**TEN YEARS LATER Andrew sat in his living room, his gaze focused on his laptop. He threw himself into work, signing every work, going over projects and proposals, killing sprees here and there, making sure that every gang knew their place. That was his way of coping—with everything. “Could you please not do that?" He growled furiously, turning to Tristan. “How else am I supposed to type? The keyboard is bound to make noise.” Tristan frowned and went on with his work. Andrew groaned and slammed his laptop shut, he was in a bad mood again. “What are you even doing here?" "You called me to come over.” Tristan looked at him unbelievably. Ten years had passed and he was still affected. "Don't you think it's time to move on?” Andrew raised an eyebrow, questioning his statement. "Move on from what?” "It's been ten years since Manny's death. I think she'll be happy you found love again.” "Who said I haven't moved on?” Tristan tutted and shook his head, his friend
“Fuck.” Andrew threw his glass to the wall and flung the documents from his table as three men stood in his office, staring at the floor. “You missed him? Again?” This would be the second time Lorenzo was getting away. Why was he surrounded by incapable people? First, it was Jason, now his men and they lost him twice. If he didn't do the dirty work himself, it would never be done properly. Andrew brought out his guns and the men looked frightened. Was he about to kill them? “So what country was it this time?” He asked, assembling the gun parts. “H…he went somewhere in the…north sir. We're yet to find out.” One of them stammered, his eyes on the gun Andrew put together. They know their boss has had quite a temper lately but wasn't killing them going a tad too far? “So no location yet?” Andrew turned to face the men, a gun pointed at them. In as much as they tried to mask it, Andrew could see them shake with apprehension. “So who do I kill first?” He said in a sing
“Just changing the hair color alone isn't good. You should do a nose job.”“No.” She quickly objected, her hair stuck to her face as blood oozed from the wounds all over her body.The scary-looking man glanced at her, his stare cold, sending chills of fear down her spine. She instantly regretted speaking.“Then a change of name perhaps?”He bent low to her level and she tried to avoid eye contact, she dared not look Jim in the eye.“Ye…yes.” She stammered, “I'll accept any name given to me, please don't just make me change how I look.” She begged“Fine.” He eyed her and held her face tight, turning it from side to side to get a good look.Satisfied, he beamed.“From now on, how about we call you Amelia.”———————————————————“Josie, I'm Amelia.”The two shook hands and Josie kept staring.“Why are you staring like that?” Andrew sauntered towards them, there were only a few people left at the cemetery.“She's beautiful.” Josie whispered into his ears, but the compliment didn't pass Amel
“I've been waiting." A hoarse voice came from the darkish room. The only lightning came from beneath the small space under the door and the light from the moon. “I've been preparing myself just for you." A sweet feminine voice echoed in the room and a slender, sexy silhouette appeared on the wall. The lady packed her hair in a bun, the silhouette imitating her. “I wish I could see you." He grunted as her hands trailed his groin and he could feel himself getting hard. Though he could see her well, he could tell she was beautiful. Her voice was like a bell that rang harmoniously and her shadow did justice emphasizing her curves. “You've been a bad man Evan." She whispered, seductively tracing every part of his body. She kissed him behind his ear and sucked in it causing him to moan. "Ame…" “Shhhh…” She placed her finger on his mouth, shutting him up. "So what punishment do I get this time?” "You'll see.” She reached for the handcuffs clipped to her leather trousers
Amelia's screams filled the empty basement as the whip came in contact with her back. She'd lost count of how many times she'd been beaten. The whip hit her back again as if left a deep mark, with blood surfacing. She wanted it all to stop, the punishment was too much. She should have just died. “Please…stop…” she cried as the beefy man lashed her again. “You need to be strong.” His voice resounded in the empty place. He wasn't going to take it easy on her, after all, she asked for it. “I…do…don't want to be…strong.” Amelia heaved, she didn't want it anymore. No one told her it would be this painful. “The day I see no tears will be the day this ends." He lifted his hand, ready to hit her again. "Please..” she conjured him, tears running down her face. But all her pleas fell on deaf ears as he hit her hard again. ——————————————————— Gunshots rang in the air and everyone turned on their heels, running out of the hall. No one wanted to be dead. Amelia sniggered as sh
Andrew kept staring at the picture in his hand. It was something he got after A little background check on the mystery woman in red. He was still trying to figure out who she was. Nothing made sense to him. “Don't tell me you're still thinking about that lady? You've refused to call, why not let her go?" Tristan scolded as he came out of the bathroom and saw Andrew. He's been acting differently ever since Kari's funeral. Andrew sighed for the umpteenth time. Tristan was getting harder to get rid of, perhaps it was his fault. “You wouldn't understand." “Try me." Tristan sat on the rolling chair and swayed himself towards Andrew. “You like her don't you." Tristan asked, a smug look on his face. "Something doesn't feel right.” Andrew muttered, he was thinking really hard. "You're overthinking it. You've probably done business with her boss and you don't remember.” "I told you, I don't do business with females. They're weak and can't take it all on.” Andrew grumbled like he
“They're coming. And this time, they're bringing someone along with them.” Alejandro said, his voice devoid of any emotion. Amelia looked at him, and then at Sebastian who looked away. He couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes. “The…they're coming?” She stammered, “So soon?” “I just got off the phone with them, they'll be here in a month.” She stared at him, fear showed on her face for a minute and she quickly masked it. No one was going to see her be afraid, not even her family. “Why are they coming this early? It's not up to six months yet.” Fear consumed Amelia, an emotion she hadn't felt in a while. “And that's not all." Sebastian spoke up, a sorry look in his eye. “What is it?" “They want to trade." “Trade?" She repeated, perplexed. Amelia studied the two men's expressions and it dawned on her. She was filled with disdain as she stared at Alejandro with contempt. “You want to sell me off? As a sex slave?" Her voice resounded off the walls of the room.
