Leo pulled up to work in his black Bentley, dressed in a three thousand dollar suit and a cup of black coffee in his hands. His first paycheck came the last night and he had treated himself to some fine shopping. He promised himself he wasn't drinking coffee from the office again. It saved his life earlier that week but he would have preferred to die without tasting that messy coffee.As usual, after a few steps his security team covered him and guided his way. He was quickly beginning to like his new life.'Single, rich, and sipping good coffee. What more could I ask for' he joked to himself and let a tiny smile escape."The boss would like to see you in her office" his lead bodyguard spoke from astride him. The guy was a burly Russian man named James which was the most American name Leo had heard around."Did anything important happen?" He asked a little bit worriedly. "She has some visitors she wants you to meet" the bodyguard responded."Meet? That's weird" 'I thought I was mea
"What would anyone gain from the fall of the Jones?" Leo stood in front of a white board holding a marker with his sleeves rolled up. They were three people seated in from of him, Helen, her grandfather and the African bodyguard whose name he had come to know as Kunle.He had spent the whole of the last night crossing all the t's and dotting the i's around the bomb incident. He hadn't slept a wink all night and his only wish at that moment was to find a warm bed and die in it."I have a question" Helen said as she raised her hand."Question? I've not even started speaking yet" he replied her in confusion."How many hours of sleep did you get last night?" She asked with a bit of worry in her tone."None but there's nothing you can do about it" he replied while giving her the most wide eyes stare he could muster."Now focus on what I have to tell you all" he said as he tapped slightly on the board. "The Ax, Bronx, Fisher and Homer families have been close associates of the Jones family
"Your partner?" Leo asked in utter shock. He had thought she invited him over because she had reconsidered his offer for marriage."Yes, I hope you understand now why I couldn't accept your offer" Helen said in her most docile tone. The last time her and Arthur had spoken they had not exactly ended their conversation on friendly terms."Well you didn't phrase it that way and I can remember every insult you threw at me that day" Arthur spoke in a cold tone and took one step towards Helen only for Leo to give him a heart chilling glare that he immediately stepped back."We need your help Arthur, weigh the scales in your head and decide if you want us to be enemies or friends because we are not the type of people you would want to be on bad terms with" Helen said with a smirk capitalizing on the earlier weakness Arthur had shown."What do you want Helen Jones?" Arthur replied in a hard but resigned manner. "A merger Arthur" Helen said as she walked over to her seat and reclined in it."
Leo took deep and heavy breaths as he finished his daily jog, he never counted how far he ran every day but he never stopped until he was absolutely consumed by fatigue."Damn" he cursed as he looked at his watch and could tell he was already going to be late for work."I guess one perk of being second in command is that the only person who can question your work hours is the owner of the company" he chuckled before turning around to hike back to his apartment but a Honda Civic parked around the corner caught his eye.This was the fifth time in three days he was seeing that car and he was one hundred percent sure that it wasn't a coincidence any longer. The car slowly reversed out of sight the minute its occupants noticed that he had seen them and Leo began dashing back to his house. They knew where he lived if they were following him on his morning jog and he knew he had been compromised.He got to his house in record time and didn't even waste time with the lock, he simply kicked th
Helen said no words and made no panicking actions so as not to spook her secretary, she simply stepped aside for Leo to come in and promptly closed and locked the door behind him."What happened? Did anyone accost you on the way? Give me a name and I'll make sure heads roll" Helen said in fury as she rushed over to check on Leo's bruised face."Helen now isn't the time to think about revenge. A few days ago I saw a Honda Civic parked a few blocks away from here and I've seen it a few more times since then so I began to suspect I was being followed""I went home as quickly as I could and packed some things to leave because my house location was compromised. I called for an Uber and got in only for me to feel a gun at the back of my neck" Leo sighed as he recounted the events."A gun? Did they tell you what they wanted? Helen asked in worry."Not exactly, but they told me who sent them. Damon Fisher was the one, he said he wanted to see me. What I don't understand is why he had to kidna
Leo kept a neutral expression on his face as he waited for Damon to walk into his office. His door opened smoothly as the elderly man walked in. Damon Fisher was easily the same age as Mr Jones but he looked way better probably because he hadn't spent the last year fighting a poison in his system."Good day Mr. Dubois" Damon greeted with a smile as he walked into the room. Leo didn't smile back and the smile soon disappeared from his face. "What do you want Mr Fisher?" Leo asked in a dull tone."The question isn't what I want Mr Dubois. The question is what do you want?" Damon replied his question with another of his own as he sat on the chair opposite Leo."What I want? That's a pretty tough question to answer" Leo replied with a slight smile."No it isn't hard to answer, what do you want? Do you want riches and power and glory or do you want to end up in an unmarked grave under a random tree in the West Side" Damon said in an angry tone."Do I smell a threat there Mr. Fisher?" Leo
