NICKI was woken up by my phone ringing nonstop. I tried to ignore it, but the person was persistent. He would call and cut then start again. Without opening my eyes, I picked up the call. “What!” I was so annoyed; did they see the time? Well, I didn’t know what time it was as well, but it was not the time to be calling people.“Sir, I am sorry to wake you, but you have to see the news, it’s bad boss, really bad.” I was awake in a second. I got out of bed wearing only my shorts and went to switch on the tv. “We don’t know who leaked it, but Jones enterprises stock is plummeting over the news.” I caught that bulleting at the end.I didn’t know what it was about and what was it about our stock plummeting. Just what the hell was going on? I cut the call and checked on my phone. Written in bold the article was there. “Jones enterprise stock is plummeting following the news of their former CEO James Jone’s dirty laundry being aired for everyone to see.Mr Jones senior is accused of steppin
NICKI threw the phone on the wall, and it shuttered into pieces. Father looked at me with a raised eyebrow not moved at all by my outburst. Just when I thought I was wrong about my wife, she goes and does something like this. If she wanted to be with Walker, then why couldn’t she just be with him without doing such things.I now don’t regret sending her to jail, it was clear that she deserved it, it was only a pity that my son had to be caught in the middle of his mother’s schemes resulting in him being born in prison. I wanted to make it up to her for sending her there. To bring her back home but I was just fooling myself.Olivia was worse than I thought, it was clear that I didn’t know the woman I married at all. “Stop pacing of you will dig a hole in my study and I don’t want that.” he was pissing me off as well. How could he be so cool when our world was falling apart.“Reporters are camped outside waiting for you. Our investors and board of directors want answers, hell. I want a
OLIVIAI sat there watching the news with my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and seeing in the news and the silence from the Jones family was worrisome. They must know that the situation was not going to go away without them addressing it.It was midday and the news broke in the middle of the night apparently and still there was no statement issued by the company or the family. Their stock continued to plummet, and it was not looking good. Every news house was running the story and the video of dad going into the club and coming out an hour later.Besides the news I wondered who did it, it was clear that the whole thing was intentional and the question on my mind was who did it. Who had the guts to attack the Jones directly like that, I feared for that person because once they find out who the person is. That person was going to regret messing with them.“I wish I had thought of something like this a long time ago, but I take my hat off to the person who thought of
OLIVIAMy hands shook as I typed a reply. “Nick, I didn’t do this, you have to believe me.” my eyes were glued to the screen waiting for his reply. I didn’t want to get on Nick’s bad side like that. I wanted revenge yes but in business. I would never go after the family like that. I was not that kind of person.Also, why did he think I did this, what evidence did he have to think that I would do something like that? I stood and started pacing. Nick could be a hot head and there was no telling how he was going to retaliate. He already sent me to jail for something I didn’t do once, who knew what he would do this time.My head was spinning as I kept checking the phone and going to messages like one would magically appear. With him telling me that he understood or that he sent the text to the wrong person, that it was not meant for me. But nothing.“Olivia, what is wrong.” Marcus asked coming in. I handed my phone to him showing him the text. “I don’t know what kind of man this is, doesn
NICKTwo days later and the news about my dad and sister had not died down yet. I was sick of it and wanted it to be over already. But it seemed the reporters were not going to stop until they got the whole story. My parents refused to indulge them, they refused to give a statement again and give them the full story.I have been working from home because my office is crowded by those vultures. It didn’t help that my lawyer wanted me to let my son stay with Olivia. She said it was good for children to grow up with their mothers, but my concern was the kind of role model Olivia was going to be to my son. The woman was not who I thought she was.She went after my family, she might hate me, but she went after her son’s family. What was that? our son still has to know us; what did she think she was doing when she put something like that out in the world for all to see. Did she want our son to grow up thinking that our family was bad
NICKI was shocked, mother would never do something like that. “What are you talking about?” she ignored me and took her bag then headed to the door with me following behind. “I assume you parked at the back, yes?” I nodded and she walked forward.I couldn’t get what she said out of my mind. What did she mean mother chased her mother away? She didn’t seem angry that father found her, she was angrier that he didn’t tell her that he managed to find her. Would someone who chased her mother away back then do that? I didn’t think so.“Don’t think too much little brother, I understand where your mother was coming from. From what I have been told, her relationship with your father was still new when my mother went there with me. she must have felt threatened by her and me.” I said nothing. She sat next to me in the car and Given drove us home.Could it have been mother who warned
