Alaric ran out of the hospital doors, the sterile air of the medical facility replaced by the brisk wind of the outside world. Steve trailed closely behind him, with concern etched across his face. Alaric's mind raced with urgency as he sprinted toward the parking lot, his every step echoing the pounding of his heart. As Alaric reached for the car door, Steve grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks. Breathless, Alaric turned to face his friend, determination burning in his eyes. "I need to save Evelyn," he declared, his voice tight with resolve. Steve's brows furrowed in worry. "Save Evelyn? What's happened, young Master. I'm always here willing to help. What happened to her?" He questioned, his concern deepening. Alaric's response was swift, his words clipped and fueled by an instinct that brooked no delay. "I can't explain now, Steve. I just know I have to get to her." Steve really wanted to know what was wrong. "It could be that you may need my help in this. This is th
"Hello," Norton said, with a thick baritone voice, waiting for a reply. Alaric seemed like he knew the voice, as it sounded familiar. Before anything could go down, he was already thinking about one person in his mind. Norton. "Hello. Who is this, and why are you with a phone that is not yours?" Alaric asked with a serious tone. He didn't want to believe his ears, but he was already suspecting that the voice on the phone was familiar. He didn't know how, when, or where he had heard it before - but he was quite sure that it was a familiar voice. Maybe he had forgotten and was trying to remember. "I don't think that's something you should be asking me. Right now that shouldn't be your priority," Norton said, wanting to begin his game plan. Both of them suspected each other and thought that they knew each other, but they weren't quite confident. Norton was faking a deep voice which he naturally didn't sound like, but which had a little resemblance to his normal voice, and Alari
"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't need your money? Well, I think I'll consider it now. Run as fast as you can, because she might not make it for too long. Good luck finding me. And yes, remember. I am your worst nightmare! You can never escape from me. I will make you suffer- suffer so much that you'd wish you never became the son of the Wright family," Norton said with a serious and tough voice. "Wait… don't dare hang…" Before Alaric could complete his statement, Norton hung up on the phone. Lucas was surprised that Norton had suddenly hung up, and was curious to ask. "What happened between you and him, Norton? Tell me. What did he say to you? What was his reaction after you told him that?" He asked with a curious face. Norton wasn't so sure that it was Alaric, but he knew that it could be. "He didn't say much. As expected, he only threatened to do something which I know isn't possible, so there is no need to worry about that. I think the first step of the way
Steve observed Alaric, noting the tension etched across his face. Alaric, having ended the call with an air of gravity, remained silent for a moment that stretched into an uncomfortable pause. Sensing something amiss, Steve finally broke the silence. "What's going on, young master? You seem troubled. What happened? Why do you have that kind of expression on your face?" Steve inquired, concern evident in his voice, as he stared at Alaric with a worried look. Alaric shifted his gaze toward Steve slowly, his eyes reflecting a mix of anxiety and pain. "It's Evelyn. I don't know how it happened or if it is even true, but she's been taken, and they're demanding something in exchange for her release," Alaric revealed, his words laden with worry. Steve's eyes widened with surprise and worry. "Taken? By who? How did it happen? When did they take her?" he asked, his mind racing through potential threats. "A criminal group, maybe. Or it could be a single person because that's who I got th
" "Let's forget about all this. The Wright Empire is bigger and stronger as a whole. Let's just live our normal lives, and quit this. I don't know why, but I feel we should end this. It is a battle so tough that I feel we won't win. End it here now, before it gets worse. I'm warning you," Lucas said, with a tough face and a soft tone, leaving Norton astonished. Norton's eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as Lucas uttered those words. The tension in the room became palpable, a heavy silence settling between them. The mission hung in the balance, and Norton could not let Lucas' statement go unchallenged. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Norton's voice sliced through the quiet, sharp, and demanding. He could feel the weight of the impending mission, the gravity of their purpose, and Lucas' words threatened to undermine it all. He hated that Lucas was beginning to act timid. Lucas shifted uncomfortably under Norton's gaze but remained defiant. "I'm just stating the obvious, Norton. W
"I won't forget about this, Lucas. If you're not with me, then you are against me. That's alright. Watch me and see what I do to make sure that he bows down to me no matter what. Watch and see how I will play this game and come out victorious in the end," he swore, with strong determination written all over his face. You just didn't know what to say anymore. He had already tried to warn Norton about the consequences they could face but Norton wasn't ready to give in. He didn't know how else he could convince Norton to listen to him and just stared at him blankly. "I have told you what I need to, Norton. If you really don't want to listen to me then I assume we can't go through this together. Remember that I'm always with you every step of the way, but that will all end when our plan is ruined or if you are discovered. Just know that I won't be having your back that time," he said. "I just need you to cooperate with me for us to achieve this. I know that deep down inside you you r
