The Phoenix Mafia headed out of the presidential suite and into the elevator, all except for Esther and Ivy, who remained in the suite to monitor the commotion in the hotel entrance lobby via the hotel security system that Ivy hacked into.
"Guys, get ready. Gary and his cronies are about to force their way into the reception area. Security is doing their best but they may not be able to hold out much longer." Ivy reported to Charles."The police have been contacted. They are on the way. Hold out as long as you can." Esther added."We hear you, ladies. Keep watch and stay in the suite. Do not exit the suite, no matter what." Charles replied in an order to Ivy and Esther.The rest of the Phoenix Mafia soon exited the elevator and made their way to the reception area, where Gary and his crew just managed to break through the security.During this time, Charles's brother Mason was watching from his office. His door was slightly open so he could se"I'm not done with you yet." Gary mumbled to himself as he struggled to get back to his feet. Unbeknownst to Charles and the Phoenix Mafia, Gary was never ready nor willing to fight fair. He discreetly took out his knife that was in his pocket the whole time.With the Phoenix Mafia's backs turned on Gary, Charles would never know Gary's attempt to stab him from behind.While the hotel was still busy handling the rest of his crew, Gary limped towards Charles, ready to pounce. "DIE, YOU M*****F*****!" Gary screamed as he lunged towards Charles. He was about to stab Charles's back, targeting his spine."BROTHER! LOOK OUT!!"WHAM!"Woah! What the... ?" Charles and the Phoenix Mafia turned around to see what happened. They were shocked when they saw was Gary on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from the back of his head, still holding on to his knife.They also saw a man standing over him with a pipe, looking at
"Wow....I can't believe it. You are actually the king of Townsville's underground mafia. If being in the underground mafia is a legal thing, you would be on par with brother Derek." Mason exclaimed. "Woah, slow your role, bro. Do not think that way. Like I mentioned to you, Mr. Quinton owns both the Quinton Consortium and our underground mafia. He is still the kingpin. Mr. Quinton said so himself, he wants both brother Derek and I to succeed him; but at the end of the day I still report to brother Derek." "I understand, brother. Brother Derek is the main man overall. You are kind of, like, his hidden right hand man." Mason concluded. "Yeah, I guess if you put it that way, that's quite correct. Me and my team, The Phoenix Mafia, work in the shadows, protecting everyone associated with Mr. Quinton, Brother Derek and all of the Quinton Consortium. If you put it in another way, this is my road to redemption." Charles replied. "Spea
Ring! Ring! Ring! Mason's phone rang. He took his phone out to see the name on the display. His eyes widened and he had a smile. "Hi, honey. What time is it over there?" Mason greeted the person on the other side of the phone. "Mason, dear, I saw the news... Quinton Hotel was attacked by a group of thugs. Are you ok?" Charles could hear the voice from Mason's phone. There was something familiar about the voice but he could not put a finger on it. "I'm fine. How's the cafe? Uncle Raymond, Aunty Pam and Juri doing ok?" Mason asked, causing Charles's eyes to widen. "The cafe's fine. We've been busy. The last few weeks have been crazy. Ever since we opened the cafe, we've been working almost non-stop. We definitely need more staff. I should talk to brother Derek and ask you and your family to join us." replied the person on the other side. "Haha, I think there will be a conflict of interest. Besides, I think you all will do just fine. We'v
Peter Quinton and Eric Bradley were at the Townsville airport, waiting for the Phoenix Mafia's jet to land on the tarmac. Earlier, Peter purchased his own private jet from Eric and informed Eric about the Phoenix Mafia's arrival, to which Eric was more than willing to escort Peter to the VIP hangar at the Townsville airport. Twenty minutes after arriving at the hangar, they could see from a distance the Phoenix Mafia's jet slowly descending on to the runway tarmac. Within ten minutes, the jet parked into the VIP hangar and Peter dismissed Eric to his work. The doors for the jet opened and out walked the Phoenix Mafia. Henry and Holly walked our first, followed by Keith, Victoria, Ivy, Nathan, Jim, Esther and finally Charles. Peter walked towards the team with a smile and hugged Charles upon seeing his safe return. "Welcome back, Phoenix Mafia. How was your vacation? I heard it was very eventful." Peter greeted the team. "Thank you for welcoming us bac
Beep! Beep! Beep!Esther's alarm went off as set by her; but the jet lag was too overwhelming. Lazily, she set alarm on a default five minute snooze.Five minutes later, her snooze alarm rang again. This time, Esther could no longer get back to sleep. She immediately got up and turned her alarm off.Her hair in a mess and still in her underwear, Esther took a robe from her cupboard, along with a towel and went to take a shower in her en suite bathroom. It was a refreshing way for her to wake up. A hot evening shower after a massive jet lag flying from London back to Townsville. Soon, Esther was out of her shower. She put on her robe and decided to unpack her luggage before heading out to the living room.After fifteen minutes, Esther was done sorting out the contents of her luggage. She took the clothes meant for laundry out of her room and went to the service balcony to do her laundry.While the laundry was being done, Esther walke
