Nathan is peering at the asylum with his binoculars. Trent and Parker are sitting in the car with him, waiting for orders.“The place isn’t heavily guarded,” Parker reports. “But the floor where Anita is held captive has a few guards. Lincoln might have told Salvez to guard her in case anything goes wrong.”“Does Daniel know about her?” Nathan asks.“No,” Trent replies. “I’ve tracked Daniel’s locations from the past years. He never came here. Lincoln frequents this place once a month.”Nathan is deep in thought. Breaking into the asylum won’t be a challenge but breaking out a patient is going to raise eyebrows. If Lincoln finds out that Anita has been taken, he’ll get suspicious. “We’ll have to fake her death,” Nathan finally says. “Parker, do you have the uniform?”“Yes!” Parker replies at once. “Good. Trent, hack into the system and disable the sprinklers.The cameras as well. Parker, give me some matches and does anyone have any kinda alcohol?”“Oh!” Trent exclaims. “I’ve got some
Jason is standing in front of the school, worried. He has been waiting for over an hour and there’s no sign of Jo. All the students have left, leaving only her behind.“Where is she?” Gerald asks from the car. “I can’t see her anywhere…”Jason curses out loud. There’s something wrong. He has been trying to reach the guards who were stationed around Jo’s school but none of them are picking up the calls.“I’ll go and check their posts,” Jason says. “You go and look for Miss Jo in the school.”Gerald nods and they set off. Jason goes around the school building, towards an alley where one of the guards is stationed. To his shock, the guard is lying in a dark corner. “The hell?” He snarls and shakes the guard but the guy is out cold. The back door is also open, which alarms Jason. He heads for the other posts around the school and is shocked.Every single one of the guards have been drugged and are unconscious. Their bodies have been hidden in corners, out of sight. Feeling worried, Jaso
“I DON’T WANT IT!” Jo’s voice can be heard all the way from the living room of the Salvez mansion. She was knocked out for hours and brought directly to the mansion. Upon waking up, Salvez’s men tried to keep her under control but failed. It seems the girl is much more unruly than they thought. “I want Mac N’ Cheese!” She cries, pushing away the bowl of food the kidnappers have brought for her.Lance and Kal are irritated at the girl. Kal slams his hand on a table and glares at the girl menacingly. “Eat it or you’ll be sent in pieces to your mommy!” He snarls.“Joke’s on you coz I don’t have a mommy!” Jo snaps back. She’s not aware of where she is but when she woke up, she found herself in a large room which was almost like a palace. The men are guarding her and as soon as they spoke to her, she recognized their voices. These two were the same men who tried to hurt Halsey. And now, they have her.Little do they know, Jo won’t back down easily this time.Lance grabs her collar and
“Boss, slow down!” Parker yells but to no avail. Nathan is on death mode. His eyes are filled with a fierce anger, his hands ready to kill. He speeds past the quiet town, not caring who comes in his way. “Call the crew!” He orders. “Tell them that Jo has been kidnapped and we’re heading for the Salvez mansion.”“But we don’t have the address!”“Trent!” Nathan shouts. Trent is struggling to hack into the city’s main server. Anita has been admitted to Sam’s hospital which is outside the town but safe. The men are now speeding towards Salvez’s mansion but they don’t have the location yet.“No use!” He exclaims. “I need a bigger system. It’s too darn difficult.”“Where’s the system?”“At my house-”Nathan wheels the car around and speeds towards Trent’s house. They finally reach the place and Trent instantly gets to work. Turning on his large PC, he starts to code his way into the city’s system. “Well?” Nathan demands. “Where is he?”“It’s hard to trace but I think I can guess where he
