Caden the CEO

Chapter 1

If the Secret Society of Rose Valleys Hills provided checks and balances for the city and kept political, street, and religious sanctions running peacefully and smoothly, The Syndicate was the underground division of the Secret Society that allowed legal professionals to dabble in illegal activities safely and privately.

Caden Nikolai Spencer was one of the current heads of The Syndicate.

As the CEO of Spencer’s Pharmacy, Caden had several locations all across the South and Mid-South and had a plan to expand all over the United States within the next five years.

Along with his pharmacy locations, Caden operated within The Syndicate as a supplier.

There were five suppliers in total, and Caden provided pills.

In order to maintain his anonymity and autonomy, Caden operated the illegal side of his business through his younger brother, Niko, and his best friend and right-hand man, Lorenzo. If an enemy ever saw Caden’s face, it was either a warning or death call, and that night, it was a death call.

Jaw clenched, Caden looked at the man kneeling in front of him with disgust. It was bad enough that he had to leave his dinner reservation to handle business, and now, the man was begging and pleading for his life as if there was anything he could say to change Caden’s mind.

The more Will pleaded, the more Caden’s irritation grew.

While Caden may not have been an unnecessarily violent man, he made it clear to anyone who joined his team what would and would not be tolerated, along with what the consequences for certain choices would be.

Will had not only attempted to betray Caden, but he’d proven himself to be untrustworthy and a snitch as well.

After being pulled over and arrested for previous warrants, Will volunteered information to the detective that was questioning him.

In exchange for his information, Will wanted to be released without having to serve any jail time.

Unfortunately for him, the detective was a part of the Secret Society, which meant he was technically on Caden’s payroll.

The hefty seven-figure payment Caden made to the Secret Society annually granted him certain protective measures and benefits, and being made aware of his name popping up within any criminal investigations was a part of it.

The moment Will was released on bond, he was picked up and brought to a warehouse to receive his punishment.

“Pl-please, Mr. Spencer,” Will stuttered through his sobbing. “I got a daughter.”

Sucking his teeth, Caden extended his hand for the Colt M4 Carbine his brother held. He’d gotten the piece from their arms dealer for sniper jobs and had been anxious to give it a try.

“Fuck your daughter,” Caden grumbled.

“T-then spare me for me,” Will pleaded.

“Nigga, fuck you,” Caden practically exclaimed with amusement in his tone. There was nothing funny about the situation beyond Will thinking there was anything he could say or do to change Caden’s mind.

“I promise if you give me another chance, I’ll n—”

Tired of the back-and-forth, Caden sent several bullets into Will’s chest. He waited until Will’s spirit left his body to hand Niko the M4.

“That shit is nice,” Niko complimented casually, as if the man bleeding out on the floor didn’t faze him at all.

“Ain’t it though?” Lorenzo agreed. “I’on want us to have to go to war no time soon, but I can’t wait to have to use this from a distance. That shit gon’ be fun.”

With a chuckle and shake of his head, Caden said his goodbyes and made his way out of the warehouse. He didn’t have to tell Niko or Lorenzo what to do with the body. They knew. While he may not have trusted anyone else to handle business, those were two men he could always count on.

Checking his watch, Caden hoped he still had time to get back to the restaurant before the prix fixe six course meal was complete.

It started with a class where participants were able to cook their own meals for the courses before being served.

While he didn’t care for the class, there was a woman there that had gained his interest. If she’d left before he could make it back, that would make him want to go back to the warehouse and put a few more bullets inside of Will’s body for inconveniencing him for the night.

“Where to, boss?” Caden’s chauffeur asked as he opened the door of his Bentley. Of Caden’s five car collection, anytime he wanted to be in the Bentley or Rolls Royce, he used a personal driver. The hardtop Lexus convertible, Dark Horse Mustang, and Corvette, he drove on his own.

“Back to the restaurant,” Caden replied as he got inside.

“Yes, sir.” Ian shut the door and made his way to the driver’s side.

After grabbing a bottle of water, Caden took a large gulp as he felt his body relax.

The further away from the warehouse Ian drove, the calmer Caden felt.

The project baby was no stranger to betrayal, but every time it happened, it still pissed him off.

While Caden didn’t care if he was liked, the way he ruled his kingdom ensured he was always feared and respected.

He took care of his team and made sure they wanted for nothing, so Will going against him to avoid a jail sentence was the ultimate disrespect.

Once he was calm enough to not allow his anger to drive his actions, he called his assistant on a secured phone and told her to set aside money that would be offered to Will’s baby mama to cover his funeral and burial.

He ended the call just as Ian pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

Caden could tell by the small amount of cars in the parking lot that dinner was over, but he still made his way inside and sat at the bar for a drink.

While a part of him wished he would have been able to end his night in the arms and pussy of a beautiful woman, the other part of him knew female companionship would only be temporary relief and a distraction.

He had one goal—to expand his legal and illegal businesses and become a billionaire within the next five years—and nothing was going to come in the way of that, .

. . especially something as silly as a desire for female companionship.