Krystie pulled her hood lower and stepped into the dimly lit back hallway of the Regal Hospital’s records wing. The place had been shut down for maintenance, but she knew better. Mark waited inside, pacing around nervously until he saw, Chloe behind her. "Took you long enough." "I had a meet-up with someone earlier, so I couldn't make it on time. I also had to make sure no one was tailing me," Krystie murmured. "Where’s Nancy?" "Already in the archives, decrypting the lock. She said she found something about shipments, offshore accounts and patient transfer names.” Krystie’s eyes narrowed. "Good. Let’s go." They moved quickly through the corridor, slipping past closed doors and inactive security cameras, courtesy of Nancy. In the sub-basement level, the archive room stood with its heavy, metal door already cracked open. Inside, Nancy hunched over a desk, documents and flash drives spread out on the table before her and a triumphant smile at the corners of her lips "Told you
At the boardroom on the top floor of Regal Hospital, sunlight filtered through the tall windows, where Mr. Xavier West sat at the head of the polished table, flanked by board members and stakeholders. All were dressed in fine suits, sipping imported coffee as they discussed the hospital’s future, oblivious to the storm that was about to hit.Xavier wore his usual calm mask, a faint smile plastered on his face as he nodded at a proposal from the finance director. "If we accelerate the expansion plans for our offshore branches, we can double our quarterly revenue," he said smoothly, exuding confidence and control.The silence shattered when the heavy double doors burst open without warning. Ben, Mr Xavier's personal assistant, stood there panting, sweat trickling on his forehead, his tie crooked as if he'd run all the way."Ben," Xavier barked, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell do you think you’re doing? You don’t barge in here when I’m in a meeting, especially not with the board!"Be
The courtroom buzzed as Xavier West was escorted inside, clad in an orange prison uniform that couldn’t quite mask the pride still etched in his posture. His expression remained composed, almost arrogant. His attorney, Mr. Clarke, adjusted his tie and leaned over. "Relax. We’ve got the best money we can buy. The judges are in our pocket. There’s no hard evidence they can use. We’ll have this thrown out in a week." Xavier didn’t respond, only stared at the room with cool detachment. Journalists filled the benches, their cameras flashing and pens ready. The public gallery overflowed with curious onlookers, family members of victims, and a few hospital staff. Xavier’s smirk returned when he saw the judges entering, three men he knew well, the judges from his case seven years ago. The lead judge struck the gavel, and announced, "Court is now in session. Case number 2328: The People vs. Xavier West." The prosecution began with an impassioned speech, laying out the charges including hu
The heavy steel doors of the Blackthorn Federal prison clanked open as Krystie and Mark stepped inside. The long corridor echoed with the distant occasional shout from inmates. Guards led them in silence toward the visitation room. Neither Krystie nor Mark spoke. They all had lots of unanswered questions they desired answers to. It had been a month since the judgement, but Krystie had one more thing she desired to know. They were shown to a cold metal table. A few seconds later, Mr. Xavier was escorted in, clad in his prison uniform, hands cuffed, his once well-groomed face now unkempt beard and hollow eyes. But his smirk remained. "Well, well," he drawled, taking his seat and leaning back as far as the restraints would allow as if he were still the one in control. "See who finally decided to visit me if not my dear son and goddaughter. I was wondering how long it would take for the prodigies to come visit me. Have you come to gloat?" Krystie didn’t waste time. She straightened a
Author's POV The sunlight rays gently filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the disorganized bed where two figures were lying next to each other, hugging each other, completely naked, only covered with a white sheet. Krystie stretched her arms and opened her eyes. She was feeling her body sore. 'Maybe it's because of the long day that I had yesterday,' she thought to herself. But that was only until everything settled in her mind that she finally rose suddenly, memories of last night flooding her mind. Her legs were weak, and she ended up falling back on the bed with a thud. Krystie was shocked to find a handsome young man sleeping right beside her. His face was very calm and pale yet dangerous at a closer glance. She was not sure why his face was a little familiar to her, but she didn't have time to think of where exactly she had seen it. The only thing that she could think of was to run, yes, run for her dear life before he woke up and found her. She didn't kn
Krystie hurriedly ran down the stairs, trying her best to cover her exposed cleavage with her tattered dress. She was feeling embarrassed. She didn't want to think of what had happened last night and how she had ended up on a stranger's bed, which had resulted in her losing her virginity. But she didn't regret it. At least she had given her first time to a stranger than that jerk who had betrayed her. He had cheated on her with her, best friend, Cassandra! Flashback Krystie was super excited to go and visit her fiancee. It had been a long time since she had seen him. She was always so busy with several shifts at work that she hadn't gotten any time to hang out with him. She had pilled several shifts and overworked herself to create the time. A full week! That was so much for them! She wanted to surprise him, but who knew that she would be the one to be surprised instead? Krystie pulled Alex's spare key card from her handbag, but then she found the door was not locked. Ge
