Michael relaxed back, his smirk deepening as he got full-on comfortable. "You see, Stephen, it wasn't enough to simply beat Voss. Oh no, I had to do it with a little panache. That's where you and your merry band of misfits came in."Stephen's fists clenched under the table, but he kept quiet, awaiting the rest."You see, Voss has been running this city for years. He's got everyone on lock-down-until now. What better way to take him down than from the inside? The man trusts his right-hand like a brother, but guess what?" Michael chuckled darkly. "That right-hand? He works for me now. Voss has no idea he's already losing."Victor squirmed in his chair, his glare shifted at Michael. "You are telling me you turned his own man against him?"Exactly. Voss is powerful, but predictable. He never saw it coming. Now, as for you guys. well, dragging you into this mess was part of the fun. Made the game a little more interesting.Victor's eyes slitted further. "So you set us up? You hired that gu
Stephen said nothing, yet his shout hung in the room, holding all other movement at bay. Thick tension wrapped in the air like a noose. Michael's eyes flickered to his men; an order given in silence. His lips arced into a slow cold smile."Well, Stephen," he said with glass sharpness, "You have my attention.Stephen swallowed, but his voice came out steady. "We're not doing this. Not like this. You want to use us, fine, but killing us here won't get you anywhere."Michael leaned back in his chair, his smirk deepening. "Smart move. You always did know how to talk your way out of a mess.He glared at Stephen for one weighted moment, then his gaze shifted to Victor and Enoch, who still stood taut and ready to detonate. "Alright, here's the deal. Voss is expecting a major shipment down at the docks. Drugs. Enough to put him away for life. You're going to intercept it."Victor's eyebrows pulled down. "You want us to steal it?Michael chuckled, a low, sinister sound. "Not exactly. You're go
Voss's warehouse loomed before them, dark, but the panic running through Stephen's veins had little to do with the shadows. Everything to do with the fact that from every direction, they'd just become targets. Voss. Michael. And now, the cops.Two days," Victor growled, pacing like a caged animal. "Voss gave us two days to turn over something we don't even have. What are we supposed to do? Pull the drugs out of thin air?Stephen said nothing. His mind was racing in a circle, pinging from one idea to the next, trying to find some way out. He hadn't slept since the docks, and it was seeping into his bones. But there was no time for rest now.Enoch had sat hunched against the wall, knees pulled to his chest. His fingers tapped nervously against the concrete, eyes darting from Victor to Stephen, barely holding it together. "We should've never trusted Michael. He's playing us. Voss is going to kill us, and Michael—he'll watch it happen."Victor slammed his fist onto the nearest crate, the
Stephen leaned across the table, his fingers tracing invisible lines on the surface. "We need to pit Voss against Michael. Make Voss think Michael's setting him up and let them tear each other apart while we slip away."Victor tipped back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his jaw clenched tight. "And how do we do that? You really think Voss will just take our word for it?Stephen shook his head. "No. We plant something. Evidence that Michael is gunning for Voss's operation. Voss is paranoid enough that he will react fast, and once they're at each other's throats, we can disappear."Enoch, still hunched against the wall, frowned. "This is insane. If we get caught trying to plant evidence, we're dead. Voss doesn't need proof, he'll just kill us to send a message.""We're already dead if we don't do something," Stephen replied sharply. "Michael's put us in a corner, and the cops are sniffing around. This is the only way we stand a chance."Victor rose to his feet, frustration ta
The days which followed were a vortex of tension, rumor, and waiting. Stephen scarcely slept, paced the small safehouse, his mind racing through every eventuality that could be forthcoming from their plan. Voss and Michael were bound to clash sooner or later. But when? And how badly?Across from him, Victor sat half-closed-eyed but way too alert to sleep. Enoch hunched in the corner, peering at his phone, no doubt praying for some sort of sign that they weren't totally screwed."Nothing out on the street yet?" Victor asked at last, breaking the silence.Enoch shook his head. "It's quiet. Too quiet."Stephen's stomach knotted. They were waiting for the spark to ignite the fuse. It was a good plan, to set Voss off against Michael, but the lull before the storm was unsettling. What if they'd miscalculated? What if either Voss or Michael saw through their setup.Suddenly, Enoch's phone purred, and he shot upright. He answered quickly, muttering a few words before hanging up. His face was
