She steps off the taxi and into the pedestrian lane in front of the large company.Santinello Corporation.She looks up at the top and sees that she's unable to see the top of the building. She sighs and walks towards the double doors.As the woman stepped into the lobby, she was immediately struck by the sheer scale of the company's headquarters. Towering ceilings and sleek, modern decor seemed to stretch on forever, and the soft hum of conversation and keyboards filled the air. She approached the reception desk, her heart pounding in her chest."Can I help you ma'am?" the receptionist asked, looking up from her screen."I'm here to see Lucas Santinello," the woman replies, her voice oddly steady."Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. She's asking to see the boss so lightheartedly, like he's not even special at all..."No, but he'll see me if he hears I'm here." the woman said, her confidence growing.The receptionist raised an eyebrow bu
Lusia stumbled out of Lucas's office building, her mind reeling from the confrontation. She couldn't believe her own brother would turn his back on her like that. As she walked down the street, she received a chilling call from an unknown number.The same number that has been calling her since the previous day... With the same words and the same threat."Hello, Lusia," a menacing voice said. "If you don't provide us with two billion dollars within 48 hours, your precious children will be shot to death. And you'll get to watch it all on video call."That one is new.She'll watch her own children get shot to death?! Lusia's blood ran cold. She frantically looked around, but everyone seemed oblivious to her terror. She almost got hit by a car as she stumbled across the street, her eyes welling up with hot tears.Desperate for help, Lusia remembered her younger brother, Logan.They had all separated years ago after their parents' death, but now she needed him more than ever. She hails a
"I met Lusia today." He announces at dinner and even to do it costs him a lot of courage. "Lusia? Your sister? Why?" "I didn't bother to hear why I just chased her away... She just affects me in a negative way." "I'm sorry to hear that... Are you okay?" Mika asks, placing her hand on his. He looks at her and opens his mouth like he's about to tell her something but then he changes his mind. "I'm fine now." "You told me you were going to continue the story that night but you didn't... Why not tell me now?" "Oh, where did I stop back then?" "Where Lusia called you a name while asking for your parents will. Did she really say all of that though?" Luc nods. "She did. She called me a bastard and asked the legal practitioner to share the will amongst herself and Logan. I was disappointed and hurt and angry, so I lashed out at them..." *Flashback...* That night, right about eight minutes after the burial is completed and the casket covered, Lucas walks down, all of his hair drenched
(Back in the past.)Lucas hits the ground, unconscious after something is hit in his head at the back. At that exact moment, Logan throws the plaque in his hands back at the lawyer who catches it immediately, afraid of his award getting broken.Lusia rushes to Lucas's back. "What the hell Logan?""Just knocked him out. You know stubborn he can be, he really can just go like that and leave it to years before this will is read."He whisks over on the lawyer. "I believe we are complete now. Will you read what you ought to read or should I make you too?"The lawyer shies back, shaking his hand in the negative and his head in the positive. "I'll read it, I'll read it." He states fast.Logan pats his shoulder like he's his boss or something. "That's good then. So, what time should we be expecting you at the family home tomorrow?""I'll be there by twelve pm." He replies, his voice shaky."Be there by ten." Logan finalizes and turns to Lusia. He pushes her out of the way gently and lifts pas
Alex paced back and forth in Danielle's apartment, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Her phone was unreachable, and her house was scattered, as if she had left in a hurry. He tried calling her friends and family, but no one had heard from her."Where could she be?" Alex muttered to himself, frustration etched in every corner on his face.Alex looks around a little bit more. He's Danielle's ex-boyfriend. He had come over to return her key and met the door unlocked. Some of the things in the house is already rotten, fruits and food in pans which means it's been a while since she's been missing.He decided to go to the police station to register her as a missing person. As he waited in line, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. Something must certainly, have happened to her because she won't just up and leave."Can I help you?" the officer at the desk asked."Yes, I need to report a missing person," Alex replied. "My ex... friend Danielle. She's been gone for days, and I
Alex picks it up immediately and presses the phone to his ear. "Hello Detective? Please tell me you have something for me once again."His sounded relieved on the phone. "Yes, Mr Alex. She's just left the state for New York. We tracked her card movement and she's in New York truly. We were able to reach her..."Alex's heart jumps in joy. "She spoke to you?""Yes, she did. She told us not to worry about her and to tell you the same thing that she's doing pretty good in New York. Nothing is wrong over there and that she got a job there.""Oh." Alex sounded disappointed but then he masks it immediately. "I'm sorry for bothering you then Detective.""It's fine, I was getting a little bored at that desk anyway. I'll turn in for the day, have a great ni... Oh, it's morning already. Guess I worked all night."Alex chuckles at his weirdness and him rambling to himself. "How about I make up to you for the night I kept you up for? Let me please buy you dinner sometime."He pauses on the other e
