"Why shouldn't it?" Aiden stated, pouting his lips and Marina almost asked if he was sulking but decided against it."I don't know. Why should it?" She bantered and he eyed her before taking a deep breath and placing his hands on the top of the table."No one should be seeing you with that cute expression if it isn't me. It's specifically for me." He stated and Marina chuckled a bit."Alright, enough of the talk. Start eating." He said returning his phone to his pocket and Marina stated what the waiters would lay out on her table for her.After they finished the meal, they both returned to their different workplaces though Aiden had dropped Marina off at her company.Getting to his company, Aiden glared at Francesca as she flashed him from the receptionist's desk.It was even more annoying that he had to see her first once he walked into his company and it aggrieved him all the more."Liam?" Aiden called one of the heads of departments as he walked to his office."Yes sir," Liam answe
So, Amira since you broke up with Jayden; we have been expecting you to bring home another guy, you know?" Amira's mum asked over dinner and Amira stared at her mum with food particles in her mouth dumbstruck. She was already trying to process that Aiden knew about her involvement with Claw and here her mum was bringing up the issue of introducing a guy. "Mum, I'll surely introduce the guy to you once I find the perfect one." She stated with a forced smile as she munched on the contents in her mouth. They had better not bring up that topic ever again to her hearing. "When exactly? Do you have a boyfriend already?" Her mum asked reclining her eyes with a fake smile plastered on her face and Amira choked on her food. "I'm so sorry my darling, here have a glass of water." Amira's mum offered and Amira drank the water in the slowest way possible. Wishing fervently that they forget all about the matter of her bringing home a man magically or not. "Thanks, Mum." Amira appreciated
“You can't just come into my home like that and expect me to let you in like you're some welcomed guest," Amira muttered though she obeyed as she went and gently locked the doors then sat on the edge of her bed which was closest to the door in case we'd arise for her to dash the door, it would be easy. "I need you to do something for me." He started and she held up her hands like she was warning him to stop talking. "If want you want me to do will fetch me money and take me out of the house, I'm down. But if it involves Aiden and Marina in any way, I'm out." She stated and he chuckled slightly. "I'm afraid you don't have a way out of this either way, Amira. You'd have to do whatever I want you to do, however, I want you to do it no matter what, you don't even have a choice here." He said slowly yet the danger in his voice could be felt right in the veins. "They know about us, they know that you and I are in contact. Isn't that enough reason for me to want to opt-out?" She twist
Francesca had been trying for the past 20 minutes to break into the safe but it was almost like all the lessons she had been taught on this was a waste of time. The perspiration was visible on her face as she kept sighing while repeating the process from the beginning to be sure she hadn't missed a step or something that was making the safe not open up. It wasn't supposed to be this hard. Even Claw and Amira whose voices were flooding through the background before were shut now as they knew that if the frustration that Francesca was feeling got spiked any longer, she might even abandon the mission. And she comes too close to retreat at his moment. "If I try breaking into this safe one more time and it doesn't work, I'm getting out of here." Francesca sighed as she started all over again and Claw just kept mute wondering why the safe wouldn't open. Seriously, if she abandoned the task, he wouldn't even blame her. If he were to be the one, he would have definitely become frus
"Don't act like you care even one bit for me or my family because clearly you don't and I'm not even apologetic that I'm working with your brother so do whatever you want." She yelled, glaring at him and he just looked elsewhere nonchalantly like he wasn't the one she was ranting to. "Francesca, I need you to open your mouth one more time and utter another vulgar word. I fucking promise you that you would live out the remaining of your life in jail." He said slowly yet each word had an invisible punctuation that she could see. His face was void of emotions and he just looked like another stone-cold man, he looked like his former self which she knew. Dark, cold, and inaccessible. She was about to open her mouth but then snapped it when she saw a mad light shine in Aiden's eyes. It was almost like he wanted her to open her mouth and say something as that would make him not feel obliged if he did anything to her. "If you want to test my patience, please do. If you don't want t
Marina paced to and fro the room as she felt an empty feeling inside her stomach. She didn't even know what to feel as she kept staring at the wall clock every second. The time read 10:38 pm and Aiden wasn't home yet, he didn't even try to reach her which was questionable. She tried to push away the growing sense of worry, telling herself he was probably just working late or had stopped to hang out with friends. But then on second thought, Aiden never went out with friends. She even began to wonder if he had any friends. She knew Aiden rarely came home late especially since she came back from the hospital so she couldn't sit still without her anxiety striking in. With every passing minute, Marina's heart sank more. She tried calling his number but the call wasn't going through. She sent a series of texts but it was left unreplied. She began to imagine all sorts of scenarios - car accidents, muggings, or worse. But why in the world was he not taking his calls? What was goi
