After Zeke and Jenny had gone back into the building, Luke cocked the gun up, grinning in glee as he gazed at Alec. "Start groveling, and I just might give you a quick death, Alec!"Alec glared at him, cursing, "Fucking idiot.""What did you say?!" Luke yelled, not expecting Alec to be so arrogant even at a time like this. Wasn't he worried he'd die?Alec ignored him, turning to Evan instead. "Truce?""Truce." Evan nodded. Better to bring Jenny to safety first before getting Alec to die.Gunshots immediately rang out, and if not for one of Luke's men pulling him to the side at the very last second, he would've instantly gotten hit."Fuck! Kill them all! Now!" Luke roared.War immediately broke out with casualties on both sides, though everyone stayed away from the mansion where Zeke and Jenny were in.Meanwhile, Jenny listened to the gunfight outside while her heart stuttered with each bang. Could Alec and Evan escape from it unscathed?"Do you think Alec will make it out al
Alec had already told Vincent to bring backup besides notifying Evan. They should be there any minute now. Sure enough, another wave of reinforcements arrived, but they were neither Alec's men nor anyone else's there.When police sirens followed them, everyone froze in sheer shock.Zeke would've handled the police accordingly if he'd planned to kill Alec today, so they wouldn't have come even if someone had called for them, nor if they'd heard the hundreds of gunshots. Yet right now, with the large police force at their doorstep, it was evident they'd come prepared for the gunfight.Alec swiftly tossed away his handguns, even removing his prints from them.Evan's mouth twitched, annoyed, but he did the same. He then had his men disperse before the police barged into the premises. Luckily for them, Luke and his men were still recovering from the shock. Hence, they didn't escape first thing. That, or they assumed the police wouldn't do anything to them. Just as they were aiming f
Jenny and the rest were being interrogated in the Bardoff City Police Headquarters. She didn't mind, of course. She was one of the victims in all this, after all. All that worried her were Alec and Evan since they'd participated in the gunfight earlier. Who knows what instrument of the law might be held against their necks?Stephanie was in another interrogation room, and sitting across from her was Leonard himself. "So, you don't know anything that went on?""Mhm." It's not like Stephanie was lying. She really was clueless.Leonard nodded. "Alright. You can go now.""Huh? That's it?" Things had been so tense when she came. She'd imagined the situation to be more complicated than it was right now.Leonard stood up, ready to escort her out. "Come on then."Stephanie followed behind him, still confused. "What'll happen to the others?""You mean Jenny specifically, don't you?""Yeah. She's innocent, by the way."Leonard stopped, then turned back to look at Stephanie. "You really
Paul didn't respond to her thanks. He was still hung up on the fact that Stephanie knew Leonard Sullivan. "Do you know that new Police Commissioner?""Yeah. He was my classmate."Classmate?Paul frowned, feeling threatened all of a sudden. He'd seen how bright Stephanie's smile was when she spoke to Leonard and how close that man was to her when he escorted her out. It felt like his advances were being rejected."I'll drive you back. Let's go." Paul sighed, pushing down all those worrying thoughts of his.Stephanie shook her head. "I'm gonna wait for Jenny and Alec to come out.""...alright. I'll stay with you." Paul pursed his lips but didn't stop her. He could spend more time with her that way."Stay away from Jenny from now on, please. You'll only get involved in more dangerous situations like this with her current status." If it weren't for Jenny, Stephanie wouldn't have been abducted.Stephanie shot him a look. "What if it was you and Alec? Would you stop being friends wit
When Alec, Evan, and Jenny walked out of the station, they met Zeke just as he was leaving, though the old man's expression was clearly more upset than anyone else's."Oh? Are you sure you wanna leave your grandson back in there? Not worried his tongue will slip?" Alec scoffed. Leonard was pretty brave. He was adamant about someone taking responsibility for what happened. Hence, upon his insistence, Luke could only be the scapegoat."Watch yourself, Alec!" Zeke barked out furiously."What do you mean, sir?" Alec gasped in faux shock, eyes still colored with disdain. "I'm only concerned about you and your family."Zeke sneered, then left with his men.Alec, Jenny, and Evan then spotted Paul and Stephanie waiting outside. Stephanie hurriedly went up to Jenny, scanning her body for injuries. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?""No, I'm okay." Jenny shook her head, glad to see Stephanie safe and sound. Thank goodness, or everything that happened today would've gone to waste."It was
The word "fate" rubbed Paul the wrong way. He scoffed, "Fate? What kind of fate is that? It was just a coincidence!"Jenny couldn't stand his jealousy any longer. She scooched over to Stephanie and whispered, "Is he jealous?"Stephanie pouted, mumbling, "Who cares?"She didn't care what Paul thought. She really did think meeting Leonard today was pretty magical, given they hadn't contacted one another in so many years. What else could it be if not fate?"Fate works in mysterious ways. Why don't you invite him out for lunch sometime?" Alec suggested nonchalantly.That made Paul glare at him, questioning the intentions behind the suggestion.Alec smiled but didn't say anything else.He'd never thought of making connections with the law, but after today he'd realized this might be one of the next best steps to take. Plus, Leonard seemed to be the most suitable man for the other end of this string. The man was young and hopeful—he wasn't tainted with greed or corruption, unlike th
"Do you have that much confidence in yourself?" Jenny asked. Yes, they escaped unscathed, but who knows if luck would be on their side next time?Their food was then served. Alec immediately served Jenny some soup, replying, "Here. We'll talk while eating."Jenny dug in hungrily, having not eaten anything because of what happened earlier."It's not just confidence, actually. If we've done sufficient preparations, all we need left is luck," Alec reassured her. "Like this time. As precarious as the situation was, all of us had prepared backups, which minimized the threats."Jenny had Paul contact the station while Alec had Vincent bring reinforcements; that was partially why they made it out alive today."You say that, but it's not like things will go according to plan each time." What if she hadn't told Paul to get the police? Or what if Zeke had decided to press the trigger on the gun against her temple?Alec said gently, "Don't worry about it, Jenny. You won't be put in such dan
After shopping for nearly an hour, Jenny and Stephanie finally decided to go home to rest.Vincent drove a car over for Alec, who then decided to drive Jenny home. Jenny was about to ask if he could drop Stephanie off at home, too, when her friend refused.Jenny instantly guessed that Stephanie might be trying to give Paul a chance to prove himself again."Go on home first. I can have him drive me." It's not like Paul would bite, right?So, Jenny left with Alec, deciding not to butt in with her friend's decisions. After the two left, Stephanie turned to Paul and said, "I'll get a cab. Why don't you go back first?"Ultimately, she still decided against having more connections to the man."Do you really need to do this, Stephanie?" Paul asked unhappily. They'd already left things go sour between them during the day. Did she have to do so right now too?Stephanie stared emotionlessly at Paul. "I thought I made myself clear, Paul Wagner. Why won't you just let me go?"She no long