Brown exclaimed. “What was that for?” He asked, holding his gut. “You are asking me?” Jennet shouted, her face twisted in fury. “I am going to kill you. She said, diving at him with her hands outstretched. “Control yourself Jennet”. Jake said, holding her back. “This is your son, and I need to remind you that you're outside, and you could draw unnecessary attention to yourself” He said. Looking around her, Jennet realized that people were already taking out their phones to record her, so she backed off. “You just had to open your big mouth, you drunkard”! She whispered quietly through gritted teeth. “But you're my mother”! Brown said unhappily. “Shut up this instant”! Jennet replied, causing him to recoil in fear. “Jake, we have to do something about this”. She said. “And what do you suggest we do”? Jake asked with a raised eyebrow. “We should do everything in our power to make life difficult for that ungrateful old man, Gabriel”. She spat in anger. “He's just in his mid-fifti
Bennet arrived at his company angrier than he had ever been in a very long time. “Welcome back sir”. The secretary said as he walked into his office. “Get lost”! He snapped back in annoyance before opening the door to his office and walking through it. Dumping his suitcase onto his chair, he walked up to his small bar in his office and picked a beer from his fridge. “How did things turn out like that”? He asked himself with a sigh as he took a swing out of the bottle. “Everything was going perfectly, and Mr Gabriel just had to come back from the dead”! He said in annoyance before smashing his beer bottle on the wall and picking up another one. “Sir, is everything alright”? His secretary poked her head into his office with concern on her face. “Everything is alright, now get out”! He bellowed with her, shrinking her head back in fright. As if a lightbulb had gone off in his head, Bennet called her back. “Actually, get someone to clean up that mess”. He said, pointing at the pieces
“What”?! Bennet exclaimed. “What are they coming here for”? He asked.“Sir, I don't know, but they were adamant about seeing you”. Grace said.“Get the security to send them out”! He bellowed.“I wouldn't do that if I were you”. A voice said. Looking behind Grace, he saw Elena and Margaret walking into his office.“What are you both doing here? Didn't I make it clear to you that I do not want to have anything to do with you, Elena”? He asked with a scowl.“Do you want to explain to the person that just left your office”? Margaret asked with a smirk.“What are you talking about”? Bennet asked.Margaret smiled before replying. “We saw who just left and, if my memory serves me correctly, that person is probably working for some sort of crime undercover.“That's enough”! Bennet interrupted. “You can leave now, Grace”. He said to his secretary.As soon as Grace bowed and left, Bennet turned to Margaret and Elena. “What do you both want”? He asked.Smiling triumphantly, Margaret walked up to
Mark arrived at the head office of his father's company; Quantum Edge Technologies. Stepping out of his brand-new limousine before handing his car keys to the chauffeur.Exhaling with a satisfied smile on his face, he entered the company with the employees bowing down to him as he walked past them.“Welcome young master”. They all said one after the other with him acknowledging their greetings with a nod of his head.“Where is my father”? He asked one of the surrounding employees.“He should be in the boardroom”.Mark might not be extremely good-looking, but he had a natural air of confidence someone would expect from a person of his power and status. He was built like a Greek god with his chest muscles showing from behind his loosely buttoned shirt.Arriving at the boardroom door, he opened it and walked into a meeting involving his father and a handful of shareholders in his father's company.“Son, you're here”. His father, Mr Gabriel said, turning to look at him.“Yes father”. Mark
Jennet sat down in her sitting room with a huge bottle of gin in her hand as she tried watching the television.She was dead drunk and depressed and could barely make out the words that were being said on the screen. She had just watched the news of Mr Gabriel making Mark the new CEO, and she felt a deep sense of despair.“Everything is gone”! She muttered drunkenly to herself. “Why did that man have to come back to life”? She asked herself as she took a swing from the bottle with some of its contents dripping down from the sides of her mouth.“Mum, what are you muttering to yourself about”? Brown asked, as he sat down beside his mother, but Jennet ignored him.“You're even drinking”! He shouted. “Give it to me, I need to drink too”. He said as he tried dragging the bottle out of her hands, only for Jennet to turn away from him.“Mum, you can't finish it”! He shouted.“Says who”? Jennet replied drunkenly. “I got this drink and I will finish it”! She said before taking another mouthful
It's been almost a week since Mark assumed the role of CEO of Quantum Edge technologies. Everything had been smooth sailing for him, with him having to grant interviews to countless television houses and radio stations.As a result, his company's stocks were steadily increasing, and they were almost at the same level they were before Mr Gabriel, his father, left it before he was announced dead.Meanwhile, Jennet, Bennet, Elena, Margaret and Brown were sitting down in a high-class restaurant with all of them feeling nervous and a little scared.They were meeting Mr right hand today and even though Bennet was the only one that was supposed to meet up with him, Bennet asked for the permission of Mr right hand with the excuse that they all shared a common enemy, so that the man would have no problem letting them attend.“Are you sure he's coming”? Margaret asked in fear.“Of course”! Bennet replied. “I doubt he is the kind to decide not to come after making an appointment, so he is defini
