Nathan’s POVWhen Nathan turned to go into his office from the elevator, he saw Scott staring at him, and he grimaced. His brother looked at Helen immediately, avoiding Nathan’s eyes, as though he were speaking to her.Nathan rolled his eyes. If they were genuinely keeping an eye on him, he wouldn’t be shocked. Knowing his brother, Scott was probably dying to know how the interview had gone.Well, sad for him, because Nathan wasn’t going to tell, he thought.“is the next person here?” he inquired, observing Scott flinch as he turned to face him.Helen cleared her throat and nodded as she scratched the back of her neck. “Yes, sir,” she answered, looking at everywhere that wasn’t him.“Please send them in,” he said as he entered his office. He knew exactly what Scott was doing, so his plan had been to ignore him, but he changed his mind and stuck his head out the door.Nathan shouted at them, “And you too, stop monitoring me!” before closing the door.When he heard a knock, he in
Scott’s POVScott was unable to sleep. He kept on rolling around in bed for some reason unknown to him. He had thought that it was work that had kept him up that night and then dropped work to finally sleep, yet here he was, rolling around in bed.He released a sigh as he opened his eyes to stare at the white ceiling. The chat he had with Nathan earlier, kept playing in his thoughts."Oh, I thought as much." Nathan had said.Nathan had not been surprised when Scott told him about what he had talked with Detective Hayden days earlier. He had mustered all the strength to finally talk about it after Nathan had bothered him several times about it.Could it be because of the list that even Nathan himself didn't know how he had acquired it? He thought. Had someone tried to hurt Nathan because of the list?. If it was because of the list, then whoever had tried to hurt Nathan before was going to continue trying because Nathan still had the list.He grumbled as he buried his head under his pil
Nathan’s POVFor some reason, Nathan couldn’t sleep. He had turned and turned on the bed and even had to turn off the lights in the room, including the one on his nightstand, but still, sleep had escaped him.He sighed, peering into the darkness. He almost chuckled at his situation, straining to see the figure that the drapes on his balcony door were forming.The wind blasted a cool breeze into the room, and he grimaced as he felt the cool air on his skin. His balcony door was open, he had to close it or he would be freezing by morning, he thought. Something hit him instantly, causing him to frown. He had closed it earlier, before going to bed that night, so why was it opened again? The thought ran through his head.Nathan was about to move his leg out of bed when he heard the slow and quiet footsteps in his room. Someone was in his room, he realized.He remained still and didn’t move, closing his eyes quickly.He utilized his sharp senses to pick out exactly the position where the p
Nathan's POV“You’re injured!” Scott gasped, grabbing his injured arm and pulling him inside the room immediately. He tried to pull his arm away from the tight grip that Scott had on him, but his brother was not having any of it.Nathan heard someone else inhale sharply but didn’t turn to find out who it was since his focus had shifted to his injured arm.“Get me a first aid kit!” Scott cried at someone in the room as he sought to stop the bleeding by placing the discarded sheet on the floor on the injured arm. “…and can someone fucking call 911 or the police? Just fucking call someone!.” His brother shouted. Scott was terrified, he could tell. He had felt that way after their recent crash.A certain wave of worry and protectiveness had overwhelmed his instincts and he had thought of nothing else other than Scott who had been besides him.He knew that he had felt that way because of Nathaniel Hayes’s relationship with Scott. The brothers were close and wouldn’t hesitate to put themse
Nathan's POVWaiting was one attribute that Nathaniel Hayes didn’t have, especially waiting patiently and for some reasons unknown to him; perhaps because he was now occupying Nathaniel's body, he had picked up that trait and was running fully well with it. He tried to listen as Dr. Maxwell listed off the things he should and shouldn’t do and how it was crucial that he rested well at home; an instruction he knew he wasn't going to follow." Make sure you keep the area dry even when you're having a bath. I can not over emphasize the importance of taking a rest Nathaniel. You must rest" Dr. Maxwell urged.He gazed at Amber, who was fighting really hard to restrain his chuckle. There was no rest in his dictionary and Amber knew that. He had a lot to do and had no time to loaf about at home over a simple intruder incident." Okay …" Nathan muttered.The doctor nodded, "I expect you back here to redress the wound every three days." Dr. Maxwell finished.Nathan was pleased that Scott had l
Nathan's POV Nathan scoffed. "The intruder was already in the room, and I believed taking him by surprise would throw him off balance. Apparently, he is fantastic in a tight hold", he whispered, recalling how the intruder had dismantled Nathan's headlock."That's still very risky. You could have been hurt." Hayden replied." Still better than giving up without a fight" he muttered." You still think this was a mere fight…" Hayden mumbled, rubbing his fingers through his hair.Nathan sighed. He knew that fighting the intruder was risky, but at that moment, he had fought back based on his instincts. The thought that it might actually be dangerous to fight back and call for help had not even occurred to him.He groaned, "I know. I’ve been scolded by Scott, Myla, my assistant, and even the guards on duty last night, so trust me, I know next time to ask for help,” he replied.It wasn’t like he could shout while the intruder was already standing above him. If he had not responded as swift
