Chapter 1: Jailed

"You're going to rot in jail for this, Miles!" 

Miles Anderson's expression hardened as his boss spat venomous words, accusing him of fraud.

“Sir, what’s going on?” Miles questioned, his eyes darting between Roger and the approaching guards. But before he could receive an answer, the guards closed in.

"You're a disgrace, Anderson," Roger sneered, basking in his false triumph. "I knew you weren't fit for this job, but fraud? You’re lower than I thought."

Anderson's frown deepened as Roger continued his baseless accusations.

“Fraud? Mr. Roger, you’re barking up the wrong tree!" Anderson retorted, his tone laced with disdain. "I’ve been a loyal employee for years, and you’re pinning this on me? I think someone’s got a vendetta, and it’s not me.”

“Spare me the innocent act, Anderson. We both know the truth." Roger waved a dismissive hand, as if waving away Anderson's protests like flies. "You’ve been siphoning money from under our noses for months. How else do you think you’ve been able to maintain your cushy lifestyle?”

Miles clenched his jaw, indignation coursing through him. “I’ve worked hard for every penny I’ve earned, and you know it, Roger.”

"Silence!" Roger barked, his face contorted in rage. "You’ve been playing me for a fool all along, Anderson. I should have known you were the culprit!"

With a malicious glint in his eye, Roger stepped closer to Miles. "As poor as you are, of course it was you!”

Miles' heart sank as the guard’s grip tightened on his arms, yet he remained stalwart, a last-ditch effort to defend his innocence.

"Please, Mr. Roger, I’m innocent!”

“Your pleading won’t save you now, Anderson," Roger scoffed, looming over Miles with a twisted grin. “You’re like a green snake in the grass, slimy and treacherous.”

Miles’ fists clenched, the rage he’d kept bottled up threatening to explode. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not the one who’s been stealing from you, Roger. You just can’t admit that you were tricked by someone else.”

Roger’s smirk was triumphant. “Oh, I can’t wait to see you behind bars, Anderson.”

Miles’ eyes burned with rage. “I didn’t steal from you, and you know it! Why are you doing this?” His fists clenched, knuckles turning white.

Roger's amusement only grew. “Because I can. And you deserve it.”

“Please, I have a wife and daughter,” Miles pleaded, folding his hands. “Don’t do this to me.”

Roger’s laughter echoed, cruel and taunting. “Bullshit, Anderson. Your wife’s probably better off with you behind bars. You don’t bring anything to the table anyway.”

Miles’ face contorted with pain, desperation evident in his voice. “Please, sir, I’m begging you, don’t do this.”

Roger’s expression turned vicious, like a viper ready to strike. “It’s too late for begging, Anderson. You’ve made your bed, now you lay in it.”

"I am innocent,” he sneered, his voice icy and resolute.

Roger spat his response, a twisted grin on his lips. “You’re nothing but a rat, Anderson. A thief and a fraud. You’re going to pay for this.”

Roger’s smirk was sinister, his malice palpable as he addressed the guards. “Take this rat out of here, Such a sore sight.”

"Come here," the guard growled, reaching for Miles' arm.

Miles winced as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw an unfamiliar number on the screen, his gut churning with anxiety. The world seemed to slow as he answered the call, knowing it could only bring more trouble.

"Hey…" he muttered, his voice tight with apprehension.

"Mr Miles, Correct?" an unfamiliar voice spoke over the phone, its tone heavy with implication.

"Yes, correct, what's wrong?" Miles replied, feeling a creeping sense of unease as the caller remained silent.

Finally, the caller spoke again, their voice laced with urgency. "Sir, your daughter Mia is critically sick. She’s been rushed to the hospital…"

Miles' forehead furrowed, his heart pounding in his chest as the news registered in his mind. "What happened to her?" he demanded, his voice strained with fear.

The caller's words stabbed Miles like a knife to the heart. "Her condition is critical. She may not survive without immediate treatment." The dire news sent a jolt through Miles’ body, his hands trembling as he struggled to process it.

“No, no…” he whispered, shaking his head in denial.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, the caller continued, the words striking like lightning. “Your wife Jessica has been kidnapped by Valek.” The name hit Miles like a punch in the gut.

Valek was his brother-in-law.

"What? Where are you!" Miles demanded, his voice rising in desperation, but before the caller could respond, one of the bodyguards grabbed the phone and smashed it against the floor.

Miles glared at the guard, his fury palpable as he gritted out, “Why would you do that?!”

Roger’s grin turned malicious. “Acting all high and mighty, are we? After stealing from my company, you have the nerve to question my actions?”

Miles met Roger’s gaze, his expression a mask of calm defiance.

Miles’ voice cracked as he implored, "My child is sick and my wife has been kidnapped. Please, I'm begging you, Roger! Have mercy! They need me."

Roger’s response was cold, his smirk unwavering. “Good for you.”

The two bodyguards grabbed Miles by the shirt, ready to drag him away when an older man, dressed in an expensive suit, stepped into the room.

The older man’s gaze pierced through the bodyguards like a knife, his disgust palpable. “How dare you put your hands on Mr. Anderson? Do you have a death wish?” His voice dripped with venom and power, the gravity of his presence leaving no doubt about his status.

“Butler Lee.” Miles murmured in recognition.

Butler Lee’s gaze shifted to Roger, his expression a mask of icy disdain.

“And who might you be?” Butler Lee asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“The name’s Hudson. Roger Hudson,” the man replied, his smirk unconcerned. “And you are?”

“I am the Anderson family’s Butler, Lee.” The Butler spoke with a deep calmness that did not betray the gravity of the situation. “It seems you have falsely accused this gentleman of fraud.”

Roger’s smirk faltered slightly. “Falsely?

“This nobody?” Roger sneered. “I caught him red-handed with my company’s money.”

Butler Lee’s chuckle was low and full of warning. “Watch your tongue, young man. You are dealing with forces you cannot comprehend.”

“Or what?” Roger scoffed, his arrogance towering as tall as his stature. “What will you do?”

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy with tension as Butler Lee’s expression hardened. “I suggest you reconsider your attitude, Mr. Hudson,” he said, each word a dagger. “You will not like the consequences if you continue down this path.”

Roger’s bravado wavered slightly, but he quickly regained his swagger. “Is that a threat?”

Butler Lee’s voice was like steel. “I assure you, Mr. Hudson. You do not want to cross the Andersons.”

“What are you doing here?” Miles asked, his confusion mounting.

Butler Lee’s response was direct. “Mr Miles, rather than endure this injustice , you should return to your grandfather. Not for yourself, but for the sake of your sick daughter and wife.”

Miles clenched his jaw, the gravity of the situation crashing over him like a wave. 

“It is time to reclaim your birthright,” Butler Lee intoned, his words ringing with gravity. “You are a true Anderson. It is time to return to the place you belong.”

With no other options left, Miles agreed to the butler's proposition. “Take me home!”

 ~

Seated in the dimly-lit, smoky confines of the nightclub, Jessica’s brow furrowed as she turned to her brother Harper, confusion etched on her face.

"Why on earth did you bring me here?"