“Are you serious! What about dad’s teachings!” Jacob could no longer keep calm as anger thundered in his blood. He glared at the older brother he had looked up to all these years, but could never stand on the same level as him.
Disappointment stamped on Jacob’s face. The kind, righteous man no longer existed. Sitting before him was a ruthless beast who had reaped lives, made his way through the murky path of the black market, and claimed a kingdom for himself.
Jonathan remained unfazed, as always. No shock, no questioning looks. Just a blank, emotionless face. "We had too many competitors, Jacob. Some of them tried to destroy our buildings. We linked to the underworld just so we can confront them."
“Now they are after our family! You should break up with Alexandra, otherwise, they will murder all of us!” Jacob shouted and banged his palms on the oak wood desk, rattling the things on it. His glare bore right into his brother's eyes, whic
“Happy birthday, Hal!” Jordan threw herself onto her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck as if she was still a baby. Halton laughed. He almost forgot. It’s August 18th. The day his wrecked life started. "It’s dada’s birthday?” Angela asked, tilting her head cutely. Jordan scooped her up in her arms and placed a kiss on her squishy cheek. “Yup! And we gonna celebrate it with some snacks. Right, bro?” “You brought snacks?” Angela asked excitedly. “Lots!” Alexandra gave a half-dead smile to her brother and pushed a brown bag onto his chest. “That’s your gift.” She said wearily. With a hopeful grin, he opened rummaged through the bag. Slowly, his smile faded, replaced by a scowl of disappointment. “Billions of dollars in your bank accounts and all you could get me for my birthday is some cheap candies.” She lightly shook her head. “They aren’t cheap. It’s for Angela.” Angela snatched the bag fr
“And that’s it for today’s schedule,” Steve reported as they headed to Jonathan’s office. “Oh, and also, the stand-in secretary who was recommended by Secretary Harris when she went on maternity leave is here.” “I’ll leave those things to you, Steve.” Jonathan drawled. Everyone in the office was walking on ice for the past few days. Ever since his breakup with Alexandra Winchester. Steve peeked up on the iPad screen. His boss had bashed the company representatives of yet another corporation for not appropriately following the company protocols. “But boss, shouldn’t you at least conduct a personal interview—” “You can take care of the interview as well. I don’t have time to train the new secretary.” Jonathan stepped inside and halted after noticing the woman waiting in inside his office. “What are you doing here?” He asked. Who let her in without his permission? “She is the new stand-in Secretary, Olivia Smith,” S
“Hey, Jo!” Halton called from the kitchen.“Yeah?” Jordan scrambled her thumbs on the control buttons of the console, cursing someone on the line.“Come here!” He yelled.Annoyed, she lifted her headset to hear what he said. “What?”He glared at her back. Vexed, watching her getting distracted by the game she played. “I said COME HERE.”Jordan took off the headset and gulped. “No, you’ll hit me.”“I won’t hit you.” He said, looking cool as a cucumber this time.“You swear?”“I swear.”When she came near, he caught her earrings, tugging them with brute force.“Ow! Ow! Ow!”“What did I tell you earlier, huh?” He asked, seething at her.Jordan squirmed, struggling to tear off his hands from her precious earrings. “To do the dishes.&r
“Dada! Dada!” Angela frantically shook Halton’s arm to wake him up. He lazily opened his eyes and smiled. “You are early today. What happened?” “Money!” Angela pointed at the stack of sweet cash. “Tooth fairy is really generous. Why don’t you count it?” He suggested. Angela took the money and carefully counted the 100-pound notes. “One thousand pounds!” She hadn’t seen so much money in her life! Jordan walked in, scratching her sleepy head. “Good morning, you two.” It was then she noticed the money laying on Angela’s lap. She smirked. “Looks like Mr.—Miss tooth fairy got you some money.” “Can I spend it on teddies?” Angela asked, hugging the money to her chest. It’s not good to be greedy for money at this age. “I say we use it little by little instead of spending it all at once.” He advised. Maybe that amount of money was a little too much for a 7-year-old. Angela shook her head when Halton handed
“Here are the details about Kathy Black.” Neil handed an envelope. She opened and browsed through the pages. It contained details about her family, comprising her older sister Monica Black and a seven-year-old son. Alexandra wondered if Kathy truly cared about her son. If she had, then she wouldn’t have signed up for a suicide mission. Currently, Monica Black is the one taking care of the boy. “No husband or a partner?” Alexandra asked. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much information about it,” Neil said. He hadn’t confronted Monica Black yet because Alexandra hadn’t granted the permission. Alexandra stared at the vast view of the high and mighty skyscrapers of the city. Among the grandiose buildings, one stood out in her eyes. The one with a logo of a ferocious bear. A painful throb kicked in her chest. The way Jonathan had looked at her after their fight as if she had plunged a sword right into his chest. It was a double-
