Novels by zaman

When he arrived at Freda's house, he could hear raised voices from inside. He stormed in to find Claire and Freda in a heated argument."Get out of here, Bryan," Freda snapped. "This is between me and my daughter."Bryan stood his ground. "I know everything, Freda. There's no need to hide it anymore."Claire turned to him, eyes wide with shock and fear. "Bryan, please don't bring it up. If Grandfather Maxwell finds out what I've done..."Bryan took a deep breath, his resolve strengthening. "I'll confront the situation, Claire."Freda laughed derisively, her voice dripping with contempt. "You think you can convince Maxwell to forgive her? She’ll always be under my control."Bryan's eyes blazed with determination. "We'll see about that at the family gathering this weekend."Freda's expression turned from contempt to anger. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, Bryan. Claire made her choices, and now she has to live with them."Bryan stepped closer, his voice low and fierce. "She m

That night, Bryan woke up with a jerk. The cold sweat on his forehead same as the ice creeping down his spine. He had just had the weirdest dream. Or was it a dream? He couldn't tell. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, feeling the cool wooden floor beneath his feet. He needed water, something to qunwch his dry throat that felt like parchment paper. Yawning, he padded softly with bare feet to the kitchen, he moved through the darkened hallway, the silence of the night making his soft footfalls resound. The house was as dark as his thoughts. Speaking of thoughts, Bryan hadn't been able to keep his mind blank since the incident with Jenkins. Neither had he been able to wrap his head around all that the old man had told him. But somehow it made perfect sense. The odd stares, the way his aunt hated him but somehow loved his brother, it all made sense somehow. As he reached the kitchen, he flipped on the light and blinked against the sudden brightness. He headed for the cabinet

Bryan drove like the devil was on his tail, arriving at the classic bar Jenkins had picked out for their meeting. It was a beautiful garden bar just outside of town. As Bryan killed the engine, he pulled on his coat and baseball cap, trying his best at disguise before stepping into the place.**The garden bar was indeed a fitting spot for Jenkins, considering his love for flowers. Just as Bryan looked to the left, he saw the old man's hand guiding him to a corner table. Bryan walked over and shook his head in disbelief."I was hoping you only sounded different, but you look different too," Bryan said.Jenkins was dressed in a thick fur coat and a hat. He nursed a cup of coffee with his gloved hands."Sit down, boy. I have to be quick," Jenkins said.Bryan noticed that gone was Jenkins' stammering and broken words. He spoke fluently now, almost as if nothing had ever been wrong with him. Bryan sat down, looking at him curiously."You're running out of time. Your brother and uncle have

Bryan staggered back a little, struggling to process the jarring change in Jenkins’ voice. The old man he had known was frail, his voice barely rising above a whisper. Yet, the voice on the phone now was strong and assertive, unrecognizable as Jenkins'. He glanced around, half-expecting to see the old man materialize in front of him, but there was nothing—just the lingering sound of his own breathing and the hum of the city around him."Jenkins?" Bryan asked again, his voice edged with uncertainty. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t speaking to someone else, someone who had somehow gotten hold of Jenkins’ phone. His skepticism was palpable, though he hoped it wasn’t the case.“It’s me, Bryan. You said I should call you right? You did give me your card,” the voice on the line said. Bryan could almost hear the confidence emanating from the speaker. It was a tone of authority that starkly contrasted with the frailty he had grown accustomed to.“You sound different,” Bryan said, his laugh com

After a few minutes of driving through the busy streets of the city, he went easy on the brakes as he turned to the quiet suburban area. Peterson was always one for his space and privacy and perhaps one could say that he was the most secretive member of the team. When he arrived at Peterson's place, he met with his son, Chad just as he rang the doorbell and the maid allowed him in. “Hey, boy." Bryan said as he stepped into the house. Chad looked at him oddly and then for a second, recognition flashed in his eyes and he stepped aside. “Mr Bryan," he said with a thin voice. Bryan gave him a slight nod and moved into the living room, taking the plush seat that he was offered. “We weren't expecting such an important guest," Chad said with a smile that was obviously as fake as the Picasso painting on the wall. “I never planned to pay the visit either,” Bryan replied. Chad was eager to show him around and also asked to serve him breakfast and a cup of coffee. But Bryan was already gett

Bryan quickly tried to regain composure from the information that had just shaken him. If someone else was the supreme warlord, then it meant that the council had convened to terminate his own title and somehow found someone else worthy of such ordination. "Last time I checked, there was no one who could even compete with me. No one was worth being the supreme master, talk more of the supreme warlord. Had they suddenly dropped their standard?" He asked out loud but to no one in particular.He couldn't believe it. He was the best, the greatest, the supreme. No one could match his skills, his strategy, his leadership. He was the one who had been chosen, who had been destined for greatness.Who could even replace him? Who was worthy of such a title, the supreme warlord? Bryan snickered, wondering who could even stand behind him, he was second to none. There was no one he could think of that was even half the man he was. All his generals needed a lesson on night and courage. They couldn't

