Faint noises filtered into Jasper’s head, slowly pulling him out of the dark abyss where he had been. His eyes flickered open but he squinted involuntarily as his pupils tried to adjust to the room's lighting. After a few seconds of adjustment, his eyes opened up. The first thing he saw was the stark white ceiling. His limbs felt heavy, his mind foggy. The scent of antiseptic lingered in the air. It took him a moment to register that he was in a hospital. The hospital room felt familiar. He blinked slowly, his gaze shifting to the figures beside his bed.“Jasper?” a voice called softly.His mother. Her eyes were puffy, worry etched deep into her features. Beside her, Victoria was fast asleep on the fold out couch which was situated in the corner of the room. Jasper licked his dry lips and attempted to sit up, but a sharp ache in his skull forced him to stay put. His breath hitched. “Where…where am I?”Victoria's ears perked up as she heard Jasper's voice. She shot up. “You’re awake!
Two days after his black out episode, Jasper was discharged from the hospital with a strict warning not to over exert himself, especially his mind. According to the doctor, the fragility of his mind was a cause for concern. Therefore, if true and long lasting recovery was to be achieved, Jasper had to be careful.Three days post-discharge, Jasper was already feeling cooped up. His mother had all but turned into a full-time nurse, hovering over him, making sure he ate enough, rested properly, and took his medication on time. Victoria was no different, though her approach was subtler—offering distractions rather than outright fussing. Despite their concerns, Jasper couldn’t shake the unease curling in his gut.The flashbacks haunted him. They weren’t just fleeting thoughts. They were real memories trying to claw their way back to him. A woman’s face. A voice. A feeling of something unfinished.Who was she?And why did his entire body react when he thought of her?One thing was certain,
Jasper leaned against the balcony railing, a cup of black coffee in hand, gazing at the gardens below. The fresh morning air did little to soothe the restlessness gnawing at him. Two weeks since his second discharge, and he still felt like a prisoner in his own home. His mother, ever the vigilant guardian, had made it her mission to ensure he followed the doctor’s orders. But he was done lying around, waiting for his body to catch up with his mind.The ringing of his phone broke his thoughts. Harriet.“Morning, boss,” she greeted. “Just checking in. We’re finalizing the proposal for Pioneer Holdings. I thought you’d want an update.”Jasper exhaled sharply. “And?”“The team has made good progress. The stock market prediction feature is coming together, but we need to refine the algorithm. We’re presenting the preliminary design this afternoon.”That was all he needed to hear.“I’ll be there.” He said.Harriet hesitated. “Are you sure? You need to take things easy to avoid more health
Five hours after the end of the meeting, Jasper's laptop chimed. He navigated to his mail inbox and clicked on the most recent mail. He smiled slightly as he read through its content. His team had finally submitted the revised contract proposal to Pioneer Holdings. Weeks of fine-tuning and refining their proposal had led to this moment. Jasper leaned back in his office chair, exhaling slowly. Now, all that was left to do was wait.His phone buzzed. A message from Victoria:Looking forward to dinner tonight. Hope you’re not bailing on me.A smirk tugged at his lips. As if he ever had the option. Surprisingly, his mother had called him to give him the go-ahead. He had smiled at her antics—like he needed her permission to attend a date. It was evident that his mother liked Victoria. He huffed as he stood up from his chair. He needed to go home and freshen up before his date.Upon his arrival at his mansion, he had hoped to see his mother, but she was nowhere to be found. Ariel, who was
The deafening silence was soul-consuming. Jasper and Victoria were locked in a staring contest. The air felt unbreathable, thick with unspoken emotions. Jasper leaned back into his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't know how to broach the topic. He felt out of depth. Before he could gather his thoughts, his phone buzzed. The sound pierced through the tense atmosphere like a blade through butter. He frowned, glancing at the screen.Harriet.Jasper straightened, the shift in his demeanor immediate. “Give me a moment.” He muttered, standing as he answered the call.Victoria sighed dramatically but said nothing. The night wasn't going as she had planned. She picked up her wine glass, swirling the last of her wine in her glass.“Jasper” Harriet’s voice was urgent, but there was a flicker of excitement beneath it. "Sorry for the intrusion. I know it's late. However, I had to call. I got wind of something before it becomes public information tomorrow."Jasper’s grip on the p
Weeks after, the bombshell dropped. Jasper sat in his office, fingers pressed against his temples, staring blankly at the email that shattered the brittle wall that he had been trying to reinforce. The message from Pioneer Holdings was polite, professional—and complete nonsense. They cited “a strategic shift in long-term objectives,” a fancy way of saying absolutely nothing. But Jasper wasn’t stupid. He knew the real reason. The sudden departure of the two top clients of his firm had made his firm look unstable. Someone had orchestrated it.He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to keep his composure. He had built this company from the ground up. He had spent years turning it into one of the most formidable firms in the industry. And now, because of someone's interference, all of that had been put into question.A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.“Come in.” He said, his voice sharp.Harriet entered, her expression carefully measured, though he could see the frustration beh
