Fully aware that Louisa wouldn't share anything about the problems plaguing her, Ethan decided to focus on his tasks and so made his way to House No. 19 entrance before pressing the doorbell.He pushed it two more times before a woman opened the door and on scrutiny, the woman looked completely unfamiliar.Ethan furrowed his brows as the woman approached.“Who are you?” She inquired with a wary look as she glanced at Ethan and then at Louisa.Ethan replied. “You can call me Ethan, sorry, but is Jacob around?”“Jacob?” The woman furrowed her brows for a moment as she seemed to be thinking about something before inquiring. “Jacob Turner?”“Yeah.” Ethan immediately nodded, grateful that the woman knew who he was talking about.But then she spoke again and his expression fell.“He moved, a year ago with his pregnant wife.”Ethan pursed his lips. “Any idea why?”“Something about being in a boatload of debt after losing his job.”“He lost his job?” Ethan could hardly believe his ears.One h
Jacob sat at the gambling table where crime heads sat, each one powerful enough to remove him from existence should he overstep his boundaries.Their men stood behind with guns, prepared to shoot him should he do what he wasn't supposed to.In such a situation, he could only pray that he would be able to walk out alive.“Do you know why you are here, Jacob?” The first of the three crime heads, Pablo, inquired.Jacob gulped nervously. “I don't know.”“Is that so?... Well, let me enlighten you.” Pablo remarked. “You are here because you managed to win 3 million dollars in our casino. That had never happened before and we want to know how you did it.”“I just did it,” Jacob replied, unsure of how he was to explain to these thugs that he had used his understanding of mathematics and code to win.“Nah, I don't think so.” Pablo intoned while shaking his head. “I think you cheated.”“I didn't cheat, I promise, there's no way I could have cheated.” Jacob quickly remarked only for one of the g
Ethan snorted. “Wise choice.” Pablo nearly lost it but managed to remain calm though he stared daggers at Ethan.Ignoring the killer glare, Ethan turned to Jacob. “Let's go.”“But…”“Would you like to sleep here?... I said, let's go.” Ethan said.Unsure of what to make of the current situation, Jacob sent a glance at Pablo to be sure he wouldn't do anything before slowly rising to his feet.Just then, Pablo intoned. “Watch your back.” Ethan looked back and repeated the same words with a touch of flair. “Watch your back as well.”A cold draft blew in from somewhere at that moment, causing Jacob to gulp hard as he instinctively took hold of Ethan's wrist.Together, he and Ethan left Pablo's den untouched.Once they were gone, one of the two seated with Pablo inquired. “Why did you let him go, boss?... That bastard not only insulted you, he didn't even put us in his eyes at all.”“Shut up before I rip your tongue out,” Pablo remarked before adding. “Gather the men. Go after that bastar
“Ethan, what's going on?” Louisa couldn't hold herself back any longer as she inquired, her chest heaving as she struggled to hold back the terror within.“I'll explain everything later but for now I need you to leave with Jacob,” Ethan remarked before glancing at Jacob who immediately understood what he was trying to do.“You can't do that. Those guys are going to kill you.”Ethan shook his head. “They won't.”“They will, Ethan!” Jacob exclaimed. “You aren't super man that can shrug off bullets.”“You'd be surprised.” Ethan intoned in a jocular tone earning a frown from Jacob.“Take this seriously!” “I am taking this seriously, Jacob. That's why I'm telling you to leave, now.” Ethan remarked.Jacob gritted his teeth. “No, I'm the one that caused this. I deserve to stay behind.”He tried to get out of the car but Ethan proved a bit too strong for him to move out of the way.“Lisa is waiting,” Ethan remarked. “She and your daughter. So go.”“Do you expect me to just leave you here?”“
The Jeep came to a stop a few meters away from the Porsche and since Jacob was familiar with the makeup, he immediately grew tense.He thought it was Pablo and his goons, who came to make him pay for running away.He wondered how he was going to protect Lisa by himself though he knew he had to do so.But then the car opened and Ethan stepped down, his entire appearance something that could be said to be straight out of a horror movie as he was covered in dried blood and seemed exhausted.“Ghost!” Louisa instinctively exclaimed as she rushed to him.Jacob seemed shocked as well as he rushed over to support him.“What happened?... How are you here?... How did you get away?” Jacob asked rapid-fire questions with Ethan replying with a simple.“At least get a man some water first before bombarding him with questions.” “Ah, sorry. Come.”Once inside, Ethan explained what happened, heavily embellishing the story to avoid letting them know that he was a real-life superhuman.Still, his feat
It took roughly an hour and thirty minutes before they arrived at the gates, only to be ushered in with respect by the guards.“Would you like me to come in?” Louisa inquired with Ethan nodding.“Alright.”Together, they got down with Jacob stepping out as well only to be hit with a wave of nostalgia.This has been his life once upon a time.It felt weird to be back in a place that had humiliated him thoroughly. Ethan walked alongside Louisa until they reached the reception.“Hello, sir, how may I help you?”“I would like to speak with Lucas Graham.” Ethan calmly remarked.The receptionist replied. “Sorry sir but do you have an appointment?”“Tell Lucas that Miss Goldberg is here to see him.” Louisa quickly said, saving Ethan the stress of explaining.The receptionist immediately grew tense as she heard the name Goldberg.“Alright, please give me a moment.”Immediately, she put a call across to relevant parties before finally dropping the telephone.“Please wait a minute, a staff memb
Taking a deep breath, Jacob replied. “I'm here to carry out a business deal.”“Huh?” Sandy raised a brow in disbelief. “With what money exactly?... A pauper like you wouldn't even be able to afford meals if the State didn't have rules tending to people like you.”“You don't know anything about me, Sandy.” Sandy snorted. “Of course, I know. At least, I know your bank accounts are still frozen and your assets are still impounded. One of the perks of being part of management.”She wasn't hesitating to rub her good fortune in his face but Jacob managed to remain calm, his gaze impassive as he stared at her. “What?... Shocked to hear that I'm part of management?... Oh yeah, that should have been you, right?... Unfortunately, you couldn't keep your hands to yourself.”Jacob trembled but still managed to keep his cool as he intoned. “You and I both know the truth about what happened that night.”“The night you attacked and molested me?... Oh, yes, I am well aware.” Jacob gritted his teeth
Jacob was so excited about the unexpected turn of events that he didn't even wait for Ethan to park the car properly before stepping out of the car and rushing into his house to share the good news with Lisa.It had been several months of shame and disgrace for no reason.Now that he had been vindicated, why wouldn't he be happy?Ethan chuckled as he watched the family man behave like a child who had just been given a pack of candy.He got down from the car with Louisa following close behind though he did not attempt to head inside.With a knowing smile, he waited for Jacob to come back outside.Meanwhile, Louisa grappled with questions and soon enough, found herself asking one. “Why did you do that?”“Do what?”“Help Jacob.” “Shouldn't I have done so?” Ethan inquired as he turned to face her, unsure of what to make of her strange question.Louisa hesitated but then she explained. “It's not like that. It's just, you could have done nothing and no one would judge you. So why would you