“We will make everything official after the funeral,” said Jake during a meeting with Diamond and Zeus’ attorney.“That sounds reasonable,” said Mattias, the lawyer. “However, we still need to decide what to do with Athena Milan’s share of Hector’s empire.”“My step-sister is dead,” Diamond informed him flatly. “Too bad Daddy never got a chance to rewrite his will before he died of that awful stroke. He was going to give her share to Jake.”“Oh, I see,” said Mattias, intrigued. “But that’s a bit confusing, considering that you two signed a prenup before getting married.”“Daddy wanted it nullified too,” she replied quickly.“Is that so?”“Let’s continue this conversation after the funeral,” Jake said firmly. He wasn’t ready to go into that prenup matter just yet.“That’s fine,” said Mattias. “Please accept my condolences once again.”After the lawyer left, Diamond faced Jake and asked, “When am I getting my share of your bounty? This should be a 50-50 partnership, you know. I could’ve
Angus was placed under close surveillance after his expulsion from The Association. Jake knew his opponent was a sore loser who might already be planning his revenge. After several weeks of drama and suspense, he finally resumed his duties as President and CEO of Turner Holdings. He attended meeting after meeting and travelled the world like a nomad on steroids. “Is this how the rest of our life together is going to be?” Diamond asked him evening after he returned from yet another business trip to South Africa. “What?” He asked. “This constant travelling. Victoria and I barely see you anymore. You’re working like a pauper who doesn’t know where his next meal will come from.” “I love what I do, I’m sure you know that.” “In other words, you love your work more than your family.” “I didn’t say that.” “Then spend time with us. Take a week off from work and let your staff do the rest. I also run my father’s businesses but you don’t see me flying around the globe like a space shuttl
“That’s impossible!” Diamond hissed. “Phoenix Holdings is the parent company of all of Daddy’s businesses. He operated it independently but it was still the main source of everything else.” “So, what are you saying?” Jake asked. “I am the only one with authority over Phoenix Holdings. Whoever is carrying out these auctions under that name is simply an impersonator.” “But there’s the issue of those original documents given to the buyers with your signature on them.” “As I said, they were forged. I would never sell my precious investment to a bunch of airheads who don’t even know what they’re doing. Someone is messing with us big time!” “Who else has access to the company seal?” “Me, Daddy and Athena. Since the others are dead, I’m the only one with access to it.” “None of this makes sense.” “Well, don’t worry. I’m going to put this damned puzzle to rest, once and for all.” “How?” “I’m going to Daddy’s vault in Cancun. That’s where all the original documents of everything he ow
“So, it’s been you all along, Mamba,” said Jake. “You’re the one stealing from us with Phoenix Holdings.”She laughed. “Mamba is dead. This is Athena Milan Aetos standing before you.”“Don’t you dare desecrate my family name, you vile creature!” Diamond snapped at her. “One more snappy word from you and I’ll put a hole in your skull,” Athena said coldly. She faced Jake. “I thought you were an intelligent guy. How come you haven’t figured this shit out?”“What?”“Phoenix Holdings. It was never mine to tamper with. Everything pertaining to it was in Hector’s possession and now that he’s not here, guess who’s in charge.”He looked at Diamond and she gave him a blank stare. “I don’t know what she’s talking about,” she said flatly.“Don’t you? Come on, now, little sis. Tell your darling husband the truth.”“What is she talking about?” Jake asked his wife.“Your beloved wife is Phoenix Holdings,” Athena informed him unceremoniously. “Her plan is to buy everything under your 5% contribution
“Put the gun down!” The policemen yelled at Jake as they barged into the suite.He dropped the gun immediately and it landed a few feet away from him. One of the policemen inched forward and kicked the gun farther away from Jake while aiming a pistol at him.“This can’t be happening again,” he muttered to himself.“You have the right to remain silent or anything you say here will be used against you in court,” another policeman informed him.Another one came behind him and forced him to his knees before slapping handcuffs on his wrists.“You don’t understand,” Jake said. “I didn’t do this. There’s been a misunderstanding.”“I’ll advise you to keep quiet and stop talking,” the cop told him. “Whatever you say here will be used against you in court.”He looked down at Diamond and saw the expression of shock frozen on her face
“Where’s your boss?” “Is he expecting you?” “Would I be here if he isn’t?” The bodyguard looked at Jake from head to toe slowly and nodded once before stepping out of the way. He opened the front door for him and directed him to the backyard where Angus was said to be lounging beside the pool. Jake followed the direction he was given and showed up at the poolside, however, Angus was not there. “What kind of stupid game is that old man playing with me?” He wondered aloud. “Angus!” There was no response. He walked closer to the pool and saw the silly old man inside. “What’s the meaning of this?” Jake asked him. “Did you invite me here to admire your floating technique?” Angus did not respond. His face was inside the pool and he was floating around while fully clothed. It suddenly struck Jake as odd that an elderly man would be doing this kind of stunt. Why did he jump into the pool with all his clothes on?
