The office was large, as you’d expect for a CEO. In one corner, there were two adjacent brown leather Chesterfield sofas and a glass coffee table. A large, enterprising desk sat in another, noticeable for only having some neatly stacked papers and pens. No computer monitor or laptop. Behind the desk sat the CEO of Grim Industries, Grim himself. He motioned to the man who’d just walked into his office to take a seat.

“So what is this meeting about, Boris?” he asked

“Well, sir…. It’s just that…well, I’ve been working for you for a few years now. “

“Ok”, Grim folded his arms over his cloak, but was careful not to disturb his hooded head. He leaned back into his chair.

“..and..um..”

“Out with it, man, I don’t have all day.”

“I’m…I mean… Mr Grim. I think I’ve worked quite hard during my time with you, and I feel like I’m entitled to discuss my career aspirations.”

“I see, so it’s a promotion you’re after?” Grim tentatively reached for the scythe hidden underneath his desk.

“No, sir”, replied Boris, who was well accustomed to the way Grim typically reacted to requests for promotions and pay rises. “I want more responsibility, sir”

“Eh?” Grin narrowed his eyes. “A pay rise, is it?”

“No, sir. I don’t want a pay rise; I make enough money through taking advantage of your corruption loopholes. “

“Excellent, excellent,” grim relaxed and bit. “So what is it you need?”

“More responsibility, sir.”

“Be specific, Boris”

“I’ve been working according to your megalomaniac development plan, and I’m making good progress.”

“Those plans are fantastic in my view; any aspiring evil maniac would do well to have the patience to follow them.” Grim settled his elbows onto his desk and rested his fingers against each other. 

“Exactly, Sir. I’m making great progress, Sir, but there is one area I need some help with.”

“Is it ruthlessness?” Grim asked inquisitively, “I don’t mind saying that’s a tough one to crack. I have only really mastered it in the last 10 years or so. Before, I would agonise over a severed limb or remain sleepless if I fired someone. There’s one school of thought that says if you’re not comfortable with killing, then you shouldn’t be in this business, but I have a more nuanced opinion. Killing should be left for the depraved. I believe in destruction. You can’t destroy what you’ve killed, and in turn you need destruction for profit.” Grim was visibly more relaxed now that they were on a topic he felt comfortable with.

“I’m not bad at ruthlessness, Sir, I’m currently scoring at “minion” level.”

“Hmm”, replied Grim, unsure if that was a slight against him. 

“I need to develop my vengeance portfolio, and I don’t have a lot of options.”

Grim jumped up in his seat. “No arch-nemesis yet? Is that it?” he asked with a frown.

“Nothing noteworthy on your record to drive one of those spandex-wearing idiots to take issue with you?”

“I only really have one option, and it’s an uncomfortable one,” Boris replied sheepishly.

Grims demeaur turned to disapproval, “sacrifices are required in this line of work, Boris. It might be uncomfortable right now, but you should take your vengeance as needed.” Boris didn’t look happy.

‘Who is the fellow, if you don’t mind me asking? He doesn’t work here, does he?” Grim asked, with a laugh.

“Actually, he does, Sir.”

“Well, that is unfortunate, but I’m not the type of manager who will stand in the way of their employees’ development. I have had to make some regretful sacrifices using employees in my own company.” He didn’t like to dwell on this aspect; there had

been one employee in particular, she’d been working for years in Grim industries, and for all intents and purposes, she was a model employee. But one of the Clients that Grim worked with had requested someone for a ritualistic type of sacrifice, a distant planet that was somewhat backwards. He couldn’t acutely recall all the details, but it might have been planet Earth. Some despotic politicians under their often hilarious democratic system needed someone to oppose them and make them look good, so the people would vote for them. Grim had picked someone at random. It was unfortunate that the woman had a family and even a husband who worked for Grim industries, but such were the metrics needed to maintain his ruthlessness targets. 

He’d sent her without much thought, and the reports he’d received were interesting. The task had been to behave so evily that the fake Democratic system would funnel all the people’s votes towards the client. What had happened, and this was one of the dangers of the ridiculous primitive democracy process, was that the people, largely ignorant and stupid, had chosen his employee. By this point,  Grim had already been paid and, never one to miss an opportunity, he had wasted no time in capitalising on his employees’ election results. Grim industries had been extracting resources from that planet for years now. He’d even heard that she’d abandoned her previous family and ties. 

These were the thoughts that were swirling around in his mind and had consumed him to the point where he’d blanked out a little bit and wasn’t paying attention to Boris. He looked up to find that Boris was now standing and pointing a blaster at his head with one hand and holding a picture of the woman in the other.

“You ruined my family, sir” Grim was luckily still hooded, so Boris couldn’t see the look of surprise on his face. He always did wonder if that particular scheme would come back to bite him and was relieved that it was a dim-witted minion like Boris who was here for the retaliation that Grim recognised was his right. “Fire away, Boris” he said, “let it not be said that Grim Industries stands in the way of career progression.”

Boris seemed rather put out by this, and the determined cast to his gaze faltered slightly, which was just what Grim was hoping for before the trap door underneath Boris opened and he fell to his inevitable doom. Trap doors were an archaic form of protection, but it was surprising how often they were useful. Grim sighed; no doubt any children that Boris had would also be keen on some sort of vengeance. Perhaps he should send an Ogre to deal with them, but he was too soft really. He idly wondered whether he should arrange for their mother to return but dismissed the idea when he considered she had a new family now.

Being evil wasn’t easy.