★★★★★ "He’s always busy!" Jasmine sighed, her voice tinged with a mix of frustration and longing. She glanced around the room that had become her gilded cage, the four walls she knew too well, the garden outside that she’d only glimpsed through the window. "I was thinking," she continued, trying to sound casual, "maybe we could go out together, explore the town a bit? I’m feeling a little restless being cooped up here all the time." The caretaker gave her a sympathetic smile, but it was tinged with something else, something more guarded. "Madam, I understand your frustration," she said gently, "but your health is the top priority. Sir is very concerned, especially after all the injuries you’ve suffered. Staying here isn’t a restriction—it’s for your well-being. How about I take you back to your room? A little rest might help, just like it usually does when you’re feeling this way." Jasmine forced a smile, masking her disappointment. "No, thank you. I’ll go on my own," she repl
★★★★★Damon burst through the hospital doors, his pace frantic and unsteady as he spotted Cesar and Phil standing near the entrance. Their faces were taut with grief, a look that only fueled the fire burning inside him.Phil stepped forward first, his voice soft yet strained. "Boss, just... breathe for a second. I know there's nothing I can say to take away the pain, but you still have Dante and Payne. They need you."Cesar, usually the more composed of the two, looked shaken. "Damon, you need to keep it together."But Damon’s anger flared uncontrollably. "Why the hell are you both talking like she’s already gone?" His voice cracked, a mix of fury and desperation. His eyes bore into them, ablaze with a rage that barely masked the terror beneath.Cesar took a deep breath before speaking, his words heavy with the weight of reality. "The body was found on the shore. But... it’s almost unrecognizable. Her face, eighty percent of her body... it’s destroyed beyond recognition. The tests— th
★★★★★ Dante sat across from Payne, his eyes clouded with the weight of uncertainty. The silence between them was heavy, punctuated only by Payne’s quiet sniffles as she wiped away her tears. “Are we never going to find Mom?” Payne’s voice trembled, breaking the stillness. “It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen her face. I can’t take it anymore, Dante.” Dante leaned forward, his heart aching at the sight of his sister’s despair. He wanted to offer her some semblance of hope, but the words felt hollow even as they left his lips. “Dad’s doing everything he can, Payne. We’ll find her. I promise you, we will.” Payne shook her head, her tears falling faster now. “But how? How can she not be looking for us? Mom wouldn’t leave me for a day, let alone weeks. Why hasn’t she reached out? Why hasn’t she tried to find us?” Dante’s throat tightened, and he struggled to find the right words. “I don’t think Mom is free to do what she wants. Maybe… maybe the people who took her are stopp
★★★★Paul didn’t miss a beat, his smile softening as he crafted a quick explanation. "Oh, that," he said, his tone filled with feigned sincerity. "He runs an organization that helps those who can’t afford to give their loved ones a proper farewell. You know, people who don’t have the means for the last rites. As for the truth he mentioned, I simply asked him not to tell the family that I was involved. I didn’t want them to feel burdened, especially since it’s a co-worker’s family—his father just passed away."Jasmine’s suspicion seemed to waver, replaced by a hint of admiration. "That’s really good work, Paul," she said, her voice softening as she looked at him with newfound respect.Paul seized the moment, wrapping an arm around her in a gesture of affection. "Just trying to help where I can," he said smoothly, then turned his attention back to the man standing across the room. "You can go now," Paul instructed, his tone slipping into one of subtle authority. "And if there’s anything
★★★★★ "Martha!" Paul greeted with a forced smile, clearly displeased by her sudden appearance. "How are you?" "I'm fine, Paul," Martha replied, her eyes darting towards Jasmine, who, despite her mask, had an unmistakable curiosity in her gaze. "I got married six months ago. I invited you and Layla. Neither of you showed up." "Time isn't always on our side," Paul said tersely. "I've been swamped with work." "Where's Layla? And what exactly are you doing here?" Martha pressed, her suspicions growing. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but the situation made it hard not to think the worst. Paul drew in a deep breath, resisting the urge to lose his temper. "You have Layla's number. She can tell you where she is," he said, irritation creeping into his voice. "How about we discuss this later?" "Are you cheating on Layla with her?" Martha cut to the chase, her voice sharp. "Do you think I didn’t notice? I know how much Layla loves you!" Paul slammed his hand on the table and stood
