David sat in his office, pouring over financial statements on behalf of Mark. Despite the unexpected turn of events with Mark's arrest, the business still needed to run, and David was determined to keep things on track. David's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He picked it up, and a voice on the other end introduced herself as Cristine Dylan, Mark's account manager. "Hello, good morning, Mr. David. Sorry to bother you," she said. "I'm aware of who you are, Cristine. Is there a problem?" David asked, his tone direct. "I fear so, sir. There's just been a cash-out of one million dollars from Mr. Darius' personal account. I was wondering if you're aware?" Cristine explained. David's expression turned serious, his brows furrowed in thought. "No, Cristine. Can you send me an email with the account statement?" He requested. "Alright, sir," Cristine replied before ending the call. David quickly got on the phone with Mark, a privilege afforded to him as a wea
Mark sat in his cell, savoring his decent breakfast of bread, fried eggs, and baked beans, accompanied by a little bottle of orange juice. The knock on his door broke the silence, and Agent Jones stepped into the room. "Good morning, Mr. Darius. You can leave as long as you're done with your breakfast, sir. We've caught the real perpetrators of the crime. Miss Elena Woods, your ex-wife. And we believe she had help. But she won't speak to us." Mark nodded thoughtfully, wiping his lips clean with a napkin and taking a sip of his juice. "I see," he said, his mind already racing with questions. He looked at Agent Jones and asked, "Can I have my things now?" Agent Jones nodded and pointed to the door. "Of course, sir. If you could just come along with me, please. My sincerest apologies for the misunderstanding and any accompanying inconveniences. It wasn't the least intentional." Mark replied, "It's all good, Agent. Just get me my things." They walked into an office where Agent Jones h
Bennet steered his car into the parking area of a coffee shop in town, climbed out, and admired himself in the car mirror. He was looking good, and all the money he had been making was now visible on him. He smiled, and walked into the coffee shop to find Baummerman at a table, too busy with a tablet to notice his arrival. Bennet took a seat, and when the attendant came over, he ordered a cappuccino. Baummerman looked up and greeted him, but Bennet ignored it and asked, "How's business, Bill?" Baummerman shrugged, "Well, slow. Why have you asked us to meet?" When the cappuccino arrived, Bennet nodded and tipped the attendant profusely. Baummerman raised an eyebrow, "Well, I see it's a different story for yours, then." Bennet played it cool, "Well, I had to tip the kid anyway." But Baummerman pressed, "And you call two hundred dollars a tip?" Bennet shrugged again, took a sip of his drink, and dropped a bombshell: "The investment I had asked for sometime last month, I don't think i
Brown lay in his dimly lit cell, trying to sleep, his mind raced, trying to recall the faces of the people Connor claimed he had hurt. But they were blurry, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being unfairly targeted. Suddenly, the cell felt like an oven, and Brown undid a couple of buttons on his prison overall. The air was thick and choking, and he started coughing. The murmurs from the prison hallway grew louder, and he noticed a thick plume of smoke pouring in through the tiny air vent. The smoke filled the corridor, and the agitated banging from the other cells told him he wasn't imagining things. The prison alarm began ringing wildly, mixing with the fire alarm, and an automated voice came from the speakers. "All prisoners assemble at the muster point until the fire is put out." A prisoner screamed, "Well, let us out of here then!" The automated locks disengaged, and the cell doors clicked open – except Brown's door. He watched in alarm as prisoners broke out of th
Jennet tried to call Charlie for the hundredth time that morning, but his phone went straight to voicemail, just like it had every other time. She was starting to get worried, not just because of his safety, but because she was in debt. Charlie had promised to pay her back for the restaurant bill, the gas, and the car loan, but now he was gone, and she was left with the burden. She thought back to when he took her to the car dealership weeks prior, and how she wasn't keen on getting a new car, but he promised to support the payments. Now, all the documents were in her name, and the bank would soon be calling about her debt. The implications of Charlie's disappearance were too heavy on her mind to bear, and she decided not to think about it at all. All her savings were gone, and there was no money to source a better lawyer for Brown, who was stuck with the incompetent Devon. She went to pour herself a drink, trying to dial Charlie's number again, but it went straight to voicemail.
Karen Shapiro. The name that was usually musical when he said it felt like lead now. It was like sandpaper, hurting him when it had never done so in the past. The name was now strange to him, it was a name that he was surely going to remember for days. He stared at Sergei, who scratched his neck in worry. He had probably seen the name, and just like his boss, he was worried. He knew the name, they all knew the name. It wasn't what they were expecting, and thus they were still in shock, their gazes doing the obvious, roaming the room as they tried to understand what their minds was telling them. Mark knew at that moment that he was probably never going to trust anybody again. The past five years of his life was a jumbled mess, a mess that he even couldn't control. How had it gotten to this point? Instead of his enemies to reduce, they were piling up, and he found himself wondering if he had genuine friends at all. “Somebody you might know, sir?” It was Matt, adjusting his gla
Mark Darius rubbed his hands together in glee, eyeing his glass of brandy, knowing that he needed it for the next phase of his plan. “I was thinking about you too, Karen. What do you say? I can take you out for lunch tomorrow, I think I'll be free by then.” The pause that came after his proposal made him pause for a minute, his mind racing. He prayed she hadn't discovered yet, he prayed silently that he was still in control of the game they were playing. “Why, of course, Mark. Lunch will be just fine. I think I need the fresh air too. Sun on my skin sounds nice, I've been looking too pale nowadays.” Mark Darius bit his lip, suppressing his grim laughter. Pale because of what she had always been planning? Paleness because she couldn't keep up with her plans? He had her just where he wanted her, he thought for the umpteenth time. “How does twelve sound? And there's a Chinese restaurant just across town, I believe I know the owner a little too well.” The laugh that came from the
Her son was terribly injured, and while he was out of the prison, he had paid for his freedom with his well being. “Rotterdam hospital, ma'am. We managed to rush him there. He's in the emergency unit, and I think we managed to get him there without the police noticing. He's still in his prison clothes, so I think the hospital might call the police if care isn't taken.” Swallowing hard, Jenett Darius grabbed her purse from underneath her pillow. She was finding it hard to breathe once again, and she slowed down, slapping her midsection repeatedly to calm the panic attack that was looming. Just when she thought her life couldn't get any worse. It was becoming worse, before her eyes. “Thank you, sir. I'll be there in a jiffy. I appreciate you helping him.” The line went dead, telling her that the man who had helped her son and played the good Samaritan probably had other problems to deal with than having to attend to a hysterical mother on the phone. She exited her apartment, h