LUCAN VALE: THE GHOST ASSASSIN

One early morning. Jason sat at the counter, gazing into the amber liquid in his glass. He looked like a man with nowhere to be, dressed plainly and enveloped by quietness. The bar had no patrons, empty, with just him and the bartender wiping down glasses, and the faint sound of a TV playing last night’s news. His eyes drifted to the screen. The anchor was talking about market shifts, corporate deals, etcetera. A headline crawled across the bottom: Smith Royale in Financial Trouble. Jason recognized the name Smith Royale. It was a powerhouse of a company. Prestigious. Powerful. And it was owned by the Smith's, his fiancée’s family. Looking away, Jason didn't pay too much attention to the talking head on the TV and took a slow sip from his glass, enjoying the cold taste of the drink in his mouth. Just Then, a voice behind him disturbed the quiet. "You shouldn’t be here." Jason didn't turn around, instead he glanced at the reflection in the bar mirror. A man in a black coat

The lady's fingers moved to the telephone and without hesitation, she made the call. “We’ve got a problem at the front desk,” she said, scowling in annoyance. “Some lunatic is out here claiming he’s Miss Smith's fiance.” Lunatic? Jason did not appreciate being labeled that, however he let it slide for now. He didn't want to cause a scene right now, and give his future wife's staff a bad impression of him. Within seconds, someone appeared. It was the head of security, a towering man with a chest like a fortress war. Frowning, he sized Jason up, demanding, “You got an appointment? No? Then get lost.” Without moving, or showing any sign of being fazed, Jason answered, sounding a little amused, “Yeah… no. I think I’ll stay.” The security guard was already annoyed. Well of course, he would be annoyed, because it sounded like Jason was underestimating his authority as the head of security. Not having any of it, he reached for Jason’s shoulder. Surprising him, Jason caught his wri

Vanessa didn’t bother asking the intern who it was. Driven by curiosity, she strode toward the door and stepped into the hallway. Curious, Jason followed Vanessa and the intern outside into the hallway. Vanessa barely made it three steps before stopping abruptly. A frown formed across her face as she saw what was happening. A crowd had already formed. Employees and staff whispered among themselves, drawn to the scene unfolding before them. Standing at the center of the commotion was a group of men in suits. They formed a semi-circle, each holding a bouquet of red roses. And at the center of it all was a young man, in his mid-twenties, well-dressed, with the polished look of someone who came from a good background. Vanessa's expression turned into a bigger frown as she recognized the man, Elvis Montgomery. He was the son of a wealthy banking family. He was known for being entitled, arrogant, and persistent to the point of being insufferable. Unfortunately he is incapable of r

At this point, Elvis felt betrayed by Vanessa. He had done so much to win her over and this is how she repaid him? He was not going to stand by and let it happen. But the truth was, Elvis was delusional. He was obsessed with Vanessa and just because he came from a prominent background he felt entitled to Vanessa. Vanessa had never wanted him, she had made that clear countless times. He just refused to see it. And part of the reason he was so obsessed with Vanessa was because he wanted to display her like a trophy. Vanessa had countless admirers, and in his mind, being with the most sought-after and beautiful woman would prove something, about his power, his status, his worth. "Vanessa, how could you do this to me?!" Elvis roared, his voice full of disbelief and fury. Without warning, he grabbed her wrist again with a tight grip. Vanessa, taken aback, struggled against him, her breath growing rapidly as she tried to free herself, but his hold was unrelenting. Every movement s

Jason gave a faint smile and said,“You don't want to know Vanessa.” Vanessa was even more curious about him, but she was not satisfied with his answer. She studied him in silence. She didn’t know much about Jason they had only just met, but she couldn’t deny it was nice, how he hadn’t hesitated to put Elvis in his place for her. Thanks to him, Elvis wouldn’t be bothering her again so she was thankful. She wanted to thank him. But then she thought: wait! What was there to thank him for? Even without Jason she would have gotten rid of Elvis with smith royale security. Plus she did not want him to get the wrong idea. He might think she is now accepting of him. She crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. “You didn’t have to go that far, I could have handled it on my own.” Jason’s smirk didn’t fade. “Didn’t I? Or did you have it under control all this time?” His tone was calm, but there was something in his eyes, amusement, maybe even challenge. Vanessa wasn’t sur