Chapter 40

MARCH 2023, MONDAY: FOEDUS INITIATION

Every day in March marks the initiation at Foedus Corporation, so Beckett is now preparing his belongings to go to Agrianthropos. His clothes were enough to last for a month. As long as he's in the initiation, he won't leave.

It's not like he wanted to wander around with his back hurting from the lashes, though. The last time, Beckett checked if he had everything he needed before leaving. It's difficult. He has waited for this day for so long, and it can't afford to go wrong. Nathan was depending on him, too.

"All set," Beckett said to himself before placing the brown envelope inside his suitcase. It consists of some documents and files containing his assets and bank books. Before entering Foedus, one needs to show a net worth of one billion dollars and pay a membership fee of one hundred million pesos.

Money is not a problem for Beckett. He earned a lot from modeling and especially from selling drugs. He now sees the fruition of his hard work as he built his drug organization during college. Beckett was about to use that money for emergency purposes, but he didn't expect to use it here in Foedus.

He remembered asking Jeru if Foedus might be a group of scammers because of the requirements it asked for, but the man just shrugged it off. Of course, Beckett was just teasing him. Once he's in Agrianthropos and faces Jeru as a member and founder, he won't be able to talk to Jeru casually like a friend.

"Are you ready, boss?" Nathan asked just as he came out of the door. Like Beckett, he also had a suitcase, but it would go to a different place. "I'm ready too. We'll sort this out, boss."

While Beckett is in Agrianthropos, Nathan will be arranging things for the Dweller Cartel. It needs to be done simultaneously so that the process in the future will be faster.

Beckett just smiled and saluted. "Take care, Nate."

"You too, boss." Nathan smiled back but with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Until our next meeting."

LOCATION: AGRIANTHROPOS CITY

Time: 10:00 a.m.

The sun was scorching, and sweat dripped from Beckett's forehead as they arrived in Agrianthropos City. He had come there by yacht at Seaway Shipping Corporation owned by Elliot, one of the founders of Foedus. At first, he wondered why only a yacht could be used to reach this place, but now he understood.

"Wow," Beckett couldn't help but mutter as he saw the entire place. He had heard about Agrianthropos City from Jeru before, but he didn't know it was this beautiful. Its location was in the middle of Balabac, Palawan, and Malaysia, with tons of skyscrapers all over the island. It looked like a different country, but it was more elegant... and secretive.

Beckett had seen the most beautiful infrastructures in different cities and countries, but Agrianthropos City was one of a kind. There was no doubt that the founders here were extremely wealthy, and even the police couldn't trace them. It was a haven for criminals and bad guys like him.

AFTER SETTLING IN, they went to the place where the initiation would take place, Logan's place, another founder. There were other recruits aside from him. He even talked to one of them, Aljand.

As they had a small conversation to ease the pressure inside their bodies, Beckett realized that all of them in the room had a dark past... which gave them a reason to embrace the only chance they had: joining Foedus and doing their best to get accepted.

After a while, they were ushered into a room. The first part of the initiation would begin in a minute. Their backs would be whipped by the founder who recruited them. This year, it was Jeru, and Beckett was slightly nervous because he might retaliate for Beckett's flirtation with Paige before.

"You ready?" Jeru asked, smirking, as he whipped the floor with force. It seemed like he was testing his strength, and Beckett knew that he would not hold back; it's not his style.

"Always," Beckett clicked his tongue and took off his shirt, leaving him with only his black pants. He revealed his smooth and delicate back, well taken care of from his days as a model. However, in the coming weeks, he was sure it would be covered in scars and marks.

"Shall we start?"

He kneeled and positioned himself along with the other recruits. He closed his eyes and waited for the initiation to begin. Then, the first part started.

Twenty-five lashes every week, lasting for one month. In the beginning, he could somewhat endure the pain of the whip, but as time passed, it became more searing and unbearable.

