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2024-10-29 19:42:56“You don’t look like a cleaner,” said the lady interviewing me for the cleaning job at Mr. Marvin’s company, M&M Industries.
”I am, you have four staircases, four stores, and about ten office spaces in this building. The penthouse, I guess, is for somebody special like the boss,” I said, smiling.
“Wow! Very impressive. You can resume the next day. We are short on staff.
Why would the Contractor want Marvin's death to look natural and why should I steal the documents he wanted? These thoughts rang in my head. I should just shoot him down and make the contract easy.
“You should not be here,” said a man I knew later to be Ken. He was Marvin’s right-hand man. I thought of killing him but I would love to know why Marvin would put a mark on me. Something about this whole contract seems unclear. My contract is open, I have two hires competing with me to kill Marvin, and I know for a fact that Marvin is aware that his life is in danger or else why would he send someone to kill me?
I made up my mind that at any point Marvin would recognize me. I am killing him. I cannot be exposed or I lose getting contracts from the Contractor.
“Oh, my bad! I did not know that. I was told to clean the upper floor,” I said. I could see that he had not bought it and was reaching for a gun in his belt pouch.
“This is not the upper floor, this is the penthouse,” he said, placing his hands on his waist, and there was no gun.
“What’s your name?” He asked me. I stammered, “My name is C - - Ca – - Cas,” I muttered, not sure of what I should tell him. I did not expect him to take an interest in me.
“Is your name Cass with a double ‘S’ or Cax with a crossed ‘X’?” Ken asked.
“Cax with a crossed X,” I replied, unsure what his response would be, but I was ready for anything.
I scanned the area we were off-camera sighting, and my heart bit went up by double. I have not even started the cleaning job and I have blown my cover. I loosened the mop stick from the mop gradually as he started walking gradually toward me.
The door opened and Marvin walked in like somebody who had just received some bad news. He walked straight to his seat before acknowledging the both of us now staring at him.
“I can see you are having a good time with the cleaner. I haven’t seen this one before. I thought I left an instruction that I wanted to know everyone that worked in the Penthouse.” Marvin said.
“That is what I was looking into before you came in. She says her name is Cax and is obviously scared of seeing me,” Ken said.
I knew I had to do something quickly unless I could be in a terrible position that would make things difficult. Both of them were staring at me as if they were expecting me to solve a problem.
Marvin was almost my age. I was nineteen when I killed his father. He had grown to be a replica of his father. He looked so harmless and gentle that I almost forgot he ordered a hit on me. I was not sure, but if he was not the one who planned to kill me, then I must find out who. I looked at my mop and looked back at him.
“I am sorry, I will take my leave. It was my mistake. I thought the upper floor meant upstairs. That there would have been some work. Thank you, sir,” I said.
“Wow! I like this one. One minute she was scared, the other minute very bold.” Ken said, smiling. “You look too beautiful and smooth to be a cleaner, don’t you agree, Marvin? He asked.
Marvin was shy and looked away. It was as if Ken saying I was beautiful made him blush. I looked at him with some charm and he looked away again. “Oh no, this cannot be the Marvin that tried to kill me. Something is amiss and I am going to find out.
“I could leave if you want me to, sir,” I said. Now he was looking unsure of his next move. I was waiting patiently.
“You can leave, Cax,” Ken said.
“No! Let her stay after all somebody has to clean the office, right? Marvin said. Ken and I did not know whether he was asking for permission or instructing us.
I pulled out my mop and started mopping immediately while Ken sat opposite Marvin.
“So what is the matter? You rushed in here like you had seen your father’s ghost.,” said Ken, looking at me as if he wanted me to leave.
“Yeah, I did, I met with Father’s lawyer today and it was not fun,” replied Marvin. Who was now looking at me and his eyes were pleading. I stayed to hear what he was about to say.
“Do you want Cax to leave?” asked Ken.
“No let her stay, she could be useful,” Marvin said.
His father’s lawyer had stated that he would need to get a wife in six months or lose his inheritance to his Uncle. I almost burst out with laughter when I heard it. This Marvin I saw will only have to buy a lady. Someone that was shy of seeing Ken call a cleaner beautiful. I did not understand why wealthy parents do this for their kids.
I was shocked when Ken seemed unmoved. It was like he knew before Marvin the situation at hand. He told Marvin it was not a problem and he would fix it. I pitied Marvin even more. He looked like someone that was not prepared for this kind of life. I blamed myself for that, but I only count deaths in dollars and his death was going to bring me a great fortune. I thought of who Ken was and who he was working for. I immediately made him a suspect. Either he is an assassin hired to kill me or a spy sent to spy on Marvin.
