*Ring Ring*

"Wake up master, it’s 6:30 AM"

Alfred’s eyes fluttered open and he yawned before getting out of bed. He draped his royal blue duvet off the side of his king-sized bed and stepped onto the plush cream-colored carpet. The sun had crested the skyline and cast its warm rays into his bedroom. Light pooled through the curtains as if providing an offering to its King. Alfred walked to the window and looked out upon the city below, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.

He spoke out into the silence, addressing no one in particular. "Hey AILA, run through my schedule for today, will you?

AILA, an AI constructed by Alfred and standing for Artificially – Intelligent – Learning – Algorithm, was ready to be presented. The grand event would showcase two models of AILA: one meant for the general population and the other for military use.

"7:30 AM – final tests at the lab, 9:30 AM briefing with the board, noon Press conference..." AILA listed the items on the agenda for the day.

Alfred Huber was the wealthiest man on the planet, CEO, and founder of Huber Industries. He had taken the world into an era of modern comforts due to his technological advances.

A decade ago, when Alfred was only 25, he made a breakthrough by finding a cure for cancer. The money he earned from it funded Huber Industries and allowed him to staff it with the most inventive and gifted minds around.

Huber Industries was responsible for incredible technological advances such as flying cars, hover trains, and AI technology that assisted in finding criminals. They also created non-invasive scanners used in surgical procedures. Through their work, Alfred became known throughout the entire world, from the highest ranks of government to the workers at the bottom.

The public admired and respected him as he also discovered treatments for other ailments. His guidance transformed everything, from transportation to recreation.

"Finally, after today I can truly start enjoying life!"

Alfred's true intentions were not known to the public - he wanted to become the ruler of the world! His desire was to build a dynasty, own wealth and power, and live in peace in his golden years.

After his first few million dollars, Alfred's obsession with money only got stronger as time went on. This ambition has culminated in an astonishing net worth of 956 billion today.

"When I'm finally worth more than a trillion I'm going to buy several islands and build a utopia full of young beautiful women. HAHAHAHAHA!" Alfred laughed to himself hysterically.

In order to achieve his goals, Alfred had done some terrible things that were completely immoral. To obtain test subjects for his cures, he resorted to working with human traffickers. He had killed and inflicted pain on countless individuals to further his agenda. He had paid off government officials to gain an unfair advantage over his competition and even threatened the media to keep a lid on negative press. That was who Alfred really was; someone who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Coming from a wealthy upper-class family, Alfred had to deal with the tragedy of his parents' death in a car crash when he was 18, his parents were always distant so he never really cared about their death. Growing up, he felt disconnected from others and often wondered why nobody seemed to want to be friends with him. Books were his companions and eventually led him to an unhealthy fascination with torturing small animals. This fed his hunger for control and power, prompting Alfred's development into who he is today through his studies of learning and anatomy.

Alfred finished his shower and got dressed for the day, donning a navy-blue slim-fit suit complemented by stylish crocodile skin leather shoes.

The Huber Towers in Berlin, Germany—the city’s tallest skyscraper—was home to Alfred's suite on the top floor. The building housed hotels, shopping malls, and offices on its upper levels, while the basement was occupied by labs where Alfred headed that morning.He skipped to his private elevator humming to himself and pressed his right hand on the scanner.

*ding*

The doors opened.

Whoosh!

The elevator descended at a rapid pace but you wouldn't be able to tell while inside, another technological marvel by Huber Industries.

Alfred watched out the window as he descended and took in the view.

"Soon I will leave this rotten city with all its filth and pollution."

*ding*

He arrived at the basement floor; 215.

The doors opened slowly.

Alice, his favorite among the staff at his company, greeted him. Although she was very intelligent; there were other employees who had more qualifications than her. Still, Alfred picked her as his second in command because of her ample assets and tendency to flaunt them with daring necklines.

If all of his decisions were like this one, he wouldn't have reached his current success. However, given the pressure that came with his job, Alfred eagerly took any and every opportunity to de-stress.

"Good morning Mr. Huber, how are you today?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Alice, we've known each other for over 3 years and you're still calling me by my last name? How many times must I tell you to call me Alfred?" He rebutted.

"It's a matter of respect, sir."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Let's get to the test site, I don't have time for this today."

Alice and Alfred walked a short distance until they came across a door labeled 003, which opened to a massive laboratory. The lab was split into two sections with thick glass walls dividing them.

“Stay in the control room, Alice, while I make sure everything is connected correctly," he said sternly.

"Of course, sir," she replied with a slight smirk as she spun to face the door.

Alfred took quick strides towards the server room, his eyes scanning the area. He noticed a network of cables on the right-hand side of the room branching out from a single black box. Slack in the cables made Alfred frown, he quickly knelt to check them over and felt a chill as he noticed they had been deliberately rewired to connect to the box.

The server area and the command center were both separated by a large, transparent window pane, yet there were still communication systems present to enable conversation between the two sections.

"Alice! What the hell is this?"

Only Alice and Alfred had access to this lab.

"Do you know my last name, Alfred?" She replied in an ominous tone.

"Huh?"

Alfred was confused both by her question and also by the fact that she decided to call him by his name right at that moment.

"Do you know my last name?" she repeated the question.

"Erm, I'm not too sure... Alice Frank, right? Why does it matter anyway? Stop stalling and tell me what the hell all this is now!"

Alfred felt a boiling rage rise up inside of him as he saw his carefully crafted plans about to go up in flames. His mouth twisted with contempt as the thought of his wealth doubling or even tripling in the next 10 years evaporated, consuming all of his dreams and hopes.