"Please reconsider. I can offer you $500,000. It's a fair amount, and I'm willing to pay it right away," Alaric said. Norton didn't believe that Alaric would be able to stoop so low. He knew that Alaric was able to pay him the amount if he wanted, but was just trying to get on his nerves. Norton's stern voice echoed through the phone, "No, Alaric. I want a million dollars, no less. That's the price, take it or leave it. This will be the measure of how well you value your personal secretary. I had always assumed that she would be the jewel in your eyes, but you are just trying to prove me wrong by acting this way. Well, you have to find out how long it will go," Norton threatened. Alaric hesitated, grappling with the enormity of the sum. "I understand this is a serious matter, but a million dollars is too much. I can't come up with that amount. I have told you not to harm the girl, because I care too much about her," Alaric said. "I'm not ready to listen to your babbles of affectio
Steve's brows furrowed, etching lines of worry across his forehead, as Alaric abruptly ended the call. "Young master, what happened? What did you both conclude?" he inquired, his voice tinged with concern. Alaric whose hopeful demeanor was replaced by a shadow of distress, sighed heavily. "The criminals refused to negotiate and demanded a million dollars. I tried to tell him th at I didn't have a million dollars, but he told me to provide it at all costs if I really wanted to save Evelyn's life," he confessed, his eyes reflecting a mix of frustration and helplessness. Steve's expression shifted to one of confusion, his eyes widening with surprise at the unexpected turn of events. The weight of the situation settled heavily on both of them. He felt that the criminals would have a change of heart, but was wrong. "So, what are we going to do now?" Steve asked, his concern deepening. "Are you just going to pay them?" Alaric met Steve's gaze, a subtle sadness clouding his eyes. "We
Evelyn was working in the office when suddenly her phone rang. She picked it up to see who was calling, and it was Mr. Steve. “Good day, Mr. Steve. Can I know why you are calling me? I am currently doing something at the office,” she said. “You need to come here right now, Miss Evelyn. Someone wants to see you, and she requests that you be here soon,” he said. “What? Who wants to see me?” She asked. “Someone in the household wants to meet with you.” “I don't really know if I have the chance to come because I have a lot of things to do right now, Mr. Steve. Can this meeting be scheduled later?” She asked. “It is not a business meeting, Miss Evelyn. In case you didn't hear me, I said that someone from the household wants to see you.” “The household? What do you mean by that, Mr. Steve?” She asked. “The mansion of the Wright family,” Mr. Steve said. “Really? A member of the mansion wants to see me?” She asked. “Yes. Come quickly, it's urgent. I'm sure you know where the Wright M
"And your last wish?” Norton bowed his head, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes. “My last wish…”“Yes. Tell me.”“Please, forgive me. This is my last wish.” Alaric was surprised.“What?”“Yes, young master. That is my last wish. If you can grant me these three wishes, then I don't care if I die. I will live without regrets. I just want to make sure that my mother is okay, but if I have the forgiveness of the woman I love, and that of yours, then I am satisfied,” he said. Lucas was just staring at what was going on without saying a word.“So you want me to go and give your mother money?”“No, young master. Support her in any way you can is all I ask. Please,” he said.“Consider your last wish granted. I forgive you, Norton. I have already forgiven you a long time ago. I just wanted you to learn your lessons and end it all by putting you in prison,” he said.“Thank you for this, Alaric. I will forever be grateful.” Alaric turned around to leave, and Lucas said, “Forgive me t
"These blockheads attacked me and the first thing they seized was my property. I didn't know they were eager for my money.”“Money that you earned dubiously?” “What do you mean to say by that? I worked at the company of your long-term rival, remember? My salary can feed your family for months,” Lucas said.“I can't believe that you still have the guts to boast even when you are in the police station, behind bars. What the hell is wrong with you? None of that is going to save you now, Lucas, so quit dreaming?”“I am not going to be here for as long as, loser. That, I can assure you. I will do everything in my power to get out of here. Look, son, have you thought about escaping?” He asked.“Even to the end, you are still having devilish thoughts. What makes you think that you can even escape from here?”“I was just kidding, bloke. Just know that I won't be staying here for as long as you.”“Well, only if you are proven to have committed the lesser crime.”“There's nothing to prove, bro