“Your trial date has been set,” his lawyer informed him. “We need to start prepping right away if we’re going to make a good impression in court.” “What are my chances of winning this case?” He asked flatly. “Well…” “Give it to me straight, Ryan. What are my chances?” “To be honest, very low. The only thing we have working for us is the little gap in the technicalities of your wife’s murder. They can’t exactly prove that you fired the gun but they can’t exactly rule it out either.” “And Angus’ murder?” “He was strangled and thrown into the pool. He was a frail old man and you are a young agile man… do you get the picture?” “Yeah, but they can’t prove I strangled him. I called for help almost immediately after I spotted him. I couldn’t have killed him in 20 seconds!” “The bodyguard claimed that you were with Angus longer than that.” “Of course, he would. He probably killed his boss for Athena.” Ryan sighe
“She’s alright, boss. You have nothing to worry about.” “I’m glad to hear it. Thanks, man.” Jake was deeply grateful for the regular visits and updates from Rex who was still keeping an eye on little Victoria. It was his second month behind bars and he always looked forward to these meetings because they kept him going. Everyone in The Association continued to ignore him, even his business allies had turned their backs on him. He was completely left on his own to deal with his mess. When the guard notified Rex that his visit was over, Jake was reluctant to return to his cell. He hadn’t expected to be kept in solitary confinement for this long but it appeared that the guards were determined to break him and make him beg for mercy. “Today’s your lucky day, buddy,” said the one leading him back to the dark cell. “Why?” “Because you’ll be getting a little bit of sunshine today before you head back into your little hole. You look li
“In a shocking plot twist, all speculations about Jake Turner, also known as the Underdog Billionaire possibly faking his own death have finally been laid to rest following a confession from his former PA, Gregory Lowe, who has admitted in a social media post to being the brain behind the leaked emails. “According to Lowe, he conceived the idea after months of battling with emotional instability due to a terrible break-up that he never recovered from. He created deep fake emails and posted them to gain attention and create excitement in what he has described as a boring life.“The story is still developing and we have with us in the studio a behavioural analyst who will break down this topic and – “Pierce flipped a button on the remote control and the TV went dead instantly. He swung his swivel chair around to face Jake on the desktop computer screen where he’d been watching the news report f
As Pierce already predicted, the hacker sent Jake another email two days after the viral leak, threatening to reveal Jake’s location. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he had doubled his fee and was now demanding 200 million dollars.“This is ridiculous,” Jake laughed after reading the email. He showed it to Shadow a.k.a Fransisco, and he too laughed.“What an idiot.”“I hope Pierce is wrong about his suspicion though. It would break my heart if he’s right.”“At this point in your life, nothing should surprise you anymore. I could even be your enemy.”“Please, don’t be. Let me have at least one human being that I can trust.”Shadow smiled. “I’m just kidding. I value loyalty and integrity above everything else in life.”“That’s refreshing to know.”“I better go out and catch us some fish for dinner. We do
On the seventh day after Jake received that dreadful email from the anonymous hacker, a troll account on IG released several pages of what was purported to be emails sent from Jake Turner’s email account since his death.Several media outlets and online bloggers were tagged in the post and within minutes, the news was everywhere. The Underdog Billionaire might still be alive after all.Pierce was hounded by press people who stormed his villa and camped outside the Turner Group office building, demanding answers to this explosive revelation. Even the CIA wanted in on the details.“Is it true that your boss is still alive?” Tessa Sanders asked him over the phone.“I am just as surprised as everyone else,” he lied.“But you’ve been communicating with him. Everyone has read the leaked emails and I’m made to believe that they are authentic.”“Is that so? Then it means someone is imperson
