"Good day, Mr. Hawthorne," Nikolai uttered.
"Nothing good about the day, Nikolai. I want you and your men to assist Darius. He will fill you in on the plan. I want that bastard's head, Nikolai."
"You can surely count on me. You know I'm quite good at things like this. I have connections in all the underground dealings. I'll make sure to find your man," he said, walking closer to me as he drew out a cigarette and placed it in my mouth.
"Now, just chill, Mr. Hawthorne. Chill and leave the rest to me."
He had surely forgotten his place and his ego, but I had no time for him at the moment. Once I was done with Gregor Volkov, I would have time to show Nikolai where he belonged. For now, I just hoped he would do the job properly and find Gregor's hiding place.
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Scarlet's POVI stood there, releasing deep, panting breaths as he lay there on the bed beside me, asleep. How dare he? I was going through so much – my parents' deaths, storms I was trying to avoid, and battles I was fighting alone. In my despair, all he could think about was himself and his urges.His eyes showed no remorse or consolation for the loss of my parents. He didn't even bother to find out how I was coping with everything or if I needed his help. He could have just asked me, "How are you holding up, Scarlet? If you need anything, let me know."But what was I thinking? I knew him for who he was, and hearing those words from him would be nothing more than a daydream, an impossible change. I felt suffocated when I was around him, but I couldn't forget the whole reason I was here in his mansion and how I became the Chief Tec
A buzz startled me, and I gently sat up, turning off my alarm as I slowly opened my tired eyes. I felt weak—not today, of all days! I still needed to go to the company for the project, but my body felt strange.A touch on my skin revealed that I was burning up. Could it be a fever? But I was sure there was no cold last night, and I wasn't drained or anything. I couldn't be sick, not now at least.I will be fine. I just have to get up, get dressed, and go to work. I've already skipped too many days, so how do I intend on making things right and achieving my goals this way?I can't keep missing days, and I need to consult with some of the best lawyers about how I can reclaim my dad's will, if there's even a possible way.I had many things planned for me today, so why this sickness? Neve
"Mom?" Sebastian exclaimed, his tone revealing a broken and angry side of him.His expression shocked me, but what was most surprising were the words that came out of his mouth. His mom? I never knew his mom was alive or that he even had one. I had always thought he was single-handedly raised by his father. According to all the news and his biography, I had never heard of any mention of his mom.It felt hard for me to comprehend, but why would he cover up his mother's identity like that? By the situation, it seemed his father also covered it up. Or what should I believe?"Why are you here?" Sebastian uttered, his tone resonating with anger, creating a tense atmosphere.He was angrier than usual. What past did this mother and son share for it to run so deep that the mere sight of his mother caused such fury?"I know you must be angry to see me here, son, but-" Sebastian's mother said only to be interrupted."Enough! I am not your son, and you are not my mother. We share no relationship
Sebastian's POVI sat down on my bed, unable to grasp what had just happened, with broken glass scattered on the ground. How dare she come here after so many years? Why did she have to show up now when I was trying to forget about my past? But she had shown up and had the audacity to hope that I would accept her back.After all she had done to me, she still wanted reconciliation. It all felt hard to take in—a reminder of the entire incident of my broken past. I lost my entire self due to her actions. My days passed by with me being more alone as time went on. I learned not to trust easily and believed I was better off in this world without friends.My father lived his entire life in sad, lonely days until his last breath. She didn't even come for his burial, and now, all of a sudden, she showed up. "Why?! Why the hell are you here now?!" I yelled.I had lost my cool down there, but it was hard—so hard for me to take in. Her eyes—I was sure Scarlet must be wondering about many question
Sounds echoed as I was hit, my body covered in bruises. "Stop! Leave me alone! Let me go!" I kept yelling, but my pleas fell on deaf ears.The pain was unbearable, and in the next moment, I found myself thrown to the ground. It was a breath-breaking moment, my eyes jolting open, wondering why my past was coming back to haunt me now. Was it because of her return after all these years?I hated my past; I was so pathetic and weak, bullied by my classmates. Some were jealous of the fact that I had it all – money and power – and they made sure I never had a single peaceful day at school.I hated the fact that I was too weak to fight back, to stand up for myself. But even my own parents weren't there to help me through it all.I never wanted to think about those memories, the moments I needed her, and she wasn't there. I would stay locked up in my closet, weeping at the fact that I had no one.Running from my fears as they crept up, almost pulling me down, suffocating and tormenting me furt
