"How did this happen?"
Moving from place to place became Verasco's habit for the rest of his life. After letting Charlotte return to the main mansion, he went to stop by a hidden base in an intermediate forest. A corpse lay with its legs still tied with rope, stab wounds to the neck, a blue face, and open eyes and mouth. A forced death, was that exactly how the man's body was described down there? Or should it be that the man was carrying out an assignment from Verasco, as he had told me before arriving at his current location. "Where was his companion when he died there?" asked Verasco, growing suspicious. "We are still searching, sir. You chose the tough ones to do the job. But we never know, one or both of them could be traitors." "What traitor do you mean?" Keneddy swallowed harshly. Where to begin his story. Verasco would never believe him at a time like this. Especially since Theo's death had createdThe sound of a gun going off was almost deafening. Rose looked around for the source of the gunfire. Her curiosity grew as the hissing of the wind continued. At that moment Rose knew where she had to start. Step further away from the starting position. Rose's vision faintly caught the silhouette of the tall body of the man whose existence was being questioned by the inside of her head. A revolver raised to shoulder level appeared to be cocked forward. Rose didn't need to ask whose weapon Theo was using. Her husband owned everything, related to such items. "You left me alone for too long," Rose said. She didn't mean to make the body jump. Theo turned around as he lowered his arms down. "I always lose my guard when you're around. Not just this time," he protested. Didn't like how Rose was suddenly standing there without drawing on any of his intuition or sensing.
"Where are you going, beautiful?" Rose frowned as one of them accidentally shone the light into her face. Or maybe it was done intentionally to ascertain what the night-sweat-drenched bodies looked like and what the fear was. Rose wasn't going to let them do anything. She silently moved the arm that was hidden behind her back. Her cell phone was clamped on the left arm. The gun in her right hand was well positioned. She needed to watch herself in case they started acting. "Stop right there!" said Rose warningly. Her fingers cocked the weapon to coincide with the man's approach. "What do you want to do... shoot us?" Their laughter boomed in unison. It was too dismissive of a lone woman, with whom she had hidden courage. Instead of inching back. Not once did Rose take her eyes off the predator in front of her. She must not let her guard down. "This woman's body is good to look at. We should
The faint snap of a twig snapped Rose awake. Her noggin blinked a few times after finding the half-clear sky stretched out covered by a bunch of leaves. How long had she lost consciousness? Rose wondered and forced herself to get up while pressing one temple. The violent contractions in her stomach may no longer be felt. However, the dizziness in the head had not completely subsided. Rose searched for her belongings, gasping when she couldn't find the flat object she had used all night. She didn't know why she had chosen to bring the cell phone Theo had given her. It was a bit of a stroke of luck. Rose remembered that she had lost her way when the world seemed to be spinning. The best reason to explain the loss of the cell phone. Rose grimaced, reaching for the gun lying innocently beside her body. She had to go. At least now she could see under minimal lighting. The dawn sky would soon become morning. Rose was sure they were still searchin
Theo .... Rose forced herself to think. Her Theo was alive? She had a thousand reasons to deny it, but her husband's baritone voice sounded real. Why should Rose deny reality when she was still given the chance to embrace the body she longed for? Rose blinked repeatedly. The euphoria in her heart was too great and she couldn't contain all the explosions that overflowed. After Theo released the palm smothering her lips, she immediately threw herself into a hug, even pushing Theo's body-until the man was unable to maintain his balance. The two of them fell slowly with Rose's face deliberately resting on the surface of the chest that emitted a loud boom. She loved that sound, it made Rose's soul feel alive again. The pain in Rose's head was gone, now should Rose ask Theo to explain something she didn't understand? "You hurt me, Sugar." Rose was jolted awake by s
A while back .......When Rose went into the forest. Theo thought there was nothing to do but write down some important messages and send them to Lion via email. 15 minutes of time left. He didn't try to force himself to be free from the reality he had to accept. Aren't life and death two things that cannot be predetermined by humans. Why should he involve himself in distress, while sitting quietly in the driver's seat was not something that had much effect on skeptical minds. For a second or two Theo waited for the call to come in. His guess was never wrong that Verasco would call his cell phone again. Theo slid the green button and immediately positioned the flat object next to his face. No need for earphones when he wasn't traveling. "Times countdown, right?" Theo spoke without waiting for a greeting from the other person. Instead of sweet words, a loud curse from the other side boomed out. [Stupid!].
