Mr. Ken guided the way to room 25, a swarm of thoughts buzzing in his mind. He couldn't fathom what business had brought this man to his humble motel.The sight of a Rolls Royce parked in his lot had left him puzzled and flabbergasted. To Mr. Ken, it signified one thing – that the guest in room 25 was no ordinary man. He was undoubtedly rich, but Mr. Ken had been entirely unaware of it all along."Darn it," he silently cursed himself, "I wonder how my staff, especially Tom and the others, have been treating this guest."The situation left him perturbed, contemplating what had transpired under his very roof.The notion that a man of wealth had been staying for an extended period without his knowledge left him with an unpleasant feeling, and concern for how this guest might have been treated during his stay.He was so happy that a rich man was in his motel and at the same time anxious that this rich man would give a bad impression to other rich people about his motel if he was being tre
The guests were all shocked to their bone marrow. They couldn't believe what was going on.A resident among them is the Young Master to the rich man with the Rolls Royce."What's going on?""I can't fathom that this man, who seems like a nobody, is actually rich.""So this Mr. is such a rich man and yet he decides to live this way in this motel." The guests referred to James. "He's such a fool.""Oh! I think he's so humble despite his wealth!" Another argued."God dammit and I think I need to give this Sir a nice treatment," one of the sex workers said. "He's gonna enjoy me.""What the f**k? I can't believe this pauper is rich," a gangster smoking nearby said with surprise to his fellow."Darn it. We need to be swift." His fellow replied.Even Tom the manager was shocked that it was James. Mr. Ken and the rest of his staff were equally taken aback by the unfolding drama. Mr. Ken whispered to Tom, inquiring if he had ever been treated poorly. He warned that mistreating James would cos
The drive to Montgomery Hospital seemed longer than expected, even though Gregor was pushing the car to its limit.Inside the car, an eerie silence hung in the air, and Gregor couldn't help but sense that something was amiss after James made that call.It was after James requested to be taken to Montgomery Hospital as soon as possible that Gregor began to piece together what might be happening.Montgomery Hospital? That was a place for common folks, not someone of James's stature. This sudden decision left Gregor puzzled, and he wondered if someone very close to James over the past three years was in dire need of medical care.Gregor couldn't help but recollect the last time he had set foot in Montgomery Hospital as a young boy. The memories were still etched deeply in his mind.The hospital was a place that lacked the grandeur and luxury of those meant for the elite. It stood as a place for peasants with its simple worn out building and basic facilities. The staff, though caring, wor
At Sky Care, the doctors swiftly sprang into action. They rushed the girl to the emergency room and began a flurry of medical procedures to stabilize her condition. Nurses prepared an IV line, and the beeping sounds of machines filled the air as monitors tracked her vital signs.Eric and his wife stood at the threshold of the emergency room, tears in their eyes, clinging to hope that their daughter would make it through. James and Gregor stood beside them and whispered words of encouragement, "She's in good hands now. The doctors at Sky Care are some of the best in the region. She's got a fighting chance." James said.Eric nodded. He has been here once to see James when he was admitted after the series of beating he got from Jaxon and Henry. He was surprised to see James fully recovered in a space of two days.Nobody believed he would recover so soon but the doctors at Sky Care made it possible.And so he has put all his hope in Sky Care medical doctors and believed that his daughte
On the drive back from the hospital, while James’ mind was filled with thoughts on what to do on Eric’s case, he was also thinking about what to do and who could possibly be efficient enough to run the company as an acting CEO since Eric was most probably going to be busy running around because of his sick daughter and to ease the mind of his worried sick wife, Mary.On the other side, Eric was also thinking of a way to possibly manage a company that had been all so suddenly handed to him to run while trying to be there for his ailing daughter and his worried sick wife.He opened his mouth to say something.“Uhh…Mr. Wane, I was thinking and…” a hand on his shoulder made him halt and stop talking.It was James’ hand.“I have also been thinking ever since we left the hospital and I’m pretty sure I can guess just what exactly you have been thinking about. It would be very cruel of me to take you away from your family in this trying period when you all need to draw strength from each othe
Eric heaved a sigh before he stepped into the company. His daughter had been well taken care of at Sky Care hospital and she was comfortable but he found it really hard to go to sleep. His thoughts and worry kept him awake all night and all he could do was hope his little girl would come out of all this strong.“Good morning, Mr. Wood.” It was Thomas Sterling and his voice had cut through Eric’s thought and he turned and smiled.He needed to be composed and focused to play his role and play it very well.“And good morning to you too Mr. Sterling,” he said.“Why aren’t you going in yet? Everything is set and everyone is waiting for you inside.” Mr. Sterling gestured towards the meeting room.Eric was not supposed, according to the plan, go in without the company of Mr. Price. He’s a long time friend to the Wane family and Mr. Ryan Wane had carefully chosen him among some others. He was meant to have arrived but there had been a little delay in his flight, hence the lateness.“Is that s
