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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO
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On the second floor of the bar, a private room with glass wall, which you can see the outside from the inside but not vice versa, there stood a figure with glass of wine on their hand.
The eyes which resemble riches and wealth gaze like a hawk, looking down at the drunk figures near the bar counter.
The figure gently let the glass of liquor in their hand sway, mixing the liquid inside.
The figure saw the woman gave the other man a drink and the other did not even gave it a second thought before chugging it down.
The person inside the private room doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. In the end they sneered and brought the glass to their lips.
"What a fool...!" The person was silent after that, savoring the sweet after taste of the liquor. When the person saw that the two went to the exit to
==CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE==Later, the chief went back to work, ordering his people one after another, while Tyler remained in the office, eating a food that he ordered from a delivering company. He also called Sharon to bring him fresh clothes.The chief told him to go home first, and they will eventually contact him the day they will move out, but he insisted on staying, saying he will help in any way he can.When the chief agreed, he drove Sharon out.After eating his fill and fixing himself in the bathroom. He came out fresh and full of vitality. He can feel his heart thumping fiercely inside him. Sending more blood in his brain, sending more oxygen and nutrients to make it function properly.That was when he thought of one thing. The first words from the police's message early this morning.He asked the chief. "Tip? Who gave
==CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR==“You better forget about it if you don’t want your son to have a gaping hole on his head.” Dino threatened. “Although, I doubt that this information is helpful at all. Who will you tattle to? A ghost?”Dino chuckled at his own joke while Althea closed her mouth from his threat. She lowered her head and urged Kai to eat again. While holding the shaking body of her son, many thoughts were running in her head.A her. Dino’s boss is a woman. A woman with hostility to her? Who is it? Althea rummage in her head and she thought of one woman.But she’s not certain yet. She has to get evidence.Then, for some reason, she felt it. Her eyes gaze at the door and saw a man- a guard that she hasn’t seen before- looking at her with intense stare. With Dino’s back fac
TW: Violence, blood.CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE:-Looking at it at the very beginning, the place doesn’t suit the vibe of being an hideout. You can completely see what was happening inside from the outside as the walls have cracks on them that can fit two grown men. The inside was completely deserted, no one was wandering around, not even animals. And because of that, it was also a perfect place to hide as there is a hidden underground passage leading to the quarters of the former employees in the factory.Together with the map, the anonymous sender also sent them the blueprint of the factory. The place is truly amazing, the building itself consumed at least 200 sq meters, it was two-storey, and it has a basement that is filled with rows of rooms and rooms for the people that used to work here.The police did their resea
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX:-His words were like an oasis in the middle of a desert. Saving her just in time before she dies from the heat and dehydration. Althea’s eyes lingered to his face and her words were stuck on her tongue.“I… Thank you…” Althea managed to squeeze out from her heart.Kai caressed her face while his eyes were shut tightly close. Althea pulled him closer, the boy did not offer any resistance and obediently laid his forehead on her shoulder. Althea felt like she fell into a land of serenity, where a vast of grasses spreads out towards where even the eyes can’t see.Her mind ironically gained tranquility even at the center of the bloody field where a fight just happened.Her senses heightened and she can hear her heart beating and pumping blood. She can feel the coldness of the corridor and the h
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRER TWENTY-SEVEN:--At the same floor but different place, Althea hid in a room while holding her breath as if that will make her invisible. The situation of Kai keeps running in her mind and worry and anxiety was not a good combination.Nonetheless, she did not let it show. She tried sharpening her hearing, listening to every sound her ears can pick up as much as possible. Beads of sweat traced from her forehead to her chin. Hearing nothing but stillness, she peeked from the crack of the door.No one was there.It has been long since Dino and the mysterious man sent by Silver had ceased, but she did not know which side was the winner. To be safe, she made Kai go by himself and stayed behind. She realized that running away was not the ideal thing to do in this situation.She has to remain and somehow deal with Dino, if ever he is still alive, so that he can stop chasing them.Althea had no idea how, but even if it cos
