Andrew sat on the edge of Dora's bed, watching her tie her shoelaces with a determined look on her face. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, and for a moment, the house felt like it was back to normal, as if nothing unusual had happened last night. But the tension between them remained. Dora had been quiet all morning, her eyes occasionally flickering toward him with a hint of suspicion."Why did you sleep in my room last night, Daddy?" Dora asked, her voice laced with annoyance as she focused on her laces.Andrew cleared his throat, trying to find the right words. He knew that she was still upset about his broken promise the previous day, and he didn’t want to give her another reason to be disappointed in him. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees."Well," he began, "I came in to apologize to you, but when I got here, you were already asleep." He watched her expression carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. "I was so tired... I guess I just dozed off in y
Andrew glanced at his watch as he finished the last of his coffee. He had been at the diner longer than planned, and there was still so much to do. The unsettling news he shared with Patrick had only made everything feel more urgent. He looked at Patrick, who was staring into his empty cup, lost in thought."Patrick, I have to go," Andrew said, breaking the silence. "We’ll regroup later and come up with a plan."Patrick looked up at him, nodding. "Understood, boss. You just be careful, alright? Alec is dangerous, and we can’t underestimate what he might be capable of now."Andrew smiled faintly, appreciating the concern in Patrick’s voice. “I will, Patrick. Thanks. And keep an eye out for anything suspicious—anything at all.”“Got it. I’ll stay in touch,” Patrick said, his expression sincere.Andrew stood, putting a hand on Patrick’s shoulder for a brief moment before making his way toward the diner’s exit. He could feel Patrick’s eyes on him as he walked away, and he knew that his fr
Chapter 97Andrew pulled the car to a stop in front of the ice cream shop, the neon lights of the storefront glowing warmly in the early evening. He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering unease that had followed him all day. His hands gripped the steering wheel for a moment longer, his knuckles white with tension.He climbed out of the car, glancing around the street. There were people everywhere—families, teenagers, couples—but something still felt off. He tried to ignore the sensation, hoping it was just his overworked imagination playing tricks on him. The paranoid feeling of being followed hadn’t left him since the voicemail, but he hadn’t seen anything to back up that fear.As he walked toward the shop, Andrew made sure to turn discreetly, scanning the crowd. He couldn’t pinpoint why he felt that way, but it was as though a heavy presence lurked behind him. He walked past a group of teenagers, pretending to browse the displays of an adjacent store while he looked
The feeling was unmistakable, and his heart sank as he let out a sigh. Valkyron was here. But surprisingly, he couldn't see the screen that Valkyron regularly came with. —Master, you made a terrible mistake.— Valkyron's voice echoed around him. Andrew froze, his heart sinking further as he closed his eyes, gripping the steering wheel even tighter. His breath came in slow, ragged bursts as he tried to calm the storm of emotions raging within him.“A mistake?” he whispered, his voice trembling with both anger and fear. “Did I hit the wrong person? Was he innocent?” He opened his eyes, turning his head slightly, as if searching for Valkyron even though he knew he wouldn’t see the system guide.Valkyron’s response came without hesitation, almost as though it was expecting Andrew’s reaction. “—No, master, the man you hit was indeed the one who broke into your house.—”Andrew’s chest tightened at the revelation, his emotions spinning from confusion to fury in a heartbeat. He felt his ange
Chapter 99"Daddy is back!!" Andrew heard Dora scream when he was getting down from the car. As he parked and turned off the engine, Andrew glanced over at the passenger seat. The tub of strawberry ice cream sat there, completely out of place in the middle of the chaos his day had been. He had promised Dora, and despite everything, he had made sure to keep that promise. He grabbed the ice cream and stepped out of the car, but the moment his feet hit the pavement, his exhaustion became evident. His clothes were in tatters—ripped at the sleeves and smeared with dirt, one of his shoes was missing a lace, and he was nursing a fresh cut above his right eyebrow.There was a maid tending to the garden. The moment she saw Andrew alight from the car, she immediately stopped what she was doing and focused her attention on him. Rosa looked up from the garden and gasped, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Andrew's disheveled appearance. For a moment, she hesitated, stepping toward hi
Andrew tossed and turned in his bed, his mind heavy with the events of the day. His head felt clouded, as if something was tugging at the edge of his consciousness, pulling him deeper into his dream. He found himself standing in an all-too-familiar hospital room. The dim, sterile lights overhead flickered, casting eerie shadows on the pale walls. The faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, mingled with the sterile, cold scent of metal and medicine.In the bed before him lay his parents—pale, frail, and tethered to machines. His mother, her once lively eyes dim, turned to him slowly. His father, ever the stoic, looked at Andrew with an expression Andrew couldn’t quite place—a mix of disappointment and pleading. "Andrew, why haven’t you come for us?" his mother’s voice echoed through the quiet room, though her lips barely moved. It was haunting, like a sound carried on the wind.Andrew’s heart seized. "I—I didn’t know…" he stammered, taking a hesitant step toward them, his thr