Nathan's POVDetective Hayden, leaning in with a sense of urgency, addressed the group in the room, "We're launching an investigation into Bethany to uncover her connection to almost all the crimes happening around you." He said, nodding at them before he continued."In the meantime, this information should stay within the confines of this room. I trust you all to keep it to yourselves," he said, making direct eye contact with each person present.Nathan acknowledged the instruction with a nod, fully aware of the importance of discretion. He was confident in his ability to keep things under wraps. However, he harbored concerns about his brother, Scott. Not because Scott had a tendency to share secrets, but because Bethany held a special place in Scott's heart and he doubt that his brother could keep a blind eyes to things about Bethany.Bethany, he knew, was closely woven into their lives. Having played a maternal role during their upbringing, she held a special position in the twins
Nathan's POVThe man turned back and grimaced, looking at Nathan and Amber from head to toe with a grunted face, before focusing on Nathan's face."Who are you?" He asked, "You shouldn't be here," the man said in a concerned tone.Nathan's gaze shifted to the man's identity card, which hung around his neck. A short review of the card revealed everything he wanted to know. Timothy Treadwell, procurement officer and from the man's tone, he held a little bit of authority in the warehouse.He smiled and said, "I'm here to see the Chief of Operations. I was told he was on the supply floor..." He lied, locking eyes with the man to see how he responded.Another habit he had somehow inherited from Nathaniel Hayes was his ability to read people and body movements like a book.The man scowled and looked around like he was looking for someone, before turning back to Nathan. "And you are?" he inquired.Nathan turned to Amber and extended his hand. He had just gotten out of the hospital and didn'
Lucas's POVLucas heard familiar voices all around him, but his brain couldn't figure out who was speaking. They had tried to be as quiet as they possibly could, but was failing miserably.He tried to open his eyes, but they seemed to have a mind of their own and were taking their sweet time to do so.His interest piqued as he overheard someone speak. "He's awake! His eyes are shaking. Shouldn't we call the doctor…"Who's awake? Lucas thought. It had to be him that they were referring to. He was lying down on a warm bed too.He attempted to move his body, and while it was impossible at first since his body felt heavy like a log of wood, he was able to finally shift his hand.The folks in the room were conversing quicker and moving around, judging by their heavy footfall. He was now curious about what was going on around him.Lucas tried again to open his eyes, and this time he was successful, but he had to close them again, almost immediately, when blinding light entered his eyes."C'
Nathan's POVNathan shifted his sitting position so that he was half lying down on the plush couch as he watched Elton Ross being carried out of the court and down the stairs.The reporters waiting for an interview outside the court rushed towards him and tried to get near the man despite the officers holding Elton on both sides attempting to stop them."What can you say about the final verdict?!" Someone shouted, prompting more questions from other reporters." Did you plead guilty or not guilty! Are you responsible for the death of your son in-law?!"" What do you have to say about your daughter's murder!"Nathan sighed. Shaking his head. Elton Ross had this coming for him for a very long time. He watched the man lower his head in shame. He rolled his eyes and switched to another channel, but they were still reporting the same story about billionaire CEO, Elton Ross ordering the murder of his son-in-law, Lucas, and how he had pleaded guilty to the other four counts laid against him
Elton's POVTo others, Piper was just another person who succumbed to the cruel grasp of death. The notion of being responsible for his daughter's death occurred to Elton, but he took a deep breath and buried it.'Now was not the time to deal with trivial matters, Elton'. He reminded himself mentally."Thank you, doctor. How is she?" He asked, alluding to Margaret.The doctor exhaled and shook his head. "She's not well. Her body is frail, and she is deficient in some nutrients, which we are currently injecting into her. I assume she took your daughter's death the hard way," he stated.Elton sighed. "You might say that." He mumbled. He admitted that he should have taken her to the hospital sooner, but assumed she could handle the loss and grief on her own.Margaret has experienced loss before. She lost her parents at a young age. So this shouldn't have taken a toll on her especially when she wasn't close to Piper, but perhaps, the bond between mother and daughter was too hard to ignore