Alice's voice snapped like a whip as she spoke. "It's Friedrich! And it matters a lot. If you had paid attention sooner, you could have been spared your current predicament."

Gone was the dopey amiability that usually cloaked her; in its place was an icy chill that seemed to reverberate through the room.
The fire in her eyes reflected the rage she felt, calling to mind all the times she had swallowed her pride and ignored her boss's leering. All of it for this moment of accomplishment.

"Why the f*** do I care what it is? You better not have anything to do with this Alice!" Alfred said, his voice tense.

"Do you remember what happened in Friedrich town manner around 8 years ago?"

'How does she know about that?'

Alfred's heart pounded as he stared at the other person in the room. He knew this was a decision he'd have to live with for the rest of his life. Killing her would be the only way to ensure no one would ever find out. His own vision blurred as reality settled in; nobody had seen him come down here, and the security cameras were entirely under his control. Nobody would know.

As soon as he started to walk towards the glass doors Alfred's blood ran cold as the words; "There's no rush, my dear" echoed from the intercom.

His companion's evil grin grew wider as she continued to speak.

"I've rewired the doors to only open from the outside. No matter how much access you have to this building, AILA can't connect with that door."

Fear churned in Alfred's stomach as his heart stopped dead in its tracks.

"What can I do for you?” His eyes searched hers, and she could tell he wanted to hear her out before deciding on a plan.

"I want you to die." She stated as if it was a simple matter.

Alfred didn't have a suitable response so he just stayed silent.

"My family owned a small military tech company that was no true threat to your conglomerate, but just because you liked our T38 design concept do you remember what you did? Do you remember what you did when my father refused to sell?"

"You’re from the Friedrich family?" Alfred already knew but still asked anyway.

Alice let out a vicious laugh that echoed through the air like a thunderclap. "You thought you could get away with it, didn't you? Believing yourself to be invincible, you sent your goons with orders to kill my family and ransack our home for your own selfish gain. Today is the day I finally make you pay for all the pain you have caused." Her laugh was cold and calculating, sending chills down the spine of her enemy.
'If I make it out of this, this is the last time I hire someone for their tits!' Alfred thought to himself as he gritted his teeth.

He ceased speaking, conscious of the fact that his words would only make her more agitated. He was pausing for a few moments to think since he'd already pressed the emergency button in his pocket.

"One thing I've learned in these past few years is to never underestimate you, I'm pretty sure given enough time you'll find your way out of this. Let me end my monologue here; that black box is the same T38 compact explosive you loved so much, except I've juiced it up a little."

Alfred's eyes opened wide as he looked back at the black box. 'How the f*** did she get it in the building?'

"I initiated the command sequence as soon as you passed those glass doors, you should have 3 minutes left to live."
Alice smiled a Grinch-like grin, this was the highlight of her life. This was her moment.

Every moment of pain and every instance of her compromising herself to get to where she was—it was all going to be worth it.

"Aren't you about to beg for your life, my dear Alfred?" Alice asked.

Alfred felt irked by her sympathetic voice; he was certain she was teasing him. He used to address her as his darling Alice.

"Alice, you know better than to expect that from me. When have I ever begged for forgiveness?" He retorted.

Although these were the last moments of his life, he stood tall, refusing to show her any sign of weakness. His insides roiled in fear but he kept a straight face, hiding the terror inside at his final moments.

"You're right, and it's why you will die today. I'll leave you to yourself for these last 2 minutes, I hope you wallow in the hopelessness all your victims have felt." Alice scoffed back at him.

The smug woman wanted to see him cowering and pleading before she denied him any mercy. Feeling disappointed, she walked out of the lab, her lips a thin line and her forehead creased.

Alfred lost his poker face.

"f*** f*** f***! That stupid b****! I can't believe I got duped! Me? THE ALFRED HUBER?"

Alfred was in disbelief, he never expected this level of planning from a bimbo like her.

The clock was ticking, and Alfred felt as if his life had just passed in a flash. He couldn't believe he'd been so careless. All the planning and scheming he'd done, only to be thrown off course by a woman.

Looking at the timer he could see thirty seconds were all that remained.

'Such a cliché, it's always the one closest to you.'

His private security would take five minutes to arrive and another two to reach his floor, so he knew there was no hope of rescue. Even if they did get there in time, what could they do? Detonate with him? There was no way for them to gain access to the laboratory without having Alfred or Alice's personal identification card.

'Dammit, I should have implemented additional safeguards instead of just relying on a single emergency button! I can't believe my recklessness!'

10, 9, 8, 7...

In the last moments of his life Alfred was overcome with regret, wishing he had taken a different path. His life was full of lessons he had learned too late - never trust a woman, think five steps ahead, and never let anyone get too close. Yet despite knowing these things, he wished he could go back and make different decisions.

6,5,4,3...

‘I can’t believe It’s all over, I won’t be the first king of the world.’
Alfred sighed to himself.

'The only person I've been intimate with was the one who ended my life. What an awful way to go; what would people think if they knew this was the fate that befell me?

2,1...

*Dee dee dee dee*

BOOM!

The lab erupted in a shattering cacophony of sound and heat. A thunderous explosion reverberated through the building, shaking the foundations as though it were an earthquake. Unstoppable flames consumed anything that got in its path as defense systems activated to contain the destruction. Alfred Huber's last sight was of his world burning around him before he was engulfed in a searing inferno.