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The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 4: BAD FOR BUSINESS
“Good morning Cax, you are here again,” said Marvin. I could see that he was not comfortable with women.“If you want me to leave, I will,” I replied, still doing what I was doing.I was cleaning his shelves while trying to see if I could sight any document that looked like what the Contractor had said I should get. I have four months for the contract but I would love an early completion of the job. I did not like how the contract was getting complex.Marvin stood there looking at me while I cleaned. I stared at him a few times and when our eyes met I just smiled and continued doing what I was doing. I saw him sitting down with his gaze still at me. I went straight to him and kissed him. I wanted to stop but he kissed me back. I drew back, took my mop and every cleaning equipment, and left. I knew what I was doing.This is bad for business! I thought to myself. I don’t need to be emotionally involved with my target. Marvin looked very exposed. I waited a little while to see what Marvi
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 5: WHO GAVE THE ORDER?
I saw Ken rush into the office building. The pocket side of his shirt was stained with blood, though he tried to conceal it. I followed him as he rushed to Marvin’s office. He did not notice I was following him. As he approached the door, I asked if I could help him clean up. He did not say anything. He entered the office and I followed him.How did you know I was stained?” he asked me. Of course, I was not going to tell him I killed people for a living or I was used to seeing blood and concealing it.“I am a cleaner,” I said. I took off the clothes and put them in the bag I had. “What happened?” I asked.“We were attacked by a hired assassin. I think Marvin is marked. He is a target for the Contractor, I - - I - - I am not sure, you will not understand,” he said.I knew Ken was a spy or a hire, he just gave away his identity, but I must continue to secure my cover as a cleaner.“I am so sorry, but I don’t understand. No one would want to hurt Marvin! Why would an assassin want him de
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 6: MARVIN OR MARVIN
I laid in bed tired, not that we did anything, I was tired of the whole contract. I have so many opportunities to end this but I do not know where the documents were. I have asked myself over and over again why a document would matter. Who initiated this contract does not only want Marvin dead but wants something more.Marvin came in with a cup of coffee. “You slept like you deserve a thousand nights of rest, my dear,” he said.“Hmm. You could say that again,” I replied.“Looking at you again, you look too beautiful and well-kept to be a cleaner,” Marvin told me climbing on the rare side of the bed holding my legs.“Would it be out of place for a cleaner to look clean and beautiful? That’s my job!” I exclaimed.“Tell me about yourself,” he asked.I knew he was going to ask this, doing the kind of job I have done over the years had prepared me to be able to read people’s intentions. I had a planned story to tell my dear Marvin. I also need him to believe that I am interested in us as m
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 7: KNIVES AT WORK
I sat with Marvin as we drove off in two cars to his house. There was not much discussion on the way except the introduction that he had with the head of the bodyguards. We got to his house pretty quickly.Marvin ran upstairs while I sat in the living room admiring the beauty before my eyes. I loved what I saw. The Marvins were very rich and could have easily given me the fifty million dollars if I had told them my mission. I was sorry for Marvin because one way or the other, death was sure and it was not going to be natural.Marvin came down, smiled at me, and poured himself a glass of wine. I stood up and joined him. “Why don’t you want me to touch you?” he asked.“Nah, I don’t want to give you silly impressions,” I said.“And you agreed to stay with me? What were you thinking?” he asked.“You wanted a companion, not a sex toy,” I said.He smiled at me. I was a little embarrassed, this was Marvin, the most shy guy I had ever met, trying all he could to make love to me. I thought i
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 8: COMPLEX.
Marvin was still shaken when we got to the apartment. He hurriedly went to the bathroom and I knew he wanted to be alone. I undressed and wore something light. I decided that I was going to wait for him to recover from whatever he was feeling before engaging him.This contract is unbelievably complex and, once again, I have come to believe there is more to this than just killing Marvin. Is Marvin Simpson Senior a Mafia Lord? Did he cross paths with other Mafia Lords? Why would almost every person in this part of the world want him dead?I could understand why Uncle Jonah sent those bodyguards to kill Marvin. He was next in line, with Marvin gone he controlled everything. I also thought he had an insider feeding him exact locations and other information about Marvin. I felt that there must be more people trying to get rid of this gentle soul, Marvin. I counted the people after Marvin’s life and found them to be, Me, Josh, and the other assassin from the Contractor, his Uncle, and prob
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 9: ANOTHER TRY
I was brought to the office first from the secret path. I went to the store and changed clothes. No one would have believed me if I had told them about the wonderful weekend this cleaner had. I enjoyed every bit of it. I loved the acting, the thrills, and, of course, the lovemaking. I was still thinking and smiling to myself when Ken came in shouting.“Cax! Don't pretend to be deaf, I have been calling you,” Ken shouted at me.“I am sorry. How can I help you sir,” I said.“Do your job, just do your job. Go and clean Marvin’s office and please get your acts together,” he continued in a very high tone as he left the store. I hurriedly gathered my things and left Rose in the store who had come to ask me for some cleaning items for her work downstairs. I could have given her, but I did not want Ken’s trouble. I sensed something must have triggered this.I had just started to clean Marvin’s office when Ken stormed in. He looked like he was not happy to see me today. I thought it was bes
