"Grandma, the people from the law firm are at home. They want to confirm the change of your will," Alexander said as he stepped closer to the bed."Oh, they are at home now? Tell them I will be there shortly," Grandma responded, her tone firm yet calm. She then turned her gaze to Aria, her expression softening. "My granddaughter-in-law, please come help me," she said, reaching out to Aria with a gentle smile.Aria quickly rushed to her side, instinctively offering her arm to support Grandma. The warmth in Grandma's voice made her heart feel lighter, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy about the ongoing tension surrounding the will.Alexander observed quietly from the side, his sharp eyes fixed on Aria’s movements. Inwardly, he mused, It seems she doesn’t know that Grandma is going to change her will... but how did Ethan find out about this? His mind raced with questions, but he kept them to himself for the moment.After a brief silence, Alexander spoke again, this time directin
As I left grandma's ward, a strange, uneasy feeling gnawed at me. Something wasn’t right. I couldn’t shake it off, like a weight pressing on my chest as I recalled grandma's words–’She once saved your life’.I was just about to call Aria when a nurse suddenly bump into me, her face pale.“Mr. Sinclair!” Her voice trembled. “Your wife… she’s been in an accident!”My heart stopped. “What? What happened?”“She fell down the stairs. There’s a lot of blood…”I didn’t wait to hear more. My legs moved on instinct, pushing past the nurse and racing towards the stairs.No, no, no…When I reached the stairwell, I froze at the sight before me.Aria lay at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious, her body motionless in a pool of blood. Her hair was matted with blood, staining the floor around her head. For a second, my vision blurred with panic.I rushed to her side, my hands trembling as I gently cradled her head, lifting it slightly off the ground. “Aria… Aria, wake up!” My voice was shaking, fil
Dr. Hensley walked in alongside his medical assistant, the air around them filled with the sterile scent of antiseptic and the faint hum of machines. He approached Aria’s bed; his demeanor was professional yet warm. “Good morning, Mr. Sinclair,” he greeted Alexander, his eyes flickering with a hint of optimism.How's she doing, Doctor?" Alexander asked, his voice tense but controlled, not betraying the storm of emotions brewing beneath the surface.Dr. Hensley checked Aria’s vitals, taking careful notes as he observed her steady but shallow breathing. A smile crept onto his face as he looked up. “She’s recovering fast, Mr. Sinclair. She should be awake any minute now.”Alexander gave a curt nod, his eyes never leaving Aria's face, a wave of relief washed over Alexander, but it was tempered by the gnawing worry that had haunted him since the incident. He had been waiting anxiously for news about her condition, and hearing that she was improving filled him with cautious hope.The doctor
Aria slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. The glaring white ceiling was the first thing she noticed, followed by the steady beeping of the monitor beside her. The sterile smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, a sharp reminder of where she was. Her vision blurred momentarily as she tried to adjust to the bright lights, blinking several times before her eyes finally began to focus.The effort to open her eyes fully left her feeling drained, her body still weak. She tried to sit up, but her muscles refused to cooperate, and she collapsed back onto the bed with a thud. A sharp pain pierced her head, forcing her to raise her hand instinctively to her forehead, only to find it wrapped in bandages. And then it hit her—the memory of Ethan, his threatening words, the struggle, and the fall. Her heart raced at the recollection.Turning her head slowly, she noticed a figure slouched against the couch near her bed. His head was tilted slightly, eyes closed, his features soften
"Alexander, I didn't mean to hurt Grandma," Aria said softly, her hand still holding his. Her voice was shaky, the guilt and fear clear in her eyes as she gazed up at him. Alexander's eyes flickered to where her fingers were wrapped around his hand, and for a moment, there was something unreadable in his expression. Clearing his throat, he looked back at her, causing Aria to realize what she was doing. She quickly pulled her hand away, her face flushing with embarrassment."Please, can you give me another chance?" she asked, her voice wavering. Her fingers fidgeted nervously in her lap as she awaited his response. "Let me continue to take care of Grandma."Alexander regarded her for a moment before speaking, his tone steady but distant. "Just rest and focus on your recovery. Someone else is taking care of Grandma for now." He paused, his gaze softening slightly. "Let the chefs handle her meals. You don't have to do everything yourself."Aria's heart lifted with hope. ‘Does that mean I
