The sounds of the men inside were gradually muffled by the soundproof door. Derek was almost going berserk and Bryan had to keep him in check. "What's the deal? Are you going to run in there and bring her out yourself?" He asked. Bryan tried to restrain the lord and advise them to listen and find out what was going on. "My men will be here any moment from now," he assured. Soon, the men walked out of the room and closed the door behind them. Bryan once again tried to hold Derek back but he couldn't be stopped, he skipped out from behind the tank, and in a matter of seconds, he grabbed Henry by the wrist and as he turned to face him, Derek delivered a punch to his face. The much younger man, reacting upon being assaulted, didn't waste a second in throwing a counter punch himself and suddenly, the two almost broke out in a fight. The thug who was with Henry tried to interfere and gang up on Derek but Bryan was faster and he moved in to stop them. He threw a punch at the man and push
Derek and Henry looked at each other intently for the next few minutes. They both had their faces contorted into a mask of hurt and anger. "You think there's a way to get out of this other than behind bars?" Bryan asked as he looked at the man and his thug. Both of them were already getting desperate, that they were wrapping onto anything that could get them out of the mess that they were already so soaked up in. "Shut the fuck up, man! This is a freaking family issue!" Henry snapped and the guard also growled at Bryan, trying to shut him up. Derek still has his eyes fixed on Henry but he kept glancing at his daughter who was in the thug's hold, her head lulled back to the side. "Why the fuck aren't your men here?" Derek asked suddenly and with frustration. He'd been waiting for the men to storm into the place so he could take his daughter out of the hold of the hands of both men. "You are bringing men here?" Henry asked angrily and the man who had Dagma trapped held on to her t
Dagma and Derek walked out of the hotels heavily guarded by the army men that Bryan had brought. Henry was handcuffed and dragged out of the premises and his thug was even in worse shape. "I don't want the media picking up any of this to make headlines," Derek warned. At once, the army officers got some of the phones that the staff were slowly pulling out to cover the incident. "Delete this immediately!" The leader of the legion snapped at one of the guards who quickly took it from the rest of them and dutifully deleted the videos. "We're very sorry," the man said. "I'm sorry we took the video, we're all so shocked to find out that the CEO is involved in such activities, the lady Dagma is his favorite cousin, they have many fond memories together and she loves him," the man explained and shook his head. "That's all in the past. This hotel could be sealed off depending on what gets out there. If you still want to keep your job, then don't say a word," the army man ordered her and he
Freda sat in the living room of her house. It was sparkling neat as usual as the servants hurried about to set up her feast-like breakfast. She wasn't the sort to eat anything that was below her standard and she'd grown up having only the best of meals. Walking down to the dining table, Freda pulled out the cutlery and touched the table with her fingertips, trying to check if there was any dust on it. "This is the best meal you could make?" She asked and looked at the chef who was looking down at his own feet, shaking like a leaf. Freda snapped at him, "Get out of my face and fix something nice for dessert! At least that should wash away the trash that you've made!" She snapped. "Yes, ma'am," the chef said and was about to move away when he suddenly came back and asked, "Mistress, is there any particular dessert you'd like?"Freda scowled at him, "Are you going to wait for me to tell you what to do with your job? Don't you know the right dessert for spaghetti bologna?" He asked. "I
Freda looked at the maid and then smirked, finally letting go of Claire's hands. "It's too late now, the man is here for the meeting with her and there's nothing you can do about it," she said scornfully. Claire looked at her mother and shook her head, "Mother, why didn't you tell me that this is what you meant when you said we had a guest today? You should have checked in with me first to know if I wanted to meet anyone that __" "I don't fucking care! I don't need your permission to do something right for you! You're my daughter and you'll listen to me and do as I say at all times," she commanded with an icy voice. Claire noticeably withdrew into her shell and couldn't say a word to defend herself or oppose her mother. It was getting increasingly pitiful for Bryan to watch his wife who was once very confident and proud being the same woman who cowered at the sight and sound of anyone. When she finally had the balls to stand up for herself in the presence of her mother, she had wit
Bryan looked at the man fiercely and walked to the table. He could see his fat chin gobble down the wine as he pulled the tablecloth closer and picked on the chicken bone. Bryan had never witnessed a more careless eater in his whole life. "Who is this little roach?" Caleb asked with a loud tone and turned to face Freda with a frown. "Don't you know how to keep your servants and slaves in check? I won't tolerate this nonsense!" He bellowed. "There are no slaves anymore, at least none that any of us know of. The only slave that I see here is you and you're a slave to your bowels," Bryan retorted. Claire had to put her head down to hide the laugh that was rumbling out of her belly. She couldn't help but look at Celeb again. He was clearly in need of help. He didn't seem to bother about his obvious obesity but I instead feasted on the meat and wine on the table that it just might be his last. "I'm so sorry, senator, this won't repeat itself, I will have this insolent servant thrown ou
Freda stood outside the hall of the Oscar estate. She was right beside her daughter who was dressed in a thin robe that flowed down to her ankle, made with the best fabric she could find in the market. "Mother, I've told you that this fabric is itchy," she repeated herself for the seventh time within the hour and Freda looked at her the San away she had for the six times that she'd mentioned it. "I don't know why I have such a dull daughter! Others are trying to make the best out of their children and my only child is trying so hard to be mediocre," she snapped angrily this time and glowered at her. "But mother, this dress isn't even pretty. It makes me look old and the fabric doesn't suit my skin color. Not to mention that it irritates my skin," she complained bitterly. Freda looked at her with an arched brow and asked, "What would you rather wear? These old dresses that you already wore?" She asked with a stern look. "Mum, because I've worn the clothes twice does not make them o
Grandfather Maxwell walked into the rooms and everyone fell silent. Freda shifted even closer to his chair and urged Claire to do the same thing. Bryan watched as most of them began to smile sheepishly, even if it was a fake smile. He'd never seen a family filled with more sycophants like the Oscar family. "Grandfather, welcome back to the estate, how was your trip to the Islands?" One of the women asked with a bright smile on her face. Maxwell simply nodded at her with a warm look, "It was quite fine, thanks. I didn't let a lot of people know about my travel, I'm slightly surprised that you found out," he says. The woman smiled pleasantly and replied, "Oh, it's because I care about you, master and I am interested in knowing about your well-being," she replied, "Not to mention that my son was the co-pilot on the jet," she added. Maxwell nodded and smiled at her, " I didn't know you had such an accomplished son," he said. Tom also cleared his throat and quickly told him about hi
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,