Stepping into the bathroom, Victoria quickly closed the door behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to explode in her chest. She stared down at her naked form and gasped at the reactions that her body was exhibiting because of Jasper's proximity. Her nipples were hard and taut, mild goosebumps broke out on her arms,and she could feel the wet sleekness between her legs. She liked how she felt. She felt good. However, a thought flashed through her mind, threatening to shatter her euphoria. She closed her eyes in a bid to expel the intruding thought from her mind. However, it wasn't going away. She was the cause of Jasper's pain. She had kneecapped him at a vulnerable stage of his firm's global domination. It wasn't rocket science to put two and two together to come to the theory that the departure of his top duo had pushed him out of the finale race. Truthfully, she hadn't poached the duo in order to cripple his chances of getting the Pioneer Holdings deal. She
“Jasper?” Victoria's voice broke through his veil of thoughts. Her voice was laced with concern, her eyes widened slightly in shock. Jasper's sudden antics were scary to her. He was incoherent and erratic.Jasper turned to her, a feral look on his face. He closed his eyes again, images of Luna flooding the dark crevices of his mind. With a huff, he stood up from the bed and walked towards the balcony. Leaning against the railing, he tried to calm his raging thoughts. He felt utter disgust at himself for forgetting, for putting her through a lot, for falling so weakly for Victoria's and Sophia's scheme.LunaHis wifeThe woman he had forgotten.Victoria watched Jasper's tense shoulder as he leaned against the railing, obviously trying to centre his thoughts. Her heart pounded in her chest. She was close to losing everything she had laboured for, close to losing Jasper. She exhaled slowly, rubbing her temple.Without warning, Jasper turned and walked back into the room, his eyes still o
Two Months After The Shootout The courtroom had been silent when the judge read the sentence. Life Imprisonment Alexander Mason, once a feared man, had sat expressionless as the verdict was delivered. His fate had been sealed—the culmination of years of crime, deceit, and brutality. The United States government had wasted no time in securing his extradition. The evidence against him was overwhelming: the murder of Jake Morgan and Jung Yen, the torture and grievous bodily harm inflicted on Sebastian’s mother, Luna, Lin and his funding of a terrorist cell (Black Sentinel).There had been no grand farewell or dramatic objection from him; just a simple nod as the gavel came down, condemning him to a lifetime behind bars. His reign of terror had ended. In the weeks that followed, Thomas and Sebastian worked closely with the local authorities in Vietnam. With Alexander gone, the Black Sentinel crumbled, their remaining members either arrested or fleeing into the unknown. The contraban
Five Hours EarlierThe convoy moved steadily along the winding dirt road, a line of black Humvees and trucks kicking up clouds of dust under the gaze of the moon. Inside one of them, Sebastian sat with his hands bound, his jaw clenched. Lin and Luna sat beside him, equally restrained. Across from them, Alexander Mason sat, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Sebastian had expected many things when Alexander’s men had dragged Luna, Lin and him, bagged their heads and tossed them into the van, but the sight that greeted him when he had reoriented himself was not one of them. The moment his eyes landed on her, his breath caught in his throat.“Mum?” His voice cracked, disbelief rendering him momentarily frozen. Her eyes widened, and before anyone could react, Sebastian lunged forward, pulling her into his arms. Her thin frame trembled as she clung to him fiercely, her silent sobs shaking her body. “You’re alive.” Sebastian whispered, as he deepened the hug.Alexander chuckl
Thomas adjusted his night-vision binoculars and focused on the camp below. Locating the camp after Jasper's direction wasn't hard, coupled with the fact that they had high-tech surveillance devices. The camp was a hive of activity, armed personnels moving swiftly in all directions. From their vantage point, he and his team had a clear view of the entire setup. The black tent in the center caught his attention again. Jasper had been clear. That was where Sebastian's mother was being held.However, getting into the camp wasn't going to be easy. It was heavily guarded and its location in the centre of the camp was a tactical nightmare. Thomas arched his brow as he noticed a pattern. There was a tall, bearded man, immaculately dressed, who strolled leisurely around the camp. As he walked, soldiers paused and slightly bowed to him in respect. This led Thomas to believe that the man held some sort of high authority. He was definitely the top dog in the camp, the shot caller. Thomas zoo
