Jayden stared at his phone, his eyes fixed on the screen, willing it to display a reply. Who is this? What are you talking about? he had texted back, his fingers trembling as he typed. But the phone remained stubbornly silent. He checked it again and again, as if the act of looking could somehow conjure a response. Nothing.He sank back into the armchair, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. Jessica’s child… alive? The thought echoed in his mind, a flicker of hope igniting in the darkness. He had mourned the loss of that child, carried the weight of that grief for months. Now, this… this cryptic message. It was too much to process. He didn't know what to believe.He thought of Jessica, asleep upstairs, still recovering from her ordeal. Should he tell her? Could he dare to give her this hope, only to have it snatched away? He couldn't bear to inflict any more pain on her. But could he keep this from her? This… possibility?He got up and walked over to the window, staring ou
The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the room. Jayden sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on his phone. He had barely slept, his mind consumed by the message, the silence, the impending deadline. He glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. He had given them until noon."Any news?" Jessica asked, her voice filled with hope and anxiety. She sat beside him, her hand resting on his arm.Jayden shook his head. "Nothing," he said, his voice grim. "Not a word."He could see the disappointment in her eyes, the flicker of hope dimming. He hated this. He hated putting her through this, raising her hopes only to have them potentially dashed."What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.Jayden looked at her, his heart aching. "I'm going to do what I said I would do," he replied, his voice firm. "I'm going to find them."Just then, his phone buzzed. He snatched it up, his heart pounding in his chest. It was a message from the unkno
One evening, after Ethan had been tucked into bed, his soft snores drifting through the house, Jayden and Jessica sat on the terrace overlooking their garden. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the manicured lawns and blooming flowers. A comfortable silence settled between them, a silence filled with love and contentment.Jayden took Jessica’s hand in his, his fingers intertwining with hers. He looked at her, his eyes filled with love and a hint of something else, contemplating.“Jessica,” he began, his voice low and thoughtful. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about.”Jessica squeezed his hand gently. “What is it, Jayden?”He took a deep breath. “Ethan, he’s going to grow up so fast. He deserves a normal life, Jessica. A life without...without the shadows.”Jessica knew what he was talking about. The “shadows” – the life Jayden had led, the life of power, danger, and violence that had been his reality for so long. She had always worried about it, worried
"Come over to the bed" The inebriated stranger ordered Jessica in a gruff voice. She was completely drunk and began to stagger towards the bed, still holding a glass of whiskey.The young girl was unaware of what she was doing, neither was she conscious of her environment. She had been drugged by her so called friends out of envy.Jessica finally got to the bed and stood in front of the man, mumbling incoherently. The stranger grabbed the cup, placing it haphazardly on a squared table beside the bed. It was odd that she could only see his chest and the remaining part of his body; his face was obscured. He didn't waste much time getting Jessica undressed, and she didn't appear to object. His hands stretched out to her panties as he effortlessly took off her skippy gown, revealing her naked breast.She was entirely exposed in front of him as she basked in the pleasure of his touch. She felt chills go down her spine as he toyed with her breast and left his fingers do some magic over h
Jayden had just gotten a glass of milk and was seated on a wooden chair, beside his bed. His eyes were firmly fixated on the television as he watched a live broadcast, from his preferred news channel. A girl he met at the club last night was being arrested for murder, which made slight smirk appear by the side of his lips. Seeing how bewildered and frightened she looked, pleasured him.He knew she was innocent; she didn't kill anyone. People called her a prostitute, which she clearly was actually, but he couldn't deny the fact that, she didn't look like one.However, when he asked for a girl to spend the night with at the club yesterday, some girls informed him that she was a sex worker. They even volunteered to take her to his room because she was totally wasted.Jayden was quite tipsy and horny; it was urgent that he satisfy his sexual urge, before heading home, else he wouldn't be able to resist himself from having sex with his so called wife, Ivy. He was forced into marrying Ivy
After Jessica's head hit the ground, it took her a few seconds to realize what she had just done. She was writhing in pain as she lay on the floor, silently gasping for air.She couldn't discern if she had simply been shot in the shoulder, since her entire body was on fire. When she couldn't take in the anguish anymore, she allowed the tears threatening to drop, pour out freely.Jessica struggled to tilt her head in the direction of the police van after hearing another gunshot. she watched in horror as Mr. Harrison drop dead on the ground after being shot multiple times. Immediately, she was overcome with fear and questioned in her mind about the identity of these individuals posing to be her savior. She had earlier considered dying when she saw Mr. Harrison pulling out his gun to shoot the stranger who was walking next to her. It felt like an opportunity to end her miseries. Her mind was predetermined to take the bullet instead, there by ending her own life.Now, she was overwhelm