It has been four days since Jaxon and Henry were arrested and ever since then, Kate has done everything in her power to bail her son out and the Sterling’s too have been doing their best and that is why both parties plan to latch on to whatever influential persons they can come across to back them and aid in the release of both their sons.A silver lining was finally found when it was rumored that a long lost relative of the Carl’s reappeared back in town and knocked boldly on their door.“What is it? Who could that be?’ Kate snapped at no one in particular.When the knock sounded again, she basically screamed.“Who is that?!” she demanded.“It’s me, Kate. William.”She rushed and opened the door because she couldn’t believe her ears, she just had to see for herself.“It’s really you…Will. You’re back.” she almost fainted.This was William, her older sister’s son who had lived with them for two years after the death of his parents and finally ran off and none of them bothered to look
Just like he said, William got Henry and Jaxon released the very next day and nobody knew how.The whole of the Carl family began to see him as a sort of God and threw praises his way, and wondered how he was able to do it.Even Mr. Sterling was surprised when he learnt that his son was released by the Carls.Who could believe It? Immediately he reconciled with them and began to look at them from a different light.He even went as far as accepting the meeting proposal by Richard Carl and Pa Aaron.“Maybe the Carl are not so worthless after all," he thought.A doorbell goes off in a lovely big Ben kind of way in the home of the Sterling’s, and everyone knew who it was at the door before it was even opened.Richard Carl and Pa Aaron were the ones at the door and were ushered in by a maid dressed in immaculate white and a smile white enough to be in a toothpaste ad.Richard was holding a bottle of one of the most expensive wines in the world.If it were up to Richard and Pa Aaron, they w
Chapter 397Morning broke with a dull glow, illuminating the quiet safe house nestled deep in the woods. Inside, tension hung thick in the air. Williams was standing near the window with a phone pressed to his ear, speaking in a calm but calculated tone.“We’ve got your son, Charles,” he said, his voice steady. “But we haven’t located Jaxon.”On the other end of the line, Mr. Sterling’s voice cracked with emotion. “Charles? Is he safe? Are you sure?” Relief flooded his tone, but it was quickly shadowed by anxiety. “What about Jaxon? Did you find him? Is there anything—anything—leading up to him?”Williams let out a quiet sigh, one that sounded more like practiced patience than genuine concern. “That’s all we could manage,” he replied. “The men who took Jaxon still have him, and from what we’ve gathered, they plan to kill him if there’s any interference.”Mr. Sterling was silent for a beat, processing the grim news. Then, his voice rose, tinged with panic. “What do I do now? How do I
Chapter 396James and Gregor stepped out of their concealed position in the underbrush as the taillights of the SUV disappeared into the darkness. The cool night air was eerily silent now, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the muffled sounds of wildlife in the distance. The ground beneath their boots crunched softly as they moved toward the aftermath of the chaos they had just witnessed.Gregor’s eyes scanned the scene, his face expressionless as he took in the lifeless bodies sprawled across the area. Three of them, including Ben they once held, lay motionless, their weapons discarded and their blood staining the dirt beneath them.Gregor crouched beside one of the bodies, briefly checking for a pulse, though he already knew there was none. Standing, he shook his head and muttered, “Well, that’s the life they’ve chosen for themselves.”James, standing a few steps behind him, remained silent for a moment, his sharp eyes darting around the scene. The faint glow of the moo
Chapter 395The shadows of the dilapidated bunker stretched long under the moonlight as Williams and his team lay in wait. They had taken up position hours earlier, tucked inside Jaxon’s sleek sports car, the dark, polished metal blending seamlessly into the night. The air inside the vehicle was stifling, thick with tension and the faint metallic tang of gun oil. Every man was armed and ready, their nerves wound tight, waiting for the right moment to strike. Williams sat in the driver’s seat, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel, though his eyes never left the rearview mirror. Beside him, Kane sat rigid, one hand gripping Jaxon’s arm firmly while the other rested on the stock of a shotgun lying across his lap. In the cramped sports car, Tom and Dorian crouched uncomfortably in the trunk, their weapons at the ready, waiting for Williams’ signal.The silence inside the car was shattered when headlights cut through the darkness. A single car approached, its rumbling engine e
