Ryan woke to a banging sound. He groggily opened his eyes, flinching as bright light attacked him at once.'Where am I?'TEETS didn't answer him, either because the System didn't have a GPS feature or because it had no obligation to tell him that.'What happened? I know I'm in a good health, so how could someone attacked me from behind when Danger Void is always active?'[Danger Void is an Ability to automatically dodge any physical attack on Host. However, it is only effective against one opponent only.]'Seriously? How could you never mention that Danger Void couldn't save me from two or more attackers at one?'[…]'Don't tell me you deliberately keep that information from me?' Ryan grumbled to himself. 'Is that why you're not as good as other System out there?'[…]Before he could berate the misleading System any further, he heard footsteps through the darkness in front."Oh, look who's just wake
It had been hours since Violet sat in her Porsche, staring at nothing but an abandoned warehouse about a mile from the port. No one else was in sight, but she knew at least three people were inside, somewhere, doing who knows what.The sky darkened, displaying orange and reddish colors from the sunset.Indeed, it was beautiful.If only she was somewhere else with Ashton or whoever she could sleep with later. Not that she didn't love him anymore, but Violet wanted to take a break from her relationship with the scandalous actor. In fact, she hadn't seen him since she left for London a few weeks ago.However, her current problem at hand was not about Ashton Bogart and his reckless behavior."Where are you, scum?" she murmured, annoyed and slightly regretting her decision to come here in the first place.For hours.She had been waiting here, in the middle of nowhere, for hours, just because she was curious about what Ryan would do.
Ryan had tested this kind of rush once, with Jared Crowne as his opponent.The empty road, left untraveled, had been their witness. It looked like a one-sided fight, with the arrogant CEO who kept attacking without landing a hit and Ryan, who always dodged without attacking even once. He turned the tide once and for all, after Jared lost all his energy and couldn’t move efficiently anymore.Using the same tactics when he fought Florent and succeeded, he utilized it again to fight Edric Ashford. It was kind of repetitive and boring, to be honest, but it was the only thing he could do at the moment. He swore, he had to get his shit together and learn how to fight like a man.But, that was for later thought.Now, with Edric trying to land hit after hit despite the impossibility, he had to figure things out for now.“How did you get the cuffs off?” the scarred half-brother asked after his ninth attack couldn’t reach him.“Curious now?” Ryan smirked. “Maybe I learned a thing or two from Ho
"Hahahahahaha!"A laugh, laced with a poisonous tone with an evil smirk accompanied. Edric was like an addict on a high, losing all logic, and becoming a maniac. The impeccably dressed man no longer looked like a perfect almighty figure, charming people with a smile or two in ease. All gone in an instant, as if the devil himself spoke to him with an offer for a throne.Ryan narrowed his eyes, worrying internally at the sudden change. Something must have happened.Violet–"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Edric lifted his arm, fingers folded, imitating a gun, firing air at him. "That's the sound of victory.""You're bluffing. Violet is nowhere near this, why would she? Besides, if she is indeed here, she can take care of herself.""Hmm?" Edric's smirk widened, "Will you say so when my loyal dog come here with his prey?"And true to his words, footsteps soon resounded in the empty dark warehouse. Ryan picked up two sets of footsteps, one with h
Ryan tapped his fingers on the clothed dining table. The glass of water in front of him reflected his sullen face, a contrast against the happy and calm atmosphere in the restaurant.“Do you want to order now, sir?” a server holding a menu book in her hand asked for the third time since he came here. He could see the annoyance hidden under her carefully displayed smile.Shaking his head, Ryan truthfully said, “I’m waiting for someone. But I’d be happy if you could get me a paper and a pen. Please?”The server went back inside and returned with his desired items. Ryan thanked her.The server nodded and repeated the exact words from before. “I will be right over there when you want to order, sir. Please excuse me.”With all of those polite words, Ryan wanted nothing more than to stay oblivious. Blissful ignorance, if only he could retain that.However, his life now forced him to read under the li
“If you have anything to do with Rayven’s refusal,” Howard Ashford said, “Then I’d be really disappointed in you, Edric.”“I don’t.”Ryan knew when Edric was lying. But, Howard didn’t.“Then, I believe–“Smack!Someone slapped Howard Ashford’s face. Shocking him, shocking both Ryan and Edric.“Who the hell–“ Edric said the moment he broke out of his shocked trance, “You bitch! How dare you hit my father?!”Brown, wide eyes turned to the newcomer. A beautiful blonde girl stood rigidly, both fists balled by her side. Her fair skin flushed, bringing a red colour to her face at how angry she was.“Howard Ashford!”Ryan gulped, staring in horror as the event unfolded. “Violet…”She didn’t even glance at him. Her furious blue eyes were locked on the oldest in the private
“You useless scum!”Ryan had heard that word in repeat for the last three hours. Clearly, he underestimated Violet’s ability to set up any emotions for hours. Who was he kidding? She was a professional actress who starred in numerous series and movies, of course getting angry at him for a few hours was easy. Ah, if only he wasn’t that dumb to begin with. “Sorry, but I can’t just accept that from him. You may get angry at me now, but I will make it up to you, Violet. I promise.” The blonde beauty lashed out again, “You think you can make up for what your father did to me?! Handing all of his companies will never be enough compensation for what he did to me. Don’t make me laugh, but you’re nothing, Ryan. Not even after all of this sudden wealth and suspicious change in you.”“Then, if I can have as much as what my father has and give it all to you, will it be enough compensation for what he did to you?”Violet’s blue eyes lit up in fury. “Are you seriously asking me that?”“Yes.”“T
Thud!“Ugh!”“How many times do I have to tell you not to play with that girl, Rayven?”Bhugh!“Argh!”“She’s no good for you.”Smack!“Hick!”“And you’re never going to deserve her either.”Slap!“Hicc!”“Look at what you’ve done, Rayven.”Rayven Ashford – the name he used to have, before he chose to disappear and live a different life as Ryan Wilder.But here, Rayven blearyly opened his brown eyes, squinting at the taller figure hovering above him.A middle-aged man looked down at him, disappointment and anger apparent on his face. He was holding both hands, covered by black leather gloves. A strange accessory on his crisp, grey, three-piece suit.He was Howard Ashford, the man he should call ‘father’ but didn’t act like one. At least, he did
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
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
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
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
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
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
"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
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
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