The Wolf Pack : Power, Money, Corruption Read online

  Gotti’s media empire? How do you take the power away from media? You take away the trust people have placed on it. But it had to be done slowly. My friends over at the Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission helped me slightly, all the reports and complaints  against Gottberg TV was now public, their exagerations, corruption in awards shows psychological manipulation of their viewers to make sure they watch the shows using emotional stories that were sometime fake. Slowly his viewers died out and so did the sponsors and slowly the cash flow; until it went into bankruptcy. 

  His stakes in the Oil and Gas Industry of the country, his largest share of wealth was in this. Well fortune favored me again and global collapse of the Oil Industry shrunk his wealth, and the government started subsidizing the renewables industry. Reduced taxes on hybrid cars there was no lobbying Gotti could do stop this because his wealth was diminishing fast and he had to fight the battle on many fronts, but he didn't have enough resources to. 

  My Final move? I needed someone able to hack into computers and servers to hack into his network and erase everything has against his rivals and others including the backup. Luckily Anwar knew someone but of course he won't come to help me because he knows what happened to the last guy who helped me take down Gotti. It was now up to me to convince the Hacker Mr. Jamal to do what I want. You see he was young, loved money and Cocaine but was gifted with computers. I just got proof of his transaction with his dealer and he had two options after that. Either work with me and get away free of any charges, with enough seized cocaine from police to throw a party for a month or the other choice was to go to jail. He was smart so he picked the first option, after a week’s time I received a call the job was done. And Jamal got his Cocaine from an unlisted drug bust. Sadly though two days later I got another call that he got too zealous, tried selling some of the Coke and a dealer in his area wasn’t too fond of competition but he served his purpose so I wasn't going to miss him much. That loose end was tied up.

  His medical labs were simply shut down because of not meeting the required quality standards; I didn’t know or care whether they did. But the Healthcare minister wasn’t too fond of Gotti either and he was waiting till anything Gotti had against him was taken away.

  From The Ashes

  You see Wilson has done a lot of things to bring down my empire and frankly I am losing money, billions. Did you know how many banks used to beg me to take a loan before? Any amount they said. They could lend me enough money to cover my losses till the government decides to take some action to support the oil industry after we funded them for so long. But not in this state, now they won’t even touch me with a 5 foot stick.

  Little did I know that all the cards I had against people were destroyed until I tried using them on a candidate running for president promising the complete revival of the renewables industry.  

  There! Now you are all caught up to my empire that in itself is in dust. What next for me? For the first time I don't know. I might be soon sitting in a cell with no money, nothing to  persuade people with only what I was born and started this with, my ruthlessness.

  This reminds me of Nuange, a lion in Africa in one of my sanctuaries, sorry former sanctuaries. It is hard to forget. This lion was attacked by three other lions and chased away from it’s pride where it was the alpha. His back legs were completely left paralyzed because the lions attacked his spine and presumably damaged some important nerves, his face bloodied, wounds all over his body; he dragged himself the very next day to his former empire. Roaring the loudest he had ever roared, calling the three lions to come out.

  They did, and then he roared even louder, I think I understood what he was saying, I think he was saying if you’re going to defeat me might as well kill me, leave me alive and I will keep coming back. And he got his wish; the three other Male Lions viciously bit him surrounding him from all sides, like cowards, three to one, but Nuange didn’t care. To him it was ‘Fight or die’. This went on till he couldn’t move but he fought back, you and I both know he didn’t stand a chance; and he knew it when dragged himself here in the first place. Bleeding from his face and neck, Gasping for air. His chest bloodied but breathing his final breaths. At that state he let out the loudest roar I have ever heard in a lion and died. I can relate to that.

  I see them now coming to take me away to jail as the news blasts that Anwar has been released and I have been charged with the all those crimes from earlier on. In the real world the Phoenix doesn't rise from the ashes, the ashes consume the Phoenix. But I’m no phoenix, I’m Gotti, I am Better, Stronger!

 

  Oh! You are still here? Good. I assume you remember what I told you my father said. King makers stay in Power Longer.

  5 years is a long time

  It's been 5 years now the great Gotti in house arrest, What? You thought I'll be in jail? Come on I still had a few millions. I wasn’t defeated; I was still patiently waiting for my chance to roar. As I turn on the small 42 inch television in my house I see Wilson taking oath as the new President of the country, it was no surprise. But then I see Rita standing behind him. My lover from all those days ago, it used to be Rita Morra, she must have changed her name. That is Wilson’s Mother? I told you she could have challenged the devil if she wanted to. It was my chance to roar again, she could challenge the devil, but no one could charm her like I did. It may or may not work, but it was worth the try.

