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BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 75
The echoes of Victor’s screams rippled through the chamber, the sound raw and filled with something Samuel had never heard from him before—pure terror.The abyss had coiled around Victor's body, constricting him, feeding on his very essence. The once-mighty puppet master was now the one being controlled.Samuel stepped closer, his midnight eyes glowing as the abyss twisted around his fingers. He could feel it—it wanted to consume Victor, to erase him from existence.And for a moment, Samuel wanted that too.The man had ruined his life, manipulated him, tried to turn him into a mindless beast. Victor deserved to suffer.But then, through the chaos, a voice pierced the storm."Samuel, that’s enough!"Sarah.Her voice grounded him.Samuel turned slightly, his expression unreadable. The abyss pulsed, conflicted.Victor, still trapped in the suffocating darkness, gasped for breath. "Don’t—listen—to her," he choked out. "You want revenge? Take it! End me, Samuel!"Samuel's fingers twitched.
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 76
Samuel’s breath was shallow, his chest tight as he stared at the soul trapped within.His mother’s soul.He could feel it—its warmth, its pain, the faint trace of memories he thought he had buried long ago.Victoria tilted her head, her amber eyes glimmering with amusement. "You feel it, don’t you?" she murmured, her voice like silk weaving into his mind. "Her essence, her suffering. It’s all so… tragic."Samuel clenched his fists, his body rigid with rage. "You expect me to believe you have my mother’s soul?"Victoria chuckled. "Oh, Samuel. You’re smart enough to recognize real power when you see it. This is no illusion. It’s the truth." She lifted the orb slightly, making the light flicker. "And I control it."Sarah took a sharp step forward, her hands trembling. "You manipulative—!"Victoria’s gaze flicked toward her, and a gust of force sent Sarah stumbling back. Ethan caught her before she could hit the floor, his face dark with anger."Careful," Victoria warned, her voice still
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 77
The moment Victoria Brook disappeared, the air in the room shifted. The weight of Samuel’s decision hung heavy, pressing against Ethan and Sarah like a suffocating fog.Ethan’s fingers twitched, his body tense with unspent rage. "I can’t believe this," he muttered. "You actually shook hands with that—monster."Samuel didn’t flinch. His golden eyes were eerily calm, but beneath the surface, the abyss within him churned like a storm. "It was necessary."Sarah’s voice was barely a whisper. "She has your mother, Samuel… but at what cost?"His silence was answer enough.Ethan exhaled sharply and turned away, running his hands through his hair. "Damn it, man. We spent all this time fighting against the Brooks, and now you’re in bed with them?"Samuel’s jaw tightened. "I said I made a deal. I never said I was loyal."Sarah’s brows furrowed. "Then what is this, Samuel? A long con?"He met her gaze. "Exactly."The words should have reassured them, but they didn’t. The line between deception an
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 78
The city below shimmered with artificial lights, an illusion of peace masking the war brewing beneath the surface.Samuel clenched his fists. He had made it inside. Now came the hardest part—not losing himself.Behind him, the door creaked open. He didn’t turn, already sensing Victoria’s presence.“You should rest,” she said smoothly. “Tomorrow will be... demanding.”Samuel exhaled slowly. “What’s on the agenda?”Victoria stepped closer, her golden hair catching the moonlight. “My father wants to test you. Consider it an initiation.”Samuel scoffed. “Is that what we’re calling it?”Victoria smirked. “It’s a rite of passage, Samuel. The real question is—are you ready?”Samuel turned to face her, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “I don’t break easily.”Victoria tilted her head, studying him with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine. “Let’s hope not,” she murmured. “Because the Brook family does not tolerate weakness.”Samuel’s lips curled. “Neither do I.”Victoria g
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 79
Samuel sat in the dimly lit room, his thoughts a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. The weight of what he had done pressed heavily on his chest. He had controlled the creature, bent it to his will—but at what cost? The darkness inside him had responded too easily, too eagerly. It felt like the line between himself and the abyss was beginning to blur.A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.“Come in,” he called, his voice rougher than he expected.Victoria stepped inside, dressed in a sleek black gown that hugged her figure. She looked every bit the heiress of the Brook empire—dangerous, untouchable. But tonight, there was something else in her eyes. A flicker of something he couldn’t quite place.“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she remarked, crossing the room with effortless grace.Samuel exhaled sharply. “Maybe I have.”She smirked but didn’t sit. Instead, she leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “What’s really bothering you, Samuel?”He ran a hand through his hair.
