The man pressed his back against the leather of the luxurious armchair in a futile effort to calm his racing heart. To any onlooker, he was the picture of wealth and sophistication: a middle-aged man in an expensive, tailored suit sitting in a voluminous chair with a slender bottle of priceless wine clutched gently between three of his fingers.

It was true- he had once been both of these things and much more. But, now, he was finding himself unable to concentrate on what was being said at important business conferences, and more prone to stutter in front of his peers and even the media. His bank account, too, once described as a "bottomless pit of dough," had seen better days.

In short, Richard Simon Darkly was a disaster waiting to happen.

And it was all because of one woman. One she-devil who had torn his empire down while simultaneously building her own into the clouds.

Hexana Saralee Ingle.

The name alone was enough to send a shiver down Richard's spine, and bring a bitter taste to his mouth. He clenched his teeth to prevent an angry growl from escaping his lips as the lights on the stage brightened, focusing in on the event's MC, a bright-eyed young woman in a tight, blue dress and stilettos whose face could be its own cosmetics company.

Richard remembered the days when he was idolized by such creatures.

Now, he was certain that they all laughed behind his sorry, bankrupt back.

"Good evening, everybody, and welcome to IngleCon 2035! This year, we are celebrating our tenth annual IngleCon! Let us get ready to begin an extra special night of all things Ingle Tech. Our noteworthy guests include Kevin Han, Chairman of GoogolPLEX. For those of you who haven't been following the news lately, that's the division that used to be called Google, before Ingle Tech bought it last month."

Kevin stood from his seat a few rows down from Richard, bowing his head in acknowledgement as the attendees of the convention clapped for him with gusto.

Google, too? What did Ingle want to do, purchase the universe?

Richard couldn't imagine life without the friendly, all-knowing search engine. However, now that Google- GoogolPLEX- was a subdivision of Ingle Tech, he knew that he would never dream of utilizing their most popular feature ever again.

"Richard Darkly, Founder and CEO of Sylph Electronics!"

The crowd applauded, for courtesy's sake, but when Richard stood to accept the recognition, he did not see a single face that wasn't twisted into a mocking smirk or a sympathetic frown.

Poor old Darkly, they all seemed to say.

It was all Richard could do not to turn red in the face.

He now knew why Hexana had invited him to IngleCon.

She wanted to see his shame and humiliation firsthand.

That vile piece of scum.

"And, last but very far from least is a name that needs no introduction...our keynote speaker, the actual, legimate, real Hexana Ingle herself!"

Cheers of unbridled enthusiasm exploded in every single corner of the hall, and there was not a single person left in their seat. Signs, banners, confetti cannons, and fists joined together in the air as the audience expressed its deep, heartfelt longing for the presence of its technological goddess.

Richard, inspired by a sudden burst of defiance within him, made a show of crossing his arms across his chest and planting his backside firmly upon his chair. Several months earlier, he had silently vowed that he would not, under any circumstances, become another boot-licking Ingle slave.

Bile rose up in his throat as the crowd went wild around him.

Leave it to Hexana Ingle to elicit a standing ovation before she even says a word.

When the spectators had finally calmed to a manageable level of excitement, the MC turned around to introduce her eminent Queen of Technology.

However, the stage behind her was empty.

She turned around in a slow circle, an expression of slight bewilderment upon her fake little face.

This was very strange indeed. Hexana had once said that she'd never be late to any event unless she was dead.

But, Richard didn't want to get his hopes up.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the loose shadow of a woman on the back wall of the stage. The MC's microphone fell out of her hand and her pink lips formed an "O" as the shadow began to shrink and move forward, growing progressively darker and more detailed. The MC turned around so that her back was facing the mesmerized audience as the shadow passed over her, seeming to hang above her for a moment before dissipating into the stuffy air, thick with anticipation.

That was when something truly extraordinary took place.

The MC spun back around, one hand placed on her hip.

Only she wasn't the MC.

Richard blinked twice, sure that this was a trick of the eye, but his vision held true.

In front of him, in front of everyone, stood Hexana Saralee Ingle, leader of Ingle Tech and self-declared Queen of Technology.

Her outfit was as different from the MC's as could be, and Richard couldn't begin to fathom how the switch could've been executed, let alone coordinated with the passing of the shadow.

The cheers rose to a deafening climax as Hexana's lips curled into a playfully malicious smirk.

"Greetings, my loyal Inglers." Her powerful voice echoed through the hall, bouncing off of every wall in all its pure, enchanting glory.

If it was possible for the crowd to get any louder, it did. That greeting- Hexana's classic opener- sealed the deal. This was, indeed, the mighty goddess of the electronics industry herself.

Many audience members actually prostrated themselves before the stage, their eyes closed in genuine, fervent prayer.

Richard wanted desperately to relieve the meager contents of his stomach.

His son, however, had a very different opinion of the young, gorgeous woman who stood confidently at the front of the convention.

Ivan Darkly had been told many times by his father that Hexana Ingle was dangerous- a murderous fox, Richard had called her.

However, this only added to the mystery and allure that surrounded her. Although he outwardly supported his dad, he did not agree with the bold allegations that Richard made on his couch at night- blaming Hexana for the recent death of Cylah Ferguson.

That was ridiculous. How could someone in a position of such eternal publicity, who was quite literally the focus of every camera in the country, get away with a crime as grave as murder? A ruthless businesswoman, she may have been, but she was no killer. She looked like the antithesis of a criminal. Her round, half-Asian face was adorably radiant, and her large, brown eyes were deep and soft.

Ivan pitied his poor father. As his psychiatrist had said on multiple occasions, his sudden bout of misfortune was seriously affecting his mental stability.

