Samuel and Colt stared at each other for the longest time, each refusing to break the ice, and equally refusing to be less deadly in their stares.“You are ungrateful,” Colt said angrily.“How so?” Samuel asked, refusing to back down.If it was before, he would allow Colt Luscious to guilt-trip him into feeling like he needed to set things right.“I did everything for you, Samuel Fury. I showed up for you when no one else would. I became your benefactor when there was no one to even help you. I aided you to get back the Fury name and wealth, and what did I get in return?” Colt said, his eyes spitting fire.“Say how I fucking betrayed you, Colt, and stop beating around the bush,” Samuel stated bluntly, almost cutting Colt off. Colt ground his teeth in annoyance, and was also surprised at Samuel’s disrespectful tone.“You got my daughter pregnant!” Colt barked.“Did I?” Samuel asked, looking at Colt square in the eyes challengingly. “How am I certain that your daughter was the one I ha
Samuel drove home, his mind muddled up in thoughts. It was a card he played on Colt, and like a mirror, he saw right through Colt.More than ever before, and for the very first time, Samuel was certain that there was something amiss. Colt could not even answer the last question he asked him. Samuel thought of going to the penthouse, but he changed his mind last minute. He hadn’t been to the main house in days now, and since he was still in charge of the Fury house and wealth, he needed to go there and ensure that everything was okay.Changing directions now, his mind went back to Colt Luscious. Samuel knew what he hadn’t known for years now; he was also a victim of Colt and Ruby’s games, but he could not exactly put the points together. All along, he had been worrying so much about understanding what was going on in Ciara’s life and trying to piece together bits and pieces of the things he knew, and he had no idea that he might also need to piece them together. Now, Samuel was begin
Samuel got into the main house and flopped on the couch, extremely tired. From what he could see outside, all his domestic staff were in good shape and doing their jobs well, so Samuel closed his eyes and tried to take in as much rest as possible. He did not want to think much about anything for now; he just wanted to rest. If he could stay here for a couple of hours, and even take a nap in the process, he would be relieved, but shutting his brain off completely was not something he could do, considering all that was going on at the moment. He would need to take extra caution dealing with Colt henceforth, but Samuel could not tell if Kingston was now strong enough to get back to work. He knew he should have called Doctor Pedro to ask about Kingston’s improvement, but he had been swamped with things. Anyway, now that he was here, he would ask him personally. Samuel opened his eyes and looked around, and everywhere seemed quiet. Samuel was now used to catching Quinton standing by the
Linda had locked herself up in the room ever since the scandal. She could not even bring herself to go anywhere as close as downstairs, because she did not even want to deal with curious stares from the employees. Not only had she been skipping meals, she had also been avoiding her parents, especially her mother, because she could not deal with any firm of judgments right now.In truth, the Luscious mansion had been somewhat gravely quiet ever since. Linda was a nervous wreck as she called Hayes. She had been calling him almost every ten minutes, but she could not bring herself to stop.“Anything else?” Linda asked the moment the call connected.“No, Linda. He has been in the main house for hours now. Maybe he has called it a day, and I think I should too,” Hayes said, sounding tired.“Don’t you dare move from there!” Linda barked. They had missed Samuel for days, unable to trail him, because he had gone to hide somewhere unknown, and Linda had quickly told Hayes where to find Samu
Ciara Summers stepped out of the prison just as the sky turned dusky. She had been granted a one-day bail, with her freedom hanging on the ticking clock. Clutching a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it, she boarded a bus parked at the prison gate. The ride took her through winding roads, and by the time she arrived at a secluded mansion halfway up a mountain, the day had surrendered to night.A silent doorman greeted her and guided her through the grand but shadowed halls, leading her to a dark bedroom. The moment she stepped inside, the heavy scent of blood hit her. Before she could adjust to the darkness, strong arms yanked her forward, pulling her into a tight embrace. A warm breath brushed against her ear. “So, you’re the last pleasure they sent for me... the call girl?”The words struck her hard. “Call... girl?” she whispered, tears welling up. Fear gripped her as her voice trembled. “Are you... dying?”“Yes. Any regrets taking this job?” The man’s voice was cold, his
Samuel didn’t bother looking at Ciara. “You heard me,” he said flatly.Ciara nervously played with the edges of her dirty clothes. In a quiet voice, she replied, “Sir, this joke isn’t funny.”Samuel scoffed, his voice sharp as he retorted, “Weren’t you planning to marry me from the start?”His gaze cut into Ciara like a blade, his eyes locking onto hers. Ciara shivered and turned away, but Samuel grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him.In that moment, Ciara noticed his features more clearly—the cool, sharp lines of his face. He was undeniably handsome, with rugged stubble along his jaw. His suit was impeccably tailored, exuding luxury.It was clear to Ciara that this man was someone of importance. She glanced down at herself—worn-out, moldy clothes, messy hair, and a dirty face. She hadn’t showered in days, and the smell clung to her. The idea of the two of them getting a marriage certificate seemed absurd.Lowering her eyes, Ciara muttered, “Sir, do you think just because I’ve bee
