The Tycoon's Odyssey

Vishal shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting between Suri and Evan. "The Federation? Well… I know what most people would know about it. It's an association of powerful families created to maintain balance. They ensure that no single family becomes too ambitious, mediate conflicts, and set the rules for everyone to follow."

Evan leaned back in his chair, clearly unimpressed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I mean, do you know anything beyond that? Something less… obvious?"

Vishal hesitated, the lines on his forehead deepening. After a long pause, he shook his head. "No. That's all I've ever come across."

Suri, who had been silent till now, finally spoke. "What's this about, Evan?" Her tone was measured, but there was an edge of curiosity in her words. "What exactly are you looking for?"

Evan's sharp gaze flicked from Vishal to Suri. After a moment of pause, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "The Thompsons," he said firmly.

Suri blinked. "The Thompsons?"

Evan nodded. "I want to know why the Thompsons are the head of the Federation."

The room fell silent, and Suri and Vishal frowned as they processed his words.

"What do you mean?" Suri asked cautiously.

Evan leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "I've looked into it. Every major family in the Federation has left some kind of mark in history—the Rajputs, the Barretts, the Morgans, the Rothschilds all have centuries of legacy, power struggles, empires, alliances and influence. But the Thompsons? There's almost nothing about them. No wars, no alliances, no business dynasties, no influence. They don't have any documented history about them, yet they suddenly came to the top. It's like they just appeared one day."

Vishal's face betrayed faint surprise, while Suri's brow furrowed in thought.

"I never thought about that," Suri admitted, her voice now quieter. "I've always avoided digging too closely into the Federation. It was never something I wanted to concern myself with. Should I ask my father? He might know more."

Before Evan could answer, Vishal sat up straighter, his expression shifting as if he'd just remembered something. "Wait," he said, holding up a hand. "I might know something… I remember hearing something about them once."

Evan's eyes narrowed, locking onto Vishal, while Suri's gaze turned toward him, her curiosity sharpening.

"What did you hear?" Evan asked, his voice calm but laced with impatience.

Vishal took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly as he recalled the story. When he spoke, his voice dropped to a near whisper, as though saying it too loud might summon something from the past.

"This is something I heard from my great grandfather," he began, his gaze shifting uneasily between Evan and Suri. "I don't even know if it's true, as it was passed down from my great-grandfather. But it's… strange enough that it stuck with me."

Suri and Evan leaned forward, their curiosity palpable.

"It happened in the late 1920s," Vishal continued. "My great-grandfather went abroad to Great Royal for a meeting with other nobles—an event where powerful families from around the world gathered. During one of these gatherings, he met a peculiar man. He said the man's presence was… vague, and hard to define. But as a warrior, my great-grandfather had great instincts, and those instincts told him that man was dangerous."

Vishal hesitated, his throat dry. "Still, for appearances, he had to interact with the man—it was expected. But something happened during that meeting, some kind of argument or misunderstanding that led to chaos or a fight. It escalated into a commotion, and my great-grandfather, in his escape, stumbled and slammed into the man."

Evan raised an eyebrow, still skeptical, but his attention didn't waver in the slightest. "And?"

Vishal swallowed hard. "When he slammed into the man, he felt… something off. He said that the man's body was entirely cold, like ice. But not just that—it was unnaturally hard, like metal. No matter how much you train, no matter how strong you are, there's always a human softness beneath it. But this man… it was like his body wasn't flesh at all."

A chill settled in the room as Suri's eyes widened.

"And then," Vishal continued, his voice growing shakier, "when my great-grandfather looked at him, the man glanced back in annoyance. And in that brief moment, he swore that he saw something change. The man's eyes... they weren't human. They turned reptilian, just for a moment. And his skin… it shimmered in a strange way, almost as if it wasn't skin at all."

As he finished, silence engulfed the room.

Suri stared at Vishal, her face pale. Her voice, when she spoke, was barely above a whisper. "Reptilian eyes? Skin that shimmered? Are you saying he wasn't human?"

Vishal shrugged helplessly, sweat glistening on his brow. "I don't know. That's what my grandfather told me from my great-grandfather. After that encounter, my great-grandfather avoided the man entirely. He said there was something unnatural about him—something he didn't want to find out."

Suri's gaze flicked to Evan, horror evident in her expression. "Is it possible that this can be true?"

Meanwhile, Evan was eerily calm, though his fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of his chair, his sharp eyes locked onto Vishal. There was skepticism in his expression, but also intrigue. "And this man… did your great-grandfather ever mention his name?"

Vishal shook his head. "No. Just that he was… connected to the Thompsons. He was someone important in those circles, but no one dared to speak of him after that."

Suri leaned back, exhaling sharply. Her face was a mix of disbelief and unease. "This is insane," she muttered.

"Why does it feel like we are stuck in the middle of a conspiracy theory?"

Evan's lips curled into a faint, humorless smile. "Maybe not insane. Just… unexpected." He stood and began pacing slowly. "If this story is true, then it raises even more questions. Who—or what—was this man? And how is he connected to the Thompsons?"
Stay updated with empire

Suri shook her head, visibly shaken. "This is ridiculous. There's no proof of any of this."

Evan glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "Maybe not. But I've learned never to dismiss anything outright. Especially not when it comes to an involved power. Sometimes, the most dangerous truths are the ones that sound impossible."

Vishal's shoulders slumped as he looked between Evan and Suri. "I don't know what to make of it either. It's just a story I heard as a kid… but hearing about the Thompsons made me remember it. Maybe it means something. Maybe it doesn't."

Evan stopped turned to them, his gaze sharp. "Oh, it means something," he said softly. "We just don't know—yet."