Lincoln is still at the Salvez mansion. He takes a stroll along the corridor but frowns upon seeing that the place is even more guarded than usual. “Agh! You f*cking brat!” a man yells from one of the rooms and Lincoln can hear a child crying.A maid comes rushing out of the room and whispers to another maid. The maid spots Lincoln and recognizes him as one of Salvez’s guests. She also knows that Lincoln is a doctor, having served him tea earlier. She quickly rushes to him.“I apologize, doctor,” she profusely says. “But can you please tend to the wound of a little girl? She’s in that room…”“Little girl?” Lincoln echoes. “Who is it?”“She’s…she’s a guest,” the maid lies. Lincoln doesn’t buy her lie but heads for the room anyway. Inside the room are a few guards and to his shock, a child who has been tied to a chair. Her cheek is bleeding and there’s an imprint of a ring on it. Lincoln glances at the fingers of one of the guards who’s wearing a metal ring.“I had to hit her!” the gua
Damien’s car stops in front of the mansion. Halsey and Gerald were shocked to see so many men coming out of large armored vans and attacking the Salvez mansion. “Your boyfriend must be here already,” Damien says in a calm tone. “It seems he’s out for blood.”“No…”Halsey gets out of the car and rushes towards the smoky mansion. Several guards block her way and aim their guns at her. She comes to a halt, scared.“I need to meet Nathan!” She tries to explain, not knowing whether the guards are friend or foe. One of them recognizes her and takes off his mask. It’s Jason.“Ma’am please stay back!” He cautions her. “Mr. Michell is-”“Gonne die if you don’t let me in.”Jason growls when he sees Damien and Gerald coming up to them. Damien looks calm while Jason is furious. He aims his gun at Damien, ready to kill.“What the f*ck are you doing here?” He growls. “I told you not to show your face to me!”Damien’s calm persona slips and for a moment he looks hurt and regretful. Halsey steps in
Nathan is speechless but his silence gave her the answer. Halsey clutches Jo tightly, her eyes brimming with tears. Her daughter has been with her all along and she couldn’t even remember her! The guilt within her is intolerable, her mind in a turmoil. “Put her to bed,” Nathan finally says. “We have a lot to talk about.”Halsey turns away from him, unable to meet his gaze. It all makes sense now. He hated her because of what she did years ago but fate has put them together again. There are many things she needs to tell him and yet, she can’t face him.Every step towards Jo’s room is torturous and long. Halsey is quietly sobbing, kissing Jo’s cheek. She’s inwardly cursing herself for not remembering her own daughter and worst of all, her actions led Nathan to jail! She slowly puts Jo on the bed, gazing at the child. In Halsey’s eyes, Jo looks like her dad. Beautiful and sweet. She holds her tiny palm, crying.“I’m sorry honey,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry! Mommy is a bad person…”She
Halsey takes a deep breath and looks at herself in the mirror. She has washed herself up, cleaning the soot and dirt from her body. Putting on a t-shirt, she takes several deep breaths. It’s been so many years since she spent a night with Nathan and she’s suddenly very giddy. Their whole relationship is a roller coaster ride, sometimes up and sometimes down. Just thinking about their lost years makes her sad. If Lincoln hadn’t done all that, she could’ve made a family with Nathan and Jo. It would’ve been hard but they would’ve made it work. Charlotte would’ve been alive and she could’ve helped them. Maybe, Halsey could’ve finished college and Nathan would’ve become an ace lawyer. Jo would’ve gotten a normal childhood and not one where she’s targeted by the mafia all the time.It’s all a pipe dream now. All thanks to Lincoln and Daniel.She shudders at the thought. Lincoln is hiding his mother’s murderer. How can anyone live with that guilt is beyond her. Did he sell his soul to the d
*Eight months later in New York*Halsey is crying hard while Nathan looks guilty while Jo is quiet. “How could you do this to me?” Halsey wails. “This…this is…this is such a betrayal!”“Hales, I didn’t mean it!” Nathan exclaims. “It was an accident!”“Dad, this really isn’t right,” Jo adds, shaking her head. “I’m disappointed in you! How could you do this to mom?”Nathan gapes at his daughter. “It was an accident!” He claims. “I swear it was! I didn’t do it on purpose, babe! I-I was seduced!”“SEDUCED?” Halsey shouts at him. “SEDUCED?”She’s now angry and she throws a pillow at him. “SEDUCED? HERE I AM CARRYING A LITTER AND YOU…YOU…”Stopping in between her tirade, she takes several deep breaths. Nathan is ashamed and sad by what he did.“YOU…YOU ATE THE LAST PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?” Halsey shrieks and throws another pillow at him. “YOU KNOW I NEED CHOCOLATES IN THIS STATE!”Nathan is truly ashamed but the chocolate was too delicious to ignore. He thought no one would find out but Jo cau