What am I going to do? Aria’s thoughts spiraled as she hurriedly texted Ethan the location for their meeting. Anxiety gnawed at her, but she felt she had no choice. Her pulse quickened with each step as she sneaked out of the hospital. She knew it was dangerous to confront Ethan alone, but the fear of those compromising photos being leaked was even greater.Meanwhile, Alexander was in the car, heading back to the hospital with his assistant, Lucas. The atmosphere was calm until Lucas suddenly pointed out of the window."Look, isn’t that young madam?" Lucas said, squinting to see through the dimly lit street.Alexander, who had been scrolling through his phone, glanced up. His face darkened when he spotted Aria, heading towards a figure he recognized all too well."Pull over," Alexander commanded coldly.Lucas quickly obeyed, stopping the car and rushing to open the door for his boss. They both stepped out, moving cautiously toward the shadows."Mr. Alexander... that guy looks like Eth
Aria walked briskly towards Ethan, clutching a package tightly in her hands. She knew she couldn’t give him the $5 million he had demanded, but she had to offer something to keep him from releasing those incriminating photos. Her heart raced as she neared him, her mind calculating the risks of this encounter. She had no other choice.Ethan, standing in the shadows, glared at her as she approached. His expression darkened further when he snatched the package from her hands and quickly opened it.“What is this?” he barked, his face contorted with anger. “I asked for $5 million, and you’re bringing this?” His voice was full of disdain.Aria remained calm, determined not to show weakness. “These were given to me by my grandmother,” she retorted. “Every piece in that package is priceless and costs several millions on the market.”Ethan sneered. “Several millions? I don’t need artifacts, Aria. How do you expect me to spend these?” His anger boiled over, but there was also a hint of greed in
"Mr. Sinclair, we've tracked down Ethan's location," Lucas reported after ending a call with one of Alexander's operatives. "He's with a woman. Hopefully, it's young madam." From the rearview mirror, Lucas could see Alexander's cold, unblinking gaze. The intensity sent a chill down Lucas's spine, and he swallowed hard, knowing the urgency of the situation. "What are you waiting for? Go after them," Alexander commanded, his voice like ice. "Yes, sir." Lucas immediately navigated the car toward the coordinates, heading to a secluded hotel on the outskirts of town. He pushed the car to its limits, the speedometer climbing as Alexander’s eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, his brow furrowed in concentration and worry. Soon, they pulled up to the hotel. Alexander stepped out of the car and strode toward the room number they’d been given. Lucas followed closely, ready to back him up. Without hesitatio
The hospital room was stuffy with gifts, word had gotten round about Janet’s ‘health’ scare. Janet sat at the edge of her bed, she was looking through the cards of people sending their love. Her sister Mandy sat beside her, she was glancing at her watch, obviously impatient. Her jaw was shut tight in anger. She didn’t like wasting time with things. The door creaked open slowly and the doctor stepped, he was holding a folder with test results. His face was calm but cautious, as he knew he was in the presence of another Doctor. A renowned one at that, he had to choose his words carefully. “Well, good morning ma’am.” He said then be flipped open the folder. “How was your night? I hope you weren’t having any more chest pains?” He asked Janet. “No, I think I’m feeling better but it seems like the chest pains come and go.” Janet said, looking at her sister. “Alright. Your test results are in and there’s nothing immediately life threatening but we did notice some irregularities between wh
As soon as the police officers took over the motel, Alexander and Lucas followed in. There was no way that Alexander would let them rescue his Aria when he wasn’t there. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to steady his emotions. He knew Aria was here but he hoped she was in one piece and hadn’t been harmed. They had grabbed both goons already and they were about to go into the room. As the officers forced down the door with a swift kick. The door landed weakly. Inside the room, what Alexander saw was even worse than he imagined. He noticed Aria in a chair, tied, her face was bruised and her lips swollen, a piece of cloth over her face. She was unconscious. But the sound of people rushing into the room roused her and she slowly looked around, he could see tears filling her eyes. Alexander rushed to her side and held her as an officer cut through her restraints. He froze as he held her, something felt off in his heart. She whimpered in pain and he removed the cloth from her mouth
Dr. Hensley knew exactly what he needed to do now, wait for the one thug who had accompanied Aria to arrive but he had to make sure that the other one didn’t suspect that he had ratted out the rest of their team’s location to the police.He heard the chime of his phone, he quickly checked the notification. Aria had arrived on the private dock, their only means of transporting an unconscious individual was to disguise as a fake ambulance. As the fake ambulance came through, he went outside in preparation. The goon brought in Aria, Dr. Hensley almost did a dance in joy. He immediately got in his element. The goon pushed in the gurney, “I sent the others a text but I haven’t heard back from them. You might want to alert them that the cargo is already here.” He told Dr. Hensley. Dr. Hensley simply nodded and told him he would do that but he had to stick to the plan and leave with the ambulance quickly. As soon as the ambulance left the location, Dr. Hensley locked down the laboratory.
