Curtis was trying to keep up morale and prevent the Stanton family trip from being a complete failure. They still had to spend the entire night on that paradise island, and he feared for the lives of others, and even feared for his own life. This family couldn't be together without something bad happening.The immense and elegant yacht finally arrived at a wooden dock very similar to the one they had departed from. Night had already fallen, and the entire island was illuminated majestically. It was quite a visual spectacle in the middle of nowhere."We've arrived," Curtis shouted once the yacht stopped."Did we really arrive?" Ander said very excitedly.Ander was the first to disembark and be amazed by the beauty of the island that Curtis had specially prepared for the Stanton family.Curtis followed Ander, and both stood on the wooden dock to admire all that nocturnal beauty."It's beautiful," Ander expressed with his eyes illuminated by those lights that stood out in the darkness of
Ander clenched his fists tightly due to anger. His nails cut into the flesh of his palms, making them bleed a little. Tears crystallized in his eyes, wanting to escape, but he somehow managed to hold back the urge to cry.He was trembling with rage at the feeling of helplessness that engulfed him. He couldn't do anything as his brothers sailed away on that boat, mocking him and calling him a bastard. It was the greatest humiliation he had ever experienced, and it was also a very clear indicator that they would never accept him as part of the family.It didn't matter that Joseph had given him his last name before he died. Ander would never be a Stanton. There was still too much goodness in his heart, and to belong to that family, one had to be heartless and ruthless. Even Curtis had been losing his good side and had been doing deplorable things."I promise you, they will pay for this," Ander vowed, even though no one could hear him, and he was completely alone.Now he just had to worry
15 MINUTES BEFORE.The boat carrying the Stanton siblings arrived at the wooden dock in front of the luxurious beach hotel. Campbell turned off the engine, and the boat came to a complete stop for them to disembark."That was so much fun," laughed Agatha hysterically as they helped her off the boat."Did you see the expression on that damn bastard's face when he opened his eyes and saw us riding the boat?" Campbell roared with laughter, hugging his own stomach.Carson was the only one not laughing. He was solely focused on tying the boat to the dock with a thick rope to secure it."Didn't you find it funny, Carson?" Agatha hoped that with this question, Carson would also let out some laughter or chuckle so they could all mock Ander for being Joseph Stanton's illegitimate son."Yeah... it was quite amusing," Carson replied expressionlessly. Despite claiming to support Agatha and Campbell's prank, he didn't seem to be enjoying it as much as they were."Carson has matured, that's what it
Ander ran out of that place as fast as he could. His surprise was quite disturbing, and he wanted to get to the hotel as soon as possible to forget about the terrible night he had experienced.At the same time, Carson continued to follow Ámbar from a distance. He followed her into the hotel, but there he lost track of her.There were many hallways and staircases. Ámbar could have entered any room. The question was why she would want to enter a room that wasn't hers.Carson was about to give up when he noticed Ámbar's perfume lingering in the air. A faint fragrance could be sensed in the atmosphere. It was very subtle, but there was no doubt that it was the perfume he had gifted to his wife.Carson began to use his sense of smell as if he were a police dog tracking some kind of drug. In some hallways, the fragrance became very faint and difficult to track, so he had to guess the path his wife had taken.He continued like this until, for some strange reason, he arrived right at the room
Carson immediately stopped and stared at Ander with distrust."How did you return so quickly?" Carson asked Ander."Return? What do you mean?" Curtis asked, puzzled.Ander didn't respond. He just lowered his gaze and remained silent while standing there under the doorway."What did you do to Ander?" Curtis demanded, his attitude changing."I didn't do anything. We just went for a little walk as brothers," Carson replied expressionlessly."Agata and Campbell were involved too. I should have guessed from the beginning," Curtis said."I walked back. My shoes are filled with sand," Ander confessed, crestfallen. "When I got to the hotel, I could see Amber very upset asking for you, Carson. She's at the chalet," he informed.Carson moved his lips from side to side. He wasn't sure if he could trust Ander after what he had done against him."Didn't you hear?" Curtis said, indicating that Ander had given him the needed information. "Your wife is at the chalet. So, I ask you to leave my room im
Amber walked slowly down that long and extensive hallway that disappeared into the distance. It was a solitary and silent corridor. There was no one who could prevent her commitment to Carson that night. It was her duty as a wife to surrender to Carson without making any excuses.There was only one small problem. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about Curtis every second. That spontaneous kiss replayed itself over and over in front of her eyes as if it were a romantic movie.But often in life, all that remains is to sigh and move on."Come on, Amber. You have to forget about Curtis," said Amber, reprimanding herself for that attitude.Amber reached the door of the room she shared with her husband on this trip, and there she sighed deeply.She lifted her face and gathered the courage to open that door. She placed her hand on the handle and turned it slowly.The door opened, and the light from the hallway illuminated the inside of the room."Carson?" Amber swallowed that lump in her thro