Lincoln was being carried away by Damien’s men. He’s completely catatonic, his mind in severe shock. They took him to the psychiatric hospital where the doctors checked up on him. For many days, they’ve tried to figure out what’s wrong with him but to no avail.His encephalitis has reached the advanced stage in a short period of time. The doctors have no hope now.“He’s in a sort of a self-induced coma,” the psychiatrist tells Halsey one day. “He can’t comprehend anything. His eyes are open but his mind is shut. It’s as if he had a severe shock which he couldn’t overcome.”“Can he stand trial?” Halsey asks. “There must be something you can do to make him sane again. We can’t just let him off the hook like this!”“We’re trying but in a way, his punishment is this,” the doctor concludes. “He won’t be able to stand trial but he’ll not recover from this.”Halsey glances inside the ward where Lincoln had been kept. He’s staring at the wall, unmoving for hours. His once luscious hair has fa
*Present*“They must’ve found us!” Hastings exclaims. “How? You just said it’s a safe place?“I don’t know!” Lincoln yells. “They’ll kill us. Let’s just kill the kid and-”“ARE YOU INSANE?” Hastings screams. “She’s our only bet! If we take her, we can negotiate with them and leave this place alive!”As soon as he says that, several of Damien’s guards barge out of the elevator. Without any word, Hastings enters the room and grabs Jo before escaping through the fire escape. Lincoln runs off to hide.Downstairs, Nathan, Halsey, Damien and Daniel, are scavenging the floors. Hastings’ guards are being captured by their men, leaving their way clear. “Jo!” Halsey cries. “Jo, where are you?” “Jo?” Nathan shouts. The rooms are empty and they start to ascend the stairs. Daniel breaks off from the group, heading east to find Jo. In the chaos, no one notices him leaving.Halsey is beside herself with fear. Nathan keeps a firm grip on her while Damien instructs his men to spread out. “We’ll loo
Jo is glaring at Lincoln. She’s not crying nor looking scared but rather apprehensive of the man. The guards who were supposed to watch over her that day, had knocked out Jason and kidnapped her while she was on the way to school. They lied to Nathan that she was safe so that he wouldn’t come after them.Now, hours later, she’s tied up in an empty building. They’re on the fifth floor where Lincoln and Hastings are hiding. Lincoln is glaring at the little girl and he wants to push her off the window but she’s his only leverage to get Halsey.“In a few hours, your mother will come to me and we’ll leave this place,” he grins. “And you’ll be dead.”He steps forward, a manic glee in his eyes. “Once Halsey is here, I’ll kill you and take her with me.”“My dad will beat you!” Jo sneers. “Remember what he did to the other guy when he kidnapped me? I’m not scared of you!”WHACK!Lincoln slaps the insolent child. Jo feels immense pain on her cheek and even though her eyes are stinging with tear
Halsey is feeling a little squirmish. Things have been hectic for the past few days and it has taken a toll on her health. Just that morning, she threw up everything she ate. Nathan was alarmed by her condition and insisted that she went to the hospital for a checkup. He’s sitting with her, holding her palm. They’re outside the doctor’s office. Halsey was asked to undergo some tests and now, the doctor is reading the results.“Nate, I’m fine,” she assures him. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go to work.”“No, I won’t stop worrying until I see the reports!” Nathan insists. “I want to stay here.”Halsey smiles and shakes her head. He’s so persistent in every little thing related to her health. Nathan can’t help it. He lost her once and he can’t lose her again. The moment she started to show signs of being ill, he was overcome with paranoia. He’s thinking about the worst case scenarios and his heart is filled with fear. “Is Jo at school?” Halsey asks.“The guard texted me that she’s s