I felt my life at the fingertips of the trigger. Was this how it felt to see death so close to claiming you? But this wasn't it. I can't die, not now, and not here.My instinct kicked in as I ducked my head away from the glass and their bullets. My legs hit the reverse pedal, and I reversed my car with multiple bullets piercing through my car's glass. The broken pieces tickled as they fell.Finally, out of their aim, I raised my head, having a clear vision of my path. I turned my car around in the other direction and drove on.While driving, I could see their car trailing me at the nearest distance, trying to catch up with my car. But I couldn't let that happen. Managing to increase my car's speed, I was finally able to lose them in the winding road.As my eyes caught no sight of them again, a sense of relief washed over me. "That was close," I whispered. It could have easily ended badly for me. But yet, my mind could only process one fact: Darius's last words, warning me not to retur
Scarlet's POVA silent buzz woke me up, and I turned off my alarm. It was morning already. I gently sat up, only to notice that Sebastian wasn't there. Possibly, he had gone out early today again to work, just like he always did. But yet, I couldn't get my mind to shake off yesterday's incident with the sudden appearance of his mother.But I had to forget about it; I couldn't be thinking about that, not now. I had my own aims and things to focus on. His life had always been a secret to me. I had no idea about his footsteps, where he goes at times, and many other things, which still made me question how I ended up here signing the deal.But I can't be thinking about this now. I had plans set up for today, things I couldn't do yesterday. I had to make sure they were all done. The most important thing was the meeting I had with the lawyer. I had to take some steps now before my dad's property was given to that witch. I couldn't let her have it; it wasn't hers, and it would never be.As I
A slight beam of light pierced through, causing my eyes to open. I had no idea where I was, but my hands were tied down to a chair."Help! Somebody help!" I kept shouting, hoping to draw the attention of somebody passing by.In that moment, a creak caught my attention as I watched several men walk in, one of them muscular and giant with a strange tattoo on their face."Who are you? Why did you bring me here?" I questioned, my mind echoing different thoughts of what I assumed they planned on doing with me, leaving my body trembling as they got closer."Stay away! Stay away from me!""She is surely a beauty," one of the men muttered."So sad it would be a waste now."Would I be a waste? Were they planning on killing me? No, it couldn't be—why would they? Could this be the doing of Evelyn? Could she have gone to such lengths to remove me from the picture, perhaps?Even so, I couldn't die here. If it was truly her, I had to escape and make her pay, get her arrested.I couldn't believe she
Loud gunshots echoed through the room as blood trickled. My eyes sprang open, only to realize it was all just a dream, as the rays of the sun that gleamed through the window caused my eyes to shut again. I tried removing my gaze from the blinding light, only to catch sight of Sebastian sitting on the bed near me."Are you—" he said, but in a blink, I found myself on him, my hands wrapped around him as I let out a sigh.I was trying to catch my words as they hoped to escape, remembering last night's incident with Kaiden almost shot and me almost killed.But wait, how did I end up here, then? The last thing I could remember was trying to run. As my gaze caught sight of Kaiden bleeding even more, I ran, going deeper into the forest...What happened next? I had no idea what took place next.I released my hands, retreating a bit as my gaze raised to meet Sebastian's."Are you alright?" he questioned, helping me back as I laid my head, resting back on the bed."What happened last night, Seb
"What happened, boss?" Darius asked, walking up to me as I returned my phone to my trousers. "I will kill them all. I will make sure I rip him from limb to limb.""Boss?""Get the vehicles ready, Darius. It seems we need to attend to some things," I said, my gaze returning to Nikolai, who remained there, his eyes fixed on mine. "I don't care who he is, Nikolai. I shall have his head, and I hope you help me get his location. That's all I need from you." I made my way out of the warehouse, entered my car, and drove off with a few of my men and Darius trailing me.Many thoughts swirled in my mind as I tried processing the situation. I could only hope they would hold up until I arrived there. Whoever this mystery Don is, I will make him pay. How dare he play such tricks? Really, I need to take care of every single one of them who lurks in the shadows, labeled as my enemy, plotting against me.Not long after, I arrived at the location Scarlet had dropped. Stepping out of my car with a few
"No!" I exclaimed.What was happening? Who was that stranger?Before I could make proper sense of what was unfolding before me, my eyes caught sight of the stranger approaching me with the pointed dagger. My mind could only scream one word, 'Run!' I stood up, hoping to flee, but my legs felt like jelly as I stumbled back onto the ground, my hands brushing against the dirt.I turned my gaze, watching the stranger getting closer with every inch."No, stay away, stay away," I muttered, trying to get on my feet to escape.It felt like a hit on my back as an excruciating pain tore through me."And where do you think you're going?" I heard the stranger utter. His grasp tightened on my neck, slamming me against the wall with his dagger poised, ready to drive deep into my flesh.Really, this couldn't be it; I couldn't die, not now. Mom still needed me; I wanted to see her get better, and I wanted to make Evelyn pay. But now it seemed like all my plans had been cut short, and here I was, facin
