At Rye’s Pizzas.Christopher, the fat manager, of the store was struggling to put a smile on his face even though a lot of customers visited the store and made online orders.“Why are these new recruits so stupid? They don’t remember the routes of the customers’ houses or even their names for fuck sake!“I really miss my top worker, my knight in shining armor, Benjamin! Where is he? He knew the names, preferences, and the shortest routes to the customers’ houses. He was equal to a hundred workers. Life was easy when he used to work here, but now, I’ve lost three kilos in the last week. This is too much to take.”Christopher looked around and couldn’t see the familiar faces anymore.“Where’s Sasha? Where’s Damian? Where did they go without any prior notice? I can’t reach any of them. Sasha’s grandmother died. I hope she’s doing okay. She’s a silent type, and silent types are sensitive. I can’t help but worry for her.”He kept shaking his head.“Things changed ever since that shootout h
Selena was never the type to enter the kitchen, but she was making coffee in the kitchen now, even though there were maids to help her.After checking its taste and being satisfied with the product she made, Selena then went to meet her daughter on the balcony. Selena had a surgery done to her broken nose, and so it looked almost the way it had before the injury.“I personally made it, so have a taste,” Selena said on purpose, or she was afraid that Rebecca might refuse it.After a pause, Rebecca grabbed the saucer.“You are someone who used to earn over a million dollars a month,” Selena said, tasting the coffee from her cup. “You can’t be sitting here and staring at the sky like a senile person who’s got nothing better to do.”“I’ve worked my ass off for years, Mom. I gave you most of the money I earned, and you betrayed me, but I still have some money in my account,” Rebecca drank the coffee even though she didn’t like to drink what her mom made. “I can sit here and stare at the su
Dahlia and Akira were dashing through the woods. They had to take a different route as a horde of flying beasts had blocked their way, forcing them to go through the network of underground tunnels before ending up somewhere farther from the floating city. So they had to rush at full speed to try and get to the destination as soon as possible.Along the way they came across a foggy zone where the great crude oil river was flowing through the forest. It was a highly toxic zone for normal people because the evaporated oil filled the air with all kinds of harmful chemicals.Dahlia and Akira’s skin started getting rashes, but then Dahlia released her spiritual energy and covered both of them. Not only did this energy shield them from the toxic gasses, it also healed them. Akira was amazed by it, especially because she thought that Dahlia’s spiritual energy could only kill the vampires. Now, she wondered if the intention of the user had more to do with how the spiritual energy affected othe
Inside the shadow world.Amaal’s body was riddled with dozens of shadowy spears, but that still didn’t erase the evil smile on his face.He raised his hand, extending his fingers like roots and tried to trap Shadow in them. “I’ve killed countless humans with these soul-sucking fingers of mine,” he proudly shouted. “I personally don’t like human meat as much as I like human blood, I still make sure to send all the wasted human meat to the world within the ice wall so that it would get mixed in the fast food. All the humans eat those delicious hamburgers, without having a clue what’s actually mixed in them.”“Sick bastards like you deserve the worst kind of death!” Shadow raised his hand and repelled the roots with his dark energy, and then pulled Amaal with the same hand, startling him.Amaal, however, didn’t resist and flew toward Shadow, smiling so happily. “As long as you disguise something with comedy, the common people would eat it all without a worry in the world.” Shadow’s claws
Shadow’s nails dug into Molly’s heart, making her cough blood.She couldn’t move. (Shit. The damn king distracted me, and I let my guard down. Is this the end?) She could feel her life itself getting squeezed into nothing as Shadow firmly pressed her heart.But then Shadow suddenly jumped away because he had to dodge Amaal’s attack.“Dammit,” Shadow’s hand was still trembling. He looked at Molly who was now down on one of her knees, with thick blood hanging from chin. “What’s your damn armor made out of? It’s affected my control over my nerves, and I couldn’t squeeze your heart fast.”“It’s made from an experiment done on skystone,” Amaal replied. “It robs people of their oxygen.”“No wonder my muscles felt sore,” Shadow looked surprised. “Wait, doesn’t that mean she also can’t breathe freely because she’s wearing that armor?”“Yes, but vampires don’t have to breathe to live, so she’s gotten used to wearing it,” Amaal said. “That’s why she’s managed to reach the second rank among the
Despite the mishap, Shadow managed to pull Mina into the ground.But the damage was done. Mina had suffered a nasty wound to her waist. To make it worse, her body started corroding, starting from the wound.“I’m sorry,” Shadow clenched his fist in regret. If he hadn’t forcibly pulled Mina down, thereby negating her momentum, she might have been able to escape from that attack. It was because he was holding her arm, she couldn’t move away.“This much is nothing,” Mina tried to look strong, even though her bowels were all in a mess. “Don’t worry about me, and stall that monster until Benjamin is freed. Only you can do that.”Shadow poured some of his spiritual energy into Mina’s wound so that it would stop the wound from worsening.“Directed energy attack…” Shadow had a deep frown on his face as he looked at the awful. “This is worse than a laser attack. This can burn brick and metal to toast. I’ve never seen a vampire use flames to this degree. To be able to create this inside my shado
