The Lurker in the Corner

The perfect crime, down to the tiniest detail.

He stands outside the rules because his enemies are just as extraordinary.

Countless times, he has wondered how he ended up on this path, one that seems like a pleasant collaboration but that no one truly understands.

But gloom is a waste of precious time, and does nothing to help him finish his work properly and on schedule, then get home for dinner as soon as possible.

Still, he could be a little more honest. In remorse, he leaves this message on his own gravestone:

Here lies a hypocritical bastard.

So says the bastard himself.

This story is told largely from an ensemble perspective, with no romance.

The setting is fictional, so some basic details differ from reality and need not be examined too closely. The characters and events are entirely fictional, but some names, rules, and laws correspond to those in the real world, and the general standards of public decency broadly accord with common sense. There is no need to read too much into it.