Seeing that they had almost arrived at their destination, Allen brought out some notes from his wallet and handed them to the cabbie. The man's jaw hung down loosely as he controlled the steering with one hand collected the notes from Allen with the other and counted it to make sure that it was complete. The cabbie adjusted uncomfortably in his seat as he remembered how disrespectfully he had treated Allen thinking that he was a commoner. He swallowed the bile in his throat as he continued to drive. He pulled up to the grand wrought iron gates of Serenity Crest Estate, the engine purring expectantly. The driver peered up at the imposing façade, noting the words "For Serenity Crest Residents Only" emblazoned in gold leaf. He pressed his hand against the intercom, clearing his throat before speaking."I have a fare for Serenity Crest," he announced. "Could you let us in please?"There was a pause, then a response crackled through the speaker. "I'm sorry, sir, but we can't allow just
Allen glanced at his watch, the time was already a few minutes to twelve and Allen knew that he had lost the mission and there was no need for him to stay back there. "No, I won't be interested," Allen said simply as he made his way toward the gate. "You can't possibly leave like that." The man protested. "It's pretty late and I have no problem with you spending the night here." The man said. Allen concurred with what the man said. It was already a few minutes past midnight and who knew the dangers that were lurking outside there if he decided to head back to his house m. Allen didn't want to accept initially, because a part of him still felt like he didn't belong there. "Alright." Allen finally agreed. "My name is Steven, what's your name by the way?" The man asked as he walked toward one of the buildings in the estate. Allen looked at the man and wondered how a multibillionaire who owned this estate was casually presenting himself "Allen," He replied. Steven suddenly turned i
Steven stared wide-eyed at Allen as he stuffed more and more food into his mouth. Steven glanced at the butler but he showed no reaction and kept his head up high. "Don't you think you should slow it down on the food a bit?" Steven questioned, with an irritated undertone. As Allen tucked into the filet mignon with ferocious relish, Steven sat stiffly in his chair, his eyes fixed on the steak carnage unfolding before him. His expression was one of polished politeness, his smile never wavering, but his thoughts were swirling with repulsion.The gurgling of Allen's throat as he swallowed was an unholy symphony of crunching, slurping, and smacking that seemed to echo throughout the dining room.Steven took a sip of wine, using the glass as a shield to hide his revulsion. He tried to focus on the conversation, to maintain his suave billionaire veneer, but every slurp and chomp sent a shiver of disgust coursing through his body.He glanced furtively at his butler, eyes pleading for some s
The following morning, Allen awoke with a satisfied yawn, savoring the plush bedding for a few moments before reluctantly rising. He had slept better than he had in months, and the thought of leaving the luxurious guest suite was enough to make his heart sink.But he knew he couldn't linger. Steven was expecting him to depart, and it wouldn't do to overstay his welcome. The alcohol had dissipated from his eyes and he could think now. He remembered that Steven had mentioned something about the house being purchased for him. He was pressed to ask Steven who had paid for the house for him but he thought it wise to let it slide. He made his way down the staircase, his footsteps echoing through the grand foyer. Steven was waiting for him, a polite smile on his face."Thank you for having me, Steven," Allen said, shaking the man's hand. "It was quite an experience.""You're very welcome," Steven replied, his voice as smooth as silk. "I trust you had a pleasant stay?""Oh, yes," Allen said
Allen stared into oblivion for a long while. He had delved into his pool of thoughts as he pondered over what Ultimate had informed him. "Lose everything?" Allen muttered under his breath, a feeling of dread settling inside him. "No way!" He said aloud. "I can't possibly go back to how I was. My mother died because I couldn't pay for her treatment and my sister was kidnapped and ill-treated just because of me, I won't settle for poverty.""I'm going to find those sunglasses no matter what it takes me and I'm going to get back at everyone who ever treated me like trash," Allen said with a newfound resolve as he immediately walked out of the house, with his destination in mind. He shoved his hands into his pocket as he walked down the street. To get to where Stephanie was, would take him a long while but he wanted to walk to take his time and clear his head. He got to the house and met Stephanie alone on the porch. The moment she set eyes on Allen, her countenance changed showing tha
As Allen stormed back to his house, he fumed all the way, not caring if anyone stopped to look at him raging like an angered best which they did. "I'll show Stephanie." He blurted out like a spoilt child. "I'm going to prove to her that I'm not into anything shady and all my money is legit. "But first I have to leave this shack of a home," Allen said to himself and finally got to his house after several minutes of walking, he finally got to his destination. He barged in through the door and immediately started gathering his things. —Don't slam your door too hard or you might bring it down—"I'm not in the mood to talk right now, Ultimate." Allen blurted out and there was silence immediately save for the pushing of furniture and scraping of luggage on the floor. After some seconds, Allen suddenly stopped and lifted his gaze from what he was doing at hand. "You keep quiet!"—Wasn't that what you asked me to do?— Ultimate questioned sarcastically. Allen shook his head and turned bac