Arthur Columbus parked his Maybach in front of the little community church in a tiny town outside of the city. He gave the entire environment a disgusted glance before walking quietly into the church.He took off his hat and approached the only person inside the church. It was a middle aged man who was bent over kneeling before the altar and mumbling some sort of prayer to himself. As Arthur approached he held up his hands to let him know not to disturb him until he was done so Arthur took a seat on one of the front pews.The man finished his prayer and grabbed his walking stick from the ground before turning around to look at Arthur. He took one long look at him before sighing and turning away."You are quite bold to even step foot into this building and for that I'll spare you today but the next time I see you or any other member of your filthy family inside my church I'll feed you to my dogs" he threatened before trying to walk out with a slight limp."Do you know how much your stu
Leo watched the city lights go up from his hotel room as darkness slowly engulfed the city. He had a glass of smooth red wine in his hands and he swirled the delicious drink around in it's glass not even giving it a sip. He had a lot on his mind and his dark face was another confirmation of that.[Let all be ware. A new dawn is coming. A beast shall walk the grounds of this town and when the sun shines anew, it shall burn away all that is old and the beast shall build itself a fortress from the bones of its enemies and all that defies it]It was a quote from a Georgian writer of little appraisal who lived a few hundred years ago. It was known generally among the people of the Divine Clan as the prophecy of doom and they held the sacred responsibility of stopping the beast from walking the ground.'There's no way Damon would have been correct about the prophecy. This isn't the first time the prophecy has been rumoured to occur" Leo had a bad feeling about everything happening but he tr
Leo and Kyrian stood with to their hands handcuffed to each other before the large portrait of Sarah Jensen previously Sarah Homer in the living room of her expansive oceanside mansion. He was surprised at how homely the building looked as it was all warm colors and bright decor which was in very sharp contrast with his own home which was mostly black and white furniture and filled with technology. The only gadget in sight in the living room was the large TV and he couldn't spot a single security camera around. He loved the way the home felt secure and welcoming and he was sure that even though Helen said nothing about it, she was worried by the lack of privacy in their own home. He felt she had been even happier since they had moved out of the house.He loved the way the home felt secure and welcoming and he was sure that even though Helen said nothing about it, she was worried by the lack of privacy in their own home. He felt she had been even happier since they had moved out of th
Sarah, Kyrian's daughter sat in her baby's nursery desperately trying to shush her from her screaming. She had already fed her twice but the child just kept on wailing at the top of her lungs. She had fired the baby's nanny a few days ago after she found out that she was having an affair with her husband. She had kicked him out of the house too and he had slept on the front porch for three nights in a row knocking and screaming and begging her to let him in. She promised to call the police each time his noise woke her up. It was probably the wedding contract she had made him sign before they got married that made him so desperate to win her back. He had signed away thirty to forty five percent of his business empire if they were ever to get divorced depending on the length of the marriage, currently she was eligible to take up to thirty nine percent of all he had without even lifting a finger.The affair had began from the night she hired the nanny and she didn't even know until she
Kyrian groaned as he got off the helicopter. At his age he didn't enjoy sitting in the sticky helicopter seats any longer. Old age took away certain luxuries from him he would never get back."Good day sir" the security guard greeted him as he stepped down onto the grass."Good day. Where's my car and escort?" Kyrian asked while responding curtly to the greeting."Right this way sir, just follow me" the guard said and began to lead the way to where the cars were parked. At a comfortable speed they should be able to reach Dartford City before night fall where he had dinner reservation with Leonardo Dubois. "Right this way sir, just follow me" the guard said and began to lead the way to where the cars were parked. At a comfortable speed they should be able to reach Dartford City before night fall where he had dinner reservation with Leonardo Dubois. He was slightly nervous because of how long it had been since he talked face to face with him last. He took a deep steadying breath befor
