Novels by Pen thinker

For that moment, Raymond stood there looking at both of them, at Madam Veronica with her blazing eyes and her absolute refusal to be moved, and at Megan with that quiet and unshakeable certainty on her face, and he understood that this particular battle was already over before he had properly begun fighting it.He let out a slow breath.“Why are you both so adamant about this?” he said, and the frustration in his voice was genuine but soft, the frustration of a person who wanted something specific and is being pulled away from it by people he cannot argue with. “Why does everything have to be so difficult when I am literally trying to do the right thing here?”He looked between them, and when he spoke again his voice carried the weight of someone saying something they genuinely believe.“I wanted to teach them a lesson,” he said. “A real one. The kind that stays. Because that is what people like this need, they need to understand that you cannot walk through this world treating othe

Raymond looked at her with an expression that was impossible to read, the specific and carefully constructed expression of someone who is holding something back and enjoying the holding of it just slightly more than they should."What if I say no?" he said, and there was something in his voice that was not quite amusement but lived very close to it. "What if I don't comply with what you just said? What then? Are you going to be angry with me?"Megan did not even blink."Not just angry," she said, and the speed with which she responded made it clear that she had not needed to think about it at all. "I will be so disappointed in you. Because you stood right in front of me and told me I had the priority in all of this. You told me I was going to be at the center of every decision made in this room today. You made that promise to me."She held his gaze without moving."So why are you pulling back now?" she said, and her voice carried the sharp and pointed clarity of someone who is not goi

Megan watched.She stood there and she watched Damian Brooks on the floor, holding his daughter's limp body against his chest, his expensive suit crumpled and forgotten, his voice breaking apart in ways that had nothing calculated or strategic left in them. Just a father. Just a man holding his child and shaking with the specific and helpless terror of someone who would trade everything they owned in that single moment just to make her open her eyes.Something moved in Megan's chest.She did not want it to. She had every reason in the world not to let it. But it moved anyway, the way things move in a person when they are built a certain way and cannot fully shut that part of themselves down no matter how justified the reason might be.She turned and walked toward Raymond quietly.“I think I need to stop this,” she said, keeping her voice low, her eyes still on Anita's motionless form on the floor. “I think I need to let it go before it goes any further than this.”Raymond looked at he

Hearing what Raymond just said, Megan knew there was no going back, and honestly, she didn't want to. She nodded her head, the look on her face showing that she had completely shut the door on mercy."Like I said before," Megan said, her voice carrying the steady weight of someone who has finished second-guessing themselves. "I don't have any other choice. I don't have any other obligation than to let Anita face her judgment. She bullied people. She caused mischief, she made life miserable for those who couldn't fight back, and I am not going to allow that to go unchecked. She has to face it."At that moment, the finality in Megan's words hit Anita like a physical blow. She was still on her knees on the cold floor, but she slumped even further, the last shred of her pride dissolving into pure panic. "I am sorry!" she cried out, her voice cracking into a loud, desperate sob. "I am very, very sorry! I swear I never knew it was going to affect you this badly. Please, Megan, please don't

Nobody had an answer.That was the honest truth of what was sitting in that room right now. Nobody could explain it, nobody could trace the thread back to its beginning and point at the exact place where a girl that this school had spent years treating like she did not matter had somehow become the center of a morning that kept rewriting itself every time someone thought they understood where it was going.It was not ordinary.Every person in that hall, whether they were willing to say it out loud or not, knew that much. Things like this did not simply happen. Doors like this did not simply open. And yet here they were, standing inside the evidence of it with no explanation that felt adequate enough to hold the weight of what they were witnessing.The whispers had gone quieter now, not because there was less to say but because silence felt more appropriate for something that nobody had the vocabulary to properly describe.Megan looked down at the file in front of her.She looked at th

Megan stared at the file.She stared at it the way a person stares at something when their brain has received the information but is refusing, on some fundamental and instinctive level, to process it into something real. Her mouth had parted slightly and her eyes had gone wide and for a moment, just one long and unguarded moment, every wall she had been holding up through the entire length of this morning came down completely and what was left on her face was just pure, unfiltered shock.“I don't believe this,” she said, and her voice came out smaller than she intended, stripped of all the composure she had been carrying since the moment she walked through those doors. “This cannot be real. This is not real.”She looked at the file, then up at the man holding it, then back at the file again, as though one of those things might change if she looked at it long enough.“Are you actually telling me,”she said, and her voice was picking up now, not in anger but in the stunned and breathles