“Mom, Dad, look. We are finally getting back investors who left us before. They want to give us a second chance and invest in the company again. This is such great news and it's overwhelming,” Norton said, rushing down the stairs to meet his father and his mother who were in the living room. Mr. Jefferson turned around. “Really? Have our investors come back?”“Yes, Dad. Look at this, Mr. Peter said that he wants to give us a second chance and that we should not fail him this time. They want to invest in the company so that we can use the amount to produce and make a profit,” Norton explained.“That is very good news, son. You are doing a very good job when it comes to handling the company. This calls for a big celebration,” Mr. Jefferson said.“Dad, relax. We have to make sure that we get everything back before we celebrate. If we have all we need, then we can wine and dine and there will be no one to stop us. This is the first step, there will be more steps ahead,” he said.“Look a
3 DAYS LATER.Alaric was in his office going through some files that had been presented to him earlier when Steve suddenly rushed into the office.“Young master, the police are here,” he said, as he made way for them to enter the office. “Good morning Mr Alaric Wright. I am Inspector David Williams, the police officer who is in charge of the case in your company. I have two other police officers with me today, and an investigator,” he said, pointing at each one of them.“Good day, sir. I am Investigator Adam Phil,” he said, extending his hands. Alaric shook hands with the police officers.“It's good to see you all today. Our legal department reported a case and I'm happy that it's being looked upon,” he said.“Don't worry Mr Alaric. We will do our best to dig to the bottom of this,” he said.“Okay, so, how do we start?” “First of all, we have to collect the necessary information and evidence you have against the culprit. Then, you have to come to the police station to submit your s
The car pulled up at a cafe, and Evelyn wondered to herself why they had been at a cafe earlier and just arrived at another one“Is today all about drinking coffee?” She asked.“Funny joke, but no. It just happens to be my favorite venue for a meeting,” he said, as he stepped out. He went inside the cafe, and sat down, taking a table. One of the workers immediately walked up to him.“What can I get for you, sir? And your wife, ma'am?” He asked, looking at Alaric and Evelyn.“What?” Evelyn said in shock. “Wife? I'm not his wife.”“Don't mind her. She's going to be my future wife, but you know how shy women are. She's in the one I'm actually taking on a treat today. Wait a little while, the main character is coming,” he said. Evelyn, pissed by what Alaric was doing, began to mutter to herself.“Main character huh? Which means I am an ordinary character in this story. Well done, sir, for degrading me.” Alaric, seeing that she was beginning to get angry, smiled. “You know that you will
“Mr Donaldson told me himself that he was ready to take whatever penalty of his actions there was. He told me that if I wanted to kill him, his hands were wide open waiting for me. If the police would come, he would be at his house.”“So what do you want to do to him?”“He's the only one safe, father. He decided to turn from his evil ways and expose the truth. He didn't have anything personally against, and since you said none of them ever had an attack against the Wright empire, then, he is okay.”“And Mr. Tate?” He asked.“He might be the hardest to penetrate, but I will definitely find something against him,” Alaric said, his head immediately thinking of Kimberly. “Did he do anything to you?” Mr. Wright asked. Alaric was hesitant to answer the question, but he shook his head. “Nothing to the company, but to me, yes, father,” he said.“Then, what do you plan on doing to these people as a method of revenge?” Mr. Wright asked.“I want to put an end to all of them. There were so many
Mr. Wright was a little bit surprised. Something like that had never happened before and he was worried that something was wrong.“Hope everything is alright, son?”“There's nothing wrong, Dad. It’s just that I need your help for answers because I have questions that are disturbing my peace,” he said. Mr. Wright raised a brow. “Really? Then tell me, son,” he said. “Come have a seat,” he offered, pointing at the seat across his. Alaric sat down and looked at his father.“First, Dad, before we begin, I want you to promise me something,” he said.“What is that, son?”“I want you to promise me that you will tell me the truth no matter what,” he said. The question made Mr. Wright feel worried that something was wrong. “Son, are you sure everything is alright?” Mr. Wright asked again to be sure.“I am perfectly fine, father. As long as you decide to tell me the truth of the whole story, then every answer I need will be clear to me,” he said.“I promise to tell you the truth, then, son,”
Evelyn, surprised by how he was able to guess every single thing that was happening to her, tried to hide her shocked expression. “H… how?”“Don't worry, Evelyn. I told you that I would make sure you realize your love for me, and this is just the first step towards it. Look how you were able to calm me down without even doing much. That is the effect of your presence in my life,” he said. Tapping on the button that winded down the windows, he snapped his finger at the guard outside. He entered the car and ignited the engine.“Take me to the mansion. I want to see my father,” he commanded, and the guard nodded. Meanwhile, Evelyn, who hadn't said a word, rested a finger on her lips as she reminisced the feeling of Alaric's kiss that sent jolts of electricity throughout her body. The car drove to the mansion as Alaric had commanded. Evelyn was a little bit worried that he didn't decide to drop her off at the office, and she wondered why he was taking her with him.“Young master,” sh