OAKVILLE *Claw's Hideout* Aiden sat calmly in the room after being brutally tortured by Claw, his eyes fixed on the door as Claw's men approached him. He knew this moment would come, and he was prepared. Too bad his brother was a naive soul who didn't think before he acted. If he took even a fragment of his time, he would realize that Aiden already knew all this was going to happen. As the guards grabbed him, Aiden didn't resist. He knew it would only make things worse. Instead, he waited until they were distracted, and then he made his move. With a swift motion, Aiden used his knowledge of martial arts to take down the guards, one by one. He moved swiftly and silently, his training allowing him to avoid making any noise. Once the guards were unconscious, Aiden quickly made his way to the door. He knew the route out of the compound, having studied it beforehand. Pressing the button of the speaker in his ear that was too little for anyone to see, he whispered. "I'
After a few minutes of sprinting, Aiden finally slowed down, ducking into a small alleyway to catch his breath. He leaned against the wall, his eyes scanning the rooftops for any sign of pursuit. "Hey Sir, you there?" The P.A.'s voice came through the earpiece, breaking the silence. "Yeah, I'm here. I made it out." Aiden replied, his chest heaving with exhaustion. " I've got a car waiting for you a few blocks from your location. It'll take you to your house." The P.A. stated and Aiden just let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding in. "And my phone?" Aiden questioned, pushing off from the wall and starting to move again. "Your phone is with the Chauffeur that would pick you up, they really fell for the trick." "Okay." As he turned a corner, Aiden spotted the car, a sleek black sedan, waiting for him by the curb. *CLAW'S MANOR: OAKVILLE* "What do you mean he's gone?" he snarled, his voice echoing off the walls as he banged his hands into the table whil
"You know, I am completely fed up with your newfound attitude of coming home late without even giving me as much as a call," Marina whined as Aiden had his dinner. It Was late, about 10 pm in the night and Marina had to stay up, waiting for him to get back home. "I'm having my dinner, baby," he said, his voice low and husky, his eyes fixed on hers with an unnerving intensity. "Let me finish it up before you talk about all the ways you would kill me." He smiled, his lips curling up in a sly, seductive grin that made her heart skip a beat. "Although, I do have a favorite way I'd like to die - in your arms, with your hands wrapped around my throat." She felt a shiver run down her spine as he spoke, his dilated pupils making her heart flutter in her chest. But she refused to back down, keeping up her angry act even as her body betrayed her. "No, I am definitely serious, and I'm not waiting," she said, her voice firm, but her eyes betraying a hint of vulnerability. "Why were you late hom
"What are you talking about?" Francesca decided to use the denial route as she didn't know exactly what Aiden had said. Though with the accusing look that she was getting from her dad, she knew that whatever Aiden had told him wasn't good at all. "Don't! Don't do that Francesca." Her dad yelled banging his hands on the table as he folded his fist while gritting his teeth in anger. "Daddy! What's going on? You're just going to believe anything he said because he told you that? Is that what you're doing to do?" Francesca fired back as she walked closer to the table matching her father's glare. "That's brutal," Aiden muttered. "That's your guilty mind talking right there, Francesca. How would you even know he told me anything bad if you hadn't started incoming yourself with bad activities?" Aiden shook his head and chuckled a bit, totally amused by the show that the father and daughter duo were putting on. "That's a little twisted," Aiden muttered again. "Out of everyone Francesca,
"It's been a while boy, I'm kind of concerned that you came to see me. I'm actually on my way out so maybe, you would like to reschedule?" Francesca's dad adjusted his tie as he carried his briefcase in one hand ready to leave his office for an important meeting. "No." Aiden simply stated as he relaxed onto the rolling chair and wheeled it to a position where he was blocking the entrance. "What?" "I said no! You're not leaving here until we have a little nice chat, I have other places to be too so I won't waste much of your time as that would technically mean that I'm wasting my time as well." Aiden smirked and Francesca's dad went back to his chair, dropping his briefcase on the top of the table while Aiden wheeled the rolling chair back to the center of the office, I'm front of the table. "Are we going to have a problem?" Aiden queried as he tapped his chin and Francesca's father stared at him for a few seconds before chuckling lightly. "I don't think there is any reason for us