Esther was tossing around on the sofa of the living room as the first lights of dawn shone through the glass windows of the living room. Disturbed by the sunlight, she blinked a few times before waking up. Sitting up on the sofa, Esther looked around the sofa and realised Charles was not by her side. She also realised that her robe was still on, so Charles did not do anything to her or with her. 'Still playing hard to get, eh? Regardless, I really like him. I'll be his girlfriend no matter what.' Esther thought to herself, determined to win over her boss's heart. "Morning, Esther." Charles called from the kitchen. It turns out that Charles was already awake and having a protein shake for breakfast. "Morning, boss. You're up early today." Esther greeted back. before standing up and joining Charles in the kitchen. "Haha, well, three years of prison will do that to a person. As an inmate, the wardens will use their sticks and bang on the cell doo
"Good morning, Phoenix Mafia." Peter Quinton greeted the team as a holographic projection."Good morning, Mr. Quinton." the Phoenix Mafia greeted back."That is crazy, seeing Mr. Quinton as a holographic projection." said Henry."Haha. Is that what you guys see? That is indeed interesting." Peter laughed. "All kidding aside, let's get to the purpose of my call." The Phoenix Mafia sat up straight with a serious tone. They awaited any instructions Peter might send their way."So, about today's appointment, I'll see you all tonight at the Townsville Casino. There's a private restaurant within the premises. My son will be joining us, as I believe Charles would have informed you. Formal attire is required for entry so I hope you all have your attires ready." began Peter."Secondly, more importantly, there is a situation at the mall near the Townsville Hillside Condo that may need your assistance. Apparently
Charles and Esther were all smiles as the Ferrari drove off from the supermarket on the way to the BDT mall construction site. In the car, Esther could not keep smiling. In front of one of the most influential social media people in the world, Charles just called her his girlfriend. She was also certain Charles knew the implications of that public confession. Esther had to be sure. Her hand slowly reached out to Charles's hand holding the gear shift. Charles knew it was coming and he held Esther's hand. "Isn't it a good thing that our earpieces were taken out before we drove off?" Charles said while focusing on the road and holding Esther's hand. "Yes, it is; but now what do I call you? Boss? Charles? Honey? It's quite complicated." said Esther. "Not really. You just have to call me boss while we are at work. Right now, we are going to BDT mall's construction site. You are smart enough to figure it out."
Hi Readers, After nearly a year, Who's the Loser Now is finally complete. I hope you enjoyed reading the original and the sequel as much as I have creating the storylines. Man, this was a long journey. There were so many ways to close this series; but I didn't want to get distracted. So, I decided to end it the series in this manner. I will be taking a short break to celebrate the new year. After which, I will start work on a new novel. So, until then, thank you all so much for your support on Who's the Loser Now. Keep the likes, comments and ratings coming to help promote this novel. Your feedback, as always, is much appreciated. It has been a wonderful journey and this one ends here. Stay tuned for the next journey. Altogether, everyone! (With the characters in the background) Happy New Year!! Love, JDHWS
The cameras were flashing as journalists and reporters gathered at the eagerly anticipated launch of the new mall in Townsville, specifically located near the Townsville Hillside Condo. Standing in front of the main entrance, Desmond and Jocelyn faced the crowd. Desmond then took the mic to address the crowd, "After months of construction, through reported ups and downs, we are happy to announce, on behalf of the Quinton Consortium, the officially opening of Townsville Hillside Mall." said Desmond. He then took his side next to Jocelyn and proceeded to perform the cutting of the ribbon, signalling that the Townsville Hillside Mall was officially opened. Applause rang all around the front as Desmond and Jocelyn opened the front entrance doors, welcoming the crowd into the mall. In another corner of Townsville, Wayne and Kimberly were also dressed sharply; but for a different reason. Joining them were Roland and Elaine Russo, as all four of them stood in front of the main entrance t
"Brother Derek, are you sure about this?" asked Charles as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a tuxedo; but not any ordinary tuxedo. Derek had Charles wear his diamond encrusted tuxedo, the most expensive tuxedo he bought from Nick Lopez when he first found out he was a Quinton. "I'm sure about it, Charles. I know I bought it for me initially; but in all honesty, you wearing this tux means so much more." Derek reassured Charles. "Man, I'm nervous. Brother, how did you even go through your wedding with Ms. Amanda?" asked Charles exasperately. "Desmond told me to take a deep breath to calm my nerves. It could work for you, too." replied Derek. Charles decided to take Derek's advice and took two deep breaths. Surprisingly, he felt much calmer. Then he and Derek heard a knock on the door. In walked Mason, "Brother, are you ready?" asked Mason. "As ready as I'll ever be." replied Charles. All three of them then walked upstairs... to the top deck of Charles's superyach
