*****Located at the very heart and core of Riverton City stood a breathtakingly gorgeous estate, one that seemed plucked straight directly from a fictional fantasy realm. Its magnificence was so extraordinary and magical to the extent that it seemed unreal even to the ones who saw it.It was surrounded by a softly glowing, luminous blue sea whose surface was impossibly smooth, like polished glass, reflecting a perfect mirror image of the sky above.This was OceanView Estate whose entire villas are so priceless and highly coveted by the most powerful elites in Riverton City that no one outside this exclusive circle could afford it.Its value, however, wasn’t solely due to its breathtaking beauty. What truly distinguished this estate, according to the public knowledge was a combination of factors, chief among them being its unparalleled security, which could render even the most notorious criminals and weakest entities invincible.There were also rumors that this estate maintained
*****“Should… should I lower it?” Dorothy asked nervously, her eyes darting to Grace, whose calm facade was beginning to crack under the mounting pressure.She swallowed slightly, but finally nodded her head, her voice steady despite the tension. “You should.”Dorothy stared at her more but then she gritted her teeth and moved her hand toward the car’s door, lowering the windows with a trembling finger.In the next instant, they were met with the fierce, contemptuous glare of the arrogant-looking middle-aged man.Edgar peered into the car, and in the next moment, the sight of the cramped space filled with anxious, panicked faces made the anger on his face gradually fade, replaced by pure disgust and contempt.“How many times do you filthy peasants need to be warned to stay away from this place?” he sneered, his voice dripping with pure disdain. “Are you lot trying to taint the air with your presence?”“This…” Edgar’s words instantly sent shivers through the car, causing everyo
***** Initially, Xavier hadn’t given much thought to Oceanview Estate, despite his previous fascination with it like everyone else before his prison sentence, thinking it was yet another overpriced, overhyped place by wealthy people who don’t know what to do with their money. This assumption, however, swiftly faded even before they reached their destination, as something had already begun to stir within him. By the time they arrived, his vague stupor had transformed into absolute astonishment and disbelief, which lingered long even after everyone else in the car had snapped out of their own amazement. Xavier had remained frozen, his mind swirling with discoveries no one else in the car could have comprehended, which continued until Grace noticed his dazed expression and scoffed, utterly convinced by his look that he was merely a delusional fool, claiming to own something he hadn't even seen before in his life. While everyone else had been shocked by the breathtaking scen
*****For a moment after Xavier’s voice had sounded, an eerie silence enveloped both the car and the group outside, with everyone staring at him in an absolute stupor, all of them struggling to believe their ears.It felt utterly impossible that Xavier had just uttered these words, and for this reason, they all wondered whether they had misheard and it was their ears playing tricks on them.The more they tried to convince themselves that they were the ones who had misheard, however, the less certain they became.Eventually, they all exchanged gazes in pairs, and in the following second, the faces of the ones in the car paled significantly, realizing that it was as they had feared—they had really not misheard Xavier despite hoping with everything within them that they had....Edgar, to whom this question was directed was no exception. He also tried as much as he could to convince himself that his ears were the ones that had deceived him, but he failed miserably and upon seeing t
***** It wasn’t a secret even to some of the average residents of Riverton City that the top real estate family, the Blackwoods, owned the best and number one villa in Oceanview Estate, a fact which even the other prominent first-rank families had always been envious about as the villa wasn’t just larger, beautiful, and more elegant than the rest, but it also occupied the best spot in the entire estate. But now… an unknown figure, a complete nobody, had just dared to claim ownership. Apart from Laura and David who failed to understand this fact, everyone else continued gaping wide-eyed at Xavier after he was done casually speaking, looking at him as if he had just made the most outrageous and shocking remark of all time. For this reason, pin-drop silence enveloped the surroundings again, with no one knowing how to react. This tense silence and stillness lingered on for what felt like ages until finally; “You… you… you… what an audacity! The audacity!!!” Edgar returned to hi
***** In the silence, everyone turned their heads and looked at the owner of the recent voice, a 30 – 32-year-old pretty lady, dressed sharply in a black suit that accentuated her hourglass shape and exuded professionalism. Her calm presence, however instantly caused a dramatic shift in the soldiers and Edgar’s expressions. Edgar was first stunned, but then his face lit up with reverence before a smug grin stretched across his lips, the presence of the lady suddenly adding to his courage. ‘Hehehe…’ he chuckled excitedly, recalling the lady’s words to him after his arrival. With this, he couldn’t help but send an arrogant and smug smirk at the soldiers, reveling in his perceived victory. "You two should start packing your belongings from the smallest to the largest—you’ll pay dearly for your arrogance and disrespect towards me, your superior, with your jobs," he declared with smug superiority. The moment these words entered the soldiers’ ears, however, the remaining color
*****‘Sir Xavier?’‘Waiting for him?’‘This… is this real?’As though their souls had departed, leaving behind empty shells, all the people outside Oceanview Estate were staring dazedly right now, most of them with their mouths wide open, struggling to digest what had just transpired... what they had just heard.There was no exception to the shock gripping everyone right now, Xavier included due to Victoria’s respectful declaration of waiting for him, though he was less stupefied than everyone else was utterly floored.The overwhelming silence that followed Victoria’s words lingered for what seemed like an eternity, so thick that the ones standing with their mouths wide open began to drool, yet still, no one returned to their senses.……Meanwhile, sensing the tension that had filled up the atmosphere, Victoria, whose head was still bowed furrowed her brows slightly, confusion flashing across her face.She slowly lifted her head after a moment, glancing around, and the moment
***** "This..." All except Edgar and Xavier felt their hearts stop briefly—Edgar’s eyes lightening up with excitement, relief, and smugness After a moment, while everyone else… ‘She… she hasn’t even confirmed his identity yet?!’ they all thought in unison, a mix of horror and helplessness gripping their minds, making the earlier hint of hope disappear. It was only David, who after processing Victoria’s words allowed a small smile to escape. 'The first good news since,' he thought in relief, knowing that the only one who could probably exonerate them from the current up-and-down situation was the Blackwood Patriarch himself who had given him the villa’s key. “Son, I… I think…” Laura, shivering from apprehension looked at Xavier as soon as she saw Victoria bringing out her cell phone, wanting to plead with him when the beaming David stopped her. "It’s alright, dear. The truth will come out now," he reassured her, speaking in a voice only the three of them in the backseat could