NICK“Dad, I…” he shook his head with a disappointed look in his face. “You took that boy from his mother, didn’t you?” I said nothing. “Damnit Nick, didn’t you learn anything from what is happening between me and your sister? Why would you do something like this?”“Because Olivia is not a good role model for my son.” Father scoffed. “And you are?” I kept quiet, at least I was better than Olivia. “Nick, this will further drive a wedge between you and the mother of your child. Is that what you want? For your son to be torn between you and his mother, what do you think he will say one day when his mother tells him that you kidnap him and took him away from her just because you could?”I still said nothing, but I knew one thing. Olivia brought all that to herself. “Do you think we don’t want a relationship with our grandson? We do but we were givi
OLIVIAI sat on the couch close to the window watching Samuel play ball with Lupita. It has been two days since Nick threatened me and I couldn’t take my eyes off my son. Not for a second. He was the only thing Nick could take from me that would destroy me.I was so paranoid that I jumped at every little thing and always looking around. I have been working from home afraid that if I left, It would be the last time I saw him and I would never see him again. Marcus was the one who was busy taking care of business the past two days.Sorting out the launch and dealing with the construction people rebuilding the warehouse. I was only dealing with the factory workers and doing paperwork. I placed the laptop on the coffee table and turned fully to the window and watched my son play.He was laughing and running around chasing the ball. He would try to kick it then end up being the one who falls. I liked how he always got up and tried again.
MARCUS“Boss, we’ve arrived,” Steve said, his voice cutting through the thick fog of sleep that had settled over me. I blinked a few times, disoriented, before slowly coming to. My body ached from the constant movement, the long days of traveling across continents, jumping from one city to another, chasing dead ends and half-truths. I hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in days. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was the face of my wife, Olivia, fading from my thoughts like a distant dream.I rubbed my face with both hands, trying to shake off the fatigue. The exhaustion was getting to me, but there was no time for rest. Not now. Not until I had her back. My mind was a blur, constantly circling back to the same thoughts: Where is she? Why won’t anyone tell me? The people who had information were all cowards, and none of them would speak up. It was maddening. The jet had become my only sanctuary, a
OLIVIAIt had been two days since Xander left, two days without food or water. My body had grown weaker with each passing hour, and I could feel every ache in my bones, every crack in my spirit. But there was a small sliver of hope amidst the physical torment: the sedative he had used to paralyze me was finally starting to wear off. I could feel a slight tingle in my legs when I pinched them hard, nothing much, but enough to give me the faintest glimmer of relief. Soon, I would be able to move again.That is, if I didn’t collapse from thirst and hunger first.The worst part of being in that hellhole wasn't the paralysis. It was the silence. The uncertainty. I had no way of knowing if it was day or night. Time had ceased to exist in that dark, suffocating tomb, and with each passing moment, I felt like I was slipping further from reality. I was literally buried alive, a prisoner in a catacomb of stone, with no one to help me, no one to hear
NICKLuke’s face changed from shocked to anger very quickly. “Tell him, tell the moron where we are!” he bellowed throwing his hands in the air. “How could this moron do something like this? I am the only one who is supposed to do things like these. You boys are supposed to keep your hands clean!” he paced the room.He was frustrated. “Since when did Marcus become worse than me in things like these, just what the hell is wrong with him?” he said to no one in particular. I didn’t know if he was just frustrated or a little impressed by his son in law. He turned to me with a glare. “What the hell are you waiting for? Do you want him to bomb more cities before you tell him where the hell we are?”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Just moments ago, Luke had been telling me to keep everything from Marcus, and now, here I was, being blamed for not telling him where we were fast enough. It felt like I had no place to stand, caught between a rock and a hard place. But it wasn’t the time t
