142. SHOW DOWNThe silence was deafening, except for the rustling of leaves that got blown around by the wind. It was obvious that all five wealthy people who were sitting together around the dinner table that late Monday morning were enemies.Each figure had his or her agenda at the pit of their dark twisted minds.Priscilla wanted Matteo and everything that came with him.Ashley wanted her father's company and Katie— well, it was not clear what she wanted.Matteo knew that there was no logical way out of this. However, he did have an advantage and he could not wait to use it. He suspected that Priscilla may have figured out his secret plan, but he wasn't too concerned.There was no stopping what was about to happen. Once and for all, he was going to stop all her incessant dealings and manipulation.He could tell that she was worried and she was right to be. This game had gone on long enough. He could also tell that James Molten wanted out.Matteo vividly saw the look of desperation
143. GRANNY TIMESDiana was glad to get out of her lodge. She was happy it was a work day. She was excited to get back to work despite everything that had happened around her.She had also become fast friends with the clerk that was rude to her on the first day she had tried to get a room. There was no point in dragging things out with another woman who was just trying to survive.Her husband had surprised her last night. It threw her off for a minute when she realized just how thoughtful he had become.She was just preparing herself for the next day which was today. The time was seven thirty in the evening when a knock interrupted her preparation. She left what she was doing and walked to the door.As she opened it, she was met with the sight of a familiar face.Nana gazed down warmly at her. She had behind her luggage that was pink in color."Nana? Come in," Diana said waving her hand towards the inviting living room.Nana shuffled into the living room, dragging her luggage with he
144. THE LAST MOVE~SOME HOURS EARLIERNicholas, tired of standing went back inside after watching the box burn. He still had felt no closure. He wanted nothing but revenge. The phone in his pocket buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket.It was an email from the company. He pushed the notification and read the contents of the message.The iPhone struck the wall with tremendous force and shattered into small pieces, the parts clattering everywhere.Nicholas was fuming and growling, his hands tightened into fists. How dare they fire him? Who the fuck did they think he was? He was not going down without a fight.The pain he was going through fueled his rage. He would make them pay one way or another. He stomped down the stairs blind with fury. He pictured his hands wrapped tightly around Matteo's neck.Then the neck slowly transformed in his head, morphine into a small slender supple neck that belonged to Diana. A sick smile played on his lips.He went into the kitchen and opened the
145. END GAME"I hope that I can trust you, Mr. Armani," James Molten said as he was about to get down from the vehicle.Matteo assured him confidently. "Your shares are safe in my hands James and I plan to stay here for a while. I am not going anywhere."James Molten nodded and opened the door to get out without saying another word.Matteo was left alone with his driver as the car sped on."There is something you need to know," Black Hound said as he looked straight ahead. There was a graveness in the way he spoke.Matteo listened with rapt attention."I got some recordings that you will want to hear," Black Hound said. "I want you to listen to it in this vehicle because as of now, it is the only secure place," He finished.Matteo was becoming uneasy. "That bad?" He asked, looking at the rearview mirror to see the eyes of his bodyguard."I think bad is an understatement, it is going to be a shocking revelation," Black Hound said in a solemn tone."Alright, let's hear it," Matteo said
THE RESCUEMasters Randall was neither a superstitious man by nature nor a religious one per se. But today of all days did not feel right. He could not tell what was making him uneasy but he was sure something was amiss.He had not spoken to his daughter in days now and he was worried about what shit show she may have started behind his back. He had failed that daughter of his and there was nothing he could do to change that.This morning when he had called Martha on his phone, there was no answer. That gave him his first reason to be concerned. Martha always answered his call no matter where she was or what she was doing.The second person she answered like that was her grandson. So what was the reason why La Matrona of the Consortium refused to pick up the phone?Had Priscilla run her mouth again? There were so many questions going through his old mind he did not know which one to answer.Masters had spent the night in his study with a cup of scotch and a Cuban cigar, his head tingl
147. IS THIS THE END?Suicide and Chrome were both exhausted from their ongoing combat with this huge guy. They had wanted to go after Matteo as he was carrying his wife's unconscious form away.It was the sound of the gunshot that made them realize just how deeply they were fucked. They saw Nicholas, his face already white from blood loss holding his severely bleeding crotch, twitching and jerking involuntarily in pain.Suicide and Chrome realized to their horror that Nicholas was never going to have sex again. They both turned and ran after Matteo only to be blocked by a giant they had not even heard coming.Suicide brought out a wicked-looking jack knife, military-grade, while Chrome had on a pure gold knuckle duster on his right fist and a shining silver one on his left fist.Black Hound knew that both men were a package deal. He had done a quick reading of their bio-data to have a feel for how they both operated.Suicide would attack first with a knife from a flank and Chrome wou
