That same night, Vincent and Chloe just returned to Vincent's parents' home.Vincent's parents ran to meet the both of them, hugging them and dropping so many apologies that all sounded unnecessary to Vincent."Why are you both apologizing when you both did nothing wrong?" Vincent looked at his parents questioningly, "The one who should be apologizing is Jack and that messed up the boss of his, whoever that is.""Who is Jack?" Mr Devine asked."That's the name of the man who got Chloe kidnapped and had his men strip her!" Vincent unknowingly let out his answer in an angry shout."Tell us how everything happened." Vincent's father said, letting them in immediately he realized he was holding them at the door.Vincent and Chloe walked in and sat on a sofa before Vincent started explaining everything to his parents.He told them how he got involved with a gang, how he unintentionally got Jack fired, and how he ended up saving Chloe from the thugs that took her and played with her body.Hea
incent flinched and looked at himself when he felt a tap on his shoulder kick him out of his inner thoughts. He sighed, regaining himself and seeing that it was just Sarah."Where have you mind been all this while? You haven't gone halfway through your workload since today." Sarah said, giving a worried look."I'm sorry. I was just..." Vincent paused for a while and then continued with, "nevermind. I'll continue working now. Sorry. No distractions anymore.""I hope so because Mr Edward will be asking for those any time soon now," Sarah replied and returned to her seat.Vincent brought his eyes down to his laptop and even as he tried very hard to focus, he couldn't help but let his mind wander.The truth was that, ever since last night, Vincent hasn't been able to get his mind off Chloe and the kiss they shared."I'm way too old for this," he mumbled and took some documents from his desk to read through.Later that night, as Vincent returned to his parents' place feeling exhausted, he c
Vincent knew that his relationship with Chloe would not be an easy one. Not only did they come from different social backgrounds, but their affair began under less-than-ideal circumstances. It's been two weeks since they started dating in secret and Vincent's thoughts raced as he considered the implications of his actions, particularly with regards to his family but then again, what harm could it cause? He was once porer than Chloe wasn't he?The next morning, Vincent woke up with a newfound determination. He knew that he needed to address the situation head-on and be honest with his parents, regardless of the consequences. As he got ready for the day, his mind was filled with questions about how he would approach the conversation.After a restless day at work, Vincent returned home with a heavy heart. He couldn't keep avoiding the inevitable conversation any longer; it was time to face his parents and reveal the truth. As he walked through the front door, Vincent resolved to gather
Yesterday passed like a blur of bad news and Vincent woke up to a new day. He checked the time on the wall clock in his bedroom and the time was 6:30 am. According to the person that called him yesterday, he had to be available at work by 8:00 am.Vincent hopped out of bed and straight to the bathroom where he began brushing his teeth. Afterwards, he took his bath and went downstairs for a cup of coffee which he made for himself.Vincent checked his wristwatch. Now it was 7:30 and he had thirty minutes left to get to work. He gulped down what was left of his coffee and dashed out of the house, taking the first available cab he saw.In a matter of twenty minutes, Vincent arrived at his workplace and made his way in. There was hardly anyone who had arrived as it was still early and not all come at the exact beginning of working hours.As Vincent entered the office building, he could sense an unusual tension in the air. Little did he know that this day would be like no other. His colleag
20 years later..."You stupid boy! Is that the way I raised you?! Clean that mess up right now!" Mr. X shouted, glaring down at Samuel."You never raised me. That's the problem, Dad." Samuel spoke back only to receive a thunderous slap from Mr. X."That's right. If I had raised you, you would have had proper manners. Fool." Mr. X replied and walked out of his study, leaving Samuel behind to clean up the broken glass.Samuel bent down to pick up the broken pieces of glass and wondered again if the man who just stepped out was truly his father.Right now, Samuel was twenty-one years old and he never recalled any day when his father, Mr. X, was ever there for him.All that Samuel could remember was being bullied, insulted, cursed, and thrown aside by his father, stepmother and stepbrother.Samuel heard the door behind him open and the first thought that came to his mind was, "Speak of the devils" when he saw his stepmother and stepbrother walk in with smug grins on their faces.Samuel tur
"May I come in?" a woman's voice requested."Come in." Mr X replied from within his study room in the mansion.He lifted his head and saw his wife, Samuel's stepmother, walk in."What is it that you want this time, Felicia? I've paid for your son's tuition this year haven't I?" he asked her, returning his gaze to his work."OUR son." Felicia corrected but Mr. X ignored it."It's been nineteen years since we got married. I remember... You promised me you would get rid of that kid but you keep giving excuses each time I mention it. You never even said who his mother was even when you told me you are not his biological father. How hard can it be to just...""Are you done?" Mr. X asked Felicia, interrupting her in the process.Felicia paused for three seconds and then sighed, "Why don't you want to remove him and allow us to be a complete family? Just you, me and our son, David?""Complete family?" Mr X scoffed and stood up, walking straight to Felicia who suddenly became scared."Have you
"Are those guys still giving you trouble?" Eli asked Samuel. He was referring to the three bullies."I've learned to just ignore them," Samuel answered."When are you going to learn to stand up for yourself? You look even more intimidating than the three of them combined. They're scared of you that's why they are pressing you down." Eli said."Just leave it be. You are aware of my relationship with my family. If I do anything that would touch my father's name then I'm in for it big time." Samuel said and gulped just thinking about it."Sorry to say this but your dad is a piece of shit," Eli stated."Well... I can't disagree. I mean... Others would pick offence but that's when they have a good relationship with their parents or maybe their parents changed but my dad? He was evil to me right from the day I was born." Samuel said, gradually losing his composure."At least we will be graduating by next year so don't sweat it." Eli opened his lunch box, "Want to switch lunches?" he smirked