Elton's POVElton Ross stood still, staring at the lifeless body in the ironically beautiful casket. He couldn't believe it had been almost two weeks since he received the news that shocked him to his core. His only daughter had been shot dead by none other than a henchman he had hired.The plan had been simple: shoot once to scare Nathaniel Hayes. But the plan, which had been simple, had grown so complex the moment the henchman had decided that killing Nathaniel Hayes instead would scare the man, and that had brought Elton the most regret.He could still see Piper's smile in his sleep, her smirk, and deep calculative frown, when things didn't go her way, which she had inherited from him. Her seductive stare as she was about to ensnare a man in her fingers.He always woke up dreaming about her and the dreams always ended with that disappointing stare from his daughter. He had killed her.How could he forget her nagging? She had gone to him a few days before her death to protest abou
Nathan's POVHayden laughed and said, "It's funny how you guys could do things that even the police force wouldn't think of." He said, nodding to August.August rolled his eyes but stayed silent. He had the sensation that the man moved mostly in the dark and kept hidden unless it was essential to reveal himself, which explained his location behind the door.Leslie scoffed. "If you want to survive in a large family like ours, you have to learn to do things on your own. After nearly three hours, they left in different directions. I have a feeling they might not even know the members," he remarked."They fucking wore masks inside the house and blindfolds inside the car while leaving. I was only able to catch a glimpse because the compound was surrounded by a huge wall…" August revealed from where he was half hidden."Give me a coordinate, and I'll get satellite footage of the building and its surroundings. Except, they are hidden underground." Chris murmured.While Chris was talking, Myl
Nathan's POVEveryone huddled together in the living room. Nathan was sitting on the couch, while Scott sat on the armrest, half leaning against him."How are you?" Hayden questioned him.Nathan frowned. He last saw the man months ago. If Hayden needed to notify them of something, he would always call, or Scott would go down to the station. This was the first time he had seen the detective in a long time, and the way that Hayden was acting gave him the impression that he had conclusive evidence and was only waiting for their agreement to proceed with his plans."I'm fine." He responded. "You were shot at, and Scott said you've been asleep for two days; don't you think it's best you get checked out at the hospital to be sure you're in great shape?" the police officer inquired.Nathan arched his brow; he hadn't considered it before, and now that detective Hayden had mentioned it, he wondered why he hadn't woke up in the hospital instead, especially given Scott's overprotective and cau
Nathan's POV“So, is this a visit or what?” he inquired, smiling. He didn’t want them to notice how tense he was. Too many Hayes in one house was enough for one person to notice something unusual about him and begin connecting the dots.It wouldn’t be long before they discovered that he wasn’t the real Nathaniel Hayes.Noah narrowed his eyes at him, then shifted his focus to his brother, Nolan. Nolan was the one who spoke first.“You were shot, Nathaniel. I didn’t expect you to forget that.” Nathan blinked. He remembered the experience vividly. He remembered nearly avoiding the gunshot because he had shifted slightly, but he didn’t see how this solved the question of why they were all there.August sighed and approached him, laying an arm over his shoulders. “Someone made the mistake of attempting to kill you, Nathaniel. You didn’t expect us to fold our hands and keep them out of it, right? And no,” he replied, shaking his head. “It became our business the moment someone pointed a
Nathan's POV“So what do we do if they are everywhere, dad?” the child said. The man stated, “We fight for what we have.”If the child was Nathaniel, and he had called the man dad, then it was clear that the man had to be Oleander Hayes, Nathaniel’s father. This was his first time hearing the man’s voice. Why did it have to be now? He wondered. Now that he felt Nathaniel’s consciousness gradually leaving him. He wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up as Nathaniel Hayes again or if he was going to return back to his body as Lucas.Nathan stepped up to the lamp, hoping it would give him an indication as to what was going on in the room. But when he looked closer, it had no switch. The lamp was turned on without a switch.Weird, he thought. How could a lamp be on without a control switch.“ Fight?” the child; Nathaniel asked. “ can’t we do something else, like run?” The question attracted Nathan’s attention. His first instinct when there was trouble had been to run, but Oleander had
Nathan’s POV The drive home was calm in the car, but the country was not silent that night. He was calm but his mind was running in circles, wondering what had just happened.One minute, he had been talking to Piper, the next, the gunshots went off and he was collapsing on the floor with Piper’s blood around him.He gazed down at his now blood stained sleeves and gasped in shock. He quickly pulled off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt when a hand stopped him.He tried to bat the had off, but the person held on strong. “ Let me help you Nathaniel!” Amber muttered.He sighed, calming down when he recognized Amber’s voice and allowed Amber to help him. Amber unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it out of his body, dropping it together with the jacket on the front seat. They remained quiet after that.Nathan with his eyes closed, leaning on the seat and Amber making and answering calls. He didn’t feel his phone vibrate, so he assumed that Amber was the one with his phone and wa