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 bridge of his nose. It was a habit he couldn’t stop.“Alright. Shall we?” Mr. Meyer asked.Ben nodded.“Right this way,” Ben said pointing towards the glamorous hallway. “He is waiting for you in the dining hall.”Mr. Meyer nodded and they walked through the big hallway. Ben swung the door of the dining room open and Mr. Meyer stepped in. He was a split second away from a heart attack when he found a figure sitting at the huge dining table. It was Aaron, and he hadn’t moved an inch. Ben closed the door behind him and came forward.“Mr. Lacroix, he is here,” Ben announced.Aaron had been waiting impatiently for the arrival of their lawyer. There was a lot to do and time wasn’t on his side. Seeing the lawyer stand before him now satisfied him. Mr. Meyer had a good look at Aaron. He had her black hair and silver eyes which appeared stern as they stared at him. He seemed slightly intimidated by Aaron. Mr. Meyer’s eyes went to Ben's, displaying his displeasure in going ahead with this.“You must be Mr. Meyer?” Aaron asked rising from the chair.Mr. Meyer carried himself high in the hope that he wouldn’t display his discomfort. Aaron raked his eyes scanning him. His eyes caught his hands which seemed to be gripping onto the briefcase too tightly. Aaron assumed that he wasn’t ready to go ahead with this which was appalling to him.“Yes,” Mr. Meyer replied, trying to act confident.“Please, have a seat,” Aaron offered pointing at one of the chairs.Mr. Meyer turned to Ben who nodded at him. He sighed and walked towards Aaron, taking a seat beside him. Aaron smiled and sat down. Ben on the other hand stood by the door with his hands behind him. Mr. Meyer erected his clothes and placed the briefcase on the table.“Did you bring the documents I requested?” Aaron asked.Mr. Meyer gave him a suspicious look.“Yes,” he replied, opening the briefcase.“Can I see them?” Aaron requested.Mr. Meyer sighed and brought out the documents handing them over to Aaron. Aaron ran through the documents carefully. A few minutes later, he nodded his head in satisfaction. They were all here and accounted for. The documents to all his parents’ fortune. Since he couldn’t trust anybody but himself, he would have to keep the documents with him.“There’s one more left,” Aaron pointed out.“Yes. The certificate of ownership,” Mr. Meyer concurred bringing out the certificate from the briefcase. He handed it over to Aaron who got it from him with a suspicious look. Mr. Meyer turned to Ben who was watching all these from the door and the only thing Ben did was give him a slight nod.“Where do I need to sign?” Aaron asked, looking at all the documents.Mr. Meyer bent forward and showed him the dotted lines for him to apply his signature. Aaron nodded and pulled out a pen from his jeans pocket. As the ink touched the dotted line, Mr. Meyer’s heart sank. It was the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one. One which he felt he wouldn’t be a part of. He still wasn’t convinced that Aaron was the son of The Lacroixs. They were similar in their resemblance but that could just be a coincidence. Aaron signed all the documents and finally closed his pen. Mr. Meyer rose to his feet and spread out his hand for a shake. Aaron watched him tentatively.“Congratulations, Mr. Lacroix,” he said. “You are now a billionaire.”Aaron flashed him a smile and shook his hand firmly.“Thank you, Mr. Meyer, and for all your services. Especially for my parents,” he appreciated.Mr. Meyer nodded. He reached for the documents but Aaron stopped him.“Don’t worry about the documents,” Aaron said. “I’ll hold onto them from now on.”Mr. Meyer’s eyebrows rose his surprise. It meant that his services were no longer required. He quickly recalled Aaron’s appreciation and it hit him. He had missed it. Mr. Meyer too shocked to react, nodded and flashed him a fake smile.“If you say so, Mr. Lacroix,” he said backing off.Mr. Meyer picked up his briefcase and headed for the door. Ben swung it open and they both stepped into the hallway, leaving Aaron to himself in the dining room.“I don’t trust him,” Mr. Meyer said walking through the hallway.“You don’t have to,” Ben said.Mr. Meyer turned swiftly to him and gave him a confused stare. What was Ben talking about? It seemed he was already bought into the young man’s gimmick.“I don’t think that man is the son of Mrs. Lacroix,” Mr. Meyer said.“He is,” Ben affirmed.Ben’s confidence was hysterical.“Just because he looks like them doesn’t mean he is,” Mr. Meyer. “I am a lawyer, Ben. I know the difference between coincidence and reality.”Ben sighed and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. Then, he gripped Mr. Meyer by the elbow and brought his face closer to his.“Just after Mrs. Lacroix died, I did a DNA test to confirm my suspicion,” Ben said almost in a whisper. “I wasn’t sure myself and felt I had made a grave mistake. Then, the test results came back.”Ben left his elbow and Mr. Meyer began walking back to the dining room. The suspense was burning.“What were the results, Ben?” Mr. Meyer asked.Ben paused and turned to him giving him a warm smile, and a confusing response.“What do you think?”***“You asked to see me, sir?” Ben asked.They were both in the garden now and Aaron was admiring the flowers that seemed to have bloomed. They were beautiful. The warm morning sun was soothing as Aaron took a stroll around the house. He was thinking of his next move. Now that he had what he wanted, he could move to the next phase.“I’ll be leaving New York for a while, and I want you to take care of everything while I’m gone,” Aaron replied.Ben was stunned by this.“Leaving, sir?” He asked.“Yes. And I don’t know when I’ll be back.”“Anything for you, Master Aaron.”Aaron halted abruptly and turned to him.“No,” he said.Ben looked at him in confusion.“Sir?”“My name is Roman Lacroix.”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
The crowd at the party was massive. There were flashes of paparazzi all over the red carpet. Many distinguished guests had arrived, and they were taken shots by the drooling paparazzi. The Troyes’ party seemed grand and something of a ball. It had been the talk of the town, and it had met its expectations with aplomb. Amid the ruckus, a black Porsche pulled over. The door opened and a figure stepped out of it. It was Roman Lacroix. He was stunning tonight and it caught the attention of the onlookers. His jet-black hair was combed neatly and his silver eyes showed at the lights. His black suit had a floral design and a shawl that was wrapped in the middle of it. His white undershirt sparkled and highlighted his olive skin. He was gorgeous. Roman didn’t want to catch the attention of everybody, but Ben had picked out this hit perfectly for him and had helped him dress up. Tonight was his big entrance, and so he needed to stand out. Roman straightened his suit and tugged at his bow tie.