Gordon wiped his brow, the steam from the pots blurring his vision. The clatter of plates filled the small kitchen of St. Jude's Orphanage, a rhythmic echo of lives lived in shadows. He had just finished scrubbing a particularly stubborn pan when the sharp whistle pierced the air, cutting through the dull mood of the evening routine. Instinctively, he froze, the scrub brush still in his hand, unsure what was happening.“Come on, Gordon! We need to hurry!” shouted his roommate, Ethan, bursting through the door with a wild look in his eyes.“What....What’s going on?” Gordon asked, his heart pounding as he dropped the brush and followed Ethan into the hallway. The other boys were already racing past them down the hallway , they were laughter and shouts a mixture of excitement and anxiety which left Gordon more perplexed .“It’s a billionaire!” Ethan exclaimed, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it crackled with energy. “He’s coming to adopt a kid from the orphanage. They say he’s go
Hazel stepped of the first ladder of the airplane, the cool French air brushing against her skin. She inhaled deeply and smelled the fresh unpolluted air, a rare smell in Dartford. She lived the countryside but she had a mission to fulfill there . She walked back into the plane to meet Jason, the pilot who had flown them across the Atlantic.“Thank you, Jason. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this,” she said, handing him an electronic card. “The details for the rest of your payment are right here. Just follow the instructions.”Jason took the card, "How do I know that this card will pay me?" Jason asked. "Seriously man, you're doing business with billionaires and you're asking if you will get paid a couple millions?" Hazel asked with a slight chuckle and Jason nodded nervously.“No problem,Just keep him safe. That’s all that matters now.” he replied before she left the cockpit.James stood beside her, clutching a small backpack to his chest. At five years old, he looked so sma
Gordon Fisher crouched behind a stack of shipping crates as he scanned the harbor. The moon hung high illuminating the transatlantic ship moored at the end of the dock. The weight of desperation pressed heavily on his chest. Just hours ago, he had been a man with a plan; now, he was a fugitive, the walls closing in with every passing moment.Leonardo Dubois had shattered his world with a single announcement. He had told the truth about Gordon’s infiltration into his private mansion to the public. The man who had killed his father now stood untouchable, declaring to the world that Gordon had broken into his multimillion-dollar mansion, seeking vengeance for a crime that had haunted him for years. The plan had been foolproof—or so he thought.He had designed the security system for Dubois's home, crafting a web of protection that he believed would be impenetrable. But when he finally made it into the house, his plans spiraled out of control. Instead of finding Dubois's wife, Helen, in h
Kyrian Homer sat comfortably in the plush armchair of his holiday mansion in Spain, the golden rays of the late afternoon sun filtering through the grand windows. The ocean outside shimmered. At seventy-three, Kyrian had seen the world shift in ways he never thought possible, but today, as he watched the news, a chill raced down his spine, igniting memories he thought he had buried deep.The host’s voice droned on, a mix of politics, celebrity gossip, and the relentless drumbeat of tragedy. But Kyrian’s attention sharpened when the anchor introduced a segment about Leonardo Dubois—Leo, as he had always called him. After all the drama following Scar's death and with them regaining control over the city Kyrian had finally decided to take his hands off the steering and he left his company to his son and moved to Spain he had only been back to the States twice, one for Leo's wedding and another for James' christening.As the camera panned to Leo’s face, now framed with salt-and-pepper hai
Jason stared open mouthed at the man who stood before him. He had a chance to see the most vulnerable side of one of the richest men in the world. He didn't know what Leo was trying to hide his child from but he knew that it must be something or someone dangerous."I brought half your payment in full. My friend Hazel will be traveling with you and when you drop them she will get you the remaining half of the money" Leo said as he motioned to Hazel. "Where exactly an I going to drop them?" Jason asked Leo but he shook his head in reply. "I don't know. The only people who know are Hazel and James who chose the location. Hazel won't tell you the destination either until you are out of the country's airspace to avoid any sort of device picking up communication" Leo said a little bit paranoid but of course he was paranoid, if a deranged killer with a personal vendetta against you snuck into your house so easily with the sun if killing your wife, you'd be terribly paranoid."Alright then
"What the fuck" Leo cursed as he stumbled out of his vehicle. He saw Hazel and Ross's vehicle reversing quickly and stopping a few feet away from the hitman's crashed car. They carefully stepped out while keeping their heads down. Leo got to the car them and forced the car door open. He took one good look at the half conscious hitman before reaching over and snatching the gun out of his hands"This moronic unprofessional is why you two were running over thirty minutes late?' Leo asked them with a slight smirk and they both laughed."You should have seen yourself when you realized we were being pursued. You practically made that turn like a formula 1 driver" Ross joked before he walked up to Leo and wrapped him in a hug. "Any one hurt on your side?" Leo asked with concern but they both shook their heads. "What of Helen and James?" Hazel asked a little worriedly but she smiled when she saw Helen helping James out of the car and waving at them."They're fine. We have to get out of her