Immediately, the king's brother began murmuring to himself, his voice barely audible but filled with absolute disbelief and rising panic."This shouldn't be happening," he whispered, shaking his head repeatedly. "This cannot possibly be happening right now."His voice grew more desperate and confused. "How can something like this actually happen? What the hell is really going on here?"He looked around the room with wild, unfocused eyes. "How? Is this some kind of elaborate prank? Some kind of sick joke?"But it was very clearly not a joke at all.That was when Brain and Serenity walked toward him with calm, deliberate steps, their expressions completely composed and professional.Brain spoke first, his voice quiet but carrying absolute authority. “As we speak to you right now, this entire palace and every exit surrounding it has been completely secured.”His tone left no room for misunderstanding. “You cannot escape from here. There is nowhere left for you to run.”Serenity stepped

At that moment, the king's brother's confident smile slowly began to fade as he pressed the phone harder against his ear and listened to the continuous ringing on the other end.He had called the ACE number, the most direct and secure line to the person he had personally handpicked and placed in charge of the entire Circle operation, his most trusted ear within the organization, his most reliable eye on everything that moved within the Circle's ranks.But nobody answered, the phone rang once.Twice, three times.Then more, each unanswered ring hitting him like a physical blow to the chest.Then he pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the screen with growing disbelief, then brought it back up and listened again, desperately hoping for a voice on the other end.But Still nothing Just the hollow, mocking sound of an unanswered call echoing in the silence of the chamber.That was when the thoughts began flooding his mind uncontrollably, crashing through his carefully construct

At that moment, the king's brother threw his head back and started laughing, a deep, unhinged laughter that filled the entire chamber with an unsettling echo.“Just imagine!” he exclaimed between laughs, his composure finally cracking into something more unraveled and desperate. “Just look at the situation we've arrived at!”His laughter slowly faded into something more bitter and resentful as he turned his gaze back to his brother.“You have been walking around this palace acting as if I'm not worth anything,” he said, his voice dripping with years of accumulated resentment. “Acting as if only you matter in this entire equation!”His tone grew more wounded as he continued. “You never once consulted me when it came to important matters of state, never thought to bring me along when crucial decisions needed to be made!”He began pacing again, his emotions now fully unmasked. “You did everything possible to make sure that yes, I don't matter, that my opinions are worthless, that my pr

At that moment, hearing the full extent of his exposure and realizing that every single one of his carefully constructed plans had been completely unraveled, that was when something shifted dramatically in the king's brother.The desperate pleading and emotional appeals disappeared instantly, replaced by something far more cold and calculating.He nodded his head slowly and deliberately, his expression transforming from wounded brother to something far more dangerous and controlled.“Well, fine,” he said quietly, his voice dropping to an almost eerily calm tone. “Fine, fine, fine.”He straightened his posture and smoothed his clothing with deliberate composure. “Everything is perfectly fine with me now.”His eyes became harder and more focused. “I'm not going to waste any more time defending myself against your accusations.”His tone became completely cold. “And I'm not going to say anything else that I don't genuinely mean anymore.”A thin, dangerous smile spread across his face.

The king leaned forward with intense conviction. “Don't you realize that you can't keep pretending anymore? Can't you see that absolutely everything has been completely exposed right here in front of you?”His voice grew more incredulous. “And yet you are still claiming and acting as if you didn't do anything wrong, as if you're some kind of innocent victim!”The king's tone became more bitter. “You were supposedly literally fighting for me, fighting for the country, fighting for all of us and our royal family, when in reality you were literally fighting only for yourself and your own selfish ambitions!”His voice rose with righteous anger. “So what other kind of greatness could you possibly be talking about now?”The king's expression grew darker as he revealed the depth of his knowledge. “Oh, you think I don't know what you have been planning all along? You think I'm that naive and blind?”His voice became more intense. “I know everything that you've been scheming. I know exactly w

Immediately after hearing his brother's harsh words about shame and disgust, that was when the king's brother felt a surge of desperate indignation rise up within him.His voice became more passionate and pleading as he tried to defend himself against these accusations.“Why would you possibly be disgusted with me?” he demanded, his tone filled with genuine confusion and hurt. “Like, seriously, if we're going to be completely frank and sincere about all of this, what exactly have I done wrong?”His voice grew more urgent as he pressed his case. “Are you honestly telling me that you are going to believe whatever lies and propaganda the Supreme King literally feeds you, and you will abandon your own flesh and blood brother who has always stood by you?”The brother's tone became more emotional. “Have I ever done anything, even once, that would give you legitimate reason to feel as if I don't literally want to fight beside you in battle?”His voice cracked slightly with emotion. “Have

