NIKAELEON *** I sighed and leaned back in my seat. It was early evening and the sun was just setting. The air in the garden was crisp and clean, and the light of the setting sun made a nice backdrop against the flowers. I enjoyed the sight for a few extra minutes before speaking to address the issue at hand. “The email I received this morning wasn’t from the Black Knights, and everything that happened today wasn’t their plan either.” I said to them. “Who else could have planned it then?” Aina asked. “That is the problem, that is what needs to be found out.” I replied to her. “You told me this in the car, but you didn’t explain to me why you have this suspicion.” Antonio said. “It’s not a suspicion, it’s a fact. Someone else planned everything and used the Black Knights’ name to cover up. I’ll have Armando check the email address and try to trace it, though I doubt it will yield any feasible result. Whoever this person is, he covered his track well. His only mistake was using som

NIKAELEON***Aina’s disguise consisted of a scarf wrapped around her head and sunglasses. She also wore a turtle neck long sleeve top and jeans, so every inch of her skin was covered. She was dark skinned so that was one thing that could give her away. They must know by now that Aina isn’t dead or her corpse would have been found one way or another. The other choice of why they assumed she suddenly dropped off their radar is that she changed identities and maybe left the country. But they know that she left her home under duress and doesn’t have the resources to do that. They would have already guessed that she was being protected by someone, and I am their number one enemy in these parts.It was early evening, and since I wasn’t going to a business meeting, I was dressed casually. No suit, just jeans and a flannel shirt with glasses that matched Aina’s. People would think we were just a weird couple who liked wearing glasses. I also wore a beanie so I wouldn’t be so easily recognise

NIKAELEON***I leaned back in my seat and gestured for Connor to keep talking.“Some of the reporters that have been persistently requesting an interview outside the office building for several days got into a scuffle with building security. They tried to force their way into the building and in the process of keeping them back, one of the reporters got injured by one of the guards. The reporter fell and sustained a head injury. He was taken to the office medic to receive first aid, but he’s there right now spewing profanities and threatening to sue for assault if you don’t speak to him.”I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. Ever since it got to the media that I was arrested for murder a while ago, reporters had been flocking around my house and office, following me around trying to get pictures and a story to sell. It didn’t matter that an article was released to clear my name, with proof of my innocence and an apology from the chief of police, the reporters still came on to

NIKAELEON***When I got back home, I immediately noticed Aina’s bad mood and I wasn’t the only one who picked up on it. She was always so annoyingly cheerful and lively so her pensive mood was easy to notice. We were all eating dinner and Aina was just playing with her food. Usually, she would be blabbering about her day or trying to hound us for details on what we worked on for the day. Antonio wasn’t here with us today because it was one of his days with his family and his son had returned back to the country as well. It was just me, Aina and Marcel. I noticed that every one of us had developed the habit of calling Scorpion by his real name, which was all Aina’s doing, a fact that annoyed me more than it should. She was just too involved in our lives, and now her sour mood was making me lose my appetite.“Stop moping and just say what your problem is. What happened, Aina?” I asked her.“Nothing, I’m fine.” She replied without looking at me.“Even the walls can see that you’re not f

NIKAELEON***“Calm down, Aina. If you keep pacing, you’ll wear a hole through my floor.” I said to her as she moved from one end of my office to another.“You’re like a breathing ball on a Newton's cradle.” Scorpion said to her.“I can’t calm down, I’m just so restless.” She sighed and continued pacing.“There is no need to be so worried, I have everything under control. We’ve accounted for different possible outcomes of today, we have not just plan B, but other contingency plans too. Now all we need to do is show up at the funeral later today and go through with it.” I said to her.“What if something still goes wrong despite all the plans we have in place? What if someone gets hurt or worse, killed? I can’t have that on my conscience. I’m the one that’s actually in danger because it’s me they’ll be expecting, no one can predict the future, what if I end up being the one who dies?” She asked.“Before I reply to you, sit down, your pacing is starting to annoy me.” I said to her.“Just