Jowley was panting heavily. He had just been discovered by Henry’s men while snooping around their illegal construction site, and it had taken a daring escape to get away from those devilish henchmen. Listening to the urgent tone in Alex’s voice on the other end of the line, he struggled to catch his breath and regain his composure before speaking.“Chairman, I’ve found information about the boy Henry is targeting. His name is Puddy, the third child in a small working-class family here.”“That was fast. You’re indeed very efficient,” Jowley’s results always pleased Alex, and he had never been disappointed. Jowley had finally calmed down.Jowley was now in his car, exhausted, as he leaned back in his seat. He whispered into the phone.“What’s our next step, Chairman?”“Let Tom Holland know about this and choose an appropriate time. I’m not currently at the company, and I trust Tom will handle this situation best.”“Understood. And what about the boy? What should we do?..”“Of course, w
Alex is a smart person. He always invests his money wisely. For example, this high-end camera set. The three of them are still quite far from his small house, but from the screen, he can clearly see the distinctive expressions on their faces.He steps out of the control room, carefully locking the room filled with high-tech equipment. After a few hours of distance, Alex turns around, surprised to see little Cherry looking at him with watery eyes.Cherry looks up, both innocent and curious, observing her father and the secret door intently. Since Cherry was welcomed into Alexander’s family, she has never set foot in this room. As an energetic child, Cherry signals for her father to pick her up and nestles her head on Alex’s chin.“Daddy, what’s in there?”Alex holds his little daughter in his arms and drifts away from the room, making it disappear from Cherry’s view. He smiles and playfully threatens, “Behind that door is a very scary lion-like monster, and only Daddy can tame it. Be a
Like a sudden grip of time standing still, all three of them fell silent.Under the scrutinizing gazes of Alex, Jinny, Rihana, and Hamila felt a thin layer of sweat forming on their backs in the chilly, rainy season.Their reactions did not surprise Alex and Isabel. These were dark-hearted individuals, and a casual provocation could strike at the heart of their darkest fears.Jinny, Rihana, and Hamila had never thought about a cover story, especially Rihana, who had the sharpest mind among the women. She knew she needed to quickly dispel their suspicions.Doubts were like seeds; once planted, they would grow wildly in a person’s mind.Rihana’s brain cells quickly sprang into action. She knew something was amiss because they had been avoiding the issue since the beginning. Clearly, none of them knew how to handle such illicit dealings.How did they recognize it was the same amount that Rihana had handed over at first? Real and fake money had different key features. Jinny was at a loss
Alex still stood protectively in front of Isabel, pushing her behind him. First, he approached the gun lying cold on the floor. He was worried that these distraught girls might do something strange and continue to damage his rented home. Jinny and Hamila clung to each other and cried, while Rihana kept her mouth shut and looked at Alex, not daring to confront him like before.The chaotic scene before him darkened his mood. Alex was someone who liked cleanliness and tidiness. The uninvited guests tonight had clearly behaved rudely, doing things that were far from proper.What did he want? He wanted revenge on Henry. He wanted to bring down their company. Did they expect sincere answers from these women? These people were just pawns, being manipulated by that vile man; what could they possibly know?Despite his inner anger, Alex still maintained a composed appearance. When he looked at the pitiable state of the three women, he suddenly found it funny and wanted to burst out laughing.Al
Mrs. Andrew is still in the nursing home. Previously, Jessica had to put in a lot of effort to get her into that pit, preventing her from harming her biological daughter. As this was spoken, Jessica’s complexion visibly darkened. Jack’s mother still circled around, blocking their path. She assumed a demeanor, implying that if they didn’t provide an explanation, she wouldn’t let them pass.Jessica was initially confident and looked disdainfully at the woman blocking their way. She didn’t mind the woman’s seniority, replying, “Yes, my mother loves this place. She told me that everyone there is friendly, kind, and not afraid of inhaling polluted air. My mother’s health is fragile, and bringing her here would be torture. There’s a constant unpleasant smell in the air, making this house feel polluted.”Jessica held her nose and waved her hand, sneering at Jack’s mother. The woman’s face became quite unpleasant. Jessica’s words sounded like an insult, and she considered their family trash.
