The fire outbreak which started at 6:AM lasted for three days. Never in the history of Rio Hondo had such fire out break been recorded. The entire populace of Rio Hondo placed their hands on the chest as they watched this pillar of fire burn day and night.
It wasn’t just an ordinary pillar of fire but a multi-billion dollars consortium’s skyscraper was being raised down by fire. What actually caused the fire was yet to be known at the time I got the news but one thing remained factual that the Canon Group was being demolished by this mystery fire.
Being an oil and gas firm which stored barrels of crude oil and distributed compressed gas which was their major source of income the Canon Group was on the verge of burning down the whole of Rio Hondo out of sheer careless; this was what the populace thought.
The canon group was the leading oil and gas empire in three continents. Not only were they affluent and leading in the massive distribution of compressed gas but they were next in power after the Saint Don group. The fire outbreak which lasted for three nights demolished hundreds of building, snatched live and rendered hundreds of residents destitute and frustrated.
While the canons wailed for the uncontrollable loss of their empire they also brooded over the fate of residents and business owners whose properties were consumed in the fire. Not only were they up against huge losses, but they were out for the worst days to come, as they expected bankruptcy.
Over the weeks every one scouted for the cause of the horrendous fire outbreak.
Finally the truth about the fire outbreak was revealed.
One single soul brought about the outbreak; Joseph Reel, boyfriend to Sarah Canon, the heiress to the Canon Group. Joseph Reel was a radical Mexican mafia. He had paid Sarah a visit at the office. Sarah was out in the closet at the time and Joseph who had already barged into the office met her cell phone ringing. When he gazed upon it, he had seen my sweetheart being the caller. Infuriated, Joseph who had the plans to propose marriage to her, pocketed his engagement ring, dashed out of the office and to avenge for the heart break, the Canon Group was going to pay; this was more than a threat.
Through clenched teeth , Joseph had advanced into their major storage where barrels of crude were piled, lit a butane lighter, shut the door and took his life, but this time not only his life also the fifty thousand towering Canon Group’s sky scraper.
The Canon Group weren’t brooding over the demise of an extremist boyfriend who took his life over obsession for Sarah but for the accumulated losses which they would never be able to pay.
The media homes had given it different strokes and tags :
An everlasting storm for the Canon Group; a new paper headlined it.
The downfall of the canons; another media home tagged it.
The opening of bankruptcy doors for the canon group; a host of other newspaper tagged it.
Over night the only heiress to the Canon Group, Sarah Canon lost pounds , became sick, toned skin disappeared and sleepless nights hung over her nightmares. Her father Greg Canon, who was the chairman, had been admitted at the hospital after getting wet ears of the incident and the doctor had confirmed heart attack being reason for the break down.
The ministry for budget and urban planning had barely allowed the Canon Group to settle for their losses when they visited them with excruciating memo which would cover for the loses brought upon residents and government properties that the fire outbreak caused .
“How on earth are we going to pay one trillion dollars for the damages, uh?” Greg Canon barked and tossed the paper to the floor. Sarah had flinched under the sound of this voice at the time and Greg’s heartbeat had increased beyond normal.
The hard time was set for the Canon Group. The storm had been released upon them
“Please, please father,” Sarah pled, “I know we can afford it even though such money doesn’t easily come by these days. We just need to raise the money.” She sniffed, “it is supposed to be one point five trillion but the government has decided to have a share in the loss…”
Greg barked, “Five billion? What the hell is five billion compared with one trillion? Why didn’t they alot the five billion to us and take the one trillion? Where on earth do they expect me to get that money from, uh?”
Greg was interrupted by a radical coughing , which left him pushing upwards and later relaxing in bed.
Sarah’s gaze came on the drip bag which was still running into his veins; she could recall the dotor’s warning bordered on the fragility of Greg’s heart now and the chances of losing his life should he hear more of bad news. The doctor had informed her to keep away the bad news and bring on the good news to him.
But she wondered what other good news a bankruptcy company like theirs could produce at the time.
Greg groaned, “I had warned you about Joseph but you wouldn’t listen. I told you that kid was a mafia that would do away with us. I told you not to let him into the premises. You know how he threatened to bring us down to nothing if we ever betroth you to another man. For your sake I doubled the security. Now tell me how that asshole gained entrance into my barrel?”
Sarah broke down in tears, “Apologies father…! Sorry forever causing you pain!” Sarah wept
Greg trembled within the bed. His hands shook in tension. Nothing rang in his head than the impending bankruptcy the canon group was going to face. He thought he was almost on the verge of accumulating enough wealth to be richer than my group, the Saint Don Group. But all of that had been crippled now. He may never become the world richest man.
Just then Sarah’s gaze came on the paper on the floor and the one trillion dollars caught her sight.
She sighed, shook her head in loss and wondered what way forward…