Allen stepped into the car dealership, filled with excitement and anticipation. He was excited that he could finally buy his dream carBut as he approached the salesperson, a slick-looking man in an expensive suit, Allen's confidence started to waver. The man's eyes slid over Allen from head to toe, and he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as Allen realized the man was judging him based on his worn-out sneakers and faded jeans."Good afternoon, sir," the man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. As Allen approached the salesman, it was clear that the man was not impressed by his appearance. Dressed in a worn-out t-shirt and ripped jeans, Allen was a stark contrast to the salesman's crisp suit and shiny shoes."Good afternoon, sir," the salesman said, a hint of disdain in his voice. "Can I help you?"Allen tried to sound confident, but his voice quivered a little as he spoke. "Yes, I'm here to buy a car. A very expensive car."The salesman raised an eyebrow, his skepticism evid
Allen's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the steaming plate of lasagna before him. It wasn't just about the food anymore; it was about trust, about vulnerability. His hand trembled slightly as he wrestled with the conflicting emotions swirling inside him. Memories of how Valerie had treated him in the past flickered through his mind like a slideshow, each one a sharp pang of pain reminding him of the wounds Valerie had inflicted. How could he possibly be entangled with someone who made him lose his job and due to that, he was unable to raise any money to pay for his mother's hospital bills and free his sister from the clutches of those despicable loan sharks? Could he dare to believe that this time might be different? That perhaps, just perhaps, Valerie had changed? Or was he setting himself up for yet another fall, another crushing disappointment?As he hesitated, Allen couldn't help but wonder if he was overthinking things. Maybe it was just lasagna, after all. But deep
Immediately Allen heard the sharp sound of the gunshot, he ducked low to the ground, moving around the side of the car to take cover from where the shit came from.His men were already on high alert, moving to cover his position while pulling out weapons of their own.Another gunshot sounded, this time from uncomfortably close, and Allen risked a glance over the side of his car.His men had returned fire towards the direction of the shots, and deep down, Allen knew it was useless.He had seen that the shots were coming from a multistorey building a small distance away. All his men had with them were short-range weapons, which were no match for the weapon that was being used to fire at him.Allen cursed inwardly. It was those damn Project Erebus people again, he was sure of it.He almost chuckled at their audacity, attacking him just when his partnership with Josh Gregory was about to be settled.Speaking of... Where the hell was Josh Gregory? They were being shot at right outside his
“Let's go get this deal over with,” Allen said as he looked himself in the mirror one more time as he was getting ready to leave. The meeting with Josh was feeling quite like a huge one as they were finally going to get into the details of how they were going to get rid of Project Erebus, the long-standing threat just wouldn't go away. “Are you sure about this Josh? I still can't get around the feeling I have every time I remember that you are trying to ally with this dude…” Stephanie just couldn't hide her suspicions anymore as she stared at Allen who was too caught up in the act of getting himself ready to leave. “Are you even listening to anything that I'm saying?”“Oh yes I am…” Allen said even though he was too carried away to pay attention. He was already going over so many times in his head that there just wasn't space but anything else. “I was just zoning out for a couple of moments to think about how the meeting would go.”“Like I said I still don't think that Josh has pure
Allen lay in the large bed, a warm smile plastered across his face. He was feeling very happy after completing the deal with Josh Gregory. Well, even though they had not yet informed the other shareholders that he was partnering with Josh Gregory for three months or so, it still left him feeling very happy. At least the majority of his problem was gone. The only thing left was convincing the others and it would be very easy since he wouldn't be buying any shares from the Gregory company."Never thought it would be as easy as this," Allen said to himself. "It's great when you have friends...eh, I can't call Josh Gregory my friend yet. I don't think he's worthy to be called my friend or something."He let out a long sigh before saying, "This is one of the steps I need to take to vanquish Project Erebus. They've done several bad things and need to be punished, not just defeated."With these words, he sat down before cracking his knuckles, "I've got the Suit of Dominance so I must be more