Andrew could barely feel his limbs. His wrists were tightly bound behind him, and the coarse rope dug into his skin, leaving angry red welts. He could hear the sound of dripping water echoing throughout the cold, damp dungeon. He didn't know how long he'd been there—minutes, hours, days. His mind felt foggy, and his body ached from the struggle he'd put up against his captors. His face was bruised, and his muscles were stiff from being forced into the same uncomfortable position. The darkness was oppressive, wrapping around him like a thick, smothering blanket. He tugged at the ropes again, his arms straining as he tried to break free. The rough surface of the rope only seemed to tighten around his wrists, the pain intensifying with every futile attempt. His breath came out in ragged gasps as his frustration grew. "No, no, no," he whispered, shaking his head, his voice hoarse and barely audible. "I have to get out of here."He could feel his eyes welling up, his vision blurring as t
The young woman crept closer, her eyes darting nervously around the dark, damp dungeon. As she reached Andrew, she crouched down, quickly pulling a knife from her pocket. She began cutting the ropes that bound his wrists, her hands trembling as she worked. "My name is Emilia," she whispered, her voice just above a breath. "I'm here to help you." Andrew blinked, his eyes focusing on her face as she worked. "Why?" he croaked, his voice raw from the pain and the bruises. "Who are you?" Emilia paused, her eyes meeting his. "I'm... Diego's girlfriend," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. "But I can't watch him do this anymore. I'm tired of it—tired of seeing him bring people here just to torture and kill them." The words sent a shiver down Andrew's spine, a cold dread washing over him. Torture and kill? The reality of his situation struck him like a blow to the chest. He had known that Diego was dangerous, but this... this was worse than anything he had imagined. Emilia finis
The gates to the dungeon were opened up immediately, and Diego made his way into the dungeon, the man trailing behind him. "I have no idea how you got out of the dungeon, but get prepared to meet your end!" Diego said as a smile played across his face. Andrew struggled to get up from the floor but fell back onto the floor, his knees giving up under him. Blood was sprawling from every part of his face; some got into his eyes, blinding him from seeing who was in front of him. "You!" Andrew pointed wearily at Diego, "I'm so.... going to...kill you!" Diego let out a dangerous laugh that only lasted for a brief moment. "I'd like to see you try!" Diego let out in mockery and stretched forth his hand at Andrew. All of a sudden, Andrew felt himself being lifted off the floor by a strange force. "Now I'm going to show you the true taste of power!" Diego said with a smirk on his face. Andrew was already feet above the floor. He was flaring his arms and legs in the air, shouting at the t
—Get ready for your ultimate task, master— Valkyron's electronic voice boomed; this time, itsscreen was not hovering in front of Andrew and emanating a blue light as usual.. Instead it was iitsovoicethat was resounding from every angle. "What do you mean, Valkyron ,and how....how did i get here?"Andrew asked as he turned around, trying to make out where he was. This did not look like any of the rooms in Andrew's mansion; it looked more like he was in a desert, and he wondered how he had gotten there. He could hear multiple voices around him as if he was standing in front of a crowd that was waiting for him to perform, but he couldn't see anyone around him even when he looked into the distance. He tried to pinch himself to be sure that this was not a dream—it wasn't. —Focus, master. Now that your parents are awake, you have unlocked the second phase of your mission, which begins now, the ultimate test that you're about to face will determine if you're worthy of your powers and all
A few weeks later, Andrew's parents were well enough to be discharged from the hospital, and Andrew could not have been more glad. He threw a party on their return—the party only included himself, his parents, his immediate family, the house workers, and Pa Jones. Since he had not yet revealed himself to the others; his friends, and office workers about his return, no one esle had been invited to the party. Andrew felt his life was complete again; he was almost the richest man in the country, and his parents, who he thought had died, were alive and well. It was a swell moment for him. Lisa was the one who was growing increasingly worried that Andrew was now staying back from the office and avoiding contact with everyone else. Poor Patrick had been to the house several times to check up on her. Lisa couldn't tell why, but Andrew had instructed that she should not let him know that Andrew had returned, and each time Patrick left the house with a sad look on his face, she would ask A
