Guy Kaiman started small - renting out rooms to tourists in Hawaii. It was a profitable business. But everything changed when an experienced investor, Stefan Ossa, invested in his company.
Guy didn't just rent rooms anymore - he moved into building and selling luxury apartments and villas. Huge amounts of money began flowing in.
Seeing these large sums, Guy started skimming money for himself, assuming Stefan wouldn't notice since he had more money than he could ever spend.
But when Stefan found out about the embezzlement, he cut all ties without explanation. Word spread fast in business circles, and soon other partners began dropping Guy Kaiman.
Like many people, Guy never admitted his own fault - he blamed Stefan Ossa for everything. Guy went bankrupt and later died of a heart attack.
His only son, Hugo Kaiman, swore revenge. He vowed to destroy Stefan Ossa financially, just like his father had been ruined. But he didn't have the resources.
So Hugo decided to marry into power - he needed influential connections and financial backing. He began looking for a bride from a wealthy, well-connected family.
It turned out that the parents of such daughters were also looking for advantageous matches. And so, at another private party, Hugo happened to meet Victoria Orlando - the daughter of Lord Orlando.
This encounter opened many doors for him. With Lord Orlando's support, his business grew rapidly, and he gained access to elite business circles. An incredible financial stream opened up.
Hugo began to believe he could bring down "Golden Stone." Everything was going better than expected.
***
Vicky's death changed everything.
Hugo informed Lord Orlando, her father, that it was a suicide. Within five hours of hearing the news, Victoria's parents arrived in New York.
Using his high status, Lord David Orlando ordered the police not to investigate the circumstances of his daughter's death.
A private funeral was held in London with only close family and friends.
After the funeral, Hugo went to his villa in Zurich. He sent his lawyer to the Golden Stoneholding company to notify them that Hugo Kaiman was now a board member and owned 12% of the company's shares.
It wasn't the grand entrance he had imagined - he had seen himself as a conquering emperor.
***
When the police and the lead investigator arrived at the hotel to begin the investigation, the detective received a call from his superiors ordering him to close the case.
In the final report, the investigator wrote that there was no sign of foul play - Victoria Orlando had committed suicide. Case closed.
However, there was one witness - the hotel maid, who was the last person to see Vicky alive. She ended up in a psychiatric clinic in critical condition.
The woman kept muttering deliriously, "It's all Aida's fault! Hugo stole the hippo! He killed the thief. Robert didn't kill Vicky."
No one paid any attention to her ramblings. The clinic's doctors diagnosed her with severe stress brought on by her job, saying it had affected her mental state.
That evening, Aris and Allen were sitting in the large living room of Stefan Ossa's penthouse, chatting about their affairs.
Aris was sharing the latest gossip from New York's social scene. Allen, meanwhile, was flipping through TV channels with the remote, half-listening.
Suddenly, a news report caught his attention. A picture of Vicky Orlando appeared on the screen. He turned up the volume.
The female news anchor said: "As reported by the NYPD, Victoria Orlando, founder of the Astra Foundation, was found dead in a hotel. The police ruled it a suicide. In other news from around the city…"
"Such a shame about Vicky," said Aris. "She used to throw the most extravagant parties. I went to so many of them - always full of people, cameras, buzz… just the way she liked it."
Allen, who also knew Victoria and her high-society life, nodded. "Vicky wasn't just a philanthropist. She had ties to several major businessmen. Her sudden death is… suspicious, to say the least. And except for that one obscure channel, no one's even reporting it. Learning about someone's death through the news…"
Aris nodded solemnly. "Something's not right. People like Vicky don't just die like that. And if the press is silent… it doesn't look like suicide."
They both fell silent, lost in thought.