Villain: The Play of Destiny

Slyus Continental, a renowned Five-Star Hotel situated in the Times Square, Sameran City, belonged to a Multinational Hotel-Chain. Like every other Sylus Hotel, it stood out amongst all surrounding buildings because of its trademark wooden look and octagonal design. It was truly a marvel of architecture, and this was where the Black Forest Group was holding its Inauguration Party tonight.

Keith had not held back on splashing money, inviting all the workers and companies in the Starlight Tower to attend the party, and May had even booked the Presidential Hall for them.

“You can never do anything low-key… Hmph!” Qingyue approached him with a glass of wine when he was done greeting the honored guests.

“Thanks!” He took the glass off her hands, and sipped the wine contently.

“That’s mine!” She looked at him in shock, her fair cheeks burning in a blush.

“Oh…” Keith curiously raised the glass to his lips and then sniffed the aroma. “No wonder it smells so pleasant.” He commented before taking another sip.

“You!” She did not know what to say to him and then simply folded her arms on her chest, feigning anger, which he paid no heed to.

“Come with me.” Keith grabbed her hand and then led her to a corner where a few old men were chatting happily.

As soon as they saw him approach, they stopped talking and politely bowed to him in a greeting.

“My Apologies, but may I have a word with Mr. Milovic?” He poitly requested.

“Of course, Heir Demiliore!” An old man said, and another nodded too before they both took their leave, leaving behind an old man in his late sixties with a bald head and a light beard that was as white as snow, which made his bluish-grey eyes stand out.

“How may I help you, Heir Demiliore?” Milovic smiled and asked.

“I want to introduce you to this lady, who is a dear friend of mine.” Keith smiled at him and then lightly pulled Qingyue to come forward. “This is Lin Qingyue, daughter of Lin Houtian of the Lin Group of Industries.” And then he smiled at Qingyue. “Mr Milovic is the former DCG of Netherian Food & Drug Administration. He is an Oncologist, Demeratologist, and also a renowned Pharmaceutical Scientist credited and applauded for his work in the development of Cancer Medicines. However, his most notable achievement would be the successful development of the vaccine that today treats the Acne Vulgaris, Milovirine.” He grinned when he saw the surpise and shock on her face.

“It’s a pleasure, Miss Lin.” Milovic ceremoniously bowed to her, smiling politely.

“The honor is mine, Mr Milovic.” She recovered her wits and confidently replied, impressing the old man by her demeanour.

“He lives in Sameran now, and is a Lecturer in our University’s Medical School. Mr Milovic is no longer practising Medicine, but he works as a Consultant at the Clark Pharmaceuticals, and has an office on the 36th Floor of the Starlight Towers.” He informed her and then smiled at Milovic. “Miss Lin is planning on forming her own Fashion & Cosmetics Company, and her office is on the 60th Floor.”

Milovic understood the intentions of Keith, and nodded to the young lady.

“Since you are Keith’s Friend, you can consult me if you ever require my help with anything.” The old man told her. “What he has not told you is that I was close friends with his late Maternal Grandfather, and can be considered a Family Friend to the Demiliore Family.”

Qingyue was elated when she heard those words. Her heart was a little warm that Keith had helped her out on such a big thing without her ever having to speak about her troubles. She terribly needed a network, and Milovic was just the man who could help her in assembling a proper R&D Team for her Cosmetics Company.

“Thank you, Mr Milovic.” She graciously accepted the offer. “I do need your help with a small matter, and I will consult you on it after the Winter Holidays.”

The two of them then exchanged contact details and Keith held a brief chat with Milovic, asking about his and his family’s wellbeing.

“Thank you, Keith!” She sincerely said after Milovic excused himself, and her gorgeous-grey eyes were a little misty as they looked at him.

“You’re welcome!” He brightly smiled at her and then leaned in, scaring her a little. “I did not say it earlier, but you look gorgeous tonight, Miss Lin. It’s an honor to have you keeping me company.”

“As long as you know how to appreciate it…” She averted her eyes, trying to hide her blush, and showed her satisfaction to his compliment in her own way.

The two of them chatted for a while before joining Amelia and May, who were ready for their address.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Black Forest Group, we formally thank you all for coming to attend our Inauguration Party!” Sebastian took the lead and climbed the stage, speaking through the microphone, grabbing the attention of everyone present. “I hope you are enjoying your time here, and if you are ready, I would like to call on stage the mind and the man behind the Black Forest Group to give his Inauguration Address and answer your questions.”

The Hundreds of guests in the Hall started clapping, showing their eagerness to see Keith.

Under the rising applause of the guests, Keith stepped onto the stage, and smiled lightly at the crowd, waiting for them to calm down.

There was just something about his presence that attracted everyone’s attention, and soon the Hall was respectfully silent for him to speak.

“My name is Keith Argus Demiliore, Son of Venessa Evelyn Demiliore.” He introduced himself as his Mother’s son, and then his smile ceased. “I know that the question is on everyone’s mind, why the Heir of Demiliore Family decided to start his own business when he could have easily joined the Family Business? And the answer is very simple; I am just another man with ambitions and dreams, and my Black Forest Group is one such ambition.”

His simple answer reverberated in the minds of all the listeners, and they found it quite a reasonable answer to their question.

“Now allow me to introduce you to the Key Figures of our Group.” He smiled at the audience and then turned to looked towards his wife. “First and foremost, My beloved bride, Amelia Demiliore. She is the Vice-President of the Black Forest Group and the CEO of the Black Forest Real Estate Company.”

Under the shocked faces of all the people who were not aware of her identity, Amelia confidently stepped on the stage and placed her hand in Keith’s waiting hand.

“Yes, it’s true. We are officially getting married on 31st of December.” He informed the people, addressing the rumor they had been hearing in the news since morning.