"What's going on?" Aiden questioned as he got into his office a day after firing Francesca. The whole company was in a ruckus when he got there and the workers told him that all the Hods had called an impromptu meeting in the board room. A meeting that he wasn't aware of, it only meant that things were going haywire and he raced there. Aiden walked into the conference room, a sense of unease settling in the pit of his stomach. The heads of the different departments were already seated, their faces grim as they murmured to each other. One of them had to clear his throat in a suspicious way to alert the others that their boss was present in the room. "Good morning, everyone," Aiden said, trying to sound calm as he sat down with a lot of poise and confidence going on inside of him. He didn't look slightly disturbed by anything that was going on. "Good morning, Sir." They replied in unison, their voices laced with tension as Aiden perused their faces and expressions. "Is there a reas
Francesca and Claw worked in silence, their movements swift and efficient as they disposed of Grim Jack's body. "Well, that's taken care of," Claw said, his voice low. Francesca nodded, her mind already racing with the implications. "Yeah, but we're not out of the woods yet. Aiden is still out there, and he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants and you know that means exposing you."Claw's expression turned grim. "We'll deal with him when the time comes. For now, let's just focus on covering our tracks." They dismissed everyone after Claw forced Amira on a date for some unknown reasons. After 2 days, Francesca walked into the lobby of Aiden's company, her heart pounding in her chest. "Can I help you?" the receptionist asked, her eyes narrowing. "I'm Francesca, the receptionist," Francesca replied, her smile confident. "I've been...out sick. But I'm feeling much better now."The receptionist's expression turned skeptical. "Uh, okay. Well, welcome back, I guess. B
Claw dragged Francesca to his main study room and shoved her to the floor while she kept a straight face though it was mixed with hurt. He turned to Francesca, his voice filled with a mix of confusion and urgency. "Francesca, how could you betray me like this? I trusted you with everything." "You betrayed me! You helped Aiden escape, you were with him all these while and I wonder how I failed to realize that." He snarled, glaring grimly at Francesca who had her hands bound. Francesca looked up from where she knelt and stared at him, a look of surprise on her face as she repeated what she had been saying all the way here. "I know you're fed up with hearing this but what the fuck are you talking about, Claw?" She quirked her brows up and he slapped her across "Don't play dumb with me!" Claw spat. "I know it was you who told Aiden about our plans. You're the only one who knew that as a new member of my team. He couldn't have possibly figured out, that he isn't a genie." Claw r
After a few minutes of sprinting, Aiden finally slowed down, ducking into a small alleyway to catch his breath. He leaned against the wall, his eyes scanning the rooftops for any sign of pursuit. "Hey Sir, you there?" The P.A.'s voice came through the earpiece, breaking the silence. "Yeah, I'm here. I made it out." Aiden replied, his chest heaving with exhaustion. " I've got a car waiting for you a few blocks from your location. It'll take you to your house." The P.A. stated and Aiden just let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding in. "And my phone?" Aiden questioned, pushing off from the wall and starting to move again. "Your phone is with the Chauffeur that would pick you up, they really fell for the trick." "Okay." As he turned a corner, Aiden spotted the car, a sleek black sedan, waiting for him by the curb. *CLAW'S MANOR: OAKVILLE* "What do you mean he's gone?" he snarled, his voice echoing off the walls as he banged his hands into the table whil
OAKVILLE *Claw's Hideout* Aiden sat calmly in the room after being brutally tortured by Claw, his eyes fixed on the door as Claw's men approached him. He knew this moment would come, and he was prepared. Too bad his brother was a naive soul who didn't think before he acted. If he took even a fragment of his time, he would realize that Aiden already knew all this was going to happen. As the guards grabbed him, Aiden didn't resist. He knew it would only make things worse. Instead, he waited until they were distracted, and then he made his move. With a swift motion, Aiden used his knowledge of martial arts to take down the guards, one by one. He moved swiftly and silently, his training allowing him to avoid making any noise. Once the guards were unconscious, Aiden quickly made his way to the door. He knew the route out of the compound, having studied it beforehand. Pressing the button of the speaker in his ear that was too little for anyone to see, he whispered. "I'
Marina paced to and fro the room as she felt an empty feeling inside her stomach. She didn't even know what to feel as she kept staring at the wall clock every second. The time read 10:38 pm and Aiden wasn't home yet, he didn't even try to reach her which was questionable. She tried to push away the growing sense of worry, telling herself he was probably just working late or had stopped to hang out with friends. But then on second thought, Aiden never went out with friends. She even began to wonder if he had any friends. She knew Aiden rarely came home late especially since she came back from the hospital so she couldn't sit still without her anxiety striking in. With every passing minute, Marina's heart sank more. She tried calling his number but the call wasn't going through. She sent a series of texts but it was left unreplied. She began to imagine all sorts of scenarios - car accidents, muggings, or worse. But why in the world was he not taking his calls? What was goi