Andrew's chauffeur drove off as people stared and screamed as the building fell apart. A wide smile spread across his face as a fire truck passed by. Before they get there, it'll be too late. He relaxed into his leather seat and sighed heavily. He felt relieved, Manny would be happy wherever she was. He was sure about that. His phone rang and his eyes flew open as he reached for it in his pants pocket. He kept a neutral face as he saw the caller ID. Not in the mood to talk, he cut the call and placed his phone on silent. But that didn't stop whoever it was, his phone kept buzzing. Tired of the vibration, he reluctantly picked up the call. “Yes?" “What did you do!?" His father's voice boomed through the phone. “How can you be so careless!" Andrew kept the phone an inch away from his ear as his father ranted. He wasn't expecting the news to reach him so soon. “Aren't you going to say anything? Do you know how much worth of goods were in that warehouse? All the cargos
In a bright, sunlit kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked cookies fills the air. Amelia sat at the kitchen table, her hands gently resting on her pregnant belly. Her long, brunette hair cascades over her shoulders, and her eyes, filled with a blend of excitement and nostalgia, look lovingly at her two children. Aiden and Adelaide, four, sat eagerly beside her, their wide eyes full of curiosity. “Woah!” The little boy exclaimed with so much excitement. “Was that how you gave birth to us?” Amelia nodded, her smile wide. The children were waiting for their father when they pushed her to tell them a story about how she fell in love with their dad. Now that she was done, they looked at her, more curious than before. "You know, when I was a little girl, not much older than you two, I used to dream about the day I'd have my own family," she began. “And now I do.” She beamed at them. “But why was Daddy so mean to you? He even threatened to take away Angel?!” Adelaide asked,
The night was eerily quiet when Amelia's labor began. She had felt sporadic contractions throughout the day, but they were manageable. Now, though, as the pain intensified and the contractions came closer together, she knew it was time. But her husband seemed to be lost on what to do. "Hang in there Manny. I'm calling Josie and Tristan to come over." Andrew said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Call the fucking driver Andrew. I need to go to the hospital." Amelia yelled as the pain intensified. “Right, the driver." Andrew scurried out of the house and later came back in to get his wife. "Get the bags!” Amelia commanded and he complied, afraid she would tear him off with her eyes. On their way to the hospital, Andrew informed Tristan what was happening and he promised to show up at the hospital with Josie. Amelia's mind was a whirlwind of emotions—excitement, fear, and pain intertwined. She had done thousands of checkups and only ate the food Andrew cooked for h
The grand cathedral was adorned with cascading white roses, shimmering crystals, and soft candlelight, casting a warm, ethereal glow over the gathering. The air buzzed with the murmur of anticipation and the gentle strains of a string quartet playing in the background. Down the hallway where she was getting set, Amelia felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as she prepared to walk down the aisle. Her dress was a masterpiece of silk and lace, custom-designed to fit her perfectly. She had designed the dress herself, she might have wielded a gun for ten years but her hands could still hold a needle. Tristan wore a proud smile as he stretched his hands out for her. She took his arm, feeling the weight of the moment settle in her chest, her heart pounding with each step. The doors swung open, and a collective gasp echoed through the hall. Amelia took in deep breaths, and with joy, she took her first step onto the rose-petal-strewn aisle. Her eyes locked with Andrew’s wh
Amelia spent a month and some days in the hospital getting better but mostly cuddling up with Andrew. Their love continued like she never left. There were times that she would cry while explaining everything she had been through and Andrew would console her, promising to do everything in his power to protect her. Andrew had come to pick her up from the hospital that morning and Josie insisted that Amelia come to her place first. It was her house regardless. “I can't believe this." Josie squealed, unable to contain her joy. All this while, her friend was alive and was right under her nose. She knew the first time she set her eyes on Amelia that there was something familiar about her. “You're alive." She spread her arms wide and Amelia wasted no time in jumping into her embrace. She had missed her so much. "I'm so happy.” "Me too Josie…me too.” The two women cried till they could cry no more. Their cheeks were red, their eyes puffy and their clothes were stained wi