Days had gone by since Victor and Enoch vanished into thin air. Stephen called and sent texts, but nothing was received in return. He kept himself holed up in the safehouse, pacing up and down as his mind raced with each worst-case scenario possible. It simply couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that someone had made a move on them. But who?Stephen fished out his phone for the hundredth time. No messages, no news. Every passing beat made his heart race faster.A shrill ding cut through the silence. A message. Stephen's hand shook as he picked up the phone. "Come see me. I have Ariane. One wrong move, and you'll never see her again. – Michael."Stephen's blood ran cold. Michael had his daughter.Stephen's hand moved automatically to his jacket and grasped the door, but his hand stopped on the knob. What was Michael getting at? Evidently, he was baiting him into something big, and Stephen knew one thing-trapping himself in it meant only one thing: death.But he couldn't leave Aria
The warehouse felt colder now, darker. Stephen's heart was racing while he stood frozen, following every movement Michael made. Ariane was crying; her eyes were wide with terror, but her lips did not open. Stephen could feel her fear; it radiated across the room, tightening his chest."Why are you doing this, Michael?" Stephen asked in a hoarse voice. He must remain calm, must buy time.Michael smirked, circling Ariane like a predator playing with its prey. "You don't get it, do you? You've been a thorn in my side for years. You thought you could just move on after what you did, live your life like nothing happened?""What did I do?" Stephen's eyes narrowed, trying to keep his focus sharp.Michael's eyes flashed with anger. "You killed my brother."Stephen recoiled. There were faces from his past, but this… he couldn't let the past take Ariane from him. Whether she was his daughter or not, she was innocent in this."I didn't know," Stephen said, trying to even out his voice. "I didn't
Stephen's finger quivered on the trigger, its weight heavy in his hand. Michael lay on the cold warehouse floor, a trickle of blood oozing from his lip, his eyes ablaze with anger. Time seemed to freeze, the silence thick between them. "Go ahead," Michael goaded, his voice hoarse but defiant. "Pull the trigger, Stephen. End this. Or are you too weak? Stephen's heart pounded. Every fibre of his being screamed to shoot, to end the nightmare Michael had dragged them all into. But something held him back. He wasn't a killer. Not like this. Victor, now that Ariane was free, bounded to stand beside Stephen. "Don't," Victor whispered, his voice urgent. "He's not worth it. Stephen's hand closed tighter on the gun, his breathing shallow. He couldn't let Michael get his way, but he just couldn't cross that line. His hand moved down, inch by inch. "That's what I thought," Michael said to himself with a sneer, pushing himself up. "You're weak, Stephen. Have always been." Incensed, Step
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late. The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late. The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen. Stephen did not sa
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late. The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late. The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen. Stephen did not say an
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late. The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late. The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen. Stephen did not say an
Stephen sat in the corner of a dimly lit café, staring out the window. He had sat there for hours, sipping cold coffee and watching the rain trickle down the glass. The café wasn't crowded-just a few people scattered about, lost in their conversations. His foot tapped impatiently under the table. Enoch was late. Very late.The waiter had been by twice, offering Stephen polite smiles, asking if he needed anything else. Each time, he waved him off, too intent on what was to come. His mind was reeling, questions, doubts, and a growing sense of frustration building inside him. Enoch was never this late.The doorbell above the entrance jingled, and Stephen looked up. His heart stopped at the sight of Enoch stepping inside, shaking rain from his coat. He glanced briefly around the room before his eyes fell upon Stephen, and he hastened to him, an apologetic smile on his face."Sorry to have kept you waiting," Enoch said, reaching for the chair opposite of Stephen.Stephen did not say anythi