“Okay”. The right-hand man said with confusion on his face. “Does anyone have anything else to say”? He asked.“Well, I would like to be reinstalled in the company”. Jennet said.“You mean Quantum Edge Technologies''? The right hand asked.“Exactly”! Jennet replied. “I and Mr Gabriel, that ungrateful man, toiled and made that company what it is today, so he has no right to cut me off completely”! She snarled in response.“But, it is my understanding that his company was already well known when you both met”. The right-hand man said with a confused expression.“That is true, but I also contributed to its success”! Jennet replied.“I dislike Mr Gabriel and Mark like everyone else here, but all you did was look pretty for the cameras and attend parties”. Bennet said with a frown.“Okay, that's enough”. The right-hand man said, interrupting them. “So I take it that you'll need my help for that”? He asked Jennet.Nodding with delight on her face, Jennet replied. “Yes, I will need the help o
Bennet, Elena, Margaret, Jennet and Brown left the restaurant as soon as the meeting had concluded, feeling giddy.“Things are looking good for us”. Brown said excitedly.“For once, I agree with you”. Bennet said with a nod. “At least we have a direction, and we don't feel so exposed anymore”.“Hold on”. Bennet said, stopping them. “How about I take you all clubbing”? He asked.“Where”? Margaret asked. “Hope you won't take us to some low-class clubhouse”. She responded.In response, Bennet chuckled dryly. “All of you seem to forget that I'm actually not a random person and I have access to some places you'll primarily not get into”.“What are you driving at”? Elena asked.“I have a place that we can get into on short notice”. Bennet replied.“And where is that”? Elena asked.“Have you guys heard of the sleeping jewel”? He asked with a smirk.“I've always dreamed of going clubbing there”! Brown said excitedly. “But despite trying several times, they never let me in”. He added dejectedl
EPILOGUE : A YEAR LATER The courtroom was filled with apprehension and tension. From a mile away, one could observe and note the seriousness of the faces, how enraptured they seemed to be. The silence in the courtroom could be broken by just a pin drop, and everyone was rapt with attention, staring at the judge, the jury, the hideous criminal with beautiful eyes, slender waist, a beautiful body and the prettiest of faces, but with a heart darker than the devil's. The entire city was out for her, and everybody in the room was dying for justice to take its course. The entire courtroom was filled to the brim, and even from the outside, people were peering through the windows. It was the largest court in the city, but the turn up had been so massive that people had to look from the windows. That was the kind of reception that Karen Shapiro had garnered. A lot of people had heard her story, the murders she had committed, and how she had controlled the underworld of crime. She wa
In the days that followed, Jenett Darius felt as if she was living in a dream. She could barely respond to questions that were thrown her way, and she knew it made the chief of police genuinely worried because of the agreement she had made to testify against Karen Shapiro in the court. How was she going to be able to do that when her purpose of living was no more? When her son was no more, the child that she had birthed hadn't even lived to experience the remorse that she was feeling? The removal of the guilt that had filled her chest by turning herself in? On a sunny Monday morning, she was shocked to find the chief of police opening the door to her cell. She jolted awake, and so did Margaret Woods. She had barely spoken to Margaret since she had heard the news of her son's death, and all she had wanted was for death to snatch her too. But no matter how much she wished for it, it never seemed to come. Death knew that it wasn't time for her to go, and it was playing its part by r
But Karen Shapiro was in no state to do what she had conjured in her mind. She was brought down by a simple Roundhouse kick, and her head was pinned to the floor as the cold metal of the handcuffs clamped on her wrists. Karen Shapiro was bundled back into her room, just like the common criminal she was. ********* When Mark Darius came to consciousness, he instantly found out that his side was hurting and that he was in a hospital. The dream he had been having was the same one that had tormented him during the previous nights, Karen Shapiro pursuing him endlessly with a knife, her screams making him terrified and making him perspire profusely. By the time he managed to sit up in the white, comfortable bed he was in, he was covered in a sheen of sweat. He also acknowledged immediately that the bed he was lying in wasn't his, and that his room didn't have a speck of blue in it. He had always been a green and orange color person from the start. And those were the colors that flound