The doctor offered her a glass of water to drink, which she accepted after letting go of him slowly. Jessica felt bad and was about to apologize to the doctor. It seemed like he sensed it and quickly said, "You would be discharged tomorrow."Without talking any further, he walked out of the room.She was all alone and was scared; thankfully the lights were turned on. However, she left her eyes open, taking notice of every noise she heard, until she unknowingly fell asleep again. Jessica jerk awake on hearing some far distance noise, she looked around, observing that it was daybreak. For a second she felt relief; there would be nothing to be scared of for now. Just as she had expected the door sprang open, revealing one of the nurses who attended to her yesterday.Beside her was a stern looking face Jessica had never seen. He was average heightened and had curly brown hairs, which appeared to also be on his chin."You can't just barge in, who are you?" The nurse, who now stood beh
For a few hours Jessica was conscious; her eyes were open, she could feel and see everything happening, but wasn't able to talk nor move. It was felt like her cerebral hemispheres was frozen or had stopped functioning. After a very long drive, the car finally came to a halt by the side of a scary deserted road. Immediately, the men hurriedly got out of the car. They grabbed her hands and legs roughly pulling her out of the vehicle. Her eyes scrutinized around the environment thoroughly, she observed that they appeared to be in an entrance of a thick forest as they were surrounded by tall trees. Fear gripped her as they went further into the woods, heading towards what seemed like a small empty apartment. She moaned softly while trying to talk; her shoulder now hurt badly and it was unbearable, but all the men did was laugh and mimicked her. Jessica saw blood dripping down from her shoulder while they walked, her injury hasn't healed completely. She wished someone could tell this
One evening, after Ethan had been tucked into bed, his soft snores drifting through the house, Jayden and Jessica sat on the terrace overlooking their garden. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the manicured lawns and blooming flowers. A comfortable silence settled between them, a silence filled with love and contentment.Jayden took Jessica’s hand in his, his fingers intertwining with hers. He looked at her, his eyes filled with love and a hint of something else, contemplating.“Jessica,” he began, his voice low and thoughtful. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about.”Jessica squeezed his hand gently. “What is it, Jayden?”He took a deep breath. “Ethan, he’s going to grow up so fast. He deserves a normal life, Jessica. A life without...without the shadows.”Jessica knew what he was talking about. The “shadows” – the life Jayden had led, the life of power, danger, and violence that had been his reality for so long. She had always worried about it, worried
The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting long shadows across the room. Jayden sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on his phone. He had barely slept, his mind consumed by the message, the silence, the impending deadline. He glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. He had given them until noon."Any news?" Jessica asked, her voice filled with hope and anxiety. She sat beside him, her hand resting on his arm.Jayden shook his head. "Nothing," he said, his voice grim. "Not a word."He could see the disappointment in her eyes, the flicker of hope dimming. He hated this. He hated putting her through this, raising her hopes only to have them potentially dashed."What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.Jayden looked at her, his heart aching. "I'm going to do what I said I would do," he replied, his voice firm. "I'm going to find them."Just then, his phone buzzed. He snatched it up, his heart pounding in his chest. It was a message from the unkno
Jayden stared at his phone, his eyes fixed on the screen, willing it to display a reply. Who is this? What are you talking about? he had texted back, his fingers trembling as he typed. But the phone remained stubbornly silent. He checked it again and again, as if the act of looking could somehow conjure a response. Nothing.He sank back into the armchair, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. Jessica’s child… alive? The thought echoed in his mind, a flicker of hope igniting in the darkness. He had mourned the loss of that child, carried the weight of that grief for months. Now, this… this cryptic message. It was too much to process. He didn't know what to believe.He thought of Jessica, asleep upstairs, still recovering from her ordeal. Should he tell her? Could he dare to give her this hope, only to have it snatched away? He couldn't bear to inflict any more pain on her. But could he keep this from her? This… possibility?He got up and walked over to the window, staring ou
