NIKAELEON***For several seconds, Connor was silent as I asked my question. I didn’t even have to read so far into the document to spot the changes that had been made, very incoherent editing. I haven’t checked the soft copy yet, but I’m sure it hadn’t been tampered with like the hard copy, he would need my system’s password to access it. The hard copy was easily accessible so he had filled it with discrepancies. I watched his expression, he was clearly contemplating if he should lie his way out of this one or admit what he did. It was definitely him, no one else could have been so petty, and no one else employed here has the motive for something like this, at least none that I know of. He finally made his decision and I knew what it was when he stood straighter and puffed his chest.“Why are you in contact with my wife?” He asked impertinently.“You should ask your wife that question, Connor, I’m not obliged to give you any answers. But you can’t question her right now, can you? Bec
NIKAELEON***“Is the damage that bad?” Aina asked as she came to stand behind me.“The entire hardcopy has been compromised, I just want to check the soft copy to make sure it wasn’t tampered with. I also had slides prepared so I need to cross check those too." I replied to her as I opened my laptop.“And did anyone ever tell you that you would make a good military officer? You handled Connor like he was an unruly recruit.” I said and she laughed.“I actually wanted to join the marines once but my father wouldn’t have it. I was grounded for weeks after I made my intention known, he knew how impulsive I could be, if he hadn’t done so, I would have signed up without his knowledge. When the recruitment period was over, that was when I was allowed to leave the house.” She said.“He was just afraid to lose his only child.”“Did Connor really think you wouldn’t notice the discrepancies? The guy is a serious nutjob.”Aina said.I knew she was just trying to change the topic because it was st
NIKAELEON *** “The King has finally decided to grace us with his presence.” One of the members of the board of directors said as I walked into the board room with Aina by my right and one of the secretaries on my left carrying the printed files. I smirked. “You are right about one thing though, I am your King, since I technically own all your asses. Maybe I should make you all address me as His Royal Majesty. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”I asked as I approached the table “Just because you are CEO does not mean you should ignore proper office etiquette. You’re almost an hour late. It’s outrageous.” Another board member said. “I had issues to deal with, I passed a message across, didn’t I?” I walked with Aina to my seat at the head of the table while the secretary began to distribute the hard copies. ”And one of those issues is related to the woman beside you, yet you came with her to work today, and even brought her into a meeting meant for authorised personnel only
NIKAELEON *** I remained frozen by the door for several minutes as I stared at Sophia’s bare feet. I tried to convince myself that I was hallucinating, that I couldn’t possibly be seeing what I was seeing. But even after shaking my head and blinking my eyes severally, the image remained right in front of me. From the time when I had found my real father, and we became close before he was hurt and went into a coma, he told me some stories about our heritage. For generations, anyone born of our bloodline always had a particular birthmark. My father said that sometimes it appeared in the most ridiculous of places, my grandmother’s had been right above her eye, his was between his thighs and very close to his testicles, I knew mine was at my lower back. That same diamond shaped birthmark was on Sophia’s big toe, and seeing it shook the foundation of the world I thought I knew. “Who is at the door, can you come closer so I can see you? Mummy, is that you?” Sophia called weakly and that
NIKAELEON***Aina was still alone outside Sophia’s room when I returned. I walked up to her just as the elevator dinged and Connor stepped out as the elevator door opened. He frowned immediately when he saw me.“Why are you here again?” He asked as he walked closer to where we stood.“You would know if you bothered to be here earlier.” Uriel said as she stepped out of the room.“I came here as soon as I could, Uri. I just had to go somewhere and clear my head for a while, that’s it.” He replied to her.“You needed the whole day to… clear your mind? Okay.” Uriel said sarcastically.“What lies has he been telling you now?” Connor said with an exasperated sigh as he stepped closer to her.“He has told me nothing but the truth. You were fired this morning and now is the time you get here? You couldn’t even be here earlier for your daughter’s sake. Anytime she wakes up she always asks for her daddy, and every time, I have to make an excuse for you. You come, stay for an hour, two hours to
NIKAELEON *** As much as I tried to keep the thoughts out of my mind as I settled into bed, I couldn’t seem to do so. I tossed and turned on my bed, tormenting myself with questions that had no answers and various scenarios. After getting back, I was informed that the Black Knight had taken down the largest Irish mafia family in the country. They were having their annual meeting where families of the Irish mafia came from all over the country to meet in a designated city to discuss strategy, negotiations and more. They had all been assassinated and from the information we gathered, the traitor had been the head Don’s most trusted man. It irked me how easily the Black Knights could slip through the defences of some of the most powerful people in the world. They almost wiped out my own family if not for my quick thinking and intervention. The Russians and Mexicans were barely holding on, and now the Irish had been cleared out in one day. It wasn’t just those at the wrong side of the l
