~~~

"Oh, your finally up Jimmy. We were surprised to see you were still asleep by the time we got home." Alex exclaimed as Jimmy groggily left his room.

"Mornin', what y'all up to?"

"Just watching the news." Karl filled in. "Apparently there was a shooting at the performing arts center. Really scary to think about, that's really close to here. Ted wanted to see Hadestown but now I'm just grateful we didn't go." Jimmy went tense at the scene, almost able to pinpoint where he and Bhushan were in the footage on the news.

"Ya... I think I'm just gonna go make breakfast." Rushing to the kitchen, it was only then he realized his appetite had already been ruined.

***

June 24th, 2022 - September 22nd, 2022

Early on, he learned to expect the unexpected when dealing with Bhushan. Sometimes he had to immediately be ready to leave the house. Most of the time they went to large social events where he'd be flaunted around by Bhushan and his top associates as if Jimmy was some sort of trophy. One night, in particular, Bhushan got a little too drunk and snagged a microphone before proudly declaring Jimmy was the new avatar of Vishnu, whoever that was, and everyone in the room should get on their knees and pray for salvation to him. Considering the entire stalking thing on top of this, he was disturbed, to say the least. Thankfully he wasn't the only one. The original underboss, Chhota Shakeel had aggressively dragged the both of them out of the house.

"Bhushan Kumar what the actual fuck was that!"

"Sorry for telling the-" He broke out into a fit of coughing before looking back up at Chhota. "The truth..." Snapping his fingers, some soldiers began moving him to the car.

"And you." Jimmy tensed as Chhota turned to face him. "I don't fucking like you one bit. I don't like Bhushan either, but a lot of people are going to notice if I kill him. You on the other hand..." Nails digging into his shoulder, he forced himself to keep eye contact, a show of power even if he had little to compensate for it. "If you fuck up even once, your dead meat. Nobody likes a rat... Get in the fuckin' car."

"Um, ya, right..."

When he wasn't pretending to be Bhushan's perfect puppet, he found himself being treated like a king; dinner at the fanciest places both in and out of town, hell sometimes out of the country, tastings of the finest wines, whiskeys, and other drinks he could think of, and excursions shopping for whatever Bhushan felt Jimmy needed fixing on. Most of the time it was clothes and shoes, but sometimes it was decorations, electronics, shit like that. He even set him up with his own bank account so he could buy whatever he so desired. What Bhushan kept seeming to get wrong about him is that he's a materialistic man. There were few physically attainable items that could sway his heart and his mind so he really only used the account to pay for his Crunchyroll subscription and mediocre takeout food, much to Bhushan's dismay. It was clear to Jimmy that money was not what he wanted out of him considering how much he blows on him. He seemed to genuinely love the time he spent with Jimmy...

However, there were the negatives. The overhanging threat of death against his friends still being the only reason he tolerated Bhushan in the first place but now there was new stuff. His friends, associates, whatever the hell he wanted to call them were either way too creepy or straight up hated him. There had been a few times where they got physically violent, but he found himself hardly feeling a thing. And last night he barely escaped being forced to leave that night with a prostitute. But... the worst part was the looming feeling of himself losing control of his life. Inch by inch, Bhushan Dua Kumar continued to do things that made him linger in the freedom of daylight. He felt like he was in one of those Wattpad mafia prince stories, ya know the kind written by 12-year-olds with too much free time, but none of this was as healthy or as normal as they desperately tried to show. The boss was no boss at all, but a poor excuse of a Godfather who was supposed to be a CEO out of his reach, out of harm's way. And Jimmy? Jimmy didn't deserve this. He didn't think he deserved this. No one deserved this right?

Jimmy Donaldson had really become a liar huh?

***

"MAKENZIE!" Everything around the blond girl tensed as Aaron 'Blue Eyes' Getrieri called out to her. Immediately going to his side, he began to lecture her. "I need the house in perfect condition for tomorrow evening, we have... esteemed company."

"May I ask who?"

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors about the Indian mafia group D-Company right? They used to be our allies overseas but the boss doesn't respect them anymore due to the leadership now being led by Bhushan Kumar. He was the CEO of T-Series."

"T-Series? Didn't D-Company have a fallout with them in the 90s' though?"

"Exactly my thoughts dearie. But the alliance is important right now so we can get rid of the Philly Mob. Afterward, we can double-cross them. However, that's neither here nor there. You have work to do missy. I'll need you to make sure only verified persons enter the mansion as well."

"Well, who's coming exactly?"

"Bhushan since he doesn't really how to leave the business to his subordinates. His associates Tiger and Fazlur will be watching over the meeting directly, he has some guards that'll stay out of our way and... oh ya he's bringing his side bitch or whatever."

"I thought he was married...?"

