"Gather all the guards; it is time I address them," Ethan declared once again. Right on cue, Mr. Smith took a second bow immediately and pressed the earpiece in his ear, announcing loudly, "This is Mr. Smith. An order from the master. Gather yourselves together and be alert. We are coming out."Mr. Smith then turned to Ethan, bowing for the third time and saying, "We are ready for you, Master Mark."At that moment, Ethan sighed, his exhale resembling the release of a heavy burden. He nodded at Mr. Smith, taking his first steps forward, with Mr. Smith following closely behind.Outside the compound, all the guards had already assembled as per Mr. Smith's response to Ethan's order. Each guard stood at attention in a straight line, forming five rows with a long line of guards in each.As soon as they spotted Ethan, they all bowed in unison and raised their heads simultaneously. In a perfectly synchronized formation, they stood with their legs spaced apart and their hands resting upon each
Everything Alexa said to Isabella made sense to her, and as such, since Alexa had already started her car, she pulled the car into a slow reverse and drove toward the road that leads to Ethan Mark's mansion.In this moment, it did not mean Isabella was too confident in the motive she was about to launch; however, it did not mean she had cold feet either. "Alexa, I think we should better start calling the f**ker’s landlord right now and pressure him to evict her," Isabella said as she drove on."You are correct, Isabella. We should call Elara’s landlord right away and pressure him to evict Elara Whitewind. If pressuring him does not work, we must threaten him. Anything that allows us to achieve our goal is what we must do. And right after, we must call the hotel she booked and make sure she was thrown out, so she will be occupied with a new problem," Alexa said."But allow me a few seconds to fetch Elara’s Whitewind landlord’s number and, of course, the hotel number she also booked nea
"Alright, alright, I will. Is that all you need me to do? Mr. Adams asked."For now, yes. You have only ten minutes to evict her, or your wife's phone will ring right now," Alexa replied."But what about the Housing Authority or the Rent Control Board? What if Elara contests it and seeks legal assistance to protect her tenant's rights? This is nearly impossible. Give me three weeks, and I will evict her!” Mr. Adams pleaded"Do I look like some sort of clown to you?" Alexa asked."No!" Mr. Adams replied instantly."I do not care about the reasons you give to the Housing Authority or the f**king Rent Control Board. All I want is for you to evict Elara. If you do not or make the eviction slow in any way, you will be in serious trouble. See the video on your phone," Alexa said.At this moment, a distant sound occurred on the car's system, indicating that the man on the other end of the call had received a notification on his phone. Immediately, Isabella heard,"How did you get this video?
Having not driven for too long, Isabella arrived at Ethan Mark’s mansion. The way she met the mansion and the gate indicated that something indeed had happened.The gate to the compound and to the mansion of Ethan Mark was heavily guarded by Ethan’s Mark security guards; hence, when she approached it with her fancy car, she was not allowed to go in.Yet, it did not mean Isabella was going to sit in her car for too long. She came out of it and approached the guard, who was standing strategically at the gate."My child, where is she? She yelled. But the gaurd said nothing, as he was not given any directive by Mr. Smith to say anything to anyone aside from gaurding the gate of Ethan Mark."Where is Ethan?” Isabella yelled again. However, it did not mean the security guard answered"Step aside, ma’am, and return to your car. The security guard said eventuallyBut this was what Isabella was not even ready to hear."I want to take a look at my daughter. Tell your boss to let me see her. I m
"Yes, Mom, I am fine," Sophia said."Where are you? Who is with you over there? Isabella asked."Miss Lisa is here, and she is taking good care of me.""Who is Miss Lisa, Isabella, and where are you? Isabella questioned."Miss Lisa is a good woman who Dad says is taking care of me, and we are in Paris, enjoying some good ice cream." Can I talk to Dad?""Has anyone tried to attack you in Paris? Isabella questioned once more, her voice in a loud whisper."No, Mom! Please give the phone to Dad," Sophia said."Great! Mommy is coming, okay? Mommy is coming to take you home, and you will be much safer, okay?""No! I am not going anywhere with you! Sophia insisted!"What?" Isabella exclaimed."I said I do not want to go anywhere with you. I will stay here with Miss Lisa. She is making sure I am safe, and I love it here.""But, Sophia, you shouldn’t be in Paris. You should be in a much safer place where you are no longer a target," Isabella said. However, if Sophia had a change of thought, it
"Are you sure of what you're saying?” Ethan asked."Do I look like I'm making this up? I saw him, and I can tell you more," Isabella said.Hence, right at this moment, Ethan said, "You can step in, Mr. Smith; this case just got interesting."Immediately as Ethan called on Mr. Smith to enter, without wasting any time, Mr. Smith answered and stood behind Ethan Mark."Isabella here has some great news for us," Ethan said, and right at this moment, he added, "Please repeat what you said to me the other time, Isabella?""The one who sent the ninjas of assassination missions to attack you is Davis John!"At the hearing of this, Mr. Smith opened his eyes wider, as if he had heard shocking news. And instantly, he took his gaze off Ethan and bowed.Ethan, understanding what this meant, said, "Not right away, Mr. Smith. Let us verify how our beautiful whistleblower came to know about Davis John being the one to send the Ninjas of assassination missions. Or is it one of her games to have us deal