"What are you-" Lewis' sentence was cut short. Theo grabbed him by the collar. Bringing the man closer, he plunged the knife into the neck, right at the vein, and then sliced horizontally until Lewis's blood splashed out. Lewis died in agony before his body fell to the ground with minutes to spare. Theo took advantage of the time available by removing all the cloths on his body. Intending to swap the formal attire for the casual look Fredy was currently wearing. Unfortunately, the man acted first, grabbing the pocketknife Theo had laid down - and then deftly resisting, applying deep, far-reaching pressure that Theo dodged and resulted in a long scratch on the surface of his bare chest. "Damn it!" cursed Theo softly as the attack continued to be brutal. The knife in Fredy's hand changed hands again. The eight minutes of time Theo had left was used to stab Fredy in the chest. There was a pause during which the man was still conscious
A chill touched her skin as Rose let the water flow over her legs. She was still wearing a dress, while her tuxedo suit was placed carelessly on a bed of rocks. Rose's teeth chattered together. It was unbearably cold, with fresh, unpolluted air filling her lungs. Rose was half bent over staring at her own reflection on the surface that was being tossed about by the current. Theo was left alone when she said yes to the man's invitation to bathe together. The man was too good at flirting. Rose should have started by washing her face, but the warm embrace behind her back stopped her in her tracks. She touched the perfectly coiled arm, then changed the gesture to lean a little straighter in front of Theo's broad chest-forgetting that Theo was still injured. "Take off your dress if you want to shower." The whisper tickled Rose's ears. One thing required her to give Theo a warning... they were out in the
"You like fishing. But if your target is already hooked, you'll get a headache." Those were the words after Theo broke away. It was true, Rose wouldn't interrupt... deliberately rubbing Theo's rough jaw, to recall some details of the incident before the car explosion incident separated them. Rose forgot to say something. It was her turn to pull Theo's face and give him a light peck on the lips. "Maybe that day has passed. But happy birthday," Rose whispered followed by a small smile. She had just fixed Theo with an unfocused stare. "How did you know?" A skeptical question Theo shouldn't have asked. "I saw the birthday cake on the table before we split up and you went to see your dad. It had Zever's name on it with the number 33 candles. Your birthday too, right?" The hesitant and faint nod confirmed Rose's words. "Where's my present?" Two words that managed to turn the atmosphere a lit
'Are you jealous?' Rose vividly remembered the question before Xelle said goodbye, and she had to follow the nurse's departure to the main room. What wife would stay silent if something wrong was lurking in front of her. Rose felt that way. In her eyes, the nun was not at all reflective of someone in the nursing profession, who should not be showing her breasts beneath her clothes. Rose had to be wary that the nurse might do something out of the ordinary. Or actually Xelle was right... Rose was jealous of that one. She couldn't help herself. On the other hand, in the case of the video evidence from Xelle, Rose had already agreed that she would investigate the real culprit together with Theo one day when her husband was fully recovered. Now she had to focus on how and when Theo would open his eyes, and most importantly be meticulous in monitoring the actions the nurse demonstrated to him. Luckily, Esmeralda's presence was enough to interrupt every a
"Axe, is this your flash drive? I found it in your pants pocket when I was washing." The man focused on the desk shifted his gaze to the woman walking slowly towards him. The forehead was folded like he was thinking about something. No idea for how many seconds the owner of heterochromia eyes was trying to pry something out of his mind. A flash drive .... Xelle grasped the object firmly. "Damn!" He then rubbed his rough face, having forgotten the CCTV evidence he had gotten to show Rose. "I have to go, baby girl." Everything in sight was packed up in an instant, including the laptop that was about to be taken out. "Where are you going?" A soft voice interrupted the wide strides. "To see Rose." As if he ignored Bridgette's presence. Xelle approached his wife again, gently touching the skin of the woman's face as she gazed deeply at him. "Can I come?" Bridgette's spontaneous question made the man shake his head faint
The faint howl of a loud howl drew Rose's senses slowly blinking. The first time she opened her eyes the only sight she got was her husband's handsome face. The too-close position presented how the texture of the skin lured Rose's fingers to just touch the forehead and creep smoothly towards the jawbone. She thought once he woke up, those eyes would show a beautiful infusion of color. Turns out Theo was still comfortably in the same state. Not even a hint of anything else, Theo was quietly closed, too far away for Rose to reach. He murmured a little .... Louder howls from outside forced Rose to blow air through her lips. Then she got up, releasing the hug on Theo's body indirectly. Half transfixed, Rose huddled with Lion in the doorway. The frame was still submerged in Rose's body, only the face poked out and when she glanced down... Rose's senses found Esmeralda already equipped with an oversized pink ribbon pinning the fur on the top of the head. "Why did you