★★★★★"Actually... I’m in..." Martha started to say, but her words were cut off by the screech of tires as a car suddenly pulled up beside hers."Martha, where are you?" Layla’s voice was filled with concern on the other end of the line.The window of the car beside Martha rolled down with eerie slowness. In a split second, a gun emerged, the cold steel glinting in the late evening moon."Martha, are you there? What’s going on?"The sharp crack of gunfire shattered the air. The bullet tore through the window of Martha’s car, the glass splintering in a thousand directions before the round slammed into her skull. The phone slipped from her hand as she slumped over the passenger seat, her life extinguished in an instant."Martha? Martha!" Layla’s voice rang with panic, but there was no answer. Only silence, punctuated by the distant sound of city life and the faint hum of the line.The two men in the car moved with chilling efficiency. They jumped out, yanked open the door of Martha’s ca
★★★★★ Layla’s sobs grew quieter, but the anguish in her eyes was unmistakable. “I just can’t take it anymore, Mom,” she said, her voice cracking under the weight of everything she’d endured. “It’s like every time we turn around, there’s another lie, another betrayal. How are we supposed to keep going when everyone we trusted is turning against us?” Kesha’s eyes flashed with a fierce resolve, her jaw setting with determination. “We keep going because we have no choice,” she replied, her voice low but powerful. “If Paul is willing to stoop this low, then we’ll go lower. We’ll fight back with everything we’ve got. I never thought he would betray us like this, but if this is the game he wants to play, then so be it. We’ll make sure he regrets ever crossing us.” "What are we going to do?" Layla asked. “First, we need to find him,” Kesha said, her voice tight with determination. “And then we’ll find out who this woman is that he’s married. It’s strange, isn’t it? How come his family hasn
★★★★★Later in the afternoon, Jasmine got out of her room, a little careful. It was the time when the caretaker left for home. She went to the kitchen and packed all the food into plastic as she was going to throw it. Jasmine hurried to her room, her mind racing. She needed to get to that party—something about the woman’s words in the café had lodged itself deep in her gut, a feeling she couldn’t shake. There was more going on than Paul was letting on, and she wasn’t about to sit around waiting for answers.But as she flung open her closet, frustration hit her like a wave. No cocktail dresses, nothing remotely fancy—just her usual casual clothes. She bit her lip, scanning her options. Then it hit her: she didn’t need to stand out. In fact, it was better if she didn’t.Grabbing a pair of jeans and a plain top, she reached for the mask she’d tucked away, the one that would keep her identity hidden. Fancy dress or not, she’d blend into the shadows and see what Paul was up to. Her finger
★★★★ "Ellie!" Gary tried to approach Harley's mother, but he stopped him, saying, "Don't come close to mom. I didn't lay my hands on you just because of her even though I was on the verge of ripping your neck off your body. So, Again count yourself lucky!" Harley growled at his father. Just then, one of Harley’s men interrupted. "Boss, this woman is fainting!" Harley’s gaze shifted briefly to Amanda before he gave his orders in a cold, merciless tone. "Take her to the hospital. Make sure she doesn’t die, and ensure she gets proper treatment at our camp." Amanda tried to protest, but her words failed her as she collapsed. Without hesitation, Harley’s men carried her away, leaving the scene in tense silence. By that time, Harley's mom mustered up some strength and looked at her husband with pain and tears. Earlier, when Amanda said those things about Gary, she denied them without a second thought, even though somewhere in her heart, a bad feeling was swirling. But, in the end, she wa
★★★★"Are you hurt?" Harley asked, concern lacing his voice."Yeah, my foot," Nadia winced, her grip tightening around his neck. "I think something’s stuck in it."Without hesitation, Harley scooped her up in his arms, cradling her gently as he made his way inside, his jaw set with determination."It's Amanda, and she has more people inside," Nadia cautioned him so that he could have his gun ready."Humph!" Harley hummed only, then took her to a place where there was little light and a small place to sit. He carefully laid her down, turned on the phone's flashlight, and said, "Hold it up on your feet and let me see what it is?"Nadia's face was tired and sweaty, but her eyes were calm seeing Harley in front of her eyes. She got the phone and held it up, only then did they both notice a nail embedded in her left foot.As soon as Harley touched the nail, Nadia cried out, clutching his hair in her palm as her agonizing voice erupted, "Oh, it’s hurt!"Harley looked up at Nadia’s painful f
★★★★★ "I don't know how...." Harley's mother's hands were shaking as she held the gun in her hand. "There's no time for a lesson! Just put the muzzle on my handcuffs and shoot!" Nadia shouted, her impatience growing as Amanda's people could show up at any second. "Alright," Harley's mother muttered, exhaling sharply. She pressed the muzzle against the lock and fired without hesitation. The handcuffs snapped open instantly. Nadia forthwith ran to Amanda and pulled her back by her hair before Amanda could able to run out of the room. "Let me go, bitch!" Amanda protested, trying to scream. But Nadia held her back with her arm around her neck. Suddenly Amanda's men arrived with guns drawn. Seeing them, Amanda screamed, "Don't just stand there and help me!" She gritted her teeth and spat at the people who should have been running to her aid. "Don't come close to her if you want her alive and well?" Nadia yelled, holding Amanda tightly as she tried to strike a deal for them to escape.
