The young prince listened attentively as his father educated him on the ways of a wise and gracious king. “Nobody here is your friend,” he dropped the first ironic thought on the prince and it startled the young man who couldn’t understand why his father said that.“Of course there are, I have Juliet over there who I love, Mark too is there, Brie Larson also…” his father waited patiently for him to list out all his friends as he did one after the other. By the time he was down, he had mentioned about half the guests.“Good. Again, nobody here is your friend and…” the King said and paused to allow the young man to grasp what he had just said to him, “Nobody here is your enemy.” He landed and waited for the prince to take it all in.“So, what are they?” The young prince asked, his heart was now raised in curiosity to find out what his father meant. The king remained silent for a while before speaking, “They are all what their interest and agenda makes them to be. If you or the Kingdom
King Bernard didn't expect Hannah to come around the palace probably because of some arrangements they made together but here she was, defiling whatever arrangement they had and doing so comfortably. Hannah ignored his question and fixed her sights on the young man with him, Richard.“Hannah,” he called to her again, “I said, what are you doing here?” He asked her but the lady maintained her gaze on the young prince whom she wasn't so excited about.“Why is she looking at me like that? What do I have to do with her?” The Prince asked his father. The lady's look was weird to him and he couldn't understand why she fixed her gaze at him rather than answer his father's question.The King walked up to her where she sat and stared down on her with anger, “I'll ask you for the last time, why are you here?” His words came out quietly but strong and serious.Hannah scoffed at the King, raising her head to look at him but remained seated. “I am here to challenge your fatherhood.” She said to hi
“What?!” Richard exclaimed hearing the woman's words, “You have a what?!” He paced around after overcoming his frozen state and continued to bang his head around what Hannah had just said. The King and Orton weren't so surprised, they already knew about it and had tried to cover it up but now, they were stunned to know that all their efforts failed. Hannah kept the child and now she's out with the revelation.“Hannah, I told you to get rid of the child, why didn't you?” King Bernard asked her.“Why would I? He is my child even if you don't want him.” She answered him back.“Then, why bother me with it now?” The King asked again.“Because he is demanding for his father and I can't keep lying to him.”The room went quiet for a brief moment, everyone tried to grasp the revelation but Richard was already filled with questions. “So, you have a child outside?” He turned to his father with his question. “It's not enough that you cheated on mother, you have a child along with it. Even with t
Mr. Barnes paused his storytelling and allowed the men take in the information from the story. Damon was aware of some part of the story but some other parts were past his knowledge. The story however was intriguing and interesting. He needed to know more.It was about his grandfather, King Richard Langston, and his great-grandfather, late King Bernard Langston. Featuring a time when King Richard was to be made the Crowned Prince of the Kingdom. However, the part of Hannah and her son was untold by Mr. Barnes, leaving everyone in suspense and anticipation.How did the history lesson relate to or affect their current situation? They wondered to themselves, what has it got to do with any of them? They questioned. But Mr. Barnes’ storytelling skills were great as he waited for them to yearn for more.“To what end is this history?” Damon asked him, satisfying the yearning of everyone else. “How does it affect us right now?” Mr. Barnes smiled at him, walked behind his seat and stood there
“What did you just say?” Damon asked Mr. Barnes in shock about what the man had just said to him. The other men in the room were as shocked as he was, they just heard the most twisted information about Mr. Barnes.Brandley sighed with his head bowed and nodded a little, it seemed he wasn't that surprised as the others especially Damon. “So, you are a Langston?” He asked Mr. Barnes. The man smiled at him wickedly, a deep surge of satisfactory energy coursed through his body as he had finally revealed his true identity to them and now there was no going back.“Is my grandfather aware of this?” Damon asked him. He suspected this was the story his grandfather had been keeping from him, and he wanted to know if he was aware of who Mr. Barnes truly was.“Richard knows his stepbrother is still alive but may not know of my true identity.” He answered him gently.“And where is your father now? John Langston?” Brandley asked. He had his suspicions of who the man was, especially remembering tha
Damon and Brandley looked at each other, this situation had blown out of their hands. Everything they thought about the meeting had gone way past them and now they were lost in Mr. Barnes' maze, who shockingly is now known as Justin Langston. To heighten their frustration, the man had a more sinister plan to kill Damon and frame it on Brandley which will tear down everything for the Kingdom. They needed to come up with something, they needed to find a way out of this situation and escape.As they gave thoughts to what plans to make, Mr. Barnes laid the final part of the plan on them. “Once the two strikes are done, guess what happens next.” Everyone listened to what he was about to drop again, “My father, the rightful heir to the Throne surfaces together with all our strategic allies within the government and otherwise, we assume the Throne and take over everything that belonged to the Langston family. This is our decades-long plan of takeover.” The final part of the plot had just dr
