Bryan followed Raymond closely behind in his vehicle as they drove down the quiet highway. In a few minutes, they turned to the metropolis, a good distance from the beach and we were able to locate a little restaurant nestled in the edge of the city. It looked like a bed and breakfast as many people strolled out looking sleepy in pajamas and flip-flops. Raymond got out of the car and slammed the door rather aggressively as he stepped into the sun.Turning to look at the car, he spread his hands at Bryan, asking him wordlessly if he wasn't coming out of the car. "Could we just get this over with?" He asked loudly. Bryan stepped out of the car and looked around, the whole parking lot was almost vacant. Just a beat-up old truck parked at the corner of the garage, right beside the signpost. He walked to the porch and a portly old lady welcomed them both with a wide smile. "Welcome, gentlemen, would you love a room?" She asked hopefully. Raymond chuckled at her question and turned his n
Under the heat of the July sun, Bryan couldn't have felt more surprised at the story he heard. He tried to school his expression to remain neutral as he nodded at what Raymond said as if it was the most normal thing he'd ever heard. Not only was Dagma missing, but she was threatening to cheat on him too with a certain photographer/artist that she's been fraternizing with recently. According to Raymond, they all met at the gallery and the man came over to the house to give them a couple of portraits once or twice. She'd liked his work and automatically hired him as the family photographer but little did he know that there was more to it. The same night that she was taken, she'd confronted Raymond with the information that she liked the photographer and since Raymond wasn't ready to be a father then she might as well have 'fun' while they still waited for it out."She's a rich girl, she's used to that kind of life and I can't stop her," he'd added with a shrug as Bryan couldn't help b
Bryan has a look on his face as Zeke also mentions that he believes his nephew-in-law was responsible for Dagma's kidnap. "Why would you think Raymond kidnapped his wife?" He asked. Zeke shrugged, "Because he is a no good piece of shit that does nothing but preys off the Gudling family, that's why," he replied quite scornfully. Bryan could tell that the bad blood between both men ran a little deep. While Raymond believed it was because marrying Dagma had ruined his chances of ever taking over from Derek since she was now married and her husband - being himself - could act as the new heir of the empire, Zeke on the other hand believed that Raymond could never become the heir no matter what. "Don't you think since Dagma is his only ticket to being a part of the Gudling family he would be a lot more protective of her? We all know how fiercely protective Derek is of his daughter, why would Raymond take such a risk when he knew he'd been suspected?" Bryan asked. Zeke hissed under his br
The barman seemed pleased with the dollar bills in his pocket and he went as far as giving him access to the VIP section, "You'll have to tip off the doorman too," he whispered to Bryan who rolled his eyes but also gave a few dollars to the doorman.He walked inside the VIP section and sat at the farthest corner of the club. The music there was milder compared to the music in the regular section. The girls that served drinks were a little less dressed and more exposed and the light was a lot dimmer too. Bryan was still looking around for the men they'd met in the parking lot when suddenly his phone vibrated in his pocket. He was about to pick it up when he heard a loud laughter to his left. "Hello, Benjamin, I'm in the VIP section, I have to go, I just found our guys," he said and ended the call. Bryan rose from his seat as he caught sight of the men, he didn't want to miss them in the dark club so he carefully followed them with his eyes as they walked through a set of double doors
Just as they stopped outside the club, Benjamin was the first person to notice that their car was surrounded by men dressed in black with bats. "We're being ambushed," Benjamin said as he looked around and noted that all the men from the club had formed a circle around them. Henry stepped out of the club with a busted nose, his hands cupping his nose where Bryan had given him a counter punch. "You think the manager of the club can save you from what you're about to get?" He sneered at Bryan. "I don't need anyone saving me," Bryan replied with a calm look. At once, Henry snapped at him, "We are outside the club, so don't think the manager will come in and stop my men from beating you to a stupor. Whatever happens outside the club is none of his business, and you have no idea how many dead bodies have hit the pavement of these roads! Dead bodies of men like you who don't know who they're messing with," he sneered. At that time, Benjamin had already taken his stance and was ready to f
A fancy Ferrari was parked outside Derek Gudling's mansion the next day as Bryan pulled into the compound. Although his last visit hadn't been very smooth, he noticed that the guards didn't send him away or ask him to identify himself as he drove through the gates. It was obvious that somehow lord Derek knew he would come back and whenever he did, he too would be ready to talk. There was something oddly familiar about the car parked in front of the house. "I've seen this ride before," he muttered to himself as he closed his car door and walked through the threshold. The guards all bowed to him respectfully - another indication that they all now feared him from the previous day when they were punished by their master for disrespecting him. And it also told Bryan that he never got to debrief the guards again. "Where is lord Derek?" He asked softly and the guard quickly pointed him at the small bar at the side of the house. Bryan could still recall the last time that he'd been there
