The soft click of Nicholas's polished leather boots echoed through the foyer as he descended the staircase. He was putting on a neatly pressed black button-down shirt and trousers, with a black sunglasses on sitting gently on his nose. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Nicholas's gaze immediately fell upon Michos, who was waiting patiently by the front door. Michos met Nicholas's eyes, a flicker of anticipation and nervousness flickering across his features. "Are you ready to go?" Nicholas asked, his voice calm and even. Michos chuckled softly, the tension in his shoulders visibly easing. "Of course," he replied, nodding slightly. "I am very ready when you are ready." Nicholas gave a slight shrug of his broad shoulders. "Then let's be on our way," he said, turning towards the exit. Just as the duo were about to step outside, a hurried clatter of footsteps drew their attention. Corer came rushing towards them, her expression a mix of concern and confusion. "Mr. Lought
The car glided smoothly through the gates of the Loughty estate. Nicholas and Michos sat in tense silence, their eyes fixed ahead as the car carried them closer to the end. As the car approached the center of the circular driveway, the driver brought it to a gentle stop. Nicholas and Michos exchanged a silent, weighted glance before swiftly exiting the vehicle. Their footsteps echoed against the floors as they hurried towards the front doors. Without a moment's hesitation, the duo strode through the double doors and into the foyer. The three housekeepers - Corer, Rookson, and Imran - who had been idling in the front room, immediately rose to their feet as they saw Michos and Nicholas. They weren't expecting them. Corer felt a chill run down her spine as she recognized the intensity in Nicholas and Michos's expressions. She and the others quickly averted their gaze, lowering their heads in a gesture of deference. "We didn't know you're going to return so early sir
Nicholas plopped down on the hard bench in the hospital reception, his body tense with worry. Sweat dotted his brow as he stared at the double doors leading to the emergency ward, beyond which Michos was fighting for his life. The earlier commotion of nurses and doctors rushing to tend to Michos had left Nicholas's heart pounding in his chest. And even the doctor's words didn't make any positive impact, rather it worsen it. The guard standing beside him placed a steady hand on Nicholas's shoulder. "Try to relax, sir. The doctors are doing everything they can for Michos. I think they know what they are doing, they have all the equipments. So, let's be rest assured. Everything is going to work smoothly and Michos will definitely survive," the guard said, trying to comfort the restless Nicholas. Nicholas exhaled a shaky breath, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I know, I know. But I can't help but worry, you also heard what the doctor said. Michos is..
"Is that not Michos?" Nicholas opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, three doctors emerged from the same direction, their faces set in a grim determination, there were also heading towards the nurses' direction. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Nicholas hurried towards the doctors, his guards following close behind. "Excuse me, what's going on?" he asked, his brow furrowed in a mix of concern and confusion. "Is that Michos on the gurney?" One of the doctors, a middle-aged man different from the one that attended to them before, paused and placed a reassuring hand on Nicholas's arm. "Mr. Loughty, yea... That's Michos. Michos's condition has taken a turn for the worse. We're taking him to the operating theater to perform emergency surgery." Nicholas's forehead creased in concern. "Worse? What do you mean, worse? I thought he was stable!" The doctor squeezed Nicholas's arm gently. "I'm afraid the poison has had a more severe effect than we anticip
"What the freak! What is the meaning of this?" one of the doctors demanded, his voice tinged with a hint of annoyance. Nicholas stepped into the room, his eyes narrowed in a fierce glare. "None of you should even try to touch Michos. I am taking him out of here," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Mr. Loughty, this is a..." one of the doctors tried to speak. "Just shut the hell up!" Niçholas cut in, his eyes glancing at their badges one after the other. It was exactly the badges Ryan had drawn. The badges were different and that obviously stated their level in the organization, but he still couldn't believe that these doctors were truly working with Malakai. The doctors in the sterile operating theater exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to respond to this unexpected outburst. Finally, after so many minutes of silence another doctor, a woman with a kind yet stern demeanor, spoke up. "Mr Loughty, do you understand the implications of what you're
The clock on Nicholas's wrist ticked past 6 o'clock as he stole a glance, the minutes slipping away with each labored breath Michos took on his lap. The guard who was sitting in the front seat beside the driver turned back, his brow furrowed with concern. "Is he still breathing?" the guard asked, his voice tinged with urgency. Nicholas looked down at the young man's pale, unconscious face, then back to the guard. "I can still feel his pulse, but his heart isn't beating normally." His own heartbeat quickened, the weight of Michos's life resting precariously in his hands. The guard's eyes widened. "Then we need to get him to a hospital right away! We're running out of time. How many hours drive is it to First City hospital... That's the only hospital we can trust now since it looks like the RMI have taken over everything." Nicholas shook his head firmly. "No hospitals... When it comes to this, we can't even trust the first city hospital. We're taking him straight
The heavy silence that had blanketed the lounge where Nicholas, Mr Philips, Ryan and all of the guards were all sitting, mourning Michos's death was suffocating, punctuated only by the muffled sobs of Imran and Rookson. Their faces were streaked with tears and one could tell that they had been crying for a very long time now. Corer stood beside them, her expression unreadable as she glanced at the two men with a frown. Her face expressed no particular emotion, none one could tell if she was sad or not, but she was obviously irritated by Rookson and Imran's cry. "Can you guys shut the fuck up!? Why are the two of you crying so hard as though it's one of your relatives that passed away?" Corer said, her voice laced with a hint of disdain. "It looks like you're faking it, because I don't get why you're both crying so hard. Just tell us if you are hiding anything." Rookson looked up, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy. "Why would you say that, Corer?" he said, his voice
The silence had once again descended, broken only by the occasional shifting of bodies and the muted ticking of the grandfather clock, that was in the wall. Ryan, his brow furrowed, finally spoke up, his voice cutting through the stillness. "What are we going to do about Michos's body now Nicholas? What if the RMI wants his body, what would we do about it?" he asked, his words weighted. Nicholas sighed, his expression pensive, "They definitely can't ask for the body and even if they do, I belie..." Nicholas couldn't finish his statement when his phone began to vibrate on the table, the sudden sound startling the occupants of the room. Nicholas frowned, his gaze fixed on the screen as he looked the caller ID. Noticing his change in demeanor, Mr. Philips leaned forward, his own curiosity piqued. "Who is it calling?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of concern and curiosity. Reluctantly, Nicholas looked up, his voice tinged with a hint of resignation. "It's Ma