She thought that she was able to start anew in Vapros, outside of Great Blackhampton where all the bad things happened but not too far from that country and Maconia, where her son possibly is with Cassandra and her family.To her bad luck, she met a powerful person whom she thought would help her in her time of need.She was at a bar in Vapros, stumbling into it as she was roaming around, lost on what path to take and missing her family as well.Like before, she wanted to relieve the heartache with alcohol so when she spotted a bar that looked clean and fancy, she didnât hesitate to enter.She still has her money and didnât want to venture into low-class bars where she might meet some thugs.So she went to Club Essence instead.In her little black backless dress and knee-high black boots, she sauntered inside, mustering her remaining confidence.Sheâs in a different country and had distanced herself from people who knew her, she was not confident she would be given the same VIP treatm
âHas he been hiding this indecent side all along? Here I thought I met a kind man..â Chantal thought.But after days of being intimate with him, she realized that other than being quite more amorous than expected of someone his age, he didnât treat her badly.She now has a personal driver and bodyguard who would escort her to her work and back.She lived even more luxurious than before.The only consequence to this was the occasional PDA she had to endure with this older man.Though he didnât look bad for his age, Chantal still was not attracted to him as her lover.But she knew that he was giving her a comfortable life now. And perhaps, that was enough.Back then, she had decided to steal Henry from Diana, thinking she was in the right since she was in love with him.But that ended badly anyway.Now, she didnât expect too much. Just that, she would receive whatever is given to her and take this opportunity so she could get back on her feet.Perhaps, she would be able to make a name f
Mortimer glanced at her as she stood up, taking her purse with her.His brow raised at Titus. âDoes he really trust his woman?ââIs it true what they say? Titus has lost his touch? The man who killed the mother of his only daughter is now being so trusting towards his new woman?âMortimer was evaluating whether it was a wise decision to be in a negotiation with Titus.His power was in Great Blackhampton while Titusâs was here in Vapros.Money was here in Vapros since this is the most populous metropolitan in the world. That is why he was unwilling to let go of this connection, otherwise, he should be prepared to go head to head against Titus.Though there are other competitors, Titus was the biggest player in the industry.If he wished, he could block other players from accessing Vapros easily.This didnât mean however that Mortimer could be blocked by Titus easily.Mortimer has his own tentacles within the Vaprosâs government as well as underground just as Titus has in Great Blackham
On her way to the ladiesâ bathroom, Chantal straightened her back as if still confident about herself.Her heart hammered against her chest and her cold hand trembled as she gripped her purse while the other was clenched tightly.She felt slight relief once she entered the bathroom without being stopped by anyone.Seeing herself in the mirror, she saw how pale she was at this moment. She had already given herself a tan before she arrived in Vapros but at this moment, she looked almost yellow.Hearing footsteps heading her way, she quickly entered a cubicle and sat down after pulling up her skirt and pushing down her lacy underwear. The very one he had picked for her.She had wanted to throw it away or burn it to crisp as it reminded her of Titus.She heard footsteps nearby, and at that moment her urine trickled down the toilet.It was probably her nerves that she had been holding down since earlier.âAre they going to open the door? Oh my god!â She stared at the door in horror.She h
âSo, my darling Sophia, what do you think?â Titus smiled at her. But his eyes didnât carry any warmth.âWhy does he look like a lizard right now?â Chantal thought.She would have laughed at how her thoughts suddenly went in a different direction but she was reminded of how dangerous her position is in.âThink about what, Darling?â She smiled at him, trying to keep herself calm.âOh, you knowâabout what my colleague and I discussed just now.ââAh.. I honestly am surprised.â She said.Titus raised his brow.He was expecting her to feign ignorance. Now he was even more intrigued.âSurprise about what?ââWhat kind of business do you have? I was expecting it to beârestaurant businesses, maybe real estate.. You know, the usual.ââHahaha! Oh I have those too..ââAh.. Well, then Iâm even more surprised. Goodness, I really thought I was already lucky enough to meet such a generous man as you. Someone like me who has no one here. Iâm thankful and like I said, feeling lucky. And now to be your l
Chantal thought that Titus was merely monitoring her.Nothing changed in her routine since that day when she met Mortimer.She would wake up in the morning in her own room, get ready for work, then have breakfastâsometimes with Titus, then she would head to the company where she would stay for the whole day. Unless Titus would tell her to come out and join him for lunch, she would only leave the company once sheâs done for the day.Dropping off and picking up, the assigned driver on her would be on time.If anything that she could appreciate, itâs that Titus had not called her in the middle of her work which would not cause her to make excuses with the supervisors so she can be excused to leave.Titus would not do this of course. He has a plan for her. But first, she has to build an image of being trustworthy and reliable.This would make it easier for her to approach others.After all, who would ever think that a woman who values professionalism would suddenly be carrying drugs.As f
