The car pulled up at the beach house and Lucian climbed down to open the door for Josephine. In growing excitement, he took her behind the house where she could see the dark, beautiful water and the plenty stars twinkling in the sky."Beautiful…" Josephine whispered as her heart squeezed within her."Oh, that's not all. It's your birthday, remember? We've got to make it more beautiful," Lucian smiled, taking her hand in his. "Close your eyes, J. Don't open them until I say so, alright?""Alright," Josephine breathed and as she felt Lucian's protective hands on her shoulder, leading the way, she relaxed, squeezing her eyes tight."Aren't we there yet?" She blurted as excitement crashed in her blood."You only took four steps," Lucian chuckled. "Patience, my queen,"Josephine swallowed and a few minutes later which felt like several hours Lucian finally asked her to open her eyes and when she did, she was blown away by the sight in front of her.Her hands quickly flew over her mouth in

A minute passed. Two minutes and Josephine forced her eyes open in terror, waiting for the pain of the gunshot to sink it. She waited, but when nothing happened, her heart hammered painfully in confusion.Another gunshot pierced through the air and Josephine sprang to her feet immediately to find Lucian standing in front of her with eyes filled with matching shock."Lucian…?!" She cried rushing towards him in panic, patting his body looking for a sign of injury. "Wh…where are you hurt, Lucian? Wh…ere? I can't lose you, Lucian, I can't! Please…no!!"Lucian grabbed her trembling hands at once and pulled her into his chest. She was shivering, shaking like a convulsing patient, and in dismay, her eyes traveled through the length of her body. "You aren't hurt anywhere, are you, J?"The tears traveled faster in Josephine's eyes as she buried herself deeper into his chest, grief washing all over her. "No…the bullet didn't hit me. If it's not me, then it's…it's you. Oh, please tell me this is

John pulled the black cap down his face to further conceal his identity as he made his way towards Howards. He couldn't risk anyone recognizing him, especially as he had a big plan to execute.He massaged the fake beard around his chin to make sure they stayed in place as he maneuvered through the company."Hello, sir, can I know the name and the purpose for visiting?" Lucian's secretary said, almost blocking his path."Oh, I just wanted to make an inquiry," John forced a smile."On what, sir?""Is the president around? I'd like to relay the information myself,""Do you have an appointment?"John bit his lips. "No, but this is really urgent. Trust me, he'd snap at you once he finds out he missed this important information,"The secretary eyed him suspiciously before she picked up the telephone. When the call connected, she spoke in whispers so that John wouldn't be a part of the conversation."Go on, he'd like to meet with you. Take the elevator by your right," The woman urged with a

Betty exhaled sharply as she ignored the women. She wasn't going to indulge these bullies, and neither was she going to let her fear show because people like them feed on their victim's fear."Hey, hey, hey! Look what the cat dragged in," one of the women chuckled sarcastically. She was a heavily built woman with a long scar that covered the length of her neck. Her bright, red eyes were shining like a calculative predator sniffing out its prey."Hey darling, I heard you got life imprisonment huh?" The second woman sneered, sizing Betty despicably. "You really tried to murder that rich dude. What's he called again? Remind me, girls,""Lucian Manchester, president of Howards," The third woman said with a scrunched-up face. "Wow, I see even isolated gutter rats in this area of the world still get premium information," Betty muttered in disgust. She was slowly losing her cool and these bunch of bitches weren't helping matters."What did you say?" The fourth woman, a small woman with an u

Deciding against having the conversation in his office, Lucian walked into Anthony's office but the other man was already on his way out. "Young master…the police was here. I just finished organizing the staff to avoid murmurs and discoordination,""Don't go about stressing yourself. You're still recovering and you know that," Lucian scolded.Anthony smiled. "I'm fine, thanks for caring. But the fact remains that this is clearly John's doing. He's trying to shift the blame on you and that's not fair!""I played him to his own game," Lucian smiled knowingly. "That day after he crept into the company under disguise, I fished out the planted evidence and burnt it to ashes,""Serves him right…" Anthony mumbled as his mind kept roaming in thoughts.******"What do you mean they couldn't find evidence?! What the hell? Are you saying that the police went on a futile search and I just wasted my resources and time?!" John yelled aggressively at the leader of his men."That's what happened, bos