Elton Ross’ POVElton Ross wasn’t having a good day, that much was obvious with the number of times he had grumbled in the office since that morning. He had woken up to his wife’s nagging about not being able to purchase a newly produced bag collection. She blamed him for not giving her enough money to order the bag on time. How the fuck was that supposed to be his fault.His wife had more resources than he could count and she could comfortably get something as simple as a designer’s bag, so he didn’t get how the blame was now his to carry.When he arrived at the company, he had asked for an update from his secretary and then found out that Rivers Estates and Hayes Holdings had yet to sign the contract, since they had sent no mail.He slammed his office door shut as he headed over to pour himself a drink. It was too early to start drinking, but at the moment, he needed something to calm in nerves. Ever since Nathaniel Hayes himself had showed up at Ross construction, he had not hear
Elton's POVElton snorted angrily, “You’re telling me that all I’ve done is going down the drain? Do you know how much effort I put into this deal?” He barked, gazing at Nicholas, who had decided to move away from him.It was a wise decision, given that he might punch a hole in the wall right now or even someone close to him.Adam groaned. “I understand, Elton. Calm down. But at the time, my hands were tied. Samuel cannot even communicate with Nathaniel. His decision is final, and we must move on,” he whispered.Elton didn’t wait to respond to the man, he ended the call with a loud shout.He looked at Nicholas with fire in his eyes. “This is fucking happening! After everything, I gave those old fools!” He spat and shook his head.He had personally made their lives easier over the last few months, and given them more money than he had given his wife in a month, and now they were telling him that they couldn’t handle a simple boy who had recently gained power.Nicholas took a long breat
Scott’s POV Scott pulled up his pants and checked himself in the mirror before jogging out of his room. He was dressed in joggers and a simple tee shirt since it wasn’t workday and he was heading to the gym down town and meeting up with Myla to check out the local small-chain businesses. It was a means for Hayes Holdings to conduct research on the project and prepare for its presentation at the next board meeting, where they would determine whether or not to travel to Asia. He had long wanted to do something unique for the company, and he saw this initiative as an opportunity to do so. He had discussed this with his father when the man was still alive and even though they had not gotten around to beginning something or finalizing any plans, he knew his father would still want him to continue with the project. For dad, he thought. He climbed down the stairs two at a time, and when he reached the bottom, Jane met him there as if she had been waiting for him to come down. “Good mor
Scott's POVNow that Scott thought about Nicholas, he wondered how the man was doing, especially after the deal fell through.Scott made a mental note to find out how Nicholas was doing. Nathan has yet to hear from Nicholas after sending the email that terminated the Project 100 agreement.For some reason, he was waiting to see what Rivers Estates would do and how they would react to Hayes Holdings’ breach of contract, since they were yet to receive any legal letter.They didn’t sign a contract with Rivers Estates in the first place, but had given their verbal agreement, so it was as good as signing a deal.Nathan felt certain that he could manage any legal complications that arose, but thinking about Rivers Estates’ lack of action made him feel uneasy like it was the storm before the calm.Perhaps they had decided to accept their fate and abandon the idea, or they were too astonished to respond. Whichever one, he’d approach Nicholas as an acquaintance later on to find out what was on
Scott’s POV“On average, how many people come in here every day?” He asked the other man, who was undoubtedly in command of the gym..The man offered his hand. “I’m Noah Martinez,” he said, shaking Scott’s hand briefly.“To answer your question, an average of eighty-five people visit our gym every day, and they stay for at least three hours in the gym, which would amount to more than five hundred dollars per individual.” Noah answered.Scott raised an eyebrow at the amount. He had never been a lover of going outside to work out or even working out at all and the only reason they had a gym at home was because Nathan wanted it.Scott was not as obsessed with his body and keeping shape as Nathan was before his accident.But hearing that at least 85 individuals; Male and female included, walked into this downtown gym every day was perplexing. Looking at Noah, he had a feeling that the man was not even exaggerating the figures, because they obviously kept a record.He looked around. “What
Scott's POV“How was it?” Myla asked him.He shook his head and said, “I’m not certain.” He murmured, “I’m not as sure as I was when I first started the project. With what I’m seeing, it looks like a sinking ground for our finances…”Myla made no comment and even brought him to other stores down the street. They were basically the same, with little to distinguish them from one another. It seems like they were all doing the same thing with no competition at all, that was why goods were getting bad in the shelves.Scott was exhausted by the time they left the last convenience store. Even when Myla suggested visiting another store, he had bluntly refused. He could not wait to go back home and take a refreshing bath.He checked his smart watch, and it was nearly afternoon. Perhaps he might have lunch with Myla before returning home.“Lunch?” he inquired.Myla shook his head. “Sadly no. I promised Amber that I’d try his new recipe. I hope this isn’t as bad as the last one.” He replied with
Nathan's POVFrying eggs should not be as mentally draining and time-consuming, Nathan thought as he discarded the burnt eggs and emptied the pan into the sink."What the hell is wrong with me?" He murmured with frustration. Since becoming Nathaniel Hayes, he has gradually lost all of his cooking abilities and could not even prepare the most mundane dish.For gods sake, he had been cooking in the Ross family house for years and could easily compete with any upper-class chef, but that was no longer the case.He heard a snicker and turned to see Jane hanging at the door. " I saw the whole house clouded in smoke and decided to come make sure the kitchen was intact" Jane mocked.He rolled his eyes at her. Looking back at the stove. Was the fire too much? He thought. It wasn't, because the gas cooker was the same one that they used at the Ross mansion.He just could help but feel frustrated at his present state. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out another crate if eggs. " I think y
Nathan's POVNathan's legs led him to the back of the house, and he was happy to find that he wasn't the only one who was having a bad day.Scott was sitting outside on the patio, staring at his laptop that was open in front of him with a frown etched on his face. Nathan sighed and slumped into the seat opposite Scott."How bad is your day going for you to frown at your laptop like that?" he blurted out. " What's your story…"Scott sighed and pushed the laptop toward him. "Worse than yours, especially considering the fact that your cooking adventure almost burned the entire house," he snickered.Nathan growled, "Geez!" Will you all stop? I can cook. I'm just not sure what's wrong with me!" He murmured.Scott shook his head, " that's your story? Because that is a lame excuse even for you Nathan." He chipped." For the umpteenth time, I. CAN. COOK" Nathan said, putting much emphasis on the last part of his statement.Scott snorted. "Yeah, I'm black," he said."You're not black, Scott."
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