[ CW ] A multi-billionaire offers you 100 million to kill a stranger ...

The King, as the people called him, sat in his oval-arching rosewood chair, covered in velvet and specks of gold. The smoke from the fireplace seeped out of the vent, giving off a taste of must in the mahogany decorated air, wafting up toward the bear-head mounted on the wall. 
 
 `` Family. Family is a very important thing to me. It is a bond that is unbreakable; it maintains legacies, consolidates the power and wealth into those you can trust, and most importantly it determines what person you are tomorrow. I must ask then, are you a family man, Mr. Adams?'' 
 
 `` Of course, sir. I value my family above all us, ” the meager, but straight-mannered Mr. Adams replied. 
 
 `` That is excellent news, but before I grant you my daughter's hand in marriage. I must observe where you truly stand on your principles. Would you do anything for my daughter, Mr. Adams? Would you put her above all else? ” The fat man prodded in the air with his fingers. 
 
 `` My principles are sound, sir. She is the temple of my love; the place where I see truth in a godless world. The sun in the morning and the peace in a tranquil night.'' 
 
 `` I could n't have asked for a better answer, but I must also wonder how it is that you will provide her with the life she deserves? ” The King took a heavy breath. “ My fortune is vast, Mr. Adams, as you surely know, but how can I ask my daughter to take the role of supporting a man who is of no money himself? And with money that has come from me, none the less. I do n't question your loyalty, but my daughter needs someone that can help her flourish, not one who will merely mooch off her status and namesake, even if he is well-meaning. Please forgive me, Mr. Adams, but you are a very marginal man. An honest one, but you lack a few of the qualities that I deem necessary for my daughter. ” 
 
 “ I promise you that I am not a mooch, sir. I can and will provide for her every need, as she will mine. If there is any way I can show this to you, I will. ” 
 
 “ Let me ask you again, then. Would you put her above all else? ” 
 
 “ Of course, I would. There is nothing I would n't do for her. ” 
 
 “ Then perhaps, I have a test that can solve our little dilemma here. You see, I do not believe in absolute morals, Mr. Adams. I have and always will believe in the hierarchy of things. I want you to prove to me that your principles align with mine in this manner. I want you to show me that you will truly put family above all else, even at the expense your own humility. In return, I will grant you a reward that will enable you to satisfy my requirements as a provider for my daughter, as well as her hand in marriage. ” 
 
 “ What would you have me do? ” 
 
 “ I want you to kill someone. ” 
 
 Mr. Adams paused for a moment. “ Kill someone? Who? And for what purpose? ” 
 
 “ Who? It does not matter. I only ask that they be a healthy individual, with whom you have no acquaintance. For what purpose? I have already told you -- to prove your worth.'' He pauses. `` It would be our little secret. Alexandra would never know. You must be willing to sacrifice your lesser principles for the greater benefit of this family, Mr. Adams. Prove it to me. ” 
 
 Mr. Adams stood in absolute bewilderment, staring at the King's black cap-toed shoes that masked his giant feet. He could n't actually consider such a preposterous proposal, could he? He must seek his worth in another manner, he thought. He would kill for her, but not in this way. He was n't going to lick her father's feet to tickle his perverted sense of satisfaction. It would be a dishonor to her and to himself. 
 
 His eyes lit up with a fest of confidence as he spoke. “ I must respectfully decline, sir, for I put her above all else, and for me to kill an innocent man, even without her knowing, to earn her favor, would be a complete betrayal to the bond of trust that we have created and will maintain over the remaining years of our lives. I maintain that I will put family above all else, but this, I believe is not in any way supportive of that truth. ” 
 
 The King smirked. “ I never said this person must be innocent, Mr. Adams, but nevertheless this was the answer I expected. This was not, however, a test to judge your character, if that is what you had hoped. The option very much remains, but I must ask you to leave the confines, and to not seek further acquaintance with myself or my daughter, until the task is completed. ” 
 
 Mr. Adams drove home that night alone, down the bluffs, back to the town below. The streets were littered with the late-night crowd of college students and young professionals, mixed in with the shadier characters. He watched as three drunk twenty-somethings trashed on a parked vehicle in a lot just outside the busier bar district, likely on their way home from a night of sloshing and frothing. Mr. Adams is now the victim of these thoughts. A victim of love and a fat old man with a lust for absolute power. 
 
 That tiny possibility.