The chaos in the room had risen high, Brandley held on to Damon as they watched the mafia lords and their devastated expressions. Mr. Barnes just shot and killed Don Castro, a clear message to the others that he didn't need them anymore and if they wanted to stay relevant then they must renew their loyalty to him.Taking out Don Castro who was the biggest mafia boss in Italy and a direct rival to the other two was a most unexpected event. The truth about Mr. Barnes’ identity and plans was already out and now all that was left was for the mafias to prove themselves loyal by killing Damon and framing Brandley for it. The story would be that Brandley betrayed Damon and shot him which led to a shootout in the meeting. Damon, Brandley, and Don Castro lost their lives while the Ambassador managed to escape the scene. It was a brilliant plan and was perfect for execution.“What the fuck? He just took out our biggest rival.” Don Lupez said to his fellow. With a bright smile, he was excited t
“Brilliant question,” Damon answered him. “Well, your colleague, Don Castro, is already dead. And that leaves us with you and what to do with you.” “This is one of Castro's strongholds, you may have arranged the men in here with the help of Borito but the men outside will withstand you.” Don Lupez said to Damon, giving him a warning about his plan which he thought could work completely.Brandley chuckled, “Don't worry about that, we have it under control. You should worry about yourself right now.” Brandley said to him.“Why? You are going to kill me, so?” The man replied to him, posing with such demeanour that showed he wasn't afraid to die.“No, we are not, but we are going to take everything from you and destroy your little plan with your masters,” Damon answered him.“We have a deal for you and it's simple. Surrender everything and spend the rest of your life in jail or, resist and watch as you lose everything while still ending up in jail.” Brandley dropped the sweet deal on the
For weeks going forward, the country and the world at large have been with mixed reactions following the unfolding events in the Kingdom. The exposing of Ambassador Justin Barnes as a member of a secret organisation known as the Shadow Government and also as the Supreme Mafia Boss in Italy, took the world by storm and sparked several conversations on the case.The people were yet to digest that piece of information when the next ones followed, the mass arrest of prominent figures in the country and overseas as part of an effort to crack down on the Shadow Government. Every nation took action as they sought out those rogue players within their system and brought them to justice. It was a mass crackdown across the globe.Information on John Langston, the Grandmaster, was concealed from the public. The public wasn't aware of the relationship between Mr. Barnes and the Langstons nor were they aware of who the true Grandmaster was. As part of a deal to lessen their sentence, all who were a
The entrance of the trio into this highly secretive mansion to burst this highly secretive organisation was a wonder to everyone in the room. The members laid down flat, hiding their faces from being seen by the King and the Prince. They were all prominent individuals in the country, serving various capacities mostly in politics, and it was a shame to find themselves in such a place and situation.The King walked slowly to his brother who remained on his throne waiting for him with a smirk on his face. “Hello, brother. We meet again.” He said to him.John Langston laughed and responded, “Yes, we meet again. Not as I expected though.” “And what exactly were your expectations, John?” King Richard asked him.John tossed another smirk, sighed, and responded, “Your downfall and my uprise. That was the expectation.”King Richard smiled slightly, “I am sorry you didn't get to see your expectations come to pass.” He then pointed at Damon and said to his stepbrother, “Meet my grandson, Damon
Lisa's expression brought confusion to the room, nobody understood what she was saying, not even her who made the call. The voice that answered the call didn't say anything meaningful to her, it wasn't Damon nor anyone she recognised, and he ended the call abruptly on her. “What did he say?” They asked her.“It wasn't Damon.” “But that is his private line, the same one we called two days ago?” Brienne asked her.“Yes, it is. But the voice wasn't his and…” Lisa answered and then paused. “And what?” Brienne asked her.“He said Damon was with us here. I don't understand what that means.” “That is bullshit, call the number again.” One of the members ordered.The room erupted in murmur and questioning as they wondered what was going on. Lisa called the number again but got no response from the number. She tried it over and over again but still no response. “It's not going through.” She informed them, “Is he playing games with us?” She asked rhetorically.“He wouldn't dare, he knows wh