NIKAELEON *** I wrapped one hand around her hair and used it to angle her head the way I wanted so I could deepen the kiss. She moaned as I bit her bottom lip and she reciprocated by sucking on mine. She was so warm, and I wanted her even closer to me so I could try to absorb that warmth into my cold, empty soul. I grabbed her ass with my other hand and lifted her up so she would wrap her legs around me. I don’t even know where I found the energy to lift anything since my whole body felt like it would collapse just five minutes ago. But at this moment, I wanted her more than my muscles needed rest. After several minutes locked together like this, I was finally warm enough inside to pull back. Aina smiled lazily as she pushed my dampened hair out of my face. “Do you feel better now? You looked so wound up.” She asked as I set her down. “Sort of.” I sighed heavily as the exhaustion I felt before she came began to creep back in. “At least now I don’t feel like squeezing the life out
NIKAELEON***When I woke up, I was surprised to see that it was almost noon, two hours past the time I told Aina that I would wake up. That was very unusual, it couldn’t possibly be because I was tired. What I said to Aina is the truth, no matter how tired I get, I can only sleep for three or four hours at a stretch before automatically waking up. It’s one of the habits I picked from prison.In there, my sleeping habit was even worse, I could barely sleep for an hour straight and the slightest noise, even the sound of someone breathing a bit out of proportion could wake me up. I was always alert, ready to fight in case of any danger. It messes you up pretty bad, and if I were weak minded, I would be deeply traumatised for the rest of my life, kind of like having PTSD. Luckily, the only things I got when I left prison was a little paranoia, the ability to function with less sleep, a few contacts, and some less useful things like how to make a slingshot with a plastic fork. The longest
EPILOGUE *** NIKAELEON * I thought I understood nervousness when I was about to get married, or fear when Aina had been held at gun point, none of that compared to the feeling of watching my child being born. Aina and I had already agreed before hand that I would be inside while she was giving birth. She needed my support because this was her first birth, and I wanted to watch , it would help me treasure her sacrifice to have our babies. Yes, babies. It seemed Sophia's prayer for a brother and sister came to pass. We found out we were having twins when we went for a late ultrasound scan. She screamed as another contraction hit her and her grip on my hand almost crushed my bones but I just stroked her hair with my other hand. "I don't think I can do this anymore." Aina sobbed and my heart broke for her. I wish I could take her pain away even if just a little bit and I hated being so helpless because at this point, there was nothing I could do for her. "Just a little bit more, Mr
NIKAELEON *** I never expected to be nervous today. It was usual to be nervous when you’re getting married, but I didn’t expect to be nervous, I expected to go through it calmly like I usually did everything in my life. Instead, I was fidgety, checking my reflection in the mirror a hundred times even though I looked perfect physically. “You look great, son. Stay still before you make a hole in the floor with your pacing.” My father chuckled as he walked into my room. “I don’t know why I’m even nervous. I was fine yesterday.” I said to him as I adjusted my tie again. “I was the same way when I married your mother. A lot of people no longer value marriage, but it’s supposed to be sacred. A lifelong vow of commitment to the one person you choose to live the rest of your life with. And you love her, you’re afraid of making a mistake and ruining what you both have.” I was about to protest and tell my father that this marriage was just an arrangement, after all, as a mafia boss, love w
NIKAELEON *** It has been weeks since Connor was arrested along with the leaders of the Black Knights. Some other lower ranked members had also been apprehended these past weeks. Connor and the leaders had already been tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. The others were still awaiting trial but it didn’t matter, they were just pawns, the main players were already in jail. Last I heard, Connor had been nearly paralysed and had to be hospitalised for almost two weeks. I had no sympathy for him and neither did the government, he was still sent back to prison on crutches to continue living with his assailants. My revenge on him was complete. Uriel had also been tried for illegal possession of a firearm and threatening people’s lives with it, but she hadn’t been sent to jail because I didn’t press charges to add to these ones. She was on house arrest for a year, with community service and court ordained therapy. I went to visit her occasionally so she could video call Soph
