2024-04-26 06:40:10Aiden frowned at her words, but it quickly disappeared before it was seen. It was dark and raining heavily, there was no way he could leave since he didn’t have a car and hasn’t thought of place to stay, there was only one place he could run to but he wasn’t sure if it was still safe. He turned to the patriarch who was still looking in his direction with indifference. “I have to leave right away?” Aiden inquired.
The man nodded his head. “The five years are up and from now onwards, you would no longer be a part of our family so it is only right that you leave immediately. I won’t pursue what you did to my grandson.”Aiden felt conflicted. “But it’s late-”“And what does that got to do with us, why don’t you hurry out of here, we don’t have forever.” Ruby, his ex mother in law interrupted him. She couldn’t wait for him to leave.“My mother is right. Could you take your daughter and leave my house, and you must never return here.” Amelia said. “Okay, I hope you don’t regret your actions I’m the future,” With no other option, Aiden turned around and walked towards his daughter’s room. He carefully packed all of her things into a suitcase, all of them were bought by him so it wasn’t right to leave them behind, once he was done, he gently roused the sleeping girl awake. “Sweetie.”“Daddy?” Zia yawned as she sat up, she still looked very sleepy but she forced out a smile. “Is it morning yet? Is mummy here to see me?”“No honey,” He wondered how to break the news to her but soon decided against it. “You and I are going on a trip.”“Right now?” She looked at him suspiciously.“Yes. Just you and I.”“But it’s raining.”“I know, it’s important that we go right away or we might miss the best part.” “What about mummy?”“She would have to find us, we are going to play a game of hide and seek with her.” He lied to her once again. At the sound of the game, all sign of sleepiness disappeared from Zia’s eyes. “Okay!” she hurriedly got out of bed and slipped into her warm, comfortable bunny shoes. Aiden wore her a jacket to keep her warm, he found it hard to look her in the face since he was lying.After getting her dressed up properly, he grabbed the suitcase and led her to the guestroom where he had stayed for five years but there was no emotional attachment to it. All he had could hardly fill up a suitcase, so he moved all of Zia’s things into the suitcase. “Zia, when you meet your mummy soon, do not say anything to her or anyone else, we can’t let her find us easily, do you understand?”“Yes daddy. It would be a secret.”“That’s my smart girl.” He gently ruffled her hair. Holding the suitcase in one hand and Zia with the other, they both set out of the room towards the living room where the rest of the family are gathered. Zia was true to her words, she was smiling as they were leaving and never did she say a word to anyone. As they stepped out of the house into the pouring rain, Aiden carried his daughter with one hand, placing her face on his shoulder to shield her from the rain, then pulled the suitcase with his free hand. It had wheels so it’s was easy to drag along.It was dark and cold, no one could be seen on the streets, there were no taxis so under the pouring rain, Aiden could be seeing walking on the lonely road. Before he moved to the Reyes family, he had an apartment, he continued to renew the rent despite the fact that he wasn’t leaving in it. He still hoped that it was in a good shape for the night. It was quite a distance away from the Reyes mansion but Aiden was determined to walk the distance. “Daddy, I want to walk.” Zia’s teeth were chittering and she was also shivering.“Are you sure, honey? We would soon get to our hide out.” He tried to convince her otherwise.But she was insistent. “I’m a big girl, I want to walk.”Without an option, he had to place her down so she could walk besides him. As Aiden was about to grab the suitcase, he heard the roaring of engine coming to life. It was so sudden, and Aiden felt the impact of a car hitting him, throwing him off balance and him being slammed on the wet group. He heard Zia’s loud scream as he crashed to the ground. The car drove off immediately, with the driver leaving this words “You should only blame your luck!”Aiden carefully opened his eyes, he found the act of opening his eyelids very hard, coupled with the pain that was shooting from every corner of his body, he could only hiss in pain. When he could finally open his eyes, everything before him was blurry, he found it hard to breathe and his sides were hurting, which meant he must have broken at least a rib or two. “Daddy!” Zia rushed to his side, tears flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably.“Sweetie, I’m fine. You have to stop crying.” Aiden forced himself to sit up, and pulled her into his arms. Zia didn’t stop crying so Aiden had to keep hugging her, reassuring her for a long time.Moments later, he forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that was shooting from his sides. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from yelling out, he went to grab the suitcase continued his journey with Zia who still sobbed quietly.About an hour passed before the pair arrives before a small building, Aiden hurriedly fished out the key from his pocket. “We’re here.”