Samuel’s brows knitted together instantly. “What?” he barked, striding quickly into the bathroom.The room was empty, but his gaze landed on the wall, where a message was scrawled in blood: “Mr. Fury, regardless of our social gap, I’d never marry you. Goodbye.” The handwriting was precise and bold, reflecting the writer’s determined spirit.For a moment, Samuel stood there, dumbfounded. Could his research on her have been wrong?After a brief pause, he snapped out of it and issued a command. “Search the mountain!”He couldn’t let his mother’s final wish go unfulfilled.At the back of the mountain, Ciara clung to the thorny vines, carefully lowering herself down the steep slope. Her clothes were in tatters, but she managed to evade the Fury family’s search by hiding under a dense thicket until nightfall. Once darkness fully descended, she continued her escape, moving around the mountain until she found a way out.By dawn the next day, Ciara arrived at the Luscious Residence, her presen
Samuel had been searching for Ciara for a full month. Just when he began to think his investigation might have been too harsh, she appeared before him—serving as a waitress in the very room reserved exclusively for him. He had underestimated her. His eyes narrowed in disbelief as he realized she wasn't hiding; she was raising her stakes.“Director Fury, is something wrong?” The restaurant manager, who had been accompanying Samuel, could barely conceal his fear as he noticed the icy stare directed at him.“How long has she been working here?” Samuel's voice was dangerously low.The manager stammered, “A...A month.”A month? The same length of time since she had escaped from his family’s grasp. Samuel's blood boiled—she wasn’t running away, she was simply positioning herself to negotiate a higher price. Damn her!Ciara's eyes flickered with resentment as she met his gaze. It felt like a cruel twist of fate. Why did the world have to be so small?"I don’t know what you’re implying," she
Linda had locked herself up in the room ever since the scandal. She could not even bring herself to go anywhere as close as downstairs, because she did not even want to deal with curious stares from the employees. Not only had she been skipping meals, she had also been avoiding her parents, especially her mother, because she could not deal with any firm of judgments right now.In truth, the Luscious mansion had been somewhat gravely quiet ever since. Linda was a nervous wreck as she called Hayes. She had been calling him almost every ten minutes, but she could not bring herself to stop.“Anything else?” Linda asked the moment the call connected.“No, Linda. He has been in the main house for hours now. Maybe he has called it a day, and I think I should too,” Hayes said, sounding tired.“Don’t you dare move from there!” Linda barked. They had missed Samuel for days, unable to trail him, because he had gone to hide somewhere unknown, and Linda had quickly told Hayes where to find Samu
Samuel got into the main house and flopped on the couch, extremely tired. From what he could see outside, all his domestic staff were in good shape and doing their jobs well, so Samuel closed his eyes and tried to take in as much rest as possible. He did not want to think much about anything for now; he just wanted to rest. If he could stay here for a couple of hours, and even take a nap in the process, he would be relieved, but shutting his brain off completely was not something he could do, considering all that was going on at the moment. He would need to take extra caution dealing with Colt henceforth, but Samuel could not tell if Kingston was now strong enough to get back to work. He knew he should have called Doctor Pedro to ask about Kingston’s improvement, but he had been swamped with things. Anyway, now that he was here, he would ask him personally. Samuel opened his eyes and looked around, and everywhere seemed quiet. Samuel was now used to catching Quinton standing by the
Samuel drove home, his mind muddled up in thoughts. It was a card he played on Colt, and like a mirror, he saw right through Colt.More than ever before, and for the very first time, Samuel was certain that there was something amiss. Colt could not even answer the last question he asked him. Samuel thought of going to the penthouse, but he changed his mind last minute. He hadn’t been to the main house in days now, and since he was still in charge of the Fury house and wealth, he needed to go there and ensure that everything was okay.Changing directions now, his mind went back to Colt Luscious. Samuel knew what he hadn’t known for years now; he was also a victim of Colt and Ruby’s games, but he could not exactly put the points together. All along, he had been worrying so much about understanding what was going on in Ciara’s life and trying to piece together bits and pieces of the things he knew, and he had no idea that he might also need to piece them together. Now, Samuel was begin
