RICHARD'S POVI sat in my room, earpiece in, listening to Jonathan and William’s latest scheme. They were in the room next door, voices tense and angry. The listening device I’d planted was working perfectly. It was almost time for the task, and I wanted to know what my dear brothers were planning."Alright, listen up," Jonathan snapped. "Dad’s gonna split us up. One of us with him, the other with Richard. We can't let that bastard get any closer to the inheritance."William grunted in agreement. "Yeah, if Richard wins, it’s game over for us. We have to make sure the one paired with Dad wins.""Exactly," Jonathan said, his voice dripping with frustration. "But we have to go further. If Richard stays in the game, he’s a threat. We need to get rid of him. Or Dad."I felt my stomach turn. They were really going to do it. Kill Dad. Kill me. I had to stop them. William let out a low whistle. “Vegas is dangerous, you know. We could hire some thugs to shoot up the place, make it look like a
RICHARD'S POVI could feel my heart racing as the dealer flipped over the cards. The first round of blackjack, and it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. A ten of spades and an ace of hearts. I almost couldn't believe it—21. Blackjack. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Hell yes," I muttered under my breath, shooting a quick glance at my brother next to me. He was beaming, but not at me—just thrilled about the win. "Nice one, Richard," he said, grinning like he thought we were best buddies now.I nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, thanks."Across the table, Jonathan and William were not so pleased. Jonathan’s face turned a nice shade of crimson, and William looked like he’d just bitten into a lemon. They slammed their hands on the table, making the dealer jump. I stifled a laugh. If they were this mad about the game, I could only imagine how they’d react when they realized their real plan was about to be screwed."Alright, alright," the dealer said,
RICHARD’S POV The second Jonathan and William burst through the hotel room door, I knew I was in for it. Their faces were flushed with anger, eyes blazing as they stormed over to me. Jonathan was the first to speak, his voice loud enough to rattle the windows.“Where the hell were you?” he shouted, his face twisted with rage. “We waited for hours at the casino! You just fucking left us there!”I shrugged, trying to keep my cool. “Calm down, Jonathan. Dad and I were just talking. We lost track of time and thought you guys had already come back. So, we took a cab.”William snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. “Bullshit! You knew we brought a car! Why the hell would you think we’d leave without you?”I rolled my eyes, not in the mood for their drama. “Look, it’s not a big deal. We didn’t think it through. We thought you’d be here, so we took a cab. End of story.”Jonathan wasn’t having it. “End of story, my ass! You’re trying to pull some shit, Richard. Acting all high and mighty, tr
RICHARD’S POVI was cruising back into the city after our trip to Las Vegas, feeling pretty damn good about myself. Winning that blackjack game was one thing, but knowing I was a few steps away from inheriting my father’s fortune was a whole different level of satisfaction. I was already imagining the day I’d cut my brothers out of the inheritance and make them pay for everything they’d done. They’d be left with nothing, while I took it all. It was going to be sweet.I’d decided to pick up a few things for my mother. I figured, why not show a little love while I’m at it? But when I got to the local market, I was met with a big fat nothing. The place was a ghost town, with remnants of what used to be a market now just piles of rubble and debris. “Well, this is great,” I muttered to myself. “Now what?”I remembered hearing about a smaller, rural part of the city that might still have something. Figured it was worth a shot. I headed there, but as I drove through the area, something caug
RICHARD'S POVI hadn't expected them to come at me so quickly, but there we were. Three thugs immediately rushed in, trying to surround me. They didn’t realize who they were messing with. As the first one swung his fist toward me, I caught it mid-air, twisted his arm back, and heard a satisfying *snap*. He screamed, and before he even hit the ground, I was already moving on to the next guy.Another thug lunged at me with a rusty metal pipe, swinging wildly. I dodged to the left, grabbed his arm, and slammed my elbow into his face. The crunch of his nose breaking under my elbow was almost as loud as his scream. I threw him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.The third guy, a bulky dude with tattoos covering his arms, charged at me like a bull. I sidestepped him, kicked the back of his knee, and he fell forward. Before he knew what was happening, I grabbed his head and smashed it into my knee. He was out cold.“Are you guys seriously this bad?” I shouted, looking around at the mess.
RICHARD’S POV My tires screeched as I pulled up to my father’s house. I didn’t even bother to park straight. I was out of the car before the engine shut off, slamming the door so hard it echoed through the quiet neighborhood. My blood was boiling, my fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails digging into my palms.As I stormed through the front gate, I spotted Jonathan in the garden, lounging on a chair like he didn’t have a care in the world. I saw red. Without a second thought, I charged at him. “Richard? What—” was all he managed to get out before my fist connected with his jaw. The sound of the impact was like music to my ears. I didn’t give him a chance to recover. I punched him again, right in the nose, feeling the crunch of bone under my knuckles.“Are you out of your goddamn mind?!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the open garden. “What the hell were you thinking, huh?!” Jonathan tried to shield his face, but I wasn’t letting up. I hit him again and again, each punch mor
RICHARD’S POVI arrived at Chairman Dennis’s grand mansion, flowers in one hand and a fancy gift box in the other. I took a deep breath, trying to push down the nerves gnawing at my stomach. For some reason, facing the chairman was more nerve-wracking than going up against those thugs.The butler let me in, and I was immediately hit with the smell of rich mahogany and fresh lilies. The place screamed wealth, but not in an obnoxious way—more like an old-money vibe. I followed the butler down the hall, my shoes sinking into the plush carpet.We reached the drawing room, and Chairman Dennis was standing by the window, looking out over his perfectly manicured lawn. When he saw me, his face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Richard! My boy! Come in, come in!”I stepped inside, offering him the flowers and the gift box. “Good afternoon, Chairman. These are for you and Cathy. Just a little something to say thank you for… well, everything.”He took the flowers and sniffed them, a broad
RICHARD’S POV I slumped against the cold, sterile wall, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. Tears poured down my face, my vision blurring as I tried to process the news. An hour ago, he was alive. Breathing. Yelling at me for the same crap he always did. Now, he was gone. Just like that. Jonathan’s voice cut through the fog in my head, sharp and panicked. “Are you sure he’s dead?” He was talking to the doctor, his voice breaking. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”The doctor looked at him with that same tired, pitying expression. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.”I knew my brothers were guilty, and I could see it all over their faces. William was shaking his head, staring at the floor, his lips moving as if he was muttering something to himself. Jonathan looked like he was in shock, his mouth hanging open, eyes wide.They knew. They fucking knew.My heart pounded in my chest, a rush of blood surging through me like a dam had just burst. I didn’t even think—I jus