Diana Ross jumped at the sudden sound of the door flying open.Her neck length hair vibrated and her night dress wrinkled at the action. Her heart rose and fell heavily as she stared at the man who stood in the doorway. He was both scary and inviting. His body was the definition of a sexy man. Matteo Armani walked into the dimly lit room and stopped before his wife. He was shirtless, with the sleek body of an underwear model. He was tall like every woman's dream and his handsome face made heads turn each time he passed. Maybe it was because of his deep blue eyes; or it was the sharpness of his jawline. It could have also been because of the beautiful curls that fell over his forehead. He brought his hands to her cheeks and kept it there.Diana let out a shiver. She was a small woman compared to her husband. Yet her body was curvy at the right places. Her jade blue eyes were one of her greatest assets. It made her stand out from the rest of the women out there and her kind nature mad
Diana Ross was prepared to remain on the floor and cry away her sorrows forever. Unfortunately, she could not do that. This was because of the fear she had for her husband. She did not want Matteo to catch her crying. He would scold her. He would also bully her and probably threaten to go on a trip for months; therefore abandoning her alone in the house. She did not think she could handle any of that; in the state that she was in.Suddenly, her phone rang.This startled her as she was not expecting any calls at the odd hour. She never really expected calls. Her mother had refused to speak with her. Matteo would not let her talk freely with anyone either. He was that possessive of her. There was only one person though, who had the guts to call her whenever she wanted. That person feared no one.The phone was by the bedside table. Diana placed her hand on the table and felt around for it until she found it. She checked the caller ID and widened her eyes. She was right. It really was
147. IS THIS THE END?Suicide and Chrome were both exhausted from their ongoing combat with this huge guy. They had wanted to go after Matteo as he was carrying his wife's unconscious form away.It was the sound of the gunshot that made them realize just how deeply they were fucked. They saw Nicholas, his face already white from blood loss holding his severely bleeding crotch, twitching and jerking involuntarily in pain.Suicide and Chrome realized to their horror that Nicholas was never going to have sex again. They both turned and ran after Matteo only to be blocked by a giant they had not even heard coming.Suicide brought out a wicked-looking jack knife, military-grade, while Chrome had on a pure gold knuckle duster on his right fist and a shining silver one on his left fist.Black Hound knew that both men were a package deal. He had done a quick reading of their bio-data to have a feel for how they both operated.Suicide would attack first with a knife from a flank and Chrome wou
THE RESCUEMasters Randall was neither a superstitious man by nature nor a religious one per se. But today of all days did not feel right. He could not tell what was making him uneasy but he was sure something was amiss.He had not spoken to his daughter in days now and he was worried about what shit show she may have started behind his back. He had failed that daughter of his and there was nothing he could do to change that.This morning when he had called Martha on his phone, there was no answer. That gave him his first reason to be concerned. Martha always answered his call no matter where she was or what she was doing.The second person she answered like that was her grandson. So what was the reason why La Matrona of the Consortium refused to pick up the phone?Had Priscilla run her mouth again? There were so many questions going through his old mind he did not know which one to answer.Masters had spent the night in his study with a cup of scotch and a Cuban cigar, his head tingl
145. END GAME"I hope that I can trust you, Mr. Armani," James Molten said as he was about to get down from the vehicle.Matteo assured him confidently. "Your shares are safe in my hands James and I plan to stay here for a while. I am not going anywhere."James Molten nodded and opened the door to get out without saying another word.Matteo was left alone with his driver as the car sped on."There is something you need to know," Black Hound said as he looked straight ahead. There was a graveness in the way he spoke.Matteo listened with rapt attention."I got some recordings that you will want to hear," Black Hound said. "I want you to listen to it in this vehicle because as of now, it is the only secure place," He finished.Matteo was becoming uneasy. "That bad?" He asked, looking at the rearview mirror to see the eyes of his bodyguard."I think bad is an understatement, it is going to be a shocking revelation," Black Hound said in a solemn tone."Alright, let's hear it," Matteo said
