Lana Pierce was scared when she heard that Rylan had been arrested by the cops. She blamed herself for this. Detective Reynolds had promised her that she wouldn’t go after Rylan, but she had broken her promise. She couldn’t believe that a cop would break her promise. Lana felt used by Jain. She was only a means to an end. Now Rylan was in prison and the only thing that she could feel was the cold hands of guilt that gripped her tight. She had seen on the news the death of Tristan. Lana didn’t know if to blame herself for that. If Tristan hadn’t been revealed as the man who was working on the video, he would still be alive. If she told Rylan that she was the one who told the cops about everything, he wasn’t going to forgive her. She was certain of that. Tristan Monreal was his best friend, that was why he had entrusted him with the video, and Rylan had also trusted her enough to tell her that the video was undergoing reconstruction. Lana wondered if the video had been fixed before he
Seth Mannen sat on an armchair by the fireplace with Carlos Borges by his side. Carlos was making a phone call while Seth was lost in thoughts in the crackling fire. He had a glass of liquor in his hand as he waited for Carlos to end his call. Things were progressing ever since Carlos had come back to Los Angeles. Bringing Carlos back here was one of the most exciting plans he had ever made. Seth wasn’t a fan of getting help from others, but Carlos had been a major help to him. “Is it done?” Carlos asked. “Yes sir. Tristan Monreal is dead,” a gruesome voice said on the phone. “Very well.”And with that, the call ended. Carlos sighed and shoved the phone into one of the pockets of his robes. He picked up his drink from the stool beside his armchair and leaned on it with a sigh. Seth watched him closely hoping that he would let him in on what had happened. “Well? Any news?” He asked. Carlos turned around to him and sipped his scotch. “Tristan Monreal is dead.”Seth nodded in satis
Lana Pierce leaned on the doorframe with her arms folded as she watched Rylan lift the weights in the gymnasium. She drooled as she watched Rylan flex his muscles as he pushed the weights above his body at intervals. The black tank top he wore brought out the shape of his body which made Lana gulp hard. He was stunning, and she knew this. Rylan’s body was glittering courtesy of the sweat that drenched him. Rylan was mad at her. She could tell. It had been three days since the night of Tristan’s death and Rylan hadn’t spoken a word to her. Williams wasn’t helping either. He didn’t like her and opted to stay out of their beef completely. Lana wondered how they were both staying at the same house, but they couldn’t talk to each other. Rylan had blamed himself for Tristan’s murder, but she had been the one behind it all along. If she hadn’t blurted out Rylan’s secret to Jain, Tristan would still be alive. This was all her fault. Rylan dropped the weights and sat back on the bench with a
Detective Jain Reynolds looked at the images of Tristan’s murder as she sat on her desk. It was late at night, and she was alone in the precinct. She couldn’t get any sleep. The guilt she felt wouldn’t let her. She was stuck at work trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Who could have murdered Tristan? Who would want him dead? It wasn’t easy to answer those questions. On her desk were all the files on the murder cases she had dealt with since she came to Los Angeles. It was time she put the pieces together. As she stared at the photo of Tristan’s corpse lying on the couch, she felt a lump in her throat. It was guilt. If she had stayed away from Tristan, he would still be alive. But how could the murderer know that Tristan had the video? According to Lana, it was confidential information that only the both of them and Rylan knew of. So it had to be among the three of them. Could it be Lana? That was impossible. Lana wouldn’t possibly be the killer. She didn’t sigh at the f
“Welcome, Mr. Daystar,” Mr. Todd Bentley greeted. “It’s my pleasure,” Rylan said, shaking his hand. “Please. Have a seat?” Todd offered, pointing at the seat before him. “Thank you,” Rylan replied before sitting down. They were in an office with pictures of a football team decorating the room. Mr. Todd Bentley had invited Rylan over to discuss a potential sale. The football team was going bankrupt and there was almost nothing that could save them. Only one person could, and that was Rylan Daystar. Tells wwe a multi-billionaire. Investing in a club like this meant nothing to him. Todd loved this club so much that he couldn’t bear to see it get beaten down. He had to find a solution, and Rylan was that solution. Behind Rylan stood Leah Marcher who had a briefcase in her hand. Her long black hair glowed as she stood with her hand before her. There was only one seat in the room, and that was the one Rylan had taken. Todd had contacted her to tell her that they were in crisis. He had
Karen McCullough stepped out of the car and gazed at the red carpet before her. She couldn’t believe the amount of paparazzi that were present. The party seemed grand and it was odd that her family had been invited. There were a lot of stars here. She could see indigenous people at the event. Whatever Rylan was celebrating was grand. “Are you okay?” Edward asked coming to her side. “I think she has stage fright,” Eve teased, coming to stand by her side. Karen had to remind herself of why she had brought Eve along. This was the first time she was going to meet Rylan. And she wondered what would happen if they ran into each other. “Are you sure you want to be here?” Karen asked. “I don’t mind you going home if you feel queasy about this.”“I’m fine, Karen. Can we stop and go to the party already?” She asked. Karen nodded and they walked towards the red carpet. This was the first time that The McCulloughs were making a public appearance since the takeover of McCullough Industries. F
