Chapter: Hidden Secret.The energy in the room was a radiation of coldness in its most toxic form. And although they were quite a number of people in the room, the silence was such that if a pin dropped to the floor, the sound would be loud and clear enough for everyone to hear.“Lord Castro… what do we do next?” A man finally asked, breaking the silence. “Raquel was supposed to take over this great clan once you're gone.”A much older man, dressed in all black, and holding a cigarette in his right hand shook his head, and the room tensed up in anticipation as they waited for him to speak. “And who says I'm leaving anytime soon?”“My lord, Marco is right, now that your only heiress is gone, what becomes of the Clan, and the ones responsible for her death?” Another man, dressed in all black as well, asked. “The lawyer, and her husband… you spent years avenging the deaths of your cartel members, and Raquel in question was your daughter and…”“That's enough!” Lord Castro yelled, hitting his palm against the ta
Last Updated: 2025-04-30
Chapter: Mrs. Rodrigo’s Funeral.**FIVE YEARS LATER*** It is crazy how time flies, leaving very little or no room for correction of past mistakes. Although some people get lucky enough to make atonement for their sins, others do not, rather they spend the rest of their days in anguish, and drowning in deep seethed guilt. Living with the consequences of your actions is something that cannot be bargained, and the rationale behind this, only the creator knows. Quite popular yet true quotes… probably a product of karma, or beyond physical wisdom. It has been five years since everything, yes… everything. Raquel was later rushed to the hospital after the accident, since she was found to still have a little life left in her. However, her punishment was not over… all the innocent people she'd done no good to, seemed to be fighting against her, thus, the life left, was not sufficient enough to sustain her for a little more time. Raquel Castro was confirmed dead few hours after getting into the hospital, her Mafia fami
Last Updated: 2025-04-30
Chapter: Raquel Is Dead.Travis' hopeful gaze lingered on Alison as he waited for her to say something.What did she mean by she was ahead of him on this one? And the look she had in her eyes was one he took a lot of time to understand.Whenever she knew a secret or had a surprise planned out, that was the exact same expression.“It depends on you… what do you want to hear?” she shrugged and sat upright, so did he.“I want to hear everything Alison, the whole plan.” He insisted and she nodded.“We are going to be needing Uncle Carlos' help on this one.” She started. “I have been keeping tabs on Raquel, and I'm glad she is still here in Chicago. Apparently not yet aware that we know about all of her stupid deeds.”As She spoke, his gaze drifted off, picturing her words clearly. “And since she doesn't know that we are aware of her atrocities, I'm pretty sure she's out there living her normal life.”“Exactly, she doesn't even have any reason to suspect that anyone knows about her sins, since she was smart enough
Last Updated: 2025-04-29
Chapter: Inner Satisfaction.Alison smiled widely settling onto a long couch, with Travis by her side, and her gaze darting around the room, to the happy faces of her guests - unexpected guests actually.Forgiveness felt exciting, it made her feel lighter, like a heavy weight just got lifted off her shoulder.“This has to be the most underrated pill.” She whispered, snuggling closer to Travis.“What's that?” He asked, staring in her eyes, with his arms wrapped around her.“Forgiveness.” She responded, and broke off their eye contact, allowing her gaze wander off. “You know, when I got Bruno arrested alongside his mother, and gained custody over my son… it did not feel this satisfying.”Oscar and Karen stopped their conversation and had their entire attention fixed on the couple, who were just starting to reinkindle their love.“I felt thirsty, like there was so much more I was missing out on.” She continued. “You know that feeling when you have already gotten everything you always wanted, and yet it was not as sa
Last Updated: 2025-04-28
Chapter: Proposing To Alison.The moment he sighted Alison walk out of the room looking like a ghost, better still, a frame of her former self, Travis' eyes widened in shock, so did his mouth. There was not any way he would have believe that his Alison would lose so much weight and life in just a matter of twenty one days. Her collar bones were glaring, deep enough to hold water in them. Her eyes were red, and so was her face… a testament to the tears she had to shed and the pain she'd gone through.Alison on the other hand, kept staring at him, although at first she didn't want to admit it, he was looking so haggard and unkept, his hair was messy and his moustache was starting to grow wild.Only twenty-one days apart did this to the couple, who would have thought so.Still standing apart, the couple kept staring at each other, with so many words running through their minds, yet no one was uttering any words.Who would?Travis who was articulating his thoughts and thinking of the perfect way to get Alison's for
Last Updated: 2025-04-27
Chapter: 21 Days Apart.After so much hesitation, Travis finally planted a soft knock, on the door of Megan's apartment.“Who is it? How can I help you?” He heard Megan's soft voice ring from inside, and moved back slightly.As sounds of footsteps approached and grew louder, so did Travis’ heartbeats. What if she sends him away rudely?Alison must have told her about everything that happened, so how was he going to face her now?“Who is it, yo …” Megan's voice stopped halfway as she sighted Travis standing by the door, looking pale.“Y..you're here,” she said, obviously shocked. “I never thought you'd stop by.”“I'm sorry, I swear, I'm really sorry.” He said and Megan folded her arms under her chest.“What do you want? Why are you here?” “Aunt Megan, please… I need your help, don't say no, I beg of you.” He pleaded. “A lot happened, and I really need to speak with Alison.”“Well… sorry to disappoint you, but Alison is not here.” Megan shrugged and turned to go in, but Travis held onto her hand, with guilt
Last Updated: 2025-04-26
