“Luke, my boy.” Elizabeth slurred, getting to her feet. “Have you seen how badly they’re treating your mother? No mother of the heir to an entire fortune should be treated this way. I demand an apology!”Luke stared at her and could not help the mixture of rage, disappointment and resentment that festered in his heart.“As far as I know, Elizabeth, you are not my mother. My mother and father are currently at home. You’re a woman who saw your child as a money making tool. You will never be my mother.”Elizabeth’s eyes clouded with remorse for a second, but the emotion swiftly disappeared.“They’ve finally succeeded in corrupting your mind against me, haven’t they? I’m sure that old geezer told you all the wrong things, my boy. Do not believe anything he says.”Luke was struggling to control his rage at this point.“And what part of it am I supposed not to believe? The part where you faked your death and made me suffer for the past twenty five years of my life? The part where you conti
Luke stared at the detective expectantly, his blood thrumming with anticipation as he waited for him to speak.“Well, detective, please do not keep me waiting. Who was it and how did you find out?”“I’m not saying I’m one hundred percent certain, but I have valid reasons to believe that Steve Michaelson and the strange lady who paid him a visit at the hospital have something to do with it.” Luke could not help his disappointment. He shook his head at the detective and stepped back.“McGregor, I was there when Steve and Fiona’s mother were interrogated. He accepted that she hired him to kidnap her daughter. Their story checks out.”McGregor nodded.“Yes, that’s true. But even after that interrogation, I still had my suspicions. I’ve been a detective for nearly thirty years, your lordship. I can smell a guilty spirit from a mile away.”Something in McGregor’s eyes told Luke that he was trying to make an important point.“Okay. I’m listening.”“Thank you. Remember that the alibi which S
For a moment, silence reigned in the huge room. Luke was one hundred percent certain that the only audible sounds were that of his heart pounding crazily against his ribcage. Nina finally broke the silence.“How’s this even possible?”Fiona turned in her direction, her voice dripping venom as she spoke; “I know you studied basic biology in high school so let me break it down for you. Luke and I had sex…”“That’s enough, Fiona!” Luke thundered, cutting her off.Fiona pouted at him.“But I was just…”Luke shot a devilish glare;“I swear, one more word from you and I won’t be held responsible for what I do next.”Lord George’s face had already drained of all colour. His skin was white and pasty. The old man suddenly looked sick.“What’s going to happen now?” Nina murmured. “Luke, the baby is really yours. What’s gonna happen now?”Everyone stared at him expectantly, waiting for his next words. Luke took a deep breath, praying his voice didn’t shake like his heart currently was.“Grandp
While everyone struggled to recover from the shock caused by Fiona’s impossible demands, Luke just smiled.“I very much believe you’re joking.” He said lightly. “You cannot be serious.”Fiona hardened her gaze.“I am one hundred percent serious, Luke. I want us to get married next week. And I want a big, expensive wedding to make up for my first wedding that went wrong.”Gradually realising that she wasn’t joking at all, Luke stared at her, completely dumbfounded.“Do you really think that you can rope me into a marriage using this child? Do you think I’m that stupid?”“No, I don’t think you’re stupid. I know you’re incredibly smart. Which is why I know you do realise that I meant it when I said that if the marriage does not hold in two weeks like I want it to, I’ll get rid of this child.”A mixture of rage and dread unfurled in Luke’s chest. Fiona was a very petty human being. He was one hundred percent certain that she could carry out her threats without thinking twice.“You wouldn
Luke tapped his foot impatiently on the marble floor of his office as he listened to McGregor.“Yes, I do share in your suspicion that someone did try to break into your home. Which is why I brought the CCTV footage of the terrace. We retrieved it during our investigation.”Luke leaned forward. His interest was piqued.“Well, have you watched it yet?”“No, your lordship. I was too busy trying to connect the dots surrounding the Michaelson situation… and yes, lest I forget, Steve Michaelson has been apprehended at the station. You need to come over there as soon as possible if you intend to participate in his interrogation.”Luke nodded.“Yes, of course I’ll be there.”“Splendid.”McGregor reached into his briefcase and retrieved a flash drive.“This contains the relevant footage which you asked me to bring. We can check it out right now.”“Sure, sure.”Already trembling with anticipation, Luke collected the flash drive and inserted it into his MacBook. Seconds later, he selected the v
“What the hell was he doing at our house?” Luke asked no one in particular.“I have absolutely no idea, your lordship. Thankfully, he’s still at the station. We can pop in and ask him a few questions before we interrogate Michaelson.”Luke quickly got to his feet.“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go.”They piled into Luke’s SUV and fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the station. McGregor hurriedly led the way to the interrogation room. He’d called the station in advance so Jim was already waiting for them there.The moment McGregor and Luke walked into the room, Luke lunged in Jim’s direction and wrapped a hand around his throat.“How did you get into my house, you drug addicted bastard? Who let you in?!”“Your lordship! Sir, please let him go. You’re hurting him.” McGregor pleaded.Luke ignored him, tightening his hold.“He deserves it.” He growled. “He fucking deserves it.”McGregor grabbed Luke’s shoulder and tried to pull him away from the choking man but Luke was not hav
“Why don’t you go straight to the point, Steve?” Luke asked, already growing impatient. “Who is this woman?”Before Steve could reply, McGregor cut in;“Sir, please, we need a step-by-step video to use as evidence in court. He has to follow due process.”Luke pressed a finger against his temple and remained silent for a moment. Finally, he nodded.“Okay, then. Continue.”“Yes, sir. The money was deposited into our accounts the night before the day we were supposed to carry out the mission.”Suddenly curious, Luke asked;“How did you break into my grandfather’s club? The security was way too tight.”“We came in as regular customers. We didn’t need weapons for the operation so there was no need for the bouncers to deny us access. Every aspect of our job was to be carried out within the four walls of the Lion’s Den. When the operation was over, we left through the main door like normal guests.”Luke suddenly had a very blurry flashback. All he remembered was being choked, and the sound o
“Mr George, I need to see you in my office right away, please.” Luke’s head shot upwards hours later when he heard the doctor’s words. He hurriedly got to his feet and followed after him, his heart already beating a mile a minute.His mind conjured horrific versions of bad news as he walked into the doctor’s office.“Welcome, Mr. George. Please, sit.”Luke sank into the guest’s chair and immediately spoke up;“Doctor, is there bad news?”To his horror, the doctor nodded.“Yes, sir. I’m afraid there’s good news and bad news.”Luke breathed heavily.“I’ll take the bad news first.”“Okay. Bad news is that Fiona is still in a very critical condition. Her blood pressure is very low and extremely unstable and she has to be provided with around-the-clock care. Also, the pain relievers which she overdosed on are highly toxic and acidic… and she took two bottles. We tried our best to clean her system, but there are chances that these harmful drugs might affect the development of the baby in
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