Bryan stood before the sternest faces he'd ever seen in a very long time. Mae, Claire's aunt as well as Juliet and Uncle Tom were all gathered in the living room. Claire sat right beside her mother who had a bitter and disappointed look on her face. She was glaring at Bryan openly like he would end up embarrassing her family again. "Are you going to keep us here all day?" One of the men that gathered, an uncle of Claire snapped. Tom looked at him with a nasty scowl on his face, "Some of us are busy and we have what to do!" He snapped. "We are waiting for grandfather Maxwell, it's not Bryan that is keeping us," Claire said as she noticed that all her relatives were ganging up on her husband. "Shut up, Claire. Who told you to speak when the older people are talking?" Freda snapped at her."She wasn't raised well. I know it is people like you who raise daughters who turn out to be a nuisance in society," Mae said and turned her nose down. "I wasn't speaking with you, Mae. You're no
Bryan left the gathering that afternoon with a sullen expression. Outside, he could see that a list of his wife's family members were already gathering to mock and taunt him but he didn't pay heed to any of them. "You should have known that your mother-in-law will want the best for her daughter," one of the nasty men said."And I'm glad for the first time that Freda didn't try to cover up your mess! This family has had enough of you!" Another woman snapped. Claire was running after Bryan as he stepped outside the building and headed to his car. "Bryan," she said loudly and he turned to her. "I'm sorry for what just happened, my mother didn't mean __" she began to explain but Bryan held a hand in front of her with a stern look. "It's obvious that your mother doesn't want us together anymore, but I don't care what she thinks, what matters is what you think," he said. "Of course I want us to be together, I would never think of anything else," she replied softly. Bryan nodded and he
When he arrived at Freda's house, he could hear raised voices from inside. He stormed in to find Claire and Freda in a heated argument."Get out of here, Bryan," Freda snapped. "This is between me and my daughter."Bryan stood his ground. "I know everything, Freda. There's no need to hide it anymore."Claire turned to him, eyes wide with shock and fear. "Bryan, please don't bring it up. If Grandfather Maxwell finds out what I've done..."Bryan took a deep breath, his resolve strengthening. "I'll confront the situation, Claire."Freda laughed derisively, her voice dripping with contempt. "You think you can convince Maxwell to forgive her? She’ll always be under my control."Bryan's eyes blazed with determination. "We'll see about that at the family gathering this weekend."Freda's expression turned from contempt to anger. "You have no idea what you're dealing with, Bryan. Claire made her choices, and now she has to live with them."Bryan stepped closer, his voice low and fierce. "She m
That night, Bryan woke up with a jerk. The cold sweat on his forehead same as the ice creeping down his spine. He had just had the weirdest dream. Or was it a dream? He couldn't tell. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, feeling the cool wooden floor beneath his feet. He needed water, something to qunwch his dry throat that felt like parchment paper. Yawning, he padded softly with bare feet to the kitchen, he moved through the darkened hallway, the silence of the night making his soft footfalls resound. The house was as dark as his thoughts. Speaking of thoughts, Bryan hadn't been able to keep his mind blank since the incident with Jenkins. Neither had he been able to wrap his head around all that the old man had told him. But somehow it made perfect sense. The odd stares, the way his aunt hated him but somehow loved his brother, it all made sense somehow. As he reached the kitchen, he flipped on the light and blinked against the sudden brightness. He headed for the cabinet
Bryan drove like the devil was on his tail, arriving at the classic bar Jenkins had picked out for their meeting. It was a beautiful garden bar just outside of town. As Bryan killed the engine, he pulled on his coat and baseball cap, trying his best at disguise before stepping into the place.**The garden bar was indeed a fitting spot for Jenkins, considering his love for flowers. Just as Bryan looked to the left, he saw the old man's hand guiding him to a corner table. Bryan walked over and shook his head in disbelief."I was hoping you only sounded different, but you look different too," Bryan said.Jenkins was dressed in a thick fur coat and a hat. He nursed a cup of coffee with his gloved hands."Sit down, boy. I have to be quick," Jenkins said.Bryan noticed that gone was Jenkins' stammering and broken words. He spoke fluently now, almost as if nothing had ever been wrong with him. Bryan sat down, looking at him curiously."You're running out of time. Your brother and uncle have
