2023-09-30 19:51:52
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The Revenger's System 110. Wild Crown
The name of their production house. Ryan never thought they’d talk about this in the first place. Hell, he never thought he’d share a pool with Violet and look at the beach and open sea in front of them from their own house on top of a hill. Not even once had he ever imagined it would be reality. But here they were now. Floating on the edge of their private pool, enjoying the sunny afternoon with such a blue sight in front of them. Ryan couldn’t be any happier. Yet, he expected their happiness would grow even more from here on. Starting with naming their production house. “Fire Crowne, you said?” Ryan hummed, repeating that name again in his head before he nodded, “I’m fine with that.” However, unlike what he thought earlier, Violet was troubled by it. Somehow. “Well, I’m not.” He frowned, not following. “But you’re the one who suggested it.” “Yes, and you didn’t protest.” He really could not follow her trail of thoughts. “You want me to protest?” “Yes. Just, tell me of you
The Revenger's System 111. Parents Running Away
A sudden ring from a certain phone broke the contentment they both felt. They both swam to the side of the pool and got out of there. Violet picked up her phone while Ryan fetched two towels from the room beside the pool. It was a short trip, but when he came back, Violet looked like she was seeing a ghost. Or hearing what a ghost sounded like right in her ear. “What is it?” Ryan asked her, frowning ever so slightly. He dropped the towel on her shoulders while wearing his own with his baggy t-shirt still on. Violet didn’t answer right away. She looked at him and accepted the towel, troubled. Something big weighted heavily on her mind, that was for sure. Then, when he contemplated whether he should ask her again in case she didn’t hear or if he should just ignore it for its probably unimportant feel, Violet grabbed the sleeve of his towel. She said, “Mom leaves home.” Ryan blinked, yet confused again. “Ugh… sure?” Clicking her tongue, Violet crossed her arms in front of her che
The Revenger's System 112. Before the Meeting
Ryan got on the plane after he had breakfast with Violet. There was some small change in the ceremony. Or whatever people call it, this handling of the company he didn't want. He only needed less than three three-hour drive if Ashford Group's headquarters was still in Lancaster. But, through all of his disappearance in the last ten years, he didn't think that Howard would move the company's headquarters halfway through all the States. Located in Seattle, it was basically on the other side of America. Then, after a few hours of flight, the plane was ready to land. Ryan watched for a moment as other people around him were getting ready to board off the plane. Looking back out the window, Ryan wondered if he should ask Violet to accompany him. She might say yes, and they might explore Seattle for some time. Although, he would leave the next day, so he'd prefer to get some rest any other way. Exiting the small loading bridge from the plane, he was relieved when he stepped on solid fl
The Revenger's System 113. What's Your Final Decision?
There really was nothing amusing about the loss of someone's personal space.Reaching their destination, Ryan practically threw himself inside the short limo that was waiting for him. He never felt so glad to be inside a car."We tried our best to keep them away, sir. But as you can see, it is a hard work." Thomas said as he sat beside the driver.Ryan slumped on the back seat, murmuring, "Could be worse." He tried his best to avoid looking out the darkened windows. "I probably woud have punch someone if I was here by myself."Sighing, Ryan watched the array of people slowly disappear as the car began to move forward. He really was crazy if he thought he'd ask Violet to come with him, too. Sure, she could handle it more elegantly, what with her being used to being in the light. But that would still cost her extra stress.All in all, the drive to the hotel was smooth, and there were no more reporters waiting for them.Ryan parted away with Thomas and the others, choosing to have some p
The Revenger's System 114. The Heir
Ryan followed Thomas to the conference room that was at the very end of the hallway.The double doors were opened for him as he stepped inside, finding a large table that was seated with at least eleven men who all suddenly fell quiet. Seated against the wall were a few more people. No matter where he looked, everyone seemed a little tense.“Have a seat, Rayven Ashford,” an even voice said.Looking up at who had said his name, Ryan’s eyes fell on a dark-haired man who looked fairly old. Wearing a slim-fitted black vest with dark red tie, his suit jacket was neatly perched behind him against the back of his chair.The old man studied Ryan for a moment, glancing back down a thick packet of documents before him on the table. After seeing Edric seated next to the man, without another thought, he knew it had to be someone he should know because his voice sounded familiar in his ears.Everyone else around the table stared with a mix of
The Revenger's System 115. Wild Crown's First Pitch