"How about we go out tonight," Chloe suggested after dinner. Krystie was not a fool to not have realized that she was doing all this for her. Chloe was not a social person, obviously she wanted her to feel better from the betrayal, and she appreciated it because she really needed it. Krystie and Chloe sat at the table, several bottles of liquor spread across the table. Mark, Krystie's colleague sat helplessly beside them. Watching Krystie sad broke his heart, he had always warned her about Alex and Cassandra, but never once had she headed to his warnings. But then, it wasn't the time to play blame games. He was her friend and always willing to support her in whatever decision she took. Krystie wanted to drown all that she was feeling inside, all her pains which had resulted from the two people she used to trust. Krystie shot Mark with a knowing look. She was very sure the reason why Mark had accompanied her was not entirely because she of her. After all, watching the way he lo
The bartender, a man in his late thirties was mixing a drink when Cassandra approached the counter. She leaned in slightly and slid a bill across the counter, lowering her voice to ensure nobody else heard her, "I need a favour," she murmured. The bartender glances at the bill and then at her. He had heard that phrase more than he could count. "Depends on the favour," he whispered too, as he slipped the bill into his jacket pocket. Cassandra shot him with a sweet smile as she pointed at the table where Krystie sat. "You see that blonde woman in the red dress at that table, drinking with friends. I need her drink to be a little special." The bartender's expression hardened, pushing the bill back from her jacket pocket. "I'm very sorry madam, but I can't help you. We don’t do that here." Cassandra smirked, unfazed. "Oh, come on. It’s harmless." She passed him a liquid in a small bottle. "Just a little something to loosen her up a bit. You look like a man who understands business.
The heavy steel doors of the Blackthorn Federal prison clanked open as Krystie and Mark stepped inside. The long corridor echoed with the distant occasional shout from inmates. Guards led them in silence toward the visitation room. Neither Krystie nor Mark spoke. They all had lots of unanswered questions they desired answers to. It had been a month since the judgement, but Krystie had one more thing she desired to know. They were shown to a cold metal table. A few seconds later, Mr. Xavier was escorted in, clad in his prison uniform, hands cuffed, his once well-groomed face now unkempt beard and hollow eyes. But his smirk remained. "Well, well," he drawled, taking his seat and leaning back as far as the restraints would allow as if he were still the one in control. "See who finally decided to visit me if not my dear son and goddaughter. I was wondering how long it would take for the prodigies to come visit me. Have you come to gloat?" Krystie didn’t waste time. She straightened a
The courtroom buzzed as Xavier West was escorted inside, clad in an orange prison uniform that couldn’t quite mask the pride still etched in his posture. His expression remained composed, almost arrogant. His attorney, Mr. Clarke, adjusted his tie and leaned over. "Relax. We’ve got the best money we can buy. The judges are in our pocket. There’s no hard evidence they can use. We’ll have this thrown out in a week." Xavier didn’t respond, only stared at the room with cool detachment. Journalists filled the benches, their cameras flashing and pens ready. The public gallery overflowed with curious onlookers, family members of victims, and a few hospital staff. Xavier’s smirk returned when he saw the judges entering, three men he knew well, the judges from his case seven years ago. The lead judge struck the gavel, and announced, "Court is now in session. Case number 2328: The People vs. Xavier West." The prosecution began with an impassioned speech, laying out the charges including hu
At the boardroom on the top floor of Regal Hospital, sunlight filtered through the tall windows, where Mr. Xavier West sat at the head of the polished table, flanked by board members and stakeholders. All were dressed in fine suits, sipping imported coffee as they discussed the hospital’s future, oblivious to the storm that was about to hit.Xavier wore his usual calm mask, a faint smile plastered on his face as he nodded at a proposal from the finance director. "If we accelerate the expansion plans for our offshore branches, we can double our quarterly revenue," he said smoothly, exuding confidence and control.The silence shattered when the heavy double doors burst open without warning. Ben, Mr Xavier's personal assistant, stood there panting, sweat trickling on his forehead, his tie crooked as if he'd run all the way."Ben," Xavier barked, his eyes narrowing. "What the hell do you think you’re doing? You don’t barge in here when I’m in a meeting, especially not with the board!"Be