Stephen stood by the door, watching as Victor’s car grew smaller in the distance. The rumble of the engine slowly faded, leaving nothing but the usual quiet that hung around the small neighborhood. He let out a breath, resting his hand on the doorframe. The last two months had been tough—tougher than he ever imagined.Without the system—the network of contacts and favors that once made his life easy—Stephen had to figure out a way to survive on his own. And it wasn’t glamorous. Every day was a grind, a constant scramble for enough money to cover the basics. Work wasn’t easy to come by, not when you’d burned as many bridges as he had. But he’d managed to find some odd jobs here and there—just enough to scrape by, though never enough to truly get ahead.He closed the door softly, the sound echoing through the small room. Glancing around the cramped space, he couldn’t help but think of the penthouse he once called home. The stark difference between his old life and this one weighed on hi
Stephen stood in the door and watched as Victor's car dwindled to a dot on the horizon. The rumble of the motor died out, leaving only the silent night air hovering over the little neighborhood. He exhaled a breath, his hand falling to rest on the doorframe. The last two months had been rough-tougher than he ever imagined.No system to fall back on now-the network of contacts and favors that oiled his life-Stephen was forced to scrounge some means of survival for himself. Not quite glamorous, the daily fight, the eternal hustle just for the real basics. Jobs were not easy to find, not when one had burned bridges as he had. But he'd been able to find odd jobs here and there, enough just to scrape by, never enough to get any further ahead.He closed the door behind him with a quiet click. The softness echoed inside the tiny room. Glancing around at the cramped quarters, his mind strayed to the penthouse he once called home. The stark dissimilarities between where his life used to be and
Two months later, Victor stared at the address on his phone, then at the small, run-down building in front of him. It didn’t look like a place Stephen would be living. The paint was peeling off the walls, and the grass in front was overgrown. This was far from the sleek, modern apartment Stephen used to own.Victor killed the engine, stepped out of his car, and walked toward the house. It was a self-contained unit—cheap, cramped, and barely enough for one person. He checked the address again. Room number 9. It matched. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.When he reached room 9, he knocked hard. The wood felt thin under his knuckles, like the door could break if he wasn’t careful. He knocked again, louder this time.After a moment, the door creaked open. Victor’s eyebrows shot up. Standing in front of him was Stephen, but he was almost unrecognizable. His hair was longer, his face covered with a scruffy beard, and he’d gained weight—his old sharp features now s
Standing beside Ariane's bed, his mind was spinning as he stared down at the screen of the system on his phone. His fingers trembling, he hit the icon for healing skills. He muttered under his breath, "Why can't this work on her? Why can't I save her?The system kept mum-no explanation, no solution. The shallow breathing of his daughter echoed in the room; every weak breath made him helpless. Stephen swallowed hard as his throat went dry. He could fix deals, he could manipulate numbers, but here in this hospital room, he was powerless.The door creaked open, and Stephen turned to see Enoch step in. Gone was Enoch's usual smug expression, replaced with a concerned frown. "What are you doing here?" Stephen's voice was low, edged with suspicion.Enoch shrugged, glancing over at Ariane. "Heard she was sick, so I decided to come by. How's she doing?"Stephen stared at him for a long moment, unsure of how to reply. His mind flashed back to his earlier doubts. Ariane wasn't his daughter, at
Stephen sat cross-legged on a soft mat, his eyes closed to focus on the calm voice of the guru. The air around him was scented with burning incense; a low hum of chanting echoed softly from the walls. He had called in the guru in a last-ditch effort to clear his mind, escape the relentless pull of the system. It had started to devour him, bit by bit, till it was all he could think of, all he could perceive.He was losing his grip, and he knew it.The guru's voice came, calm: "Breathe in. breathe out. let your thoughts flow like water. Do not cling to them."Stephen sucked in an enormous breath, then let it slowly out again, as if to expel everything at the same time: the market crash, the system, the deals that went right past him. The tension between him and Enoch was endless. He'd gotten pulled into something so much bigger than he was that he couldn't possibly control it himself, and however hard Stephen fought his way free of it, he felt ensnared.Then, though, as his breathing st