Chapter 394The dense canopy of the forest loomed overhead, casting long shadows over the makeshift campsite where James and Gregor had been holed up for days. The air was damp, thick with the earthy scent of moss and pine, and the distant call of nocturnal creatures echoed through the stillness.Gregor sat cross-legged on the damp ground, his eyes glued to the small tablet in his lap. A blinking red dot pulsed steadily on the screen—the nano tracker they’d planted on Ben’s phone.For three grueling days, they’d followed that dot from one hideout to another, staying just far enough away not to be detected. They’d spent their nights in the car or in the bush, catching only brief moments of sleep between shifts of surveillance.Tonight was no different, and Gregor’s tired eyes burned as he watched the screen, hoping for any sign of movement.James lay stretched out on the ground beside him, his jacket pulled over his face to block out the faint moonlight filtering through the trees. Hi
Chapter 393Jack paced back and forth in the dimly lit room, his gun laid out on the table as he meticulously assembled and armored it. Each metallic click echoed in the stale air, punctuating the tense atmosphere.They had to switch hideouts when Ben rejoined them, in case he was being tailed. Jack carefully considered the situation and concluded that bringing him back into the operation as an additional resource would be a wise decision, just in case they encountered any unexpected challenges but he made sure they switch hideout from time to time. But their main exchange point was still the old bunker because it has a lot of escape routes and underground tunnels.Ken was nearby, double-checking their supply of ammunition, while Denver and Ben lounged on an old, battered couch, their excitement barely contained.“Finally, we’re getting out of this shithole with a bundle of millions,” Denver said to Ben, leaning back with a smug grin. He flicked a discarded cigarette butt into the cor
Chapter 392The evening sky was a dusky orange, streaked with long trails of purple as the sun dipped below the horizon. Williams parked the sleek, black car that Mr. Sterling had secured for him—a high-profile Lamborghini that was both remarkable and practical for what was about to go down.The tinted windows gleamed faintly in the fading light as he stepped out, dressed in a dark hoodie and jeans. He adjusted the baseball cap on his head and pulled it lower to obscure his face further.Kane was already waiting near the edge of the gravel lot, leaning casually against a rusted lamp post that barely flickered to life. His stance was relaxed, but his eyes darted around, sharp and alert. A few paces away, Tom and Dorian lingered by the entrance to the abandoned warehouse, their conversation low but punctuated with short laughs.Williams approached Kane with purposeful strides. Without a word, he gestured for Kane to follow him a short distance away from the others.“They ready?” William
Chapter 391Andrew’s pen hovered over the page. “Eric Wood? The CEO of EMC?”“Yes,” Sterling said, his voice steady now, laced with conviction. “He’s had a vendetta against my family for months. He’s jealous of our success, our influence. And now, with everything happening at EMC, I wouldn’t put it past him to stoop this low. My two sons were kidnapped in a sparse of a few weeks. Is it not strange?”Andrew tilted his head, his expression skeptical. “That’s a serious accusation, Mr. Sterling. Do you have any evidence to support this?”Mr. Sterling sighed heavily, as though burdened by the weight of his own claim. “Not concrete evidence, no. But think about it. He has the resources, the motive. And I heard through some… private channels that he’s been meeting with unsavory characters lately. People who could easily pull off something like this.”Andrew jotted a few notes, his pen moving quickly. “I see. I’ll look into it. But you understand we can’t act on hearsay alone.”“Of course, of
Chapter 390As soon as Mr. Sterling ended the call with Williams, he hurried to his closet, throwing on a sleek navy suit and matching tie. His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted the knot, but he steeled himself, taking a deep breath.This wasn’t just a favor for Williams; it was a calculated move to get his two sons back. Grabbing his keys, he rushed out of his mansion, the elevator ride to the ground floor feeling agonizingly slow.When he finally stepped outside, the cool morning air bit at his face, but he paid it no mind. His black sedan waited at the curb, and he climbed in, starting the engine with a growl. As he sped toward Sky Suite, he rehearsed the lies he might need to tell to retrieve Jaxon’s car.The towering Sky Suite hotel loomed ahead, its modern glass facade gleaming brightly under the early morning sun. As Mr. Sterling approached the entrance, his stomach tightened. The sight of two patrol cars parked near the lobby entrance made his pulse quicken. Uniformed off
Chapter 389As soon as Kane received the message from Tom that Jaxon had finally broken under the pressure and confessed, he immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Williams. His tone was sharp, clipped, and direct as he relayed the crucial information.“He finally talked,” Kane said without any preamble. “He’s given up Jack’s location—some bunker near the old docks.”Williams, on the other end of the line, didn’t respond right away. The faint sound of tapping, likely his pen against his desk, filled the silence. “Good,” Williams finally said, his voice steady but tinged with calculation. “Did he say anything about how many men Jack has with him?”“Yeah,” Kane replied. “Three, including Jack himself. He said one of them ran away. It’s a small crew.”Williams let out a low hum of approval. “That’s manageable. We’ve got the numbers, four to three. Here’s the plan,” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “You’re going to prep Jaxon to lead you straight to the bunker. He’s our key. Ma