Krystie pulled her hood lower and stepped into the dimly lit back hallway of the Regal Hospital’s records wing. The place had been shut down for maintenance, but she knew better. Mark waited inside, pacing around nervously until he saw, Chloe behind her. "Took you long enough." "I had a meet-up with someone earlier, so I couldn't make it on time. I also had to make sure no one was tailing me," Krystie murmured. "Where’s Nancy?" "Already in the archives, decrypting the lock. She said she found something about shipments, offshore accounts and patient transfer names.” Krystie’s eyes narrowed. "Good. Let’s go." They moved quickly through the corridor, slipping past closed doors and inactive security cameras, courtesy of Nancy. In the sub-basement level, the archive room stood with its heavy, metal door already cracked open. Inside, Nancy hunched over a desk, documents and flash drives spread out on the table before her and a triumphant smile at the corners of her lips "Told you
Krystie stepped into Mr. Xavier’s study, her outer appearance relaxed but her mind was on high alert. He was sitting behind his large mahogany desk with an unreadable expression as he sipped his whiskey. "You’ve been out of reach for quite some time, busy?" he inquired, his tone casual, but his sharp gaze assessing her. Krystie offered a small, tired smile. "Just trying to move forward, and finding something else to do. O hospital wants to hire someone like me after the scandal." Mr. Xavier gestured toward the chair opposite him. " I'm so sorry about that. Take a seat." She did, crossing her legs as she waited for him to speak. "I need your help," he finally said, setting his glass down, his gaze softening a little. "Help?" Krystie tilted her head slightly. "With what?" "There’s a friend of mine who’s in some trouble." He paused, gauging her reaction. "I was hoping you could ask your husband, Lucian, to help him." Krystie stiffened slightly, lowering her gaze as if strug
Mr King stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his private office, his sharp gaze fixed on the city skyline. His brother still lay in the hospital bed, barely alive. The doctors had told him the chances of him waking up were only five per cent, or he might end up in a vegetable state because of the damage to the brain. The thought that the man who had done all this to his brother was walking around freely irked him to the core, and tonight he was going to make him pay, even if it meant shedding his own blood. Leo entered the room snapping him from his thoughts. "The men are ready, boss. We have got eyes on the big boss’s main warehouse near the port. Word is, a shipment is coming in tonight with illegal firearms." Mr. King turned with a playful smirk at the corner of his mouth. "Good. Tell them to move immediately. No mistakes." Leo nodded and stepped away hurriedly to relay the command. Mr King reached for the drawer where the folder Joel had sent him several weeks ago la
Mr. King sat in his luxurious office, his mind elsewhere. His fingers tapped impatiently against the polished surface of his desk while his other hand gripped his phone tightly. It was already three days. Three damn days without a single word from his brother. His younger brother had never gone this long without answering his calls or at least checking in. He had a bad premonition about it! Mr King exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. His sources inside the big boss’s operations had gone quiet too, which only deepened his unease. Something was wrong. His phone buzzed, jolting him from his thoughts. It was an unknown number. Frowning, he hesitated before answering. "Who is this?" His voice was sharp and demanding. Silence. Then a distorted voice, as if through a voice changer. "Your brother is in critical condition at St. Lucy's Hospital." A cold chill ran through Mr King's spine. His grip tightened on the phone. "What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?" "Wh
The meeting room inside the warehouse was dimly lit with only a single overhead light. Across the wooden table, the men seated around with tension on their faces. The big boss sat at the head of the table, his gloved fingers tapping rhythmically against the wooden table. His dark mask hid his expression, but the sharp glint in his eyes was enough to send chills through the men seated before him. His patience had run out. Ben stood beside him silently, watching as the others shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Every man in the room knew that meetings like these never ended well. Someone wasn’t going to walk out of this room alive. The big boss finally spoke, his voice calm. "We have a big problem!" He leaned back in his chair. "You see, everything has been going to hell lately. Our plan was interfered with, the dock was wiped clean, our men tortured, and Dr Lawrence returned to us in a state that not even the devil himself would wish upon his worst enemy. He let the words s
The big boss stood at the corner of the warehouse looking out of the window. His dark mask covered his face as always. Things had started going wrong! The warehouse was silent except for the chirping of the birds outside. Ben, his right-hand man, stood beside him, tense. He was afraid the boss might lash out at him. "Boss, I think it's kind of strange, everything is so wrong right now. We still haven’t found Dr. Lawrence. It’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth. At the dock, everything was wiped out clean. I think we have a mole in our group." The big boss exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "Lawrence, that bastard ruined everything. And now he’s hiding?" His voice was deadly calm, but everyone in the room knew what that meant, someone was going to die tonight. "About a mole, I have noticed that too. Don't worry about it. I'll handle everything in today's meeting. Make sure that boy also attends, I want to deal with him tonight." The big boss took a seat at the table.