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First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 81
Sitting in the poorly lit living room, Estella fixed a blank stare at the family picture on the wall. It was from a time long before the storm arrived, when life had been simple and whole and everything seemed fine.The image now felt so far disconnected from the reality she was living in. Her eyes flicked over her husband’s face in the picture, Jake grinning with his daughter Rylie, his arm slung across Estella’s shoulders. That picture felt like a lifetime ago, before everything had collapsed and the confidence had been betrayed.Past week had been a swirl of emotions, accusations, and confrontations. The affair Jake had been having for months had destroyed her. She had never seen it coming; the father of their kid, Jake, the guy she had made a life with, had turned on her in the harshest of terms. Her numbness from the shock had lasted days, and she struggled to make sense of how rapidly everything had collapsed.She has always thought of their marriage as perfect. They had always
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 82
Hunter walked in his office, the weight of the phone conversation still settling in his gut, and the air was thick with conflict. His fist grabbed the phone firmly, white knuckles from the impact. The voice on the other side was very quiet, too quiet, as if the caller had been expecting this for a very long period.“Hunter,” the voice answered coldly, “you have been a thorn in my side for far too long. Your tiny enterprise, your company—it’s closed. Look at this as a warning. The connection stopped dead with a terrible finality.Hunter’s eyes squinted as he peered out the window, the city lights flickering far away. He knew something like this was unavoidable. He could feel it approaching. Jonathan was a guy with grudges who broke the rules. Hunter’s intuition informed him Jonathan was about to move, so this was far from done.The sound of his phone vibrating once more cut over the silence before he could completely understand the threat. He snatched it and felt his gut turn over at t
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 83
Hunter was sitting in his office, the space filled with lengthy shadows from the weak light from his desk lamp. The weight of everything—the recent assaults on his companies, the never-ending threats, and the relentless hunt for Jonathan—seemed to be pressing down on him, and the air seemed heavy, almost oppressive. He felt fatigue grip him like a second skin. But in the middle of the confusion, he was plagued by an eerie sensation that he was unable to get rid of no matter how hard he tried.Pushing aside a pile of papers, he concentrated on the most recent piece of intelligence that had arrived. It had initially appeared to be just another dead end, another short-lived lead that wouldn’t prove to be very significant. However, the more Hunter studied it, the more the pieces began to fit together.Olivia, his ex-fiance, had been a constant in his life, but now he was only focused on the work at hand. She was not the object of this investigation, but he had never trusted her completely
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 84
Olivia was sitting by herself in the dark room, holding a glass of wine with shaking hands. Like everything else around her, the drink’s warmth, which used to make her feel better, felt empty. The silence was heavy and suffocating, and it felt like the walls of the room were closing in on her. Every breath she took hurt.She had always been proud of how well she could handle things and play tricks on people behind their backs. As she sat in this empty room, though, she felt like everything she had worked so hard to hide was coming apart in front of her.Hunter was coming up on them. Like a hunter following its prey, she could feel it. The clues he had found and the questions he was asking led him to her. She knew this was going to happen, but the truth of it all was too much for her to handle.She kept going over the things that had happened in her mind over and over: Jake’s relationship with Jonathan, the lies she had told, and the many choices she had made that led her to this point
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 85
Standing two weeks later in the ultra-modern office of the competitor, Alamid’s keen eyes surveyed the plush furnishings and subtle hum of the business environment. Jonathan and the business world were both intended recipients of her statement.There was a heavy weight in the air as the ink on the contract she had just signed continued to dry. She had just taken over the competitor’s business, complete with all of its assets and clout. It was just another strategic step in her plan to undermine Jonathan’s network from within.The company’s operations had been thoroughly investigated by her team for months, revealing financial irregularities, weak spots, and suspicious activities that were directly linked to Jonathan.For the takeover to go off without a hitch, every detail had been carefully considered. The company’s upper management caved in to Alamid’s relentless pursuit of her goals, and her reputation as a fiercely independent businesswoman only grew in her ascendancy.As Alamid r
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 86
Hunter paced the dimly lit room, Zafron’s voice sharp and deliberate as he laid out the grim reality before them. The Brotherhood was at a crossroads, teetering on the edge of chaos. Jonathan’s web of corruption wasn’t confined to back-alley deals or underground operations; it bled into politics, infecting decision-makers and entire institutions.“You can’t keep running on the defensive,” Zafron said, his tone clipped as he leaned over the table strewn with documents, maps, and coded dossiers. “You need to hit them where it hurts—Jonathan’s political allies. But tread carefully, Hunter. This isn’t the same as taking out his foot soldiers.”Hunter stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing as he absorbed Zafron’s words. The idea of targeting politicians aligned with Jonathan was tempting. But the risks were colossal. “If I start exposing politicians, it paints a giant target on my back,” Hunter muttered, his fists clenching at his sides. “Not just mine—everyone involved in this fight.”Zafron
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 87
Hunter sat at the head of the Brotherhood’s table, his gaze sharp as Casper laid out the plan with meticulous precision. The room hummed with tension, each member acutely aware of the risks but unwilling to voice dissent. This was the kind of gamble that could dismantle Jonathan’s empire—or destroy them entirely.“We move on the northern hub first,” Casper said, his finger tracing the map in front of him. “Alejandro’s resources will be instrumental here. His people know the terrain, and their intel on the supply routes is solid.”Hunter’s lips pressed into a thin line at the mention of Alejandro. The history between them wasn’t just water under the bridge—it was a storm, a maelstrom of unresolved grudges and betrayals. Yet, despite the unspoken tension, he gave a curt nod.“Fine. Loop him in,” Hunter said, his voice cold but decisive. “But keep him on a leash. I don’t want any surprises.”Casper glanced at him, hesitating for a fraction of a second before continuing. “Alejandro’s alre
First Heir: Hunter Dmitri 88
Olivia sat in the sterile, cold interrogation room, the ticking of the clock on the wall echoing in the silence. She felt the weight of the situation pressing down on her chest, the walls closing in around her. The faint hum of the fluorescent lights above did nothing to calm the storm of thoughts racing through her mind. How had it come to this? How had everything unraveled so completely?She stared at the two officers across the table from her, their expressions unreadable, but the tension in the air was thick enough to slice. Detective Marshall, a seasoned investigator with a reputation for getting results, leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.“You’ve been aiding a criminal organization, Olivia,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Your involvement in Jake’s actions, his ties to Jonathan… this isn’t something you can just walk away from. We have everything we need. The evidence is clear.”Olivia’s hands trembled slightly in her lap, but she fought to keep her composure. She