Back in Great Blackhampton, the Old Patriarch Ernest Lovell and his wife Lillian Forrest-Lovell had reached their destination.From their residence at Oxfield City in the state of Amberhaven, Ernest and Lillian flew on their private plane for an hour to the state of Rimewall.They landed at the airport at Millpoint City where they had to take a 30-minute drive to Westbury City, the place where Adrian was said to have been spotted.Westbury Cityâs police department had conducted their investigations.Coincidentally, they were also doing a drug sweep in the city and have apprehended any suspicious individuals.Adrian, who appeared to seem out of place through the CCTV, as he was seen always looking around him as if he was hiding from someone, was one of the many people detained.Adrian of course objected to this act from the police.But at this moment, several civilians would prefer this than for the cityâs drug problem to continue.Especially when the higher-ups would be dissatisfied w
The man shook his legs nervously under the table, looking at the door, to the light above him and to the mirror in front, then back to the door again. Heâs still uncomfortable being in such spaces. It reminded him of what he had gone through for years up until months ago. He had been on the run since then. âI have to go back..â He felt that he had been sitting there too long. At this moment, he just wanted to do what they wanted so they could let him go sooner. Meanwhile, the Officer went to the other room. He didnât need to relay their conversation verbatimly since the Chief, Ernest and Lillian could hear their conversation in the other room. Lillian was on the phone talking to the employee in one of their branches. Then once she hung up, she turned to the Chief. âHeâs outside.â âOkay. Iâll have someone escort him in. Or Detective Jones, can you do it?â He turned to the Officer. âSure..â He nodded. âHe is Doctor Lawrence Murray. A medical geneticist in one of our Institute
Lillian, Ernest and the rest arrived at the airport and were quickly assisted through the process. They were able to leave the airport and head to their residence easily. Adrian looked around and saw that everything seemed strange in his eyes. Nothing was familiar to him. It was when they were finally close to the mansion when he recognized the structure. He had dreamt of this place so many times. It had become hazy at some point. But now, he could see that this was more or less the place he lived in before he was taken. It had some new additions along with other changes such as the paint and the landscape design. But the overall structure was the same. As they entered the gates, he saw that there were a lot of people outside of the house. They were lined up even in this cold weather. Most of them seemed to be wearing uniforms under their black coats. The only ones who looked different than the others were the three couples and two young men. âAh.. Everyoneâs here.â Emma smiled
Adrian and Violet were apprehensive when they saw the big plane that they were going to ride on.Fortunately for them, they were flying through the private plane of the Lovell family, else, they would be even more embarrassed by the way they were acting.To their memory, this was their first time being on any plane.That simply was not true for Adrian, as the family had gone on vacations before that needed the plane. Itâs just that this memory may have been forgotten by Adrian already.As for Violet, this was her first ever flight.They at least knew what a plane was.They were only anxious as to how they would feel once theyâre already up in the air.Lillian and the rest tried to distract them from these thoughts.Hugh and Leroy offered them some wine and snacks.Emma and Priscilla showed them the movies they could watch on the screen in front of their seat.Lillian especially made sure they felt warm and comfortable, giving them blankets and pillows, showing them how to recline thei
âYes, Dad. AlrightâMn..Goodnight.â Lucas said to Hugh on the phone.Hugh had called him to let him know that they would be heading back in the morning with Adrian and his friend, Violet.Hugh and Leroyâs secretaries have received updates regarding a background check on Violetâs family.Theyâve decided to let Violet stay with the Lovell family as a guest.In the residence, thereâs usually only the elders living with their staff. Usually, it would be busier during holidays and if there are any special occasions. In those times, everyone would gather in the residence and stay in their rooms reserved for them.Lillian and Ernest have held out hope that Adrian would return to them so they never thought of letting anybody else use it.Lillian would personally clean it and it was only in the later years that she let her staff help her.She wanted to preserve whatever remaining scent Adrian had left.There were times when she would burst out in tears, realizing that she could no longer recall