Lily ran until she lost sight of Vincent and Eli, certain that they didn't follow her.She bent over, placing her palms on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Of course, she didn't live anywhere near that place. She only misled her friends because she didn't want them to know the truth about her.She had followed them to the rich side of town on purpose just to save face. She didn't think any of them would like to be her friends if they found out that she wasn't as rich as they were.Lily stood up straight, stretching her back until she felt it crack.Lily took a shortcut and arrived at her real house. Somewhere among the average people.She pushed the door open and walked into a dirty home. It didn't surprise her at all that the house was dirty, after all, her mother hardly did any chores around the house.Lily kept her school bag aside and went further into the house to search for her mother but all to no avail."Where did she go to this time?" Lily wondered and in that seco
Time seemed to pass slowly as they waited, each minute feeling like an eternity. Vincent's mind was flooded with memories of his time with Chloe, all the moments they had shared and the bond they had formed. He couldn't imagine a world without her.Finally, after what felt like hours, the doors to the emergency room swung open, and a doctor stepped out, still in his scrubs. Vincent stood up, his heart pounding in his chest."How is she? Is she going to be okay?" Vincent asked, his voice filled with desperation.The doctor's face softened as he looked at Vincent. "She's stable now," he said, his tone reassuring. "The bullet narrowly missed any vital organs. She's going to need surgery to remove it, but she's strong, and we expect her to make a full recovery."Relief washed over Vincent, the weight lifting off his shoulders. He thanked the doctor profusely, gratitude filling his eyes. They were given permission to see Chloe, but only one person at a time, due to limited visiting hours.
With that, Vincent and Carlos laid out the plan, assigning each person a specific role to play. They spent hours going over every detail, making sure to account for any possible scenario.With everyone ready and committed, they began to execute the plan to bring down Mr. X. It was dangerous, and they knew they could be risking their lives, but they were determined to see justice served.Days turned into weeks as they worked tirelessly to gather information and plan their attack. And finally, the day came when they made their first move.As they landed at the airport, Vincent could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. This was it. It was time to face his demons.They made their way to the hotel where they had arranged to meet with Mr. X. Carlos had already set up the meeting, and they had a few hours to prepare themselves.Vincent took the time to meditate and clear his mind. He went over every detail of the plan in his head, making sure that he had covered all the bases.As
Vincent stepped out of his bedroom with Carlos. He could see everyone else was in a waiting position in the living room.When they saw him, they stood up straight, physically loosening up but Vincent knew that they were very tensed up on the inside."It became OUR fight since we all became a family. So if what you're about to say is that you're going to do this alone, that ain't gonna happen." Chloe said before Vincent could breathe a word out."I wasn't going to say that," Vincent told her."Oh." Chloe stepped back, "That's good then.""So, what are we going to do, Dad?" Eli asked Vincent.Vincent looked through his family consisting of his ex-wife Tasha, his wife Chloe, his daughter Lily, and his two sons Samuel and Eli."I will be appointing you roles to play in taking down Mr. X based on each of your strengths," Vincent said."Mr Carlos here has given us an opportunity. He is the highest shareholder in Mr X's companies and his plan is to go from eighty to a hundred per cent. We wi
Frustrated and seething with anger, Mr. X clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. It was inconceivable that his target had slipped through his fingers, escaping to an unknown destination by taking a flight. "How could this have happened?!" Mr X shouted, furious.He had meticulously planned every step, leaving no room for error. And yet, his meticulously laid-out trap had been shattered in an instant.Mr X's mind raced, desperately trying to piece together where his quarry could be headed. His heart pounded with rage, his blood boiling at the thought of his carefully concocted plans falling apart. He had invested precious time and resources to ensure that the person who had caused him so much misery would no longer haunt his days, only to watch them vanish into thin air once again.He paced, his footsteps echoing. Anger twisted his features, causing his clenched jaw to tremble with rage. He couldn't shake the image of his adversary slipping away.The feeling of
Chloe and the others managed to get Vincent to the hospital in time. He underwent emergency surgery and fortunately, the doctors were able to save his life.Chloe stayed by Vincent's side the whole time after the surgery, praying for his recovery. When he eventually woke up, she couldn't contain her happiness and tears streamed down her face."I thought I'd lost you," Chloe said, holding Vincent's hand tightly.Vincent smiled weakly and replied, "I'm not going anywhere."Chloe smiled and hugged him, grateful for his safety and their love for each other. That was a narrow escape from death and it scared the hell out of everyone."Where is everyone else?" Vincent asked, slightly scared that something bad might have happened to someone else as well."They are all okay. I will get them here." Chloe said as she gently slid her hand away from Vincent's hand and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.Chloe left the room and when she returned, Tasha, Lily, Samuel, and Eli walked in after her.
