LOGINBritney was taken away. Jack, Richard and Annabelle stood there, watching her being dragged off, turning a deaf ear to her screams and desperate pleas.Finally, when the dust settled, the three of them climbed the stairs out of the basement—Richard walking slightly ahead, Annabelle beside him, Jack following slowly with the heaviness of long-buried memories sitting in his chest.Britney’s screams still occasionally echoed faintly behind them, but Annabelle kept her eyes forward.She exhaled quietly.“Richard… what punishment will Britney get?”Richard paused mid-step.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Jack.Their gazes met.A small, soft, knowing smile passed between father and son—unspoken understanding, the kind built through shared wounds and a dark past only they could comprehend.Annabelle caught it but didn’t push.Richard finally said, “It’s not the right time. I’ll tell you later.”His tone was calm, almost gentle, but firm enough that A
Britney frowned in confusion when Richard called 'dad.' She wanted to mock him and say 'don't be delusional,' but a thin line of tension with some realisation walked inside her.She was busy getting rid of that thought when a shadow shifted behind Richard.A familiar silhouette stepped into the dim light.Jack?"Out of nowhere-one of the last hidden chess pieces in her game, the trump card she'd guarded for fifteen years-stepped out into the light.The very man she buried from the world... exposed.Her secret, the one she had protected with blood and lies, standing right there.Her breath hitched.Her mind scrambled.How...?How did he crawl out after all these years?How did her perfectly hidden piece get revealed?Jack stood tall, posture firm, eyes locked on her like a ghost she prayed never to face again.And then-slowly, deliberately-he smirked.Britney's throat closed. Her grip on the bars loosened. For the first time since being thrown into this basement, fear crawled up her sp
Richard barked out a hollow laugh. “So she raised me like a son… so she could steal everything later.”Jack nodded once.Richard dragged a hand over his face, then looked at his father—broken, furious, and grieving all at once.“This whole time,” he whispered. “While I mourned you… while I worshipped her as Mom’s sister…” His voice shook. “She played us like chess pieces.”Annabelle stepped closer, resting a hand briefly on his arm. “Richard…”He didn’t move.His voice was low, dangerous, trembling with a fury he had never allowed himself to feel.“She’s going to pay for this.”And this time, there was no room for doubt in his tone.“Sure, she will. We have all the time in hand, right?” Annabelle said, patting Richard’s shoulder.Richard got what she was referring to. His jaw tightened, fists curling at his sides. He drew a deep breath, trying to tame the storm of anger building inside him. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, sharp, and heavy with controlled fury.“Let’s go, Dad
For a moment, neither Richard nor Jack moved. The air in the mansion felt too tight, too heavy. Jack’s eyes glistened—years of loss, pain, disbelief, and a kind of hesitant hope swirling together. Richard’s breathing hitched, his chest rising and falling like he’d just been punched.Jack took a small step forward. Just one.Richard’s throat bobbed. Then another step. And finally—he closed the distance, slow and trembling.Annabelle sensed the storm building and gently reached for Alan, easing him out of Jack’s arms. The little boy protested with a small whine, but she shushed him softly, pulling him close.“Let them have a moment,” she whispered into Alan’s hair, her voice breaking just a little.Jack lifted a hand shaking, unsteady—as if afraid Richard might vanish if he blinked. His lips quivered, emotions pouring out of him through his eyes alone.Richard stared at him like a man seeing a ghost. “I… I don’t—” His voice cracked. The ruthless, iron-hearted mafia king sounded like a c
The sky over Manhattan was bruised with the last shades of orange when Richard finally stepped into the penthouse. The soft click of the door echoed through the hall, blending with the distant hum of the city. He loosened his tie as his gaze swept the living room—empty, quiet, too still for a house that usually buzzed with Annabelle’s laughter and Alan’s cartoons.“Annabelle?” he called, his voice low but edged with concern.No answer.He moved past the hallway, his steps soft against the marble, until he caught a faint shape through the open balcony doors. There she was—sitting sideways on the round swing, one hand resting protectively over her rounded belly, the other gripping the chain for support. Her eyes were fixed on the fading skyline, as if searching for something the horizon might offer. The gentle evening breeze played with her hair, a few loose strands brushing against her calm but weary face.Richard’s chest tightened. Something about the stillness around her—the silence—
Jack froze mid-breath. The smile faded from his face like a candle snuffed out. “W–what did you just say?”Annabelle’s gaze dropped, her voice trembling with restrained emotion. “She’s gone. Twelve years ago.”The room fell into a suffocating silence. Jack’s expression crumbled—shock, grief, disbelief all flashing across his weathered face. His hands gripped the edge of the chair, knuckles white. “No… no, that can’t be. Angela Parker doesn’t just die…” he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head as if refusing to believe it.Annabelle looked at him through a haze of emotion she couldn’t name. “She did,” she whispered. “But she left a hell of a legacy behind.”For a moment, Jack just stared at her—blank, stunned. Then his face crumpled, and he turned away, pressing his trembling hands to his forehead. “God…” His voice broke on a hoarse whisper. “She was the strongest of us all. If even she’s gone, then what the hell’s left?”Hazel glanced at Annabelle, eyes glistening, unsure what to say.







