REVENGE OF THE ILLEGITIMATE HEIR

First strike,Half somebody.

The gates of the prison creaked open, and Dimitri stepped out into the world he hadn’t seen in seven long years. Beside him, Klaw, Marcelo, Zarina, Emery, Dylan, and the salesman followed, each wearing expressions ranging from cautious optimism to cold determination. The sun was bright, almost mocking, as if daring them to face what awaited outside.

Dimitri’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down at the screen and saw Celeste’s name flashing.

He answered quickly. “Celeste?”

Her voice was tense, almost trembling. “Dimitri, listen to me. Quinn’s hired men—they’re waiting for you on the main road leading out of the prison. They’re armed and ready to kill you.”

Dimitri’s jaw tightened, his hand clenching the phone. “What?”

“They’ve been instructed to make it look like an accident. You have to take the back route….the service road. It’s narrow and unpaved, but it’s your only shot. I can’t stall them for long,” she warned.

Dimitri turned to Klaw and the others. “Change of plans. We’re taking the back road.”

Klaw raised an eyebrow. “Trouble already?”

Dimitri nodded grimly. “Quinn’s men are waiting for us. Let’s move.”

Marcelo chuckled, pulling out a small handheld GPS he’d cobbled together during his time in prison. “Good thing I’ve got this. Let’s find that back road.”

As they veered off the main path, the group moved quickly and quietly. Dylan kept a sharp lookout, his tracking instincts honed from years of evading authorities.

“Quinn doesn’t waste time, does he?” Zarina muttered, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

“He’s desperate,” Dimitri replied. “He knows we’re coming for him.”

---

Meanwhile, at the ambush site, Quinn’s hired killers waited impatiently. One of them, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek, paced the area.

“Where the hell are they?” he growled.

“They should’ve been here by now,” another man said, checking his watch.

Minutes turned into hours, and when it became clear that Dimitri and his group weren’t showing up, the leader of the crew called Quinn.

“What do you mean they’re not there?” Quinn barked over the phone, his voice laced with fury.

“They must’ve taken another route. There’s no sign of them,” the man explained nervously.

Quinn slammed his fist onto his desk, sending papers flying. “You had one job! How hard is it to ambush a bunch of ex-cons?”

“We’ll keep looking….”

“No,” Quinn interrupted, his voice cold. “You’ve already failed me. Don’t bother coming back.”

He hung up, seething with anger. Ava entered the room just as he hurled his phone against the wall.

“Trouble?” she asked, sipping a glass of wine.

“Dimitri,” Quinn spat. “He slipped through our fingers. Again.”

Ava smirked, unfazed. “He’s clever, I’ll give him that. But cleverness won’t save him for long.”

---

Later that evening, at a secluded beach house overlooking the ocean, Dimitri stood on the balcony, the cool breeze brushing against his face. The soft crashing of waves was almost soothing, but his mind was far from calm.

A soft knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Celeste stepping inside, a leather folder in her hands.

“You made it,” he said, his voice softening.

“Barely,” she replied, closing the door behind her. “Quinn is more paranoid than ever. He’s watching everyone like a hawk.”

Dimitri gestured for her to sit. “What did you find?”

She handed him the folder. “These are original documents…transfer orders, financial statements. Quinn is moving assets to your father’s old rival, Richard Hargrave. He’s selling off parts of the company piece by piece.”

Dimitri’s brow furrowed as he flipped through the papers. “Hargrave? That snake’s been after Apollo Empire for decades. If Quinn hands him control, everything my father built will be gone.”

Celeste nodded. “Quinn is desperate to secure his position. He knows the board is losing faith in him, and he thinks selling to Hargrave will buy him more time.”

Dimitri closed the folder and looked at her. “You’re risking a lot by bringing me this. If Quinn finds out…”

“He won’t,” she interrupted. “I’ve been careful.”

He stepped closer, his eyes searching hers. “Be careful, Celeste. I can’t afford to lose you now.”

Her breath hitched as she met his gaze. “You’ve changed,” she murmured. “You’re not the same Dimitri I knew seven years ago.”

He tilted his head slightly, a shadow of a smile playing on his lips. “Neither are you. But I needed those seven years to learn what’s worth fighting for.”

She reached up, brushing a strand of hair from his face. “And what’s that?”

“You,” he said simply.

The moment hung between them, electric and charged. Then, as if drawn by an invisible force, their lips met. The kiss was intense, a collision of years of longing and suppressed emotions.

Celeste’s hands slid up to his shoulders as he pulled her closer, his touch firm yet gentle. They moved to his room, the sound of the waves outside mingling with the passion inside.

---

Afterward, Celeste lay beside him, her fingers tracing the faint scars on his chest. “You really are different,” she whispered. “Stronger. More dangerous.”

Dimitri stared at the ceiling, his mind racing. “I had to become someone else to survive. The weak son they discarded wouldn’t have lasted a day in prison.”

She propped herself up on one elbow, her expression serious. “You’re not weak, Dimitri. You never were. They just never saw your worth.”

He turned to her, his eyes dark. “They will. Soon.”

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, snapping them out of the moment. She glanced at the screen and cursed under her breath.

“What is it?” Dimitri asked.

“Quinn,” she said, showing him the message. It was short but chilling: ‘Where are you?’

“You should go,” Dimitri said. “Don’t give him a reason to suspect anything.”

She nodded, reluctantly getting dressed. As she reached the door, she turned back to him. “Be careful, Dimitri. They won’t stop until they destroy you.”

He gave her a small, determined smile. “Let them try.”

As the door closed behind her, Dimitri walked to the balcony, staring out at the dark ocean. His fists clenched at his sides.

It’s time to strike back.

Dimitri pulled out a hidden box from under the bed, opening it to reveal a collection of forged IDs, blueprints, and a loaded pistol. He picked up the weapon, his resolve hardening. “They’ll regret underestimating me,” he mutters, his eyes cold as steel.

—------------

“Explain to me how the system got breached!” Quinn shouted, slamming his fist on the boardroom table, the sound echoing across the room.

The IT manager flinched but held his ground. “We… we don’t know yet, sir. Whoever did this is operating on a level we’ve never encountered. They stole nearly half of our customer data and…”

“And?” Ava cut him off sharply, stepping forward. “Spit it out!”

“And the stock has dropped nearly 20% since the news broke,” the manager admitted, his voice trembling.

Ava let out an exasperated sigh. “Incompetent fools. This will ruin us if we don’t fix it. I thought our systems were impenetrable.”

“They were,” the manager replied. “But this was a targeted attack. Someone wanted to hurt us specifically. This wasn’t random.”

Quinn leaned back in his chair, seething. “So, you’re telling me someone out there is playing games with Apollo Empire, and you can’t even trace it?”

“We’re trying, sir. Whoever did this covered their tracks well, but we’re running a deep trace now.”

“You’d better find them,” Quinn growled. “Because if this gets worse, it’s your head on the chopping block.”

Ava crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. “Do you think this could be related to… him?”

Quinn’s lip curled into a sneer. “Dimitri? Please. The man just got out of prison. He wouldn’t even know where to begin with something like this.”

“Still,” Ava said, her voice cold and calculating, “don’t underestimate him. He’s had seven years to stew and plan.”

Quinn stood abruptly. “He’s not our priority right now. Find out who did this. I want names, and I want them today.”

The IT manager nodded and rushed out, leaving the mother and son in the tense silence of the room.

“Do you really think it’s not him?” Ava asked quietly.

Quinn smirked. “Even if it is, he’ll regret trying to play with me.”