Victor Montgomery leaned back in his leather seat, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest as the plane descended toward the runway. His eyes gleamed with cold satisfaction, his mind already a step ahead. Anderson thought he could outsmart me? The thought amused him. He had waited patiently for this moment, and thanks to Raul, his most trusted assistant, everything had fallen into place perfectly. Raul had delivered valuable information: one of the Blackwell guards had cracked, spilling every detail of Anderson’s so-called master plan. It was laughable, really. Anderson, with all his resources, had failed to account for the one thing Victor excelled at—predicting the unpredictable. While Anderson thought everything was under control, Victor’s men were already in Germany, waiting for Lena’s arrival. The jet touched down with a soft thud on the runway. Victor adjusted his suit jacket, smoothing out the creases as he stood. He cracked his neck, his movements deliberate, unhurri
The night was unusually quiet in the Montgomery estate. Amelia paced the room, her heart pounding as if it carried a secret she could no longer bear. She paused by the window, staring at the darkened horizon. The reflection in the glass revealed her own haggard face, worn down by the weight of years—years of lies, deceit, and manipulation. Amelia turned from the window and beckoned her maid, her voice colder than usual. "Where is my son?" The maid hesitated, knowing the answer might unsettle her. "Madam... Victor is in Germany." Amelia’s breath hitched. "Germany?" she repeated, her mind racing. What was he doing there? Why wasn’t she informed sooner? The maid nodded, clearly sensing the tension in her mistress. "Yes, Madam. He’s been overseeing matters personally." Amelia waved the maid away with a dismissive hand. "Fetch me some ink and paper. I need to write a few letters tonight." "Yes, Madam," the maid curtsied and swiftly left the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, A
Amelia arrived at the hospital for what was supposed to be a routine check-up. As she sat on the examination table, her doctor frowned at the results on his clipboard.“Mrs. Montgomery, you haven’t taken your medication for the last month,” the doctor said, looking up with concern. “This is serious.”Amelia waved her hand dismissively, cutting him off. “I don’t need it. Don’t you see? I’m perfectly fine without all those pills.”The doctor sighed. “Amelia—”Enough!” She snapped, her voice ice-cold. “I’ve lived long enough to know what my body needs.” She slid off the examination table, grabbing her purse as she stormed toward the door.The doctor watched helplessly as Amelia left the room, her stubbornness an unmovable force. Outside, Amelia entered her car, her mind already far from the doctor's warnings. But as the door closed and the engine started, an unfamiliar voice greeted her from the front seat.“Who are you?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing as she saw a man in the backseat.
Victor stormed into the Montgomery estate, fury radiating off him with every step. His voice echoed through the grand hall, cutting through the tension in the air like a knife. “Where is her driver?!” The men flanking him froze in place, exchanging nervous glances. One of them pointed to the trembling chauffeur standing by the corner, eyes wide in terror. Without hesitation, Victor reached into his jacket, pulling out a sleek black gun. He aimed it with deadly precision and fired. The shot rang out sharply, reverberating through the silent house. The driver collapsed to the floor, his lifeless body falling with a dull thud. “Useless!” Victor screamed, his voice hoarse with rage. “All of you! Useless!” His breath came in ragged bursts as he glared at his men, his chest heaving. He couldn’t stop the storm raging inside him. He needed answers, and he needed them now. “Have you tracked her location yet?” His voice was low now, but the danger in his tone was unmistakable. The men b
Anderson sat up in bed, staring blankly into the shadows that stretched across the room. The Blackwell Estate, usually a sanctuary, felt like a suffocating cage tonight. No matter how he tried, sleep evaded him. His mind was heavy with thoughts—his mother's past, His other mother's death, Victor's endless schemes, and the newfound weight of his identity as Anderson Blackwell. He sighed, running his hand through his hair, and decided to take a walk, hoping the cold halls of the estate would clear his head. The estate was eerily quiet at this hour. The chandeliers hung like ghosts above his head, casting long, pale shadows on the walls. He wandered aimlessly, his footsteps barely making a sound against the marble floors. Somehow, he ended up in the library, the one place that always drew him in when he felt lost. As he walked past the towering shelves, something caught his eye—an old, ornate bookshelf that seemed slightly out of place. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out and
Three nights before Jacob Montgomery's death, a spirit roamed the earth in silence. Andrew—once known as a simple café boy—had died. His death had come without warning, but what followed was far more chilling. After his passing, his spirit lingered, restless, and wandering. He drifted aimlessly through cities and fields, unaware of the time that had passed. When the fateful moment came for his soul to return to his body after a week, his body was gone. Panic surged through him as he searched in vain. He couldn't find it. His body, his very own vessel, had vanished. There was no peace in this limbo, only a strange pull toward something he couldn’t understand. The pull eventually led him to a mansion. Something about this place felt familiar, more like Déjà vu. He couldn't place the exact connection, but the sensation gnawed at him. Was it the architecture? The smell of old wood? He drifted further, drawn by an invisible force until he found himself attached to a specific room. It wa