(Back to the Past.)Very early in the wee hours of the morning, Lucas wakes up in the chair and sees that he's been tied up with a long rope.It doesn't take him long to see that it's a joint of long ties that seemed terribly familiar and also that he's been locked in what used to be his own former room before he moved out to start his own life, away from home.He fiddles with the ties with his tied hands as well and sees that they were tied quite well and he can't even figure out where the actual final knot is since there are knots after every single tie.He gives up in about thirty minutes of struggling to find and lose any of the knots at all but he doesn't succeed.He leans back in the chair and takes a deep breath of his own room. It's stopped smelling like it used to, it used to smell of mint leaves, oh how we loved that scent and never stopped buying the scented automatic freshener that always kept his room sprayed.He turns his chair laboriously to look at the windows and sees
While doing rounds through the mall,. Mikayla along with other relevant executives and Danielle, her secretary are doing the daily checks to know which of the shops earn well and those that don't so they can be on their way."What about Hermes?" Mika asks as they approach the shop."It's earns better than a dozen of others.""Hm. What's their average weekly income?" She asks Danielle who checks the iPad in her hands."It's about four hundred and forty thousand dollars.""Okay, that's fine."As they walk on, Mikayla notices a woman behind them.She turns to look and she branches away, into another shop.Mikayla whispers to Danielle. "Make sure security keeps an eye on that woman, she's been following us a while now."Danielle nods as she leaves the crowd to go do what she's been asked to do."You all can go, I want to stop by somewhere."All the executives behind her all nods and excuse themselves to go do some other activities as well and she walks forward.She stops in front of the S
"Do you, Bethany Mikayla Callaghan, take this man, Lucas Pierce Santinello to be your husband?" "I do." Her crisp voice shouts in the beautiful wheat field where the wedding is being held. "Do you, Lucas Pierce Santinello, take this woman, Bethany Mikayla Callaghan to be your wife?" "I DO!" He yells even louder, looking handsome in his new haircut and tailored Italian suit. "This two are now pronounced husband and wife." "You're now fully mine, CEO of Mi-nello Group." Bethany laughs. "See a whole Conglomerate CEO talking to a small person like me." "Ooh, I plan to show you tonight that you're not small and neither am I." She laughs. "You naughty man." She whispers as she leans in for a kiss. Amidst the whoops and holler, Lucas kisses his wife on the lips, causing there to be a ripple of jealousy in the crowd. Both Miles and Maya comes forward to hug their parents and pose for a family picture. Lucas picks up Maya while Mikayla picks up Miles, all beaming at the camera, the f
Of course, after dramatically disrupting the ongoing funeral, Grey, Smith and a couple other officers walk to the front of the coffin."Sorry to disrupt this perfectly ongoing funeral of a woman who committed suicide..."The whispers begin. They had been told she died in her sleep after all."Mr Reese Anderson, you're under arrest for the murder of Ronald and Minta Callaghan and Price Woods, your daughter's late husband."The entire hall is thrown into intense chatter and chaos.For the first time in days, Lily's eyes regains focus. "What?"Grey turns to look at her. "You knew your father killed your husband and yet you protected him. You're also under arrest for aiding and abetting murder.""Who is Ronald and Minta Callaghan?" Lily asks, completely ignoring the words of the officer of her own arrest."The parents of Bethany Callaghan who we all know to be Mikayla Anderson."That's the final straw."I killed Mum... I killed Mum... I killed Mum..." Lily begins to mutter again, throwin
The same time, Lucas pays the taxi driver, gun securely in his back and Mikayla in his side.He holds her hands and since it's his house, he's able to know the nook and cranny of the house, including places where you can get in without being spotted by any cameras.He leads them to the side where there is a doggie fence. "I'm sorry." He whispers to Mikayla as they both have to crouch to pass through the place.Mikayla shoots him a smile and a thumbs up as she comes out after him.He holds her hand once again, and as slowly and as stealthily as possible, they make their way to the back door which serves as their entrance into the house.As soon as the door clicks shut behind them, they both sigh in relief.Just then, the lights turn on and they are standing right in the middle of the kitchen, lights shining down on them.The man who gets them immediately yells and pulls out a gun. "Down!" He yells and they comply. He is joined by two other men and they drag them out to living room whe