Ryan came home to Violet’s angry face.“What is it again?” he asked carelessly.She huffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Face scowling, she didn’t waste the time to glare dagger at him either. “Really, that’s how you greet me now?”He frowned at her accusing words. Wait, what did she accuse him of, now?“Okay, I’ll step back and restart.” He did precisely that, even closing the door again just for the hell of it. Then, he knocked on the door, waiting for his wife to open it for him. “Hello, good evening, Ma’am. How are you today?”“Oh, fuck you, scum!”Bam!Great.She slammed the door right in his face.What more could he expect?Sighing and ruffling the back of his head, Ryan waited for a minute to pass before he opened the door again. This time, Violet wasn’t waiting on the other side anymore. Instead, s
The Revenger's System 116. Edric's Motive
Sitting opposite each other in the dining room, they locked their gaze. The dark sea and its chill night breeze called for them, but they had the most important discussion in the whole universe happening now.Ryan smiled a little. "Do you know why Edric did all of this?"Violet frowned, thinking for a minute about what he was asking. Kind of ridiculous, really. They both knew why Edric fucking did all of this. Because he was a psychopath.But, just to humor Ryan as he had worked so hard today. "He wants the company for himself.""Yes, but he's the only child Howard have. He will get it no matter what.""You're right," Violet nodded, "But, then, your father found out that you're alive.""That doesn't mean anything. As far as I'm concern, Howard hated my gut since I was born. Even if I'm still there, he will treat me as usual, like a dog he can take his stress out on.""What are you trying to say, exactly?"Ryan prepared himself
The Revenger's System 117. Sixth Objective
What was the thing Edric wanted the most?Grinning to himself, Ryan thought, ‘I want to expose every crimes Edric ever do in his entire life.’In a matter of seconds, TEETS’s mechanical voice rang in his head as the transparent dark panel floated before his eyes.[New objectives have been submitted.][Objective Six: Expose Edric Ahsford’s crimes.]Peep!Ryan’s attention went to TEETS again. Would he get a new mission right away?[You have one on-going mission.][Current Mission – Kill the Lover: Confront Marissa Crowne when she is dating another man.][Time Left: 8 hours 34 minutes.][Rewarded Ability: Spoiler Alert Lvl 1.][New Mission can not be assigned to Host until Mission completion.]Shit.Ryan forgot he had an ongoing mission with Marissa as the center of attention. He only had eight hours, no less. He didn’t know what kind of Ability Spoiler A
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156. Signing His Death Sentence
Ryan struggled to stay awake as he stared blankly at one of the bare white walls around him.The hum of the bright fluorescent lights above him flickered occasionally, breaking him in and out of his trance. There were no windows except for the small one at the door, which barely showed into the hallway.He had long lost count of the hours he had been held inside this room since he arrived. He felt tired and broken in more ways than one, but he was managing, and that is all he could do right now.He just needed to hold out a little longer.Just a little longer.Shifting his gaze at the paper before him, it did not take long to realize that no one here was ever on his side to begin with. Telling the truth did not matter. Everyone believed he was a murderer. He was guilty the moment he was arrested, and they made that very clear after trying to repeatedly beat him into signing the confession, making sure to avoid his face. Anything that his prison uniform did cover, they beat until they
155. Turning Table is Not that Simple
The interrogation room was well air-conditioned, it was supposed to be cold. Yet, Ryan couldn’t feel anything but stifling heat from deep within his chest. He felt rage, more than fear or puzzlement at this point.There was only one person who could and would frame him, but getting everyone to believe was hard. Almost impossible, even.Leaning back in his chair, Detective Pierce continued, "Let me tell you the short version of what I think happened. You murdered Jorge and left Edric for dead. You left straight from the party to the airport, trying to flee the scene of the crime.""That's ridiculous.""Why else would you leave Seattle in such a hurry? Were you planning to leave the country next?"Glaring, Ryan griped out a resounding, "No, I simply went home. If I wanted to run, I'd go anywhere but there, wouldn't you think?""It's not far-fetched for you to gather your things and prepare to disappear for good. You wanted revenge for your father's death and you wanted to take down the
154. Murder Interrogation
Still in shock, Ryan asked the police officer who told him to step forward. "Can I make a phone call?""You're not allowed.""What about an attorney?""The police will contact one on your behalf once you've been transferred.""Transferred?"The officer sighed, pushing him to move forward after a moment. "To Seattle's police jurisdiction. Now stop talking and walk."Following the orders to move, Ryan was taken to a small check-in station where an officer forcefully dipped each of his fingers in black ink, printing each digit on a white paper document.Once they were finished, he was escorted into another area, which was equipped with a digital camera and a large backdrop against the wall that was marked with varying heights. He inwardly sighed as he was given a small blackboard with his name to hold up.An officer instructed him to stand up straight and look towards the camera. He flinched as the flash sounded and wa
153. Arrested in Cuffs