Over the next few days, Daniel is kept under close observation. Hastings and Lincoln are still missing, something which is looming over everyone’s heads. Nathan is trying to find them but to no avail. He and Halsey are trying to maintain normalcy at home so that Jo doesn’t suspect anything.One night, Nathan arrives home late to find Halsey is still awake. She’s curled up on the couch, reading. When she hears the door open, she looks up and smiles.“Any luck finding them?” she asks when he plops on the seat next to her. “None,” Nathan admits. “I can’t find them. It’s like they’ve vanished.”Halsey is now troubled. Where could they be? Nathan puts his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll find them,” he assures her. “They can’t hide for long.”“I hope so,” she murmurs and hugs him.Meanwhile, miles away from Bayers’ Coast, Lincoln is feeling frustrated. He’s angry and annoyed at being locked up in the house all day. Hastings told him that they’ll be implementing their plan soon but he’s lo
CRASH!The vase breaks into thousands of tiny pieces. Standing above the broken ceramic is Lincoln, with wild red eyes. He’s in a murderous rage and he breaks everything in his vicinity. Hastings is on a couch, bored of the man-child’s drama but Lincoln is on a warpath.“I’LL KILL THEM ALL!” Lincoln shouts. “THEY’VE BETRAYED ME-”“You were stupid enough to trust a stranger,” Hastings yawns. “You should’ve come to me instead. Just like your dad did. Your stupidity cost us the hospital. If you had your shares, we’d have been unbeatable today.”Lincoln shoots him a glare but Hastings doesn’t care. They’re at Lincoln’s farmhouse, a property he had purchased a few months back in secret. Lincoln can’t fathom his loss. Jamie and Damien double crossed him but he’s more shocked by Salvez.“My father is a fool! He only wants his business to be safe but I don’t care about all that!” Lincoln yells. “I just want Halsey!”“And I want revenge against Nathan Michell,” Hastings says. “The best way to
Daniel and Lincoln stand up, shocked. They gape at Nathan who’s grinning. “What’s the meaning of this?” Daniel snarls at Salvez. “Why are you withdrawing your support? And isn’t he the head of the Michell family? He’s your enemy!”“My father is merely supporting me,” Damien calmly says. Daniel rounds on him.“Did you forget that I saved you all those years ago? I gave you a new heart!”“By killing the woman I love,” Damien quietly says. This makes Daniel even more furious. Lincoln is glaring at Jamie but she’s smug. Nathan takes charge.“Fifty five percent of the shares have been transferred to me,” he tells his father. “You’re not the chairperson of this hospital anymore. I am. It’s over for you, dad.”Daniel glares at Nathan while Lincoln is silent. He’s too shocked, too numb to say anything. Once again, he has lost. This can’t be happening, he tells himself. It’s all a bad dream!But it’s not. It’s real and it’s happening. Nathan has taken over the hospital and effectively, Linco
Nathan is sitting on the couch, thinking hard. It’s past three o’clock in the morning and he’s not sleepy. On the contrary, he’s feeling agitated about what’s going to happen in a few hours. Even if everything seems to go according to his plan, he’s still nervous. What if something goes wrong? Even one misstep can ruin years of hard work.Halsey stirs in her sleep and rolls over to the side to hug Nathan only to find the spot to be empty. She slowly opens her eyes to find him on the couch, drinking alone. He looks worried and this in turn, worries her.“What’s wrong?” she asks as she approaches him. “Why are you awake at this hour?”“Can’t sleep,” Nathan mutters as he takes a sip from his drink. Halsey sighs and sits next to him. She pours a glass of whiskey for herself. Nathan is slightly surprised.“When did you start drinking whiskey?” He asks.“I don’t drink it,” she admits. “I just wanna give you company right now, that’s all. Why? You don’t like it when I drink?”“It’s up to yo