All Chapters of When the Blood Runs Cold: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"$75,000? Really? But you said back then you wouldn't even sell for $7.5 million!"I watched Jessica Stewart and Wayne Chapman from behind, their hands intertwined. My voice shook as I said, "Yes, I'm sure."The second the call ended, Jessica grabbed her coat and walked to my side.She barely looked at me as she asked, "Who were you talking to?"I was hoping for a miracle, so I tested her. "The hospital called. They said if Frank doesn't get his surgery soon, he could be in real danger..."She did not let me finish. She scrunched up her face and cut me off. "He's been 'about to die' for two years. He's still fine, isn't he?"Don't try to scare me with his sickness every day. You're the one who wanted a kid, and you promised you'd take care of him!"Anyway, I'm taking Wayne out to celebrate. Use this coupon to buy some food, and have the staff eat at home."My fingernails dug into my palm, but I did not even feel the pain.The realization that Jessica did not love our son final

Chapter 2

Jessica signed the renaming contract with a flourish, not even bothering to look my way.Before she walked out with Wayne, she left me with a chilly remark. "Give yourself a little raise, and make sure the staff party is a showy affair."When it's time, I'll chip in a few thousand for the funeral of that doomed soul in the hospital."…[$75,000 has been deposited into your account. Send the key over tomorrow.]I stared at the alert on my phone showing a $75,000 deposit and texted back: [Okay.]Then, I hurried to the hospital to pay for Frank's surgery in full.The doctor let out a sigh of relief. "Frank's been sick for two years. It's high time he had this surgery. Watching him go through dialysis every day is heartbreaking."Frank had become so frail after two years of endless dialysis, dropping from 90 pounds to 65.Even the doctors, who hardly knew him, felt sorry for him.Meanwhile, Jessica, a woman worth $150 million, had never visited him in the hospital and refused to

Chapter 3

I looked right at the camera and enunciated each word."I am Josh Zeller, and I stole all my work and games over the years from Wayne Chapman."I'm a total loser!"…Jessica's eyes showed she was moved, and she reached out to pull me up. "That's enough. Get the doctor back over there now!"In a flash, Wayne grabbed his head and fell toward her. "Ms. Stewart, my head is killing me. I think I really hurt myself."Frank's doctor is a brain specialist. Let him check me out first."Jessica caught him, worried, and told the doctor to see Wayne first."Wayne's the one in real trouble here! Out of the way! If you make us wait because of that doomed boy, you'll answer to me!"She shoved me aside hard and hurried into the room with Wayne.All the doctors went in after her to take care of him.I tugged at Frank’s doctor's sleeve, almost ready to cry on the floor. "Doctor! My son's life is on the line. Please, you have to operate on him now..."The doctor pulled away, looking troubled.

Chapter 4

"The Roberts Group beat you to launching Genyxis, and they're saying you don't own the original core tech—you copied their game!" "Ms. Stewart, this scandal is blowing up online. What's your response?" "How come there are two games that are exactly the same, and theirs came out first? Who's the real copycat here?"Jessica, who was usually cool under pressure, was thrown into a frenzy when she saw that Sienna Roberts' company had released the same game. "How can their game be identical to ours?!" she exclaimed."Ladies and gentlemen of the press, please, let's stay calm! I assure you, our company is the true creator of Genyxis. We even have the encryption key to prove it!" she insisted."Josh! What are you waiting for? Explain to the reporters! You don't want us to get accused of being copycats, do you?"All the reporters' cameras were aimed at Wayne, thinking he was the vice president, before they finally turned to find me tucked away in the corner.I faced the camera with a s