"Anna! open the door!" Catherine's voice escalated as she kept calling and banging at her daughter's bedroom door. Anastasia cupped her ears, burying herself under the sheets. "No! I don't want to get engaged to him!" She cried in a shrill voice. Catherine stopped pounding at the door, relieved that Anastasia was still there, alive. "Anna, dear, please open the door. I just want to have a talk." Her voice softened, like when she used to coax her Anna when she was still her little girl. Slowly, the door opened. Catherine gasped and cupped her mouth. "Gosh... you look terrible, sweets." Anastasia's snowy pink skin lost its color, cheerless honey-brown eyes staring pensively at Catherine, and she was still in her nightdress. "Tell her to get ready! He'll be here any minute!" Gabriel shouted from downstairs. "It takes time to get ready!" Catherine yelled back. "Make it quick!" Last night, they had another fight. It was regarding An
“So Alexandra Winchester dumped you.” Kameron snicked, twirling the glass of iced whiskey, and guzzled it down. “That was quicker than I thought. What happened?” Jonathan still hadn’t touched his drink. Instead, he pensively stared at the booming crowd inside his club. “I don’t know. We were doing just fine until that phone call…” Unpleasantness settled over his chest, recalling the fight. “That’s because you put her on a pedestal. Jeez… you were so whipped.” Kameron opened a box of cigarettes and offered one to Jonathan, and he accepted it. Ever since he stayed with Alexandra, he avoided taking cigarettes, presuming that she disliked smokers. In her presence, the thought to smoke never crossed his mind. That’s when he realized how focused he was on her. That was his biggest flaw and strength. Once he sets his heart and mind on something, it’s almost impossible for him to let go. The tip of the cigarette lit red
They arrived at the men’s fight club Jonathan frequented. He hadn’t been there for a while, so coming here made him feel rejuvenated.He fell in love with martial arts, right when he started practicing it after he finished high school. It was therapy for him and pushed him to strengthen himself both physically and mentally.Jonathan changed into a tank top and gym shorts. Kameron took off his shirt, baring his ripped upper body. He winked at the two women and they shrieked excitedly and cheered for him like they were teenage girls getting hit on by their crush.“Don’t worry, Jonas. I won’t wreck your face too roughly. You need to get laid after all.” He said, loosening himself up a little with a warmup.Jonathan laughed, finding his words genuinely funny. “You know, Kameron. I’ve always wanted to make things even with you. I’m honored you presented this opportunity—”
One could hear in the bleak eerie hallways of the asylum the clattering of chains, as a man dragged it through the metallic floor. His black-and-white striped prisoner’s clothing had bloodstains on it. His pace was slow and wobbly because of the heavy chains attached to his legs and hands and bound skin rotting off along the rusting metal.“Sir, we brought him,” the guard said and looked keenly at the captive. He ducked his head, his lips drawn into a straight line, his eyes covered with his overgrown bangs so they could only see only the white portion of his eyes through it.“Good, bring him in.”The guard pushed open the interrogation room. A person inside could not see or listen to what was outside. The captive was silent the whole time, his eyes still down, looking at the guard’s legs as he followed and another guard closely stalking behind. In the middle of the dim room, there was a light bulb just above the wooden table, the only source of light in that entire room, with two cha
Their dilemma wasn’t over just yet. They had to gain the approval of one more person before their wedding ceremony, and that was Jonathan’s mother, Josephine.Alexandra insisted on building a better relationship with her upset mother-in-law. If Jonathan could impress her fearsome and bull-headed father, then she could coax Jonathan’s mother into accepting them too.Before their wedding takes place, she wanted everyone’s blessings. Including Josaphine’s and she would not shy away from appeasing Josaphine to gain her goodwill.***The place was the classic American home. A porch, a long veranda, high rooftops, and a yard that was big as a children’s park. It seemed like Josephine liked to keep the place uncomplicated and clean.Jonathan’s mother, according to his words, was the finest cook in the world. A woman who liked to do her own chores and leave them to the housekeeper. Who dressed simply, loved handling household affairs, and went to church religiously every single Sunday and pra
The soft silk sheets rustled as Alexandra stretched her arm to cuddle her husband. Her core was still sore from the slow-burning, passionate sex they had all night long. Letting out a groan, she buried her face into his neck which was specked with dark stubble. Oh, how she loved his beard. The rough texture was so satisfying to caress, and the feel of a stubbled cheek grazing her between her thighs was simply titillating.As she draped her long leg around his waist, a sharp, needle-like pain shot in her womb.She lifted the duvet and to her panic; she saw two blots of bloodstains on the sheets, mocking her. Her breath shriveled up in her throat and a malaise emerged in her womb.Swinging her legs to the floor, she rushed to the bathroom and removed her panties, and inserted her finger inside her, coating them with warm blood.“You will never be a mother.” The devil hissed, drawing out its forked tongue. “You will never get back what you’ve lost.”Her hand flew to her mouth to prevent