The next day, the world's most important bank opened its doors. It was the largest banking institution that existed, famous for lending immense sums of money to big magnates and important individuals when they faced economic problems.The last place in the world any millionaire would want to visit."Alright... Here we are," said Prince Rick Carusi once he saw the bank doors opening.The prince adjusted his elegant and expensive suit as he gathered courage to enter the bank."Are you sure you don't want to wait a couple of minutes?" his assistant Linder asked, still seated on the curb."I don't understand. They just opened their doors. We can go in now," the prince replied, confused."Exactly! They just opened. We don't want them to think we're desperate, and if we go in as soon as they open, they'll realize we spent the night here," explained Linder."Damn it!" the prince immediately knew his assistant was right. "But if we wait too long, others might get ahead, and then it will be ha
The prince and Linder were thrown out of that bank as if they were just ordinary humans. Rick Carusi needed an explanation immediately. So he went to his father to demand the truth about what was happening.It took them a while to return to the palace because they were traveling by bus and covering their faces to avoid being recognized.Upon arriving, they found a huge paper stuck to the main entrance of the castle.It was an ultimatum threatening to expropriate the property if the owners did not pay soon.The prince took that paper and looked at it more closely while Linder looked at Rick in disbelief."It can't be. The bank manager was telling the truth," said Rick Carusi, totally surprised."What are you going to do now?" Linder asked."I need to confront my father," confessed Rick."Remember that your father is very ill," reminded Linder so that Rick would be careful."Don't worry. I just need to know what the hell is going on," said Prince Rick as he opened the palace door.Rick
Campbell watched with concern the news of his mother's arrest on his cell phone as he prepared for the flight where he would escape with Dany.Dany noticed Campbell's demeanor and immediately took his hand to comfort him."We can't look back," Dany said, "I know just the thing to cheer you up."Dany went to the airplane minibar and grabbed a bottle of champagne, perfectly chilled. Without hesitation, she uncorked it in front of Campbell, letting the bubbly foam cascade everywhere, soaking the red carpet beneath their feet.It was all laughter, hugs, and kisses until a voice amplified by a megaphone wiped the smiles off their faces instantly."Campbell Stanton, step out of the plane with your hands on your head," the police chief's voice echoed through the megaphone.Campbell and Dany peered out the window to see an entire army of international special police agents on the runway, aiming their firearms directly at the plane.Curtis returned to the Stanton mansion safe and sound, as he
Charles Ballmer laughed maniacally. He couldn't believe that he had finally ended the life of the wretched Curtis Stanton. He had always known he would kill him since the day Curtis had used him as a stool alongside Araña years ago.His escorts also laughed, pleased to see that their boss had finally gotten what he wanted. However, things changed in an instant. A shot came out of nowhere, hitting one of the escorts directly in the forehead, killing him immediately. Another shot hit the leg of another escort, and that's when everyone finally reacted, starting to shoot in all directions without knowing where the shots were coming from.Charles Ballmer crouched down and quickly sought shelter from the gunfire while continuing to give orders."Shoot! Shoot at anything that moves!" Charles shouted, hiding behind one of the containers.Curtis was also crawling on the floor, completely unharmed by the shots Charles Ballmer had just fired at him.Immediately, the dock was filled with internat
The limousine slowly came to a stop in front of the Stanton mansion, and Agatha looked through the window while accompanied by Angeline."Welcome to your true home," said Agatha as the gigantic gate opened to allow the limousine to pass.Both were personally greeted by Curtis.Agatha quickly got out of the limousine and ran to hug Curtis."What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay on the island and take care of Angeline," Curtis reprimanded."He came back, Curtis. He managed to find me," Agatha confessed, terrified, with a look of fear in her eyes."That's impossible!" Curtis exclaimed."I know, I know. But he did it. He reached the hotel and chased me up the stairs. He said Angeline was his daughter and that he had the right to know her," Agatha said, unable to stop crying."You are safe now," Curtis comforted her with a kiss on the forehead."Daddy!" Angeline exclaimed, hugging her father's leg while Alfred carried Agatha's suitcases."Hello, my love," Curtis greeted with