Chapter 5

In Jessica’s eyes, Frank's life was not worth the trouble.I pointed at Wayne, standing my ground. "Tell them the truth. That video from yesterday was a fake."He made me do it by threatening my son's life."Wayne shuddered, sweat beading on his forehead.Of course, he was scared after doing something so cruel.If people found out, he would be swamped with online hate."Ms. Stewart! That video from yesterday was just a test for Josh, just a little prank!"Isn't it a bit too much to confess in front of all of these reporters?"He tried to sidestep the real issue with a sneaky excuse, hoping to get away with it.However, that was not going to work.I kept my face cold and did not back down an inch.Jessica gently pulled on Wayne's hand and said in a soothing voice, "Wayne, just this once, can you take one for the team? Let's just get through this tough spot."We've already hyped up the game online, and over ten million people have signed up. Once it's a hit, I promise I'll ma

Chapter 6

The doctors had warned that Frank's life would be in danger without surgery.Seeing Josh so calm and detached, Jessica’s anger started to melt away.She had to admit that her feelings for Josh had softened after the realization. "Why didn't you ask me for the money? Tell Sienna I'll pay $300,000 right now to get the key back!"After the press conference, I'll go straight to the hospital to book Frank's surgery."She expected me to give her the answer she wanted to hear.However, all I did was pull at my lip, my voice sounding worn. "That’s not necessary. Frank..."Frank is already dead."The shocking truth hit Jessica so hard that she could not accept it. She stumbled back, her voice shaking. "What are you saying?! Frank is dead?! That can't be!"Just yesterday, the doctor said he was doing well. He said Frank would be healthy again after the surgery. He would be just like any other kid again."How could he just die like that? You're lying to me! You just didn't want me to fin

Chapter 7

Sienna blocked me from the crowd and whispered, "Don't worry. If he sues, I'll get you the best lawyer."The game is yours, and you can sell it to anyone you choose."Sienna was really saying that Wayne was too unimportant to be speaking so decisively.At Stewart Group, Wayne was treated like the vice president. He was not used to being embarrassed in front of everyone. He got so mad that his face turned beet red and he shouted, "You're Ms. Roberts, the one who teamed up with Josh to steal our company secrets, aren't you?!"A big company like yours stooping to dirty tricks… Even if you took Genyxis, do you honestly think anyone would side with you?!"Sienna just laughed. She did not care about his mean words. "Me, dirty? That's nothing compared to threatening someone with their child's life!"Wayne was so furious that he could barely talk. He whipped out his phone to call the cops.That was when I finally said, with a cool voice, "Don't bother calling the cops. It won't change a

Chapter 8

"You snake! How dare you come to my event! Sienna, you ruined everything for me!"I moved fast, stepping in front of Sienna, and gave Jessica a slap before her hand could land on Sienna."Stop it! Wake up, Jessica!"You're the one who ended Frank's life, and you pushed me so far that I had no choice but to sell the key to Sienna!"Jessica just stood there, dazed by the slap, as tears kept rolling down her cheeks.Wayne was still convinced that I was just making up excuses about not signing the contract, and he stubbornly called the cops.The police checked and confirmed that I had never signed any contract with the Stewart Group.The game Genyxis, which I created all by myself, could be sold to anyone.Jessica even admitted to skimping on my pay for years by claiming I was her husband.It was time for this whole silly drama to end.Sienna gave me a nod and invited me, "The press conference here is done. Are you ready to head to ours? A whole bunch of fans online are waiting f

Chapter 9

Everyone left the Stewart Group.Sienna gave my old team a raise and better benefits, and they were all thrilled.Jessica, on the other hand, lost significant industry trust because of what happened at the press conference.She tried to fix things with a few PR moves, but it did not work. People no longer trusted her.Wayne had been honest with the reporters about threatening me, and when the internet found out, they were all over him, day and night.The online attacks were too much for Wayne, and he ended up jumping off a building.With me taking the key people away, the Stewart Group just could not keep going.Soon after the incident, the investors pulled out, and the gaming company was on the brink of shutting down for good.After everyone had settled into their new jobs, Sienna called me into her office."Here's how much Genyxis made last month. I want to split the profits with you on a 30-70 basis."You know, I didn't go after this game because of the game itself. It was

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