In layman's terms, he was slowly but steadily losing his marbles.

Ivan's attention turned to the stage as Hexana began to speak.

"I was once asked by an intern if I believed in magic," she stated.

A still, nearly meditative silence had taken control of the hall, as if Hexana Ingle's mouth was attached to a universal "off" switch.

"I told him something that my father always used to tell me. 'People who think that seeing is believing don't have a net worth of almost ten billion dollars.' And then, I asked him to answer his own question. Do I believe in magic?"

She paused, savoring her spell of eloquence as she wove it around the viewers, captivating every little brain cell of every person who was watching her speak.

"The answer is no. I don't tout the existence of witches and wizards, but it's also yes. As I just demonstrated, I believe in the power of illusion. I believe that, with the right tools, you can make anyone see, hear, or think anything. This is the basis of Ingle Tech, and what makes us the most successful company in human history. We don't just put a phone or a tablet in your hand. We give you the means to see what you want to see. Step by step, we are freeing your imaginations from their bodily chains. Tomorrow, we're going to break one more link in those chains...with the brand new, revolutionary Inglet 8."

The rest of her words blurred into oblivion as Ivan forced himself to visually register every detail of her appearance. Her crimson suit hugged her beautiful figure while remaining professionally modest. The ends of her black hair were dyed brown- a color which Ivan noted looked exceptionally good on her.

Although, he had to admit...everything looked good on Hexana Ingle.

He grew jittery in his seat as the speech progressed on and on, and even had to resort to sitting on his hands. When her talk finally drew to its long-awaited conclusion, Ivan nearly leaped into the aisle with the jumpy enthusiasm of his former teenage self.

Abandoning his father, Ivan elbowed his way out of the auditorium and into the well-lit, posh VIP section of the adjacent banquet hall. He found the table reserved for his family, right in front of the raised dais on which Hexana would sit.

The scene couldn't have been more perfect.

Alerted by the rhythmic click of high heels on wood, Ivan lifted his eyes to see Hexana Ingle entering the banquet hall with large, confident steps. She approached the long, rectangular table that had been set for herself and her colleagues and unbuttoned her blazer, hanging it neatly over the back of her chair as she hummed softly to herself, adjusting her frilly, white blouse.

After what felt like an eternity, her eyes met Ivan's, sparkling with with interest.

Everyone else was either casually conversing outside, or still in the process of making their way over to the hall.

Ivan and Hexana were the only ones inside.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, before Hexana noiselessly pushed in her chair and made her way elegantly down the stairs that led away from her decorated platform and toward Ivan.

"We meet again, Mr. Darkly." She extended her hand with such dainty grace, that Ivan almost felt more inclined to kiss it than to shake it. Her palm was dry, and her handshake was firm from experience.

"Please- it's just Ivan- Mr. Darkly's my dad...this is super awkward, I'm not even thirty." Ivan felt like a fool as these nervous ramblings escaped his mouth, in total contrast to Hexana's cold, poised presence.

"I don't find power awkward," she replied simply, crossing her arms.

Ivan cursed himself for his mistake. Who was he kidding? This was Hexana Ingle. Of course she loved formalities.

"Of course, Miss Ingle."

This was not at all intended as a flirtatious move on Ivan's part, but Hexana responded with a soft, uncharacteristic giggle.

"You learn quickly," she nodded. "You're smart. That's something I can appreciate." With every word, she grew closer to Ivan, until their noses were millimeters away. It was then that he saw the malice in her eyes; the pure hate that radiated through them, straight from her blackened soul.

It was in that moment that Ivan Darkly realized that his father wasn't, after all, going crazy.

His eyes lit up with terror when he realized that he was still alone in the banquet hall with an insanely intelligent murderess.

What was taking everyone so long?

"Admit it, Ivan," Hexana crooned, snaking her arms around his neck as she kissed him with force. "You can't resist me. No one can. I'm an angel!"

"No, you're a monster," Ivan snarled, grabbing the first thing he touched- a handful of Hexana's perfect, soft hair, and yanked her away from him.

"Come on, now, we're not monsters," Hexana pouted, looking offended. "We're Ingles."

Before he could rip her beautiful face apart, an agonizing, burning sensation enveloped Ivan's own visage. It started in his lips, but quickly spread to his cheeks, nose, and eyes, dousing him in liquid fire.

His vision faded as he tripped over a silk tablecloth, landing sprawled at Hexana's feet. He looked up at her to see her still wearing her coy smile, this time with her lips firmly pressed together.

Her lips.

There was something wrong about them.

They were red.

Too red.

The realization hit Ivan like a brick.

"Great, isn't it?" She laughed, running a manicured fingernail over her poisoned upper lip. "It's my favorite way to do it. It's a shame I can only use it on young men."

"You're going to be caught," Ivan fought the flames inside his throat, forcing the words out. "You can't do this forever."

"Silly boy," Hexana laughed, holding out her gloved hands. "You should know that I never leave fingerprints."

Ivan kept his attention on her lips, hoping that the burning hatred within his heart would help him stay conscious until help arrived.

Those lips were the last things that Ivan Darkly ever saw.

...........................

Twenty four year old male, Ivan George Darkly, son of entrepreneur Richard Darkly, died at 6:35 P.M inside Ingle Tech's National Event Center from poisoning. He was attending IngleCon 2035 along with his father and thousands of other people. A note was found inside the deceased's mouth, but his saliva has rendered it illegible.

"Queen" Hexana Ingle has expressed her utmost sympathy for the Darkly family and has donated a sum of over $500,000 to aid them in their grief.