When Karen Shapiro came to consciousness, the first thing she recognized was the continuous beeping of the heart monitor machine next to her and the needle that was in her skin. Her head felt as if it had been pounded upon severally and her eyes wanted to close of their own accord. Where was she? What had happened to her? For all she knew about her being in a blue and white room that stank of drugs and antiseptic, she knew within her that she was missing something. Something was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be in the room that she was, and she knew it. But she couldn't place it. At that same moment, the door opened, revealing a nurse in a white uniform that bore kind, brown eyes. Her hair was covered with a nursing cap, and when she smiled, it was cheerful and broad, seeming to light up the whole room. It made Karen Shapiro smile slightly even though she clearly didn't want to, even though her head felt as if a thousand nails had been drilled into it. The nurse proceeded
Swallowing, he spoke those dreaded words that Jenett Darius heard in her nightmares for days, those words that seemed to stick in her mind, that had left a firm imprint in her soul. “I'm afraid your son has been found dead amongst the bodies of the dead in the aftermath of the Splendid bar shooting. He was alive when the ambulance left the bar, but he was confirmed dead on arrival at the hospital. He died from several gunshot wounds.” He paused, and Jenett Darius could only hear the blood pounding in her ears and the hammering of her chest. She couldn't believe it, she was hoping it wasn't true. But it was reality, the cuffs on her hands were real and the chief was still standing in front of her. “I'm sorry that I'm the one that has come to you bearing this sad news, Miss Jenett. I wish I could take it back, but it has already happened.” When she didn't speak, he ventured further, touching her lightly on the shoulder. It was clear that he wanted her to say something, to at least
As soon as he struck Karen Shapiro on the head with the heavy box, he knew that he had only a few seconds before he would totally black out. And that was why without wasting a precious second, Mark Darius made his way to the phone in Derek Campton's hand. Without skipping a beat, he dialed the popular emergency line, his hands trembling. The amount of blood he had lost was going to determine if he got to live or not, and Mark Darius knew that he had lost quite a lot of blood. “911, what's your emergency?” Smiling, Mark Darius was slowly embracing the darkness that was enveloping him. He was fighting to stay alive, he was fighting death, the darkness, and even though it looked bleak, he was sure that he was going to win. He was going to say his location before the darkness enveloped him completely. It had been quite a long day, and Mark Darius wanted nothing more than to lay down and rest. He had been fighting a battle which he didn't know how it was going to turn out, and t
“I can drive you to the station. I believe one of the staff can help to look after Atticus. He's eating, and as far as food is involved, he's good to go.” Sergei stared at her, slightly worried. He was just a little bit different. Even in the urgency of the moment, he was rethinking things, making sure that he wasn't leaving out any detail. He was very observant, and she could see why Mark had maintained his service throughout the years. “Are you sure? You should rest, take a shower. I assure you that Mark will be alright. He knows how to take care of himself, fight his battles if you know what I mean.” She nodded, knowing that she would do anything to know that Mark was safe and sound. He had fought for Atticus, and it was up to her to do the same for him. She would gladly do it without blinking or hesitation. “I'm certain. I need to be sure that Mark is safe and that Karen hasn't killed him yet.” Sergei nodded, finally acknowledging her pleas to follow him. He had carefully c
She didn't know why, she couldn't fathom the reason. It was probably what she had deserved, but the fact that she had been so close to getting away hurt her everyday of her life. After she closed the box successfully, she turned around to see a smiling Mark Darius, the smaller of her boxes with its edges that were made of metal in his hands. And before she could move or raise her hands in defense, the box had been slammed on her head, sending her into a darkness she had never encountered throughout her life. ********** Farida Atticus stared at her son, then smiled. Out of everything that had happened to her in the past few weeks, he seemed to be the only good thing that had emerged from it all. For the fact that he had managed to come out of the devil's lair that was Karen Shapiro's home unshattered and unharmed, there was every reason for her to be happy. Yes, her life had been a mess because of love, but there was one thing Farida found herself acknowledging. She st
But it was clear that Mark Darius was having none of it. His mind was made up, and he stared at her, his gun very much active in his hand. He was going to use it, no matter what she said. “I can give you the contract right now.” Mark Darius smiled instead, as if he knew of her plans to bolt and do something unpredictable like she had done a few minutes ago. He looked purely ready for her, her antics and whatever she was going to try next. “You should've thought about that before trying to shoot me, Karen Shapiro.” And with those words, he fired. It was a single shot, and the bullet pierced her upper arm in a jolt that sent her to the floor, holding her now bleeding hand. At that moment, Mark Darius let out a cry. He had fallen to the floor, and the gun was out of his hand. Staring at him in pain, Karen Shapiro could see that he was in pain. He was clutching his side, his knuckles completely white. Despite her bleeding arm, the sight of Mark Darius in pain seemed to give her st