His heartbeat slammed against his ribs as he staggered forward, his knees nearly buckling."Olive," he whispered hoarsely, dropping to his knees beside her. His trembling fingers brushed against her cheek—cold. Too cold.His pulse roared in his ears. Panic threatened to seize him, but he shoved it down, forcing himself into action."Olive, wake up," he pleaded, gently tapping her pale cheek. No response. Her breathing was shallow, her lashes fluttering slightly, but she wasn’t conscious. His hands pressed against her wound, desperate to slow the bleeding, but the warm, sticky liquid seeped between his fingers, mocking his efforts.Gritting his teeth, Raymond scooped her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. The metallic scent of blood filled his lungs, suffocating him, but he didn’t care. Right now, nothing else mattered.His strides were swift, as he stormed out of the room. The mansion’s guards froze at the sight of their master, drenched in blood, carrying an unconscious O
Raymond swallowed the lump in his throat, his fingers gripping the pen so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The doctor’s words echoed in his head, bouncing around like a cruel taunt."We can only save one."His gaze flickered to the form in his hands. A single signature, a mere stroke of ink, would seal the fate of either his fiancée or their unborn child. His vision blurred, his chest tightening like a steel vice.He looked up at the doctor, desperation bleeding into his voice. “There’s no other way?”A shudder ran through Raymond’s body. His mind was a mess of thoughts, and he wished he could find a way out—but there was none. No amount of power, wealth, or influence could change the reality before him.He turned to Daniel, his most trusted aide, but even Daniel’s usually steady demeanor was shaken. His lips parted as if he wanted to offer a solution, but no words came. There was none.Raymond’s bloodstained fingers trembled as he brushed them through his disheveled hair. His
Sonia’s scream tore through the dark, room, raw and piercing. Her body jerked violently against the restraints as Daniel twisted the blade deeper into her hand. Blood trickled down her fingers, pooling onto the cold floor beneath her.Her chest heaved, her breath ragged. Pain coursed through every nerve, but she refused to break. Instead, she let out a low, pained chuckle, her lips curling into a bloody smirk.“Do your worst,” she rasped, her voice hoarse but laced with defiance. She spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor, her dark eyes flashing with a twisted kind of amusement.Daniel regarded her in silence, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he turned away, walking toward the table in the corner.Sonia’s gaze followed him, her heart pounding despite the mask of bravado she wore.She watched as he carefully selected his next tools—another knife, smaller but just as deadly, a whip with leather-stripped ends, and a lighter. He moved with a kind of precision that made her stom
Her breath hitched, but she refused to flinch. She would not give him the satisfaction.Daniel held the knife steady, his gaze locked onto hers, dark and unreadable.But just as the blade was about to cut into her skin, his phone vibrated. The sharp sound shattered the thick silence of the room. Daniel’s jaw ticked in irritation.Daniel fingers tightened around it the knife as he brought it down, he reached into his pocket with his free hand.The caller was his boss “Raymond.A sign of disappointment crossed his face as he answered.“Hello, sir.”“Has she spoken?” Raymond’s voice was cold, clipped.Daniel’s gaze flickered back to Sonia, whose lips curled into a bloody smirk despite her battered state.“Not yet, sir.”A brief pause. Then Raymond’s voice returned, this time with a controlled calmness that hinted at something more.“Okay. Come to the hospital. I have something to take care of.”Daniel’s fingers flexed around the phone. He wanted to stay. To finish what he started. But R
“Oh, Raymond, you haven’t welcomed us well,” his grandfather said, his deep voice carrying both authority and expectation.Raymond’s fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair, his jaw set tight. Across from him, Mia sat beside his grandfather, her body angled slightly toward the old man as if seeking shelter in his presence. Her expression was laced with mock innocence, but the smug glint in her eyes didn’t escape Raymond’s notice.“She must have missed you so much,” his grandfather added, and Mia tilted her head playfully.“Yes, Grandpa! Only you understand me,” Mia cooed, slipping her arm through his grandfather’s as if she were a beloved granddaughter, cherished and protected.Raymond scoffed, as he look at Mia with Irritation. His gaze shifted to his grandfather, “what are you doing in New York?” His voice was firm, void of warmth.His grandfather exhaled slowly, leaning back against the chair, his fingers intertwined on his lap. “I didn’t know I needed to inform you before
Sonia scoffed, her lips twisting into a smirk despite the raw pain on her face. She tilted her head slightly, letting her disheveled hair fall to one side as she regarded Raymond with defiant amusement. "Because you don’t have the guts to hurt me. Because you love me very much," she beamed, her voice laced with mockery. "You act like a beast, but deep down, you're just a scared little boy hiding behind power." Raymond’s gaze darkened, his patience wearing dangerously thin. In a single, swift movement, his hold on her jaw tightened, his fingers pressing into her skin as he forced her to look at him. "Even if the real Sonia comes, I won’t give her any damn attention," he said coldly, his grip tightening slightly before he abruptly shoved her head to the side, making it snap back. "Let alone a fake like you." Sonia laughed. It was a wicked, high-pitched sound, grating and mocking. The defiance in her eyes burned brightly, as if she truly believed she had control over the situati