Lucas and Mikayla are laying flat on the ground, late at night with different cars speeding by, watching and peeking out at the scene with every one of them having something to say in one way or the other.Outside the car, the listening bug should hit be able to do much so when a police car arrives on the scene and out comes Grey, Lucas sighs in relief, happy that the officer had received his message in time and had come to help him out."Sir!" The patrol officers salute their higher subordinate."At ease. Can you release them? They are currently on a mission.""What?" The patrol officers look at one another in confusion. "There is a body in the car.""And if it's not a body?" Grey asks, stepping forward and using his higher up voice."Uhm..." The officer is at loss of words. "Well, it looks exactly like a body.""Well, let me tell you something. They don't want the help of the police as it may jeopardize the lives of their children. The children were kidnapped from school earlier tod
Mikayla begins to shiver in the cool weather.Lucas stands outside, a look of immense fury on his face from what Logan is asking him to do. He grabs his phone and dials Logan who picks up on the second ring."Do you like what the package looks like? Cute, isn't it?"Lucas, seething... "What the fuck are you asking me to do? Tie up another loose end for you? What do you want from me exactly? Stop tormenting I and my woman and my family and just tell me what you're after.""This is cute but you're forgetting that I am your family too? Anyway, I do want something from you but it's extent is what I'm yet to decide on. You can start by disposing off the body first. Maybe when you finish this mission, just maybe, I might have my request ready.""So you mean this is not the fucking end of it?""Depends on how you act and what you're doing now is making me think of murdering someone else, maybe your daughter since she looks the most scared here. I'm waiting to see the body at the bottom of th
The day before, Lucas and Mikayla had left the school around six pm that evening, driving off in the direction of the apartment where Lucas had met him just four days earlier.Their meeting had not ended well then, and it does not look like it will now.Lucas receives a text message from his number, Logan. He pulls up by the sidewalk to check it."If you think you will find me at the same location as the other times, you're kidding yourselves. I told you clearly, you do what I ask you to do or you're in deep shit. You'll never see your precious children again. You'll receive the first directions in a little bit. I want you to keep going to the apartment though, your first mission is over there."Lucas punches the steering wheel, startling Mikayla a bit, her nerves are still frayed, getting so worried about her children and even worse, they are still in the hands of a maniac that no one knows where they are.Cursing under his breath, he starts the car once again and the journey continu
About to head out of the cafe, Grey pays for the coffee both men had taken with his card.Stepping outside, he inhales the crisp cool air and sighs.His phone ringing distracts him from the search of his keys and he sees the caller to be Smith."Hello Smith? Can I help you tonight?""Where are you right now?""I had a meeting with Mr Santinello and I am heading off to my bed. Do you have something for me?""Certainly. Can you drop by the office before heading home?"Grey groans. "I hope for your own sake that it is something worth my time, if not, you'll spend the whole remainder of this week in the holding cell and I mean it."Smith laughs. "Sure then. Just come on over first."Grumbling, groaning, tired, weary, weak, sleepy... All of the states of mind Grey experiences before appearing at the office. He slouches up the stairs to the office where he meets Smith bending over a computer."What do you have for me?""Before I show you, I did it to show that I did not take my job as a jok
Mikayla rushes into her car and drives off in the direction of the school, running late after a meeting, just barely ten minutes after the original closing time, she finally parks there.Not seeing any of the twins where she usually picks them up and wait for her no matter what, not even their bags to indicate that they probably just went to use the toilet, she gets down from the car and looks around to no avail.She locks up the car and walks over to the classes but it's empty, even down to the teachers, there is no one in sight that can be of help so she leaves for the school's administration building.She's immediately directed to the Dean who receives her warmly."Good afternoon ma'am. I hope all is well? Considering that you didn't call ahead to inform us about your coming.""I'm sorry as well but I ran a bit behind in picking the children up. I'm here now but I can't seem to find them.""I'm pretty sure they left the classes as soon as the school closed. You know what, children
"It's after school time. Come on, Mum is coming to pick us up." Mikes iterates as he slings his small backpack over his back and carries the lunch bag in his hands.Maya does the same thing, grabbing her back and lunch bag as well as the two of them walk in tow to where Mikayla usually showed up to pick them up, almost immediately after school.Just as they arruved, a black SUV parks in front of them.Both of them walk to the car, waiting for Mika to come out and give them hugs as she always does before tucking then in and putting their seat belts on before leaving but this time, a tall man comes out.Miles immediately steps back, standing in front of Maya to protect her... Or something like that."Hi Miles and Maya. I am Ben. Mikayla sent me to pick you up.""No. We won't go with you." Miles replies immediately.The man laughs, removing his sunglasses to reveal brown, almost friendly eyes. "Mika told me that you will say the same thing and that when you do, I should show you this." H