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 80
Samuel sat in the back of the sleek black Maybach, fingers tapping against the leather seat as he stared out at the city. The neon lights flickered past, the skyline a breathtaking display of power and ambition. But tonight, it felt different.Tonight, he felt different.Desmond Hale’s terrified expression still lingered in his mind. The way the man’s hands had trembled as he signed away his fortune, his influence—his entire legacy. Samuel had seen fear before. He had caused it.But this was the first time it had felt so… easy."You're quiet."Victoria’s voice cut through the silence. She was sitting across from him, legs crossed, a glass of wine in her hand. Even in the dim light of the car, her sharp emerald eyes watched him like a predator waiting for a sign of weakness.Samuel exhaled, his fingers stilling. "Just thinking."She smirked. "Dangerous habit.""Necessary one."Rhys, who was sitting beside Victoria, chuckled. "Well, don’t think too hard. You did good tonight. Elijah wil
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 81
The silence in the penthouse was deafening.Samuel stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the city. It was past midnight, and yet, the world outside never slept. Neither did he.His fingers curled into a fist as he thought about the Solberg family. The warning they had sent. The blood they had spilled.They thought they could intimidate him.They thought wrong.Behind him, Victoria poured herself another glass of wine, her movements slow and deliberate. Rhys sat on the couch, tapping his fingers against his knee, restless.Elijah had sent them a clear message—retaliation was coming.But Samuel wasn’t satisfied with simple revenge. He wanted destruction."They expect us to make a move tonight," Victoria said, sipping her wine. "Which means we do nothing."Rhys scoffed. "Since when do we sit back and take hits?""We don’t," Samuel said, turning to face them. "But we don’t act like amateurs either. The Solbergs want us to react. They want us to be predictable."Victoria nod
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 82
Samuel sat in his penthouse, staring at the city below. The skyline was a maze of blinking lights, but his mind was focused on only one thing—revenge.Victoria sat across from him, legs crossed, swirling a glass of bourbon. Rhys leaned against the counter, his jaw tight with frustration. They were waiting.And Samuel hated waiting."Dominic should have called by now," Victoria said, checking her watch. "It's been twenty-four hours."Rhys exhaled sharply. "What if he backed out?""He wouldn’t," Samuel said, his voice cold. "He knows what’s at stake."Before anyone could respond, Samuel’s phone buzzed.Unknown Number.He answered immediately. "Talk."Dominic’s voice came through, smooth but laced with urgency. "We have a problem."Samuel’s grip tightened on the phone. "Explain."Dominic sighed. "I got into their accounts. But the Solbergs were ready for it. The moment I accessed their offshore holdings, their cyber team locked down everything. They knew someone was coming for them."Sil
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The aftermath of William Brook’s fall left an eerie silence in the grand hall. Smoke curled from the scorched remnants of his body, his power having disintegrated beneath Samuel’s attack. But despite the victory, the tension in the air remained thick, as though the battle had only scratched the surface of something much bigger.Evelyn stepped beside Samuel, her expression unreadable. “You look like you’re expecting another ghost to jump out of the shadows.”Samuel didn’t respond immediately. His senses were on high alert, his instincts telling him this wasn’t over. The Brook family wouldn’t take William’s downfall lightly. If anything, they’d retaliate with fury.“We need to move,” Samuel said, voice firm. “Now.”Evelyn smirked but followed as he strode out of the ruined hall. The moment they stepped into the corridor, the weight of their situation settled. The estate, once a stronghold of wealth and power, now felt like a battlefield.As they walked, Evelyn broke the silence. “So, wh
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Samuel stood at the center, his eyes dark with unreadable emotions, while the Brook family loomed over the negotiation table like vultures circling a fresh kill.“I don’t think you understand the weight of what you’re asking, Mr. Brook,” Samuel said, voice calm but edged with steel.Across from him, William Brook smirked, fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest of his chair. “Oh, I understand perfectly,” he mused. “What I don’t understand is why you’re hesitating. A merger between our companies would be beneficial for both sides. And yet, you seem... resistant.”Samuel’s jaw tightened. This wasn’t just a business deal. The Brook family had been subtly moving against him for months, and now, they were making their power play. He wasn’t going to let them win.“I have no interest in merging with a family that has done everything in its power to sabotage mine,” Samuel said coldly.“You wound me,” William chuckled, leaning back. “This isn’t about the past, Samuel. It’s about the f
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Vincent, still clutching his gun, scanned the perimeter of the room before finally lowering it. "We should be safe here for now."Evelyn rubbed her temples, her fingers trembling. "For now? That's not exactly reassuring. Those echoes... that wasn’t normal. Not even for this."Thorne stood near the doorway, his gaze distant. "It was an aftershock. The Devourer may be bound, but its influence lingers. The echoes were proof of that."Sophia crossed her arms. "Great. So what do we do? Just sit here and wait for another nightmare to show up?""No," Thorne said simply. "We need to sever the last ties."Samuel looked up. "Ties? You mean, there’s still something linking this place to the Devourer?"Thorne nodded. "The remnants of its presence don’t just vanish. The echoes were drawn to us because we disrupted something ancient. If we don’t finish what we started, this will happen again. And next time, we might not be able to outrun it."A heavy silence settled over the room.Vincent finally s
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The group moved quickly through the desolate landscape, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them. The air still held the remnants of the Devourer’s presence, thick and suffocating. Samuel kept a firm grip on Mercer’s arm, making sure he stayed steady.Mercer, though exhausted, still managed to crack a weak smile. “You planning to hold onto me forever?”Samuel scoffed but didn’t let go. “You can barely stand.”Mercer sighed but didn’t argue. His body was covered in bruises, his clothes tattered, and his skin was still marked with faint traces of the dark tendrils that had bound him to the Devourer.Vincent led the way, his gun still drawn, eyes sharp and scanning the area for any threats. Evelyn walked beside him, her hands trembling slightly, though she tried to hide it. Sophia was a few steps ahead of Samuel and Mercer, her grip still tight on the dagger, ready for anything.Thorne, as always, was eerily calm, his presence steady. “We need to move faster,” he said.
