“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
(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
“What is this?” Aaron Warren asked, looking at the blue file on the desk before him. “It’s the divorce papers, Mr. Warren,” the woman standing behind the desk replied. Aaron’s eyes widened in shock. Divorce papers? All of a sudden, he looked lost. His eyes went to the woman who was now leaning towards him with both hands on the desk. Her eyebrows furrowed, intersecting at the beginning of her nose. She wore a black suit which complimented her black hair. Her blue eyes stared at him piercing his soul. Aaron was familiar with her. She was Lilian’s lawyer, Isabel Montero. He was suspicious when she had called him to the office. It was something that had never happened before. The infuriated look on her face meant that she wasn’t joking. Aaron’s eyes fell on the blue file before him. “Divorce papers?” He said out loud. “Just sign them so we can get this over with,” Isabel said, folding her arms. “We don’t have all day.”Aaron was still trying to digest this. His eyes were shaking as
Aaron pressed the doorbell of the Troyes’s mansion and waited. He knew he shouldn’t be back here, but he couldn’t stay away. He had been invited to dinner by Lilian and he felt that she was willing to discuss the divorce. However, when he looked into her eyes, he felt that it was all over for him. But now, she was calling him over. That could only mean one thing. The door swung open, revealing Lincoln who was smiling. When he saw Arron standing by the door, his smile quickly dissolved into a frown. “Who invited you here?” He asked. “Lilian did,” Aaron replied. Lincoln arched his eyebrow at him in surprise. “Lilian?”Aaron was feeling sort of victorious. He nodded in response. Lincoln was looking for his words but nothing came forth. He couldn’t send Aaron away. Whatever Lilian was planning, he had no clue what it was. “Come in,” he said. Aaron flashed a smile and walked into the house. Lincoln closed the door behind him with confusion still written all over his face. Whatever h
A black Audi pulled into the huge driveway of the Troyes’s estate, and a man stepped out of the car. It was Ben Rhys. He looked around the estate and nodded his head impressed. “Not bad,” he said to himself. His search for Aaron was almost over. Based on the information he had conjured, Aaron was likely living here. He had read all about him. After searching for him for over fifteen years, he was relieved to realize that he was still alive. And living well too. Ben walked up to the massive porch of the mansion before him and pressed the doorbell. He placed his hands behind him and waited. Inside the house, Lilian was rushing down the stairs. It seemed she was the only one at home presently. She arrived at the door and opened it in disinterest. It revealed a dirty blonde-haired man with a shaved beard who looked to be in his late forties. His brown eyes which looked slightly hazel gazed at her in surprise. She was stunned to find the unfamiliar man on her porch. Where were the guard
“Are you kidding me?!” Aaron shrieked as he rose to his feet. Ben who was now in his apartment was seated on a futon with a calm expression on his face. He was trying to tell Aaron about his past, but Aaron seemed to be in disbelief. He didn’t expect him to believe him so soon. The Lacroixs had lost their son for over twenty years now, long before he began working with them. Aaron in that period must have gone through hell in foster homes. Ben understood the pain he had been through. He was always there with Aaron’s mother, Mrs. Amiri Lacroix through those turbulent times, especially when she had lost her husband, Darius too. He had been with her through all the pain, and now she was about to die. Ben knew he had to find her son. It was her dying wish to see him before she passed away. Ben had scavenged the whole country looking for Aaron, and now he had finally found him. Aaron looked at the blonde man in the black coat sitting on his futon. He seemed to have lost his mind. The lou
Ben reached for the door and swung it open. On the porch stood a man dressed in a black suit. He was partially bald and had a pair of glasses on. Ben smiled as he recognized the man. “Come in, Mr. Meyer,” Ben said stepping aside. The man nodded and stepped into the house. Mr. Meyer was The Lacroixs’ lawyer. He had the documents for all the properties that The Lacroix owned. He was also their legal advisor and knew Ben for a while now. “Thank you, Ben,” Mr. Meyer said touching his glass. “I heard about Mrs. Lacroix.”A distraught look appeared on Ben’s face. He wasn’t particularly happy to be reminded of Amiri’s demise. “And I brought the documents you asked,” Mr. Meyer continued. “Though I think it's strange that you would ask for them. They are all perfectly safe with me.”Ben sighed and nodded his head. “I know that Mr. and Mrs. Lacroix trusted you with them, but he asked for them,” Ben said. Mr. Meyer sighed and touched his glasses again, this time pushing them to the bridg
A black Cadillac drove into a huge estate and halted at the foot of a glamorous mansion. The door opened and a figure stepped out of it. It was Roman Lacroix. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a pair of black shades. Roman took off the shades and gazed at the surroundings. It was beautiful, hits like he had pictured it to be. After seven years of being away, he was finally back in New York. But there was something different about him. His jet-black hair was shorter than usual and his body’s physique was more impressive than it was before. He had an athletic build now and looked stunning in his white T-shirt. The doors of the huge mansion spread open and Ben walked out of it briskly. He had a black shirt on and his hair which was usually dirty blonde now had white strands creeping in from the sides. His usual shaved chin had stubbles now. The trunk opened and he reached for the suitcases in there. “Master Roman,” he greeted. “Welcome home.”Roman nodded and walked to him. “Thank y
(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