“You were just asking her to do her job.” Luke repeated, disgust evident in his tone. “Let me ask you something, Fiona. Are you paying Laura for her services? Is there any part of your contract of employment which states that she’s under your payroll?” Fiona shook her head.“No, sir. But…”“Keep quiet!” Luke thundered and she fell silent, her cheeks colouring with embarrassment. “Now, I’m going to ask you a few questions and I only need ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Understood?”“Yes, sir.” Fiona replied, raising her eyes to meet Luke’s. She’d already tried to lure him into punishing Laura instead of her with puppy dog eyes but he gave her a cold-eyed stare and she promptly looked away.“Did you ask Laura to clean dirt off your shoes?” Luke began.“Yes, I did.” Fiona replied without remorse.Luke’s anger slowly returned.“Did you lay your hands on her?”“No. No, I didn’t, sir.”“How then did the contents of her bag end up all over the floor?”Fiona pursed her lips, racking her brain for a
“How dare he?” Fiona fumed to herself as she picked the last of crushed papers from the office floor.It was 6:45 PM and everyone else had already gone home. She, however, was stuck doing the lowly job of a cleaner because of that wretched pauper named Laura.“I’ll show her.” She muttered under her breath. “When this week is over, I’ll be sure to teach her a lesson she will never forget in her entire life!”As she hurried away to dump the refuse sack into the main dumpster, she stumbled on her too-high heels and a loud “crack!” reverberated through the empty halls of the office.A startled shriek escaped her lips as she flailed her arms, looking for anything to hold on to to maintain her balance. Three seconds later, she fell to the polished marble floors on her arse and pain shot through her body like a missile.“Ow! Ow, ow, owwww!” She screamed in frustration.Fiona went completely still for a few seconds, trying to recover from the painful fall. Looking down to assess the damage,
“And how are plans for the conference going, Luke?”Luke dropped his tumbler of half finished whiskey and gave his grandfather his full attention.“It’s going splendidly, grandpa. The hotel has been set for the guests, the underground rooms for their preparation has also been set. The hotel’s conference hall is currently being set up and arrangements for the various cuisines to be served are currently under deliberation.”Lord George nodded thoughtfully.“Wonderful, my boy. Just wonderful. I knew you would never let me down.”Luke beamed.Ever since his grandfather found him and changed his life, his only aim had been to make the old man proud. Nothing more, nothing less.“I’m aware of our unbeatable streak at The Pitch Competition, grand pa, and I assure that I will maintain that streak. We have an awesome plan for the competition this year that will ensure we not only win, but more foreign investors will be attracted to the company.”Luke’s grandfather smiled so wide, his cheeks ac
Lord George noticed the look of panic on his grandson’s face and his brows creased with worry.The phone slipped from Luke’s grasp and landed on the desk with a resounding “thunk!” but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were wide and vacant and he appeared to have gone into some kind of shock.“Luke? Are you okay?” Lord George tapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his shocked daze.Luke jumped to his feet and shot towards the door, his grandfather hot on his heels.“Luke? Did something happen? Who was on the phone?”He came to a stop, trying to get a hold of his conflicting emotions as he turned to his grandfather.“Stay here, grandpa. There’s been a minor situation at work and I’m going over to sort it out.”Lord George’s eyes narrowed.“Well, what happened?”“Nothing you need to worry about. You just stay here and I’ll call you back, okay?”Without waiting for an answer nor looking back to see if his grandfather actually obeyed, Luke hurried downstairs and jumped into his
Detective McGregor was a tall, dark haired man with piercing blue eyes which Luke was certain could see straight into his soul.He stretched his hand for a handshake and Luke took it eagerly, pumping the man’s hand for a few seconds before letting go.“A pleasure to meet you, detective.”“Likewise.” He replied simply. He motioned towards Fiona and Nina. “Are they family? I would love to speak to you about my findings in private but if they’re family and you trust them, they can stay.”Before Luke could even open his mouth to speak, Fiona sidled up against him and linked her arm through his, giving the detective a big, wide smile. Luke, on the other hand, stared down at her in shock, momentarily at a loss of how to react.“Yes, detective. You can speak to both of us. He’s my fiancé.”Luke nearly had a seizure, but apparently, Fiona was not done talking. She motioned in Nina’s direction, her lips curling with contempt.“She, however, is not family and is not to be trusted. Detective, I
Luke stared at the detective, his lips slightly parted in shock.“The fire was man-made?” Detective McGregor nodded.“Exactly, sir. We found traces of petrol on some unburnt parts of the building. The perpetrator or perpetrators also left behind his keg of petrol. We found it already half burnt.”Beside Luke, Fiona began to sweat and fidget nervously. “Any other thing I should know about, detective?”The detective pursed his lips.“Yes, sir. We did not find any fingerprints or personal items we could use for a DNA test. Evidence like these are rare in cases of fire outbreak but not totally impossible.This means that whoever set that fire is not an amateur. The work was too perfectly done. There are no traces whatsoever that can lead us back to him.”Luke refused to lose hope.“So is that it? Are you just gonna give up on this?”“No, of course not. This is a case of arson. A criminal offence. We’ll start our investigations from this Jimmy Petersen and see what we can find from there