Ethan ran as fast as his legs could carry him, he was definitely not going to jail. He really hoped that he could spin this in a way that he’d still get his money. By the time he realized he had reached the ranch, he knew he was in trouble. His luggage was in that room, his passport and every other thing. There was no way that the police would not find out he was involved even if none of the others ratted out on him. All he had was his phone, he had to find a ride to the bus station and get a ticket before they got him. He got into the ranch, wondering what tactics he would use to get a ride to the bus station. He had just a few bucks in his pocket. Not sure if it was enough for the fare to the bus station. Ethan saw one of the farmers on the ranch, he looked around cautiously. His heartbeat was thudding so loudly in his ears, fear has enveloped him. He approached the old man, who was bent over a stack of hay and didn’t even notice Ethan lurking around. It wasn’t until a dog began
“Let me see,” he stretched his hands for the phone. He focused on the screen despite the headache, there was Aria coming in with a bottle of juice and her purse. She had tried to look into the guard office but she didn’t find anyone there so she went in, the video showed the time. There was no footage of her going out. Alexander clicked the link to the footage from the second gate, this one showed nothing from the timeline that Aria entered the cemetery then there was a black c pulled close to the gate. Three men in black came down, the first one he couldn’t quite see his face but he had a feeling that it was Ethan. The other two, he had no idea who they were but he knew they were thugs. They went in and after about five minutes. They came out with Aria and stuffed her in the back of the truck but Aria looked unconscious. “Damn it, they have her.” Alexander said. The driver seemed to speed up the vehicle, Lucas collected his phone and watched the video over and over again. Trying t
Alexander was in the fully air conditioned vehicle but he was sweating, he was fidgety and he knew that only when he saw Aria safe and sound, that would be when he would calm down.“That Ethan bastard better not be involved in this or else I would have him in jail for the rest of his life.” Alexander said under his breath. “Sir we’re here.” Lucas said.Alexander, Lucas and the driver got down from the vehicle, sure as day. They found Aria’s rental car at the entrance of the cemetery, there weren’t many people around to ask questions. The driver led them into the cemetery where there was a little security window. They knocked on it to get the attention of the sleeping guard. “Hello. Hello…”The guard jerked out of sleep, “yeah. Yeah. What do you want?” “We are here to ask if you know the owner of the car outside and if you know where she is in the cemetery?” The guard looked outside. “The heck if I know who owns the car but there’s been a few visitors today. Most of them were aroun
Frieda walked right to the door and knocked. Ethan had sent her the room number after he arrived, this part was going to be the hardest part that she had ever done as a method actress. “Ethan, it's me, Frieda.“ she whispered into the door. Ethan opened the door and she walked in quickly. Two of the guys went out of the room. “I told you you’d get here at the perfect time. I hope you didn’t let anyone important see you.” Ethan asked her. “Not really, just the cab driver. That’s not going to be a problem though. The man seems like a quick work. A drunk to be honest. He’d forget this face quickly.” Frieda replied. “Let’s hope so. You know we have to roughen you up a bit right?” “Yeah. You already mentioned but just so it feels real. Can you tie me to the chair first?” Frieda asked. “It’s not that kind of rodeo girl. But if you prefer it that way. It’s alright. I guess it’s just so it’s easier for you right?” Ethan asked. “Yea. Exactly. I just don’t want my reflexes to take over.”
Ethan couldn’t wait any longer. He was supposed to meet up with the goons who would join him to get Aria. There was no way he would be able to pull it off without their help. He told the driver to drive off. There was no need figuring out where Aria was staying, they would pick her off from the cemetery. He met with the guys at a small motel, they were three in number including himself. “The lady in question is a very important cargo. We do not need any scratches on her, your job is simply to grab her and we make a getaway. Then we meet up with the second one. Okay?” “Okay boss. So the lady now is the main one right?”“Yes. That’s exactly what I said. Isn’t it? Keep your head in the game. And you wonder why other people get the jobs and not you. You gotta learn to use your brain.” They had already picked up the truck they would use in the kidnap. “Let’s go boys, it’s a stake and take” one of the guys said.***Aria arrived at the airport and went out to her rented car. It was big
“So do you have the full story for the job? Remember if anything goes south, just let me know…” Ethan stated. “Yeah. I think I’ve got everything. I’m ready for the job.” Frieda mentioned. Dr. Hensley walked into the room where Ethan was seriously last minute prepping Frieda. “Let’s pray that’s true because you’re the missing piece in our puzzle. Our ultimate weapon and the one in whom the entirety of my work rests on.” He shuffled around the lab and brought out five tiny spray bottles, they could fit in small purses. He handed them over to Frieda. “Hopefully, you don’t get to use them all. Spray once behind each ear, the nape of your neck and your wrists. That should cover it.” Frieda nodded. She kept the bottles in her purse. “So, we’re sorry we need to go through such measures but it is all for the success of the project.” Ethan said to Frieda.Frieda and Ethan left the lab, leaving Dr. Hensley alone. As they drove to the bus station, Ethan and Frieda talked about the plan som