“I’ve got some not-so-good news for you,” Pierce said gravely.“What is it?” Jake asked eagerly.“Your wife is selling the Hawaii mansion and relocating to Japan with James.”“What? Why? Is she broke already?”“I don’t think so. I guess after that tragic incident that happened at her party last month and the ensuing negative media coverage, she has decided that it’s time for a change of scene.”“That’s a rather drastic move.”“I agree. Victoria is pretty upset about this. She doesn’t want her brother to be taken away from her but there’s nothing any of us can do to stop it.”“Damn… even if something happens to Meg, her family will step in and take care of James. The only way we can get him back is to prove beyond reasonable doubt that her family is unfit to care for him.”“That’s
Megumi’s case against Pierce was thrown out of court because the law supports the provisions made in Jake’s will regarding how the Turner estate is to be divided and who can be Victoria’s legal guardian.The same thing happened with Jude Weiss and members of The Association who had crawled out of their holes to try to rock the Turner Group boat with hopes that something would come out.It had been six months since the fatal explosion that supposedly took Jake Turner’s life and the world was starting to move on quickly. The CIA finally beams their searchlight on Irina, tasking her to produce her boss in exchange for a commuted sentence.The offer was way too juicy for her to pass up, so she agreed. Unfortunately, she never lived to deliver her end of the deal.She was shot in the head by a long-range sniper at the airport as she was being escorted onto the flight that would take her to Finland. She died instantly and her killer was
“That’s incredible!” Victoria gasped after Jake had finished speaking. “So, it’s really you. You’re alive.”“Yes, Vicky. I’m alive,” Jake replied with an apologetic smile.Victoria’s eyes misted and she reached forward to embrace her father. He wrapped her in his arms and let her weep on his chest.Even he was overcome with emotion. It felt good to be reunited with his daughter.“I am so sorry for deceiving you like that,” he said softly as she continued to cry. “It was the only way to make sure that I could escape from Hawaii without being discovered.”She broke the embrace and nodded slowly. “I understand. You did what you had to do to protect yourself.”“You’re wiser than your age.”“You’re braver than you look.”“What about Megumi? Are you going to tell her the truth?”
San Fransisco, three months ago…“What you’re asking me to do is not impossible, but the time frame for its execution makes it seem… undoable.”“I’ll quadruple your fee if you can get it done in 24 hours.”The Ferret’s eyes widened slightly. His services didn’t come cheap, so earning four times that amount on a single job was too juicy to pass up.“If I may ask, why the urgency?”Jake shrugged. “Many people want me dead anyway, so I might as well beat them to it.”“You have an army of bodyguards to protect you. So why did you choose this drastic option instead?”“Do you want the job or not?”“I’m just curious.”“Don’t be. Pierce told me you’re very discreet. I hope that’s true.”The Ferret looked insulted. “Of course, I am discreet. I just like
Victoria was silent throughout the boat ride. She was thankful for the noisy boat engine that made normal conversation impossible.The boat rider sat in front of them and looked straight ahead. Victoria wondered if the elderly man spoke English.Would he help her if she told him now that her father’s PA was kidnapping her and taking her to an unknown destination? Or was the man in on the plot?The ride took over an hour and by the time they reached their first stop, the sky was dark. They stopped on an island that was anything but secret.The place was alive with tourists and locals dancing to music, eating, drinking and laughing loudly. Gregory led her past the noise to a beach on the other end of the small island.They got into another boat and began another silent ride across the ocean. At this point, Victoria lost all hopes of ever getting found.Not even the FBI can track her to this remote destination. She should’ve probabl
“So… where are we going?”“Indonesia.”“For real? I’ve never been there before!” Victoria said excitedly.“Me too but I’m looking forward to exploring the place,” Gregory replied with equal enthusiasm.For the first time since her father died, Victoria did not feel that heavy weight of grief that constantly clouded her thoughts. For once, she felt eager and excited to see what the rest of the day would bring.The only thing she found odd about this trip was that Uncle Pierce had insisted that they travel without any of the bodyguards. She never went anywhere without them since her kidnapping, and she felt a bit nervous about not having them around this time.It didn’t matter that they were flying in one of her dad’s private jets. Not having an armed guard nearby just in case something unexpected happened, didn’t quite sit well with her.She could only