A few hours earlier…Seth Mannen was seated in his small cramped office as he thought of his next move. Did he have another move? He doubted. With Carlos now in town, there was nothing more he could do. Carlos was handling all their businesses superbly. He had brought in ideas Seth had never thought about. Seth was glad that his eyes had even opened after the final meeting he had with the shareholders. He hadn’t heard from them since. Noah, Cody, and Leon all seemed to have disappeared after that. They all got their share of the money and left him there. No one had stayed with him to fight Rylan. They all were content with what they had. This was sad because none of them understood the pain he had been through to get the casino running. He had been there when the casino had been nothing. It could barely pack up to ten people a day, and then slowly it became filled. That was when everybody else came to invest in it. The only person that had been there from the start from Lana. She had
Seth Mannen felt he hadn’t heard Lana cheerily as she spoke. So he asked for confirmation. “What?!”Lana nodded. “It’s true.”Seth felt it was a joke. It was still possible for her to sell her share to him. All they had to do was get an agreement and sign all the necessary documents and it was done. But Seth found it hard to believe. Her share was the biggest in the casino. So why would she want to sell it now? Was it because the casino was gone? He doubted that. It had to be more. Whatever deal she had with Rylan, it had to be big enough for her to do this. Did he offer her a job in one of the companies? Maybe it was from one of the companies he stole. And knowing Lana, she had accepted in a heartbeat. Whatever it was, he still couldn’t trust her. “And why would I believe you would want to do that?” Seth asked. Lana sighed. “It’s because I owe you for everything that I have done in the past,” Lana replied. “If I had stayed with you guys, we would have probably saved the casino.
VENICE, ITALY6 MONTHS LATER. “Stay away from me!” The man yelled as he ran through the dim streets for shelter. Behind him, a man dressed in a black suit with a black mask was running after him. In his hand was an FN 5’7. The man in black pursued him endlessly. When the Italian man stopped for shelter, he pulled out his gun from the pockets of his leather jacket and aimed at the man in black. “Rylan. Watch out,” Williams called in his ear. “Holy shit!” Rylan yelled on his breath as the man pointed the gun in his direction. Two shots were fired and Rylan managed to dodge the bullets before they could hit him. “Are you sure this is our guy?” Rylan asked. “Affirmative. Dominic De Rossi,” Williams replied through the comms. “I just hope you’re right.”“When have I ever been wrong?”Rylan rolled his eyes and fired back at Dominic. The shot whizzed past Dominic’s head and he scrambled to his feet immediately. Rylan saw this and decided to go after him. They were on the main stre
“They let you in?” Jain asked. “Of course they would.”Jain sighed and drank her cappuccino. They were both seated at a table in the cafe. It was at their favorite spot—the table by the window. It had been two days since Rylan had spoken to Frederick. He could still remember the shock on his face when he told him he had forgiven him. It wasn’t something that Frederick had expected. Frederick was aware that he despised him, but there was no need to keep that grudge anymore. The battle had been won. The best thing he could do now was move on and that was ok his agenda. Jain shook her head in disbelief. She was baffled that they would let Rylan into the prison to speak to Frederick McCullough. Well, he was Rylan Daystar. “So what did you tell him?”Rylan lifted his cup of cappuccino and took a sip from it. His eyes went to the parking lot outside the window. The morning sun washed all the cars there with its glorious light including his black Audi. “I told him that I forgave him.”Ja
The door opened and a figure dressed in suit stepped into the facility. The sounds of footsteps echoed through the hallway as the figure made its way toward the door. When it arrived, a guard was waiting by the door who was heavily armed. He opened the door and stepped forward. He had a grim look on his face. “Welcome, Mr. Daystar.”Rylan smiled at him and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Where is he?” He asked. “Waiting for you, sir.”Rylan nodded and stepped forward. He was in a prison facility, one of the most dreaded in the country. Rylan was here to see someone special to him. He would call it a mockery, but there was something he would love to say. This was the last thing on his bucket list before he could tag this mission as a success. They arrived at a room and the guard opened the door for Rylan. Inside the dimly lit room, a figure was sitting at a table dressed in orange. Rylan clenched his jaws and stepped into the room. He turned back to the guard who was still sta