43 hours had passed, and an eerie silence enveloped Anderson’s hideout. Shadows filled the room, with only faint moonlight breaking through the cracks in the old walls. Two spirits hovered above a single body lying on the floor. The atmosphere was thick with unspeakable tension. One spirit tormented the other, while the other sulked in guilt.Anderson’s spirit circled around Jacob’s fading ghost, grinning maliciously. He seemed to feed off Jacob’s misery, his voice dripping with cruelty as he sneered, “You’re no different from the man who killed you, are you? A thief.”Jacob’s spirit recoiled, his pale form flickering slightly. The accusation stung, but it wasn’t the first time Anderson had spat those words at him. The guilt weighed heavily on him, but he couldn’t find the strength to speak. Not yet.Anderson's spirit floated closer, his cold, lifeless eyes locking onto Jacob’s. “What makes you think you’re better than Victor, huh? You framed someone else for a death that wasn’t even
Jacob’s spirit floated uneasily, watching Anderson’s malicious grin with growing apprehension. The tension between them was palpable, and the eerie silence of the hideout only amplified the pressure. A chilling laugh escaped Anderson's lips, mocking the unresolved silence.“What’s so funny?” Jacob’s spirit demanded, his ethereal voice echoing with frustration.Anderson’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. “You’re asking why? Why do I hate her so much? Why do I want Aunt Evelyn dead?”Jacob’s spectral form narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t told me anything. But I know this hatred you carry runs deep. What’s your endgame?”Anderson circled him, his form flickering ominously with each step. “Oh, Jacob, the clock’s ticking. You’ve got hours left, and you’re still here, questioning me. It’s amusing. Time is a luxury you no longer possess.”Jacob’s patience thinned. “You’re stalling, Anderson. So, why don’t you get to the point already? You’ve been haunting me, tormenting
Victor sat at his desk, fingers gliding across his tablet, reviewing the latest reports. The silence in the room was interrupted when Raul barged into his office, breathing heavily.“We received a tip, boss,” Raul said, urgency in his voice. “It's anonymous.”Victor raised an eyebrow and set his tablet down. “What’s that?” he asked, his tone sharp, eyes narrowing.“Here, boss.” Raul passed over his laptop.Victor’s eyes widened in shock as he scanned the contents of the screen. An encrypted message flickered before him. “Interesting...” Victor muttered, leaning back in his chair, a dark smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “What's the best way to attack your enemies?”“You strike them first,” Raul chuckled, a glint of mischief in his eyes.Victor shook his head, his expression hardening. “Not at a time like this. Don’t you think it’s better if we wait for some air to be cleared? Let them get a little peace of mind,” he said, tapping his fingers on the desk rhythmically, “and that
Lena sat in the spacious cinema room, the quiet hum of the Montgomery estate enveloping her. She had just finished breakfast and had found herself increasingly drawn to the large TV in the room, offering her a brief distraction from her tangled thoughts. Flipping through channels, she paused at the morning news.Her heart dropped.The headline read: VICTOR MONTGOMERY GETS AGGRESSIVE AT A PARTY.A sharp breath escaped her as a video played, showing Victor in the middle of throwing a punch at Anderson. His face, contorted with rage, was frozen on the screen. The scene was chaotic. Lena turned off the TV, her hands shaking. She had to find Victor. Now.She hurried out of the cinema room, her steps quickening as she navigated the long corridors of the Montgomery mansion. The morning light streamed in through the large windows, but the usual warmth she felt here was replaced by a growing sense of unease.As Lena passed by a couple of maids dusting the antique furniture, they stopped and g
A week before the party, Anderson strolled into the butler’s room with the usual nonchalance he carried. But something stopped him cold—the object resting innocuously on the polished mahogany desk. His breath hitched as his gaze locked onto the small, intricate piece of jewelry: Amelia’s locket. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. “Why is this here?”His mind raced, scrambling to connect the dots. This was with Amelia for years... even at death. He could almost hear the faint echoes of her last words “ Jacob“ with her bloodstained locket, hanging around her neck.Anderson’s furrowed his brow. Why was it here with the butler? Was there something he was missing? Was this why the butler was present that day? Who was he to them—an old friend, perhaps?Anderson’s pulse quickened as he slowly approached the desk. His fingers hovered over the locket, but instead of picking it up, he pulled out his phone.” I can’t risk touching it. Not yet.” He snapped a few quick photos, the came
Raul walked into the car park at the Montgomerys, the dim lighting casting long shadows over the ornate flowers. He had been waiting for Victor outside, but as soon as he turned his head, he saw that Victor had zoomed off—alone. Without him. Without his bodyguards.“Boss is probably very hyper today,” Raul muttered, smirking as he started the engine of his own car. He drove slowly, enjoying the quiet hum of the engine as the streets passed by, each one more crowded than the last.When Raul arrived at the location, he stepped down, the crunch of gravel beneath his feet the only sound in the stillness. As he entered the gallery, he noticed something strange. There, in the middle of the room, was a bizarre painting—a man with a head six times larger than his body. The massive head seemed to weigh him down, as though it was his burden.Raul paused in front of the painting, staring at it with intrigue."Interesting, isn’t it?" A female voice called out from behind him, light yet confident.