NIKAELEON***A FEW DAYS LATER*The courtroom buzzed with tension as the arguments echoed through the room, each side presenting their case for Sophia's custody. It was Manolo’s turn to speak now."Your Honor, We have substantial evidence to establish that Ms. Uriel is mentally unstable and unfit to provide a stable and nurturing environment for Sophia. We also have expert testimonies from qualified mental health professionals who have evaluated Ms. Uriel and have concluded that her mental state poses a risk to the well-being of the child."We gave the court a video clip from the security footage from the mansion showing the moment Uriel had grabbed Sophia roughly after Sophia announced that she was having a sibling. There was no sound because it was CCTV, but it was evident that Uriel was being aggressive to Sophia. That was enough to help our case.Uriel's lawyer countered with equal enthusiasm.“Your Honor, I assure you that my client is mentally sound. Those reports were taken wh
NIKAELEON***“I know what you’re going to say, Aina. You want me to release them without punishment, but I can’t do that. Yes, I know they’re in love and no one is above mistakes, I also know that this crime isn’t as bad as it would have been if he had been the traitor.” I said to her as we stepped out of the interrogation room and began to walk towards the back entrance to the house.“If you know, then why can’t you just release them?” She asked.“I’m sure you already know why. I set my rules for a reason, and if someone breaks any of my rules, no matter how justified they are, there has to be a consequence or no one will respect my rules. That’s why there are laws, and prison is the consequence if those laws are broken.”“Can’t you make an exception just this once? She’s pregnant, Nik.” She said and I sighed.“I’m not sending them away if that’s what you think. For their own good and mine. If they aren’t here, they’ll be easy to kill by my enemies or captured and tortured for infor
NIKALEOEN***“Fine. You can come along. But don’t interfere.” I said to her and the look she gave me said she would definitely interfere.“Don’t interfere too much.” I acquiesced with a sigh and she smiled.“And you better not cry.” I said to her and she huffed.“I’m not a baby.”As much as I wanted her by my side, I knew the path that lay ahead would test the limits of her resolve. "I never said you were a baby, Aina, this won't be easy. I may have to resort to violent means, and I may do things you may not approve. I don’t want you to resent me for it and begin to see me as some kind of monster. I really don't want you to witness what might transpire in that interrogation room. It could get ugly." I admitted.“I’ve always known there is a dark side of you, Nik. And I’ve made my peace with it. I know you don’t just go about torturing or hurting people on a whim or for fun, and when you do anything, it’s for a reason. I won’t blame you for anything you do today, you’re trying to pro
NIKAELEON***“And I also wanted to apologise for the scene I caused, it wasn’t my intention to let Sophia know that you’re my baby’s father. I just wanted to get her mind off seeing you both fighting so I told her I was having a baby and showed her the sonogram. When she asked me who the baby’s father was, I just replied without thinking and then she bolted out here to tell you before I could stop her.” Aina explained.“It’s fine. I know you didn’t have an ulterior motive for telling her, and I could see the look on your face when she ran here with the sonogram, I knew it was just a mistake and I don’t blame you for it. In fact, I think I’m relieved, I’ve been thinking of a way to tell Sophia that she would have a sibling soon, wondering how she would react. Now I know that I was just worried for nothing.” I replied to her.“Yeah, she’s so excited to be a big sister. She has already told me in detail all the things she plans to do, and by the way, she says she wants two siblings, one
AINA***I led Sophia away and she followed me, her tiny hand clutching onto me tightly.I took her to my room and sat down on the bed with her in my lap. I put her small hand on my tummy.“I have a baby in my tummy now.” I said and her eyes widened in surprise and childish delight.“You swallowed a baby?” She asked incredulously and I burst into startled laughter.“Oh! Heavens no! I can’t swallow a baby, I’m not a cannibal. The baby is growing in my tummy.” I said to her and there was a look of childish wonder in her eyes.“Babies grow in tummies? I thought they were sent from heaven by storks, I watched that in a cartoon. All the animals were on a train and when it was time for them to have babies, the birds carried the babies in white cloth and dropped them off one by one in the mummy and daddy’s cages.” Sophia said and I laughed again.I definitely wasn’t having the talk on where babies come from with her. It had been awkward when my own mother had ‘the talk’ with me, and I wasn’t
NIKAELEON***“We need to talk, Nik. That’s why I’m here.” She replied to me and I nearly chuckled at the audacity she had to show up at my house to demand an audience with me.“We have nothing to talk about, Uriel. Or rather, I have nothing to talk about with you even though you may have something to say. I have no interest, nor do I have the time or patience to listen to whatever nonsense you want to say to me. So leave before I have you arrested for trespassing.” I said to her.“You can’t do that.” She said and I scoffed.“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Uriel. I suspect it’s the reason why you dare defy me so often.” I said to her. “If the police come, I’ll just tell them that I came to see Sophia and you denied me entrance. It will look bad on you while the custody case is still being deliberated on by the court.” She said.I was about to tell her to go fuck herself when Aina put a hand on my forearm. I turned to look at her and she didn’t need to speak to communicate her