Chapter 209“What are you doing here Lucas?” He asked and Lucas stared at him without saying a word and then turned to Liam. “Excuse us, I would love to speak to my brother alone,” He said and Liam turned to Brandon who nodded and gave him the look *it is okay,you can leave*.Liam glared at Lucas one more time before walking out of the office. “What are you doing here Lucas?” Brandon asked again as he stood up and put his hands in his pocket while staring at his brother who had this devilish smile on his face. “I’m here to take my position in this company and steal your woman,” Lucas said and Brandon scoffed.“Don’t start with me, Lucas” Brandon said and he chuckled. “Oh, you started with me Brandon with the whole Stay away from my wife speech. I’m still relishing that” Lucas said and Brandon smiled. “As long as you heard it, Lucas,” he said and he rolled his eyes. “You know those times I have been stalking your woman, trust me I came to realize she was really pretty and well en
Chapter 210Hannah sighed the moment she saw him, wondering what he was doing at her office. How did he even know my office?, of course, I'm the COO everyone knows my office, she thought as she walked in fully.“What are you doing here, Lucas?” she asked as she stood in front of him, watching him clean the blood off his nose with a handkerchief in his hands. Brandon had hit him so hard, Hannah thought. “I wanted to apologize for earlier on, for touching your hands and uhm for stalking you all this while. I'm sorry” he said with a guilty look on his face.Hannah immediately felt pity for him. She sighed and nodded. She moved towards her desk, took the first aid box, and decided to help Lucas clean his injury so it wouldn't get infected. She cleaned the blood and after she was done, she dumped the cotton wool in the dustbin, she turned to Lucas standing hands akimbo.“Lucas, I know you are angry and you must hate your brother, I just wanted to let you know Brandon didn't know the m
Chapter 211She was surprised because she knew her kids so much that they hardly get along with anyone but it was different with Lucas.“We could hang out and play some games together maybe later in the day….” Lucas paused the moment he saw Brandon walk in.“And Daddy could join us, it would be fun, isn’t it Brandon?” Lucas asked with a smirk on his face and the kids turned to Brandon with smiles on their faces waiting for him to say yes,Brandon on the other hand didn’t say a word, instead, he kept staring at Lucas with anger in his eyes as he bit his inner lips.“Uhm, sweethearts, go to your room now, I will be there in a bit,” Hannah said and the kids nodded Obediently before going upstairs to their room.Hannah stared at Lucas and then Brandon, she wasn’t gonna interfere in whatever was going between them, she said to herself and was about to move away when Lucas called her, making her stop.“Hannah” Lucas called and she turned to him.“Erm, I wasn’t able to thank you for what you
Chapter 212“Brandon” Hannah called and he turned to her with no expression on his face.“Tell me what happened between you and your Brother. Don’t tell me he’s angry because he thinks you tried to kill him, I know there’s something else, what is it?” Hannah asked and he looked away from her before he finally spoke.“Nothing, you should go to your room,” he said and Hannah scoffed.“You are lying to me Brandon, I spoke with Lucas and even though he didn’t tell me everything, I know there’s more to why the both of you are at each other's throats. Spill it out” she said and he turned to her.“Are you trying to side with him? He’s a manipulative psychopath, he sure knows how to lie” Brandon said and Hannah scoffed.“You are the one lying Brandon, you are not only lying, you are hiding the truth from me and making it look like Lucas is the bad one here. I know absolutely nothing about you, you keep hiding a lot of things from me. Who was he talking about?” She asked and he turned to her
Chapter 213“I'm sorry about Lisa, I hope you find her” Hannah said as she stood up and raised her head. She saw Brandon staring at her and Lucas.“Do you need help in the kitchen? You just cut your finger, you could use some help” Lucas who hadn't noticed Brandon was behind him Said.“No, it's fine. I will ask the maid to prepare the food” Hannah said and walked past Brandon, going upstairs to her room.She sighed the moment she got into her room and sat on the bed.She's doing exactly what she said she wouldn't do, getting involved in whatever was going on between Brandon and Lucas, she thought and gave in a deep breath.Meanwhile, Brandon who is seen downstairs stares at Lucas, giving him a dagger look. “Don’t give me that stare, Big Brother” He said as he walked past Brandon, and walked outside the house. He hopped into his car and zoomed off. Brandon on the other hand wasn’t ready for any fight with Lucas, he felt Hannah must have hated him already, he needed to talk to her, h
