The room fell silent, the weight of his presence stifling.“I asked a question” Eric said, his tone sharp and impatient. “What is the meaning of this commotion?”"Who said you could start a fight in my office"Eric West’s piercing eyes swept over the office, his expression a volatile mix of anger and suspicion as the room remained silent.The CEO of Western Steel stood tall, his presence dominating the room as he surveyed the scene.The sight of his COO, Woodrow Taft, the disheveled guards, and the strangers standing in his office was enough to set his jaw tightly.“What.. I ask again” Eric said, his voice sharp and cold “is going on here?”Woodrow was quick to step forward, smoothing his suit as he gestured toward Lisa, Lloyd, and Grace. “These... individuals are trespassers, Eric” he said, his tone oozing disdain “They were just about to be removed.”Eric’s eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting to the strangers in question. Before he could speak, the door burst open, and more security
The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed through the air, freezing everyone in place. Lisa’s scream pierced the silence as Grace crumpled to the ground, clutching her side.Blood seeped through her fingers, staining the pristine pavement of Western Steel’s entrance. “Grace!” Lisa cried, dropping to her knees beside her friend. Her hands trembled as she tried to stop the bleeding. “Oh my God! No, no, no!” Woodrow’s hand shook violently as he pointed the gun toward Lloyd, his face full of rage and desperation “You ruined me!” Lloyd moved swiftly, evading the next shot as Woodrow fired again. The bullet whizzed past his ear, but Lloyd was already closing the distance.He ducked low, grabbing Woodrow’s wrist and twisting it with precision. *CRACK!* Woodrow let out a scream of agony as the gun fell from his grasp, following his broken arm. Lloyd followed with a quick strike to the back of Woodrow’s knees, sending him crashing to the ground. “You’ve done enough,” Lloyd said coldly, hi
Lloyd and Lisa stepped into the Francis family home, the hum of conversation and faint clinking of glasses drawing them toward the living room.The luxurious cars outside had hinted at something unusual, even more so the tons of security guards that stood with those cars, but the sight that greeted them only deepened their confusion.Standing in the center of the room was Edgar Numa, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit. His expression radiated smugness as he gestured animatedly, speaking to Lisa’s grandfather, John, and her parents, Harold and Eleanor.Around him were several other men, likely more his guards, stationed near the door.The table in the corner was laden with extravagant gifts... fine wines, golden trinkets, and even a sealed envelope that Lloyd assumed contained the promised contract.Lisa frowned, stepping forward. “What’s going on here?”The room fell silent as Edgar turned to face her, his smirk widening. “wow... I know we haven't met, but I just know you're Lisa”
Lisa sat on the edge of the couch, her head buried in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks.The family’s rejection weighed heavily on her, and she struggled to steady her trembling voice.“How could you do this to me?” she sobbed, her words muffled “To us?”John stood by the fireplace, his wooden cane resting against his leg. His gaze was cold, unyielding “Because, Lisa” he said firmly “this isn’t about you... it’s about the family" John began."With the new contract, we have leverage like never before, if you marry Edgar Numa, we’ll secure even more wealth, even more influence, and even more connections, that man can elevate this family far beyond anything Simon could ever offer”Lisa’s head shot up, her tear-streaked face filled with disbelief “I don’t care about wealth or influence! I care about Simon... I care about what we’ve built together!”“You mean the contract you secured on your own?” Harold interjected, crossing his arms. His tone was cold and patronizing “Let’s n
I watched, from the tiny window of my closest, as my father, Anthony Bishop, stared down the barrel of gun, a look of pure defiance on his face.On the floor was my uncle Marcus, a man that was almost closer to me than my parents.He was killed earlier. I saw the man with the dragon tattoo smile wickedly, as he asked him “Any last words”“Run Lloyd, Run” were the last words my father spoke, as I burst out of the closet, running towards him.“NO!, DAD!” we're the last thing I said before the man pulled the trigger, and instantly, I was awoken from my nightmare.I placed a weary hand on my head as I panted heavily, my body drenched in sweat.I've had this recurring nightmare for the last 15 years, ever since I witnessed my family's massacre.Likewise, I always wondered what would have happened if I had tried to save my father that day, would it have made any difference?My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing.“Yes” I answered.“We found her Boss” said a voice on
Lloyd raised his arms up as he slowly walked out of the car. It didn't take him very long to understand what had just happened here, he had been set-up. It seemed that all that time that the driver had been staring at him while he was in the car, he was accessing him to see if he was wealthy, and thus, a notable victim. There were four assailants in front of him, two of them had a gun in their hand, with one pointing the gun directly at his face. While the other two didn't have guns, they did have knives on them. Lloyd would spot the driver lounging casually on one of the buildings in the alleyway. His head was slightly bowed down, and he showed a relative lack of interest in the robbery that was currently ensuing. It was as if he just wanted the robbery to be over with, so he could leave the area immediately. Lloyd sighed at the current situation he currently found himself in. Not even an hour since he returned to Hilburg, and he was already suffering the consequence
Simon Harland stepped in front of the line of young men with a smile on his face.Attempting to analyze him, everyone had their eyes on him.Who was this unfortunate and unremarkable man who had chosen to be stuck with Lisa Francis.Mia remained in the corner of the hall room, glancing at the man who had just won her hand in marriage.Lisa was one of these people who attempted to analyze Simon.He was a very conventionally handsome man… a lot younger than she expected, Tall, dark hair, and in a perfect black suit.Lisa was frankly glad it was him and not an unattractive older man.But she still felt uncomfortable, I mean, did she really deserve a man as handsome as Simon in her current state?“Don't be rude Mia, go meet the man you'll spend your remaining… however long you have left, with” beckoned, Eleanor, scoffing.At this point, the other suitors had left the hall room, and Timothy looked on as Mia slowly rolled her wheelchair towards him.Lisa let out plenty of heavy coughs, caus
"Are you sure it's him boss" asked Ivan, his face held some doubt."Without a doubt" replied Lloyd.Lloyd couldn't believe that he had not recognized him, probably due to how beat up and decrepit he looked.He didn't know if he should consider this his lucky day, or one of the most unfortunate days of his life.One of the many goals he had when he came back to this city was reuniting with his old friend group, and Jacob was one of them.This was probably fate that had brought Jacob right to him, despite how unfortunate the situation was.He knew that the next logical step would be to find Jacob once again, link up with him, and then use him to gain as much information on the events that had transpired in Hilburg since his departure.But he knew that finding Jacob in a dangerous city like Hilburg wouldn't be easy at all.Despite having the man's ID with an address on the front, Lloyd knew that this didn't mean anything.Judging by the way Jacob looked in his ID photograph, he was much