Haley B came forward with staggering steps. It appeared she was drunk. Elsa's associate approached her and handed over a velvet-lined box.Haley snatched the gift roughly and opened it. She stared at the ornament for several seconds. "Where is the seventh gem? There are only six here.""Since Mr. Damone was carrying it on his person during the terrorist attack, it is possible one of the gems was destroyed."Haley scoffed and walked away, settling on a couch with a glass of scotch. She seemed determined to drown her sorrows in liquor.Elsa waited for a moment before resuming the reading of Victor's will. "To Claire Holt, I trust the Chairperson position of the Springfield Rapids Project. Moving forward, her decisions will be law as far as the project is concerned."Audible gasps and grumbling protests broke out in the crowd. Claire dabbed her eyes with a tissue and stepped forward. "I accept the position.""How could Victor give away the top post to Claire when there are many senior b
Martha's revelation caused a furor in the crowd of guests."What? Victor Damone got a woman pregnant?""Victor never mentioned it to anyone!""Is this lady lying?""Is she trying to profit from the city hero's death?""Shame on her! A divorcee like her shouldn't be allowed in this gathering!"Carol covered her face immediately, overcome with utter humiliation. She wished she'd just disappear from the world.What had her mother done? Carol never wanted to reveal her pregnancy to the public and had planned to raise the child by herself. She should have tutored Ruth to keep her mouth shut.Edgar Damone, who had been silent all along, rose from his fireplace couch. He slowly approached the gathering and stopped by Carol. His face was a mixture of tumultuous emotion."Is this true?" he asked the beauty. "Are you carrying Victor's child?"Carol lowered her hands to reveal a teary face. She opened her mouth to speak but was suddenly overcome by sobs. In the end, the young woman nodded to ans
Pete was dozing heavily in his chair in the security booth. He was over sixty-five years old but had refused to go into retirement. To be fair, nobody else wanted his job.StoneGate cemetery was a low-key tract of land where the plebes of Springfield buried their dead. Thorny bushes, weeds, and cracked gravestones were the best scenic view.The grave keeper’s salary was a few hundred dollars a month, but Pete was content. Ever since his son died in the Pacific World War and was buried at this location, he decided to watch over the graves till his last breath.People gossiped that Stonegate Cemetery was haunted, but Pete saw nothing go bump in the night over the last thirty years. That was going to change very soon.Thud! Crack! Crunch! The sound of boots and metals against soil and gravel woke Pete up. He fluttered open his eyelids and peered into the night. The old man could see movement, and he froze.Pete’s eyes focused on three shadows looming over a distant grave. Ghosts?! Was it
Even though the corpse had been in the grave for almost two weeks, there was no smell of rotting flesh. No insects or worms had swarmed the dead body. It was preserved fresh as if frozen in time.However, Victor's corpse looked despicable, with ugly black veins running all over it. Cracks had developed all over the limbs and torso, exposing his flesh and organs.The two shovelers looked away. "I can't believe Mr. Damone actually died. I thought he was immortal," one of them said, wincing."You want us to carry the dead body to the NWO laboratory, sir? To conduct tests?""Do you know the mythological story of Thanatos and Alceste?" Atticus asked, ignoring the question.The two exchanged confused glances, finding the out-of-context question strange. Was the Tribunal delivering a farewell speech to Victor Damone?"No, sir," they replied in unison, keeping their thoughts to themselves.Atticus looked up at the stars and began. "Then let me tell you the story. In Greek mythology, Thanatos
Springfield's beautiful town square was packed with elite and ordinary citizens. It was decorated with a patriotic tone, and the mood was generally not high.Among the elites, top billionaires, merchants, bureaucrats, artists, and civil society were present. The military was also in attendance. Everyone's eyes were on the ten-foot-tall monument at the town center, shrouded by a curtain.General Lance Baker approached the podium and addressed the crowd and the media cameras."A good morning to all citizens of Springfield. I am General Baker, appointed by the federal government for this transition period of the city."There was light applause from the audience. Even though Lance was a familiar face by now, the presence of the military made people anxious."I welcome you to a new day in Springfield's history. I will concede, of course, that the past year has been horrendous in terms of human lives lost and displaced. Several terrorist attacks almost shook the city's foundation and brought
Carol woke up in her new mansion in Prince County and finished her chores quickly. She was supposed to register as a candidate for the Mayor position at noon. However, the beauty stayed awake all night thinking about it.Ever since Victor’s will reading turned into a dramatic affair, Carol’s depression born from losing Victor dissipated. Now, she had fresh issues to deal with.Sophia Baker, the cardiac surgeon who treated Edgar, was back. She returned with a one-year-old she claimed to be Victor’s son. While it was received with widespread disbelief, Sophia submitted her son, Niklaus, to a paternity test.To everyone’s shock, the test came out positive. Since both the Atelier and Baker families claimed to have Victor’s successor, it was an odd situation. The executor of the will, Elsa Madison, deferred the will’s execution until it could be confirmed that the child in Carol’s womb was Victor’s.Meanwhile, Carol accepted the mansion, cars, and millions of dollars Victor left behind for
Victor was in the Mayor's office going over the fortification plans of Springfield. [Victor Cromwell, Lieutenant Mayor] was embossed on his glass door.The civilian town was set on the path of transformation into a military-industrial city. In the near future, it would produce its own arms and armaments and train its own soldiers.However, the first step was to build defenses around and within its borders. It was Victor's priority right now."Border patrol won't be enough to stop sudden military incursions," he said, tapping on a detailed map of Springfield. "We need more drastic measures in place.""What do you suggest?" General Lance Baker asked, seated opposite the newly appointed Interim Mayor. "We have to build over a hundred secret bunkers at strategic places," Victor replied, sliding the edited map across the table. Lance pored over the markings and whistled. Numerous locations were cross-marked around and within the city. "You appear to be an expert at military strategy for a
"Hello, Mr. Mayor, sir!" Daphne exclaimed jovially. To seduce the new Mayor, she had decided to be adventurous by going braless."We're here for the secretary positions."The red tube top that covered Daphne's upper body; she had pulled it down so low it barely covered her nipples. The cloth was so shamelessly thin that it left little to the imagination."Mr. Cromwell, I am a big fan!" Chloe followed up, pressing her shoulders together and leaning on the table. She thrust her cleavage out in public display."I hope you found our resumes interesting," she added with a wink.Victor almost visibly blanched at the girls. There was nothing natural about their faces or bodies. They were likely enhanced too many times with plastic surgery.Even though such silicon-stuffed women were attractive to ordinary men, Victor was disgusted by their appearances. The thick layer of makeup and the slutty display of their chests annoyed him."I went through the credentials in your applications," Victor s