Shadow’s mind turned foggy as he took on an explosion head on. He felt like he was losing consciousness, which could be worse considering that he was alone.He crashed down on his back.“Bring him to me,” Amaal ordered.Out of the three subordinate vampires, only Brad was still able to move because the impact had also taken a lot of toll on their bodies.“Can I taste his blood, Your Majesty?” Brad asked while scuttling toward Shadow.“You can have one liter,” Amaal said, “but no more.”Brad’s eyes glowed yellow as he licked his lips. As a clone of the life leecher, he was perfectly capable of sucking not just blood but also people’s lifespan. He was planning to do just that even though he was only given permission to drink one liter of blood.As he was preparing to suck Shadow’s life, he suddenly felt losing grip on his own mind.“Do what you’re told,” Amaal’s voice rang in his mind, and Brad couldn’t resist the command.(This is…) Brad was startled. (Part of the Hive Mind that the ki
“Why do people fall in love?” Amaal asked as he defended himself from Shadow and Dahlia’s attacks with twin swords that he made out of his blood. “Is it because they’re fed with stupid movies, novels and magazines from a young age that glorifies sex while objectifying the people, or is it because love comes organically out of them? Tell me. How did you two fall in love? Did you follow the foolish trends of society, or were you able to think and act on your own?”Even though he asked them a question, they kept attacking him with their punches and kicks. Shadow was still yet to completely recover from the internal damage that he had received, but he was supporting Dahlia so that they could keep Amaal on the back foot.“Why aren’t you answering my question?” Amaal asked. “I genuinely want to know what love means. Do you need to have a certain number of traits to be successful at love, or do you just go with the flow of your heart? What makes you two look at each other with eyes full of l
George came to Rebecca who was sitting in front of a piano she hadn’t played in a long time.“Will you help me with learning the piano?” George asked her politely.“I myself am relearning it, so, no,” Rebecca replied, “uncle.”George laughed. “I’m your brother-in-law, not your uncle.”“Both are fitting,” she retorted, “in this case.”George found it embarrassing and frustrating that she wasn’t giving him any face even though he was just trying to be friendly, albeit with hidden intentions. “Do you know what happened to your sister’s husband?”“Akash left, it seems,” Rebecca said.“Yeah. But the shocking thing is that Veronica isn’t crying,” George opined. “Even enemies will shed tears as they’re parting, but… how come your sister isn’t shedding a tear? I didn’t know her heart was so cold.”“It is good that she’s not faking her crying like some others do,” Rebecca replied, startling George.“I-Is that what you think? Now that you put it that way, I don’t disagree.”Just then, Fiona arr
“Haha, did Veronica’s husband really go back to his country?” Fiona laughed excitedly as she privately talked with her daughter Riley in a guest room. “I didn’t think things would happen so smoothly. Now, we just need to introduce one of our rich allies to Veronica, and the rest will take care of itself. I should also deal with Rebecca’s husband, too.”“Mom, I need to tell you something,” Riley said.“Go on,” Fiona was eating sweet bread which Delle had made.“I…” Riley hesitantly said. “I think I’m in love with Benjamin.”Fiona choked on her bread.Riley quickly gave water.It was only after drinking the water, Fiona was able to breathe again. She took a few deep breaths and looked at her daughter in shock. “Are you fucking kidding me? You have a wedding soon, and you’re saying you fell in love with Rebecca’s husband? A pizza-delivery guy?”“No, mom. Rebecca’s husband is Benyamin, the guy with the wolf haircut, but the one I fell in love with is Benjamin,” Riley clarified, “the guy w
“It’s obvious that your sister has come here with a goal,” Selena was talking to Jacob in his room. “Fiona is a snake through and through. We can’t let her stay here for long, or she’ll cause our family to split up. If we give our daughters to the billionaires she refers to, then they will try to have control over our family. You do realize that, don’t you?”“So you want me to send my sister and her family away when they came to our house after so many years?” Jacob asked her back in an annoyed voice.“Yeah. You can’t hesitate with a snake, or it will bite you when you’re most vulnerable,” Selena added. “If you don’t send her away, she will stick in this house for a while and make a mess out of our family.”Jacob thought about it. “I can’t do it myself, but I know someone who can.”“Who?” Selena curiously asked.“Your eldest daughter,” Jacob smiled.“Rebecca?” Selena was surprised for a second. “I see. If Fiona confronts Rebecca about her marriage, then Rebecca wouldn’t just watch. If