Opening the door, Ryan was alarmed at finding a couple of police officers standing on the other side. Glancing at the police car in the driveway, his face drained at wondering what the hell was going on."Are you Ryan Wilder?" one of the officers asked."…Yes."One of the men immediately took his hand and placed a handcuff around his wrist, pulling his other arm behind his back before adding another cuff.Another officer said, "Ryan Wilder, you are hereby under arrest on suspicion of murder."His mouth fell open in complete disbelief. "What?""You have the right to remain silent," the officer continued. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"His knees felt weak. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. If this really was a dream after
152. Running Away Together
Everything was a blur as Ryan rushed down the hall and burst through the door where they had last left Violet and Edric.What he had found on the other side was his worst nightmare realized.Kneeling down as he pulled Violet limply into his arms, he shakily touched the side of her draining face and gently shook her, finding no response. Choking out her name through cracked whispers over and over, he couldn't stop the sudden tears blurring his vision.Never in his life had Ryan ever felt so hurt and broken as he did now."G-God, no…" he whimpered. "Violet, please… please wake up."Every silent second that passed felt like eternity as his chest began to heave with broken sobs. His throat burned and his eyes clenched in anguish.Weakly picking himself up to see her face, he brushed back her bangs and froze when her blue eyes slowly fluttered open. Everything around him grew still like he was viewing a dream
151. Fight Against Luck
Violet was ready to fight him. She had trained in several martial arts and mastered them for self-defense against harmful men like him. Rendering Edric useless was an easy task. She had almost done that months ago, when he was still playing with his old dog. Come to think of it, where was that old dog of his again? Violet’s blue eyes were focused as she shifted into a defensive stance, her lithe frame ready for action. On the other hand, Edric appeared remarkably nonchalant, sitting at a table with a book and a wide grin on his face as if he knew something Violet didn’t. The first move came from the infamous actress. Her movements were swift and precise, as she had aimed a roundhouse kick at Edric’s head. The red dress with high open slit at her tight created a beautiful motion picture, if one were to enjoy it. Sadly, the circumstance was not fit for such approval. However, just as Violet’s foot was about to connect with Edric’s head, a stack of books toppled over, and he stumble
150. The Outbreak
"Pick it up," Edric haughtily repeated. Violet couldn't believe what she had done - even if he did deserve it. Her reputation was already in the mud lately, so it wasn’t her concern. She just didn’t believe that she punched Edric because of Ryan, the fucking scum. To hell with people still watching her nude scenes. She had made that choice in her younger days, so she didn’t want to regret it right now. However, to insult and humiliate Ryan for having such wife, crossed her line. Oh, how her world had turned upside down because of him. Not responding fast enough for his liking, as she stood frozen in place, he roughly grabbed her arm and nearly pushed her towards the floor before Ryan had cut in between them. "Don't you ever touch her again," Ryan furiously spat. "You'll fucking regret it." Before Edric could retort, the Head Butler of the Ashford family, Jorge, wedged between them, gently pushing them back by the shou
149. To the Fundraiser
Right after breakfast, Thomas knocked on the penthouse door and asked if they were ready. Once they were, they left with Thomas, who had been waiting in the living room. He had been instructed to chauffeur them around Seattle today to find appropriate attire for the company's black tie fundraiser tonight.Although they were being forced to attend, Ryan surprised himself by enjoying their time together shopping for the event. Maybe it was because he got to see Violet try on dresses, or maybe it was just nice to do something normal. Before they return to the penthouse, Violet wants him to buy her a car. She would never ask him for such a thing, because even with all the wealth he had acquired, Violet could afford a car herself. Besides, she was too proud to ask for one. So, when she did ask him, Ryan easily agreed, and they bought one. Too bad, Violet didn’t let him see what the car she bought either, saying it was a surprise for him. Once they returned back to his penthouse after t
148. His First Kiss
Street lamps flickered on one by one as Thomas drove him about an hour south from the Ashford Gorup's building headquarters to the city's international airport.As the car rolled to a stop, Thomas turned back from the driver's seat and said, "I'll go wait for Ms. Crowne and escort her here, Mr. Wilder."Already unbuckling his seat belt, Ryan lifted a hand up for him to remain in place. Opening the door, he said, "Not necessary. Just stay here and wait for us.""But-"Slamming the door shut, he reached into the inside of his suit jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He felt like an idiot wearing them, but they had helped with shielding his eyes from any sudden camera flashes. He doubted it would somehow cover his identity, but it served as a kind of protection from meeting someone's eyes directly.Familiar with where to go, Ryan placed his hands in his pockets and walked towards the terminal she would be arriving from.Once he heard Vi
