Joel's driver pulled into the compound. Joel was breathing heavily, his heart pounding in his chest because he had so much to say to Anna. He hoped Anna would listen to him and forgive him for treating her awfully. "I'm such a terrible husband," he whispered to himself. He was shocked to see the police car and an ambulance there. He hadn't been paying attention when he drove in which is why he hadn't noticed that the gates were wide open and the guard was nowhere to be found. He hurried into the house and just then some medics walked out with three corpses in a body guard. He noticed something was off. The police were everywhere, and they seemed to be in a state of chaos. Joel's mind was racing as he tried to make sense of what was happening."Excuse me," he said to one of the officers. "What's going on here?"The officer turned to him and said, "Are you the homeowner, Joel Brown Winston?"Joel nodded, and the officer continued, "We've had a bit of an incident here. Three bodies

Albert tried to console Joel, but he pushed him away. He didn't want his comfort and didn't want his pity. He just wanted his wife found. The search had been on for three days and there was no news about his wife, Anna. Days passed and Joel became a shadow of himself. He stopped eating and sleeping. Everything was crashing down, even the business his grandfather had passed down to him. Joel realized he couldn't function without his family. Joel, refusing to give up, sent his men out again and told them to find her at all cost. They returned with the same sad news. She was nowhere to be found. Joel finally broke down and he shut himself away from the world. No amount of pleas from Albert could move Joel to get back to his normal life. For a week, Joel stayed indoors mourning the loss of his family. He couldn't believe he was all alone in the world. He couldn't believe he would never see them again. Albert couldn't take it anymore. If he let Joel have his way, he could die under

Joel’s eyes stared blankly at the wall, his mind consumed with self-loathing. How did it come to this? He couldn’t believe that an hour ago he was held captive by Albert just so he could bring him back to his senses. He stepped in front of the mirror and was disgusted at the reflection that stared back at him. He had lost so much weight. His once clean shaven face wasn't so clean anymore. He picked out a razor to shave before he stepped into the shower. His ego was hurt but he had to admit that Albert was right. Just because Anna wasn't found doesnt mean she was dead. And he couldn't hand it over the trophy to his enemies on a platter of gold. They are all in a competition to oust one another. Ruining himself with his own hand was giving the enemy more points and more advantage. He was such a fool. He thought. When he stepped out of the shower, he felt better. He dressed up quickly to head for the dining room, as he was already feeling famished. Albert had ordered his meal to be pr

Joel was waiting for an answer. With the reaction they had on them, he was almost sure they knew who was causing him so much pain. "I'm all ears, gentlemen," he whispered, becoming impatient. "Don't put any ideas in your head yet." One of them was quick to say. "We are only being cautious. We aren't sure yet but with you asking for our help now, we have no choice but to investigate and confirm who is or are after you." "And here I was thinking you already had an answer to my question." Joel said rather loudly. "I hope this investigation won't take forever because I'm running out of time.""I hope you can trust us more than you do now. If you know who the Brotherhood cult is you would go home from here and have a nice sleep. But we'll let you off the hook because you have no idea of our capabilities." "It would be amazing if you could blow my mind because your confidence is off the roof." Joel stood up to pour himself another glass of champagne. He felt like drinking another becau

A week later Joel had rushed over to meet the Brotherhood as soon as they called. This time at their official meeting point. He was already a part of them so he was given the main address to where the Brotherhood converged for their meetings. He had come to them in desperation, and now he was about to find out what the Brotherhood had done to give him what he desperately needed. The last time they met at the old hotel, he asked them for help and they promised to get back to him in less than a week. He was being hopeful and the news had come earlier that morning: the charges against him for Xavier's death had been dropped and the media had declared him innocent. He rejoiced for a moment before Albert came in to tell him about the meeting. He was happy with the outcome but he couldn't dismiss the suspicious thoughts his mind harbored. When Joel entered the chamber, the leaders of the Brotherhood were already waiting. Five men sat around a circular table. Their faces were unreadab