Sonya couldn't believe her eyes, she gasped and that was how she fell into the orbit who was right behind her. One of them caught her swiftly and everyone quickly called for the company doctor. Chris remained calm. She was just in shock and would no doubt be revived with a little air and water. He could only imagine what it felt like to be thrown down after such years in power. "Where have you been, son?" Pa Pete asked and Julius only smiled. He was a spitting image of his twin, Evans Robinson and he didn't look like the years had treated him badly at all. Some of the men on the table who knew that their hands were stained and they'd been working with Sonya to condemn Christian, all looked down in shame because they could face him or Julius. "Now that you're back, what will be the fate of the executive board?" One of them mustered the courage to ask. But that wasn't really what he meant and everyone could tell. He was trying to find out what Julius would do to them that had gotten

Evans was a little shaky as the man took them to the inner recess of the tunnel and it became dark. Christian could still remember the way to Orton and he certainly could tell that it wasn't the same route they were being taken. "What's going on? Aren't we meeting with Orton anymore?" He asked and the man simply looked at them without saying anything. Christian swallowed nervously but quietly followed him until they got to a part of the tunnel where the light became brighter and they could see a glass room in the distance. Right through the glass sat an old man at a desk, Orton. "While I still breathe," Evans said as he entered the glass cave. "I never thought I'd see you after so many years, I could swear you vowed never to see the Robinson family again." Orton looked at them quietly and then offered them both the double-seated couch, asking if they needed a strong Irish coffee. "We'll be needing more than a cup of coffee from you," Evans replied with a serious face. He pulled ou

Evans had a plan and that plan was foolproof - or so they both believed. Right there in the living room, Christian showed the token to Evans and after he stared at it in awe, he said it would take them right to Berlin. They arrived at the small town the next day. Evans was in the front seat and Christian was in the driver's seat. His face was twisted in an ugly frown. "I told you to let Potter drive us, he's more mature on the wheel, we almost had an accident on the way here, I hate to think what will happen as we return," Evans said as he stepped out of the vehicle. "I hate this place, I could almost swear nothing would ever bring me back here," he spat angrily. Evans laughed at him, "Never say never, my son, life can be a rollercoaster sometimes," he said. Christian wiped at his head, a bead of perspiration had formed from the warm air. He pulled off his sunglasses and stared at the small pub that still stood in the distance. Karen was still in business and that only meant one t

It was four days after the legendary meeting at the Robinson lobby. Christian hadn't shown up at the company for that long. It made Jupiter happy that one thing she'd hoped for had worked out - Christian was too embarrassed to come back out. That fateful afternoon, Christian was at the Robinson estate after such a long time. If there was ever going to be a time he needed Evans' help, it was then. Arriving at the door, it was Melissa who welcomed him in and he nodded at her mutely and crossed the threshold. "It's been a long time since I last saw you, Christian," Melissa said as she ushered him in. Christian didn't say anything still. He didn't want to talk to her, he was in too sore a mood too. "I know what...how it went last time was not ideal. I know you trusted me with...well, I disappointed you and tried to cause a rift between you and Evans, I'm sorry," she said. Christian again simply nodded. Melissa sighed, she looked remorseful. She was dressed in a sheer green gown and shaw

Sonya did not look so confident anymore, her weak bones trembled and she quickly grabbed onto the desk for support. Christian still wore a smirk on his face as his grandfather, Pa Pete looked warily at the document on the desk."You got the deal?" He asked, his tone disbelieving. Christian did not reply, at least not verbally, he remained standing with a smile on his face. "This is ridiculous!" Sonya yelled, "There is no way this boy could secure a deal with Otec, there is also no way in hell that he knows Orton Berlin," she snapped. Christian dipped his hands into his breast pocket and retrieved the token that Orton had given to him, he did not bother handing it to her but simply slammed it on the table. With shaky wrinkled hands, Sonya picked up the token, she turned pale, her eyes wide in shock. "But how! I have been dying to meet this man all my life, how could you get the Supreme token?" Sonya asked, still in disbelief. "You are not the only one that can weasel your way into p

Sonya took the flowers and had half the mind to toss it in his face but she had to reign in her temper. She instead snatched it up aggressively and tossed it at one of the Orbits who held it like it burned. "What do you have to say concerning the challenge you called, Christian? Are you having a change of heart?" She asked and immediately one of the board members said loudly, "He can't do that! The entire board knows about it and we won't allow such cowardice!" The man snapped. "Who said anything about backing out?" Christian asked and the man began to stammer foolishly before sitting down. Jupiter was pleased with the way they all treated Chris, everyone was attacking him. "Will we all let him speak?" Pete snapped, his voice rising above the others. Christian rose and nodded at the roses he'd just gifted Sonya, "I picked those out myself, it's a shame you won't even appreciate it," he said and Sonya rolled her eyes, "I didn't recall asking you for any flowers, Chris, last I checke