Chapter One: Money has the power to buy anything

Money has the power to buy anything: land, influence, politicians, governments, people, and even love. Money is nothing more than a tool for those who have it to leverage against those who don't. The greed of humanity is endless, and a sin that can be easily exploited for gain. At least that's what I thought before I met her...

"Defendant, is it true that you bribed customs officials?" "No. I didn't bribe them, I paid them." "Defendant, that is the definition of bribery." "And? Government officials take money from interest groups all the time. The only reason they're not on the stand is that they pay you off first. If you would open document fifteen, you would see..." "Objection!" "Objection sustained. Defendant, refrain from any unnecessary topics."

"Defendant, do you recall that you said that you and your father were illegally selling weapons to a known terrorist group?" "No, I said I don't recall what group you're referring to. There are a lot of terrorist cells in that part of the world, so you need to be more specific." "So, you don't deny selling to terrorists?" "Well, that depends on your definition of terrorist. After all, many governments can be classified as terrorist groups, and many governments also fund terrorist groups. So, who am I to decide what the difference between a revolution and a terror cell is?"

"Defendant, if you continue to refuse to answer questions, I will hold you in contempt of court. Do you understand?" I let out a laugh. "I don't think you understand. This is pointless. Very soon, someone is going to walk in here and make you drop all charges, and I'm going to be free to walk out of here." The judge slammed her gavel. "That's it, miss, I'm going to..." All of a sudden, the courtroom doors opened, and a man in a suit walked up to the prosecutors and handed them a letter. The prosecutors' faces quickly went from shocked to annoyed as they read the letter.

"Your honor, we here by drop all charges." Right on queue. The judge looked at me begrudgingly, and I just smiled back at her. "Understood, this case is closed." The judge said in an angry voice as she slammed her gavel. I got down from the stand and headed for the exit, where my bodyguards were waiting for me. I put on my face mask and sunglasses to help hide my face, and then followed them out the door.

When we stepped outside, we were hit by dozens of camera flashes and a barrage of questions. "Who got you released?" "Do you not feel sorrow for the families who died?" "Did your father truly die?" The bodyguards pushed them back as we moved down the stairs to the car. I hopped into the car, and the door slammed shut, drowning out the sound of the annoying press. The car started to move as I grabbed my cell phone.

Shortly after grabbing it, the phone began to ring. The caller ID said 'unknown number,' but I already knew who it was, so I answered. "Katya, our end of the deal is complete, so you need to keep your end of the bargain." "I understand, I won't tell anyone about our dealings with your government agencies." "Good, but just in case we will be keeping an eye on you, so don't try anything that jeopardizes our deal." "Fine, but you know it's illegal and creepy for a bunch of guys to stalk a teenage girl."

"Katya, you and I both know you're not a normal girl. After all, normal girls don't help their dad sell weapons or cause an international incident." "Yeah, yeah." "Also, I would recommend you lie low for a while. We dropped your court case, but unfortunately, it's a slow news cycle, so the press is going to be relentlessly coming after you." "Great, more stalkers." "Anyway, good luck, and stay out of trouble, because this is the one and only time we will help you."

Before I could respond, he hung up the phone. It seems like I will have to stop all of my father's enterprises for a while. Good thing we still have a ton of money stashed away. I looked at my phone again and noticed I had one voicemail. I opened it.

"Hey, Katya, it's your uncle Ivan. I know we have rarely met, and that your father and I never got along, but he always left me with a plan for you in case something ever happened to him. For obvious reasons, I can't say everything on the phone, but there should be a detailed note on the plane for you."

"As much as I want to help you, I can't involve my family in your and your father's problems, so this is the best I can do. I hope that you don't follow in your father's footsteps, but I'm already aware that you two are way too much alike. So, at the very least, use this time to think of better ways to use your skills. Goodbye, Katya. I will pray for you and your father."

The car stopped when we arrived at the plane. I got out of the car and boarded the private plane, and sure enough, in one of the seats was a briefcase full of documents. Inside were legal documents, money, and a passport for some eastern country. I went to sit down, but was hit with a wave of pain. I reached down to my stomach and felt a damp stain under my suit. Great, my wounds have reopened.

I grabbed some bandages from my bag, walked to the plane's bathroom, and took off my suit. The bandages on my stomach were dark red, so I slowly removed them. I bit my lip and groaned through the pain. After rebandaging the wounds, I cleaned my bloody hands in the sink. I looked into the mirror and removed my face mask. My face had several bandages, and my eyes had dark circles under them. It's been a while since I've gotten a good night's sleep.

These last few months have been hell. I watched my father die in front of me, and was viciously attacked by the people we were supposed to be selling to. I managed to fight my way out of there, but not without injury. I ended up being captured by some government authorities and spent around two months handcuffed to a hospital bed.

Knock, knock. "Miss, we are about to depart." "Okay." I finished bandaging myself and put my suit back on. I looked back in the mirror and remembered what my father would always say. The past is the past. We can't fix yesterday, but we can fix today, and make plans for tomorrow. He was right. I can't do anything about the past, but I still have a future, and it's up to me to see where it brings me.