about him.
He'd lost his dad when he was just a kid and built everything from the ground up.
Now, after all those years, he'd lost his only son, and there was nobody left to take over.
This was just heartbreaking.
Watching the two of them falling apart like that, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
I guessed even the filthy rich had headaches money couldn't solve.
That thought made me drop my guard a little.
"Tell you what, throw in another 1.5 million, and I'll pull out all the stops to get you that grandchild," I said.
Fletcher froze for a moment, then broke into a huge grin and said yes without a second thought.
Once I got half the deposit, I asked for Crispin's birthday, just like I always did.
As I was about to draw a talisman, I suddenly froze.
Something was wrong with this date.
I looked it over again and again, hoping I was just imagining things.
But deep down, I knew the truth. I just didn't want to admit it.
Left with no other option, I let the Holts lead me to Crispin's room.
As soon as Jessica reached the doorway and saw the dried blood smeared all over the walls, she collapsed in tears and fainted once more.
Fletcher was barely managing to stay composed.
But tears kept slipping down his cheeks, uncontrollable no matter how hard he tried.
Fletcher said, his voice shaky, "Madam, please don't mind this.
"Crispin died so tragically..."
I took a look inside the room.
Crispin was lying stiff as a board on the bed.
Dim lighting made it nearly impossible to make out his features.
But what it did show was the blood, splattered all over, impossible to miss.
When an artery got cut, blood could shoot up more than six feet.
Even the priceless vases and crystal chandeliers in the room were splattered with blood.
When I looked up, the whole place was drenched in red.