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The second eye blinked open, followed by a third, then a fourth. The Devourer’s presence spread, a suffocating force pressing down on Samuel’s chest. The symbols on the ground pulsed in response, flickering like a heartbeat.Sophia’s grip tightened on the dagger she held, ready to intervene if things went wrong. Vincent and Marcus stood at the edge of the ritual circle, their eyes locked on Samuel, prepared for anything.The Devourer’s voice slithered through the air. “You… are tethered to the one we hold.”Samuel swallowed hard. “Yes.”The entity’s gaze burned through him, its presence creeping into the depths of his mind, sifting through his memories, his emotions, his very essence. A wave of nausea rolled through him as the connection strengthened.“You offer yourself?”Samuel’s fingers curled into fists. “I do.”Evelyn’s chanting shifted, the cadence growing sharper, more forceful. The mimic ritual had to remain convincing, and that meant making the Devourer believe it was getting
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The weight of Thorne’s words settled over them like a suffocating fog. A willing sacrifice.Samuel’s fingers curled into fists as he stared at the page in front of him. The ancient symbols meant nothing to him, but the implications were clear. To sever the Devourer’s connection to its feeding ground, someone had to die.“That’s not an option,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “There has to be another way.”Thorne leaned back in his chair, watching them with a measured gaze. “If there was, I would tell you. But Devourers are ancient creatures, bound by deep-rooted laws of existence. To break their hold, something of equal value must be given in return.”Vincent scoffed. “So you’re saying the only way to save Mercer is for one of us to die? Not happening.”Thorne sighed. “I understand your reluctance. But this is not a simple monster you can kill with bullets or fire. Devourers are entities of hunger and power. If you go in unprepared, you won’t just lose Mercer—you’ll all become part of
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Marcus kept one hand on the wheel while his other gripped his phone tightly. “We need to move fast,” he muttered. “The Brook family won’t just sit back and let us find Mercer first.”Samuel exhaled slowly. “Then we beat them to it. Whatever’s up there in that village, it’s dangerous. But Mercer is still alive. I can feel it.”Vincent scoffed from the backseat. “Feel it? Or just hoping?”Samuel ignored him. He wasn’t about to explain the gnawing pull in his chest, the unshakable certainty that Mercer was still out there, barely clinging to life.Sophia shifted uncomfortably beside him. “That thing in the village… It wasn’t human, was it?”Evelyn, who had been silent the entire drive, finally spoke. “No. It wasn’t.” Her voice was unusually quiet. “I’ve read about things like this before, but seeing it in person is something else.”Marcus frowned. “Read about it? What was it?”Evelyn hesitated before answering. “There are stories of ancient beings bound to certain places, creatures that
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The wind howled through the ruins, carrying an eerie whisper that sent a chill down Samuel’s spine. The inhuman eye within the darkness remained fixed on them, unblinking, filled with a hunger that made the air itself tremble.Sophia gripped Samuel’s arm, her breath shallow. “Samuel… what is that?”Vincent stepped forward, drawing his gun. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”Marcus cursed under his breath. “We need to get out of here. Now.”The trembling man on the ground clutched at Samuel’s sleeve. “You can’t fight it,” he rasped. “You can only run.”Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the shifting darkness. “No. We don’t run. We face it.”As if responding to her defiance, the shadows coiled like living tendrils, stretching toward them. Samuel barely had time to pull Sophia back before the darkness lashed out, striking the ground where she had just been standing. The impact left a deep crack in the earth, radiating an unnatural heat.“That’s not normal,” Vincent muttered.The villagers had
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The moment they stepped onto the tarmac, a biting cold wind greeted them, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something older, almost metallic, like the air before a storm.Samuel adjusted the collar of his coat, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar terrain. He wasn’t the only one on edge. Sophia wrapped her arms around herself, glancing toward Marcus."Are you sure your contact knows where Mercer is?" she asked, her voice hushed.Marcus checked his phone, his fingers typing rapidly. “He says Mercer was last seen near a village deep in the mountains. But it won’t be easy to reach. The roads are dangerous, and the locals avoid that area.”Vincent scoffed. “Of course they do. Let me guess—ghost stories? Cursed land?”Evelyn, standing slightly apart from the group, tilted her head. “It’s not just stories,” she murmured. “There are things in these mountains older than any of us.”Vincent rolled his eyes. “Great. More cryptic warnings. Love that.”Marcus ignored him and motione