Dear readers,This chapter is written in Luke’s point-of-view to give everyone an idea of Luke’s inner thoughts.Thank you for reading this far.LUKE’S POVBefore I met the Carmichael family, I never believed it was possible to develop such fierce, deadly hatred for another human being. Listening to Antoine on the phone right now, venomous hatred flooded my bloodstream.I was pretty thankful—as Antoine should be as well—that we were not within touching distance. He would’ve probably sported a broken bone or two by now.I curled my fingers around my phone until the piece of metal groaned in protest.When I spoke, my voice was harsh and gravelly.“I’m really trying to understand why you’re so deadset on sabotaging my efforts to make this conference a worthwhile one for everyone of us.” I growled. “Prior to a few days ago, you barely knew me. All of a sudden, you’re so intent on painting me black when all I’ve tried to do so far is make sure this event goes smoothly.What the fuck is yo
LUKEThe ruling council dismissed them promptly and Luke stomped out of the room, already laying groundwork for the new event centre in his mind.The council’s threats were not to be taken lightly. His reputation and his grandfather’s name was at stake.Just as Luke was about to step into the elevator, he heard a voice call his name and came to a halt.“Luke.” Andrei called, coming to stand beside him, his expression mirroring genuine sympathy.“I’m so sorry about what happened in there.”Luke gave him a small, tight smile.“Nah. It’s okay. Everything is actually my fault, you know. I should’ve been at the event centre to personally oversee the operations myself.”Andrei shook his head in obvious disagreement.“You know that’s not…”“Why don’t you let the young man take responsibility for his actions and stop trying to lick his arse all the damn time.” Antoine sneered as he strolled past them on his way to the elevator.Luke’s blood boiled at the sight of his rival. It took quite a lo
One year later“…to end this broadcast, here’s a recap of the major stories.Former Mrs. Fiona George, ex wife to one of London’s most successful trillionaire businessman, Luke George, along with her mother, Mrs. Carmichael and ex-boyfriend, David Humsworth have all been sentenced to different years in prison. After a long year of legal battles, the court finally announced their sentence today, bringing months of crime and criminal conspiracy to an end…”A sense of satisfaction settled over Luke’s heart as he watched clips of Fiona, her mother and David being led into a police van, already handcuffed. Fiona was screaming and crying while David and Mrs. Carmichael lowered their heads to avoid being captured by the cameras.Beside Luke, Nina, his five months pregnant wife, snuggled deeper against his side, placing her small hands atop his chest.“It’s finally over.” She whispered, her gentle voice already soothing his soul. “It’s really over. Are you happy now?”Luke twisted to the si
For five long seconds, a thick blanket of silence reigned in the room. Lord George stared at Nina in shock, obviously unable to believe his ears. Lucas’ expression was filled with awe while Fiona and her mother looked like they’d just been forced to swallow a bowl full of fart.“Luke, she’s lying. This bitch is lying to you. I didn’t bribe the doctor. How could I do that when I didn’t even know the hospital until you took me there? How can I betray you like that?” She sniffed and hiccuped, looking every bit the victim.Mrs. Carmichael was enraged.“All you’ve done for the past few minutes is go around yapping that little mouth of yours and spewing lies.” She spat at Nina. “Where’s your evidence, huh? You’re claiming that my daughter bribed the doctor. Where’s your goddamn evidence, you shameless homewrecker?!”“If you’re looking for evidence, don’t ask her. Ask me.”Everyone turned towards the door, searching for the owner of the new voice.Mrs Carmichael’s face dampened with fear an
Luke’s heart thundered like a runaway train as Fiona came closer and closer, thrusting the baby towards him.When she was just a hair’s breadth away, Nina intercepted her, blocking her from reaching him.Fiona’s scowl deepened, her eyes already burning with rage.“What the heck do you think you’re doing, Nina? Get out of my way.” She snapped angrily.“And what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Nina countered, folding her arms.Fiona raised her chin.“I was just about to introduce Luke to his son and heir before you rudely interrupted. As you know, my Cameron is a bonafide member of this family. You’re not. Therefore you have no right to be here. Why don’t you just give up on your plans to destroy my marriage, Nina? Can’t you see that you’re already failing?”Nina smirked.“Since we’re all here and you seem to have so much to say today, Fiona, why don’t we play a little game?”Luke stared at the back of Nina’s head with confusion. What was she doing?“In addition to being blind, ar
SIX MONTHS LATERPain. He was in so much pain.His arms, legs and back throbbed and burned. His head felt like a wailing banshee had taken up residence. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids seemed to be glued shut.“His vitals seem okay but he’s no longer responding to treatment. I’m afraid his coma might become worse. His injuries are nothing like we’ve ever seen before.”He heard noises above him and tried to alert whoever it was to the fact that he was actually awake. He tried to blink or even move his finger, but his body refused to listen to his brain as usual.“I’m sorry but you and your family will have to consider taking him off life support. I don’t mean to be pessimistic but it doesn’t look like he’ll get any better than this.”His heart tightened with panic as he listened to the doctor go on and on about how he’ll never recover. Someone was crying in the room. He could hear the whimpers. Her whimpers.He struggled to stay awake for a moment longer but his brain was spi
THREE MONTHS LATERThe day was dark and gloomy. Rydling soldiers and Elders gathered around the glass casket, their faces pinched in tight frowns.“We’re gathered today to celebrate the one person who sacrificed his life to save all of us. We’re here to witness the end of the reign of our chosen one.” Elder Tomako said quietly.“We watched him fight a good fight. Now, it’s time to bid him farewell. We tried our possible best to bring him back, but I believe this is really the end of the road for our hero. Lower the casket.”The casket was lowered by four heavily built soldiers into the already dug earth. The moment it touched the ground, the death bells started ringing.The forlorn sounds of the bell were followed by flashes of lightning and the deep, rumbling sounds of thunder. That was the king of the Rydlings himself, saying goodbye to his chosen one. The Chosen One had fought a good fight. Now, it was time for him to rest eternally.