Josh Gregory who had been using his Clairvoyant ability for some time couldn't help but narrow his eyes after having this feeling of danger. This meant that someone in the building opposite the mansion wanted to harm him or had even thought of harming him.After the episode with the journalist, Josh couldn't afford to be careless. Hence he knew at that moment that something was dangerous there and trusted his intuition.I can't believe someone in that building wants to harm me, Josh thought to himself as he continued to stare at the building. Or is it that assassin from before? The one who tried to kill me but escaped unusually?When he had this thought he couldn't help but rise from the bed which he was sitting on. His eyes were so narrowed that one almost couldn't see them. This was to show how nervous he was at this moment.The building was still normal and nothing out of the ordinary. There was no one standing on the balcony, making it seem empty. If not for the feeling that Josh
James stood in his room with a pair of binoculars, watching the situation at the Gregory Mansion. This was what he had been doing after calling for reinforcement. He had been told to lay low and not attack Josh Gregory during this short period. This was because there was someone suspected to be Allen Scott with him.James had wanted to take actions into his own hands but he thought otherwise. He didn't want to end up on the wrong page of Project Erebus because those who did end up with a fate worse than death. He didn't want to end up the same way because he still had several years ahead of him to enjoy his life. He was only thirty and wasn't ready to endanger his own life unnecessarily by daring to go against his superior."That freak named Allen Scott seems to be expecting me to attack," James said. "But then he doesn't even know who I am as he wasn't there when I attacked. Only Josh would know but then he doesn't know my whereabouts."James removed the pair of binoculars from his e
Stephanie kept on looking at the elevator door as she paced back and forth with an expectant heart. The others had different expressions after seeing her do this continuously for thirty minutes.Mary Jane had a blank expression even though she cared about the way Stephanie felt. This was because she had to maintain the morale of the group as the leader. Even when one of them was feeling down she couldn't bring herself to show the same emotion even if she was feeling the same."He's going to eventually come," Mary Jane said. "I think something came up and he's dealing with it or he has different plans."From her interaction with Allen, she knew he was someone who liked doing things his way. Perhaps he had other motives and the mission gave him the leverage to achieve them. Also, Allen wasn't entirely helpless of course he was faced with very powerful players like the late Agent Jack. He knew how to hide himself very well and not screw things up."How do you know he'll eventually come b
After stating the last problem, everyone fell into a deep silence. Even Josh Gregory who didn't know much about Project Erebus was in deep thought. Just by learning from Allen Scott that Project Erebus was the one responsible for his omen for the past few months, he had a gleam at how grave the matter was.When Miriam brought up the issue of Project Erebus Allen decided not to be rash and listen to her. This was because, at his current level, he wasn't a match for the government facility which was trying to create a system of their own. And that was why he had decided to deal with them through a roundabout method.If Project Erebus were to place their attention because of what he did and found a way to take over Josh Gregory's company, then there was no way he would ever get to his feet. He could rely on the Ultimate system but would be the same as selling himself out to Project Erebus. Hence he needed to listen to Miriam and partner with Josh Gregory."If you partner with Josh Gregor
After some time Josh took out the documents and laid them out on the table for Allen and Miriam to see. These were the documents of the Gregory company, confidential files that couldn't be accessed even by his most trusted secretary."You're serious about selling your shares," Allen turned his head to look at Josh."No, it's nothing," Josh immediately shook his head. "Compared to what I stand to gain in the future, this is a necessary sacrifice."Who told you that you'd be gaining anything in the future? Allen sneered inwardly. Of course, he didn't say it out loud so that Josh wouldn't feel bad.Miriam took the documents and flipped through them silently before saying, "Sir, Mr. Allen needs to check the documents as well."She then turned to look at Allen, "You should have brought a lawyer as well. I'm currently working for Mr. Josh so..."She's still as professional as ever, Allen thought to himself. He then said, "Don't worry about that. I trust you very much and don't think you'd d
After hearing Allen's answer, Miriam took a deep breath as she regained control of her emotions. She then asked, "How do I know you're saying the truth?"Although the man in front of her resembled Allen Scott, she couldn't afford to believe that it was him. Everyone knew that he had suddenly become insane at the height of his power, losing everything that he'd acquired in two years. After then no one had heard from him again. It was as if he had suddenly vanished into the empty void. If not for his sister, Stephanie Scott handling matters then even the last property he had would have been sold off. Of course, she was powerless against the powerful figures who came to acquire all of Allen's properties which included the Allen company."I don't need to prove that I'm Allen Scott," Allen said as he turned to look at Josh, using his eyes to inform him that he should do the talking.Josh immediately understood and took a deep breath before straightening his shirt. He then said with a nod,