EIGHTEEN YEARS LATERQueen woke up in the morning, opened the windows, looked through them, and smiled. Today was going to be a wonderful day because her fiancé, Bryce, was visiting. He belonged to a different gang called: "The Wild Stallions," and he was coming so they could finalize their engagement because she turned eighteen yesterday.She had been betrothed to him since she was ten, and ever since then, she had only had him in her heart. He was strong, charming, and everything she wanted. She believed that with him in her life, everything was going to be perfect.Queen was in her first year of college and very strong, just like her father. Andre Scorpion had trained her to be a very skilled fighter so she could take over from him when the time came.Her family, the Black Scorpions, had been the leaders of all the gangs for fifty years. However, a week ago, they handed over this position to another family. Despite that, they were still the strongest, richest, and most highly conn
Andre drove over to Sky Hills with his best friend and most trusted underling. They sat in his car, waiting. After a while, he looked at his time and then his best friend, Drew, and asked, "Are you certain that Bull will be here?""Of course, I would never lie to you," Drew replied. "He has bitten off more than he can chew, and this is the best opportunity. He should know that he doesn't stand a chance against the leader of the Black Scorpions. He is nothing before you."Andre nodded. "Yeah, today is the day he gets to say goodbye to this world. But what about backup?""They were waiting at the agreed location but they will be arriving very soon."While Andre and Drew were still waiting in the car, Andre noticed other men arriving in different cars with the Black Scorpion logo on their number plates. He smiled, "Good, backup is here." The words had barely left his mouth when they all began to shoot at his car."What is going on?" he exclaimed, looking at Drew. "Why are our men shoot
Andre wiped the blood off his jacket to hide his injury and concealed his gun. Slowly, he walked into the hospital premises. A young woman who appeared to be a doctor caught his attention. He overheard her giving a presentation, which seemed unusual. Coincidentally, the person she was presenting to asked her what she would do if she encountered a patient who had been shot.He listened intently as she explained her approach, and the person she was presenting to responded, "Good, you're hired." An idea suddenly occurred to him. He wanted to convince her to go with him, but he knew she wouldn't. She seemed so excited, and he didn't think she would want to go with him willingly. Left with no other choice, he decided that he was going to take her by force. He saw her rushing out to the gate and slowly walked towards her. He pointed his gun at her and said, "Don't move." When she saw him, she gasped in fear and wanted to scream, but he cocked his gun and said, "One word from you and you
EARLIER IN THE DAYValerie woke up in the morning and looked at the time. Today was the day she had been waiting for—the day the result of her interview would arrive. She got up and met her elder brother, Julius, who was in the living room."Good morning, Julius," she greeted him."Morning, darling," he replied.She sat on the couch sadly. "What is the problem?" he asked."Well, the result will be coming in today. I'm just so anxious and afraid," Valerie explained."Why? Come on, you graduated as one of the best in your college. Besides, you aced your interview," Julius reassured her."That's what they said," Valerie replied, "but I heard that people who get jobs in that hospital are highly connected. Although it has always been my dream to work at 'Best Diagnostics', I'm afraid it's not just about qualifications and skills."Julius comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, listen to me, my dear sister. Just do your best and everything will work out in your favor.""I hope so," Valerie rep
Valerie looked at the letter that was sent to her and walked into the hospital. Just as she was approaching the door, she saw the director coming out and stared at him in surprise. "Oh, Director Knorr, he has the power to hire me." An idea came to her head, and she ran to him, saying, "Good morning, sir. Please excuse me, sir. Can I speak to you?""Yes, what can I do for you?" he asked."Emmmm... actually, I just graduated from medical school, and I applied for a job in..." Valerie began."Oh, please, no, I can't do this right now. I'm in a hurry," the director interrupted, gently pushing her out of the way."Please sir," I won't take much of your time," Valerie promised.He said, "I cannot do this right now, young lady. Are you not listening to me?" "Please, just listen to me," she insisted "I'm begging you, I won't take much of your time." "What is your name?" he asked. "My name is Valerie.""Valerie, move out of my way or I'll have security throw you out." Valerie partially wen
Valerie's hand shook as she held the gun. It was true that she had never shot at anyone before, but she knew how to use a gun and she would not hesitate to do it. She wasn't weak like Andre thought; she had struggled so hard to get to where she was, and she wasn't going to let him ruin that for her. From what he had said, she couldn't take any chances. If she were trapped in there, her life would be ruined forever. What about her brother Julius? He would be devastated without her since she was his world. At his age, he had never pursued a romantic relationship because he wanted to spend all his time taking care of her. No, she needed to make it out. How could she trust Andre to keep his word?"How can I trust you to keep your word?" She asked. "I mean, you kidnapped me and forcefully brought me here. For crying out loud, I finally got my dream job, and now you want to ruin my life. How can I trust that you will let me go when you get better? For all you know, you can just kill me.
