The Empire

  He was just a city boy who had a dream to have his own business and become one of the most successful in the field.
  He worked hard. At the beginning it was only him. Slowly, but steadily, his empire became bigger and bigger. He was so happy to be surrounded by professionals who were as passionate as he was. Together they built a corporation that no one could ever imagine it would have become.
  Unfortunately, as it always happens, there were people who envied Teddy and all that he accomplished. They wanted a piece of his empire for themselves. They would send spies to steal his ideas.
  Every time something went wrong, he would think that it was just a trifle and carry on. His positivity gave him such strength that he seemed almost unbeatable.
  Little did he know that there would come a day that all could change in a heartbeat and could slip away in an instant.
  The company was getting bigger and bigger. Teddy needed new employees and new managerial staff. Some of the interviews he conducted himself. Even after all of those years he couldn’t say that he could truly and completely trust another person. He required those who believed in his mission, those who would fight to protect the company against all odds.
  Another day and new interviews. He was so exhausted by the end of the day but, unfortunately, there was nobody who he would find suitable for the position.
  The doors opened. She entered. She was nicely dressed, very professional. She was holding her CV in her hands. She approached, introduced herself and gave him her CV. Her name was Cybil. She was 30. Graduated from a prestigious university and had a career that many would love to have. Teddy couldn’t understand why a professional like her would like to work in his company. Cybil said that his mission and life-long work inspired her. She always wanted to work at a place where she would feel comfortable. She didn’t want to work with those vultures any more. Even if the salary was less than she used to have, she knew that the place was where she belonged.
   Teddy was a bit sceptical. He couldn’t figure out if she was telling the truth, or she had a hidden agenda. Closer to the end of the interview, he felt that he could trust her. She was offered the job. She was thrilled. So was Teddy.
   With Cybil by his side, Teddy thought that he could move mountains. They were meant to work together. Cybil was a real professional and never paid attention to Teddy’s attempts to flirt with her. He knew that she was here for the job but not something else.
   Everything was good. The business was strong and thriving. Teddy had even bigger plans. But for the first time in his life it wasn’t enough. He started thinking about having a family and settling down. He wanted to have children. He was obsessed with the idea, just like he was with his business many years ago. He didn’t pay that much attention to his work. He trusted Cybil that much that he would sign all the documents without reading. All his thoughts were occupied with something else. He wanted to understand how to make Cybil love him and see how lucky he could make her. He was madly in love.
    One day Teddy confessed that all he ever wanted was to marry her. She said that she liked him a lot and would like to be together, but she had one condition. He needed to sell his company so that they could live in the countryside or even live in another country. Teddy was taken aback. He couldn’t understand how she could ask him to do a thing like that. He refused to do it.  Cybil said that she could be only with him if they left that place and lived somewhere else. Teddy looked at her and told her that she was fired. It was necessary that see left immediately. She would get enough money, but he didn’t want to see her again. She turned, looked at him and said that he couldn’t fire him as the company wasn’t his any more. He was so in love and blind that he even didn’t pay attention to the things that he was signing. Now the company was hers and she would single-handedly destroy his legacy. She added that the world didn’t need another dreamer. All she ever wanted was power and money. Now she had it all. But as she didn’t like his business, she would sell it piece by piece and become extremely rich. Teddy said that he wouldn’t go without a fight. She looked at him and said “Oh, please. I won. Don’t humiliate yourself”. He screamed “Why?”. She smiled and said “Because I can”.
   The security escorted Teddy from his office, already former office. When the doors closed, she started laughing.