"Thank you for your help, Miss. Can we leave now? I need to check on Mr. T, and Lion... I think it's time to take Esmeralda for grooming." Rose looked up and took a breath as Travis and Lion took turns looking at her. A moment ago they had just returned from the Verasco mansion. Several wounds lodged on the body due to the shootout incident, Rose was instead responsible for treating the three men who barely even complained during the cleaning of the blood on the gaping wounds. The wounds were fortunately not that severe. Only wide scratches on the hands, shoulders, and legs, so it was not enough to make it difficult for them to return to their activities. "With my pleasure, Travis. I'll catch up with you later." Rose's thin smile signaled to Travis something he could easily understand. Still Rose looked over the shoulders of the two men away. The curl on her lips disappeared as she looked down again. "They're so single, why didn't you date one of them yesterd
Verasco recalls memories of a stack of dusty albums. It was .... 25 years ago a deal was struck between him and O'Douglas. The two partners had contradictory jobs. He who was in power in a dark organization—disguised the truth of himself by becoming the owner of a large business. O'Douglas is a geneticist or doctor who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and organism variation. O'Douglas has done some research. The man who actually works under a non-governmental agency to create a genetic engineering of living things, whether humans, animals or plants with his wife, Elisabeth O'Douglas, a chemist. However, due to one thing and another related to the ability that is used for crime. O'Douglas decided to leave the non-governmental agency. Then switch functions together with Verasco to conduct a research in the form of personal needs. At that time, O'Douglas' baby girl, about three months old, was tested on a new invention with Elisabeth's help, namel
Verasco was too enamored of the impossible. Rose couldn't, and wouldn't want to get involved in something that wasn't ingrained in her life principles. From the beginning, Rose's goal in trapping herself there was Theo, so it would always be Theo she wanted. Even if he didn't respond at all to the various activities around him, including her standing a few meters away from him. Three months. Rose imagined how she would have to vent everything she had missed during that time. Too long to admit that she missed Theo. Everything that had ever happened between them, whatever it was, it felt like Rose wanted to hug that body right now. It didn't matter that she would be stung even worse by the menacing and dangerous surroundings of the electric shock device around her husband. "Stop where you are." Rose's steps paused as she took a step towards Theo's body, pushing him closer. However, the reflection of Verasco's sardonic smile was the worst part of Rose's decisio
"An intruder has entered!" The warning from outside broke the silence in the clawed skies of the building. The troops hidden in the scatter hallway rushed out. Some of them were already dedicated to acting when informed. It was a strategy that Verasco had made accommodations for in case even under the best of circumstances they still had to be vigilant. Thus, the enemies in front of them would be easily conquered. Right at the entrance of Verasco's large mansion. A group of troops led by two people at once were already attacking each other, as if they were ready to fight over the order of power that belonged to Verasco, an organizer who did not even look where he was. It shouldn't be that way .... It was just that when Travis and Rose had left, on the other side coinciding with Edward's arrival—followed by Anthony next, that second Xelle began to think about pulling the bait. He single—handedly went to the guard at the very front simply to distract the attention
"I warned you not to participate. Now your presence is like a second barrier. We can't act freely." Rose turned away when Xelle chided rudely. "You mean I'm a burden here? I can take care of myself if that's what you think." No less sharply she lashed out at the man who was staring straight ahead. "I wonder how far you can take them. You'd better sit quietly in the car." Still with the focused, indifferent gaze Rose was getting from the man in front of her. She turned away solidifying the sentence buried in the back of her throat. "You underestimate women too much. I'll show you that I can handle anything that comes my way." "And if you continue to pick a fight with me here. I can assure you we'll never get started," Rose continued half-commemoratively. Xelle reminded her exactly of Theo who almost never relented when it came to arguing. Rose looked away not wanting to be influenced further. Momentarily noticing Travis pulling himself forward a step. "Wh
There wasn't enough feeling during the trip to Italy. Rose's gaze was always unfocused, still speared by a jumble of bad thoughts regarding Theo's condition and how she would get her husband back. Theo was taken away and hidden by Verasco. No idea where. But the next stage of the location they would go to was Verasco's headquarters. Lion assumed it was there, a little approved by Travis who confirmed. A while ago, they had tracked the last point of Verasco's car through GPS coordinates. Unfortunately, the middle-aged man knew such things would happen, so he deliberately blocked access by not turning on the GPS function in the car. They could have hacked into the city's CCTV footage. Analyze the license plate or where cars similar to Verasco's stretched across Milan. However, the decision would have affected their chances. At worst, from the time Rose and the others arrived at Theo's mansion, two hours back was all Verasco required of them, especially Rose—