FRAGMENTS OF THE BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER 4: GONE WRONG

The dimly lit mall echoed with the distant hum of maintenance machinery as Alex, Michael, and Andrew huddled together in the cold solitude of a restroom. The air was thick with tension, their breaths visible in the chill as they prepared for the risky job ahead.

"Everyone knows, what they are supposed to do but let's go over it again." Micheal began, his eyes reflecting the gravity of their situation. "We waited until the mall is closed already and the lights are out," Andrew, you'll pick the lock on the jewelry store. Once inside,   I'll keep watch just in case. Alex, you disable the alarms remotely."

Michael's nerves tightened, his mind grappling with the enormity of what they were about to undertake. The Ashford family's jewelry store was no ordinary target; it was a fortress of opulence owned by one of the most influential families on Earth. The stakes were high, and failure could mean consequences far more severe than Logan's wrath.

Three days had passed prior to the clandestine preparation and finally, the moment arrived. The mall plunged into darkness as the lights flickered off, signaling the end of business hours. Emerging cautiously from their hiding spot, the trio navigated the empty corridors, their footsteps muffled against the tiled floor.

Andrew, skilled in the art of lockpicking, approached the jewelry store door with silent determination. Michael's heart pounded in his chest as he observed the delicate dance of Andrew's fingers on the lock. The faint click echoed through the silent mall, signaling success.

The trio slipped into the jewelry store, their senses heightened by the glittering treasures that surrounded them. Diamonds, gold, and precious stones adorned the glass cases, each item a testament to the Ashford family's wealth.

"Time for me to work my magic," Alex whispered, setting up his laptop. He began typing furiously, his eyes fixed on the screen. The challenge was to disable the alarms remotely without triggering any alerts.

Meanwhile, Michael approached a steel door that stood like an impenetrable barrier. Curiosity overcame him, and he attempted to open it, only to be met with resistance.

Alex chuckled, his focus still on the laptop. "It uses an advanced DNA scanning system. Good luck trying to open it, dawg."

As Michael pondered the mysterious door, a scanner descended from the ceiling, emitting an eerie light. Before he could react, the door slowly creaked open, revealing a room adorned with even more opulence. Gold bars, rare gems, and artifacts filled the space.

The unexpected bounty left the trio momentarily speechless. Alex and Andrew exchanged bewildered glances as Michael hesitated before the newfound wealth. Questions lingered like how did the door open? Was it a security glitch in the system? But the allure of riches overpowered their curiosity.

"Fuck! Get out of my way." He brushed past Micheal roughly with a massive grin on his face.

"We are fucking rich brothers!!!" 

"Yeah dawg, this is some good shit." Alex said as he picked up a gold bar.

"Why is this even here?" Micheal questioned but no one cared, Andrew slapped Micheal's back with a grin.

"We don't care bro, we are fucking rich!" 

They filled their bags with the treasures, the room once destined for a $200,000 haul now bearing the weight of millions. The elation, however, was short-lived.

As they attempted to make their exit, Andrew's bag collided with a glass case, triggering the piercing wail of an alarm. Panic set in. "Fuck!" Alex shouted. "You idiot! Now the police are coming!"

The building was equipped with both silent and buzz alarms, it sang annoyingly reaching their ears no matter what direction they ran towards.

The trio rushed toward the back exit, only to see pale blue and red light approaching them.

"Fuck, we can't use this way." Micheal said as his heart began to race towards infinity.

"Where do you we go?" Andrew asked him panting heavily.

"I don't know, let me think." micheal answered resting his hands on his knees.

"Then, think Faster! Where?" Andrew pushed him and Micheal snapped.

"Shut the fuck up! None of this would have happened, if you didn't trigger the alarm." 

Andrew opened his mouth but he was interrupted by Alex.

"Shut the fuck up men! We don't have time for this! Now, micheal you better think faster or things are about to get hot." He said as he revealed his gun holster strapped to his chest.

"Youu have a fucking gun!" Micheal said in disbelief as this operation required no firearm.

"Isn't that fucking obvious? Now think!" 

"Okay, okay Let's go this way." Micheal tried another route as but they could hear armed police men coming their way.

"Fuck! This is it, we are fucking trapped." 

"Not for me, bitch!" Alex said as he pulled out his gun and ran the other way, it wasn't long until Micheal was stunned by the gunshots and the immediate silence that followed.

"Fuck! Fuck! Do you think he is ..........." 

"I don't fucking know, let's just surrender.......I don't want to di........" 

"Hold it right there, place your hands on your head and get on your knees." Immediately Micheal yielded to the command, he signaled Andrew with his eye to look do the same but Andrew was frightened to death, even more frightened to be arrested.

"No! Don't do anything stupid." Micheal could see the foolish glint in his eyes as Andrew tried to move, his gesture seemed like he wanted to pull out something but in actuality, he was going to turn around.

He was gunned down in front of Micheal, he fell on the ground lifelessly........ As he stared at the body that laid on the ground he could hardly believe it, everything was destroyed at that point, his hopes, his dreams, the future he thought he could live with his brother.

At that point, the world had died to him.