Mariam headed to the grocery store, pulling the sleeves of her oversized hoodie down to hide her hands. Her hair was tied back into a messy bun, and she wore no makeup, her face bare and tired. Her worn-out sneakers made soft squeaks as she walked down the aisles, scanning the shelves distractedly.“So, what's left on the list?” she muttered to herself, pulling out her phone to check the shopping app.“Is this it?” A familiar voice startled her from behind. She turned to see Raul holding up a can of beef stew, a grin playing on his lips.“You—what are you doing here?” Mariam asked, her voice tinged with shock, her face paling slightly under the bright supermarket lights.“I should be asking you the same thing,” Raul said with a teasing smile, gesturing around with his free hand. “You look... different.”“I’m shopping. You can see I’m S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G,” she stammered, her words laced with a forced casualness. Her fingers tugged at the edge of her hoodie nervously, wishing she’d at least
"I'm afraid I can not eat this meal," Victor hissed, eyeing the dishes with distrust."Why?" Anderson asked, feigning innocence. "Did you think I poisoned it?""Have a bite from everything on the table," Victor continued, his tone firm and commanding.Anderson arched an eyebrow. "My head chef can handle that. You do your job," he replied coolly."No, you should have a bite first," Victor insisted, his eyes narrowing with barely concealed hostility.Anderson tightened his grip on his knife, the tension palpable. "If that will make our guest comfortable," he said with a forced smile. He sampled a bite from each dish on the table, his movements deliberate and calculated."Is our guest comfortable now?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.Victor ignored the question, starting to eat with an air of indifference. The room fell into an uneasy silence, punctuated only by the clinking of cutlery against china and the soft hum of the air conditioner."
“So that concludes today’s meeting,” Anderson announced, his voice steady as he called the gathering to a close. The low hum of murmurs filled the room as the board members shuffled their papers, ready to leave.Before anyone could stand, a voice from the back spoke up. “One more thing,” the head of marketing said, leaning forward with a raised brow. “We need to finalize the decision on the website.”The room grew quiet. Anderson, standing at the head of the table, paused for a moment. “The website, yes.”“We’ve been discussing the benefits of a more interactive platform to engage with the public, especially after the recent press coverage,” another board member chimed in. “It could help boost our reputation even further.”Evelyn, who had been sitting in for Uncle Judas, leaned back in her chair with a smug expression. “A website? Do you mean to stroke Anderson’s already inflated ego?”The room chuckled lightly, though there was a hint of tension beneath the surface.“It’s not just ab
“Today’s the last day of your check-up, yeah?” Victor asked Raul, pacing back and forth, his eyes flicking toward Raul’s arm.Raul, casual as ever, swung the arm Victor had once shot in a wide arc, flexing his muscles slightly. “Yep, it’s perfectly fine now.” He gave a confident grin. “See? All good.”Victor, unconvinced, scowled. “You know it wasn’t just a flesh wound, right?”Raul chuckled, grabbing his jacket. “Come on, Boss, I’m not made of glass. I’ll be back in a bit. Maybe you’ll buy me a drink to celebrate?”Victor grunted, his eyes tracking Raul as he headed for the door. The soft click of it closing left an uneasy silence in the room.At the hospital, the sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air. Raul tapped his foot impatiently, his leg bouncing as the low hum of medical equipment buzzed around him. Nurses murmured in the distance, their voices blending with the soft beeping of machines. The waiting room was eerily quiet, but Raul’s mind raced.He glanced toward the corri
“Fifty per cent well-done, other fifty... booo!” Anderson’s spirit hissed, his form flickering between shadow and solid in front of Jacob’s face.Jacob recoiled, his fists clenched as he backed away, eyes wide with confusion. “Why are you still here?” he asked, his voice edged with frustration.Anderson’s spirit drifted closer, its presence suffocating, the air thick with menace. “Arrogant, aren’t you?” The words dripped with cold malice. “Is she dead?”Jacob tried to steady himself, his breath quickening. “You can’t just turn me into some... perfect killer.”Anderson’s spirit towered over him now, the temperature around Jacob dropping with every word. His voice became a chilling, unnatural whisper. “Kill her or be killed. DIE! KILL EVEL... OR YOU. SHOULD. DIE!” His voice cracked, growing more inhuman, the echoes rattling inside Jacob’s mind like the chains of a nightmare he couldn’t escape.Jacob clutched his head, his thoughts spiralling out of control. “Arrrggh!” he screamed, his v