Soon, the driver, John Garcia, pulled up outside of the hotel where Lillian and the rest were staying.Adrian was no longer as anxious as he was half an hour ago, still he could still remember the bullets trying to penetrate through the car and the explosion after those goonsâ cars had collided.Detective Jones glanced at him, noticing how pale Adrian was.Still, he commended him for not breaking down and not getting in their way.And also, because of him, they were able to rescue so many people who have been missing for years.Perhaps the Mayor might even think of rewarding Adrian because of his contribution.At the moment though, it was inappropriate to bring it up, given what the man had just experienced.So after escorting them to the hotel, Detective Jones left them, joining the other Officers with the rescued people.It was a field day for the reporters, gathering outside the police department.On the televisions of most households, they showed several people with their heads lo
As John Garcia was driving the car forward, everyone in the car held their breaths.They already knew that those people were Mortimerâs men. They could only play along for now, hoping for them to think that Adrian was in the other cars.But thenâthat possibility is very low.The black car theyâre in was far from ordinary upon close inspection.And like clockwork, shots rang.Adrian ducked, covering his head with his arms.John Garcia gripped the steering wheel while Howard Dawson and Detective Jones cocked their guns.A voice of one of the policemen came on the comms. âKeep going. Follow the second group!âNo matter what, they couldnât let Adrian and the people who had just been rescued be in Mortimerâs hands again.John Garcia didnât hesitate and quickly sped on.Mortimerâs men have picked the road where thereâs only farm crops on each side, the road only leading one way.The city was still quite far so blending in or hiding in some alleyway would still be impossible.For now, they s
The drive was calm, with John Garcia, the driver not making any stops if he could help it.The car could drive even without gas as it can run on solar power.It could be recharged at a charging station, could store gas and could be powered through solar. This is all thanks to the upgrades done by the Lovell Technologies.With the drive being calm, Adrian fell to sleep.Even Detective Jones dozed off as well, his head hitting the window a couple of times.An hour into the drive, the car suddenly beeped in alarm.Adrian and Detective Jones groaned, having been woken up by the alarm.âWhat is it? Whatâs happening?â Detective Jones asked.âThere seems to be an accident up ahead.â John Garcia answered, pointing at the GPS shown on the screen in front of him.âIs there another road we can take?â The bodyguard, Hoyt Cole asked.âThis is the only road back to Westbury..â John Garcia answered.âMaybe the road is not totally blockedââ Detective Jones said.âAlright thenâweâll keep going..ââSta
After canvassing the full layout of the building and accounting the number of people inside, Detective Jones and the other Officers made their strategic plan.An hour later, they made their move.Adrian was made to stay in the car while he viewed their perspective from the tablet device.He was given eyes for different cameras. Two more Officers were also monitoring it from their tablet devices.They compared every person found to the sketches from Adrianâs description of the people held captive. And also of the ones Adrian said were the people who ordered them around.Adrian watched as the trained Officers infiltrated the area covertly.CCTV cameras were hacked and made to play the same view over and over again.They knocked out the guards with tranquilizers, making sure they wouldnât be waking up so soon.They were separated into groups. One made way to the sleeping quarters of the captives, another entered the main building, and another surrounded all possible exits.There were onl
Adrian held her hand, squeezing it.At that moment, Hugh returned to the room and was startled by the silence.âWhat happened?â He asked. His eyes wandered to Violet who now had her head lowered, her hand covering her eyes and her shoulders shaking.âIs she crying?â His brows furrowed.âViolet just remembered what happened that time when she was taken away.â Emma summarized it for him.He nodded. âBy the wayâIâve just received information just now. Violetâit has something to do with you. If this is not a good time, I wonât say it.âShe looked up, quickly wiping her tears with the cloth napkin.âNo, please, I want to hear it.âHugh nodded.âWhat is it, Hugh?â Emma asked.âItâs about her family.âThey all glanced at Violet, gauging her reaction.âI rememberâmy mother died that time.â She said.Hugh nodded, confirming what she had remembered.Her heart fell. Deep inside, she was hoping that she was wrong. That she remembered it wrongly.Tears continued to fall down her cheeks. The napkin
Knock. Knock.âIâll go get it..â Emma said.She opened the door and saw her younger brother, Adrian.âAh.. Adrian.. What is it?âAdrian was startled.He stepped back to check if he knocked on the correct room or not.âYou have something you need from Violet?â She smiled.His brows shot up. âOh. UmâI was going to bring her to the dining room.ââAh.. I see. Well, just in time. Weâre done here as well.â Emma smiled. She turned her head and called over. âCome on you two..ââOkay!â Priscilla said. âLetâs go Violet..âPriscilla brought Violet over.Adrian was struck for a moment when he saw Violet.He had never seen her so dolled up.Her hair was beautiful and so is her overall look. Her face was even more beautiful than usual.Violetâs head hung as her cheeks blushed bright red.Adrian cleared his throat.âLetâs go..â Adrian tilted his head.âMn.â Violet nodded.