★★★★★Meanwhile, Harley returned home and learned from the servant that his father had been awake for a while but had ordered no visitors until he permitted it. Ignoring the warning, Harley marched straight to his father’s room. Rather than knock, he pounded on the door.His father’s irritated voice boomed from within. "I warned you—I don’t want any interference! If you all want to keep your jobs, stay out of my business!"At that moment, Harley responded by firing on the door lock and then kicking it open. Gary ran to the corner in fear, his back hitting the wall. When Gary saw that it was Harley who had shot at the door, he blurted out, "What's going on in your head? You could have called me!" "Where are they?" Harley yelled with murderous eyes."Who are you talking about?" Gary replied, trying to sound calm, but miserably failed under his son's intense gaze. Harley clenched his teeth and rushed to his father, who tried to escape, but Harley grabbed him by his throat and howled, "
★★★★★ Jasmine was exhausted, thirsty and going through the ripping pain in her shoulder, but she made sure she reached out for her husband, who was looking for her crazily. "Hello... it's me!" Jasmine said in a tired voice and crawled away from the dead man. Since it was almost dark, she took refuge behind a tree and decided to stay there until Damon came. "Where are you?" Damon's harsh voice broke out, full of impatience and tension. "Come and get me. I am tired and I...I killed a man who wanted to kill me," Jasmine said, "Also a group of people took Nadia with them. She is in danger too. Bring men," Jasmine said, closing her eyes. "Hang in there!" Damon said. There was a sense of reassurance in his voice that calmed Jasmine and she replied, "Okay!" And she touched her shoulder where she felt pain. Meanwhile, Harley reached the mansion where Amanda's father was busy in the swimming pool with some young lady. As soon as they entered, they all started screaming in fear becau
★★★★★"I don’t know anything!" Harley’s mother stammered, her voice trembling as she scrambled towards Nadia, who sat handcuffed in the corner. "In my sleep, I felt someone’s hand on my face, and I jolted awake. I tried to fight, and Harley’s father did the same, but they injured him before dragging me out of the villa. It was dark outside.""I think it’s the same people who brought you here. They pretended to be the police and tricked me," Nadia said calmly as she looked at Harley's worried mother."How is his father?"Nadia felt bad hearing Harley's mother's worried voice."When I left the villa, a doctor monitored him and the doctor said he is fine and has no injuries," Nadia said."You are not lying to me, are you?" Harley's mother asked again just to believe Nadia was not saying the positive just to keep her calm."Why would I lie to you to keep you satisfied when both of our lives are at stake? I was thinking about your son. I'm afraid he won't deal with this situation patiently
★★★★Nadia didn't go to her house. Instead, she went to Jasmine's house. All the way she kept wondering if Amanda was really that stupid. Knowing Harley's nature, how could she dare to attack his mother, and why did she think that kidnapping Harley's mother would make it easier for her to get back into his life?When she was about to enter Jasmine's house, a police car blocked her way, which shocked Nadia, and she quickly got out of the car in confusion and asked, "What happened, Sir?!" At the same time, Jasmine saw Nadia and the police from the balcony, where she was walking with a coffee mug in her hand. So, she decided to go and see what the matter was."Are you Nadia Hazelwood?" a policeman asked.Nadia replied, a little nervously, "Yes, sir, I am Nadia Hazelwood. Is something wrong?""We found illegal substances in your house. You have to come with us to the police station," the cop said, showing off the handcuff to Nadia who could no longer stop herself from panicking as she mut
★★★★ As the morning dawned Nadia found herself pinned down by a strong arm around her waist and unable to breathe. But what scared her the most was the thought that Harley was naked. She moved quickly and looked under the sheets, but he wasn't naked; he was wearing his boxers, and she sighed with relief. Then she tried to push his hand out of her to get up, but he grumbled, "Let me hold you a little longer." "I have a lot of work to do; hugging won't buy me time," Nadia grumbled. "You work in my office, and as your boss, I am ordering you to remain on the bed with me; if you're so free, you can show me your care by kissing me," Harley said. "Stop your nonsense, Harley. Your mother will come anytime and I will feel ashamed," Nadia put her hand on his face and tried to push him away, but she couldn't. Though his sleeping face looked innocent and peaceful, which urged her to stare at him for a long time, she refused to do that since she was embarrassed to show her affection. Suddenl
★★★★★"Uh..huh! What did you hear him talking about?" Harley replied calmly."He was talking to someone in the garden who I couldn't see so I was standing near the wall and listening to their conversation, then I heard your father say that if that person can't achieve what he has been given to do then he should kill himself or your father will kill him," Nadia said with shock and fear in her eyes as she thought that Harley’s father was going to harm someone."Hmmmm... Dad is consumed by the greed to get the power. That is why he abruptly came here with Mom," Harley said, making his way to the bed, his hand unbuttoning his shirt, while he added, "Let him do what he wants. I'm glad you found something entertaining in this house!""How come you are so relaxed even after knowing all this? What if he is plotting something dangerous against you because I felt he has no sympathy for you or no care that you are his son," Nadia said impatiently putting both her hands on her waist as she did no