A profound silence enveloped the moment for a second. The only audible thing was the smirk etched on Ethan’s face, with Mr. Smith staring intently at Isabella. It was only when Miss Vivian had to repeat it that Isabella finally heard her."This is the way to the restroom, ma’am."Upon hearing it for the second time, Isabella's eyes widened as if she needed a perfect view. She picked up her fancy bag and followed Miss Vivian in the direction she was led.As she walked, her shoes made faint, almost inaudible sounds. At that moment, the words that escaped Ethan’s lips were, "She's still the same old Isabella Rosewood. She can never change."Ethan said that, and Mr. Smith heard it, but he remained silent, keeping his gaze fixed on the walls, waiting for Ethan's command.When they reached the restroom entrance, Miss Vivian paused and opened the door. "Please go in, ma'am," she said, holding the door handle."Are you seriously going to follow me and watch me as I use the restroom?" Isabella
"Well, Isabella, if you have indeed messed up everywhere in the restroom, then you should not be sitting on that sofa. As you can see, the things here are luxurious, and having you place your soiled butt on one of them is like staining a pristine white plane with reddish paint. Do you understand?" Ethan said."What?" Isabella exclaimed. She couldn't believe what Ethan had just said to her. But whether or not she adhered to Ethan’s words was a different matter.Either way, it was not as if Miss Vivian was ready to grant her peace."I said you should stand up, you disgusting thing! Master Mark, with your permission, let me use an iron hand on her," Miss Vivian snapped once again.Isabella hissed like a dubious snake crawling under green leaves to avoid detection. Consequently, she retorted, "I dare you, you lowly bastard. I dare you to try!" Isabella said."It's alright, Miss Vivian. You may return inside and continue your duty. Let the household handle this from here," Ethan said. Imme
Pushing her back into her prison cell like a reluctant pawn being returned to its square on a chessboard, Isabella fell on the prison floor, resembling a fragile autumn leaf descending with a surrender to the inevitable embrace of the cold, hard ground. No matter how her voice had risen in anger towards her mother in the meeting room, she knew very well that she wanted to read the contents of the letter in the envelope and discover the help Ethan Mark had promised her. "Would he file for my release?" "Has he bought me a home as a sign of my forgiveness?" "Would he take me back as his wife?" Different questions rushed through her mind like a tumultuous river, each query cascading over the other. As she held the envelope in her hand, she sat at the corner of her cell and stared at it much more closely. In this way, she saw that the surface of the envelope bore a faint trace of handling, like a blank canvas marked only by the weight of the untold. She also observed the edges, crisp
As Isabella saw her mother through the glass panel, her eyes first peered at her face, which was fresh and glowing like a sun-kissing morning, radiating warmth and vitality. Similarly, she observed her hair, cascading strands of silk, flowing effortlessly, resembling a gentle waterfall gracing a serene landscape.But if that were all, it would be a lie. She also noticed her dress, which was as beautiful as a field of blooming flowers, each petal a vibrant hue, creating a tapestry of elegance. Likewise, her neck, ears, and wrists were adorned with jewelry, resembling constellations adorning the night sky, each piece a sparkling star in the galaxy of her elegance.Taking in this perfect image of her mother, the thought immediately struck Isabella that her mother's current appearance was the complete inverse of hers—a mess in a uniform and in a confined space, akin to a wildflower struggling to bloom in a cramped garden bed."Been a while," Victoria Sinclair said again, immediately as Is
Like a fish forced to live in the desert for the crime she had committed, Isabella's prison days wove a bleak tapestry of monotony and despair. The cold, unforgiving reality of prison life left her yearning for freedom, with each passing moment feeling like an eternity. The absence of familiar faces and the pervasive loneliness created a profound sense of desolation that permeated every aspect of her existence.Most especially, the daily beatings from her tormentor, Elara Whitewind, resembled an unrelenting storm, leaving Isabella's spirit battered and broken, akin to a shipwreck in the tempest of her despair. This was the reason she wished she had never set foot in the prison yard, mess hall, or communal bathroom ever again.However, whether she wished to visit those places or not, prison protocol had to be followed, leaving her no choice but to be present even in the devil's face if the protocol demanded it.In the dimly lit mess hall, clattering trays and hushed conversations fille
