RICHARD’S POV I watched as the manager went back to her desk, her heels clicking sharply against the tile floor. She sat down, her face all business as she tapped away at her keyboard. I could feel the tension in the room, the hush of everyone waiting to see what would happen next.The young staffer beside me leaned over, whispering, “Man, I’m sorry about all this. That guy really screwed up, huh?”I nodded, my eyes fixed on the manager. “Yeah, well, let’s see if he gets what’s coming to him.”She typed my name into the system, her eyes flicking over the screen. After a moment, she frowned and tapped the keys again, double-checking. I held my breath, hoping that this wasn’t some kind of elaborate trick. Finally, she looked up, and I could see the anger in her eyes. “Mr. Thorne, you are not blacklisted. There’s absolutely nothing on your record.”I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Thank you,” I said, my voice tight. “I knew there had to be some kind of mistake.”The man
RICHARD’S POVFEW DAYS LATERI arrived in Vegas a day ahead of my stepbrothers, Jonathan and William. They were the kings of smugness, but I had a plan to knock them down a peg or two. It started with getting to Vegas before them and booking us all rooms at the hotel right next to the casino. I knew they’d never expect me to show up, especially not after that little stunt they pulled at the embassy. The receptionist at the hotel was a young guy, probably in his mid-twenties. He checked me in with a friendly smile and handed me three sets of keys. “Here are the keys for the rooms booked under Thorne,” he said, his eyes bright. I smirked. “Thanks. I’m sure my dad and brothers will be very surprised to know I got here before them.” The receptionist chuckled, not knowing the half of it. “Have a good stay, sir.” “Oh, I plan to,” I replied, heading to the elevator. My brothers had no idea what was coming.The next morning, I was in the hotel lounge, sipping on some overpriced coffee, wa
RICHARD’S POV As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the small black listening device in my hand, my heart pounded. It was early morning, and I’d planted this bug in my brothers’ room yesterday, right after I checked in. I needed to know what they were planning. Whatever it was, I wanted to stay a step ahead.Now, as I turned up the volume, their voices crackled through the device, loud and clear. “You know, Jonathan,” William’s voice came through first, full of disdain. “I’m sick of this whole game Dad’s playing. It’s high time we got rid of him. He’s the only reason Richard has a shot at the inheritance.”My stomach dropped. My hand tightened around the device so hard I thought I might crush it.“Yeah,” Jonathan replied, his tone just as cold. “Once Dad’s out of the picture, the old man’s wealth is ours. Richard isn’t even in the will officially. Only if he wins this stupid task will he inherit anything. We could just... finish this, once and for all.”I had to bite down on my l
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.