Chapter 214The moment Jessica got outside the bar, she met Matthew looking nervous pacing to and fro.“Are you okay? What's wrong?” Jessica asked, jolting Matthew out of his thoughts.“ I'm fine. I'm just tired. Can we go home now?” he asked and Jessica nodded.“I will go get the car,” he said and left in a rush to get the car so they could leave.Jessica on the other hand wondered what was wrong with him.Maybe he's stressed from going to see his aunt yesterday, she thought and shook the thoughts off her head. Meanwhile, Lucas is seen inside the bar staring around, trying to find the lady who had called Matthew Alexander, he just needed to ask her a few questions but sadly she was nowhere to be found.He sighed and then a waiter then brought a drink to his table.“I didn't ask for a drink,” he said to the waiter.“That lady over there asked me to bring it for you,” the waiter said and Lucas turned in the direction the waiter pointed. He saw a lady with blonde hair, putting on sha
Chapter 215Meanwhile, a black car screeched to a halt in front of Colby's mansion. Jessica and Matthew alighted the car and walked inside the house, where they met Arianna at the dining table, with some maids arranging food at the dining table. There was lots of food on the table. She wondered if there was any occasion that she didn’t know about.“Mom” Jessica called and Arianna turned to her and smiled.“Oh honey, you are back,” she said as she moved towards Jessica and hugged her. Then kissed her on her cheeks.“Hi” Matthew muttered and Arianna smiled at him.“What’s the occasion? Why is there so much food on the table?” Jessica asked.“Honey, it’s been a long time since we had dinner together as a family. I just wanted us to have dinner together” Arianna said and Jessica hummed. “You should go change your dress and come eat,” Arianna said and Jessica nodded before going upstairs with Matthew to change their clothes. After Jessica left, Arianna went upstairs to Hannah’s room. S
Chapter 216“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the dinner,” He said and Hannah sighed.“You should not be apologizing to me, you should apologize to your mom, Jessica, and Brandon. No matter how angry you feel towards him, never mock him with his dead daughter, it’s wrong” she said and with that, she walked away from him. Lucas sighed. He didn’t want Hannah to hate him, he was going to do all she said if it would make her happy, he thought. He decided to go upstairs to his room.Meanwhile, Hannah who had gone to her room, opened the door and she was welcomed by the sight of Brandon sitting on the couch.His face looked down, he was looking sad.“Hey, are you alright?” She asked as she walked inside the room leaving the door slightly open. He nodded and stood up.“I just came to inform you about the banquet party that will be hosted tomorrow by Mr Thomas. You would be attending it with me” Brandon said and Hannah nodded in response.He glared at her and was about to walk out of the r
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus
The night was thick with silence, the kind that felt like a living, breathing thing, pressing in on them as they stood at the edge of the abandoned docks. The stench of salt and rust filled the air, mixing with something darker—the unmistakable scent of blood.Teresa’s fingers curled around the handle of her gun as she scanned the area, her pulse drumming hard against her ribs. Her father was dead. That chapter of her life was over. But this? This wasn’t over. Not until she had him.Not until she had Brandon and brought him back to his family.“We should’ve heard something by now,” Hannah whispered, her voice tight with restrained panic.Teresa didn’t answer. She was thinking the same thing.The lead had been solid. Brandon had been held here—multiple sources confirmed it. The docks had been his prison. But as they stood here, surrounded by crates and shadows, the truth settled like ice in her veins.Brandon wasn’t here.And the blood on the floor was still fresh.Teresa crouched do