Samuel and Colt stared at each other for the longest time, each refusing to break the ice, and equally refusing to be less deadly in their stares.“You are ungrateful,” Colt said angrily.“How so?” Samuel asked, refusing to back down.If it was before, he would allow Colt Luscious to guilt-trip him into feeling like he needed to set things right.“I did everything for you, Samuel Fury. I showed up for you when no one else would. I became your benefactor when there was no one to even help you. I aided you to get back the Fury name and wealth, and what did I get in return?” Colt said, his eyes spitting fire.“Say how I fucking betrayed you, Colt, and stop beating around the bush,” Samuel stated bluntly, almost cutting Colt off. Colt ground his teeth in annoyance, and was also surprised at Samuel’s disrespectful tone.“You got my daughter pregnant!” Colt barked.“Did I?” Samuel asked, looking at Colt square in the eyes challengingly. “How am I certain that your daughter was the one I ha
Samuel had been in many uncomfortable situations, ones that required deep and intense emotions, but he had never seen anything like this, and deep down, he knew that there was still more that Ciara was yet to tell him.As he stood above Ciara and watched her, her words just kept floating through his mind. And to think he had actually believed Linda when she said that Ciara had come into their home to steal. Now, things were beginning to click together, piece by piece. How on earth did someone go through all that? A woman for that matter? “Thank goodness I did not end up marrying Linda,” Samuel said quietly. When he had arrived at the venue and had walked up to the altar, and had looked at Linda in that dress, he had just known that he could not go through with the wedding. Even if it was some sort of an arrangement, and nothing based on love, he just couldn’t. Even though he had wanted to marry Linda to get to know what was really going on, he just couldn’t, and now, he was grateful
There was a deafening silence after Ciara said Linda Luscious.Samuel felt as though he was hearing differently. Yes, he knew that he suspected something was off, but he had no idea, and now, he was even more confused.“Linda Luscious?” Samuel asked, wanting to be certain he was hearing rightly.“You asked who Rudge was referring to when he said ‘she’, right?” Ciara asked.Now, they were both seated on Ciara’s bed, quietly. It was the first time they would be having a conversation in this manner. All the times they had a conversation, they had always been talking in high tones, and throwing unpleasant words to each other.“Was she the same person the previous time when Rudge had contacted you and struck a deal? Samuel asked calmly. He could not even bring himself to shout. In fact, he was even struggling to ask questions that were not silly, because while they talked and he listened to Ciara, he was still trying to clear out his confusion.“Yes,” Ciara answered soberly.“How on earth d
Lori got up from bed, feeling deep pains in her lower back. She groaned in pain, but she was not about to give up. She had been bedridden ever since Ciara left their cabin, and she was sick of it. In fact, she was beginning to get sore just being there.It was a difficult attempt, but Lori struggled and got out of bed. Then she staggered and made her way to the living room. She kept groaning in excruciating pain, and when she was finally able to get to a seat, she sat down, but then again, she could not even sigh in relief, because sitting down was causing her more pain than she anticipated.The door opened and Martin entered, holding a sack of potatoes. The moment he saw Lori sitting down, he dropped the sack and ran over to her, as the potatoes spilled out of the bag and ran in different directions.“Hey, how did you get out here?” Martin said, deeply worried.He knelt in front of Lori, held her hand and watched her closely. It did not take long for Martin to realize that Lori was i
“Let me take the call,” Samuel said firmly, stretching his hand to collect the phone from Ciara. “Let me handle it.”Ciara would have given the phone to Samuel to “handle” it like he said, but she could still vividly recall what happened the last time she had allowed Samuel to handle her business with Rudge. If he was calling again, it meant something, and for all Ciara knew, she could still have a shot at getting to know what truly happened that fateful day.“No,” Ciara said firmly also.“What?” Samuel seemed amazed by Ciara’s firm rejection. Although why he was surprised, Ciara could not tell. He should be used to her constantly doing the exact opposite of what he wanted her to do by now.“I am not letting you handle this, Samuel,” Ciara stated.The phone was still ringing.“For all you know, Ciara, this guy could just want to get money from you! He is a blackmailer without the real information you desperately want, and this is what they do,” Samuel tried to make Ciara see reasons,
Ciara heard the penthouse front door opening at the dead of the night.She jolted up and grabbed the gun. It was a good thing that she had the gun within reach.“Who could be breaking into the penthouse?” Ciara asked herself.She tiptoed out of her room and hid behind the curtains as the footsteps proceeded into the living room.Then Ciara, without looking, aimed her gun and fired.“What the heck!” Samuel yelled in shock.Alarmed by her mistake, Ciara switched on the lights and rushed out of her hiding place. She saw that Samuel had flown on one of the couches. “Oh my gosh, did I hurt you?” Ciara asked, looking for where the bullet might have hit Samuel.“Get off me!” Samuel said and pushed Ciara far away from him. Ciara was still worried. From her position, she tried to look at Samuel to check for signs of blood, but she wasn’t seeing any. Then she looked around the living room and saw the bullet beside the door. She sighed in relief; thank goodness that she hadn’t mistakenly shot