(Bright's POV)
Opening my eyes. I was hoping to see my apartment ceiling and just woke up from a nightmare. But it was the same old concrete. I groaned in agony. I pulled myself up using nothing, but the plain wall as support. I remember hearing someone calling my by my name before I passed out. My head ached as I tried to remember. I put my hand on the back of my head. My brows furrowed when I felt some type of fabric wrapped around my head. I weakly untied the bandage on my head. A white cloth. My eyes landed on a cold compress beside me. The ice has melted already and it caused a wet mark on the floor. "What the hell?" I mumbled to myself. I thought I was just hallucinating. There was an actual person in here? "And he put this bandage and ice compress on me..." Anyone would feel appreciative about this, but not for me. I'm in the most dangerous place I could ever be right now. You really don't expect me to appreciate kindness here. Everything in here will require something in return. This room has only one door and I'm sure I heard that voice on the opposite side of the door. I slowly turned my head to the area I'm talking about. There, I saw the bed attached to the wall. Nothing special and suspicious about it. I scanned the room with a painful head. My eyes stopped on the toothbrush on the sink. My eyes grew big. "It's changed. It's new. It's the same color, but it's different," I talked to myself. I could be wrong. I wasn't in good shape when I entered this hellhole, but I'm sure that I see what I saw. It was an old disgusting toothbrush and now it's new. The fuck? "Maybe someone from the cleaning staff really did came in here and put this bandage on me." I looked at the toothbrush. "And perhaps changed that toothbrush too?" I closed my eyes at the silly thought. I genuinely have no idea how things work here. When do cleaning staffs come here to clean? "Out!" A loud voice of a man yelled outside the door. It sounded like he's telling everyone to come out. I weakly pulled myself up and linger by the door, waiting for someone to open it. My eyes landed on the small window. I see a hint of a morning light. "It's the morning roll call! Everyone stand up behind their doors. Don't even try locking it. You already know the consequences," he said using some type of audio device. I sighed weakly. They didn't bother feeding me last night. Now, I feel weaker than ever. Any food I eat would taste like heaven at this point. I've always been curious what being a prisoner is like. It's not that I wanted to be one. It's just that, I go around arresting people for their crimes, but I'm never really sure what happens to them after. Are they being treated like animals like what the media is exaggerating on televisions? My eyes grew big when the metal door suddenly sprung open in front of me. I thought it was going to be the same police officer from last night, but it's a new face. "H-Hey..." is all I managed to say. He ignores me and went to the next cell beside mine. My eyes automatically scanned the place as soon as I stepped out of the room. They are opening the cells one by one and each prisoner stands in front of their door. I decided to do the same. "One!" A man loudly counted. My head tilted slightly. "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" And they started counting like everyone has their own number chant. I wonder what's mine. They were counting one after another when they suddenly stopped counting at twelve. I looked at the guy who last counted then to the next prison cell before me. Nobody was standing there. "He's on it again. Hahaha!" One of them said. I started to get more confused when all of them started laughing like this is a normal morning for all of them. Looks like this isn't the first time prisoner 13 didn't come out of his cell. One of the officers prompted a colleague to check prisoner 13 inside his cell. "Go straight to the cafeteria," they said. Everyone start to walk down the hall as soon as they heard him say that. I carefully stepped out and follow the sea of prisoners on the hall. I'd be lying if I tell you that I don't feel intimidated by their huge built. Almost everyone in here is as tall as Falaguerra. Wait... Yes. That guy. Where is he? I found myself on the cafeteria they are talking about. I was expecting a uniform line on the front where a long table with limited food servings accommodated by staffs are being served. Then, a bunch of officers guarding the area. But I was surprised to see them moving freely without watch. "What the hell?" I mumbled to myself. "Move!" Someone loudly said that behind me and the next thing I felt is a big force of hand pushing me to the side. If I were well and not hungry, I would have withstand the force, but the last time I tried to eat was last night and it was interrupted. Of course, I'm weak and I wasn't surprised when I fell down easily from his light push. "WOAHHHH!" Everyone gasped from the fall I made. I accidentally pushed some chairs with me and that caught the attention of everyone. "A-hole..." I whispered. Just when I thought I'm the only one who heard what I said, the guy who pushed me frantically looked down at me. I had goosebumps all over my body when I finally got a better look at him. Gawd! He's big. He's literally twice my size. "What the fuck did you just say?" he said with gritted teeth. My face turned pale. "U-Uhh..." I couldn't find words to respond to him. Even my own voice is betraying me right now by not letting me utter a single word. "It's a new face, Missile." A guy with snake tattoo on his temples said. I bowed my head slightly. He has a group with him. Looks like I found the bully in this place. "New face, huh?" he slurred. I gasped when he forcefully lifted my chin to look at him. I was still on the dirty floor and looking small while he's in front of me looking big with his hand on my face like I'm his prey or something. "You wouldn't want to lay a finger on him." The familiar deep voice made me look behind him. "C—Cole..."