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 10: THE DATE
I was not happy that Marvin was going on a date with whoever it was. I did not know why it seemed jealous, but that was the way I felt. I could not explain this, though I needed the distraction to think clearly.I lay down on my bed. I was going through the documents again and wondered why Marvin did not go through them properly and thoroughly. He was so trusting and I felt very sad about it. Though he claimed his father had told him many times not to trust anyone, he kept making mistakes. I concluded that it was his nature to trust easily.I thought about the best way to get him killed without it coming back to me. I decided I was going to do it while he was on the date. I was going to poison him while he was on his date. I called Larry, who gave me the location of the date. Larry’s men were his personal bodyguards and Larry warned that I should not kill any of his bodyguards.Marvin’s date was Shantel. She worked for Marvin’s father for a little while before working for Uncle Jonah’
The Shadow of Deception CHAPTER 11: THE ALTERNATIVE
I was preparing for work. I did not want to wake Marvin, so I was doing everything quietly. I thought he needed rest from all that was happening to him. They were happening so fast and could easily throw off anyone very quickly.I looked at him as he slept like a baby. I bent down and gave him a kiss on his cheek. He grabbed me and threw me on the bed.“I thought you were sleeping,” I smiled as I planted a kiss on his mouth.“No, I was watching you,” he replied, laughing.“So I was only fooling myself by walking about like a thief not wanting to disturb you, my dear, That’s not fair,” I said, and kissed him again.“Where do you think you are going?” He asked.“Marvin, I am going to work. That I sleep with my boss does not mean I should not work,” I said smiling at him.“Okay, your boss is ordering you not to go to work,” Marvin said.“Sorry, my mistake. You are not my boss. I report to the Administrative Manager who happens to be your Assistant,” I said, holding his ears.“That would
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CHAPTER 132: THIS IS NOT THE END
I sat down in Marvin's office as we looked at all the options we had for ensuring that our future and that of the twins were secured. He was not sure whether I agreed with him or not as he presented his plans. I looked straight at him with no emotions, and I was wondering whether it was because I had become the most dreaded Mafia Lord in town or that I just couldn't marry him."You are still married to Ms. June," I said immediately after he finished his speech, "or do you want me to take care of that too?" I asked."How do you mean, Cassie?" He asked, not sure if he understood what I meant."She looks like someone in the middle of our dream,"I said."She works for you," he replied.I told Marvin that we might have to wait for Ms. June's contract to expire, or he could talk to June to cancel the contract and pay her off if he wants us to be together. He agreed to talk to June. We did not know why June didn't want to cancel the contract even when she knew she would be fully paid as agre
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CHAPTER 131: MY TABLE MY MOVES
I sat at the table as the head of the gang for the first time and this time was to sort out issues that were arising due to me being selected as their leader. I told them how I had led this gang to this particular height single-handedly and could, even in my pregnancy, still take on any of them.Larry came late due to the task I had given him and one of the table members wanted to raise an objection to that, but I was not having any of that. I told him to sit his ass down, and it brought the quietness I had wanted to drive home my message.Larry's revelation about Cally's involvement was unexpected and unsettling. I leaned forward, studying the information he brought. "Cally hired Jasper? What does he gain from orchestrating my kidnapping?" I wondered aloud.Larry sighed, "It seems like there's more to this than meets the eye. Maybe he sees you as a threat, or perhaps he's trying to disrupt our operations. I'll dig deeper to find the motives."I nodded, acknowledging Larry's commitmen
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CHAPTER 130: THE SUPREME LEADERTH
Entering the Martinez Gang Headquarters, the room fell silent as all eyes turned towards me. Sancho, who is the current head of the gang, stood up, relief evident on his face."Cassie, we were worried," Sancho admitted, his concern reflecting in the eyes of the other members.“What happened, and where have you been? We could not carry on without you when Larry told us you were indisposed,” Sancho said.“Sancho, do not worry about me. I am fine. It will take more than pregnancy to hold me down,” I said, knowing that everyone was expecting to declare that I was pregnant so that I would not be made the leader of the Martinez Gang.“It is the reason we want pregnant women to sit out of business till they are ready,” Sancho said.“And the men who got them pregnant?” I asked.“It is a man’s world, Cassie. Anyway, we were worried about you,” Sancho said."I appreciate the concern, but we have a bigger problem," I began, looking around the table, "I was abducted this morning and Jasper, Rose'
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CHAPTER 129: UNDETECTED BOSS