The party was in full swing. The atmosphere was unusually lively, mainly because just recently, lawyer Britt had announced some shocking news. The entire estate now belonged to the distant niece, Jessica. Surprise took the whole family.Jack’s father, furious, grabbed Lawyer Britt by the collar and interrogated him in a deep voice:“Why? Did you tamper with the will, right? Why has that insignificant brat become the heir to Mrs. Locke’s estate? How has she treated that girl all this time, I know! Are you trying to deceive this whole family and conspiring with that girl to take our money?”People rushed to restrain him, preventing him from getting overly emotional. It infuriated Britt with this family. One after another, everyone wanted to push the blame onto him. Britt, turning cold, let his eyeglasses fall to the ground and said,“This is your family’s business, and it doesn’t concern me. I am merely the legal counsel for this will. Why don’t you look at yourselves and consider wheth
Henry was revealing annoyance, and this news quickly shattered his entire relaxed state of mind for the day. He looked at Loki, showing his desire to hear the entire story. Loki continued, albeit under the irritated gaze of the chairman.“According to what Rihana said, they are a young couple with no jobs. They found our company’s business activities very suspicious, and in the end, they stopped cooperating, returning the full amount they had received from Rihana. When they came to inquire at the office, in their anger, they accidentally admitted that the company had problems, giving the couple the upper hand.”Henry sighed and massaged his temples. These people were becoming more and more foolish by the day. They turned simple matters into a complete mess. Meanwhile, Loki continued.“The couple demanded two million to keep quiet.”“Hah, that’s a joke.” Henry chuckled dryly. He only wondered if he’d live long enough to spend all that money. Women, they were always getting involved in
The residents of the slum and the children cursed the despicable Henry. If Alex hadn’t warned them earlier, the dramatic performance they had just acted together might have become a reality. Puddy’s parents held their son full of resentment, continuously cursing Henry to hell.He dared to exploit Alex’s name, and later on, when responsibility was assigned, all the blame would likely fall on Alex, combining the murder and accusation. People were getting angrier by the minute. The one who suffered the most was the boy who had acted so convincingly and was trampled by Henry, his face all bruised. Everyone clamored for Tom Holland to come and help catch that despicable man.Of course, because there was a prior warning, this incident didn’t spiral out of control as Henry had feared. These children were potential witnesses and had even been equipped with discreet recording devices on their clothes, making it convenient for their testimony. Because of one slight oversight in shedding his mas
After everything was settled, Alex brought immense joy to the hospital where Isabel was resting. From now on, Cherry had become his child, a member of this small family, and now he only needed one more vital piece to have a perfect family. His future wife lay right here.Alex arrived at the hospital in the middle of the night, and Isabel’s room was already empty. Her family had left; they were all exhausted after days of tense waiting at the hospital. That gave him the opportunity to have some private time with Isabel. He approached her bedside, gently caressing her smooth cheek, and his eyes became moist.It was uncertain whether it was because the act of pretending to be a family for these days was too real or if it was the love that had been quietly growing over the years, but Alex felt his emotions surging intensely. It seemed like within his heart, emotions were erupting in waves, encompassing deep longing and painful sorrow. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be here, and the p
The news of Isabel’s injury had spread to the surrounding people. It wasn’t just Isabel’s parents; it included the Locke family, Alex’s relatives, and even the residents of the impoverished neighborhood.Because they couldn’t reach Isabel, they sent flowers, gifts, words of encouragement, and even money to Alex. Alex expressed they didn’t need to send these things; he could easily handle Isabel’s medical bills.However, it wasn’t just about the material support; it was also about the gratitude of all the people he had helped.A few nights later, Alex received a roughly designed invitation card to a party in the slum area.Unwillingly, these people were here to survive, and yet they organized a party to thank him. Alex didn’t really want to go, but after some thought, he realized he was the guest of honor at this party, and he couldn’t disappoint them. Alex dressed neatly for the occasion and tried to boost his spirits before visiting Isabel in the hospital. He sat by her side for a wh
After her encounter with Henry, who had threatened and ridiculed her about the Forest Corporation, Jessica appeared supremely confident on the surface, trusting her beloved Alex implicitly. However, deep down, she was extremely concerned.Since that meeting, Jessica diligently tried to gather information about Alex’s company. Finally, she realized that what Henry had said seemed to be entirely true. Jessica felt an urge to help Alex, as the dream project of his island resort was facing serious problems. Irregularities had halted the construction. With abundant resources at her disposal, Jessica was eager to assist Alex.This was also an opportunity to nurture their relationship.With a heart full of excitement, Jessica visited Alex. She dressed up a bit, as becoming the new heiress and owner of the Locke family had given her an entirely different demeanor than her previous meek self. Jessica now loved herself and exuded confidence, believing she could once again captivate Alex’s heart