(Bryan’s POV) I stepped into the stadium, with my heart hammering against my ribs. I scanned my eyes around the high profiles in the Underground Society, each of them raising their banners into who they think will win the combat. Red for Bryan. Blue for Cole. I felt my fists clenching as I watched how the bleachers turn into a sea of blue lights. They seemed to have forgotten so fast who sent their invitations to attend here. Some of them even forgot that I’m the reason why my father helped them in the past. I’m the one who transacted with them to get to my father’s office at the time. Not Cole… I am. I was hoping that with those kind gestures, they would stand by me when this time comes. But looking at the boards rising around the stadium, I can tell that most of them are still in favor of Cole. No matter what they thought he did. No matter how much effort I exerted just to make him the fucking bad guy! I checked the transparent knu
(Bryan’s POV) I sat stiffly beside Cole on the two high-backed chairs with elaborate carvings before the sea of guests. I have been tapping my fingers against my thigh as I scanned my eyes around the room. There’s a hint of nervousness on my face that I’m trying so hard to hide by acting cool. But it’s just not working at all. I see how most of them are looking for Cole instead of me. They seemed really astonished by their presence. It’s funny how the majority of them were congratulating me a few seconds ago. Now, they don’t even pay attention to me at all. Didn’t the expensive wine’s flavor last a long time? How could they change their decisions so fast about this voting event? This was supposed to be my moment. A smooth transition of power from Lord Roberto to me. A flawless victory. But now, thanks to Cole, it’s turning into a fucking joke. I gritted my teeth as I stole a glance at him. He’s sitting beside me i
(Bryan’s POV) I glanced around the grand hall confidently. The entire place is alive with conversation and laughter of the guests. I can hear the clinking of their expensive glasses filling the place. The big chandeliers in the room just make everything look more luxurious. I moved through the crowd effortlessly with a practiced smile plastered on my face. I have been personally serving the guests their wine. Each bottle costs more than most people make in a year, but for these people, it’s nothing. They expect this kind of treatment. I’m not exactly complaining. As a matter of fact, I think it’s better for them to be materialistic. At least, I know exactly what to give them just to earn their support. Money is never a problem to a Hitwell like me. “Give me five more of those,” I said to the waiter who had been tailing me as I circled around the place. He nodded promptly before walking back to the wine chamber.
(Cole’s POV) I can’t breathe. The revelation is just too much for me to bear. I felt my fists clenched so tight that my nails dig into my own palms, but I barely feel the pain. My father’s death wasn’t an accident. Bryan killed him. My own brother. I grabbed the nearest chair and threw it against the wall. It shattered on impact, but it did nothing to calm the rage burning inside me. I want to rip Bryan apart. I want to watch him suffer the way he made our father suffer. How could he do something so evil?! “I’m going to kill him,” I growled. Butler Francis didn’t even flinch. He was just standing near the fireplace with his arms crossed, watching me like he’s been expecting this reaction. Why is he just telling me this now?! He should have told the moment he found out that Bryan was poisoning him! I frantically grabbed his collar, feeling the storm of rage swirling inside of
(Francis’s POV) [A Week Ago] “What is the meaning of this?!” I angrily said, tossing the box towards him. The bottles of arsenic poison dramatically rolled on the floors until it stopped into their scattered clothes on the floor. He glanced at me annoyed. I seemed to have interrupted his intimate moment with Michelle, but I couldn’t care less. Not after I found out that he has been ordering lots of poison from the same company for the last thirteen years. Why on Earth would he buy one thousand bottles of that?! Bryan frantically looked at me, his glares piercing deep into my bones, but that didn’t faze me. I did not raise him all these years to play with something so dangerous. I know how lethal envy could get, but I did not expect this. Where is he using that poison? To whom? His expression changed as soon as he saw the bottles on the tiled floor. He gestured to Michelle to leave the room. I watched him cover him
(Isaac’s POV) I frantically threaded my fingers through my hair after hitting the enter button for the last time. Virus removed successfully… I glanced up to the man who has been waiting for good news since I started trying to hack into the Chastier’s firewall. We knew that there’s no way we can contact them when we are their main enemy. It’s either I develop some kind of miracle… Or we’re never getting back to Bright. I lowered my head on the floor. “I’m sorry, Master Cole.” I sensed him glanced up at me blankly. I just finished reversing a virus defense from the site after my failed attempt to access them with an “I Love You” virus. We weren’t really expecting them to have something back in return. The last thing I remember is the new computer freezing before everything went black on it. I had to move to my old one. Stupid of me for getting too excited for the new one. It was Jade’s