A pair of eyes watched them in silence. Raymond’s phone rang, breaking the silence in the hospital ward. The sharp sound pulled him from his thoughts as he sat beside Olive’s hospital bed, his fingers resting lightly against hers. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the phone and answered without looking at the screen. "Hello, sir," Daniel’s voice came through, steady but laced with an undertone of unease. "Sonia is no longer there." Raymond didn’t react immediately. Instead, a slow smirk crept onto his face. "Leave them," he said, his voice was calm. "There’s an ambush waiting for them." He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket, his expression unreadable. It wasn’t surprising. He had expected this. Sonia thought she was smart. She thought she had slipped away. But what she didn’t know was that he had planned for this exact moment. He had felt someone tailing him last night when he entered the dark room. Their presence had been obvious, their
Ezra leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at Ethan with cold determination. His expression remained unreadable."You want me to abduct Olive?" he repeated, his voice dangerously low.Ethan smirked, lifting his whiskey glass to his lips before taking a slow sip. He savored the burn before setting the glass down, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the polished surface of his desk."Not just abduct," he corrected, his voice laced with amusement. "You’ll be working with Mia’s assassins. They’re skilled, precise. No loose ends."Ezra scoffed. "Mia?" He shook his head. "She’s blinded by her obsession with Raymond. You really think she’ll follow through once she has Olive in her grasp?"Ethan’s grin widened. "That’s the beauty of it, little brother. Mia thinks she’s running the game, but she’s nothing more than a pawn. Her hatred for Olive will make her reckless, and that’s exactly what we need. Let her believe she’s in control while we take what truly matters."
"You can go look for her in the prison."Those words hit his grandfather like a slap."Prison?"The old man’s eyes widened, his face twisting in disbelief. His lips trembled as he pointed a shaky finger at Raymond."You took Mia to prison? On what grounds? Are you mad? You... you unfilial son!"Raymond didn’t flinch. His jaw tightened as he stood straight, chest rising with anger."You foolish grandson! You’re no different from your father!" the old man shouted, his voice echoing through the house.Raymond’s voice rose with pain. "Do you even care what Olive and I suffered because of Mia? Do you know what we’ve been through?""You think I care?" the old man scoffed."You’ve never cared about this family. All you care about is your company—profit, power, prestige. Huh? Answer me!"Raymond stepped forward, eyes blazing."I’m not surprised you don’t care. You’ve always been blind to everything but control. But don’t you ever compare my father to me. Respect the dead, old man.""Raymond,
“Okay, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”Raymond ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. His sharp eyes turned to Mr. Stones, who stood quietly in the corner, head low, avoiding his gaze.“You can leave now,” Raymond said, his voice calm but firm.Mr. Stones didn’t speak. He simply nodded slightly, turned around, and walked out. His footsteps were slow. He now regretted not telling Raymond earlier what he had been going through at the hands of Mia. He thought he could handle it himself, but he was wrong. By the time he realized nothing could be done, his daughter was already dead.Daniel, who had been standing silently all this while, stepped forward. His face was emotionless, but a part of him felt sorry for Mr. Stones.“Sir… what do we do now?” he asked, his voice low and uncertain.Raymond didn’t look at him at first. He stared ahead, his jaw clenched. Then he finally spoke, his tone cold and steady.“We’re taking them to prison.”“But sir… we shouldn’t have taken the
"Who's that?" Raymond asked, eyes narrowing as he stared at Daniel up and down.His assistant shifted uneasily. "Sir... it's Mr. Stones. He’s been working closely with Mia. We just found out—Mia had his family held hostage all this while. She used them to control him."Raymond’s breath caught in his throat."Last year..." the assistant continued, voice low, "his only child died. A six-year-old girl. She didn’t get proper food or care. They starved her, sir. And now, his wife… she’s not the same. The assistant went on, “his wife broke down. Mentally, emotionally—she hasn’t recovered. She hasn’t spoken a full sentence in months. She screams at night. Wanders the house in her daughter’s clothes. It’s bad, sir.”Raymond turned away and gripped the edge of the desk, grounding himself. His knuckles turned white. “Why didn’t Me stones say anything?”His initial thoughts were to have him jailed but now he's having a change of mind."After the girl died, Mr. Stones tried to resign," the assist
