Lydia drove her motorcycle into the estate and squeezed the gear. The motorcycle sped through the driveway before stopping abruptly before the porch. Lydia killed the engine of her motorcycle and took off her helmet. She was back, and sitting before her was the file she had stolen from Kenneth Heaton. It hadn’t hee easy as she had expected it to be. She had been caught, and she had barely made it alive thanks to the tools that Ben had given her. Lydia stepped off her motorcycle and walked into the house. She was still dressed in black as she walked through the living room. Everywhere was quiet. It was 6 am now. Lydia had been away the whole night. After escaping the crazy Kenneth, she had gone to the cage and read through the file properly. It turns out that Kenneth was part of a human trafficking scheme which the police had been after for a while now but they had no clue. The documents contained all the information about what he had done. Lydia was surprised that someone like him w
Ben was sitting in a dark room behind a large monitor screen. His face was lit up by the light emitting from it. He was searching for something important that he didn’t notice when Lydia entered the room. Lydia was in awe as she stared at the room. She didn’t know that something like this existed in the house. It was beautiful and dark. Her two favorite things. She had been looking for Ben to return the utility belt he had handed her just before she left the house last night. Without Ben, she knew she wouldn’t have gotten that far. Perhaps Kenneth would have caught her before she even got to the safe. In all, she was lucky that she was able to get out of there alive, and that she had someone in the house who at least supported her. Roman got what he wanted, but he still did not acknowledge her. Lydia was getting tired of having to prove herself. She had done this in the first place because she didn’t have anywhere else to go. She was hoping that things would get better when she hel
In the underground parking lot of the Lacroix Industries’ building, sat a car. In the car was Eric Hilton and Adam Coleman. They seemed to be waiting for someone. Eric’s hand was on the windowpane as he waited while Adam was looking at a file in his lap. It was a file on Roman Lacroix which he found intriguing. They were after him now and were suspicious that he was among the mafia. Who would make a business transaction with the mafia? Everybody knew the mafia was dangerous. And they all tried to stay away from them. Well, everybody but Roman Lacroix. “Guess what, Eric?” Adam asked, breaking the comforting silence. “What is it this time, Eric?” He asked in disinterest. “Did you know that both Roman Lacroix's parents are dead, and he had been reported missing for more than twenty years?”It took a few seconds to understand what Adam was saying. And when it finally sunk in, he quickly reached for the file. “Let me see that,” he said.Adam handed it over to him. Eric furrowed his bro
That was a close call for Roman. He looked through his rear mirror and noticed that the black sedan wasn’t following him anymore. He had lost them. Whoever was following him, he had lost them. Roman sighed and stepped on the gas heading back home. He had noticed this when he had gotten out of the elevator. He was among the last set of people to leave the office each day, and he knew all the cars that stayed behind. Finding out a strange black sedan was parked in where his secretary’s parking space was also a huge giveaway. Someone was watching him, and Roman didn’t like that. It meant that he would have to thread carefully from now on. Whoever they were, he was going to find out.Roman arrived home a few minutes later and moved into the house with the briefcase in his hand. He had been aiming to go to Kenneth’s office today, but with the black Sedan following him, he had to cut it off today. Roman hated when he was being pushed back, but it was only right that he had lost them. Who k
Lilian combed her hair slowly as she sat by her dresser. By the doorframe stood her husband, David who was leaning against it with his arms folded. He was watching admiringly as Lilian combed her hair. Lilian didn’t seem to have noticed him. Her black hair which was flawless and glistened in the lights was straightened now by the brush in her hands. Lilian was done now. She was dressed in her black night gown ready to go to bed. She dropped the brush on the dresser and turned around, finding her husband standing by the doorframe. He had a smile on his face as he watched her. Lilian was perplexed by this. “What are you doing?” She asked with a smile. “Just staring,” David replied as he leaned off the doorframe coming into the room. David closed the door behind him before coming to meet his wife. He was worried about Roman. After confronting him, he threatened Roman that he was going to stop him by any means. What bothered David was the fact that Roman had remained calm about this.