Sunrays poured through the tall windows of the church’s bridal suite, giving the white room a golden touch. The ladies were all busy tending to the bride’s wedding dress.Evangeline could barely breathe withch her bosom caged in the tight corset. “I will die.” She wheezed, holding on to the vanity table.“Oh, you won’t! I will see to it.” Catherine said, determined to make the dress fit. It seemed perfect when they tried it out in the bridal boutique.“I will become the first person to die for fashion.” Evan joked.Alexandra laughed, listening to this as she flipped a glossy page of a fashion magazine. She closed it and approached Evan to see what was going on with the dress.“I think it would be better if we pinned it first,” Alexandra suggested.“Pass me the pin, dear,” Catherine said, holding the edges of the corset tight.Alexandra skimmed through the small box of safety pins and passed it to her mother. Catherine pressed the ends of the corset securely and pinned them together. “
TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter may be upsetting to some viewers. It contains violence and gore.***Blackness leaked into Gabriel’s subconscious like thick tar, impeding him from registering his surroundings for a few minutes. He blinked off the bleary vision and discovered himself in a bleak chamber, tied up in a metal chair with ropes that bit into his skin. The only source of light was the pale yellow lightbulb hanging above his head.He felt brainless, as one would get when drunk on spirit. He tried to recall where he was before ending up in this place. At the police station, the officers had locked him up for several days and questioned him for evidence. The trial was still ongoing, but an anonymous bailed him, giving the officers a hefty amount to free him. Gabriel didn’t know anyone who loved him so much to bail him out of jail, even after being aware of what evils he did. The moment he got out of the police station, a masked, who had bailed him asked to join him to me
The steel door shut before Anastasia with a rude screech and an ear-splitting rhythm of metal against metal, resounding around the cell walls and into her ears like pinballs. Anastasia gripped the metal bars and squeezed herself against it. “How long will I be here?” She asked.“Until someone comes in here and bails you.” The forty-something-year-old blonde officer sneered.She had confessed all of her crimes to the police this morning and stupidly thought they would let her go home. Home? Where will she go? Mama didn’t want her anymore. Papa will soon be prosecuted for all the crimes he had done in his lifetime.Kameron probably didn’t want her anymore, since their marriage was incomplete. Silvano was her only way out of here. She hoped he would come and free her.If he still loved her.“You smell like periods.”It was then Anastasia realized she wasn’t alone. A brunette prostitute, who was past her prime, hunched in the corner on the bench, covering her knees around her arms. She wr
All the guests who had witnessed the scene gasped in dread. Some of them, including Merideth Parker and Thomas Clarke, ran for their lives, realizing it wasn't safe to be in the presence of this maniac who just shot his wife. The metal gun slipped from Gabriel’s hand, his face sagged and his eye enlarged out of its sockets, seeing his wife bleeding on the floor. “C-Cathie…”His legs immediately took him towards Catherine, but Kameron lunged forward and boxed him in the face, knocking him to the ground and pinning him to the floor.Anastasia clung to her Catherine and cried helplessly, not knowing what to do. Alexandra stood there and stared expressionlessly at her mother, whose blood spilled out of her body. Catherine fluttered her eyes to keep them open. The tears in her eyes made those honey-brown irises shine like topaz as she gazed at Alexandra.If she was to die, she wanted to do it seeing her oldest daughter whom she had wronged all these years.Silvano came up to them and drop
Alexandra’s fierce, amber eyes bore right into Anastasia, who was on the verge of passing out from the built-up anxiety. Her weak knees buckled and she could barely pull herself together. The bouquet fell, the roses scattered, and she stared back at her sister in horror at what was yet to come.Placing a black-gloved hand on her chest, Alexandra put on an apologetic expression and swept her gaze over the audience. “My sincere apologies for the interruption, ladies and gentlemen.”Gabriel stood up and stalked towards her, his face heavy with anger. “What the hell are you doing here?!”“Can’t you tell? I was invited.” Alexandra lifted her chin, a gesture of disdain.The deep red shade on Gabriel’s face paled when he turned towards Kameron, who had a devilish smirk upon seeing Alexandra. “My heartily welcome, Lady Alexandra.” Kameron greeted.The audience broke out into a cacophony of mutters and whispers. They looked at each other with perplexed faces. What was going on here? And why di
“Looks like our beautiful bride is ready.” Kameron’s ridiculing voice broke Anastasia from her trance. She looked back at the woman in the mirror. Her doe-like brown eyes had turned red after she had mourned the night away. She had never shed a single tear for her grandfather’s death, but now misery had plagued her ability to realize the outcome of her past deeds. No one can escape fate. No one. “I am-,” Her voice had died out. She couldn’t ignore the pain in her throat. “Save that for the vows,” Kameron warned. He approached for a closer look at his bride, whose eyes were still glued to herself in the mirror. It was then he realized how beautiful she looked in the ivory white wedding dress. The makeup artist concealed all the wounds and bruises he had given her under that makeup. Her eyes seemed so clear and pure. She resembled Catherine physically, but her personality leans on the contrary. She wasn’t brave, nor had she had the unwavering disposition