“No, Kain! You can’t do this to me!” Mia screamed, her voice shrill with panic. You could hear the fear in her tone, like someone whose hand was about to be placed on a burning flame.Kain was still crouched on the ground, his hand gripping the gun tightly. His face—twisted with pain and rage—was soaked with sweat. His finger trembled slightly on the trigger as he stared up at her. He felt no remorse for what he was about to do.“I never loved you,” he spat bitterly, his voice low and hollow. “All I ever wanted was your money… and the documents—just like my sister said. But you never gave me anything. Seems you were bad luck after all.”Mia’s face twisted even more as she shook her head. “No… no, Kain, you’re confused. You’re letting them manipulate you. We had something real—”Kain laughed. A broken, cold laugh that echoed with bitterness.“Real? You call that real? I traced Olive from the day she arrived in New York. Remember that? You made sure she had no home. You blocked every ap
“Nothing, Nurse Janet. I actually thought it was Miss Olive.”Janet tilted her head, curious. “No, she wasn’t the one. Wait a minute…” she paused, her eyes narrowing. “If Miss Olive is related to you, how would you not know she’s dead?”“Is that the reason you also came to the hospital today?” she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.Ezra turned his face away. “It’s complicated. Let’s not go there,” he mumbled, forcing a smile. “Tell me more about yourself.”Janet rolled her eyes. “What more do you want to know apart from the fact that I'm a nurse? And my full name is Janet Clinton. What about you?”“Well, I am Ezra.”“What about your surname?”Ezra hesitated. “Does that really matter?” he replied, twitching his lips and briefly glancing at her. Their eyes locked unexpectedly. A second too long passed before they both looked away as if they had not been staring at each other.“Hmmm. Really? If you don’t want to talk, no problem. I’ll just consider you a man with no surname,” she smi
“See Raymond, we’re thinking Olive might be our dead little sister.”Raymond scoffed, tilting his head. “Huh? Olive? Your sister?”Ethan nodded cautiously. “We know it might sound strange, so we wanted to do a DNA test on her… but unfortunately, she’s—”“She’s dead.”The words barely left Ethan’s mouth before Raymond’s fist crashed into his face.Ethan stumbled backward, clutching his jaw in shock.“You think she’s your sister and yet you wish her dead?” Raymond thundered.Ethan blinked in disbelief. Ethan spat blood to the side, still holding his cheek. “Isn’t she dead?” he stammered.Raymond’s nostrils flared, his eyes reddened with fury—a storm barely held in check.“If you ever say that word around Olive again, I swear I’ll have you killed,” he growled.“Raymond!” Ezra yelled, stepping forward, his temper breaking through. “We came here to make peace, not to fight. But from the look of things, it seems you—”“Hey, hey,” Ethan yanked Ezra back. “Enough. Remember why we’re here,” he
"Ezra, you're seeing things. Let’s get into the car," Ethan managed to say, steadying his voice even though his own heart was hammering.Ezra kept staring into the distance, like he was hoping she would reappear if he just stared hard enough. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, the muscles in his arms twitching with tension. He blinked a few times, swallowed hard, and finally dragged himself toward the car.He didn’t say a word as he climbed into the backseat beside Ethan. The door clicked shut behind him with a soft thud that sounded way too loud in the heavy silence.Their driver, a tall, quiet man dressed in black, gave a small nod and started the engine. He pulled out of the parking lot carefully, obeying every traffic rule like he had all the time in the world.Inside the car, the air was thick and heavy.Ezra stared out the window, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might snap. His fingers tapped an erratic rhythm against his thigh, his mind obviously still stuc
Ezra looked up to his brother, his eyes bloodshot, the kind of red that told Ethan his brother had been fighting some kind of battle in silence. It was a look that spoke of exhaustion, grief, and something darker, deeper — something Ethan wasn’t ready to face."Come sit closer to me, Ezra," he said, his voice soft but urgent, as if the space between them might be too wide for comfort.Ezra shuffled closer, his movements stiff, robotic, as if every inch of him weighed a hundred pounds. He didn’t speak, didn’t meet Ethan’s gaze, just lowered his head and stared at the floor. His hands fidgeted in his lap, twisting and turning, as if he was trying to hold on to something — something that might slip away if he wasn’t careful.Ethan didn’t stop asking questions."What’s going on, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Did something happen?"But Ezra didn’t answer. The silence between them grew louder with each unanswered question, each strained breath. Ethan’s worry deepened.A thousand t
Just as Ezra stood there fighting a losing battle with his own thoughts, the sound of footsteps broke the heavy silence. He barely glanced up.Nurse Janet walked by, balancing a tray of medication in her hands. She paused when she noticed him — a broken figure leaning against the cold wall like he couldn’t keep himself standing straight."Hello," Nurse Janet greeted gently, her voice carrying a kindness that somehow made everything inside Ezra feel worse.It dragged him out of his spiraling thoughts for a moment. He forced himself to stand a little straighter, wiping at his face quickly as if he could hide the tears that had already betrayed him.Nurse Janet offered him a warm smile, her eyes crinkling softly at the corners. "Why are you down like this? You should be happy," she said, balancing the tray carefully. "Your brother’s alive. It’s a thing of joy."Ezra opened his mouth, but no words came out at first. He pressed his lips together, trying to breathe past the tightness in his