“Esther, did you get his location?” Charles asked over his earpiece. “Yes, boss. The location is consistent with Ivy’s last location pin… the video call was traced to Paris.” Esther reported.
“Ok. Show’s over, folks. Bowen, get your guys to untie my team and remove the gags.” Charles instructed.
“Roger that, Mr. C… or should I call you Charles?” Bowen replied while signaling his gang to help the Phoenix Mafia.
“You’ve figured it out, huh?” Charles asked.
“Yeah, I did.” Bowen replied.
“Well, I guess there’s no point hiding my name, then. Yes, I’m Charles Smith, the Don of Townsville. That is my team, assembled by Peter Quinton himself, the Phoenix Mafia.” Charles revealed to Bowen.
“I’m humbled to know who you are. I must humbly warn you; Preston was not joking around. I have heard him constantly talk about a bunker where this higher power resides. It must be the headquarters of their operations.” said Bowen.
“This higher power…
Back in the Phoenix Cabin, the team is back in the garage, seated around the meeting table. The atmosphere was tense; and understandably so.Victoria was still visibly shaking in anger in her seat. She did not utter a word since leaving the abandoned construction site. She could not believe that Preston King, formerly known as Billy Hansen, was the boss of Bowen Sanders, working for the puppet master targeting the Quinton Consortium and the Phoenix Mafia.Esther emerged from the kitchen with drinks for the whole team. One by one, she placed the drinks in front of the team, leaving Victoria to last.“Here, Victoria. I made this mixed fruit juice just for you. Its combination will help calm your nerves.” Esther said as she placed Victoria’s drink in front of her.“Thank you, Esther.” Victoria replied, breaking her silence as she took a few sips of Esther’s fruit juice. “That mix is really nice. Thank you.”
From sunrise to sunset, the weather did not show any mercy. The whole of Townsville was experiencing a horrid, torrential downpour. It did not matter for the Phoenix Mafia. If anything, they felt the rain throughout the day was symbolic, in that a bad thing was going to happen.Victoria, Keith and Charles met up with Bowen back at the abandoned construction site. Charles shared his plan with Bowen and gave his team specific instructions on what Bowen and his team had to do. Soon after, the rest of the Phoenix Mafia arrived in Nathan’s truck and Jim’s Mustang.Back in the Phoenix Cabin, Alex Evans and his team were in the garage doing guard duty for the cabin, making sure there was no suspicious activity around the cabin. Esther was the main person in charge and directed the whole team in how to operate the surveillance, including how to operate Ivy’s drones that were stationed all over the Phoenix Cabin.Ivy activated more of her drones and pos
Ivy crept up slowly up the bonnet of the middle SUV she was hiding behind to see the damage done to Preston’s security. There was not a single one of Preston’s security still standing after receiving such a huge electric shock. Every one of the twenty security cronies were laid out on the wet ground, partially soaked in a huge puddle of water. “Hey guys, it looks like they are laid out… or should I say, shocked to sleep.” Ivy reported. “Move to phase two.” “Holly, Henry, move in to Ivy’s location. Just to make sure they are out, use the tranquilizer darts in your disposal to knock them further into unconsciousness.” Nathan instructed. The Hill twins acknowledged Nathan and joined Ivy at the entrance. Nathan contacted Keith’s security to round up Preston’s security. Within ten minutes, several vans pulled up and dragged the lifeless bodies of Preston’s security into the vans and drove off. 'Smart move, Phoenix Mafia. At least we don't have to kill them
The gunshot rang around the earpieces of the Phoenix Mafia, shockwaves sent through their spines. Peter was enraged listening through all off the action while in the Townsville casino; Derek, on the other hand was too shocked to move a muscle in his seat at the Quinton Tower. The next second, they heard another voice speaking into their earpiece system, “You must be Charles Smith, aren’t you? The so-called leader of this rag-tag team. You and your team must have heard the gunshot earlier, right? That is what happens when you take out my men. No worries, though. I have plenty more reinforcements all around this wretched city.” “That’s right. The men you wiped out here… that’s not even half of the security I brought with me. Even as we speak, they are doing my higher power’s bidding. So, even if you kill me here and now, they are not instructed to stop upon anyone’s orders until the job is done.” “If you want to know where they are, you get your cowardly ass he