Valerie's eyes widened in surprise when nothing happened to Andre. She tried shooting him three more times but realized there were no bullets in the gun. Frustrated, she threw the gun on the floor. Andre smiled and said, "Wow! I can't believe I brought you here to save my life, and you want to kill me? You will certainly be punished for this.""But you promised me," she cried. "You promised to let me go. You're such a coward and a wild animal. You deserve to die, Andre. You should have bled to death and never come in front of me. Why did you have to appear before me and ruin my life?"Andre pointed his gun at her, and she closed her mouth in shock. "Well, unlike what you were holding, this gun is fully loaded with bullets. How dare you speak to me in such a rude way? Valerie, you do not know who I am and what I am capable of doing. For the mistake you have made today, I will not let you go. Maybe sometime in the future, when I get sick of seeing your face, I can finally kick you ou
Valerie's brother, Julius, tried calling her number but couldn't get through. He continued trying throughout the day, even during his work and classes. When he was done, he decided to go to the hospital where Valerie was supposed to start her new job. Upon arrival, he described her to the staff, explaining that he had dropped her off there previously for a job interview, but hadn't been able to reach her since then.After hearing Valerie's name, a man confirmed that they had seen her and she had indeed been hired for the job. However, she had left and gone home, and he hadn't seen her since then. Julius found this strange since he knew Valerie well. If she had gotten the job, she would have returned promptly with the necessary documents. If given the chance, she would have even started working that day. Julius couldn't comprehend why she would go back home and not return. Something must be wrong, he thought. Where could she be?Deciding to check their home again, Julius rushed back,
EIGHTEEN YEARS LATERQueen woke up in the morning, opened the windows, looked through them, and smiled. Today was going to be a wonderful day because her fiancé, Bryce, was visiting. He belonged to a different gang called: "The Wild Stallions," and he was coming so they could finalize their engagement because she turned eighteen yesterday.She had been betrothed to him since she was ten, and ever since then, she had only had him in her heart. He was strong, charming, and everything she wanted. She believed that with him in her life, everything was going to be perfect.Queen was in her first year of college and very strong, just like her father. Andre Scorpion had trained her to be a very skilled fighter so she could take over from him when the time came.Her family, the Black Scorpions, had been the leaders of all the gangs for fifty years. However, a week ago, they handed over this position to another family. Despite that, they were still the strongest, richest, and most highly conn
Andre took Valerie to the roof of the hospital. When they reached the top, she looked around and asked, "What is it you want to show me, Andre?" He moved closer to her and said, "Close your eyes."She smiled and obeyed, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she heard a bang, followed by another and then another. She kept hearing different sounds and realized they were fireworks. "Open your eyes," Andre said.Valerie opened her eyes and turned around as Andre directed her to face the direction of the sound. As she looked up at the sky, she saw vibrant colors and, finally, the words "Will you marry me?" popped up."Wow!" Valerie exclaimed in excitement. She turned to give Andre her reply, and at that moment, he went down on one knee, presenting her with a ring. "Yes, I'll marry you," Valerie said and stretched out her hand.Andre put the ring on her finger and then got up, pulling her into his arms for a hug. "I am beyond excited, Andre," Valerie said. "I didn't know you were ready for marri
While Andre and Valerie were still together in the hospital room, Julius walked in. Seeing how close they were, he coughed, and Andre turned to see him."Hi Andre," Julius greeted."Hi Julius," Andre replied."So, the doctor said Melody is going to live, but she's still unconscious," Julius informed."Oh, okay. Good for her," Andre responded."I'm sorry, Julius. I know everything that happened..." Andre apologized."No," Julius shook his head. "No, Andre, it's not your fault. There are some things that are your fault, though. But there are other things I take responsibility for. If I had not let Melody into my life, Valerie wouldn't have been put in so much danger.""No, you don't understand," Andre said. "Drew would not have sent her into your life if.....""Maybe not. Maybe he wouldn't have gone to the extent he did today. But I almost lost Valerie, and it's all my fault. I was so focused on chasing you and making sure you stayed away from my sister that I didn't even notice the ene