“How are things with your family, brother?” Fiona asked.Selena raised an eyebrow. “You’re in a family that deals with real-estate, so you should already know how we’re doing.”“Haha, I do, but outside information can only be trusted so much,” Fiona responded. “Recently, we’ve worked hard on getting a marriage deal for Riley. Her fiance owns a reputed sports agency that deals with covering all the popular international sports. He earns hundreds of millions every year, but his father is a tycoon in the alcohol industry. Their net worth is in tens of billions.”“Good for you and your daughter,” Jacob smiled.“By the way, Brother,” Fiona glanced at Veronica and Akash. “What does Veronica’s husband do?”Jacob’s expression slightly changed.Veronica frowned and looked at her mother who was looking back at her with a rather poker face.“He is staying at home for now,” Veronica said openly.“Pfft, he’s jobless?” Riley snorted. “Your taste is so bad, Veronica, not just in terms of finding a pa
Benjamin went to the first floor and waited in the hall until Rebecca left her room.Then he went to her room. The door was locked, but he solidified his energy in the keyhole and opened the door.He entered the room quietly and saw the water bottle on the table next to her desk. It was half-full.Benjamin took out the vial and poured a drop of water into the bottle while saying ‘I love you, Rebecca.’He entered the bathroom and poured a couple of drops in the bathtub while once more uttering the three words ‘I love you, Rebecca.”He was about to come out of the room, but then he stopped and then ended up leaking another drop of water on the pillow, and another on the blanket. “I love you, Rebecca.”“Hopefully, this will help,” he thought.Benjamin then hurriedly left the room and then went to the rooftop. He mixed a few more drops in each of the four water tanks, while saying the words out, “I love you, Rebecca.”He looked at the vial.Three fourths of it was finished.He put the via
Despite Uzza, Rye, and Benjamin living in separate rooms, there were many guest rooms still available in the mighty Sterling villa, the best property on Rachel Hill.So, the families of Jacob’s siblings stayed in those rooms without any issue.But the problem was with the cousins, who were trying to show off. They acted arrogant and haughty with Veronica and even mocked Rebecca for the little hair she had on her head, not even bothering to wonder why exactly her hair was like that.Rebecca didn’t even bother talking to them, or sparing a word with them because she knew how selfish and self-centered these people were.Jacob and Shawn might have forgiven these people, but Rebecca couldn’t just act like nothing ever happened.She didn’t treat them badly, either. She just ignored them and minded her business.However, her cousin sisters got their eyes on Benyamin who was quite good-looking. Her cousin brothers were also unable to avert their eyes from Rye.Rye looked more like an exotic f
So many people started visiting Sterling villa ever since Selena herself had leaked the news of her buying a lot of land and buildings in Aurora Hills.Selena was sitting on the balcony, with Veronica next to her.“Why has the traffic increased so much?” Veronica said, “I’m seeing so many cars come and go recently.”Selena somewhat smiled and sipped on cream coffee. “I wasn’t born rich, Veronica. My relatives didn’t even let my parents into their homes or invite us to their functions because we were poor as church mice.”“Stop joking, Mom,” Veronica smirked with amusement. “You look like a million dollars. I’m sure our relatives’ sons back then would have wanted to marry you.”“You’re not entirely wrong, but they didn’t want to marry me as much as they wanted to mess with me,” Selena said. “I still remember one guy telling me, ‘I may look ugly as hell, but I can show you heaven in bed.’”Veronica went silent in shock. She didn’t think her mother’s beauty would have brought such terrib
Delle was bringing food, three varieties, on a big plate.Rye intercepted and took the plate from her. She brought it to Benjamin and sat by him under the tree.The grass was cool, even though the breeze was warm.“You think I haven’t noticed that you weren’t eating anything since you made that 40-day promise?” Rye said. “You were just acting like you’re eating.”She broke the bread mixed with fruit and brought it closer to his mouth.He didn’t open his mouth.“Do you want me to stop eating just like you are doing?” Rye said.Benjamin, who was staring into the distance, glanced at her. “Is it possible to love and hate at the same time?”Rye pursed her lips together, not quite understanding why he asked such a question. “I was angry with the things you did. I am still angry, but I don’t hate you. So, if you really love someone, I don’t think you can hate them.”“If there is no hatred in his heart, then how is Neel able to do this to me?” Benjamin asked, a hint of pain laced through his
Rebecca and Benyamin had breakfast together.This nearly made Selena’s eyes bleed. She didn’t think she’d live a day like this.Watching them eating happily was like injecting poison into her body.While she loved seeing her daughter happy, she couldn’t spare any mercy on the man who tricked her daughter into marrying him.Even now, she was thinking in her heart, devising plans on how to separate her daughter and her husband.Having lost the mood to eat breakfast, she came to the backyard.Amber was preparing the background setting needed for the interview.“Where’s Kathy?” Selena asked.“S-She’s with Samuel Sehla, ma’am,” Amber hesitantly said.Selena’s gaze turned a little icy, but then she smiled. “I knew Kathy had it in her, but I didn’t think she’d be able to grab the attention of someone like Samuel Sehla.” She looked at Amber. “What about you?”“I-I don’t plan on grabbing anybody’s attention,” Amber quickly replied.“Tsk, tsk,” Selena shook her head. “Try to grab Benyamin’s att