A day passed by very quickly and the awaited Press Conference was to begin at 11:00 am.James put one final call across to make sure everything was in order and they don’t get any more surprises. He was going to be around the venue but he himself would of course not make an appearance, he planned to just sit in the car and wait.“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, for your availing yourself and letting us take from your precious time…”Mr. Sterling was saying inside. The conference had begun. Game time.“I would like to invite Mr. Richard Carl, a good friend and business partner of mine, dating back for some years now up here to address you all and I promise whatever he says is the truth, he has always been known to speak truths backed by facts and substantial evidence.”“Hello everyone, I am Richard Carl. Thank you for your patience and kindness. What I am going to be telling you today isn’t exactly good news but as the saying goes, ‘A Stitch in Time Saves Nine’. it has come to our
"Miss Ellen, there is a call for you.” Katrina, Ellen Princeton’s PA announced through an intercom on her work desk.“Who is it? Direct them to my line.” She said.“She didn’t give a name, just that you’d know who she is after speaking with her.” Katrina answered.“Okay then, put me on.” was Ellen’s reply. She couldn’t be sure who it was on the other line but she definitely had her suspicions.“Good morning, Ellen Princeton here. And please who am I speaking with?” She asked, unknowingly holding her breath.“Oh Ellen, how are you? God knows I have missed you and have been trying so hard to get in touch with you. What has been going on?” the caller asked.Ellen kept holding her breath for some seconds and then breathed out with both relief and a pang on her heart. The caller is as she had suspected.“I am doing well and you, how are you Lana?” she asked back.“I am okay, just dying of boredom here and I have missed you so much we need to hang out again, what do you say?” Lana Wane sugg
The next day was here faster than anyone thought and not even fast enough for Ellen.“Ellen? Ellen! It really is you, I was scared you wouldn’t want to see me.” Lana said, running the remaining steps towards Ellen.“Why wouldn’t I want to see you?” Ellen asked. They both stared at each other in the eye before hugging. None of them had thought they would cry but they did and for a long time.“Come on now, are we really going to just sit here and cry? That is not the reason we met today.” Ellen said still sniffling and wiping her nose with one of the tissues on their table.Lana reached out and held Ellen’s hand in hers, “`I know Ellen, I just cannot help it. I just thought of all this things, when we first met too-God I felt so stupid-and then everything that has happened since then, how we almost lost that friendship and it all just hit me in a strange way and I couldn’t help the tears that came…” she was still talking and the tears threatened to come again.She tilted her head up and
After Jaxon and Henry were released from the ESU camp, they were taken to Sky Care Medical Center for a medical check-up to ensure they were healthy.Mr. Thomas Sterling wanted the best medical attention for his son, considering Jaxon would soon be resuming work with numerous responsibilities awaiting him at Emerald Multisource Corporation. He ensured that his son received high-level security.Jaxon was assigned a VIP ward, with his family's security keeping a watchful eye on him at all times.After the news of his release, Alisha quickly made her way to Sky Care Hospital to see her fiancé and her brother. At first, she was skeptical about whom to visit first, but after much consideration, she decided to see Jaxon.Upon reaching the VIP ward assigned to Jaxon, she noticed several Sterling security personnel standing guard. She approached and asked to be let inside"Excuse me, I'm here to see Jaxon. I just want to make sure he's okay." Alisha declared. But the security denied her entr
It took Lana three days before she could finally convince El to see James for just one time. They had been talking on the phone when Lana brought it up again. “...so what do you say El? Would you see him please?” She heard Ellen audibly sigh and then held her breath in wait for the response. “Okay then, fine. I’ll see him, today, 4pm.” Ellen finally said. Lana could breath easily now she could even scream, “Thank you so much El, thanks.” she said. “I’m doing this for you Lana, I hope you know that?” Ellen said sighing. “I know, I know and I am grateful, I love you El.” she said. “Okay okay, let him know, same place we met the other day.” Ellen said and somehow Lana could hear her smile in her voice although she couldn’t exactly say what it was that could be making Ellen smile so much. “Okay bye then. I’ll call you again.” Immediately Lana finished the call between herself and Ellen, she rang James. James was mopping in the company when his phone rang. He brought it out from
“All good?” he asked through her window, she looked a little startled but answered.“Yes. No, I don’t know. My car was all fine and now it just wouldn’t start.” she said.“Why don’t I bring you home instead and we can figure out what to do.” he said repeating himself from earlier.“I called someone already, they should be here soon.” she said.“It’s late now, El. I’ll take you home.” he said not asking anymore.She picked her bag again, got out and locked the doors then went with James.“Really sorry for the inconvenience.” she said as soon as they began to roll out.“Inconvenience? Not at all, taking you home can’t possibly be an inconvenience though, never.” he added that last part in a whisper that made her smile.“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened between you and Alisha, I heard from Lana.” she said.He explained everything to her as it had all happened.“She is very ambitious and well she chose that ambition, there isn’t much one can do in such cases. I just get the feeli
The next morning, James and Ellen returned to the restaurant not to dine this time, they went there with a skilled mechanic to take a look at Ellen’s car and to find out what really happened to it.“So how is it?” James came around and asked the mechanic, his name is Victor.“Someone tampered with the car, you see this place here where it looks like a couple of cuts were made? The person who did this was either an amateur or simply that he had limited time to do whatever he had to.” Victor said.“So was it just something done to stop movement in the car or?…” he didn’t finish speaking but Victor was already shaking his head.“The miss here has to count herself lucky that she didn’t drive this car, ultimately she’d have gotten into an accident that would have probably ended her life.” Victor said.Ellen’s gasp turned them both around, she had been coming to ask about what was wrong with the car and if it was drivable.“Why would someone want to kill me?” Ellen asked. She was shaken, any
Meanwhile, back at the Sterling mansion, Jaxon was pacing to and fro, with anger evident in his face.“What do you mean she’s alive?” Jaxon screamed at the cab driver.“I tried but she jumped surprisingly quick out of the way and I just was able to knock her unconscious.” he said.“You tried…you tried?! I pay you good money and you just tried? Go find her and complete the job or else consider yourself dead.” Jaxon threatened.“I am sorry to be so nosy sir but according to what you told me, the lady in question hasn’t exactly done anything to you, you just want to get back at this guy right? don’t you think we have done enough to her, she is not your major target after all.” he said.Jaxon glared at him until he lowered his gaze, “You are giving me orders now I see?” he asked, his body language threatening the poor driver.“No sir, I’ll get at it immediately. I’m sorry.” he apologized.“You had better be. Now scram.” Jaxon commanded.The cab driver turned around and out of the building,
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