144. THE LAST MOVE~SOME HOURS EARLIERNicholas, tired of standing went back inside after watching the box burn. He still had felt no closure. He wanted nothing but revenge. The phone in his pocket buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket.It was an email from the company. He pushed the notification and read the contents of the message.The iPhone struck the wall with tremendous force and shattered into small pieces, the parts clattering everywhere.Nicholas was fuming and growling, his hands tightened into fists. How dare they fire him? Who the fuck did they think he was? He was not going down without a fight.The pain he was going through fueled his rage. He would make them pay one way or another. He stomped down the stairs blind with fury. He pictured his hands wrapped tightly around Matteo's neck.Then the neck slowly transformed in his head, morphine into a small slender supple neck that belonged to Diana. A sick smile played on his lips.He went into the kitchen and opened the
143. GRANNY TIMESDiana was glad to get out of her lodge. She was happy it was a work day. She was excited to get back to work despite everything that had happened around her.She had also become fast friends with the clerk that was rude to her on the first day she had tried to get a room. There was no point in dragging things out with another woman who was just trying to survive.Her husband had surprised her last night. It threw her off for a minute when she realized just how thoughtful he had become.She was just preparing herself for the next day which was today. The time was seven thirty in the evening when a knock interrupted her preparation. She left what she was doing and walked to the door.As she opened it, she was met with the sight of a familiar face.Nana gazed down warmly at her. She had behind her luggage that was pink in color."Nana? Come in," Diana said waving her hand towards the inviting living room.Nana shuffled into the living room, dragging her luggage with he
142. SHOW DOWNThe silence was deafening, except for the rustling of leaves that got blown around by the wind. It was obvious that all five wealthy people who were sitting together around the dinner table that late Monday morning were enemies.Each figure had his or her agenda at the pit of their dark twisted minds.Priscilla wanted Matteo and everything that came with him.Ashley wanted her father's company and Katie— well, it was not clear what she wanted.Matteo knew that there was no logical way out of this. However, he did have an advantage and he could not wait to use it. He suspected that Priscilla may have figured out his secret plan, but he wasn't too concerned.There was no stopping what was about to happen. Once and for all, he was going to stop all her incessant dealings and manipulation.He could tell that she was worried and she was right to be. This game had gone on long enough. He could also tell that James Molten wanted out.Matteo vividly saw the look of desperation
141. DARK NICKYThe past two days had been rather strange and unpredictable for Nicholas Wilson. First, he woke up with pain on a soft sofa which had dried drool all over his face. Everything hit him all at once. The pain, the hangover, and the nausea.He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. It was until a woman with a stark resemblance to Diana approached him with concern, breaking the disorienting haze of his mind. Her gentle yet determined voice pulled him back to reality and into her warm embrace.Then everything had come back to him and he was filled with embarrassment. He quickly shook off the lingering humiliation and focused on the present moment.He was supposed to meet with her for his mental health. His head was pounding. He turned toward her still disoriented only for a glass of water and some oblong white pills were shoved in his hands."It will help with the hangover," Lexi's voice echoed and rang into his ears as he stared at the assortment of pills un
140. THE KING OT CHESSMatteo understood the concern coming from his bodyguard but this was something he had to do alone. He needed the closure."Sir you realize that you are going behind enemy lines," Black Hound voiced out with slight annoyance."I understand but this is something that I have to do alone, it is a personal matter," Matteo casually replied to his bodyguard.Black Hound said nothing else. There was no changing his boss's mind."Besides, I do not want them to know about our business just yet," Matteo further added."That is if Priscilla is going to be present," Black Hound said."She is the mastermind behind this, of course, she will be there," Matteo said with certainty."Is that not more of a reason for me to come along? The stakes are higher than before sir," Black Hound insisted."The more reason for you to stay back. After all, you are my Trump card," Matteo replied as he adjusted his tie."How do I look?" Matteo turned and asked his bodyguard."You look like you a
139. CHAT WITH THE SHRINKNicholas said nothing as he stared ahead with a straight expression on his face. The car was filled with an uneasy silence, creating an oppressive atmosphere. This was mostly because Nicholas was at the center of the matter.He had been bailed by Dr. Amorr and was sitting in her car. He had pretended to be so ashamed of himself when she had come for him but dropped the charade in the car."You can drop me off at home, thank you," Nicholas arrogantly said as he relaxed to rest his eyes.It had been a long day. He opened his eyes and stretched his tired muscles, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. He looked outside the window ignoring the driver who had earlier helped him."Welcome," Dr. Amorr abruptly interrupted his short sightseeing.Nicholas made to get down and hissed in pain. He had felt so relaxed that he had forgotten about his sprained ribs. He slowly got down from the car, wincing from the pain it caused him with every step that he took forward.B