When they arrived at the hospital, Andre opened the door of the car and carried Valerie out. Afterward, he rushed her to the hospital. Right after that, Julius arrived, and a stretcher was brought for him. He placed Melody onto the stretcher, and she was also rushed into the hospital.As they took Valerie into a private ward, Andre sat by her side and watched as the doctor attended to her. Seeing that he had so much blood on his body, the doctor said, "You seem to be faring worse than she is. Why don't you get your injuries treated?""Okay," Andre said, not wanting Valerie to worry.Valerie lay on the bed with her eyes closed as she waited for the doctor to carry out different tests on her. Meanwhile, another doctor attended to Andre. He took off his jacket, and the injuries on his shoulder, arms, and face were treated.All the while, Valerie kept waiting for the results of her test. Andre had not said anything about her pregnancy so far, and a part of her was afraid that he was goin
The moment Julius and Melody rushed into the house, Drew turned his attention to both of them. He stared in surprise at Melody, and when Andre noticed Drew's distraction, he took the opportunity to slip one hand into his pocket and press the button before lifting it back up.Outside, where they had been waiting, Soldier finally received the signal. "It's time for us to go in," he said. "We need to be very careful. There may be hostages."They began making their way slowly and cautiously into the building. Julius's face contorted in horror as he stared at Drew and Valerie. His complexion turned pale as he had witnessed numerous dead bodies strewn across the ground while running inside.Although he worked for an investigating firm, Julius had never encountered such a sight before. He believed that Andre must have killed all these people just to reach Valerie. Looking at Andre, blood staining his arms and body, he gazed at Valerie and back at Andre, understanding that Andre truly loved
Andre stared at the mansion for a while, and finally turned and walked toward the opposite mansion, which was higher than the one Drew was in. As he reached the other mansion with his bag, he kept climbing until he got to the roof. He positioned himself, took out his rifle from his bag, and pointed at the building. From his vantage point, he could see all the men stationed outside. Without wasting any time, he came up with a better idea. He knew that if he was the only one shooting, it wouldn't take long for them to figure out his location and take cover. So, he called for Soldier and the rest to join him in the same building. Once they were all there, he asked them to position themselves with their rifles and wait for his order. After pressing the button and hearing his phone ring, they were to begin shooting. By ensuring their vantage point, they could take down at least seventy men. Andre made his way to the back of the house. At this point, he pressed the button, and Soldier
Valerie heard noises around her, voices that were unfamiliar, and struggled to open her eyes. The moment she did, she saw a few men with guns at the door. When she looked to her right, she saw someone sitting on a chair, one of his legs seemed to be bandaged as though he had been shot, and he had a crutch by his side. She lifted her face a little bit to get a better view, and when she saw his face, she remembered that Andre had once shown her his picture, and she recalled his name: Drew. She quickly bent her head down and closed her eyes, pretending to be unconscious.She thought back to the events of the day, how Melody had tricked her, and how she had fought with her to deliver her to Drew. She suddenly began to fear for her life. She knew that Drew was Andre's enemy, and if he was keeping her there, it was surely in a bid to get Andre to come. This was one of the things she feared about men in the mafia. For the first time, she wished that she was moving around with a gun. The f
When Melody got into the car, she noticed Valerie's phone lying on her seat and picked it up. She turned it off and placed her hand on her racing chest. She turned on the car and began to drive to the location Drew had given her.When she arrived, she was surprised to see a big mansion. She had never met Drew in that house before, but what surprised her, even more, was the presence of so many underlings—over a hundred—positioned in different places, armed with weapons. She felt sorry for Valerie because she knew she wouldn't make it, and she also felt guilty. She tried to justify her actions, telling herself she didn't have a choice. She owed Drew her life and was only fulfilling the promise to do anything he wanted in return for saving her.When she finally parked the car, she came out and pulled Valerie, who was still unconscious, out of it. Some of the underlings noticed her struggling and came to assist. Together, they took Valerie into the house. Drew, using crutches on one si
After the call with Drew ended, Melody sat on her couch, thinking about what to do. She was very scared. It was bad enough that Andre was closing in on her, from what Drew had said, and now she had to get Valerie. How was she supposed to do it? Drew had given her until midnight. She paced up and down, thinking about what to do until an idea suddenly struck her mind, and she stopped. She looked at the time on her clock and saw that it was a few minutes to five. She knew that Valerie always closed from work around six or six thirty, and judging from the fact that her relationship with Andre was now good, it was likely that he would come to pick her up after work. After coming up with a plan in her head, she quickly dashed out of the house and hurried to Valerie's place of work.Valerie was still in her office when she was informed that there was someone waiting to see her. At first, she thought it was Andre since he had called her and said that he would be picking her up for dinner.