  I immediately called up the new president after the oath taking was done; I still had a small amount of respect left to get a call through to the president. Requesting to meet him.

  A week later I heard a knock on my door. It was secret service, they came in checked everything gave the all clear and in came the new president and his Mother, Rita Wilson. 

  She didn't speak at first only he did, 

  Wilson: Now you see what happens when you leave people who love you in the dust?

  Gotti: I want to talk to your mother. Rita, I didn't know you married. Who’s the husband? And where is he? I didn't see him in the ceremony. 

  Wilson: Husband? She was pregnant with your child when she decided to walk away!!

  Rita: Don't shout at him. He is still your father. 

  Gotti: This must be some kind of joke. 

  Wilson: I told you he won't believe it. 

  Rita: Gotti, the reason I left you was because you loved only money and nothing else and I knew you wouldn't be there for our child or marry me. So I raised him on my own. Forgive me but he grew up with a vengeance for you and everything you did. 

  Gotti: You could have told me earlier I would have at least sent some money to raise him. 

  Wilson: Money? You think I want your money? You know how painful it is to see your father sleep with girls other than your mother? To grow up seeing her cry. Why do you think I worked so hard to take everything away from you? You are now nothing, the same my mother was when she walked out on you. 

  Gotti: Stop with your self righteousness! You are my blood! You will become me eventually, who you despise so much! What you forgot so much on this journey of vengeance of yours is, you became a monster in the process of defeating a monster, never lose yourself in the fight boy! 

  Wilson: As if I care what you think. But just know I'm going to give her everything you should have, happiness and pride. Don't bother coming after her we don't need you anymore and we never did. 

  Rita gave me a smile before walking away. And just like that my world has been turned upside down, how could I have been so stupid? How could I have not seen it? I’m sure you saw it coming. But you know what? No one could defeat me other than my own son. You know in a wolf pack when the alpha ages out, the younger ones are not automatically made the new alpha they have to fight the old alpha and win. Then and then only is the old alpha chased out to starve and die in the wild and the new alpha wolf takes it’s place. See I think this is necessary to know whether the new alpha can take care of the pack and protect it better than the old alpha wolf did.
 But I hadn’t aged out just yet.

  Remember Kingmakers?

  Every king or president has his masters to please; Gotti’s Homeland Russia had oligarchs till Putin made them leave the country threatening them with arrests and their wealth. United States has its billionaire Super PAC lobbyists and here of course were some billionaires. You see I was never fond of kingmakers, as you see with what I did to Gotti. But to completely get rid of kingmakers and establish myself as the most powerful person in the country I need to get rid of them. 

  What better way to get rid of kingmakers than with a former kingmaker? I've asked my mom to talk to Gotti, with the possibility of him gaining some of the wealth back but none of the power. To work with me to get rid of these Kingmakers. I know he has a soft spot for her and he did. 

  Alexander the Great’s father was called Phillip the great because he accomplished things not seen before, but because he hated his father so much he achieved things that shrunk his fathers achievements until they were nothing compared to his. He wanted to erase his father’s name from the history books. He was even rumored to have killed his father when his father tried passing the throne to someone else. But Alexander was stupid to kill a prize winning horse; why kill it? You can ride it all the way to the finish line.

  The King is Back

  Yes I am an old lion, but still with a lot of fight left, Rita came to me. I thought it's because she missed me but seems the motive was purely professional for her son. He wanted my help to get rid of the rest the oligarchs/kingmakers. Should I side with him and gain some more wealth but none of the power or side with the oligarchs of the world and help them take down my son. Power you see lies in making no commitment to either side let them wonder. Become the gold everyone wants in their chest. 

  For now I'll side with Wilson, gain a little bit of influence and then I will decide which side to fall on or fall against. Either choice is a chance for me to fight back.

  You want to take down people you need good back up, someone to do your dirty work for you. I knew a guy from before my King Making Days, Raymond Scully. He runs his own personnel security team now. All of them were retired special ops soldiers, some from Mossad, KGB, CIA and RAW quick and efficient, quiet and strong. They came into the country at high cost to the government but they trained the black masks division here and joined them on certain missions. They were called black masks because they wore these Kevlar masks with four holes, two for their eyes, two to breathe and none to talk with. They didn’t need to talk to get a job done. The Black masks were used like the president’s personal security team now.

  You know all those gangsters, godfathers, businessmen and politicians I helped create? The ones who stood by as I fell and did nothing, It was my turn now. They were given a warning leave the country or be arrested or worse killed. The warning came indirectly from me to some and to most from the president. Most of them took all their money and left few stayed and fought back, the ones who fought back were dragged on the streets by the black masks to the courts in handcuffs. The new president wanted to make a show out of them. Show the world what happens when you don't listen to him. 