“Roman Lacroix,” Adam Coleman said as he leaned on his chair. His legs were placed on the desk as he laid back and had a yo-yo in his hand which he used for amusement and company. Besides him Eric was leaning back on his chair lost in thought. Eric was still thinking of how they had fumbled Roman. They had him in their grasp but he had managed to escape. Eric didn’t know he was Ana slippery as an eel. There was something they could do about it. But what?They couldn’t find anything on Roman all day long, and they were both exhausted. Adam knew how to take the pressure off his shoulders with the help of his yo-yo. Eric on the other hand was drowned in despair and disappointment. He couldn’t let go of how bad their mission had gone. Eric had been confident that they were on Roman’s tail just after the traffic on the main street. Roman must have known that he was pursuing them. And so he had used the truck as a distraction to distance himself from them. Another advantage he had over the
The morning sun was bright and exuberant which reflected on Roman’s mood. Today was going to be a good day. He was certain of it. It was time for the second phase of his place and he couldn’t continue his excitement. As he stepped out of the black Corvette with a black briefcase in his hand, he straightened his clothes and smiled. He was dressed in a navy blue suit with floral designs on them. His undershirt was a string sky blue color and his black hair which was combed back neatly glistened in the morning sun, altogether with his piercing silver eyes. The other door of the corvette opened and Lydia stepped out of it. She was dressed in a gray suit with gray trousers on. Her short black spiky hair glowed in the sun and so did her exquisite green eyes. She was as dazzling as Roman. Today was also a huge day for her. It was her first day of work. Roman had finally trusted her enough to take her out on an actual mission he was going to. This was going to be exciting. She couldn’t stop
“What?!” Lilian screamed at the top of her voice. She startled both David and Lincoln who were in the room with her. David was shocked by her expression. It seemed she was losing her mind. The worst thing had just happened. One of their trusted shareholders had sold his share to Roman Lacroix, which meant that Roman was one step closer to getting what he wanted—his revenge. “I bet he must have blackmailed Kenneth into doing so,” Lincoln said. “Kenneth wouldn’t just sell off his share like that. He trusts our company.”David shook his head and folded his arms. “Right now. I don’t think anybody trusts anymore,” David assumed. Lincoln turned to him slightly infuriated. He had to be pessimistic at the wrong time. Every day Lincoln was growing impatient with him. He would soon have to do away with him, but he was Lilian’s husband. That was the only advantage he had, and was why he was still living with them. “Why would you say that?” Lincoln asked. David shrugged his shoulders and si
(EPILOGUE)Roman stepped back into the house and he found a figure sitting on the couch waiting for him. He clenched his jaws as he walked into the room. He was eager to see who had interrupted his grieving session. He had been to let all the pain out. The guilt he felt for watching his mother die and also not being there for his parents while they were alone hit him hard. He just needed that space but he wasn’t going to get that now. As he came closer, the figure sat at the couch with a tea cup in their hand. Roman squinted his eyes as he tried to recognize who it was. The figure finally turned around and faced Roman. Roman was immediately shocked by what he saw. “Nuo?” He called in surprise. Nuo Feng, who was dressed in her customary robes, rose from the couch and smiled at him. Roman was in disbelief. The last time had seen her was when he had visited Shanghai. That was because he had been hurt badly in a confrontation with Viper Don’s men which had left him paralyzed. But
“There you go,” Ben said, handing him a bouquet. Roman gave him a weak smile and got the bouquet of yellow roses from him. “Thank you, Ben.”Ben nodded. “If you need anything. Just call me.”Roman nodded and Ben turned around leaving him. He was now alone in the graveyard of his parents all dressed in a black suit. With the bouquet in his hands, he stepped forward and stood before the headstone of both his parents. With a smile, he picked out one of the yellow roses and placed it on his mother’s grave.“Hello, mum. I’m back,” he said with a smile. He moved to the next headstone and dropped another flower on it. This was his father’s. Roman clenched his jaws as he stared at his father’s headstone. He could feel the guilt consume him as he looked at it. It was hard for him because he couldn’t remember what his father looked like, nor did he have any memory of who his father was. The only reason he remembered him was the pictures in their old house, and the video of him leaving th
Roman stretched on the bed as he woke up before opening his eyes. He looked around and realized that the morning sunlight had washed into the room, illuminating the bed on which he lay. Last night was amazing. After winning the award for the entrepreneur of the year, he had come back to the suite with Florence where they had sex. Just as she was about to climax, she said the magic words. I love you. Roman didn’t know what to say back then, but he felt he had an obligation to say what he felt about yet too. And he was going to tell her when they had breakfast. He turned to the other side of the bed to meet her only to find it empty. This startled him. He rose from the bed and looked around the room. There was no trace left of her being her last night. That was awkward for him. Roman rose from the bed stark naked and walked towards the bathroom. He opened the door and stepped into it. He found water droplets on the floor which meant that she had been here awhile ago. He reached