The Grandmaster called for a meeting with his subordinates to discuss the release of Mr. Barnes. They were now all aware of the situation with Mr. Barnes and now they needed to make a plan to get him out.“You all are some of the most powerful people in the country, and now we know the situation with Justin Barnes, what plans do you have in place to free him?” He asked them.As usual, the atmosphere was tense and everyone was on edge not only because they feared the Grandmaster but also because they had never seen him in such a mode before. He was on a different level of dreadful to them and somehow, they could see he was emotional which he never used to be. Although they all acknowledge Justin Barnes' role in the whole system and how he was the second in command, yet they couldn't understand why there was so much love and interest for him. The Grandmaster had clearly stated at times past that if anyone was caught, they were on their own and must find their way out themselves without
“What are you going to do about Joyce's kidnapping?!” Sonia stormed her question again on Damon seeing that he didn't respond to her previous questions. She tapped him on his lap to quicken him for some answers.Damon sighed to the frustration Sonia was giving him on Joyce's case but he had no choice than to respond to her. “Joyce will be fine. Just watch and see.” “So you're just going to sit here, do nothing, and she'll just be fine like that?” She inquired more to understand what the Prince was saying.“Yes. Isn't that true Brandley?” Damon answered her and called for Brandley to confirm his words.“Ttue, boss. She'll be fine.” Brandley answered.Sonia couldn't understand what these people were doing, she was the only one who seemed lost and paranoid about the situation. Everyone else including Ivy were relaxed and unbothered about the situation like they knew something she didn't know.“What's the problem with you all?” She rose up and blazed at everyone in the group. “How can y
The sudden news broke out and set almost everyone on edge. Sonia and Ivy in particular as they didn't know why Damon was getting involved with his ex-wife who tried to ruin his life.“Who has Joyce?” Sonia asked.“Mr. Barnes' father. They are demanding the release of Mr. Barnes and clear all accusations against him.” Damon answered her.“Okay, but why is Joyce now important? I thought she was working for them?” Sonia asked again to fill in the gaps of her ignorance on the subject. “Wasn't she a recruit of Mr. Barnes? Bella?” She dragged Bella into it as she sought for answers on the state with Joyce.Damon and the others looked at each other suspiciously, Sonia and Ivy picked the signal that they were somehow in league with Joyce. “Hmm…we know that look. Something's going on between you guys and Joyce. I thought she was the enemy?” Sonia blasted at them to further her inquiries.Damon signalled to Brandley to help the young queen-to-be with the answers she sought. “We recruited Joyce
The team gathered together at Damon's hotel the next morning, this was to be their first meeting since he came back from Italy. With him was Brandley, Philip, Sonia, Elizabeth, Bella, and Ivy. Damon called them together to discuss general matters that pertained to them all.They all congratulated him and Sonia both for their engagement and the new monarchical promotion. It was all a buzz for them, they did a little private celebration themselves together last night and hoped to get more done later but for now, business was paramount for the group.“I want to sincerely appreciate you all for your efforts and contributions to my success so far, from Brandley who stood by me through all hells, to the Langston bosses working to keep the empire and our secret operations afloat, to the incredible Bella who put her life at risk for the job, and to the Richmond sisters for their timely and highly important revelation that changed everything. I sincerely appreciate you all…” he continued on hi
“Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your priceless attention please.” The Royal Announcer called out to the esteemed guests, bringing their attention to the podium where he was. “Thank you. At this point, the King would like to make a very important announcement to us all.”The guests applauded as they watched the King come up on stage and took the mic. “My good people, today is indeed a day of celebration for our country and the Kingdom following the recent accomplishments in Italy.” The audience listened attentively to the King's words as they flowed from his lips. “Since the coronation of my grandson, Prince Damon, the Kingdom has continued to triumph and amass more respect than it ever did in times past. And this is the reason for this unprecedented announcement.”As the King spoke, Damon and Sonia arrived at the hall from the room with their hands locked together and glowing smiles on their faces. On Sonia's finger was the most priceless piece of jewel in the country, glittering s
The King spent some time chatting with Damon and Sonia, familiarising himself with the young woman even to giving his approval and blessings to their relationship. “I see you two have found yourselves perfect for each other, I am happy you did. I hope to see the progress you make together on your journey, I look forward to it. You have my blessings.” “Thank you, My King.” They both answered in excitement, “I'll be right back, grandfather.” Damon said as he held Sonia's hand to leave.“Make sure you don't go far, my special announcement is coming up shortly.” The King answered him.Damon nodded his head in response and whispered into Sonia's ear, “Come with me.” “Where are we going? And what special announcement is the King talking about?” Sonia asked him, being pulled by the Prince away to his choicest location.“I don't know. Just follow me.” They climbed upstairs to his personal office in the Palace, running around the hallway like highschool lovers. The guards watched them madly