Sebastian’s head hung low, blood dripping from his temple. His wrists were raw from the metal shackles that bound him to the wooden post. His body screamed with pain from the beatings, but he had endured worse. He would not break. He just hoped that Jasper had been able to escape and call for help.Lin was slumped beside him, barely conscious. Her face was swollen, her lip split open. They had fought. They had endured.With a venomous stare, he spat out a lump of blood on the boot of his torturer. The torturer was a bulky, dark man who had been tuning them up for days in search of information. He had proven to be an unyielding captor, and the fact that Sebastian and Lin refused to talk infuriated him. A knock vibrated the door. The torturer's attention snapped to the door. He had instructed his minions not to interrupt him whenever he was at work. With an irritated voice, he snapped.“Who's there?” He bellowed.No response.Sebastian and Lin exchanged weak glances. They were glad fo
Jasper’s breath came in ragged gasps as he sprinted through the dense undergrowth. Twigs snapped underfoot, branches tore at his arms, and the darkness seemed to press against him from all sides. After running and simultaneously scanning his environment for hours, he had done it.He had escaped the camp.But now what? Realization dawned on him. Adrenaline had driven him out of the camp, but now that the rush was fading, reality set in.Where the hell was he?The jungle was vast and like a green void. He had no compass, no map, and no idea how far he had run. He sighed as he mentally facepalmed himself.He had been so reckless.How was he going to locate the shore where the boat had been hidden?He forced himself to keep moving. There was no turning back. As the hours stretched into days, Jasper’s pace slowed. His legs burned, his lips cracked from dehydration, and his stomach twisted painfully from hunger. No food. No water. The sun was relentless, beating down on him thro
Jasper had begun to believe his father had abandoned him again. Days had passed without any word from him. It was therefore surprising when his father strode into his tent on a cold evening. His father stood at the entrance of the tent, a smug look on his face. Jasper hated how unaffected Alexander looked. He clenched his fists. “Where are my friends?” “They’re fine.” His father replied him, his voice devoid of emotion.Jasper studied him. He didn't believe anything he said.“I want to see them.” His father exhaled through his nose. “That won’t be happening.” Before Jasper could retort, Alexander held up a hand to cut him short. “I didn't come here to banter words with you. I came here to give you a choice.” Jasper’s jaw tightened. “What choice?” “You leave this island. Tomorrow morning, a helicopter will arrive. You’ll board it, and you’ll forget you ever saw me.” Jasper stared at him in disbelief and confusion.“Excuse me?” He inquired.“You heard me.” Jasper let out
Two days passed by in quick succession. Ever since Alexander stormed out of the tent, he hadn't returned. The only people who had entered and left the tent were the nurse who came to change his bandage and the maids who came to drop off food and water for Jasper and the strange woman I'm the corner. Two days confined in a space with a mute woman who was like a lifeless husk—unwilling to socialize. The morning of the third day, Alexander decided to bless Jasper with his presence. Jasper sat on the edge of his chair, his father’s piercing gaze locking onto him like a predator studying its prey. Without any form of pleasantries, Alexander decided to swoop in for the kill. “Let’s try this again.” He said, his voice calm but firm. “My apologies. I wasn't entirely honest with you. Your friend Jung is in custody, that you already know. However, we also managed to capture two other people plus the commando-lady we picked up two weeks ago. They've already been questioned and I have to give i
Jasper groaned as he stirred, pain radiating from his injured leg. His mind was foggy, the lingering effects of morphine dulling his senses. As his mind cleared, the first thing he registered was the smell of roasted coffee beans. Last time he checked, they weren't on a vacation island which provides luxuries like hot frothy coffee. With a huff, he sat up and properly assessed his surroundings. He was in a tent, that much he could deduce. The tent was well furnished, two plush couches arranged perpendicular to each other, a large shiny oak table in the centre, maps and documents spread across it, expensive-looking artworks propped up against the foot of the tent and another king-sized bed situated in the opposite corner of the tent. Glancing at his foot, he noticed that it had been neatly wrapped up with clean bandages. He sighed.His nostrils traced the source of the coffee smell. It came from a coffee pot which was placed on a tray with cups on a table in the corner of the tent. T
From the shadows, figures emerged. At least five of them, dressed in a mixture of camouflage and dark clothing, their faces partially covered with cloth. Each one wielded a weapon—rifles, machetes, even crossbows.The leader, a tall man with a bald head, stepped closer. Unlike the other men, he didn't cover his face with a cloth. From the slant of his eyes, he seemed to be of oriental origin. However, his English was surprisingly clear and well-pronounced. “Who are you? And what are you doing on this island?” His voice boomed and reverberated around the forest floor. Sebastian's mind whirled as he tried to figure out the best way out of their current predicament. Looking at the men, it was evident that they weren't government military personnels; instead, they looked like the pirates that Lin had warned them about. Sebastian exchanged a tense glance with Luna. He knew one thing for certain. They were in serious trouble.“We are researchers, on a research mission to uncover the w