The prison gate key entered the lock. With a click, the warden opened the cell gate, with mixed emotions. "Madam Louise... it's time." In her cell, Madam Louise looked around the jail cell she had been living in, serving her time for her past wrongs. She thought about the time she spent in the cell, forming a close friendship with the warden, being released early to help Team Quinton and the Phoenix Mafia, eventually being a key player in the fight against Pamela. It was a sad day to leave her family after the fight ended; but heading back to prison was necessary. Thanks to Lea Quinton, however, she did not have to stay in prison any longer. She received a pardon from the Mayor of Townsville; and now, she can leave the Townsville prison freely. She slowly stood up and walked towards the cell door, where she noticed her warden friend had a tear in his eye. Smiling slightly, she wiped the tear away from his eye. "No need to weep for me, young man. We will meet again, outside of t
With the mask worn on his face; and the briefcase full of cash repacked into a duffel bag found in the control room, Charles slung the bag over his shoulder, ready to move out of Pamela's HQ. Before heading out, Charles made sure to surround himself in a nanoshield sphere to avoid any sudden sneak attacks. After which, Charles used his upgraded suit to do a thorough scan, looking to devise an alternate way out of Pamela's HQ. 'Hmmm... it looks like I'm going to have to blast my way out of here. Time to check out what weapons are at my disposal.' Charles thought to himself. Scanning the system in his suit through his mask, Charles was surprised to find various forms of weaponry to pave his way out. "Well then, let's get started." Charles said to himself. However, as we was about to step out of Pamela's control room, an alarm sounded inside of the control room. Red emergency lights were flickering in the control room. Charles turned his direction to one of the screens in the control
"Gerard! Andrea! You certainly have some guts showing your faces here after you betrayed me!" Pamela sneered at the couple. "Lady Boss... wait! We did not betray you." Gerard defended himself. "That's right, Lady Boss! The hostages... they escaped!!" shouted Andrea. "WHAT?!?!?" Pamela shouted angrily. She then turned her attention to Charles, who was standing there, perplexed. "Charles!! You were at the dungeon earlier. You said you saw your team in their cells. Is that true?!?" Pamela asked authoritatively. "Absolutely, Lady Boss. I personally locked up the dungeon after making sure that loser Derek was in his cell." replied Charles. "He's lying, Lady Boss. Charles must still be working with his friends. Somehow, they managed to get their suits from the lab and escape from this place." Gerard said accusingly, pointing at Charles at the same time. "Hold on there, Gerard. Up until just now, when Lady Boss showed me her lab, I did not even know that existed." Charles defended hims
"You tell me, Charles. How did you and that loser escape in the first place?" Pamela asked suspiciously. Charles was calm in his answer, "Well, I found a couple of metal pins in my cell and I used it to pick my cell lock." Charles began. "Once I got free, that's where I hatched my plan. I picked the lock of Derek's cell. I had to convince him that he and I were on the same team in taking you out. So, while the rest were in their cells, which, by the way, they still are, Derek and I made our way out of the dungeon." explained Charles. "Well, you certainly have some talent, unlike that loser. Still, Gerard and Andrea not reporting back is concerning for me." replied Pamela. As she looked at the monitors of the control room, she noticed something peculiar, then she started frowning. "What's wrong, Lady Boss?" asked Charles. "Take a look at that." said Pamela, pointing Charles's attention to one of the monitors surveying the lab. "What about it, Lady Boss?" asked Charles curiously. "C
Before Charles could answer, they heard footsteps approaching the dungeon. Derek passed Gerard's dungeon keys to Charles before he cloaked himself again. In order to play along with Pamela's ploy, Charles quickly opened the dungeon door, placed Victoria gently inside before locking the door again. The footsteps grew audibly closer towards the dungeon door. Charles turned his attention towards the sound of those footsteps and walked in that direction, taking caution to who he might run into. As he turned around the corner, he found out who those footsteps belong to. "Oh my gosh, Esther. What are you doing here?" Charles exclaimed softly as he embraced his girlfriend. "Wait, you shouldn't be here. Didn't Mr. Quinton give you and the rest the order to head to the safehouse?" asked Charles. "I had to come here. I was not going to let that b***h Pamela take you." replied Esther emotionally. Just then, Derek decloaked himself and met up with Charles and Esther. "Esther, so it was you. G
"Ok, Charles, the feed is on." said Pamela. "Take your position, on Derek's right side." "Understood, Lady Boss." replied Charles. Seconds later, everyone, including the people in the Phoenix Bunker, the safehouse and the combined invasion and rescue team saw the live feed on their screens. "Your eyes do not deceive you, Peter. Charles has betrayed you. He has decided to join a real mafia and I will nurture him properly, so he can be a real Don." began Pamela. "As you can see, I have your son as hostage. If you ever want to see Derek again, in one piece and alive, firstly, call off your attack dogs. Secondly, you will, and I mean WILL, surrender your precious Quinton Consortium to me. Oh, before I forget, that includes your so-called Phoenix Mafia as well." "And just in case you think I'm not being serious... " Pamela then did something no one expected. She pressed a button on her control panel; and in the next moment, Ivy's suit emerged from a corner of her control room. 'What th