Executive Truth: The Truth Files

By Karl William Fleet

The deadly shark infested corporate waters are about to get even bloodier!

When, a young ambitious executive, Justin Truth, is thrown into the murky, shark filled corporate waters, he must find a way to survive the feeding frenzy around him, while becoming the deadliest shark of them all.

To do this, he must master the internal political game, destroy his competition, and exploit the opportunities that present themselves. 

Who can he trust? Who can trust him? 

Get a chilling glimpse inside the mind of a corporate psychopath, and how he manipulates those around him to accelerate his personal success, in this gripping thriller that turns the pages for you.

Executive Truth is a Justin Truth novella and prequel to the Truth Files.  

For fans of Breaking Bad, Joker and House of Cards. The Truth Files will push you, twist your morality and leave you craving more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karl William Fleet
• Release date: Nov 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393333302

Book preview

Executive Truth

Executive Truth

A novella

karl William fleet

Chaos 360

Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

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Detective Ross Smith

Sarah Truth

Montana Cruz

Nick Harvey

Misha Ivanoff

Thanks

Foreword

The following novella is set six years before the events of Corporate Truth.

Chapter One

New York, 2010.

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No matter what time of day or day of year, Times Square is a chaotic cocktail of wide-eyed tourists. Excited visitors crowd the sidewalks, flood the crosswalks, and pack the subway. Block after block, hopeful travelers search for their own New York story to share with family and friends back home. Many stumble around blindly, as if the city confiscated their common sense upon arrival.

On a Friday morning, near a popular stretch of sidewalk, a wide-eyed tourist was drawn to a friendly Spider-Man waving at him. Once in reach, the costumed hero grabbed the man’s wrist and led him to a crew of motley dressed superheroes to take a selfie with them. Happy to go along with the opportunity, the tourist held up his phone as the heroes posed heroically around him. After he snapped the photo, Spider-Man’s grip remained firm, stopping the tourist from leaving. Spider-Man’s once-friendly demeanor disappeared as he demanded a donation for the group selfie. An extra squeeze from Spidey around the tourist’s wrist told him the seriousness of the situation. Once the costumed hustler received the requested gratuity from the nervous tourist, he released his iron grip and allowed the traveler to leave.

On the streets of Times Square, it’s always open season for relieving tourists of their spending money. Simon Koay was one who wanted a slice of that money. As a New York hustler, he spent more time in Times Square than the pigeons. He thought of himself as an honest hustler because he didn’t pickpocket the tourists; he preferred they willingly handed over their money, especially over a game of chance.

Dressed in loose jeans and a well-worn, New York City-branded sweatshirt, Simon had a regular spot just around the corner from Empire25 on W 41st Street. In front of him, he’d turned a plastic fold-out crate and a piece of worn cardboard into a tabletop and displayed three slightly bent playing cards facedown: a red queen and two black kings.

Simon moved the cards from side to side in fluid movements for the small group gathered around him.

Find the queen and double your money, he said.

He’d chosen his next mark, a man two rows back in the crowd of onlookers. This mark had the appearance of a freshly arrived tourist; probably German because of his pencil-thin lips, round rimless glasses, and high cheek bones.

After Simon stopped shuffling the cards, he invited a young man wearing an ill-fitting suit to find the red queen. But the young man was no gambler, he was Simon’s half-brother, Jonny, and part of the hustle. The brothers performed defined roles in the card hustle for the crowd, especially the mark. Each time Simon mixed the cards around for Jonny, he focused his attention on the German’s eyes, watching how closely they followed the movements of the cards. It was a measure of how invested this mark was becoming in the game. Jonny always picked the wrong card on purpose to make the onlookers feel superior, to believe that they could win were they in his place. The simple deception appeared to be working on today’s mark, and Simon could see the German’s confidence grow each time he mentally chose the right card.

When the time felt right, Simon decided to draw the German into the game.

Simon smiled at Jonny, Are you sure you want to try again? I have a good buddy who sells glasses. Maybe you should give him a call. Ask for some X-ray specs.

I got this! Jonny replied, feigning frustration as he threw down another ten-dollar bill.

Simon held up the three cards and showed him the red queen and then shuffled them on the cardboard surface.

You need to keep your eye on the red queen, Simon encouraged. She ain’t going anywhere but one of three places. Simon stopped switching the cards around. Now, where is she? he asked.

Jonny hovered his finger above the cards, moving it from side to side as if he couldn’t decide what card to pick.

The crowd mumbled and watched a seemingly perplexed Jonny.

Simon watched the mark, whose face reacted each time Jonny’s finger dangled over the wrong card. The mark leaned toward his wife and whispered into her ear.

It’s this one, Jonny said and tapped the card on the right.

The mark reacted, shaking his head. Nein, is middle card!

Simon smiled. He knew it. The mark was German and now it was time to bring him into the game and take his money. Simon flipped Jonny’s card over: a king. Then to show the German he was right, Simon turned over the center card: the red queen.

Once again, my friend, the queen is here. I think someone else should have a go. I feel bad taking money from a blind man.

The crowd laughed.

Jonny shook his head in defeat, turned around, and bumped into the German. As he pushed past the tourist, Jonny maneuvered him into the prime position in front of the cards.

Hello, my friend. Simon said to the German. This is a hard game. Looks easy but it’s hard.

Is not that hard, the German said.

A man with confidence. But you saw that businessman got it wrong more times than he got it right.

He was fool. Is not that hard.

Simon smiled and picked up the cards, putting two in his right hand and one in the left. He showed the German the red queen in his right hand—a king peeked out from behind it. Simon slapped the first card down in the middle of the cardboard tabletop, followed by the other two cards on either side. He moved them around with the flair of a juggler.

The German’s hawk-like eyes watched the cards, and