Jayden gently scooped Jessica into his arms, carrying her bridal-style as if she weighed nothing at all. He wanted to reassure her, to make her feel safe and cherished. He carried her through the silent mansion, up the grand staircase, and down the long hallway to his room. "No way is she staying in her room" He thought. She needs to be close, where I can keep an eye on her.He laid her gently on the king sized bed, the soft Egyptian cotton sheets a stark contrast to the rougher textures she’d endured recently. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, his gaze filled with tenderness. “I’ll be right outside,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. “Just call if you need anything.”"All right" Jessica responded with a soft smile on her face.He closed the door softly behind him, leaving her in the capable hands of the maids whom he had intentions to fire soon. He couldn't trust any of them but he was certain they would take good care of her, since Lilian who gives them orders is now
"Why would you say that? I don't hate you, and I've forgotten whatever you did. Stop blaming yourself; it's all my fault, Jessica," he said, tightening the hug."You will hate me, Jayden. You will soon hate me," Jessica said, tears running down her eyes.Jayden pulled back slightly, cupping her face in his hands. He looked at her, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions – concern, anger, and a deep, underlying sadness. "Jessica, what is it? What's wrong? You can tell me anything." He already knew. He’d seen the video. George’s cruel, gloating message. The confirmation of his worst fears. But he needed to hear it from her. He needed her to trust him enough to tell him.She hesitated, her gaze darting away from his. "It's… it's about George," she finally whispered, her voice trembling.Jayden's jaw tightened. He knew what she was going to say, but he forced himself to remain calm. "What about George?"Jessica took a shaky breath, her hands twisting in her lap. "He… he's been… for
Jayden's helped Jessica to her feet, his grip firm but gentle. "Come on," he urged, pulling her towards the exit. He didn't want to carry her in bridal style, incase they were attacked, he would be able to react swiftly. They moved quickly with Joe and Ben flanking them, guns raised, ready for any threat. The sounds of battle raged around them, but Jayden's focus was to get Jessica out, then erase every trace of this nightmare.They reached Jayden's car, a sleek black SUV parked a short distance from the building. He ushered Jessica inside, then turned to Joe and Ben. "Get the others out," he ordered. "Make sure no one is left behind."As Joe and Ben disappeared to round up the rest of their team, Jayden slid into the driver's seat. He glanced at Jessica, who was staring at the building with a mixture of awe and terror. He knew she was trying to understand him, trying to reconcile the man she knew with the ruthless operator he had become. He waited for a few more minutes and he saw J
The narrow staircase descended into darkness, the only light source Jayden’s tactical flashlight, cutting a swathe through the oppressive gloom. The air grew colder, heavier, thick with the smell of damp earth and something else… something metallic and faintly sickening. He gripped his gun tighter, his knuckles white. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the echo of his own footsteps on the stone steps.He reached the bottom, the stairs opening into a low-ceilinged chamber. The flashlight beam danced across rough-hewn walls, revealing a space that was more dungeon than basement. Chains hung from the ceiling, their cold iron glinting in the light. In the center of the room, a single bare bulb cast a sickly yellow glow, illuminating a scene that made Jayden’s blood run cold.Jessica was tied to a chair, her wrists bound tightly with rope. Her face was pale, streaked with tears and dirt. A gag covered her mouth, muffling her sobs. Standing before her, his back to Jayden, was George.
The gates, more like flimsy decorations than actual security, crumpled like paper under the weight of Jayden’s SUV. He didn’t even bother stopping; he just plowed right through, the twisted metal screaming a prelude to the carnage that was about to unfold. He jumped out, gun already in hand, the adrenaline pumping through him like a shot of pure fire. He wasn’t thinking straight, not really. Just pure, unadulterated rage.“Let’s go!” he yelled at his men, who were already spilling out of the other vehicles, weapons raised. The air crackled with tension, the quiet of the forest about to be shattered.George’s guards were scrambling, clearly caught off guard. They were expecting a quiet getaway, not a full-scale assault. They were outmatched, outgunned, and they knew it. Jayden moved like a man possessed, taking down two guards before they even had a chance to aim. He wasn’t playing around. This wasn’t a game.The clearing became a whirlwind of gunfire, shouts, and the sickening thud of
Jayden was seated in his room, going through the documents sent to him by Joe concerning Eva recent movement, purchases, pictures of her at different locations and all. Suddenly a video flickered to life on his phone screen. He’d received a cryptic message with a link, his heart already a lead weight in his chest. He’d known, somehow, that it was about Jessica. He’d been searching for her relentlessly, following every lead, every whisper, but it had all been dead ends. He pressed play, his breath catching in his throat. The first few seconds were a blur, just a dimly lit room. Then he saw Jessica, her eyes wide with terror, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, George appeared. Jayden’s blood ran cold. He felt a rage so intense, so primal, it was like a physical force. He gripped the edge of the desk so hard his knuckles turned white.He watched, his stomach twisting into knots, as George violated her. He wanted to scream, to reach through the screen and rip George apart, but he w