In Regan’s office. “You want another day’s leave?” Regan frowned as he talked with Jessica on mobile. “Is your wound really that serious?” “Y-Yes, Boss. I’m fully resting, so I’ll be back the day after tomorrow, and then work overtime! I promise!” Jessica assured. Regan sighed. “Fine.” He ended the call and then looked at Gage who was standing by the wall, with his arms crossed. “Yesterday, she was learning to drive from Russell,” Gage said. “She’s clearly recovered enough to come to work, sir, so why didn’t you just force her?” “Both Jessica and Russell are going to get very busy soon,” Regan said. “So, it’s best that they spend some time together now.” “Mm…” Gage, however, wasn’t too sure if this was a good idea. Just then, he received a text message that made him frown. “Boss, Teresa Jones has come to meet with you. The guards refused her entrance because she didn’t have an appointment, but she used her bodyguards to manhandle our guards. Now, she’s on her way to your room.”
After Teresa left, Regan got thinking about a lot of things.Gage entered the room with many wounds on his body.“Are you going to be okay?” Regan asked, looking a little worried.“I’m fine. These kinds of injuries are nothing new to me,” Gage said, slightly cringing in pain because one of his ribs probably fractured a bit. “So, what did you two talk about?”“Nothing pleasant,” Regan said and swiveled the chair to the backside, so he could view the city through the glass wall. “She was right about one thing. I was self-consumed back then, and I couldn’t be satisfied with any victory because I always kept looking for more. At the expense of love and peace, I chased the short-lived thrill that only success could offer. As a result, I couldn’t spend more time with my family. That’s what led to this day, where I eat my meals alone most of the time. I know I’m not alone because I still have my daughter and grandson, but… I do feel the pain whenever I remember I don’t have a family member o
Kyra stayed in the car for a few minutes after Russell and Jessica entered Tom’s house. She wanted to go in there as an excuse to see Nora, but her pride came in the way.Eventually, she took a deep breath and drove away.What Kyra didn’t know was that Charlotte was watching her from her own car. And she found herself boiling in anger. “Russell Bennett… It wasn’t enough that I brought you to the streets. Now, you’re courting death!”Charlotte immediately called someone she knew. “I’ll give you the address. Tell me if it’s possible to send excess voltage to their house so that everyone living there kicks the bucket in the middle of the night.”“Let me check with the beta Skynet, ma’am,” a male spoke from the other side. He took his time and said, “I’m sorry, ma’am. There’s not much smart tech in their house other than their mobiles and PC. They are not even using smart meters or TV or LED bulbs, so we can’t do what you’re asking for. But we can monitor them through their mobiles and th
Roddick looked everywhere on the mountain for the thousand-year-old ginseng, but he was not able to find it. He couldn’t hire men because he couldn’t trust anybody.As it was getting dark, Roddick became extremely bitter and screamed at the heavens. “LIAM LYNN! If I don’t kill you in the most gruesome way possible, I’ll change my fucking name!”At Tom’s house.Nora drew a painting of Russell, Elora, Nora, Jessica, Tom, and Max sitting in a garden. Though it looked simple at first sight, it had so much depth to it.It was so beautiful, Elora’s eyes turned wet because Nora had recreated a moment they all spent that evening in the veranda while drawing the garden of the farm house where Elora had lived for the past twenty years.“I want to buy this painting!” Jessica said. “For how much will you sell this to me, Grandma?”“I don’t need money. You can have this for free,” Nora said. “But promise me you’ll keep it safe.”“I will!” Jessica excitedly said. She and Russell were sitting next t
At night.The pizza-delivery guy, Benjamin, came to meet Regan on the top floor of the Creed Tech company building when there was no one else around.Regan looked happy to see Benjamin because he wouldn’t have come here personally unless he wanted to give him something that could help him.“You want to fight against the federal bankers and the people that own them,” Benjamin said. “You do know how powerful they are, right? They own everything: every country and every currency. They rig the stock market and puppeteer the major corporations like yours, sometimes without you even knowing. You know a lot about them, I’m sure, but the amount of assets they control is still way beyond your imagination, Mr. Regan. The only thing they still can’t fully control is the human mind and free will.“Now, your VR game will provide them with a lot of data that they’re just looking for to get that breakthrough of breaching the thing called human soul. Once they achieve that, they can control people th
On the same night, at Tom’s house.Elora and Jessica were in the tuition hall, while Nora had gone back to the Lynn estate because she didn’t want to leave her son alone for long there.“If you don’t think I’m being intrusive,” Elora hesitantly said, “why didn’t you try to meet your mom or dad after you got the job?”“My dad is crazy, and my mom is crazier. They are two of the most selfish people I’ve ever seen,” Jessica said. “Compared to them, Jennifer doesn't even come close.”“Still, your mother carried you for about forty weeks in her womb,” Elora reasoned. “There are many women these days who think of pregnancy as an inconvenience. If your mom and dad hadn’t taken care of you when you were in the womb, you wouldn’t have been born, Jessica. Don’t forget that. And giving birth itself is a very painful process, though the joy that follows after you see your child completes overshadows everything else. There isn’t another experience like it in this world.”Jessica frowned visibly. “
After Russell went out of the room, his broken mobile turned on by itself. Its front and back cameras were also turned on, as the hacker tried to see if the target was near.However, he did not get a good view because the mobile was put on the shelf.He sent a particular frequency wave through the mobile, which spread in every direction. Once it entered Tom’s ear, it stimulated his cochlea, and he heard a voice, ‘wake up.’Tom immediately opened his eyes and looked surprised. He was sure he heard a whisper just now, but there was nobody in the room other than himself. Was it just his imagination? But the voice he heard felt very visceral and real. He could feel the faint vibration in his left ear. How could it be his imagination?After sitting for a few seconds, Tom got off the bed and went to the water pot that was by the window and drank some water to hydrate himself. Now, his muscles didn’t feel so rigid and hot anymore. He got back to his bed and tried to sleep.Moments later, he
The next morning.Jessica woke up early. When she walked out of the tuition hall, she saw Russell sleeping on the stone bench. “Why is he sleeping outside? And he’s not even covering himself with a blanket.” She immediately rushed back into the hall to bring a blanket, but then she stopped midway because she got a brilliant idea.She picked up her handbag and took out her long whitish but transparent scarf. She grinned and covered Russell with it. The scarf wasn’t long or big enough to completely cover Russell, but moments after he put it on him, he snuggled onto it, making her smile.Jessica suddenly found herself tempted to kiss him. She quickly looked around to make sure nobody was watching. And then she kissed his forehead and hurriedly walked away on her toes.“I’ve got one more day, and then I’ll have to go back to work,” Jessica thought. “I’m going to learn driving from him today as well, but… should I once again confess my love to him?” she clenched her fists. “What if he says