Xander was sitting on the edge of the bed and his hands were clasped together as he looked at the floor. He was still trying to figure out how to tell her about everything that had happened and because there were a lot of things running through his mind at the moment, he had no idea how he was going to articulate it in a way that would make her understand why he was not speaking her calls, why this was very shocking and why it's affected almost every part of his life. The room was very quiet and the only life was from the soft Glow of a bedside lamp casting Shadows on the wall. She was sitting next to him and the look on her face was very calm and patient even though she was waiting for him to speak up immediately. The whole time she kept hope in that this was not very bad and that nothing had actually happened to his mother. The silence between them kept getting heavier with each passing second and it was filled with unspoken worries and thoughts that had been weighing on Xander for
XANDER’S POV. I sat there and listened to everything she was saying. She had a way of making things seem more manageable like I was completely drowning in this mess and her voice was calm and steady in a way that helped soothe some of the chaos In My Mind. I had no idea what I could have done without her or how I would be feeling right now if she did not come back. I felt a lot better but even as she spoke I could not shake the uneasy feeling that had settled deep in my gut. I tried to tell myself that I might be wrong and I was only being paranoid but every now and then, I had that same feeling that would not let me think clearly, the feeling that my sister was not who she said she was and that I should do everything possible to find out what she was hiding. I nodded and gently turned to Adeline, already feeling tired from the day's work and it was not just physically but mentally. "I hear you, Adeline." My voice was low and tired as I spoke. " I really do and I am willing to work
MR. QYLER'S POV.I was unable to stop the nervous feeling as I sat at my desk, drumming my fingers impatiently on the oak surface. It had been 24 hours- 24 long, frustrating hours since I had ordered my Informant to get me everything he could find on Xander. I had no idea what the fuck was holding him because he had not sent me anything yet, nothing. And my patience was wearing thin. I had no idea how long I was going to wait before the anger would explode. I had no idea why it was taking this long and I already had reasons to doubt him even though he told me to wait a bit because he wanted to do his job perfectly. This was just unacceptable. I glanced at my phone, fighting the temptation to pick it up and fire him at the spot. He was a very good Informant and for the past decade he had never failed me so I did not think there was a reason to fire him now because he was surely going to deliver as usual. I decided to wait a little more before finally picking up my phone and dialling
MR. QYLER’S POV. Somewhere at the back of my mind I could hear the voices and the executives shuffling papers coupled with the clinking of pens tapping against the table but I barely noticed any of that because I was somewhere else entirely, despite being present. I was sitting at the head of the long, behind the mahogany table, staring at the pile of reports in front of me. My mind wasn't in the room. It wasn't wasn't the numbers, the proposals or the endless chatter about market trends. No. My mind was somewhere else entirely and I wished I could just stop thinking but it wasn't just possible no matter how much I tried. Adeline. My granddaughter. The foolish mistake she was about to make just gnawed at me like a persistent ache and some kind of leech. I clenched my hands under the table as I tried to focus on the meeting once again, it wouldn't let me. It was just impossible and I was still very confused on how I was going to stop the thoughts. The memory of her tear-streaked fac
TRISTAN'S POV.I didn't mind sharing my space with Matt. In fact, I invited him to be with me in the basement of the facility where I had made my home. The others didn't understand it, but Matt and I had clicked on the basis of our plan. We had the same vibe now, and it made things less lonely down here. It was even better because I knew what kind of person he was and knew how to handle him. He knew none of them but he would find out as soon as I was done dealing with him. The basement wasn't anything fancy, but it was fine. The cold cement walls, couches, and makeshift tables all felt like a place I could claim as my own. Matt seemed to appreciate it too, especially the part where we hung around usually. He liked every part of it and I liked that. It only drew him closer and closer to me, very soon he wouldn't have any reason to doubt me. He wouldn't know what was coming for him and he would be shocked when I finally let out my plans. But I had to be careful too. His kind smiles an
MATTI sat on the edge of the old, creaky bed in the basement waiting for Tristan to come back. He had gone to the prison yard to work out with the other inmates. That was his routine, and I admired him for sticking to it. I, on the other hand, stayed inside. There was something about the prison yard that didn't sit right with me like a heavy feeling in my gut every time I thought about going out there. His guys weren't the kind of people to be comfortable around and from the way they looked at me and from the snide remarks I heard from them, I knew the better thing to do would be to just leave them alone. I didn't want to get into any trouble with them, especially since they'd started to show signs that I wasn't welcome. That was the moment the door creaked open, and Tristan stepped inside. He was drenched in sweat and his shirt clung to his body as he reached for a bottle of water on the small table by the wall. "Man, it's brutal out there today." He said before wiping his forehe