THE END OF HIS REIGN***Have you ever gotten the feeling that you’re about to die and no one can save you even if they tried?Have you ever looked death straight in the eyes?That was all that went through Luke’s mind as he stared at the red eyes of the demon-beast before him. His knees and heart quaked with fear and blood whooshed loudly in his ears.Luke knew he was powerless without his amulet. Even if he’d trained for physical combat, those skills wouldn’t be of any significant help against Malcolm.Malcolm took a step forward and Luke gulped in deeply.“I heard Rydling had chosen a weakling to save his people.” He growled, his voice dripping with disgust. “I thought my people were bluffing. But looking at you, I guess they weren’t.Which makes me wonder why my own brother would, out of the millions of experienced and well-trained soldiers at his disposal, choose a good-for-nothing scaredy-cat to lead a war against me.” Malcolm burst into loud, booming laughter. “I mean, what w
A month later…Something was coming. Luke could feel it.For the past month, his anxiety rate had tripled. During the day, he felt followed, stalked. At night, he felt watched.. He could barely sleep these days. His amulet glowed all night and he was pretty certain he’d heard whispers in the dark two nights ago. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention. His guts burned with suspicion. There was something wrong somewhere.Something was coming. Something dark…and very, very ugly.****“Focus, Luke. Focus! Channel your amulet’s power. If you’re distracted, the enemy will definitely find an opening to strike.”Luke took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging nerves. Today’s training was on mobility. His ability to dodge the strikes of evil spells or possibly, gun shots from the enemy.“There’s an unwritten rule that guns are banned from all supernatural wars but Malcolm’s followers are evil. We should not underestimate their inclination to cheat.” Elder Tomako had said ea
FOUR MONTHS LATER“It's all about concentration, Luke.” Elder Tomako said for the umpteenth time. “Close your eyes and focus on the power within your amulet. Channel it. If you can do that, the amulet would do anything you want. Close your eyes and feel the magic. Command it.”Luke shot his eyes and focused. Gradually, he felt the familiar energy begin to build. His amulet glowed and throbbed against his chest, sending spurts after spurts of power through his entire frame.He chanted the power codes he was taught throughout his first month of training and the tips of his finger began to burn. “Ancient spirits please arise. Lend your power and your might. Victory over my enemies, I pray thee. Ancient spirits please arise!”Finally, the energy within him became so powerful, shards of dangerous light shot through his fingers and sliced all the targets in front of him, reducing them to puffs of dust.The room erupted into a flurry of explosions and the stench of smoke filled the air.Whe
“How did you kill him?” Luke asked as they both settled down on the Italian sofa.Lucas’ expression became guarded.“Well, turns out, grandpa isn't the only person Edoardo was indebted to. The bastard was involved with a lot of shady people. He gambled a lot and lost loads of cash in the process.Unfortunately, he borrowed money from an organisation that doesn’t believe debtors should walk around scot free.”A slight chill crawled up Luke’s spine at Lucas’ dark expression.“What organisation was that?”Lucas took a few seconds too long to reply and Luke instantly knew that Edoardo had fallen into deep, deep shit before his death.“Edoardo borrowed money from the Russian crime syndicate. The Bratva.”Luke froze as shock shot through his entire system. “D-did you just say…?”Lucas nodded.“Yes. Unfortunately for him, he borrowed half a million dollars from them and couldn’t pay back after a period of six months like he’d promised.”Luke's heart thumped wildly as he asked;“How did they