Roman Lacroix opened the door of his suite and stepped inside. On the other hand was his award which he couldn’t quite wrap his head around how he had won it. He had been stunned when his name was mentioned. After making a speech, he received the award which made him feel better. That was two awards he had won now, but who was counting? He wondered if the universe was finally paying him back from all the torture he had undergone at the hands of Viper Don. But that didn’t matter much to him. If that was the case, then he would gladly accept it. The door of the suite was closed and he turned around to see Florence coming in with her purse in her hand. She still looked amazing, and he was surprised that he hadn’t noticed that until now. She was amazing in her black dress which exposed her cleavage. Roman found it hard to look away. Florence noticed Roman looking at her and she couldn’t help but smirk. They had decided to spend the night in suits and travel back to New York the
“Roman! You won’t believe this!” Ben said as he closed the door. Roman who was sitting on the couch with a glass of scotch in his hand turned to Ben who had an envelope in his hand. He wondered what he could do there. “What is it?” Roman asked. “I think it is for you,” Ben replied, handing over the envelope to him. Roman, confused, got the envelope and immediately tore the seal. He reached into the envelope and brought out a letter from it. After reading for a few moments, he was left in awe. Ben noticed the change in Roman’s facial expression which made him more curious about what could be in the letter. “What is it?” Roman read the letter one more time before turning to him. “It’s an invitation,” he said. “To where?” Ben asked. Roman turned back to the letter. “It says here, Dear Roman Lacroix, amazed by the works you have carried out in your hometown, Brooklyn. We are delighted to invite you to the prestigious annual Entrepreneur Awards night. We will b
Roman walked through the hallway of the precinct as he headed towards the other entrance. He had contemplated this for days, and he had finally come to a decision—he was going to get the key to the city. He deserved it. Oliver had made him realize this. After saving his life on multiple occasions, he realized that there were a lot of things that he had done that went unnoticed. He had been able to take three powerful men down with Viper Don being the strongest. It hadn’t been easy, but he had done it. The last mission made him feel that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. Saving Susan from the mighty drug lord, Frederic El Mataso, made him realize that there was more to his capabilities than he knew. Eric and Adam were waiting nervously just as the mayor went to the podium to give a speech. They were still inside the building waiting to be summoned. It was a big day for them, but that didn’t stop Eric from wearing his trademark black leather jacket. Adam on the other ha
Brooklyn, New York. 6:45 AM.“Well, that was fun,” Oliver said as they stepped off the jet. They were greeted by the morning’s golden light which washed upon them as they walked out of the hanger. Oliver still had the black duffel bag in his hand but it didn’t contain ammunition anymore. It was money. A whole lot of it. They had cashed out on all their artifacts last night and made their way with the excess of it. Roman was calm as he walked out of the hangar. He was dressed in a new black suit and his hair was combed neatly. He looked all refreshed. Last night was hilarious, and it was hard to believe that it had happened.They had made their way with one of the most expensive jewels ever, and all Roman did was blackmail him. They couldn’t say that Frederic El Mataso wouldn’t come after them but who cared? They had hit the jackpot again. Roman had the ring in his hand and he stared at it as he made his way towards the crew. At a distance, a black Cadillac was heading towards them
Frederic El Mataso wasn’t fazed by the sight of the guns being pointed at him. He had been through much more than that. What he was worried about was the men at the table with him who were already terrified at the sight of the men. “If you don’t want to end up like the guards there, I strongly suggest you all leave,” Roman ordered. The men looked at each other before running out of the room. The door shut behind them and they were left alone in the room with Susan and Frederic. Susan rose to her feet and went immediately to Oliver, pulling him into a hug. Roman, on the other hand, lowered his gun and walked to the poker table, sitting on the other end of it. He had one of his guns pointed at Frederic who still didn’t seem fazed by this. “I know who you are,” Frederic said. “You’re the famous Roman Lacroix.”Roman smiled at that. Sometimes, he forgot that he was known throughout the country. First, it was the Russian mafia leader, now it was El Mataso. He was making a name for him
“Bring her in here,” Frederic El Mataso ordered. The door opened and Susan was dragged into the room. Her hair was ruffled and her face was drenched in sweat. She had just spent the whole day in the basement and now she was about to be given a death sentence. The room had a poker table with men seated around it, Frederic included. Frederic El Mataso was a plump man with a weird mustache and heavy eyebrows. He was dressed in a black suit with his bloated stomach trying its best to stay in the white undershirt he wore. There was only one thing that caught Susan’s eye. It was his ring. The ring was glowing as he rubbed his chin with a grin on his face. “Bring her closer,” he ordered. The guard dragged her on the floor as he brought her to him. Susan was kneeling before Frederic now who was still rubbing his chin as he stared down at her. “You piece of shit! You think you’re going to get away with this?” She yelled. “She’s a feisty one,” he said to the men at the table who chuckle