  With their foot soldiers gone the Kingmakers needed new ones, the immigration department became that much stricter on who comes into the country. The kingmakers received a warning too, “declare all assets and pay the correct amount of taxes owed before or be arrested and dragged through the streets the same way.”  You see, me and Wilson both knew they owed billions not millions and this was made public so the whole country knew of this new president who was bullying the bullies and they loved him for that. The Kingmakers? Well most of them had assets abroad much larger than locally, they transferred them abroad and left the country lest they be killed. They understood that they could live comfortably and in peace abroad than fight here. The chances for success were lower with the latter option.

  The Second Term

  My first term as president is coming to an end, I need to something to get me voted for the second term. My popularity is at 47%, a sure enough ratio to win but I need something to push over the finish line. You see there has always been a small Havala that not many people paid attention to but a lot of the country’s black money flowed through there.

  A few days ago a bomb blast took place there, killing 259 people. I mean I thought that could be my saving grace as I can campaign to find the perpetrators who did this with my history of going after corrupt powerful officials I didn't think there would actually be a bomb explosion, well my black masks and intelligence agencies both received news of it as does every other country of whatever's about to happen in the country.

  As most countries some just let things happen if it furthers their agenda. Contrary to popular belief we don't plan, we just don't stop those who plan it. 

  I vowed to take revenge as it turned out it was a small terrorist outfit in the jungles of the country, their leader thought he was the Che Guevara of this generation. My army unloaded a level of massacre on them that would make even Che Guevara blush, they abandoned their posts and went into hiding in the rain forests. My second term was secure with an approval rating of 63%. 

  My prize winning horse, Gotti was doing its job. People started asking question about why I haven't married now, the driven career person cliché could only last long enough. Frankly I didn’t care for marriage; it slowed me down to have an emotional connection with someone. But n order to abolish the term limit on presidency and rule as the president for a long time I needed to be seen as someone relatable, to everyone. A father to a son, A brother to sister, A son to a mother basically as a family man, I mean every male above 40 in my country was married, it made sense to appeal to everyone who had voting rights.

  I married the daughter of the Neighboring country’s president. The most powerful country on the continent. Luckily they were looking for a groom and what better groom than one of the most popular and just presidents the continent has ever had.

  The president of the third most powerful country in the continent Jousseff was now my friend, frankly how could he not? I was the groom of the most powerful man in the continent. We agreed on a lot of things and he was the third most powerful president in the continent, just below me. I needed him.

  My next step is to abolish the term limit on the presidency so that I can stay on as president, but of course to make that happen I need the support of the Congress and the people. I already had 35% percent of the votes to pass the bill, given those who agreed to vote for me get a position where they can gain a lot of wealth, when I'm in power for the following terms.  The others were Gotti's responsibility, to get the votes. 

  Making a King

  I was needed again, to do what I do best. To make a king. By abolishing the term limit on the presidency, but what do I earn by doing that. Wilson stays in power longer and what about me? Just be rich? That's not enough for me. What if he doesn't stay on and a new president comes to power? Is he going to come after me? What's going to be Wilson’s revenge for me stabbing him in the back? Well I frankly I don't know anything more than it was time for me to pick a side. 

  But for me to pick a side, I need to know what's stopping him from putting me in jail once I help him abolish the term limit on the presidency. I have to meet Rita in a week’s time to inform about the progress on the voting,

  Rita: Are you busy?

  Gotti: Rita! No, come on in. I thought we were meeting next week. You looked beautiful in the ceremony, like the day I met you first.

  Rita: Really? Even after all these years? You think I'm going to fall for that?

  Gotti: You don't know what I have been through, and how I've fallen. I think maybe I'm ready to have some emotions again. Love someone after my father. Anyway I just needed someone to talk to. 

  Rita: So that I too maybe shot like your father?

  Gotti: Say what you like, it doesn't matter. I know what I feel. Why are you here anyway?

  Rita: To check the progress on the
voting to abolish the term limit on the presidency. 

  Gotti: You could have simply called? You expect me to believe that a little part of you doesn't maybe still love me, even a little bit? And you came all the way here instead of picking up a phone and calling me?

  Rita: (Laughs) I’m highly invested in my son’s progress anyhow let Wilson know of the progress. My car is waiting. 

  Gotti: So you still haven’t learnt to lie without laughing. Alright, good day to you, beautiful. 

  You really believe I have become emotional now? That I'm ready to be emotional now? After all these years? No, she is my barrier between me and Wilson. But you probably figured that out already.