Kate jumped from rooftop to rooftop undetected in the darkness, her beastly green eyes glowing in the night. She was light as a feather and agile like a feline. She used parkour moves, advanced gymnastics, and physical resilience to traverse buildings.Kate was trying to put some distance between herself and the crime scene she had recently visited. Less than ten minutes later, she found a group of drunkards harassing an innocent lady. The latter was returning from shopping and somehow missed the curfew time.The villainous group ambushed her in an alley and surrounded her. After robbing the lady of her belongings, they went too far. Inebriated and stoned, they attempted to tear off her clothes and rape her.Luckily, Kate heard her cries and jumped down from the building for a rescue. She offered no warning to the perpetrators. Her powerful chops, jabs, and slams floored them in a minute. The end result was that the men needed hospitalization to survive.After making an anonymous call
Kate's grip loosened a bit on her knives. Did the stranger say he was Roadkill? Why was the name so familiar? A moment's reflection brought back her doubts and anxiety.Of course! The poster vigilante, Roadkill! He was so popular among the youth that cosplayers dressed up as him in comic-con. Teen girls loved him so much they got the tattoo 'R' over objectionable parts of their bodies. There were steaks and drinks named after him!Kate ground her teeth in disgust. The Raven used to be Springfield citizens' poster heroine and sole protectress. That ended when Roadkill arrived. However, the female vigilante wasn't really upset that he stole the limelight from her. She was more disturbed by how he did it.Kate went through the newspaper articles, online blogs, and witness reports of cases in which Roadkill was involved. Even though the police department publicly denounced him, they made no attempts to curb his vigilante activities. On the other hand, the Raven was painted as a hobbyist a
Victor Damone barged into his father-in-law's house, searching for his wife. "Where are you, Carol?"Rushing into the living room, he saw her seated between her middle-aged parents, Ronald and Martha. Both in-laws made sour faces as soon as they saw him.Carol looked gorgeous as always, with her chocolate-colored hair and dark-brown eyes. Her brother, Josh, a chubby guy in a sports jacket, relaxed on a couch sporting a smug expression.The setup looked as if they were prepared to confront him. But he had had enough of their antics. This time they had crossed a line."Where is my money, Carol?" Victor asked, glaring at his wife."What is the meaning of this?" Ronald barked, getting to his feet. "How dare you come into my house without my permission?"Ronald Atelier used to be a billionaire, heir to his father, Reginald's company. But he lost most of his inheritance through bad investments and mismanagement. Moreover, making his spendthrift son the CEO was the final nail in the coffin. J
Victor’s noble gesture had proved pointless. Carol had backstabbed him by taking his money and mortgaging the only precious asset born out of their marriage. The same house they lived in! And all that for her spoiled brother who never cared for her!Did she even care about their marriage? What sort of self-serving family had he married into? All he wanted was to live a simple life. But his circumstances had gotten worse with time."Isn't your grandfather over ninety years old already?" Martha muttered. She had been silent all along but decided to voice her opinion, now that she saw her son-in-law lose his bearings. "Let that old man kick the bucket. There's no point in patching him up at his age. Josh is young and can make better use of the money."Victor shot his mother-in-law a murderous glance, but she stared back at him defiantly. How could the hag say something so terrible? His mind raced, and he suspected something was definitely wrong. His in-laws appeared more aggressive than
The doorbell rang, and Ronald hastened to open the door with enthusiasm. It was as if he had been expecting guests. An immaculately dressed man stepped in with two guards accompanying him. He wore an expensive Armani suit, and a gold Piaget watch jingled on his wrist."James?" Carol exclaimed, recognizing the stranger. "What are you doing here? You look… different."The billionaire put on a charming smile. "Hi, Carol. I'm so glad you haven't forgotten me. I came to this locality to sign a five-million-dollar housing project and decided to visit you while I am here."Ronald and Martha's eyes lit up. The billionaire talked about five million dollars so casually, which meant his net worth was several billion.James was heir to the Colberts, the fifth most wealthy family in Springfield city. Recently, he was made CEO of the company and now exerted much influence. In fact, they had invited him to their house that day to meet Carol."You are always welcome here, Mr. Colbert," Martha and Ron
Victor's mind was reeling, and his in-laws' insults gave him acid reflux. He had to escape the toxic environment before he did something terrible. He cast a sideways glance at his wife and rushed out of the house. 'I need to get the fee for grandpa's surgery somehow,' he thought, walking down the street. 'Perhaps I can borrow the amount.'Victor placed a call to his paternal uncle, George Damone. "Uncle, please help. I need six hundred thousand urgently for grandpa's treatment. Could you loan me the money, please?"He heard a high-pitched female voice from the other end. He recognized the voice as his aunt-in-law. "We don't have that kind of money!" she spat with contempt. "Especially for that old fart! He can die and stop being such a burden to everyone!" The call disconnected.Victor let out a cry of exasperation. George's wife despised the Damone family. At least whatever was left of it. Old man Edgar Damone's company used to be profitable. He had two sons and a daughter who inve
A coded message was transmitted to certain chosen individuals across the globe.Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, a high-ranked general inside a war submarine received a low-frequency ping.A hard-boiled woman sitting in the back of a traveling truck in the Sahara desert found a message on her satellite phone.An elite commander leading a guerrilla team in the ganglands of Venezuela received a communication on his radio.A world leader delivering a speech to millions of followers read an urgent message on his phone.A beautiful woman on a private jet jumped for joy when her manager whispered the news to her. The exceptional individuals who received the message either mouthed or thought the same words. "Emperor Caesar is back!"***Victor decided to walk back home. He wasn't expecting Carol's return anytime soon. She was sensitive about her family and would go to great lengths to defend them. Moreover, she never realized that they wanted to exploit her. Victor had tolerated their abuse i
Carol's color faded, and her husband could see the guilt plastered across her face."I…""You were with the billionaire James Colbert, weren't you?" he barked. He grabbed a few rolls of notes and crushed them in his fist. "Is this his dirty money?" His wife shook her head in distress. "No, you have misunderstood, dear. I just went for a drink with him and left early. That's all. He was willing to pay for the treatment if I met him once. James is not as bad as you make him out to be, dear."Anger flashed on Victor's face. "Do you know why I married you, Carol? Because you were a virtuous woman with principles. You cannot imagine how devastating it is to see you pimping yourself out!"Tears welled up in Carol's eyes. "What are you saying, dear? Don't you trust me?" But her husband wasn't listening to her. He approached the fireplace, opened the bag, and emptied the money into the embers. The six hundred thousand dollars went up in flames. "Have you lost it, Victor??" she exclaimed, gr