Chapter: Finally Free.KANEFive years is a long time for a man who measures his life in fiscal quarters. In the city, the name Callahan had become synonymous with a quiet, impenetrable power. I had rebuilt the empire from the ashes Zane left behind, turning Project Apex into a skyline-defining reality. I moved through boardrooms like a shadow, a man who commanded the tides of the market but never felt the warmth of the sun. I had the crown, the chairmanship, and a seat at every table of consequence.I was also the loneliest man in the world.The manor had become a museum of things I no longer touched. I kept Aria’s sunroom exactly as it was, the air there tasting of dust and the faint, lingering ghost of cedar. Every Monday morning, I sat at the head of the boardroom table, and every Monday, I looked at the empty space at my side. I had won the war, but the victory had been a hollow thing, a trophy made of cold, unyielding marble.Then came this Monday.I was sitting in the back of my car, the city blurrin
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: I Love You.KANEThe manor was too quiet. It was the kind of silence that had teeth, gnawing at the corners of the rooms until the shadows felt heavier than the furniture. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the library, the silver gavel resting on the desk behind me. Outside, the rain had stopped, leaving the estate draped in a thick, suffocating fog.I heard the front doors open. There was no forceful bang this time, no police boots, no frantic shouting. Just the soft, rhythmic click of heels on marble.I didn't move. I couldn't. My heart was a lead weight, dragging my chest down. I waited until the footsteps reached the library door and stopped. I didn't need to turn around to know she was there. I could feel her."I’m just here for the rest of my things, Kane," Aria said.Her voice was steady. That was the hardest part. There was no tremor, no lingering rage, just a flat, exhausted finality. It was the sound of someone who had already moved on while they were still standing in the room
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: I’m A Callahan.AUTHOR'S POVThe rain had turned into a relentless, icy deluge by the time the prisoner transport van pulled away from the precinct. The city lights blurred into long, distorted smears of neon against the black asphalt. Inside the reinforced steel cage of the vehicle, Zane Callahan sat huddled, his hands cuffed to a belly chain, his expensive suit now a wrinkled rag of defeat. But even in the dim, flickering light of the cabin, his eyes hadn't lost their feverish, manic edge. He was already rehearsing the names of the judges he could bribe and the high-priced fixers who could turn a double homicide into a mistrial."You think this is it?" Zane rasped, his voice bouncing off the metal walls. He looked at the two guards sitting in the front, their silhouettes dark against the windshield. "My brother is a coward. He doesn't have the stomach to finish this. He needs me alive so he can feel superior."The guards didn't answer. The one in the passenger seat didn't even turn his head."I'm a
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: I Had Everything And Nothing At All.The crack of the gunshot was the final string of today's chaos, but the man’s aim was hurried—jolted by the closing weight of the security team that had been trailing Miller’s unit. The bullet shattered a decorative glass vase behind the podium, showering the mahogany in a fine, crystalline dust. Before the gunman could chamber another round, he was swarmed, his face pressed into the marble floor by four guards.I didn't blink. I didn't even flinch. I just stood in front of Aria, my pulse a slow, heavy thrum in my ears. The adrenaline had reached a plateau where nothing could move me. I watched them drag the man—a Bane loyalist, a leftover piece of a dead man’s vendetta—out of the room. The silence that followed was different. It was final.Marcus stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the empty chair at the head of the table. He picked up the heavy, silver-tipped gavel that had belonged to my father, and then to Rohan. He held it out to me, his hand steady for the first time all day."Th
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: I Just Wanted To Be A Callahan.KANEThe boardroom was no longer a temple of commerce; it had become an arena of raw, jagged exposure. The air was thick with the copper tang of adrenaline and the stifling silence of a dozen people holding their collective breath. Zane stood frozen at the podium, his fingers still clawing at the empty air where the flash drive had been a moment ago. He looked like a man who had stepped off a cliff and was only just realizing there was no ground beneath him.Aria didn't falter. She stood in her white wedding dress, a figure of crystalline purity against the dark wood of the room. She reached into the manila envelope and pulled out a stack of notarized documents, sliding them across the table toward Marcus."These are the off-shore incorporation papers for 'Apex Global Holdings,'" Aria said, her voice steady enough to cut glass. "A shell company Zane created three months ago. You’ll find that the primary shareholders aren’t the Callahan Group, but Zane Callahan and a private trust owne
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: The Baby Is Safe.KANEThe boardroom of the Callahan Group was usually a place of high-stakes energy, but today it felt like a mausoleum. The air was stagnant, heavy with the scent of floor wax and the silent, judging presence of the men and women who held my life in their pens.I sat at the far end of the long mahogany table, my hands clasped tightly in front of me to hide the tremor I couldn't quite suppress. Across from me, Zane looked like he was already wearing the crown. He was leaned back, his legs crossed, a smug, oily smile playing on his lips as he whispered something to Sibil, who sat beside him in a dress that cost more than a small house.Rohan’s chair was empty, a gaping hole at the head of the table that no one dared to look at. The grief was there, a dull ache behind my eyes, but it was buried under a mountain of cold, hard pragmatism. I knew what was coming.I knew that in a few minutes, the board would call for the presentation of Project Apex, and I would have nothing to show but a b
Last Updated: 2026-01-08