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter six
Aiden opened the door, the room was clean but it was very obvious that no one had lived there for a long time but it was very warm and cozy. Aiden helped Zia out of her wet clothes and wrapped her up in a clean blanket. “Sweetie, I’m going to run you a hot bath, do not move an inch from here.”“Yes Daddy.” Zia had already stopped crying, she was shivering from the cold and Aiden had wrapped her up like a burrito to warm her up. Her eyes were red and swollen and she was in a daze, completely traumatized by what had happened earlier. Nothing went wrong and soon Aiden tucked Zia in bed for the second time. “Daddy, are you okay?” She finally asked. Throughout the time Aiden bathed and dressed her up, she was still in a daze, like a puppet. Aiden didn’t know what to say or how to reassure her. “Yes honey, I’m fine,” She lied to her once again and she seemed to buy it. “We would stay here for a while and wait-” “Mummy isn’t coming.” Zia announced all of a sudden, catching her father unaw
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter seven
The nurse gave him an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry but there’s nothing I can do about it.”“Is this your hospital policy? That anyone who comes here should be refused treatment?” Aiden’s face was expressionless but on the inside he was breaking. He glanced at his daughter who was still unconscious and pale in his arms, clearly she was in a lot of pain. “Please do something, I can foot the bills.” “Are you sure about that?” A familiar person said in a sarcastic tone of voice, Caspian returned with a smirk on his face. “Do you think you’ll be able to pay for your daughter’s treatment now that you have no money?”Aiden was itching to throw a punch at him to wipe the sarcastic smile off his face but he restrained himself. “What did you do?”“Nothing much, just spoke to some people here, that’s all,” Then he burst into laughter. “Do you think I was simply going to let you off after what you did, it’s unfortunate that it’s a little girl’s life that’s on the line now. Tsk.”“I would take
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter eight
The sole purpose of the veil was to avoid drawing attention to herself and keep her identity a secret. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the front door.Aiden was surprised when he heard the knock, he wasn’t expecting anyone and he doubted if anyone knew him. Leaving Zia in the living room, he was in the bathroom to check his injuries. His sides were black and bruised as a result of the broken ribs. “Zia, check who’s at the door!”Zia stood up obediently upon hearing her father’s words. When she approached the door, she realized something. “Daddy, I can’t reach it.”Outside the door, the woman chuckled upon hearing Zia’s soft voice that sounded aggrieved. Aiden, left with no other option, wore a shirt and stepped out to meet his daughter. “Come here sweetie. Up.” He lifted Zia in his arms, softly hissing in pain.“Are you okay, Daddy?” Zia placed a finger in her mouth and pouted, a rare look of maturity on her face. “Yes, Daddy is fine.” Aiden reassured her before opening the doo
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter nine
Hours passed and Zia no longer had a fever by the time it was afternoon. She was sleeping peacefully so Aiden was finally relieved, he began to wonder about the woman’s identity and how she was aware of Zia’s illness. After making a lot of guesses, none of them seemed correct so he pushed the matter to the back of his mind. Opening his phone and checking his bank balance, there was just a measly three figure sum left which was only enough to get him and his daughter through one more day. “What do I do?” He placed his hands over his face in contemplation.There was a lot of things he hadn’t put into consideration. He couldn’t get a job without having someone look after Zia and even if he got one, Aiden wasn’t comfortable leaving Zia in the care of others. He had learnt the hard easy from the past and wasn’t willing to repeat the same mistake. He had to find a means to work from home.Like a light bulb brightened in his mind, Aiden grabbed his phone to check the stock market and starte
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter ten
The detective would cough blood in anger if he heard how the old man referred to him. “Aiden Romanov. That’s my name” Aiden smiled, for years he had been searching for his true identity, even though he had limited means. “I’m Lorenzo Romanov, the CEO and chairman of Romanov conglomerate.” Aiden was stunned, he blinked his eyes a few times. Even though he didn’t watch the news, Aiden had heard a few things about the prestigious families in New York, with Romanov as the number one. “Cool right?” The old man laughed in happiness, seeing the stunned expression on his grandson’s face. “I guess that’s why he needs a lot of bodyguards.” Aiden thought out loud, seeing the darkened expression on Lorenzo’s face, he gasped. “Oops. I didn’t mean-”“You brat!” Lorenzo was fuming as he got to his feet. “Since I’ve found you, I can now retire to my private island and leave all the responsibilities to you.” The way Lorenzo’s expression could change in seconds amused Aiden. One minute he could be
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter Eleven
Walking through the exquisite halls of the mall, Aiden trailed behind the attendant, who led him to the private room where he would be selecting a jade bracelet for Zia. His heart pounded with a mix of pride and defiance. Amelia and her aunt had humiliated him just moments ago, their eyes gleaming with the cruel certainty that he couldn’t afford anything from these high-end stores. They weren't wrong, of course. Aiden couldn't actually afford anything there; in fact, he was still in awe of everything himself. He replayed the scene in his mind. Amelia's condescending smirk and her aunt’s derisive laughter vanished the moment he held out the platinum gold card. For once, he felt a surge of pride. It wasn't just about the money; it was about proving them wrong, about showing them that he wasn't as worthless as they had believed. He could almost hear the echo of Amelia's gasp, see the disbelief etched into her face. She hadn’t expected this. She never did. But now, at least this once,
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter twelve