MATT’S POVGetting outside was very seamless, more seamless than I had imagined. It seemed as if every single guard had their palms greased and that was why I was a bit confused about what was happening. It wasn't long before I was transported to the small boat just on the shore. I sat there and heard the motor him softly beneath me as it started. It wasn't long before it started cutting through the dark, still waters. The sound of the waves slapping on the side was the only thing that momentarily got my mind off what was happening. I was trying so hard to push off the troubling thoughts about Tristan and the fearful possibilities. The boar rocked gently and I gripped the edge, I could feel my knuckles turning white from pressure and I could feel my face turning blue from fear. I was supposed to be happy, I was supposed to smile because this would mark the end of being under captivity but...I just didn't feel any bit of happiness inside me. Even the cool breeze that came by every no
TRISTAN’S POVThe world felt heavy and blurry when I woke up and my body ached like I'd been hit by a truck. I would have given it a thought if I didn't remember what happened. But that wasn't all. My mouth, in addition, was dry and my head was pounding in a worryingly rhythmic ebb. I blinked hard, trying to focus on where I was. The light above me flickered and it took a moment before I remembered. The prison. The plan. A very bad feeling slithered its way down my stomach and snaked its way up my spine before bursting out at my back. Fuck! I shot up too fast, groaning in pain as my muscles screamed in protest. I had fainted. Poisoned water. Yes, the bottled water... it was poisoned. They had poisoned me, Matt had poisoned me. Matt. Where the fuck was he? A million thoughts ran through my mind as I thought about it all. I stumbled out of bed immediately even though my legs were shaky. I had to grab onto the walls for support. Every part of me ached and every step seemed to intensify
ADELINE’S POV***I woke up slowly, feeling so groggy and disoriented. My body was so heavy and there was a dull pain in my side. I did not know why but the pain had my head hammering. I blinked against the bright light in the room and that was when I realised that I was not alone. A lot of questions ran through my mind as I wondered what had happened and why I was here. Someone was sitting next to me and there seemed to be a shocked look on their face when our eyes met. "Adeline?" The familiar voice came through. It was soft, like silk. I turned my head and sock Xander sitting right by my side. I felt an instant wave of relief and my heart swelled. I was so scared before this happened, so scared that something bad had happened to him but seeing him right here with me did a very good job with pushing off the pain for a little while. He was here with me, alive and okay. I blinked back the tears that were already starting to form. And that was the moment everything slowly started to c
FLORAL.I could barely breathe as I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles were already white. I knew what Tristan was planning and I couldn't let it happen because it opposed everything that we worked for. Yes, I knew he wanted to take revenge on those who put him in prison but if he was going to do that, he should go face Adeline's old man, not Adeline. She was innocent and did nothing to him. I was not going to let him hurt her, not after I'd met her. Of course she was going to be a problem if I wanted to get to Xander but she was innocent and she was a good woman. I had to stop Tristan no matter what it was going to take. The streets blurred past me as I sped down the road. My heart was pounding so loud in my ears that I drowned out everything else. Tristan couldn't kill Adeline. Not like this. Not over some twisted sense of revenge. I didn't know how I ended up in this mess. It wasn't supposed to be my fight. But here I was driving, driving madly towards the one person who cou
ADELINE'S POV***My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I dialed my grandfather's number. I could barely think straight now as my thoughts were all over the place. It felt like my mind was running a hundred miles per hour but I wasn't going anywhere. What was I going to do now that it was clear Xander was in danger. I didn't even know where I was going to start from. How the hell was I going to find him? And it was clear from the foregoing that Matt had had the one behind this whole thing. He had abducted Xander and his phone was enough proof for that. He had also put on a mask to make me think that was Xander. That son of a bitch really did all this only to die a very disgraceful death. That was exactly what he deserved. But what if he'd killed Xander? The thought brought back the fear that was already building up. I needed to do something, and I hoped my grandfather would be able to step in with his connections. If it didn't work then I had no idea what else would. All I could think ab