“Curtis?” said Beth, peeking onto the balcony, “I finally found you. I've been searching all over the mansion for you.”“I was reminiscing about the view from this magnificent balcony,” Curtis replied.“Remembering old times, I imagine.”“Exactly in this spot, I stood the day Baxter went crazy and killed Lucius for no reason,” commented Curtis, fully aware that Beth was the culprit. However, he never pointed the finger at her directly.Beth immediately understood the accusatory remark and simply smiled to keep up the pretense.“It’s a real shame that such a beautiful place brings such bitter memories to your mind,” Beth responded.“No, not at all. It’s the perfect occasion to remember the inexplicable things that only happen in the Stanton mansion. Ander died and no one knows a thing about what happened. It’s exactly the same with Lucius and Baxter,” Curtis remarked sarcastically. “These elegant walls hold mysteries that the world has no clue about.”Beth only responded with a feigned
Agatha couldn't believe it. That man had found her and surely wanted to harm her and her young daughter. She could expect anything from Prince Rick at that moment. It was impossible to trust someone who had abandoned her and stolen all her money."Let's go, Angeline. We need to go back," Agatha said, terrified, taking her young daughter by the arm to return to the elevator."Agatha!" Prince Rick shouted, rising from his seat when he saw that Agatha wanted to flee from him.However, the elevator had already closed again and was on the upper floors. No matter how many times Agatha pressed the buttons, the door simply wouldn't open.Agatha watched with concern as Rick quickly crossed the entire lobby to reach where she was."Let's go through the stairs," Agatha said, picking up her young daughter and carrying her to move much faster.She was forced to walk a bit further to her right to enter the door leading to the hotel's stairs. She tried to move as quickly as possible without drawing
The next day, all the media outlets were abuzz with a story that went global in a matter of minutes.Ander Stanton, the youngest member of the powerful Stanton family, had been found completely charred inside the remains of a limousine that had been intentionally set on fire. He was found alongside a girl, also charred, who, for some strange reason, had a chain tied around her neck.This news plunged the Stanton family into mourning and called into question the performance of the city's police authorities. The citizens were alarmed. If something like this could happen to someone as important as Ander Stanton, what could an ordinary citizen expect?"That's common in this city. People are murdered like that every day. It's just that now it's someone rich, and that makes the difference," said an old woman being interviewed on television while Charles Ballmer and Beth Aldress watched.They were both completely naked and sitting in a hot tub. Charles was enjoying a cigar while Beth just re
Ander lost all the harshness in his voice and his bravery vanished as if by magic. Now he was just a scared and cowardly child, trembling like jelly in front of what seemed like a ghost from the past."Annie..." Ander sobbed, a mix of lament and high-pitched cry.He began to sweat profusely, and tears streamed down his face like waterfalls as he remained in disbelief. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.Annie was there, staring at him face to face. However, she seemed unresponsive. Somehow, Charles Ballmer had managed to destroy her feelings and emotions. Everything that Annie once was had been erased from her mind forever. Now she was just a kind of pet that only served to wag her tail when her master, Charles Ballmer, came home tired from work."What did that bastard do to you?" Ander said, crying like a child.He took the chain that bound Annie's neck and noticed it was made of very resistant material. Perhaps that was why she had never managed to escape. Or maybe Charle
Ander woke up again in the middle of the night due to a horrible recurring nightmare that he had over and over again. Annie's face and voice tormented him during his dreams, preventing him from resting. Since it happened, Ander hadn't been able to sleep peacefully on any of the following nights."You're a damn coward," he told himself to gather the courage to go on with his life.His idea was to convince himself that he had chosen well by showing loyalty to Charles Ballmer. After all, Annie had brought that horrible end upon herself. However, the nightmares and the bitter taste in his mouth didn't go away with anything. Maybe it was something he had to learn to live with.The next day, everything returned to normal at the Stanton mansion. Beth walked proudly around the mansion, not missing any opportunity to rub her triumph in Curtis' face.However, Curtis was locked in his room with no desire to come out. He just stared out the window while everyone else enjoyed the pool. Maybe they
"Congratulations," said Campbell innocently."I think you should be grateful he didn’t get your wife pregnant, idiot," Beth snapped angrily, while Campbell felt ashamed."My personal life with my wife is none of the business of anyone present," Curtis commented immediately, although, to be honest, he was still in shock."You’re right. We don’t care about the child of a bastard and a traitor," Beth said venomously, not caring that she was talking about her own grandchild."He will own everything you see," Curtis defended himself with a sharp comment."That reminds me," Beth stood up and began walking around the office, "the new company directors have been talking, and...""And what?" Curtis questioned."And we’re thinking of kicking you out of the business," Carson immediately attacked.Curtis smiled, letting out a bit of air in a half-laugh."That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard," Curtis said, smiling."We want to remove you from your duties as president of Stanton Enterpr