Teresa barely had a second to react before the door to her office swung open. The moment her eyes landed on the man standing there, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her father.Bernardo Provenzano. The man she had once idolized. The man she had spent her entire life trying to please.And now, the man she had just betrayed.He stepped inside with a slow, deliberate pace, shutting the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sent her heart into overdrive.“Oh, my little princess,” he murmured, his voice filled with mock tenderness. But his eyes… they were filled with nothing but hatred.Teresa’s hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. Fear slithered through her veins, but she refused to let it show.“How disappointing,” he continued, shaking his head as if she were a child who had misbehaved. “I thought you were different. Better. Not like your mother.”Teresa inhaled sharply.His mother.For years, she had believed the lie—that her mother had been killed by a r
The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the hospital room. Jessica lay on the hospital bed, her skin deathly pale, her chest barely rising under the weight of the oxygen mask secured over her face. Wires and tubes connected her to the machines, keeping her alive, but just barely.Hannah stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move. The doctor’s words still rang in her ears, cutting deeper than any wound ever could.“She has a five percent chance of survival,” the doctor had said, his voice clinical, detached. “She lost too much blood, and the delay in medical care worsened her condition. We’re doing everything we can, but you need to prepare for the worst.”The worst.Hannah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This was her fault. If she hadn’t suggested they escape… if she had just listened, just stayed put, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here, fighting for her life.And Brandon…A fresh wave of pain hit her. He was gone. Taken. She had watched him surrender himsel
The river had given them a chance, but it hadn’t given them freedom.Brandon collapsed onto the muddy shore, gasping for air. His limbs ached from the relentless current, but he didn’t have time to recover. Jessica.Lucas dragged her up the embankment, his breathing ragged. She was completely unconscious now, her body limp in his arms. The river had sapped whatever strength she had left. Her wound was bad—too bad. If they didn’t get her help soon…No. He couldn’t think like that.“Teresa,” Brandon barked, snapping back into survival mode. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”Teresa, still soaking wet, flipped open her laptop with shaking hands. Water dripped onto the screen, but she didn’t stop. “There’s one about six miles south,” she said breathlessly. “But there’s a problem.”Brandon exhaled sharply. “There’s always a problem.”Teresa gave him a grim look. “Bernardo’s men will have every major road blocked. They’re already watching the airspace. If we head to that hospital, they’ll find
The cave was damp and cold, the scent of moss and river water clinging to the air. Shadows stretched across the rocky walls, their flickering shapes cast by the distant glow of searchlights cutting through the trees outside. They had barely made it out alive.But they weren’t safe.Brandon pressed his back against the jagged rock, listening. Boots crunched against gravel just beyond the entrance. The soldiers were closing in. They had minutes—maybe seconds—before the cave was compromised.Lucas sat against the far wall, pressing his hand against Jessica’s wound. She was slipping fast, her skin pale, her lips trembling.“I can stop the bleeding, but not for long,” Teresa said, her voice tight with urgency. “But she needs real help, Brandon.”Brandon looked at Jessica’s barely conscious form, then at Hannah, who was up beside Teresa, shaking from the cold,she looked so pale. He had promised to protect her. He had promised to protect all of them.He clenched his fists. Promises meant not
The night was supposed to be theirs. They had escaped, survived impossible odds, and left Bernardo bleeding on the cold ground. But fate had other plans.They wondered how come he was alive. They had witnessed him go on his knees, blood all over him.The deafening roar of helicopter blades grew louder, sending shockwaves through Brandon’s chest. The floodlights cut through the dense trees, slicing through the shadows that had once been their cover. The tracker beneath the seat blinked like a taunting heartbeat—steady, unrelenting, and damning.Teresa’s fingers flew over her laptop, her breath ragged. “I need time,” she muttered, panic lacing her voice.“We don’t have time,” Lucas growled, yanking a rifle from the back. “They’re here.”Jessica shifted, barely conscious, her breathing uneven. Hannah took a deep breathe while having a second thoughts.Maybe she should just surrender herself to Bernardo and all this would be over. But Brandon here would rather die than watch her go back