Andrew had failed to recover his car from the ice cream shop. He Would have taken up the issue concerning his stolen car, but the car was the least of his problems now, and he had all the money to replace the car he needed. He was more concerned for his parents' health than anything else. He was glad that Lisa had patiently listened to him when he took his time to explain That people were onto him, And they would stop at nothing to make sure that, they saw Andrew suffer, and she had to be grateful that he had found their daughter and rescued her just in time before those men got away. He hadn't given her the full details of the story, just the necessary parts, and debunked every other thing that Dora had said. When Lisa confronted him about what Dora had said about him having superpowers, he laughed about it, making the laugh so real, and deep down, he was only passing time and thinking of what to say that would sound convincing enough. "Would you believe that?!" Andrew said after
Emilia ran her eyes over both men before she responded. "Yes, Diego is in, and do you wish to see him?!" Emilia asked back. "No, no, I do not want to see Diego; I was just making sure.""Okay but who are you two?!" Emilia asked them with question gazes. "Um, my name is Reginald, and I know that I can confide in you, Emilia. So please tell me, Is Mr Genius here?!"Emilia continued to stare at both of them for a while before she responded. "I don't think there's anyone that bears that name in this place. " She said plainly. "Is there anyone who bears Mr Andrew here?!" Reginald asked, rephrasing his sentence. Emilia tried to hide the look that she had made when Reginald mentioned Andrew's name. "No, there's no one that bears that name here either!" She said promptly and tried to dismiss both of them. "I think you too should leave now or haven't I answered all your questions?!""Please do not raise your voice, Emelia!" Reginald pleaded as he looked around, hoping that they would no
Andrew was already making arrangements to get his parents moved to a better hospital that was just a minute's drive away from his house, and in no time, parents had been transferred, all thanks to Pa Jones help, who had assisted in filling out all the paperwork that was necessary for making the transfer. Andrew had made sure that he had sorted out all the hospital bills where his parents had been and thanked them heartily before leaving. It was not until dusk when his parents had been settled into the new hospital before Andrew remembered that he had not yet retrieved his car from the ice cream shop. "Darn it! How can I be this forgetful these days?" Andrew lamented to himself. He knew going back to get the car would be a lost cause because already the car would have been stolen because he had kept the key to the car carelessly for any lucky thief to find. "What's the matter young chap?" Pa Jones, who had noticed the change in Andrew, could not help himself but ask. "My car. I w
"This way, we have to hide before anyone sees us!" Reginald said, searching for a Place that they could both hide. Rolling out of the building was not an option now As they were a long distance away from the door. "I thought you said that only the front passage is used for entry and exit, so why is it that someone is coming now that we are making our way in?" Patrick asked angrily. "There's no time to ask silly questions but just follow me so that we can hide from whoever is coming!" Reginald held back from yelling at Patrick. Patrick gritted his teeth in anger but had no other choice than to follow Reginald into hiding. They found the perfect spot behind one of the doors that they could hide from whoever was approaching. Reginald crossed his fingers and shot his eyes tightly as he prayed that Diego was not the one approaching the passageway Because if it was, it would not take a minute or two for Diego to sniff out strangers in his building. Patrick was about to say something w
"Look, the reason why I do not want to go in there is because I'm not on good terms with Diego." Reginald tried to explain to Patrick that every other thing that he had said to make Patrick give the document back to him had fallen by the side of Patrick's ears. "That's a lie, Reginald, and I am not going to fall for your lies anymore.""Believe me, and it would not even make sense if I should just go to the door, knock on me,t, and ask Diego to release Mr genius; it doesn't work that way,,y does it?!" Reginald asked Rhetorically. "That is why we are going to break him out, and I am not giving these documents back to you unless you help me!" Patrick affirmed. "Shit!" Reginald cursed under his breath. "This was not part of the agreement, boss.""Well, it is now!" Patrick stated. "Now come on let's go. How do we get in without being spotted by anyone especially not by Diego?""That's not any of my business, bosses. Now. Give me back the document and let me be on my way; I told you to
Andrew didn't realize how much he hated Hospitals until he walked into the place. "Man, this place reeks, is this really where my parents were Kept?!" Andrew asked the old man in displeasure. "Yes, this is the place, and why are you holding onto your nostrils like that, lad?" The old man asked when he looked up and noticed Andrew's fingers were still clenched onto his nose tightly. "I do not like the smell of this place" Andrew replied him. "Well, you better start getting used to it because we're going to be in here for a while." The old man informed him. Andrew suddenly stopped in his tracks as if remembering something. The old man noticed this and turned around to meet Andrew's gaze. "What's the matter, lad? You're tired already?!" "No, I'm not tired; I just have this weird feeling...I can't wait to see my parents.....""Well, that's where we are headed for now. We're almost there, we're just three rooms away. " The old man informed Andrew, pointing toward what seemed to be t