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
“Jacob, what the hell are you doing here?” Victor’s voice cut through the room like a knife, sharp and commanding, filled with detest.Jacob froze in the doorway, drenched from the rain outside, his heart sinking at the sight of his older brother embracing Lena in her apartment. Victor’s hand was wrapped possessively around Lena’s waist, his fingers grazing the curve of her hip.“I could ask you the same thing, Victor,” Jacob replied, trying to keep his voice steady, though the knot in his stomach tightened every passing second he saw them both in that questionable position.Lena stood by the couch, her arms crossed and her expression cold, her eyes flicking over Jacob filled with disdain. “Jacob, why the hell are you even here?”“What’s going on?” Jacob demanded, stepping further into the room, ignoring the water dripping from his clothes onto the floor. “Victor, why are you here?”Victor chuckled, a cold, mocking sound that sent a chill down Jacob’s spine. He leaned in closer to Len
The rain drummed softly against the windows of Lena's apartment, its steady rhythm a backdrop to the tension that filled the room. Lena stood by the window, her arms loosely wrapped around herself, staring out into the dark, rain-soaked streets below. The image of Jacob stumbling away, his heart shattered, flickered in her mind, but it elicited no sympathy—only a cold satisfaction.“He’ll survive, won’t he?” Lena remarked offhandedly, her voice carrying an edge of indifference as she spoke. She didn’t even bother to turn around.Victor, lounging on the couch with a self-satisfied grin, let out a low chuckle. “He’s like a cockroach—annoying, but hard to kill. It’s a pity he’s too stupid to realize he’s not wanted.”Lena smirked, finally turning to face Victor. “Jacob always did have a way of clinging to things that were never his to begin with.”Victor’s smile widened, the amusement in his eyes growing. “Pathetic, isn’t it? thinking he could keep up with us. The poor idiot actually
Jacob stared at his trembling hands, the sensation still coursing through his veins like electricity. It was as if something deep within him had awakened, responding to the storm raging both outside and within.“What’s happening to me?” he whispered, eyes wide with fear and confusion.The wind howled louder, the rain now a blinding sheet. Jacob’s grip on the railing tightened as the strange sensation grew stronger, pulsing through him in waves. His heart pounded in his chest, and his breath came in short, ragged gasps.Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. In that split second, Jacob felt a surge of energy unlike anything he had ever experienced. It was as if the storm itself was alive, feeding into him, filling him with a power he couldn’t comprehend.“No… this isn’t real… I’m just… I’m just imagining things,” Jacob muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it. But the sensation wouldn’t go away. If anything, it intensified, mak