Whip after whip, scream after scream. This time, the pain outweighed the pleasure, and he couldn't help but whimper. It felt like he was going to die from the pain, and there were still twelve lashes to go.

"What’s wrong? Can you still handle it?" Jeru said teasingly with a grin. It was clear he was enjoying what he was doing.

Before Beckett could respond, the whip struck his back once again. He closed his eyes and cursed repeatedly.

"Fuck..." Beckett muttered.

Foedus Corporation's initiation process might be gruesome and disgusting for some, but the founders had a reason for designing this specific process. Only a few would truly understand it.

Jeru continued to whip Beckett's back, and the pain was already overwhelming, to the point where he wanted to give up. He could feel the blood flowing from his back. It felt like all his strength had been drained.

But then, he remembered why he was there in the first place. He had swallowed his words when he said he would never join any group. He just wanted to avenge his parents' deaths, turn away from his criminal past of running a drug organization, and live a good life.

However, it seemed impossible now, and he didn't have any regrets.

"For my parents... and Vivianne," Beckett whispered in the back of his mind. After that, Jeru finally finished the twenty-five lashes he had to endure that day.

Finally, the day came to an end.

TOMORROW EVENING, it was already time for the second part of the initiation: an orgy with the other recruits. While they engaged in the act, the founders watched them.

Beckett had had his fair share of sexual encounters before meeting Vivianne, but this was his first time participating in an orgy. There were a total of nine recruits this year, and ten girls were more than willing to please them.

As they began, Beckett felt awkward around everyone. He didn't even know his companions. He had only recently gotten to know Aljand, and now he had to engage in sexual activities with various women alongside him.

Beckett closed his eyes as a petite woman kneeled in front of him, taking off his pants and boxers without hesitation. She put Beckett's manhood in her mouth, and he gently guided her head.

"Ah..." the woman moaned as Beckett placed both hands behind her head and moved rhythmically.

Unable to resist, he pulled her into a doggy-style position and entered her. He pounded her hard and rough, repeating the same with other girls who approached him. In his mind, he just imagined it was Vivianne so he could get through this initiation peacefully.

Beckett forgot he had companions, and the founders were watching. He let go of his inhibitions and stripped away his pride. After all, if he passed the initiation, everything would be worth it.

THE FIRST two parts of the initiation were done. Jeru had finished whipping him a hundred times, resembling a curse on his back, especially as he wasn't accustomed to physical pain. Syneverse Entertainment was too eager to protect him—their top-contributing model.

Now, only one step remained in the initiation process: killing. Beckett needed to kill three people to prove his loyalty, and with his fear of blood, it was never easy. The last time he killed Tristan sent shivers down his spine, and it was the same now.

"Shit. Shit," Beckett cursed repeatedly, sweating profusely. His breathing was heavy, and his entire body was trembling. He had completed two kills, and one more was left. The founders chose who he would kill in Agrianthropos, and it wasn't too difficult for him. He wasn't too attached to them.

His real problem was his damn fear of blood, and it seemed like his calming medication wasn't working anymore. It looked like he was starting to become immune to it.

But it didn't end there.

LAST DAY OF INITIATION: THE LAST KILL

All the recruits were inside the building where the annual gathering was being held. Everyone was present, including the founders, as this was where they would be evaluated for entry into Foedus. Beckett was nervous. Killing someone was already difficult for him, let alone doing it in front of everyone.

But he had come this far to back out. There was no turning back for him.

In the middle of the room, the last person he had to kill for the initiation was there. The man was wearing an all-black shirt, with a black cloth covering his face. His entire body was tied, rendering him immobile.

Beckett's heartbeat rose; this was it. He had to fight.

"Are you ready to see who your last kill would be?" Jeru asked, smirking as if he had something sinister planned.

"Yeah," Beckett answered nonchalantly.

"Take the fabric off, then."

Though trembling slightly, Beckett followed Jeru's command. He removed the fabric covering the man's face... but when he saw who was standing in front of him, it was as if he wanted to put it back on again.