FLORAL’S POV***I didn't know Adeline was in the house when I stepped out of my room. The moment I saw her standing there, my heart dropped. I should have been more careful. What was I thinking, walking out like that? But it was too late-- she had already seen me so there was no need to do anything suspicious now. But maybe there was still time, I thought to myself, glancing at her before I tried to duck back into the shadows. However, Xander’s mother, ever the gracious host, was quick to introduce me once she noticed I was behind her. "Adeline, this is my daughter, Floral," she said, gesturing to me with a proud smile. "Floral doesn't come around often." Adeline turned to me, scanning my face for a second and I held my breath. This was very bad because if she ever got to remember who I was, that was if she didn't know already, I was doomed. My palms were starting to sweat as I braced myself for her reaction. Would she recognise me? Would she say something? But instead, she smiled
ADELINE’S POV***I couldn't stop thinking about Xander. He hadn't come back since the day he told me he was going to stay at his mom’s house and I was disturbed because it could be the place where all his problems had started. Him acting weird must have been from there. He had been complaining about his sister before he came back and then everything had changed. He rarely talked to me and now he no longer complained about her. A lot of things were going on that I should be told about. But nobody was saying anything and it worried me so much. I wished someone could just let me know what was happening. But Xander was the only person I could talk to. He was the only one who knew what his problem was. It wasn't like him to just disappear like this, especially now that there was nothing bothering him, well, nothing that I knew of. He should have checked in lately but I'd heard nothing. My heart felt heavy as I paced around the living room. If I hadn't called him yesterday to know if he
FLORAL’S POV***I watched from a distance as Matt got out of his car and entered the pub. My heart raced but I had to keep my composure because this was going to work. It was either this night or never. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I needed to find out who he really was. I had suspected for a while that something was off about him, and now I was going to prove it. I quickly made my way to his car, careful not to draw attention. The street was quiet, and only the occasional sound of passing cars in the distance was the only thing I heard. I approached his car and glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Then, I reached into my bag and pulled out the small hidden camera I had planted earlier. I couldn't risk leaving it there for too long, just in case he checked his car for anything suspicious. My hands shook slightly as I retrieved the camera, but I was careful to keep my movements steady. Once I had it, I slipped it back in my bag and quickly walked away, blend
XANDER’S POV***I tried to move but my body would not cooperate because every inch of me was hurting and it was starting to make me feel very dizzy. I was very worried because I did not want to pass out here because nobody would see me if I needed medical attention so I had to fight off every form of hazy feeling until I was sure that I was ok. My arms, my legs, my ribs- they were all on fire. I could not remember the last time I had eaten because my stomach was already growling and I was too weak to care. But do you think that terrified me the most was the fact that the room was very dark and there was nobody around. I could only help but picture that I had been left alone in some kind of Warehouse to die. My heart pounded very fast when I thought of that and as much as I told myself that his Men could be outside, there was still a possibility that they had left me alone here to die. I didn't even know if it was day or night because time had lost its meaning. I had tried to escape
TRISTAN’S POV***The weight of everything that had happened finally stayed to lift lift from shoulders. Sasha was dead. The hit man had done his job perfectly as there was no trace or evidence of who had done it. I felt so relieved because with her gone, there was no one left to testify against me, no one who could point fingers if things went wrong. That was the hardest mission so I guessed the rest would be very easy from here onwards. Now, I just had to take care of Adeline and Xander, before I could disappear. My time was coming, and I couldn't wait for it. I smiled to myself as I thought of my plan. Once they are gone, I'd be free to leave this place. But in the meantime I had to control everything from the shadows. I was happy that I had the capable hands. Sometimes I wished that this was the last mission, but then I was reminded that it was time to put my head down and do the rest. There was no promise of a better future if the rest were still alive. Thankfully, I had it all
SASHA’S POV***I sat on the cold, hard bed in my cell, staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day, just like every other day in this place. The routine, the noise and the walls closing in on me felt unbearable but that morning, something changed. My mother called. I was surprised when the guard came to inform me that I had a call. I thought they had abandoned me, that she had left me here to rot and die just like my father had abandoned us. And I wouldn't blame her for what happened because she was just as miserable as I was. The guard escorted me out of myself and walked me to the phone stand. My heart was drumming when I picked it up. Has something bad happened? Or was she going to just tell me that the divorce had been finalised? If it was the latter, I didn't want to hear anything about it. Since my father had decided to give up on me, I didn't want anything to do with him again. I listened in on the phone and her voice came through. "Sasha, honey." Her voice was so sweet,