“A deal is a deal, Preston. I won. You lost. Now, out with it! Where are the rest of your cronies located?!?” Charles snarled as he grabbed Preston’s shirt, while Preston is flat on his back on the muddy floor. “Hah… hah… are you really that naïve, Mr. Smith? I don’t know what Mr. Quinton sees in you that he made you a leader.” Preston mocked, still catching his breath. “This is the underground network. Do you think I’ll reveal any location to you, just because you won a stupid fight? Hah… hah… I’ll never tell. You’re such a dumb idiot!” Preston snarled. ‘I figured as much. It’s a good thing Ivy’s drones are scouting the city. I just hope she has something to report to me once I’m done with this poser.’ Charles thought to himself. Without hesitation, Charles bent down and gave Preston a punch to his face, rendering him unconscious for the time being. He then dragged Preston to a corner of the abandoned construction site. Along the way, Charles
“BOSS!!! IS THAT YOU?!?!?” Ivy shouted in joy. “We read you loud and clear!! Nathan, the twins and I are safe!” “Boss, Esther and I are here in the Phoenix Cabin, along with Alex and his security.” Victoria reported. “Boss, I’m here in the Hillside Condo. You should have let Jim bring me along.” Keith said jealously. “I’m glad to hear you guys are fine; but we have work to do. Ivy, send your drones to the following locations: BDT mall, the Quinton Consortium’s beach resort, the new mall near the Townsville Hillside Condo, the Townsville Orphanage school construction site, QC Enterprise, Quinton Tower, Mr. Quinton’s mansion and Mr. Derek’s mansion.” Charles instructed. “Ivy, link up your drones to the meeting table. Esther, Alex and I will help you control some of the drones from here.” Victoria suggested. “Let’s split the duties, then. Esther, Victoria, since you both are back at the cabin, send your drones to Mr. Quinton’s mansion and QC Ente
“Take a seat, Victoria. I know I said it once already; but you need to hear this from me personally.” Charles instructed. Victoria then took a seat next to Charles. “Preston is dead. Bowen shot him twice; but not before Preston shot me in the arm. Hence, the bandage around my arm.” “I’m glad to hear that, boss. I knew that a**hole would not fight fair. Now, he’s dead. I can let go of my past history with him and move forward.” Victoria replied, a tear leaving her eye. “I may not know your past with Preston; but if you do not wish to share your past with anyone, I will respect your decision. Like you said, you can let go and move forward; and we will move forward with you.” Charles said with a small smile on his face. Just then, Esther returned to the garage with a glass of water for Charles. “Boss, drink this water can get some sleep. We will handle things here. The rest of the team are on the way back to the garage.” Said Esther. “I will, after I spe
A new day dawns at the Townsville Hospital. A nurse wheeled a new born baby, sleeping soundly in his cot, into the prestigious wing of the hospital, reserved for the extremely wealthy of citizens residing in Townsville. The door opened and the nurse wheeled the cot with the newborn baby into the room, where the baby’s parents were waiting in excitement to see their newborn. Despite the fact that baby Terence was born the day before, Wayne Cross, the CEO of QC Enterprise, a subsidiary of the Quinton Consortium; and his wife Kimberly Matthews had tears in their eyes, seeing their newborn son Terence being wheeled in fast asleep in his cot. Their daughter, Tiffany Cross was more than excited to see her newborn baby brother. Wayne guided Tiffany's actions as she stroked her baby brother's forehead.The nurse then carried Terence out of his cot and passed him to his mother, Kimberly. It was time for his breastfeeding session. “I’ll take my leave, Mr
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