At that moment, as Sarah was desperately searching for Hector, that was when she spotted him standing near the front of the crowd and rushed toward him, pushing people out of her way.“Hector! Hector, please wait!” she called out breathlessly.When she reached him, she immediately dropped to her knees, she knows this was the only way out, she knows Hector would never see her on her knees and don't forgive her, and accept her back, she's the must beautiful girl in school, and he just can't get his head off him, and immediately she started pleading.“Everything you saw back there was a huge mistake! James and his family deceived me - they manipulated me into thinking I needed them. I have absolutely nothing to do with James anymore, I swear!”Hector looked down at her with cold, emotionless eyes.“There's no way I'm ever going to accept you back, Sarah.”“But can't you see it was all just a terrible mistake?” Sarah's voice got more desperate. “Even though I know you're poor again - I

At that moment Sarah felt like her whole world was crashing down around her. She couldn't believe her eyes the Ross Group was walking away after promising her they would make a sweet offer today. This couldn't be happening.Mr. Andrea stopped and turned to look at Sarah. For just a split second, his eyes flashed with something that looked almost deadly, but then he controlled himself and his face went back to being completely professional.“Your product?” He said the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth. “I don't think so, Sarah. Fashion Icon will stay on hold until we decide what to do with it.”Sarah's mind was spinning. She couldn't understand what he meant by that.“But what if I get offers from other people? Other investors?” Her voice was getting more desperate by the second.Mr. Andrea looked at her like she was a child who didn't understand how the world worked.“You won't get any offers from anybody.” His voice was flat and final, indirectly telling her that the Ros

As soon as those words left his mouth, the man turned and walked toward the exit.Without wasting another second his entire team of investors got up from their seats and followed behind him like a parade of rejection.Sarah felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach, but she forced herself to keep smiling. There were still plenty of other investors in the room. This was just one group.“Thank you for your time,” she called out to the man's back, trying to sound graceful even though her voice was shaking. “I'm sure many other people here have bought into the idea.”But before she could even finish her sentence, another person stood up from a different section of the room.“We are also not interested in your app anymore.”This time it was a woman in an expensive business suit. She stood up with the same cold, professional expression and started walking toward the exit.At that moment Sarah watched in horror as the woman's entire investment team followed her out of the room,

At that moment Sarah walked back toward the stage with her head held high, acting like nothing embarrassing had just happened.But James stayed behind. He had some things he wanted to get off his chest before this whole mess was over.“Listen here, you pathetic loser.” James stepped closer to Hector, his voice low and threatening. “Even if you hadn't stupidly donated all that jewelry just now, I'm still way richer than you'll ever be.”He puffed out his chest like a peacock showing off its feathers.“My family was worth a hundred million dollars two years ago. And that was just the beginning.” James's voice got louder and more arrogant. “Right now, we're worth somewhere between 170 and 250 million dollars. Maybe even more.”He pulled out his phone and waved it in Hector's face.“I could buy everything you just gave away with one phone call to my parents. All I have to do is ask, and they'll transfer the money immediately. That's the difference between real wealth and your once in a

At that moment Sarah tears started flowing like a river down her cheeks. Her perfect makeup began to smear as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, without being told she knew, if she doesn't do anything now she's going to lose everything, all of this gift's, all money.“James and his family manipulated me! They took advantage of me when I was vulnerable!” Her voice got higher and more desperate. “I have serious medical issues, Hector. They promised they would help pay for my treatment. That's the only reason I'm with him!”She looked around at everyone staring at her, then back at Hector with pleading eyes.“I was going to break up with James after today anyway. I was going to come find you and tell you how I really felt. This is your fault for not being patient with me!” Her voice cracked as she pointed an accusing finger at him. “And why didn't you tell me you were rich, you hide it away from me? How was I supposed to know?”Hector stared at her in complete disbelief. Jus

At that moment Sarah felt like her whole world was spinning. James had given her expensive gifts before - designer bags, fancy dinners, maybe a nice bracelet here and there. But a million dollars? Never. Not even close.And if those necklaces were really worth that much, then the ring from earlier... Her brain connected the dots she'd been trying to ignore. The Jelone King Wedding ring wasn't some cheap knockoff. It was real. Which meant Hector just pulled out over two million dollars worth of jewelry like it was nothing, how is that even possible.“What is happening here?” Sarah's voice came out shaky and weak. Nothing like the confident tone she used on stage just minutes ago.“Hector.” She reached out her hand toward him, desperate to touch him, to make some kind of connection that would explain all of this.But Hector stepped backward, putting distance between them. Her hand grabbed nothing but air.Before Sarah could say anything else, the second woman clicked open her briefcase