The sound of something shattering jerked Amelia back into consciousness. She tried getting up and groaned as she fell back down. She looked at what was happening around her, her swollen eyes making it almost impossible to see who was who. She was kept hidden in a corner, away from the disaster that was happening. “Fuck.” She heard Sebastian's voice and quickly turned in his direction. She saw him tangled up with the man she had seen so many times. Her captor. “Sebastian.” She croaked, but he couldn't hear. Just then he received a bullet to the end. Amelia froze but then breathed out in relief as he saw Sebastian get up. She looked up to see who had shot the gun and saw Tristan helping him up. ‘Andrew.’ a voice screamed at her. Her eyes scanned the room, her heart pounding, praying something hadn't happened to Andrew as she searched for him. The firing of a gun caught her attention. Tilting her head out of curiosity, she found Andrew, firing his father's both legs. “
Andrew and his men moved out. The roaring engines of the cars filled the air as they drove deep into the outskirts of town. Andrew drove Tristan and Sebastian with him as he continued running the plan over in his mind. ‘nothing could go wrong.’ He thought, gripping the steering wheel tightly. “Dude, slow down. You're going to get us killed before we even get there." Tristan cautioned, feeling the increasing speed of the car. This was his first ever mission and his anxiety got the better of him. "I should have just stayed behind the scenes like always.” He muttered, regretting his decision the closer they got to their destination. “I didn't force you." Andrew reminded and Sebastian chuckled at the back. "Whatever. I just want to come back alive.” The car became quiet again and after a while, they got to the place. Allen and Lorenzo had done a good job hiding the place. At first, it was pretty hard to locate. Andrew stepped out of his car, the cool air sweeping
“I kept her under your care.” Andrew bellowed, his eyes blazed with anger as he punched Tristan. Tristan staggered back and massaged his jaw. Andrew had just arrived from Mexico and the first thing on his mind was to punch him. “How the fuck did she get kidnapped!” He roared, hitting him again before he could regain his stance. Couldn't something go right in his absence for once? “I tried to warn her, it's not my fault. She's a grown woman!” Tristan argued, dodging the next punch that Andrew threw at him. Andrew kept charging at him, and Tristan constantly missed it. He tried his best not to hit back, he knew Andrew wasn't himself at the moment. “Andrew!” Josie snapped, her sharp voice pierced through the hallway as her eyes blazed with fury and her lips curled up in anger. “She left on her own. Don't hold my husband responsible.” She hissed coming forward to stand between them. “You should have tried to talk sense into her.” “Who said we didn't?” Josie took a step
“What do you mean kidnapped?” Andrew barked, his teeth gritting. He left her right there for protection. How was it possible to get kidnapped? “She went out for a walk and never came back. We've been searching for her.” Tristan explained he could tell Andrew wasn't having any of it. “And then?” He hissed. “We got a note yesterday, saying if you want to see your wife, you have to bring the cash.” Andrew fumed at his statement, his hand clenched in a fist. Would his father go this far? Or was it someone else? “Did it say who it's from?” “Lorenzo.” He paled. His blood ran cold at what he would have done to Amelia. Then he felt immersed in Anger. He wasn't going to win this time. Without allowing Tristan to continue, he ended the call, picked up the documents from the table, and headed toward the door. He wasn't losing her for the second time. Getting closer to the exit, he saw Sebastian by the door, a duffel bag in his hand. “I'm going with you.” He said, h
“Why can't you just listen? Don't go out at night, it's a very simple instruction.” Tristan complained as he drove Amelia back to the house. She had gone out of the house again for her ‘evening walks.’ “You can't tell me what to do.” She whined, folding her hands like a child that had been scolded. “Andrew isn't here at the moment so as of right now, I get to tell you what to do.” Amelia just scoffed as she looked out her window, the night cool air, hitting her as Tristan drove. They got home to see Josie by the entrance, pacing. “Amelia.” She rushed over to her and hugged her. “You got me so worried, don't just leave the house like that ever again.” “Andrew said your life might be in danger, that's why you have to stay with us.” “I'm sorry for making you worry but I'm here now. Why don't we go inside?” Josie nodded and Amelia led her into the house by the hand. Everyone had retired to bed and was now sleeping, except her. So she decided to go again. Making su