“The Investor”
On Wall Street, they called him The Starbuck.
Robert could close any deal, squeeze out every dollar — and he made sure everyone knew it.
Twenty years of success: cars, women, vacation homes — the life of a king.
Today, he outdid himself.
He landed the deal of a lifetime: $762,900,500.00.
He celebrated into the late hours of the night.
The next morning, Robert was back at his desk — sharp suit, strong coffee — but something felt… off.
His mind wasn’t there; he was reliving the last two decades as if watching a movie.
The rise. The excess. The impossible luck.
At lunch, he decided to hop on the subway and head downtown for a slice at his old favorite pizza joint.
That’s when it all came back.
Twenty years ago, Robert had been broke — a nobody.
On that same train, a stranger had taken the seat next to him.
Older. Well-dressed. Soft-spoken.
They talked for most of the ride, and just before Robert’s stop, the man leaned in and made an offer.
“You can be the greatest investor Wall Street has ever seen,” he said.
“Ask… and it will be so.”
Robert smirked, half amused, half annoyed.
“What’s the catch?”
The man simply smiled.
“Twenty years from today, we’ll meet again. And you’ll render payment.”
Robert chuckled, shrugged, and said, “Sure, my friend. We have a deal.”
He never thought about it again.
Until now.
Same train.
Same seat.
And there he was.
The same man — only now he wore black.
His smile was wider. His teeth yellow and jagged.
His eyes burned with a soft, unnatural red.
Robert couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.
The man leaned forward, laughter echoing in the subway car.
With a voice soft as wind in a graveyard, he reminded him—
“Time to pay the piper, Robert.”