"Mr. Karna, I have listened to your views, and also to my other colleagues' views, and I must say I agree with many points they had put forth. But I like to take risks, so let me give you an offer," she said, shocking the others. They then shrugged it off because she was the owner of her own money; she could do whatever she wanted with it.
Karna became extremely happy from the inside. If he had been alone, he would have danced with enjoyment. He started thanking all the gods and waiting for her to speak her offer. Then the offer came.
He opened his office doors and then sat on the chair. There was nothing cool about his office; it was just a simple room with a table placed in front of him and one large PC on the table. Various files were also kept on the table. Various concept art posters of his game characters were placed on the walls of his office.
He then leaned back on his chair and looked out of the window to see a white moon shining in the sky with many stars. Yes, now one can see the stars in urban areas as pollution control devices have been developed which significantly reduce carbon pollution in the air, so now one can breathe fresh air and see the clear sky.
He then clenched his fist in anger and slammed hard on the table. Many files and other accessories fell from the table as he remembered the offer given to him by that lady.
"Mr. Karna, I can offer you 25 lakh for game development and another 5 lakh for promotion, but I want 40% equity in your studio." As soon as she said that, all the other investors frowned as they, too, had read the files of Maya Studio's share structure. Karna held 35% shares, and the other small investors held 30%. 20% was held by his studio partner, his friend, and the remaining 5% was in public issue. So, he could at most give 10% equity, as he had prepared to even go down from 10%, but 40% was too ridiculous.
She was basically asking him to sell his studio to her. He gritted his teeth, but he knew he couldn't let the deal slide, so he opened his mouth. "I am sorry, madam, I can't give you 40%; it's impossible. I can at most give you 20% by diluting my share, not more than that. Please try to understand and be reasonable."
The lady then sighed and said, "Then it's a no from my side. Good luck with your future."
He then opened his eyes and threw the PC from his table towards the wall. The PC crashed into the wall with a bang, and its screen pieces flew in different directions. He then breathed heavily to calm his nerves down as he didn't want to destroy more things. He again leaned on his chair, and now that his anger had calmed down, tears started to fall from his eyes as he could see his studio getting closed down.
This studio was the symbol of his hard work; this was the building that he had created with his blood and sweat. He then looked at the certificate hanging on the wall; this was the certificate of him becoming a game developer, and next to it were the photos of his mom and dad.
Yes, his dad had gotten a brain tumor and he passed away on the same date on which he had received his certificate. The shock of losing her beloved husband became unbearable to his mother, so she got a heart attack and passed away. On that day, he lost both his parents. After that, he sold all of his property and built this studio to pursue his dream of game development, as he could lose himself in the unreal world created by him.
But after two or three successful gaming projects, his studio failed to give another successful project as every other project was a failure. He tried his best, his studio tried their best to create something brilliant within the budget they had, but they failed every time, as if God themselves wanted them to fail.
As he was deep in thought, the phone, which was kept on the table, rang. Knowing who would call, he sighed and picked up the call. A rough voice came from the call as it said, "So, did you get the deal?".
Karna took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "No." For a minute, there was complete silence; only the ticking of the clock could be heard. After that, a deep breath came from the call and then a voice, "We all want to pull our investment back. Tomorrow we want our money with the interest. Good night."
The phone then cut off. For a minute, Karna clenched the phone hard, but he then put it back, and accepting his fate, he called his best friend as well as his business partner, as they were dissolving the company, so he needed his opinion too.
After one hour, a young figure who had black hair, dark brown skin, and a muscular build entered the office. He first went to check on Karna in his office as he had now gotten the news of investors taking their investments back and Karna wanting to dissolve the company. He, too, was emotional, as both of them started their career on the same day. He didn't even have parents; he was an orphan, but his best friend, or as he called him, brother, was the one who helped him get the degree.
At one point, when he was about to quit the university due to lack of funds, Karna's parents helped him to complete his studies. They said that he was like a second child to them; this touched his heart, and he even started seeing them as his father and mother. After their loss, Karna became broken, but he helped him to stand back on his feet, and then they both put their life's work and money into building this studio. Now that it was about to close, he too couldn't accept it.
As he opened the door of the main office, he found a dark room and a broken PC near the door wall. He looked in front to see Karna lying back on his chair. As soon as Karna heard the door opening, he saw Arjun, his only friend who was with him when he had lost everything for the first time, and now that same friend was with him when he was about to lose everything for the second time.
"Sorry, my friend, to call you this late at night. I know that you have been working on the concept art of other characters, but... I think now it is not necessary... that project is closed," he said with a little hint of sadness.
Listening to him, Arjun sat on the chair which was kept in front of the table and said, "Are we really going to dissolve our company like this?" He directly came to the point as he didn't like to beat around the bush.
"Do we even have an option? We both can't develop a high-end game that will generate the profits we require. I had already put 90% of the money into making this studio, and you have put all of yours into making the games. Now we both don't have anything of our own. We need funds, and those investors were our last plank of wood in a vast ocean. Now they, too, are pulling their legs out... You know, I don't even blame them. Like, would you invest your hard-earned money on someone as pathetic and mediocre a game developer as me? No, even we will not invest in ourselves."
"I am a failure. I have mediocre skills, and I was stupid to think that I could make it big in this industry... sighs I am sorry, Arjun, but I just lost hope... and my passion has died... You decide your part; I had already decided mine... See you tomorrow morning." With that, he left the office for his home, leaving Arjun behind.
He then took a serene ride from the office to his house, and after a ride of thirty minutes, he reached his home. He lived in a small apartment of two floors. The lower floor was given to someone on rent, and he kept the upper one for himself. As he reached the door, he opened it and then threw his files, suits, ties, and shoes on one side and lay on his bed. "Let's just sleep tonight, as it is the last day of my life being a gamer. From tomorrow onward, I will think about what to do."
He then slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep. But then suddenly, a strong pain assaulted his mind, making him open his eyes and clench his mind in pain. "Arrgh, what the hell is happening... why am I feeling this much pain?" He screamed at the top of his voice. Thankfully, all the windows and doors were closed so his voice couldn't get out of his room. The pain was so much that saliva and tears started to fall from his mouth and eyes. He tightly clenched his head in the hope of easing the pain. He even started banging his head on the wall in the hope of reducing the pain. Blood started to fall from his forehead, but still, he didn't stop, as the pain was too much for him to handle.
After a torturing pain of two minutes, it finally stopped, and he fell unconscious from the blood loss and pain, unaware that one of the pillars of a great history was being built and now the Earth was going to experience amazing wonders that would change the way of living life.