“I thought we were going to head back home?” Jain asked as they headed into their Airbnb. “Well, Los Angeles is a two-hour flight back, and my pilots are off duty for the night,” Rylan said, closing the door behind them. Jain sighed and rubbed her neck nervously. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been in a room alone with a man. That had been with Jacob; five years ago. Rylan took off his suit jacket and hung it on the cloth rag before folding his undershirt. “If this makes you uncomfortable I could get a different room for myself.”Jain turned to him. “You could do that?” She asked. “I mean, there’s no need for that.”Rylan arched an eyebrow at her as he folded his sleeve once more. “Okay. If you say so.”Jain nodded and proceeded to the fireplace. She was gazing at the crackling fire as she held her shoulders. It brought her soothing warmth. There was a center table in the small living room and on it was a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne sitting in it. “Wou
WASHINGTON D.CRylan dropped his fork and reached for his napkin dapping his lips softly. Jain who was watching him had a glass of red wine in her hand. They were surrounded by people who also stayed in an expensive diner. One only Jain could dream of having. Rylan had changed her perspective on things over the last few days. She had managed to see the world through another pair of lenses; the expensive kind. Jain never knew that Rylan could be such a sweet person. She could vividly remember the first day she had met him. She and Stanley had been trying to solve the shootout that seemed to have happened to his club. When she had first laid eyes on him, she knew he was trouble. From the way he talked and moved, she assumed that he was as narcissistic and arrogant as the rest of all the billionaires in Los Angeles. But now as she sat across from him in an expensive diner, she couldn’t believe that she had been wrong the whole time. She had missed judging him, and that was fine by him
The party was lavish. There were lots of special dignitaries who filled the scene. The paparazzi wouldn’t stop flashing their cameras at them. This was the biggest party in the city. It was an awards party which would explain why there were so many famous people. A black Lamborghini arrived at the scene and halted on the red carpet. The door lifted and a figure stepped out of the car. It was Rylan Daystar who was dressed in a charcoal black suit with floral patterns and a shawl which was tied at his waist. He looked like a Frenchman. He moved to the other side of the car and opened the door. A woman stepped out of the car all dressed in a white gown. It was Jain, and she had a new look. Her platinum blonde hair which was always long was cut short now making her look dangerously beautiful. Rylan smiled as he watched her close the door of the Lamborghini. A valet came forward and Rylan threw the key to him. “Make sure you take good care of her.”“Yes sir,” the valet said, getting in
Rylan opened the door and stepped into the house. He had a grim look on his face. Arlene, who was seated on the couch engrossed with the television, looked up and saw him walk in. She immediately turned off the television and smiled at him. “Rylan. You’re back.”Rylan nodded. “Mom I’d like for you to meet someone,” he said standing aside from the door. Arlene raised an eyebrow at this. “Come in,” Rylan appeared to be speaking to the door until a figure stepped into the room.As Arlene saw the figure, she immediately flashed back. There was no way this was happening. He was real, and he was still alive. He was Paul Richmond. Arlene tried to speak but no words could converge. Paul looked at her and smiled. “Hey, Arlene,” he greeted. Arlene tried to look away but she couldn’t. His voice brought back so many memories. Like when Lauren had first told her that she was pregnant die him. Or when he had tried to combine her right outside the Vice chancellor’s office to come with him. Th
“I’m telling you son, the Los Angeles Angels might win this,” Paul said as he stepped out of Rylan’s Lamborghini. “Well, I hope you’re right, Dad. Because I have put a lot into this,” Rylan said, shutting the door of the car. Paul came to his son and wrapped his hand around his shoulder. “Trust me, son. You’ll see.”Rylan scoffed and they walked towards the entrance of the stadium. They had their seats reserved in the executive box. Rylan was here to watch his football team win the title. He was supposed to be here with Leah, but she told him she had some other pressing business to attend to. And so he decided to go with his father instead. There were now a few things left for Rylan before he could cross off his bucket list. Everything was going according to plan. “I saw you receiving the key to the city,” Paul said. “I couldn’t be more proud of you, Rylan.”Rylan turned to him. “You saw that? How?”Paul chuckled and patted his shoulders. “I was there.”Rylan’s eyes almost bul
“Do you have jitters?” Detective Jain Reynolds asked. Rylan turned to surprise. “Of course not.”“Well, you’ve been talking about your thigh for the last two minutes.”“I’m just anxious.”Jain turned to him. “About what?”Rylan kept silent for a few minutes to think about it. “About this, I guess?”Jain scoffed at his words. “You’ve been in front of a crowd a million times. This is the same thing.”“Well not exactly. I’ve never been in front of a crowd filled with police officers.”Jain laughed at his words. “Rylan Daystar is being intimidated by a crowd of police officers. Who would have thought?”Rylan rolled his eyes and placed his hands before him. They were both standing in a room alone. In a few minutes, they would be taken outside to be handed the key to the city. Rylan wasn’t exactly sure why he was there. When Jain had first told him about this at the cafe? He quickly declined the offer. The city saw him as a hero. But he wasn’t. He had so many flaws that would prevent