ETHANThe moment Nick hung up the phone, his face shifted, his expression unreadable. It was as if all the colour drained from him in an instant, his skin paling in a way that I had never seen before. I had been around Nick long enough to know that he was no stranger to bad news, but this? This was different. It was as if something beyond our worst fears had just been set in motion.We had already been living through the chaos, Luke, Xander, Olivia’s disappearance, and now, the kids were safe with us. That much, at least, had been a small mercy in the storm. But Nick looked like he had just been hit with the weight of something even worse, something that none of us could prepare for. My mind raced, trying to figure out what could possibly be so bad. And then it hit me. Could it be…? No, it couldn’t be.Before I could make sense of it, I moved closer to Nick, my concern deepening. I needed to make sure that whatever was going through his mind wasn’t as bad as I feared. Leaning in, I wh
NICKI had been holding onto the hope that once Xander showed up, everything would fall into place. That the mess would be cleaned up, and we could put an end to the nightmare that had been plaguing us.Luke and Xander reached some sort of agreement, at least, that’s what I gathered, but the specifics were still hazy in my mind. Luke had told Xander to bring Olivia, or he would destroy his father’s remains.What exactly that meant, I wasn’t sure. It felt like a vague threat, but the tension in the air told me it wasn’t just idle talk. Xander responded with some sort of counter-deal, loaded with things I couldn't follow. Honestly, I was drained. I didn’t care about the details anymore. I just wanted this whole nightmare to be over. But Xander wasn’t backing down, and neither was Luke.Luke had his men tail Xander. And, as expected, Xander went straight to the hotel. He wasn’t trying to outsmart anyone or go off the grid. He was playing by his own set of rules, one that I didn’t fully u
XANDERI was about to take the biggest gamble of my life, and I knew it. Luke was offering me a choice, an impossible one. It was a trap, a setup where only he could win. The terms of his proposition were clear: there would be no chance for me to exact my revenge on him, and there was a very real possibility that I would lose my life in the process. But I wasn’t ready to die, not yet. Not when I had a son waiting for me, hoping I would make it back.I had to think fast. Luke had me cornered, but I couldn’t show him how much fear his words stirred inside me. I had to put on a face, act like I was in control, even if I wasn’t. It wasn’t just about surviving this moment; it was about finding a way out. I wasn’t going to let him win that easily.I stood tall, trying to exude confidence, even though inside I felt like a bundle of nerves. My heart hammered in my chest; my hands clenched into fists at my sides. I could feel the sweat starting to bead on my forehead. If I didn’t hold it toget
XANDERFor the past few days, I had watched them stumble around in their futile attempts to track me down. Every morning, they would set out at dawn, and every night they would return empty-handed, their efforts wasted. It was amusing to me.They had no idea where to look, no real understanding of how to hunt someone like me. It was almost laughable. I had thought they were dangerous, but I quickly realized how wrong I was. There was nothing good about them, nothing that made them worthy of fear.Perhaps they just hadn’t met their match yet. Until now.Now, they had encountered me, and they knew they were nothing compared to what I was capable of. They were amateurs, playing a game they couldn’t win. But Olivia... she was another story. She surprised me. I had expected more resistance from her, some fight, some fire. But instead, she complied. She ate the food I gave her, barely muttering a word of protest. The silence was almost worse than anything. I could tell that the trauma from
NICKThe island was still, too still. No one slept that night. Luke had kept busy with his men, the sound of his voice drifting through the halls, low and intense. I couldn’t make out the words, but I could tell they weren’t discussing anything good.Ethan had joined them; he was more involved than I would have liked. I had asked him to keep an eye on Luke, to make sure things didn’t escalate further. I didn’t trust Luke, not when he was like this, wild, unpredictable, the kind of man you couldn’t reason with once his mind was made up. He was like a caged animal finally set free, and I was terrified of what he might do to the people on this island. They were innocent; they didn’t deserve to be dragged into whatever madness Luke was planning.As for me, I was stuck dealing with the kids. I tried to keep my mind occupied, tried to push away the dread gnawing at me. But before anything, I knew I had to prepare. I organized money, lots of it. It felt like I was bracing for something big.
NICKIt had been three days since Olivia disappeared, the longest, most agonizing three days of our lives. Every day felt like a never-ending loop of despair. We woke up, checked the rooms, scoured the island, hoping to find some trace of her. But no matter how much we searched, it was as if she had vanished into thin air. There was no sign of a struggle, no indication that she had left the room, and absolutely no lead to follow. It was like she was swallowed up by the earth itself.The island wasn’t that large, and it seemed impossible that someone could just disappear like that. But here we were, endlessly combing through every corner, every inch of the place, but we kept coming up empty. It felt like we were chasing ghosts. The stress, the exhaustion, the hunger, none of it was helping our situation. It wasn’t that we didn’t have food. We had plenty of food. But none of us could bring ourselves to eat.The nanny we had hired to take care of the kids, a kind woman, had been cooking