"I asked you, where did you get so much money? Don't tell me it's the script.""Linda, it's a secret," he replied, with a smile. "I'll tell you when I'm ready."It didn't take long for her shocked expression to disappear. Kagern was rich, so rich that he was going to buy the hotel, nothing else.Several minutes later, Lydia was done checking the contract. Others were still chit-chatting, Kagern with Bingle, Belinda with Mr. Bannet. She seemed to be enjoying the stories this man in his 40s was telling. Perhaps because he wasn't shy to answer the weird questions she was asking. "You said you run a club, right? I mean, a real club?" she had asked. The man, a bit confused, nodded his head. "And you get to see beautiful young girls dancing naked everyday."Mr. Bannet couldn't help but laugh. "They're not naked," he corrected. "They're almost.""Same thing!""Where are you heading with this?"Belinda chuckled and said, "Just trying to know why men like such things."Just then, Lydia's
"What kind of trouble?" Kagern couldn't help but ask. He wanted to know if she needed help that instant, or if it was something that could wait. "It's our step-mom. She wants to sell the business and flee with her children abroad. I don't know what to do."Lilyon still thought Kagern was her brother. She loved him with all her heart and she has sacrificed a lot for him. He couldn't let that snake of a woman take away what was hers. She was the true Stanley. She deserved everything.The problem was, how would he prevent that woman from selling the business? Mr. Stanley had died before he could state his will. 'I have to do something.'"Lily, don't worry? I'm coming and I'll solve that problem."Her answer surprised him."No! Don't come!""Why?""A friend of mine who gave me the news about our stepmom's plans to sell the business told me he heard her say she's planning to kill me and make it look like an accident. I'm afraid she'll do the same to you if you show up."Kagern raised his
"How dare you enter this building? Didn't I tell you never to return here, you bastard?"The woman's voice was laced with contempt, the beaming expression she wore on her face reminding Kagern how she would always smile at him while she bullied him back when he still lived with them. Today was different. He was not the same pushover who would avoid challenging her because she would kick him out of the Stanley Mansion if he did so. He was now a son to the richest man in Cereal City, a soon to be Golden Heart Hotel's solo owner. That's why he adorned a contemptuous smile of his and stepped toward her. "You have no right to tell me never to come here. That's the first thing I want you to know. Second, mind your language before you say something that you might regret besides calling me a bastard."As if his words were the greatest joke the woman had ever heard, she burst out laughing, so loud that Kagern shifted his gaze to the wall beside to avoid looking into her wide open mouth. "S
Kagern couldn't tell her about his father. That they were not brother and sister. That Mr. Stanley, her father, was just a kind man, a friend of his father's who took care of him when the world seemed to have turned its backs from him. That's why he told her the lie he had used on Belinda. It seemed to have worked, after all. "I've managed to sell a script. That gives me a few millions, a lawyer and a few security men since I'm here to deal with people who might want to murder us."Like Belinda, Lilyon didn't question him anymore. These girls trusted him and they were happy for him for his achievements.She hugged him some more seconds while saying, "Thank you for taking the risk. Thank you for coming here to fight with me. Thank you for giving me hope."Kagern patted her back and said, "Don't mention it. You're the one who paid my school fees, after all. You're the reason I acquired the knowledge and skills to write that script. I couldn't hesitate when your life was in danger."L
Kagern called Tharn and told him the situation. He then asked Lilyon to tell him the closest VIP restaurant and instructed Tharn to meet him there. Soon, he and Lilyon made it to a luxurious restaurant and entered, going deeper to sit in the far end corner, somewhere secluded and secure from the snipers. They didn't know what method Carolina would use to kill them. It was wise to make sure they were far from danger.But then again, knowing someone like Carolina and the words she just said, it was clear that she would want to torture them both physically and emotionally before killing them. So, the option was she would kidnap them.Whatever she was planning, Kagern wasn't afraid at all. Tharn and a few men occupied a few tables, pretending to order something to eat. They were looking for any sign of a kidnapper or a killer. Lilyon didn't know that. The convoy was also not far. A few men were with Lydia, others securing the perimeter. Carolina's lakies were in for a big surprise of
Kagern and Lilyon left the restaurant, his phone glued on his ear, a police man giving him directions. They soon left the bustling streets and entered a secluded alleyway, a perfect place for a kidnapper to lay his trap. As expected, it didn't take long for Carolina's men to show up. Kagern was not surprised to see that the men came were from the same underground agency that had been trying to kidnap Lydia, the one that Karen's men were from. Considering the way he had brushed paths with these guys today, he was sure they would come after him. He had to strengthen his defence. They came in a white van, the one that wouldn't look suspicious if spotted on the road. Four men, no masks, only black suits, rushed out and surrounded Kagern and Lilyon, trying to put some kind of a white cloth that smelled bad on their nose. Kagern had never expected a scene he always saw in movies would happen to him in real life. Unbeknownst to the kidnappers, a police officer lurked nearby taking the
Kagern let out a chuckle and asked, "What's not possible? Oh! Not able to kill us today, you mean?""What are you talking about?" Carolina asked, trying to feign ignorance. She wasn't sure how the police had discovered her plan, but she was sure of one thing. She would never plead guilty. "Not what your men said or what you said when you entered," said the commander, stepping forward with handcuffs. He reached for her arm and wrapped the cuff around her wrist, saying, "You're under arrest. You have the right to a lawyer. Everything you say now will be used against you in court."Carolina was terrified beyond measure when she had that. "No!" she shouted. "You can't arrest me. What did I do? Do you know who I am?""You're a wicked old woman who wants to kill innocent children for the wealth their father worked hard to get.""Where is the proof?"The commander gestured for the kidnappers. "These guys and the messages you sent them are enough. We also have a video of what you just sai
They played for a while, then Kagern advised Lilyon to explain Carolina's case to Lydia. He just sat comfortably, hearing them argue like some kind of friends. His gaze was also fixed on them, studying their expressions and gestures.Lilyon, her auburn hair catching the twilight light through the tinted windows, was mid-sentence, her voice tight with barely suppressed fury."They tried to kill us, Lydia. This isn't slander, it's attempted murder. We press charges, file a counter-suit that cripples their finances..."Her voice was swallowed by a screech of tires and a sickening crunch. The world lurched sideways, Kagern thrown against the door. A strangled cry escaped Lilyon. Silence, thick and heavy, followed the cacophony.Then, a blood-curdling scream pierced it. Kagern, momentarily stunned, tore his gaze from the crumpled dashboard. Through the shattered driver's side window, a scene from a bad reality show unfolded. A flaming orange Lamborghini was wedged against their car, its s