Ethan said nothing in response to Mr. Alexander's words. Instead, as if he hadn't heard him, he seized a seat on the other side of the table and crossed his left leg over his right.Yet, this did not mean he spoke at this moment. The only sound was the rhythmic tapping of his fingers on the table, as if he were playing an invisible piano.In this manner, Ethan Mark exuded authority. Gazing calmly from Mr. Alexander's feet to the tangled mess of hair atop his head, he looked at him. With a serenity akin to the gentle flow of the Nile and a voice as soft as a satisfied dove contemplating a defeated jungle lion, he suddenly spoke."Kneel and apologize."Upon hearing these words, Mr. Alexander's eyes widened in shock. He never anticipated a day when he would be asked to kneel and beg for mercy, especially from the person he had always regarded as a poor bastard.Like an enslaved cat in the presence of a lion, Mr. Alexander fell to his knees as Ethan Mark instructed, pleading, "I was a ter
Seeing how bold, tall, and dangerous this prisoner appeared and observing his audacious manner of poking at him was akin to witnessing a prowling lion, confident in its dominance, taunting its prey before the impending strike. Mr. Alexander then immediately turned his back, attempting to escape from this menacing part of the communal bathroom like a startled deer seeking refuge from the looming threat in the dark forest. "I have to run," he muttered in total fright, his voice a tremor in the echoing silence, like a desperate whisper carried away by the chilling wind of impending danger. However, if his intention was for success, it was a futile hope. "And where do you think you are running to, huh?" Another prisoner said this behind him and pushed him forward like a pawn on the unforgiving chessboard of the prison's power dynamics. As Mr. Alexander was pushed forward, he witnessed how the older prisoners immediately surrounded him. He also noticed how they revealed smirks on their c
After speaking for hours, the man who had conversed with him advised Mr. Alexander to get some sleep. He emphasized the importance of having alert eyes to observe any unfortunate events that might occur in the morning. And with that, Mr. Alexander retreated to the corner of his cell once again, burying his head in his ankle like a ship seeking refuge in the harbor of solitude, sheltering itself from the tempest of the prison's harsh reality. He sat on the ground, succumbing to a haunted sleep. *** The next morning revealed Mr. Alexander as a mere specter of resilience, marked by the weariness of a night spent in the clutches of haunted dreams, like a tattered flag fluttering weakly after enduring the relentless storm of a sleepless night. His eyes, burdened with unrest, betrayed the toll of his surroundings. Disheveled strands of hair clung to his forehead, bearing witness to the restless hours entangled in unsettling dreams. As he rose from the dark corner of his cell, his eyes fir
"Long story, man," the man answered. However, if this was all he said, it was a lie. He began to unravel his own narrative, detailing how his legs became amputated and one of his hands irreparably broken and dislocated."You see, I entered this prison as a healthy man. My crimes weren't that significant. I robbed a bank because I couldn't bear to watch my daughter suffer. We hadn't eaten for days, and robbing the bank seemed like my only option." He took a deep sigh and continued talking."Yes, you guessed right. The mission was unsuccessful, and before I knew it, I was completely surrounded by the police. I had no guns, only a knife and a dagger. I never headed to the vault but collected pieces from each person I encountered in the bank. I just wanted to be able to feed my daughter and move on with life the next day.""While being surrounded, there was nothing more I could do than raise my hands in the air and let the police apprehend me. God knows it was the biggest mistake I ever m
Arriving at the prison, Mr. Alexander saw how the prison walls were imposing, resembling a fortress of despair that stood as a testament to the shadows of society. Certainly, he shook his head in regret, as he had never been to a place this horrible before.He observed cold steel bars, like sentinels of incarceration, confining notorious men whose stories were etched in the graffiti of hardened souls. Similarly, he noticed how the air hung heavy with the weight of regret, whispers of past misdeeds echoing through the dimly lit corridors.The sounds of his handcuffs tucked in chains down to his ankle made obvious sounds as he was escorted through the corridor harboring the cells of different notorious men by two prison officers whose faces lacked smiles, as if they hadn't smiled for many notorious years. Hence, he saw individuals behind these cells harboring untold secrets with their unappealing faces and frightful behaviors.Upon witnessing him and the others being escorted to their r
“Detective Sharon, we would love to ask you a few questions if you do not mind. We are sure this would help the public understand more of what is going on,” one reporter said immediately. “Alright, please go ahead. If this would help the general public understand more of what is going on, “Thank you, Detective Sharon. Now that Mr. Alexander, Mr. X, and Attorney Hughes have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, and Attorney Reynolds is awaiting the outcome of his investigation before he is sentenced, do you think that would be the end of this deadly organization?” “Yes, Mr. X. Mr. Alexander Rosewood and Attorney Hughes have been sentenced to prison for a very long term, and if care is not taken, for life imprisonment. However, this is not the end of the organization. As you might already know, the deadly organization is a large organization that has penetrated every sector, which could even include the police, the prison officers, the legal system, and many more, which could even i