The car moved steadily through the darkened city, the rhythmic hum of the engine accompanying the weighty silence that enveloped us. My eyes were fixed on the passing scenery, but my thoughts were tangled in the web of recent events. The events of the unexpected abduction, the revelation of Jasper's involvement, and the unsettling connection to the Contractor."Larry," I finally broke the silence, the question lingering at the forefront of my mind, "How did you not know I was kidnapped?"Larry's gaze remained focused on the road, his features shrouded in contemplation. "Cassie, I... I didn't have a clue. The whole thing took us by surprise. We were on high alert after everything with the Contractor and the Martinez Gang, but this... It was a blind spot."His words carried a weight of genuine concern, and I understood the complexities of the clandestine world we navigated. The shadows held secrets and the clandestine maneuvers of those we sought often unfolded in unpredictable ways."B
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CHAPTER 128: IT WAS JASPER
"We have been paid to do a job. Why don't we just get on with it Must we wait for him? It is getting late, and we have not heard from him now. Guys, what do we do? This is a very great asset, and keeping her alive more than now puts us at a great risk," said one of the members of the gang, who seemed irritated that they were keeping me more than normal.I stood still at the back of the truck as I listened to their conversation. They were waiting for instructions to get rid of me and that was how I got my first knowledge that it was not the Martinez Gang. I needed my gun, or would I say that I needed any gun I could get my hands on?I was waiting for the perfect time to strike. I knew I had to be strategic because it was a fight where the guns were fighting with the object I had used to free myself."If Jasper was not coming, then let's kill the woman and ensure that he knows where we buried her body so that he can mourn her," said one of them who was already laughing at his own joke.
- The Shadow of Deception
CHAPTER 127: BOXED UP
“You are going to be here for a long time,” a voice of a man said. I was blindfolded, but I knew we were still in New York and that I was kept in a box, or the back of a truck, or a container. I tried to visualize where I was and who was coming and leaving the place I was."If I could see you, I would tell if you would die first before the rest of your gang, you silly thing," I replied. I was not going to allow someone who does not have the decency to reveal his face to scare me. I felt that they were already scared of me and that was why they blindfolded me. I also knew that this was not a kidnap for ransom, it was a kill-the-target situation. What they were waiting for was what I did not know. Maybe they were waiting for instructions from their sponsors, only time can tell.The person looked like a guard assigned there and, from the look of things, I think they are three. They had taken my phone and smashed it when we got there, but that would not stop Larry from using the locator t
- The Shadow of Deception
CHAPTER 126: STEPPING DOWN
Sancho called for a physical meeting. The Martinez Gang members gathered in an atmosphere fraught with anticipation. The air hummed with a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity as the announcement of Sancho stepping down as the head of the gang hung over us like a shroud. Most of them looked tired as we had been engaged for so many reasons, including our internal struggled with the Contractor.My role within the gang, though currently inactive due to my condition, still tethered me to its intricate web of relationships and responsibilities. Sancho, a stalwart leader, had been a significant presence, guiding the gang through tumultuous times. The prospect of his resignation sent ripples through the Martinez Gang, leaving everyone eager to understand the reasons behind his decision. I was not there to tell him not to resign, and I asked Larry not to let them know he was with a video camera installed in his glasses..In the dimly lit room, Sancho's commanding presence demanded attention a
- The Shadow of Deception
CHAPTER 125: NOT RIGHT NOW
“Why haven’t you considered my proposition? We need to train the kids in the best possible way we can. You also need to have a man in your life and above all I love you,” Marvin said.“What do you want me to say, Marvin?" I asked. It was the truth as I did not know how to respond to his request, yes, he was going to be the father of my kids but I did not know whether I needed him as a man. It was quite confusing because I had not taken the time to consider that this could happen.The question lingered in the air, creating a moment pregnant with implications. Marvin's inquiry about marriage carried the weight of sincerity, and I in response, couldn't help but revisit the complexities of their intertwined lives.With the echo of Marvin's question resonating, my mind retraced the complexities of my emotions. The memory of Marvin's secret marriage to June cast a shadow over the prospect of our union. Torn between love and the intricacies of their shared history, I faced the crossroads of
- The Shadow of Deception
CHAPTER 124: GETTING ALL
I sat in Marvin’s room as we plotted how to go about with the Callyb predicament. It was Marvin’s room where strategic decisions unfolded, Marvin and I plotted our next move, we intended to buy out Cally Industrials even when we knew Cally would never sell his company to us. The revelation about Cally's financial struggles became a catalyst, and we decided that a buyout might be the most strategic play in this intricate game of corporate chess.With my unwavering determination, I articulated the plan to Marvin, my partner in both business and life. "Marvin, acquiring Cally's company is our next logical step. It will not only eliminate a formidable rival but also position us as dominant players in the industry. We have the means, the strategy, and now, the insight into their financial vulnerabilities. It's time to make our move."I did not know if Marvin would buy into what I was saying because I knew that Cally would never want to sell his company. I hope he does if not the other opti