Bryan staggered back a little, struggling to process the jarring change in Jenkins’ voice. The old man he had known was frail, his voice barely rising above a whisper. Yet, the voice on the phone now was strong and assertive, unrecognizable as Jenkins'. He glanced around, half-expecting to see the old man materialize in front of him, but there was nothing—just the lingering sound of his own breathing and the hum of the city around him."Jenkins?" Bryan asked again, his voice edged with uncertainty. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t speaking to someone else, someone who had somehow gotten hold of Jenkins’ phone. His skepticism was palpable, though he hoped it wasn’t the case.“It’s me, Bryan. You said I should call you right? You did give me your card,” the voice on the line said. Bryan could almost hear the confidence emanating from the speaker. It was a tone of authority that starkly contrasted with the frailty he had grown accustomed to.“You sound different,” Bryan said, his laugh com
After a few minutes of driving through the busy streets of the city, he went easy on the brakes as he turned to the quiet suburban area. Peterson was always one for his space and privacy and perhaps one could say that he was the most secretive member of the team. When he arrived at Peterson's place, he met with his son, Chad just as he rang the doorbell and the maid allowed him in. “Hey, boy." Bryan said as he stepped into the house. Chad looked at him oddly and then for a second, recognition flashed in his eyes and he stepped aside. “Mr Bryan," he said with a thin voice. Bryan gave him a slight nod and moved into the living room, taking the plush seat that he was offered. “We weren't expecting such an important guest," Chad said with a smile that was obviously as fake as the Picasso painting on the wall. “I never planned to pay the visit either,” Bryan replied. Chad was eager to show him around and also asked to serve him breakfast and a cup of coffee. But Bryan was already gett
Bryan quickly tried to regain composure from the information that had just shaken him. If someone else was the supreme warlord, then it meant that the council had convened to terminate his own title and somehow found someone else worthy of such ordination. "Last time I checked, there was no one who could even compete with me. No one was worth being the supreme master, talk more of the supreme warlord. Had they suddenly dropped their standard?" He asked out loud but to no one in particular.He couldn't believe it. He was the best, the greatest, the supreme. No one could match his skills, his strategy, his leadership. He was the one who had been chosen, who had been destined for greatness.Who could even replace him? Who was worthy of such a title, the supreme warlord? Bryan snickered, wondering who could even stand behind him, he was second to none. There was no one he could think of that was even half the man he was. All his generals needed a lesson on night and courage. They couldn't
Bryan was already seething with hot wrath. How could his general even think that he'd want to hear about any territory and political bullshit when all he was trying to do was aimed at giving his life meaning? For a second, he felt stupid for even picking the call in the first place. It didn't make any sense to talk about the territory when his mind kept playing back to Uncle William's words and that of Josiah. “Hello, are you there?" Ben's voice came through the speaker, dragging him from his intense thoughts. “Stop!" He snapped suddenly, without any warning. “I've had enough of this bullshit!" He said with a fierce look. "Come up, what are you talking about!” Ben asked as his voice rose. Bryan told him that he had no interest in talking politics. He was sick and tired or running in circles. “What I need right now is a fucking compass! I need someone, something, anything, to take me to where my past is. I want to know what I am, who I am, what went wrong,” he bit out, "Not some pol
The next day, Benjamin called Bryan as early as daybreak. Bryan was still sleepy when he heard his phone ring and he rolled out of bed to grab it. "Hey, Ben, you're waking me up rather early, what's up?" He asked, his voice groggy with sleep.Benjamin first apologized for calling him up so early and asked how his previous day had gone. Bryan sighed, wondering how he could possibly recount his day to his friend. It was one hell of a year and it left him sour. "That's a long story, Ben. I don't think I want to talk about it," he replied, rubbing his eyes.Ben laughed and told him that he knew he'd gone home and he could guess that it wasn't such an easy day since his brother wasn't the most friendly person. Bryan scoffed, calling his brother unfriendly and was just trying to coat it up. Josiah was outrightly harsh, he was everything that someone would never want his own brother to do. "That's falling far from the mark," Bryan said, his voice laced with sarcasm.Ben sighed, telling him he
Jenkins laughed again, the sound a little too shrill and mechanical. "You can't choose your family, Bryan. They're stuck with you, no matter what."Bryan's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "I don't want to talk about my family, Jenkins. Can you let it go?!” He asked with a harsh tone. But for a second, he couldn't help feeling pity for him. Once again, he was clearly not mentally well and it showed. "Have you been taking your medications?" He asked with a low tone, his worry evident.Jenkins scratched his head, his eyes clouding over. "Yeah, they said life can't be the same again. I guess this is what they mean. Everyone thinks I'm insane," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.Bryan's eyes bulged, he couldn't believe that he'd just made the man feel bad. "I didn't mean that at all, I was just trying to make sure that you're fine," he said, his voice softening.The old man smiled and waved him off. "Yeah, you don't have to say it, I can see it in your eyes," he replied,