Five Years LaterLeonardo Dubois was standing at the altar, looking calm among all the excitement in the grand cathedral. He wore a sharp black suit that showed off his strong build, with neatly styled dark hair and a small smile as he waited for his bride. His best man was Ross who branded at him with pride and Kyrian who was looking very affected by his old age was in the crowds with a smile on his face as he watched the wedding.Helen Jones, in a beautiful ivory dress with lace and beads, walked down the aisle with Hazel at her right hand. They had become best friends over the couple of years and Hazel and Ross were set to get married to each other just a month after Leo's own wedding. Her hazel eyes were teary with happiness, and her heart beat fast to the wedding music. When she met Leo's eyes, everything else seemed to fade away.Helen Jones, in a beautiful ivory dress with lace and beads, walked down the aisle with Hazel at her right hand. They had become best friends over the
Leo Dubois watched with a mix of pride and nervousness as his five-year-old son, James, wobbled on his bicycle in the expansive backyard of their estate. The sun bathed the scene in golden light, casting long shadows across the manicured lawn. James gripped the handlebars tightly, his legs pumping furiously to keep the bike moving forward. Leo stood nearby, ready to intervene if needed but determined to let James find his balance on his own."Great job, James! Keep it steady," Leo encouraged, his voice filled with fatherly pride.James flashed a toothy grin at his father, his face flushed with exertion and excitement. "I'm doing it, Daddy!" he exclaimed, his small voice filled with determination.Leo's heart swelled with love for his son. He had been looking forward to this moment, the day he could teach James how to ride a bicycle, just as his own father had taught him many years ago. Amidst the busy life of running a vast business empire, moments like these grounded Leo, reminding h
Helen smiled in her sleep as she watched her son's chest rise and fall in her dreams. She watched him sleeping peacefully and the scene temporarily changes to a scene of her husband sleeping peacefully and by the time it changes back to her son she screamed as she saw the faceless man again with his hands reaching out to steal her son.Helen smiled in her sleep as she watched her son's chest rise and fall in her dreams. She watched him sleeping peacefully and the scene temporarily changes to a scene of her husband sleeping peacefully and by the time it changes back to her son she screamed as she saw the faceless man again with his hands reaching out to steal her son.Helen woke abruptly, her heart pounding in her chest, sweat clinging to her skin like a clammy shroud. The remnants of the nightmare clung to her mind—a faceless figure looming over her son's bed, cold hands reaching out to snatch him away into darkness. She blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the lingering terror as she gl
Gordon Fisher sat alone in the dimly lit apartment, surrounded by a labyrinth of notes and photographs pinned meticulously to the walls. Each detail meticulously chronicled their lives—Helen Jones and Leonardo Dubois. He studied the information with an intensity that bordered on obsession, his mind methodically processing every tidbit of data. Their security routines, medical appointments, social engagements, family birthdays, even mundane details like their son's parent-teacher conference dates—all meticulously documented in his web of surveillance.In the center of it all, an old photograph of Gordon and his father Damon Fisher stood as a poignant reminder of the vendetta that fueled his every move. He traced his fingers over the faded image, memories flooding back of a time when his father was alive, when their family was whole. With a solemn reverence, he kissed the photograph before placing it face down on the table, steeling himself for the task at hand.Helen Jones was his prim
Melissa Dubois stumbled through the dimly lit nightclub, her vision blurred and her steps unsteady. The throbbing bass of the music reverberated through her body, mingling with the haze of alcohol and drugs clouding her mind. At thirty-two, she had long lost count of the nights spent in such places, seeking fleeting oblivion from the chaos that had become her life.She had just managed to navigate her way through a maze of bodies on the dance floor when a wave of nausea hit her with sudden ferocity. Melissa's hand shot to her mouth as she lurched towards the nearest restroom, her senses swimming in a cocktail of alcohol and regret. Pushing through the bathroom door, she barely made it to the sink before her stomach revolted, expelling a vile mixture of alcohol and half-digested food.The sound of retching echoed in the tiled room, amplified by the acoustics. Melissa leaned weakly against the sink, her head spinning as she tried to regain her composure. She splashed water on her face,
Gordon Fisher sat in the garden behind the kitchen window of Leo's mansion waiting as he counted time until his mission. He felt weirdly excited at the prospect of killing Helen in her sleep. He had never seen his father after he died, during the chaos after Leonardo Dubois defeated the Forgotten god and became incredibly feared across the entire city. He began dating Helen Jones around that same time and he increased his presence in the affairs of the city a thousand fold. His rise from being the miserable divorced husband of Melissa Dubois to having more power over the city of Dartford than the governor of the state itself took a total of less than four months and his power was solidified in the city. Gordon smiled as he thought about bringing down the most powerful man in the city."Family will always be the downfall of a man. If he had no emotional attachments it would be harder to take him down because he will make all his decisions with only himself in his mind but as he had a
Helen woke up with a start as she heard the soft alam sound of her bedside clock. She looked at the time and cursed reflexively as it showed her it was almost afternoon. The clock was supposed to go off in the early hours of the morning.She waited for a minute for her thoughts to rearrange and that was when she realized something important. She wasn't sleeping in her room. She pushed off the bed of the guest room and yawned as she stretched her arms."I do not know how the hell I ended up here" she said to herself with a soft chuckle before washing out of the room in her night gown. "I do not know how the hell I ended up here" she said to herself with a soft chuckle before washing out of the room in her night gown. She walked downstairs to the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It was a weekend and James was with Ross and Hazel in their house for a sleepover so she wasn't worried about James not waking early for school. She and Leo had to fight for over a da
Leo hurried down the stairs of his company's headquarters at full speed. His employees app looked at him in surprise as he dashed through the halls line a mad man. It was a rare occurrence to see Leonardo Dubois and it was even rarer to see him in a hurry and he was currently dashing through the building without security. "Mr Dubois" a pretty blonde intern decided to take her chances and stepped into his path in an effort to stop him for a moment but the glare he have her at that moment was enough to scare her away from him for the rest of her life.He forged ahead without sparing her a second glance and he was subsequently joined by a group of security guards. 'Attempted assassination' he thought to himself as he dashed through the exit doors and began weaving through the traffic outside to the executive garage. He had never left his company in the middle of the day so he was surprised at the traffic of humans shuffling around outside it. 'Attempted assassination' he thought to hi
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