CHAPTER 544THE VERDICT 'You're under arrest, Mr Richard. Let me see your hands,' the chief of police demanded, his voice loud and stern.The senator knew at that point that there was no way to escape. He had been exposed, and the only thing left to do was to accept his fate.He raised his hands and was handcuffed while the other police officers pushed him further along.'You can't do this, please! There must be another way,' Jessica managed to say, though she wasn't sure what she was saying.The evidence was everywhere and she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid this one.Her husband was in trouble, and if she wasn't careful, she was going to get caught up in it too.By the time they came out of the house, everyone in the estate had gathered to witness the commotion. They stood with shocked expressions on their faces.The senator, who had just expressed his desire to become governor, was now handcuffed and being taken away by the police.It was a completely new experience for everyon

CHAPTER 543SHAMEJudge West was ashamed when he looked at his son.He had never been so angry about anything in his life. He was so furious that he felt like murdering someone to quell his anger.He was sitting in his house, about to finalise a deal, when the authorities burst in and began arresting everyone.This had never happened before, and it didn't take long to realise that it was his foolish son who had done it, exposing him to forces too big to tear down.'Father, what's going on, and why are you handcuffed like a criminal?' Andrew asked, his eyes filled with confusion.He had thought that, once he got to the police station, he would just call his father and everything would be settled. But what he was witnessing was a big shock that he couldn't explain.What was he going to do without his father, who had always been a pillar of support and shed light on his path?The road ahead seemed slippery and dark, and for the first time, he was scared of what the future might hold."Fa

CHAPTER 542DEFEATED "Suit yourself, but you're done for, and there's nothing you can do about it. You can try everything you know, but it won't work," Jeremy said confidently to Andrew. He made sure that he left no stone unturned.Everything that had happened had made Jeremy exasperated and he was ready to get justice.He had worked too hard to allow Andrew to be released so easily. He wasn't going to allow it. He was going to make the man suffer for everything he had put him through."You don't know what you're doing. If you did, you would stop now. I come from one of the most powerful families in New York, and you will not walk free from what you have done." Andrew muttered angrily to Jeremy.He couldn't believe that his control over those powerful men had been reduced to nothing. He was handcuffed like a common criminal; his father would be so disappointed to see him like this. This was a big disgrace to a man of his standing.He needed to think of an escape plan. He could not al

CHAPTER 541APPREHENDED Jeremy came outside and looked at the boss. They maintained eye contact for a while before Jeremy spoke with realisation "I actually knew that you were part of the circle, but I wanted to be sure before making any moves. Now it has come to light," Jeremy muttered with a smirk.He had his doubts, but after some research and conversations, he discovered that he was on the right track.Andrew,his father's butler had been the circus master all along while he was acting as though he had his back and wanted the best for him."After I spoke to you, you said something in that direction, but you quickly diverted it. I knew that something was wrong. I paid more attention whenever we spoke, but I didn't want to take drastic steps without solid evidence, because i knew that men like you could easily escape the law and i didn't want to take any chances. Now that we have proof, you will go down," Jeremy added. He was disgusted by Andrew.He was even surprised himself to se

CHAPTER 540FOLLOW THE TRAILS The circus boss started laughing to himself; he couldn't believe he had missed it. The answer he had been craving had been right in front of him the whole time, but he just hadn't noticed.For him, this was the connection he had been searching for, and there was no way he wasn't going to get what he wanted.The owner of the school, Mr Philip, must have known something, or rather, received the support he needed, which was why he thought he could challenge him.Although he was angry with the senator for his mistake, there was no reason why Mr Philip couldn't be involved.The situation was complex, but all he wanted to do was unravel the connection and iron out the kinks.He took out his phone and dialled a number; his patience was wearing thin and he just wanted to do something quickly.'Hello boss, at your service,' a man at the other end quickly answered, his voice filled with humility and loyalty.'Do you know Mr Philip's house? He's the owner of the bi

CHAPTER 539NEW DISCOVERY "What have I done? The Senator asked in awe, his mouth open in anger.It wasn't what he had expected Mr Raymond to say and the word alone had left him distraught."Don't you dare point the finger at me Raymond, I wasn't the one who was greedy and wanted twenty percent of someone else's profits. It was your selfishness and greed that brought us to where we are now". The Senator condemned, his tone firm with accusation.He wasn't going to accept Raymond's words and how he wanted to paint him as the bad guy. He had seen the signs and he wouldn't accept it."Greed, you say? You don't have the right to call me greedy. You wanted the governorship and you didn't care who you hurt as long as you got it. You're practically the reason we're in this mess," Mr Raymond fired back at the Senator.He was furious that the Senator was trying to use his involvement with Mr Philip to pin the blame on him.The indulgence of Mr Philip couldn't be the reason why things were going