“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
“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
"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."
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
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.
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
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
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