After all the exhausting work, Alex and Isabel officially gave up their assumed impoverished identities. Both of them changed into new attire and returned to Alex’s mansion. Isabel stayed with him temporarily for convenience in handling their work, and little Cherry still needed a small family.Initially, they had discussed that after finishing their tasks, they would take Cherry back to the orphanage. After all, they were both busy adults with no capability to fully care for a child. If so, leaving Cherry in the orphanage was the right choice, as she could find a new home there. They would also do their best to find suitable caregivers for her and seek a comfortable family.But after a while of living together, both Alex and Isabel developed feelings for the adorable child. They didn’t want to send Cherry back to the orphanage, but they couldn’t have her around either. In the end, they weren’t adults who could meet all the psychological needs of a child. However, if they sent Cherry
Rihana quickly untied Alex, ignoring Loki’s suffering nearby. Alex thanked her and grabbed a gun that was out of ammunition, directing a disdainful look at Loki. He approached and stomped on Loki’s bleeding wound, as an act of vengeance for what had just happened. Alex wasn’t one to hold back or forgive easily.“Tend to his wound. Don’t let him die,” Alex ordered, looking sternly at Rihana. Under Alex’s firm gaze, Rihana went closer to Loki, ignoring his threats and insults. She efficiently tore a piece of cloth from her own clothing, carefully covering the wound to stop the bleeding. Loki’s face turned even paler, and he could do nothing but mumble in pain.Meanwhile, the sound of approaching police sirens grew louder. Loki looked at Alex with suspicion. He couldn’t find his phone; it was no longer with him. He wondered how the police had been called. Were they in on this from the beginning? When had things spiraled so out of control?Failing to properly investigate Alex was a grave
Loki doesn’t want to say much to this guy. He didn’t care about the reason anymore. All that he had investigated was enough to send this guy back to hell.Loki is sure that even if he pulled out a gun and blew his brains out, this guy wouldn’t say a word.But thinking that in the future the chairman might lose a lot of information because of this, Loki had to patiently ask a few more questions.“What is your real name? Don’t cross me. I have to spend so much time and effort because of you, be a little more reasonable, otherwise I will explode your brains.”“Even if I say it, you still can’t determine what is the truth, right? If I tell the truth, will you let me go?”“Okay, if it’s important, you’ll get out of here alive.”Alex almost burst out laughing for a moment. With that look in his eyes that only has murderous intent, who else is he trying to fool? Let him live. He is not a three-year-old child.Alex kept spinning his brain, thinking about how to get out of this situation. It w
“Could you please total these items?”In the morning, at a convenience store, Alex was waving his hand to pay for some essential items, all of them ingredients for baking. He wanted to bring them home for little Cherry because she had a baking competition coming up at school, and he wanted her to practice at home.While waiting to pay, a few young men behind him were engaged in a heated discussion. He typically wouldn’t have paid much attention to the conversation of strangers, but he overheard the name Locke. Recently, they had been a hot topic of discussion everywhere. Alex waited for the cashier to prepare his bill while quietly eavesdropping.“Oh my God, three more people died at the funeral yesterday. This family is in chaos.”“Have you read those conspiracy theories and rumors online? They all claim that some underground power is involved. It seems this family has offended some terrifying figure, so they’ll be wiped out eventually.”“Say what you will, but the police still haven
The night had fallen, and the members of the Locke family had quietly returned. Only Jack’s parents remained at the funeral home, standing vigil by their son’s casket. Mr. Andrew and Jessica had left early, and by the end of the day, Mr. Andrew finally felt a sense of relief. He didn’t know where his wife was, but her absence was the best outcome for all.Because of the recent pressures, Jack’s father was also exhausted from the events. He wanted to temporarily escape the stifling atmosphere of this place. However, he was reluctant to move too far, fearing that his wife might faint again. Mr. Andrew stepped out to the back of the funeral home, walking along a dark row of trees. It was past 11 o’clock, and he saw no one in this chilly, desolate forest.The unusually quiet woods made his already troubled mind even more restless. This was a resting place for many departed souls, and every rustling sound made Mr. Andrew uneasy.A funeral for two. Was this the punishment meant for the Lock
Henry’s burning gaze swept over Jessica, like a hunter locking onto his prey within shooting range. It was a look that combined both passion and possessiveness, making Jessica unable to shake off the feeling that this man was truly disturbed.Because disgust stemmed from instinct, she retreated heavily from the funeral room of this grandfather and grandson’s household. She felt that what she had told Jack’s mother earlier was indeed accurate.The complete house reeked of an unsettling odor.That room, in particular, had seen countless distant relatives of the family mocking her, each taking their turn to degrade each other for entertainment, only to now act meek and change their attitudes, presenting their most humble appearances to make amends for the past wrongdoings.Outwardly, everyone’s demeanor was, of course, pleasant. Jessica had lived long enough to know who was sincere among those in the upper class. She was wary of the apparent remorse and repentance, as it all reeked stron