"Mhm he is, but I don't know what his deal is with that fuckin' YouTuber guy of his. Dunno if he's a fag or he's just actually just obsessed. Either way, it's creepy as shit! He's not even in the mafia!"

"Uh, I don't think you're supposed to use the term f-" A hand imprinted burns on Makenzie's left cheek.

"Did I ask for your input?"

"No... sorry honey."

"That's what I thought. Don't you have work to do?" The blonde's feet picked up the pace, curling up in on herself. But somewhere in Makenzie's mind she still daydreamed of something better than this. Isn't that rather foolish of her?

***

Chandler found himself daydreaming too. Mostly during work when he was forced to be part of videos. He had been trying to take a backseat in the company but it was difficult with large staff cuts all across the board. No one in the general public wanted to work for MrBeast anymore when the chances of becoming a target for the mafia seemed to be part of the contract now. At least that's how gossip tabloids seemed to see it. And he now had more pressure to keep up appearances or else the world would assume he was in danger. But Chandler didn't quite know how to quit. He didn't like a boss with blood on his hands. 

Whenever he told someone Jimmy put a screwdriver to his throat, threatening him to keep quiet over a year ago, they either said something like it's just a screwdriver it wouldn't kill you or that it's been so long, he changed, he was probably just scared. But Jimmy COULD kill. He has, TWICE! James Jimmy Donaldson was the only person Chandler Hallow knew with a body count. No one he knew should have a body count. And that boy always had loved the thrill of a fight. Always the first to volunteer to beat up bullies, even letting people pay him to make those at high school regret ever picking on the weaker ones. Of course, the only man he'd never make suffer for his consequences was the only one who actually deserved it the most. Not like he could now anyways, prison might've just been the best fate for the eldest Donaldson man. It sheltered him from the family and friends who wanted a monster like him dead, and the millions of fans who'd demand the same if they knew the truth of Jimmy's past.

"Chandler... Are you ok? You've been in the bathroom for a while." Karl's voice made its way through the fog of Chandler's mind.

"Ya..." Unlocking the door, Karl offered him a light smile. The day of recording some 90k giveaway was done. Leaving the building, Chandler decided to wait until the duo were in their car before asking Karl a question. While he's talked to Chris about everything, he's too defensive of Jimmy. They are best friends after all.

"Do I think Jimmy is a killer... that's an interesting question." Karl's grip on the steering wheel got tighter. "When Jimmy has to be a killer, it's not out of desire but out of necessity. That remains true. But I believe he is inherently violent because he was nurtured in an environment that was violent. He is a kind man but he was taught that if he can't fight a problem head-on, the problem has already defeated him. You can see it in his business practices, always being aggressive with his ideas and if they fail in the slightest he's already moving on. Jimmy hates failure because he was never taught that failure is a chance for improvement, rather failure means he can never do whatever that thing he failed at right ever again. To the average person, Jimmy can be seen as someone who never stops the grind, always innovating. In reality, it's incredibly unhealthy. Jimmy's aggressive all-or-nothing way of solving problems holds him back in business, in coping, and in dealing with large-scale issues like the shooting on the island or at Disney Land. Jimmy Donaldson is not a killer, he never was, but he won't hesitate to force himself to become one if it benefits himself or more likely, those he cares about."

"Wow... that's a really mature way to put it... You also said fail a lot of times."

"But... I can't really convince you can I Chandler?" His blood ran cold. "You are inherently distrusting. Asking for my opinion is simply a formality to you because I know your thoughts won't change. And I understand, you saw his violence up close and personally. I respect your choice to not trust Jimmy... But if you are that scared of him... why don't you just leave the company?"

"Leave... But... Karl this is all I've known..."

"I've started to disconnect from the MrBeast brand myself, becoming my own creator. You can do that if you'd like. You don't have to, I know this is what you are familiar with but it's something to consider... Oh look we're home!" Before he could give Chandler room to let the thought settle in his mind, Karl was already up and out of the car. Slowly, the man followed behind. "Jimmy~ We're home!"

"Finished the fucking paperwork you needed to be done..." No response. Heart pounding, Chandler began searching the house, his investigation quickly taking him to his room. Inside, all was how it should be except for a piece of paper on the bed edge.

'I decided to take a solo trip out into town! I'll be home sometime later tonight, most likely once you're asleep. Goodnight boys :)'

"...Well... isn't that curious? Because... it doesn't seem to be the first time you've done this right?"

***

Jimmy Donaldson was stuck in a limo.

~~~

(SO I KIND FOROR THIS EXISTED O_O IT'S OK IT'S UPDATE TIME !!! NOW THAT THIS PIECE OF SHIT CHAPTER IS OUT OF THE WAY Y'ALL GET A BUNCH OF NEW CHARACTERS NEXT CHAPTER IT'S GONNA BE GREAT!)