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT--“Charlotte,” Tyler called out unconsciously, he stood up from sitting and approached her, puzzled at why she was there. “What are you doing here-“He was not given a chance to finish his words when a sharp slap landed on his face, the loud sound of the contact of their skin sounded throughout the hallway they were in. Tyler face turned to the right after getting hit by Charlotte’s palm.She was a frail looking girl, with a small stature and delicate figure, there was no way that it was her strength. But the situation of his cheeks begged to differ. Tyler’s cheek was throbbing really bad at the contact. He felt that it was swelling and blood started to rush to that side of his face.He looked back at Charlotte with disbelief in his eyes. They haven’t meet for years and this was the first thing she did when they finally met? Slap him? He tried recalling everything he said o
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-NINE:--They had a daughter, they had.It was like someone had pressed the rewind button, he saw right before his eyes the scenes as they continue to drag backwards, like a broken clock that rotates counter-clockwise, until it stopped in that particular moment.Tyler felt like he drank a potion that made his memories as clear as day as if those things just happened yesterday- he watched, as he continued to glue his mind in that exact piece of memory while fully knowing how it ended, he still tried stopping it, he still tried changing the predestined ending.But nothing happened, even the pause button was broken- and the story continued to flow like water of a broken pipe.Tyler weakly laid his forehead on his arms that were on the stirring wheel.He had no idea how and when did he got inside this car, he just knew that, after everything Charlotte said to him, he mindlessly wandered around and somehow ended
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY:--TW: VIOLENCE, BLOOD--“I heard that she told you everything.” Althea stated right after the door closed. Aside from her, Tyler was left alone inside, standing on the feet of her bed like a nail. Althea waited for him to answer, but her sentence was left hanging in the air by his silence.“…”Althea looked down, her expression was obscure, but when she raised her head again, her smile still remained the same. “Tyler, you don’t have to be guilty, everything’s fine now…”“NO!” Finally, he spoke, and like his appearance, he shocked Althea with his yell. He advanced and in no time, he was by her side and clasped both of her shoulders. Startled, she looked up to see his eyes bulging at her. “Don’t say that- please don’t just casually say that and ignore everything that happened in your past-“His sentence
---I did what I was ordered to, and when I finally got to the bottom of it…What the fuck?“I knew things would be interesting if I keep him by my side.” Startled, I looked at my sister who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was looking at the photo with interest in her eyes. She looked at me. “Erase every record the police had or anything within Victoria’s reach, we can’t have her figuring out everything before I can have my fun of them destroying each other.”“Hmmm,” I glanced at her. “Isn’t she your friend?”“Friend?” She smiled, appearing innocent. “I don’t have anything like that. Father banned that word to us, brother.”“... If that’s what you say.”“Good!” She turned and stretched her body. “Ahh, I can’t wait to see Sheryl get destroyed by the man she loves. Or maybe, it would be mutual destruct
—“Is that your fiance?” I asked as soon as I sneaked at her back, wanting to scare her.“Stop doing that!” She yelled at me. I laughed at her, telling her sorry. She clicked her tongue before nodding. “He is. Handsome, right?”“Hmm?” I pretended to think about it. “Not really.”She scoffed. “Really.”She turned her back on me and continued her work, facing the paper works that were piled on her table. She was 15.I stood behind her, looking at the man on her table.From the day I knew that all along, she was the leader, I decided to stay and look after her. When I told her about my decision, the pause she had was short but eye-catching. Before I could register the pause and understand the meaning behind it, she answered my words with a smile.‘I will be glad to have you under me.’ Her smile was pretty chilling, more bone-numbing than our father’s s
—I am older than her by 5 years, and I remember her looking at me from behind. Normally, one should feel happy to know that someone was looking at their back, admiring them, but that’s not the case with me.Every time I look back, turn to look at her over my shoulder, every time I caught her eyes, I can’t help but shudder:She feels the same as our father.We were only half-siblings. We have the same father, but that’s not the case with mothers.My mother died when I was four, then our father brought another woman into the house after that. That woman was Charlotte’s mother. She was warm and kind. I remember her talking to me a few times.‘Charles, even though you don’t have my blood, please think of me as your mother too.’ She said one time when I tried avoiding her in fear that she wanted me dead. That was what most people who wanted to seize my father’s power would do if they were in her position
SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE: A Victim of Jealousy (10)“He is so cute…!”Days had passed since the birth of her son. Althea was peeking at him with a glass wall between them. She still has IVs in her hand, and she hasn’t recovered most of her energy yet, but she seems like she was overflowing with one.She had her palms against the glass, Althea feels like looking from where she was is not enough, she wanted to slip through the wall and hold him. But it was still not safe, so she held the urge in.A bracelet on her son, the letters were a little bit incomprehensible, but she can read them. It was the name of her son:Alexander Kai GrahamAlthea felt giddy, she can’t wait to hold him in her arms soon.“He’s your son?”“Yes,” Althea responded without thought. When she realized what she had
SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE: A Victim of Jealousy (09)—Blood was trickling down.Plop, plop, plop.Bead-shaped blood fell from her private area continuously. It seems like someone pressed the pause button of the world; Althea felt everyone in the supermarket stopped moving.‘No.’ She thought to herself as she watched the blood slowly forming into a puddle beneath her feet. She can feel the hot liquid trailing down her legs. ‘This can’t be!’This day is supposedly like the normal days she had. Strolling around and buying things she thinks she wants. But in the middle of it, she just suddenly felt it come down.She’s only six months pregnant.“Oh my god!” A lady came to her, holding her shoulders in worry. Her eyes were on the blood, aghast. “You are bleeding!”
SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE: A Victim of Jealousy (08)—She didn't think of it anymore and immediately set an appointment for the abortion.The next day, she went to the center and waited in line.Althea was all covered up, afraid that someone might recognize her in this hospital. She was pale, she had to deal with the morning sickness alone, and she had no idea what to do the whole time because, in her previous pregnancy, her mother was there.Now she was alone, dealing with everything she doesn’t want to.Althea wants to sob and to get everything over with. She can’t believe she committed a grievous sin to her friend. If only she didn’t get tempted with the money, things would not escalate like this.‘It’s all his fault,’ she galed at the entrance of the hospital where few people were going in and out. ‘He fooled me!’
SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE: A Victim of Jealousy (07)—“A brothel?” Althea asked as soon as she entered the place. Her eyes wandered around and she felt overwhelmed by the red hue of the place. The lights, the atmosphere, the people. Everything here was new to her. She doesn’t know what to feel.“First time here?” The lady in heels asked. She gestured to someone far away by her hand and the other nodded before leaving their sight. “Don’t be nervous, you will only be entertaining guests… Why you don’t want to? It’s money, you know.”Selling myself. If it was her in the past, she would strongly disagree and storms off from here. But now, she has nothing but emptiness, she abandoned her pride and morals. She doesn’t have any desire to live anyway. This much won’t hurt her.“Anything’s fine,” Althea said, her
SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE: A Victim of Jealousy (06)“What happened to you?” Altheaopened her eyes and saw a fuzzy scene. There were heads in front of her peeking at her from above. Althea could not recognize the features of the faces, but she knew they were medical workers because of their uniforms. It was the uniforms that the nurses and the doctors wear that she sees every time she goes to the hospital for check-ups and visits to her father.“You have been stabilized…” She heard muffled voices as if she was submerged in an ocean, waters entering her ear canals. She tried to move, but her body was too heavy like lead. She gave up and remained still, still unable to do anything, not even talk.“The man who found you and sent you here already paid for the medical bills…”‘What are they talking about?’ Althea had no clue. ‘It seems important.
SPECIAL CHAPTER ONE: A Victim of Jealousy (05)“Do you like it?” The man asked Althea who was silent with her head bowed. “Do you like it?”“...” She had no response.His eyebrows twitched. He dislikes being ignored despite ignoring people.He bends down and held her chin to look at him forcefully. “Hey, little mouse, I am asking you a question. Do you like it?”“...” She still had no response.With eyebrows raised, he stood up and stretched his arms. “Sigh! After all, we did to repaint the wall, that blood only amounted to that much. It wasn’t even able to cover one-fourth of the wall. So regrettable! Now, the little fierce rat is not fierce anymore…”He glanced down, his cold eyes looking at the woman who was sitting on the cold ground motionlessly. “She can’t even appreciate our