Grace stayed on her knees, her body trembling as tears flowed freely from her eyes. The dollar bill lay crumpled by her side, reminding her of how she was brutally humiliated. The crowd had begun to disperse, some glancing back with pity, others shaking their heads. Grace clutched her chest, feeling hopeless. All she had fought for, all she had risked—it had come to nothing. Darius’s car had already started to move. As she wept, wondering what she would tell her son, a faint sound in the distance caught her attention. The echo of screeching tires, a crash, and then… silence. For a moment, Grace thought it was only her imagination, a manifestation of the despair inside her. But soon, she saw smoke rising from the intersection ahead, where Darius’s car had been heading. Meanwhile, Darius had been leaning back in his seat, a twisted smile lingering on his face as he left Grace and the crowd behind. In his mind, he was already planning his next steps. But his thoughts w
Without a word, Lord Cloud raised a hand and gave him a powerful blow to the stomach. Darius doubled over, gasping for breath, his face contorted in pain as he struggled against the grip of Nathan's men. The crowd watched in stunned silence, unable to look away from the brutal display of power. Lord Cloud leaned in, his voice a low, menacing growl. “You thought you could steal from me? From them?” He gestured to the crowd, his voice dripping with disdain. “You thought you could play god with people’s lives and walk away freely?” Darius coughed, blood trickling from his mouth as he looked up with a mixture of defiance and fear. His lip curled into a sneer, and he forced a weak laugh. The crowd gasped at his audacity, and they murmured among themselves. How could someone laugh in this situation? Darius must be a madman. “Return everything you’ve taken, Darius,” Lord Cloud demanded, his voice like ice. But to everyone’s shock, Darius began to laugh harder, a twisted, mocki
As Darius lay crumpled on the ground, barely able to lift his head, he could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance. The crowd turned as flashing red and blue lights brightened the streets. Within moments, a convoy of police cars arrived, and the commissioner of police, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a stern face, stepped out of his vehicle, flanked by several officers. The commissioner’s eyes locked onto Nathan—Lord Cloud—and the bloody, beaten figure of Darius at his feet. His face twisted with concern. “Lord Cloud,” the commissioner called out, his voice firm but wary. “This has gone far enough. Release him.” They had been watching the whole ordeal on social media; in fact, the whole world was watching. Nathan didn’t move. He stood tall, unmoved by the commissioner’s arrival. His cold gaze remained fixed on Darius before he finally turned to face the commissioner. “You want me to hand him over?” Nathan’s voice was calm, but the underlying threat was unmistakable.
Darius turned to grin at the commissioner.The commissioner was a lot of help to him, even though he did not want to accept it.Without him, they would be on their way to the station for several rounds of questioning.The commissioner didn’t respond to his annoying smile.He did not like Darius for his arrogance, and the way he smiled even in the worst situations pissed him off.But he was a very useful tool for doing his dirty work; Darius was sneaky and almost impossible to catch.Still, he hated that he had to save him every now and then.The car eventually pulled up in front of the commissioner’s large, secluded house on the outskirts of the city. The officers exited first, dragging Darius out with them. He stumbled, barely able to stay on his feet, but, as expected, he was still holding on to his arrogance.Inside the house, the commissioner led him into his study and shut the door.He turned to Darius, “Sit,” he ordered, nodding to a nearby chair.Darius eased himself down, win
She blinked, utterly stunned, her mouth opening slightly in shock. She had never expected him to offer such a gesture, let alone command it. “Nathan…I…I don’t know what to say. That’s…that’s too much. We can’t just…move in…”Nathan’s gaze hardened, his tone brooking no argument. “Grace, look at the way Darius treated you in front of everyone. Nobody would dare lay a hand on you or Brian if you’re under my roof.”Grace was filled with so much gratitude. She nodded slowly, her voice shaky. “Thank you…Nathan. I can’t tell you what this means to me.”Nathan’s gaze softened again, and he reached out, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. Grace’s face brightened, and she wiped away her tears. “My baby is going to be so happy when he wakes up.”Nathan’s jaw tightened as he recalled everything that had led them here—the money Grace had lost to Darius, who preyed on the innocent. Darius may think he has won, but this was far from over. He was going to make Darius kneel and beg for mercy very
Nathan chuckled, bending down to lift Brian into his arms. “No, Brian,” he said gently. “You’re the real hero here, staying strong for your mom.""You'll grow up to be a very strong man, Brian."Brian’s eyes were filled with admiration. “Just like you!”Nathan chuckled, his expression softening, moved by the boy’s gratitude. He set Brian down, ruffling his hair. “Well, we’re family now. And family always looks out for each other, right?”Grace approached, a small, grateful smile on her lips. “Nathan…thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”Nathan met her gaze, nodding in understanding. “You don’t have to thank me, Grace. This is your home now, for as long as you want it to be.” He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "No one will ever threaten you or Brian again."Grace blinked back tears. She had cried a lot over the past few days, yet somehow, she still had more tears in her eyes. But she held them back, knowing her struggles were over.Brian tugged at Nathan’s sleeve, look
After dinner, there was still laughter in the air as Vanessa enjoyed playing with Brian so much; they got along easily, and Brian liked her from the moment he saw her.Vanessa even prepared his favorite dish, which made him love her even more.Nathan made his way down to his private study. He settled into his leather armchair, thinking of a plan to deal with Darius.Not long after, the door opened, and James stepped inside, his eyes sharp and focused.Nathan nodded, gesturing for him to sit.“Darius has played with fire," Nathan began in a cold tone."...scamming people like Grace, stealing everything from families who had nothing... It’s time he felt the consequences of his greed.”James leaned forward as he noticed a smile creeping onto Nathan's lips. “I’m assuming you have a plan?”Nathan nodded, his gaze steely. “Darius thinks he’s untouchable because of his connections, but I’ll show him why I am the most feared man in all of Prescott.""We’re going to hit him where it hurts most
Nathan watched closely as James skillfully planted the seeds of greed.The calculated charm, the flattery—it was working.A silence stretched on the line, and Nathan could imagine Darius weighing his options.Finally, Darius spoke up, his voice filled with skepticism, but he could not deny he was very tempted.“If this is some kind of trick, Carter, you’ll regret it. I don’t take kindly to people wasting my time, and you’ll pay with your life if you think you can toy with me.”James didn’t flinch and spoke even more confidently. “I understand, Mr. Darius. I’m also putting my own money on the line here.""Let’s meet in person, at a place of your choosing, so I can prove to you that I’m genuine.""I know a man of your caliber doesn’t make deals lightly. I'm prepared to show you how serious I am.”Darius considered this, then spoke slowly. “Fine. Tomorrow. The Black Orchid, 3 p.m. Come alone. And you’d better bring the money.”“Of course,” James replied smoothly. “I wouldn’t dream of was