The lady who had admired Aiden earlier spoke again, her voice filled with admiration. “I think I’m already in love with him.” Aiden said nothing, letting their whispers wash over him as he followed Lorenzo. For the first time, he felt special, seen in a way he never had before. It was a stark contrast to the closest thing to feeling special he had known—serving drinks at the bar, where customers looked up to him to be served. But this, this was different. It was powerful, being defended and valued by someone like Lorenzo. They turned the corner and headed back towards the private room where Amelia and her aunt were waiting. Lorenzo’s presence was like a force of nature, commanding attention and respect. Aiden could feel the weight of every eye on them as they walked, a mixture of curiosity and fear for what he was capable of doing next. As they approached the room, Lorenzo’s pace quickened. He pushed the door open with a force that made it swing back on its hinges and stormed ins
The formidable Aiden Romanov Chapter thirteen
"No, son, just gather whatever you have and join us in the car. We're going home, where you belong," Lorenzo said firmly. Aiden wanted to insist on staying in the apartment with Zia, not wanting to subject them to a life they had just escaped. But with all the guards around and Zia in Lorenzo's care, any attempt to resist would be futile. He didn’t want to do anything stupid. He turned towards the apartment and grabbed the luggage he had brought in a few days ago, gathered Zia’s medications, and some snacks from the grocery bag they had received. On his way out, he dropped the fresh perishable supplies at the doorstep of one of his old neighbors who doubled as their gardener. The guards took the luggage from him to the car, and one hurried to open the car door for him to step in. It all looked like a dream too good to be true. As it was getting late, Aiden asked that they stop somewhere for dinner so Zia could eat and take her medication, anticipating that she would already be as
Latest Chapter
chapter 119
Aiden leaned over the table in the safehouse, his fingers tracing the map spread out before him. The docks, the industrial warehouses, and the surrounding areas were marked with pins and annotations. The intel about the upcoming shipment was either a trap or an opportunity. Either way, Aiden couldn’t ignore it. "Here’s the play," he began, his voice low but commanding. His team—James, Katarina, and the rest of the crew—listened intently. "We’ll let Orlov think we’re taking the bait. If it’s a real shipment, we hit it hard and cripple his supply chain. If it’s a trap, we spring it on our terms." Katarina crossed her arms, her expression skeptical. "And how do we ensure it doesn’t blow up in our faces? Orlov’s not stupid—he knows you’ll come for this." Aiden met her gaze, his voice steady. "That’s why we don’t go for the shipment directly. We use decoys. James, you and a small team will run a fake assault on the main route. Make it loud enough to draw their attention." James nod
Chapter 118
The command center hummed with quiet efficiency. Monitors displayed live feeds from across the city: surveillance cameras, drone footage, and intercepted communications. Orlov paced in front of the largest screen, his mind whirring with strategy. The explosion at the docks had sent a clear message, but it wasn’t enough. Aiden Romanov had survived worse, and Orlov knew his opponent well enough to anticipate retaliation. He turned to Viktor, who was reviewing the list of assets and potential targets. "We need to force Romanov into a position where he can’t think clearly. Fear, Viktor, is the greatest weapon. And Romanov’s greatest fear lies not in losing a fight but in losing the people he loves." Viktor hesitated. "You mean Silvana and the child?" Orlov’s smirk was cold. "Precisely. They are his Achilles’ heel. Romanov thrives on control, and nothing shatters control like the threat of harm to those he holds dear."He motioned for one of his tech operatives to step forward. The
Chapter 117
The docks loomed ahead, shrouded in fog and silence. Aiden led his team through the maze of shipping containers, his senses heightened by the tension in the air. Every creak of the metal structures, every distant clang of a crane, felt amplified as if the night itself were holding its breath. “Comms check,” Aiden whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the distant waves. “All clear,” James responded, perched on a container with his laptop, hacking into the dock’s security feeds. “Moving into position,” Katarina added, her tone calm yet charged with anticipation. She was leading the diversion team to draw Orlov’s men away from the cargo ship. Aiden’s team consisted of himself, James, and Nikolai—though Aiden still harbored doubts about Nikolai’s loyalty. His gut told him to keep a close eye on the man, but for now, he needed every hand he could get. They reached the edge of the dock, where the cargo ship loomed like a dark behemoth. Its lights were dim, the shad
Chapter 116
Aiden stood in the war room, a somber expression on his face as he traced his finger over a map of Orlov’s known operations. The team gathered around him, their wounds still fresh from the recent ambush. The air was thick with tension, but it was laced with determination. “We’ve been on the back foot for too long,” Aiden began, his voice steady but laced with anger. “Orlov thinks he’s outplayed us, but this time, we’re going to be the ones setting the trap.” James leaned forward, his laptop open. “We’ve mapped out his network,” he said, pulling up a web of interconnected nodes. “This command center he lured us to—it’s not his primary base. He has a second, more fortified location near the docks.” Katarina crossed her arms, her sharp eyes scanning the map. “So, we hit the docks? Or is that another trap?” Aiden shook his head. “If Orlov is there, we can’t wait for confirmation. We’ll need to move with precision, but not without a plan to cover every possibility. We’re done walki
chapter 115
Orlov paced the dimly lit chamber of his backup command center, the faint hum of machinery filling the air. His failure to trap Aiden at the warehouse had stung more than he was willing to admit. The man had always been resourceful, but this level of persistence, this sharpness, felt almost personal. His top lieutenant, Viktor, stood nearby, reviewing the aftermath reports. "They hit us hard, sir," Viktor said, his voice carefully measured. "We lost critical supplies and several high-ranking men. The team was swift and precise, like they knew our movements beforehand." Orlov's jaw tightened. "Of course, they knew," he muttered, his voice like venom. "Romanov has someone feeding him information. It's the only explanation." He slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the nearby monitors. "This ends now," he hissed. "Enough of these games. If Romanov wants to hunt me, I’ll make him regret it. We’ll hit him where it hurts most." Viktor hesitated. "What are you suggesting, sir?"