“Good Evening, everyone!” She politely smiled and greeted the guests before turning silent.

Before the members of the Press could raise questions, Keith continued with his introductions.

“The second person that you need to be aware of is May Ragzar, who is the General Manager of the Black Forest Group, my Advisor, and my Spokesperson.” He smiled at May, who stepped on the stage and stood on his right side, politely bowing to the guests who heartily clapped for her.

“The next person I want to introduce you to is Sebastian Ragzar, May’s son, and the CEO of the Black Forest Leisure and Entertainments.”

Sebastian, who was standing right behind him, stepped forward to stand by the side of his Mother, and politely bowed to the guests just like his mother had done earlier.

“Lastly, I invite Mr Alexander Warner, the CEO of Black Jay Records, which now operates under the banner of the Black Forest Group.” He smiled at the old man, who eagerly stepped on the stage and stood by the side of Amelia, smiling happily at the guests.

“As you now know, our Group will be operating in Leisure and Entertainment, Music Production, and Real Estate, which will include Construction, Development, Architecture, Designing, Marketing, and management of Commercial and Residential Properties. There is also an IT Company under our Group, and I am presiding over it as its CEO.”

Keith informed them about his group, making the Press even more agitated with questions that kept appearing on their minds.

“The goal of the Black Forest Group is simple. We want to become the best in every industry that we operate in, and we will get there one day.” He confidently said and then let the guests applaud for them heartily.

“If you have any questions, you may ask now.” He gave the Press a go, and had to wait for a good few seconds before a Journalist belonging the Clark Media stepped forward and accepted the mic from the waiter’s hand.

“Good Evening, Mr Demiliore.” He greeted him. “Before I ask my questions, allow me to convey my sincerest well wishes to you and Miss Demiliore on getting married.”

“Thank you!” Amelia smiled and graciously accepted his words on Keith’s behalf.

“Mr Demiliore, you have mentioned that you are presiding over an IT Company. May I ask what exactly is the focus of this company?” He raised his first question.

“For now, it is focused on Marketing and assisting all other companies under our Group.” 𝒃𝙚𝙤𝙫𝒆𝒍．𝙘𝒐𝙢

“Any future plans?”

“We are working on it, and hopefully you will hear about our Future Plans in the coming months. For now, the focus of the company is to assist the Group, and it is possible that any projects we decided on will be linked to our Businesses.”

Project Memoir had to stay under wraps until it was finished, and therefore, Keith did not intend to reveal anything about it to the Press.

“My next question concerns the News that has been circulating in the City since morning. Your Leisure and Entertainment Company has acquired some of the hottest properties in the city overnight.” He smiled at Keith and Sebastian. “For some, it feels just like a dream, and everyone wants to know how it came to be. The Meladona Nightclub-Chain, valued at 325 Million Neris, which has three Nightclubs, including the prized Meladona Prime. The Helga’s Kitchen-Chain, Valued at 110 Million Neris, which has 16 Restaurants in four different cities, with 4 in the Sameran City. The most prized Pacific Oriental, a Five-Star Hotel in heart of the Sameran City, valued at over 500 Million Neris. The marvelous Nightingale Opera House and Auditorium, valued at just under 300 Million Neris. And Finally, the Golden Plaza, a shopping Centre, the fourth biggest in the city, valued at 700 Million Neris.” He listed all the commercial properties that the Black Forest Leisure and Entertainments had acquired.

“I have also acquired his Private Properties, which include three Villas, a Penthouse, and two Condos in the city.” Keith smiled and added to his list.

“Your deal was done under an undisclosed price, but could you give us an idea how much you had to spend to aquire a Busines of over 2 Billion Neris?” The Journalist straightforwardly asked.

“The price is undisclosed for a reason. I can not give you the exact number, but I can tell you that our offer was graciously accepted by Mr Gouzo. Both the parties have not made any loss in this deal.” He said.

“So, we can assume that you paid a price well over the Market Value of these Businesses?” He still tried to get something out of him, but Keith simply smiled at him.

“Like I said, both the parties have not made a loss in this deal.”

The Journalist understood that Keith was not going to give him any more details and so he skipped to the next question.

“I don’t know if you are aware of this, Mr Demiliore, but there are rumours going around that your Mother is the actual mind behind the Black Forest Group.” He chose his words very carefully. “What’s your response to these rumors?”

“My mother is responsible for taking care of Demiliore Consortium. Her only link to the Black Forest Group is that her beloved son is its President.” He chuckled and answered the query. “I am an ambitious man, Mr Styles.” He looked the journalist in the eyes and addressed him by his name. “I want to surpass the achievements of my forefathers, and I can not do that if I work under my Mother.”

Styles felt a chill run up his spine when he felt Keith’s eyes boring into him, but he managed to stay calm outwardly.

“My last question is about the future of the Black Forest Group and Demiliore Consortium.” He said. “You are the Heir to the Demiliore Business, and you are the President of Black Forest Group. What’s the endgame, Mr Demiliore?”

“I am a Demiliore, Mr Styles. And I am a responsible man.” He politely smiled. “However, I can tell you that I have no plans of taking charge of the Demiliore Consortium as it is currently in the best hands possible. The Black Forest Group is independent, and the plan is to preserve its Independence.”

“Even when the time comes for you to take over from your mother?”

“Yes.” Keith nodded. “My wife will take charge of the Group when the time comes. And I have my utmost faith in her abilities.” He smiled at Amelia before turning back to the Journalist.

“Thank you for answering my questions, Mr Demiliore!” Styles politely bowed, and handed the mic back to the waiter.

The next Journalist to step forward belonged to the Demiliore Media, and the questions were mostly addressed at the other key members of the Black Forest Group. These were all pre-planned questions that were meant to provide the public with the information that Keith wanted them to be aware about.