Scarlet's POV"And look who we have here?" My eyes landed on Evelyn walking up to my side. I wasn't surprised to run into her here."How may I be of help to my stepsister, or does she miss her father's restaurant so much that she came back running? Don't worry, I can be sure to hire you as the dishwasher, maybe. At least we are family," she said.I felt like strangling that witch. Her mere presence only seemed to ignite more anger within me. But I couldn't let go of what I had just learned from the detective—she had plotted my parents' death. I needed answers as to why she did that. I mean, the property was already hers, so why did she do that? I wanted to force her to spill it all out and then send her to jail afterward to rot for all her crimes.But now, knowing she had gone to such lengths to kill, I was sure that she was behind my mother's predicament. I was certain she was behind every single bit of it. And even knowing so much, all I could do was put on a fake act.I didn't want
Sebastian's POVArriving at the warehouse, I stepped out of my car, greeted by my men stationed outside. There were more of them than usual, with some stationed on the roof, their eyes scanning each and every nook. I was sure this was not something to take lightly.Whoever this new enemy was, I would make sure to bring him down."Boss, you're here?" My eyes landed on Darius approaching me in haste. "I am happy to see you are..." His voice trailed off as I could only wonder why, only to remember my half-beaten state."What happened, boss? Don't tell me they got to you also," Darius questioned."Just tell me, Darius. Who are these people, and what do they want with us? Why are they doing this, and mostly, I want to know who their boss is," I questioned, hoping to get straight to the point."I wish to know as well, boss," Darius replied simply, as his words left a stun."What do you mean, you don't know who they are?" I asked, my brow furrowed. "No, boss.""What do you mean, Darius? You
"How much do you know about your sister?" he questioned.My eyes narrowed, and I felt a slight twitch in my jaw. "Stepsister," I corrected, my tone crisp.Really, I cared less about what she was up to. Why would I? But given all that had been occurring lately, I had no choice but to dig in and find out what she was plotting. He had called me up here, claiming to give me some information, but instead, he was here asking me these silly questions."Get to the point. I thought you were the one blubbering about not liking to waste time. Just tell me what you called me here for. Have you found out some new information regarding Evelyn?" I questioned, looking at the relaxed presence of him as he rested his back against the chair, leaning with his eyes glaring. All he left was a silent response."Well, after digging further and trying to patch up your stepsister's dealing with the guy charged with assault, I learned he carried out a job for her.""A job? What job? What job did he carry out?"
[Scarlet's POV]Returning back into the room, I saw no sight of Sebastian. Really, where did he suddenly go? Did he leave? I left the room after, walking down the stairs, and then my eyes caught sight of the maid."Did Sebastian leave the house?" I questioned, and she nodded yes.Really, he had left the mansion. Could anything be so important for him to leave in such a condition? I could only hope he wasn't another thing I would end up getting involved in.He had returned home with bruises today. A part of me wanted to ask questions, but why bother when, in the end, he would cut me off as usual?I had no choice but to treat his wounds because of the frantic state his mother was in after seeing his condition. I had to make sure he was alright, but he wouldn't allow her to come any closer.Today was the weekend, a day I hoped to spend in utmost relaxation, just trying to calm my mind of everything, but new problems seemed to be arising. I couldn't get my head around what the detective s
I rushed into my room, my hands grasping onto my phone as I dialed up Darius's number, which persisted in ringing for a while before he finally picked up."Boss, are you alright, boss?" I heard his voice come through, a tensed and scared tone that my ears could grasp."What's happening, Darius? I just saw the news now?" I questioned, totally confused as to what was taking place. First, I was kidnapped by some men who I had little idea about, claiming their boss sent them, and now this news also of my men dead."I can't discuss it all on the phone, boss," he said.Something was fishy, just as I had suspected, and it seemed Darius knew more about this than I did. "Alright, Darius, let's meet up at the warehouse. I'm on my way now," I said."Alright, boss, please do be careful," Darius said before hanging up the call.It seems another new enemy has sprung out of their hole, and now I had to get my hands messy again. With all this, at least they didn't scheme and try to take my business d
My eyes flickered as they sprang open, gazing at my constrained state. My hands were tied against a chair as I found myself in an unfamiliar building. I had no idea where I was."Seems you're awake," a voice caught my attention, and I turned to see the same guy who had attacked me at the club approaching, bending a little."How are you feeling there?" he mocked. Really, I wanted to rip his jaws out, but damn, I was tied up. Whoever they thought they were, how dare they kidnap me and tie me down?"If you want money, then say it," I said, my gaze fixed on him, hoping to negotiate my way out of this. Once I was finally free from their grip, I would make them all pay and hunt them down. They dared hit me; I would make them beg for their lives."You still don't get what's going on yet, do you?" he uttered, as my eyes narrowed with my brow raising. "What are you saying? You don't have to beat around the bush. Just name the amount you want, and let's get this over with.""I don't need your m