The sound of glass shattering startled Lilian. She was seated on the couch with her husband, watching her father live out his rage. Meeting Aaron at the party was the last thing either of them had scorched to happen. It felt like Aaron couldn’t go away no matter how hard they tried. She had divorced him, and for things not to get weirder, Lincoln had fired him from the company. That was supposed to be the end of Aaron Warren, but here he was back in New York with a new name and huge wealth. “How is this possible?” Lincoln asked rhetorically. Lilian clenched her jaws in fury. David seemed to be the only unfazed person in the room which boiled down to the fact that he hadn’t been around when Aaron was around. Lilian had met David a year later after she divorced. David never expected Aaron to have such an impact on the family. He was more confused than angry. Having his wife's ex-husband around wasn’t that appealing to him either. What if Lilian went back to him? At this point, that se
Lincoln Troyes was running through some documents when his door swung open. He looked up at who barged into his office and it was David. Lincoln wasn’t pleased by this. He didn’t want to be disturbed as he sorted out these documents. With Roman around, he was trying to see how he could take him off his company. That wasn’t going to be an easy fest because the other shareholders knew of him now. And getting them to agree on selling off his share didn’t seem possible. Roman seemed to have won their hearts already, and this upset him. David Troyes stood before Lincoln’s desk with a laptop in his hand. His black hair was scattered across his forehead which was covered with sweat. He was in his white undershirt now with the sleeves folded. Lincoln wondered what would have brought him here. “What is it, David?” He questioned. “Lincoln. I think you may want to have a look at this,” he replied, moving closer to the desk. Lincoln cringed hard when David called his name. He had warned him s
Roman gazed out the glass wall in his office as he stared down at the busy streets of New York. The morning sun in all its glory bathed his office making Roman look like a god made of gold. Everything was going according to plan. Troyes Inc. was going to go down soon, and he would watch it burn to the ground. It was a brilliant idea to sell his shares to random investors. He knew that if the supply became greater than the demand, the company’s stocks would drop drastically. He had been banking on it, and it had worked impeccably. Now all he had to do was wait for Lincoln to come begging. But it didn't seem likely. Roman knew Lincoln was a stubborn man with pride and he would find another way to try and revive his company. But that didn’t seem likely. The one solution that Lincoln currently would be to bring more investors, and that would even make his stocks depreciate. The true only solution was to buy back the stocks from all the investors, and Roman knew there was only one person
Eric Hilton stepped out of the black sedan and wore his black jacket. He had red hair which lit up his pale skin and his brown eyes. His mustache which was curvy all together gave him a funny look. He was dressed in a white shirt with a black leather jacket over it. At his hip was a holster with a loaded gun and a police badge on the other side. Eric had a stern look on his face, and together with his funny-looking ginger mustache, he looked menacing. Before him was a crime scene which was decorated with an ambulance and several police cars. Eric walked towards the yellow tape that surrounded the house which seemed to be the crime. There was a policeman guarding the yellow tape, blocking off the crowd of civilians from approaching the scene of the crime. Eric arrived at the yellow tape and the police officer flashed him a smile. “Detective Hilton. Welcome,” the policeman announced. Eric Hilton nodded in response. “Thank you, Brady.”“My pleasure.”Brady lifted the yellow tape enab
“Welcome home, Roman,” Ben greeted as Roman stroked out of his black Corvette. He left it on the driveway and went to meet Ben who was standing on the porch. Roman was exhausted. Today was a crazy day at the office. David Troyes had come in to threaten him. That seemed very absurd. “I hope you enjoyed your day at the office?” He asked as they walked into the house. Roman didn’t respond. Ben noticed that he looked exhausted. He wasn’t used to this kind of work. He had been away from town for seven years. The only thing he was used to was combat training and learning. Though he had been working under a company while he was still living with The Troyes, that was a very long time ago. “The strangest thing happened today, Ben,” Roman said, taking off his suit jacket. Ben walked towards Roman who dropped the suit jacket on the couch. “What is it? Rylan?” He asked. “Lilian's new husband came into my office this morning to threaten me.”Ben chuckled softly. That was amusing. Roman roll
A black motorcycle drove into Roman’s estate and parked in the driveway just in front of the porch. The figure in the motorcycle who was dressed in a blank leather jacket and a pair of black jeans and had a black tinted helmet with designs of motorcycle tires on fire killed the engine and leaned off the dashboard. The figure lifted off the helmet, revealing its face. It was a woman. She had short black spiky hair, narrow green eyes, and high cheekbones which gave her a menacing look. Her olive skin made her glow which made her look like a model. She held the helmet under her arm and gazed at the mansion before her. The doors swung open suddenly and Ben stepped out of it, rushing down the porch stairs. When the woman recognized him, she flashed a smile. “Lydia!” Ben called. The woman stepped off the motorcycle and placed the helmet on it as she headed to greet Ben. “Uncle Ben,” she responded. Ben pulled her into a warm hug. Lydia sighed as she hugged her uncle. When she received
(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