The meeting took place on the outskirts of town in the same warehouse where Eli, Tasha, Lily, and Samuel were being held."I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to meet with you," Mr. X said, his voice smooth as silk but his eyes sharp and deceiving."I can't imagine it's for a pleasant conversation," Vincent replied, his eyes fixed on Mr. X as if insulting his brain."You're right," Mr. X said, a smirk crossing his face. "I want to make you pay for what you've done to me. You've cost me everything, and now it's time for me to get my revenge."Vincent knew that he was in trouble. He could see the anger and hatred in Mr. X's eyes, and he knew that he needed to get out of there as soon as possible but he couldn't do so without those being held there by Mr X.Mr. X approached him, a knife glinting in his hand. "You should have known better than to cross me," he hissed.Vincent could feel his heart pounding in his chest as Mr X brought the knife down. But before it could make contact, Mr
"Eli! Come on man! Slow down!" Samuel shouted.Eli stopped walking when he was sure that he was far enough from Vincent and Samuel stopped to catch his breath beside Eli."Why did you follow me?" Eli asked Samuel."We are best friends. That's the dumbest question I've ever heard." Vincent replied."Not in this case, Samuel. I want to be alone." Eli stated firmly."Then we can be alone together." Samuel placed his hand on Eli's shoulder but Eli shrugged it off and turned his head to Samuel."I don't get it, Samuel. Don't you have any brain? Are you stupid or something? I fucking ruined your life by taking the place that was meant to be yours and yet you're following me to make sure I'm alright?! Why?! Are you not capable of hate? You think you're so perfect don't you?!" Eli shouted angrily."I don't hate you, Eli. You were just a kid. And I don't think I'm perfect. I've made mistakes too. I just want to help you because you're my friend." Samuel said calmly.Eli sighed and wiped his te
After calling the police on Mr. X and he got arrested, Vincent, Chloe, Samuel, Eli, and Lily, believed that it was a great win for them.They all needed someplace to stay for the night and no longer caring about what her mother thought or might do, Lily volunteered her home."Are you sure it's fine if we stay here for the night?" Vincent asked Lily, "We didn't exactly speak to your mother about it." he added."She never cared about me so why should I care what she thinks of my choices? She spent all her life searching for her missing son and neglecting me." Lily replied, "She never once called me since I left. probably never noticed in the first place."Vincent stayed quiet and allowed Lily to lead the rest of them into the house.Vincent's phone started to ring and his wife, Chloe, wanted to stay back and know what the phone call was all about."Who is it?" Chloe asked."Someone from work," Vincent answered and picked up the call. He rushed outside the house while speaking, "Hello?"
"Vincent, what was that all about?" Chloe asked after following Vincent to their bedroom.Vincent paced left and right in the bedroom, thinking of what to do now."We can't let them go through with whatever they are planning to do," Vincent said."Go through with what? Can you stop and explain what's going on to me? Vincent please!" Chloe demanded."I heard you mentioned Mr. X. What's going on?!" Chloe asked again.Vincent looked at Chloe with eyes filled with sadness, "It's Samuel. Eli's best friend.""What about him?" Chloe asked."I think... He might just be my son and Eli isn't." Vincent replied."What?! How come? If Eli isn't our son then who are his real parents? How did all this happen?" Chloe panicked."That's something I'm yet to figure out. I know that Kate left her child with me and there was certainly no interval where anyone must have switched Eli. Could it be that the baby at that time wasn't Kate's? She just pretended to have abandoned her child?" Vincent thought deeper