Chapter 114
Orlov was silent as he stared at the monitors in his command center. The live footage of the chaos caused by Aiden and his team flickered on the screens before him. His guards lay incapacitated, his carefully constructed defenses breached, and his lower-level systems compromised. The calm exterior he maintained belied the storm brewing beneath the surface.His lieutenant, Viktor, stood beside him, rigid and uneasy. “They’ve crippled our lockdown protocols,” Viktor said cautiously. “Our communications are exposed, and our tactical advantage has been diminished.”Orlov turned slowly, his cold eyes locking onto Viktor. “Diminished, but not lost,” he said, his voice icy yet calm. “Aiden Romanov and his merry band of fools have underestimated what happens when you provoke a wounded animal.”He leaned against the edge of the table, his fingers steepled in thought. The tension in the room was palpable as he calculated his next move. Then, with chilling resolve, he issued his commands.“Activ
Chapter 113
The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the glowing screens of laptops and tablets spread across the table. Aiden leaned forward, studying the holographic blueprint of Orlov’s command center. The building was a fortress, surrounded by high walls, multiple guard posts, and an advanced surveillance system. “This is insane,” Silvana said, her voice heavy with concern. “There’s no way we can get in without setting off every alarm in the city.” “We’re not going in through the front door,” Aiden replied, his tone resolute. “Orlov’s security is focused on keeping threats out, but every system has a weak point. We just have to find it.” Katarina, seated to his left, pointed to the blueprint. “What about the ventilation shafts? They’re narrow, but they could provide a way in.” “Too risky,” James said, his voice crackling through the comms. “Orlov’s likely installed motion sensors and heat detectors in the vents. You’d be caught before you made it ten feet.” Aiden
Chapter 112
The warehouse exploded in a fiery cascade, sending shockwaves through the surrounding industrial district. Aiden and his team were already several blocks away, hidden in the shadows of an abandoned alley. The force of the blast lit up the night sky, and the sound of sirens in the distance signaled the authorities were on their way. Aiden crouched behind a rusted dumpster, catching his breath. His heart pounded against his chest as he glanced at Silvana, who was busy wiping soot from her face. Katarina leaned against the wall, her expression grim, while Nikolai kept a wary eye on the road. “That was... louder than expected,” Silvana muttered, adjusting her comms. “It had to be,” Aiden replied, his voice steady but low. “We needed to send Orlov a message—and buy ourselves time.” Katarina let out a sharp breath, tossing her empty pistol magazine to the ground. “We sent a message, alright. But now Orlov knows we’re targeting his supply lines. He’ll retaliate, and it won’t be subtl
Chapter 111
Aiden paced back and forth in the dimly lit warehouse where Nikolai had parked the decoy truck. The air smelled of rust and oil, and the flickering fluorescent lights above cast long, restless shadows across the room. Silvana and Katarina stood nearby, sifting through the contents of the crates with grim determination. “This doesn’t add up,” Aiden muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Why would Orlov risk exposing these weapons just to throw us off? There has to be something we’re missing.” “He’s stalling us,” Katarina said, her voice sharp. She tapped the lid of one crate with the butt of her gun. “This whole thing is too clean. There’s no tracking, no additional intel—nothing that ties these weapons back to his bigger operations.” Silvana nodded, holding up what looked like a blueprint for the weapon designs. “These are prototypes. High-tech, yes, but not functional. Orlov’s pulling a bait-and-switch.” Nikolai, leaning against the truck, crossed his arms defensively. “
