Novels by Pen thinker

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

On the other end of the line, James's brother was silent for a long moment.Then he spoke."No problem," he said finally, his voice flat and decisive. "Since you feel this person is actually responsible, since you are pinning everything on him, then fine. Do what you think is right. Do what you think will save us from all of this bullshit." He paused. "Just handle it. Do what needs to be done."James nodded, even though his brother could not see him."I will," he said.The call ended.James stood there in the parking lot, staring down at his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. His chest was tight with the kind of cold, focused anger that comes when a decision has been made and there is no turning back from it.And then the phone rang again.James looked at the screen. This was the call he had been expecting.He answered immediately."Yes," he said.The voice on the other end did not waste time with pleasantries. It went straight to the point, low and businesslike, the tone of s

Sarah did not flinch.She did not step back. She did not show fear or weakness or anything that might have satisfied the threat James had just laid at her feet. Instead, she simply nodded, her expression calm and resolved, as though they were discussing something mundane and not the possibility of her own death."Well," she said evenly, "you can do whatever you want. Like I said before, I do not actually care anymore. I have told you the truth. That is the truth. You can believe it or not believe it, but that does not change what it is." She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "What is left for you now is to go deal with that good-for-nothing fool. That good-for-nothing Hector who betrayed everything you thought you knew about him. That is where you should be focusing your anger. Not on me."She turned toward her car."So I will be taking my leave now," she said.James opened his mouth to respond, but Sarah was already moving. She gathered her things with quick, efficient m

James stared at Sarah, and the look on his face had shifted into something darker, something that carried real anger beneath it now, not the performative kind but the kind that sits deep and dangerous in a person's chest."I don't understand what you are trying to do here," he said, his voice low and controlled in a way that made each word land with deliberate weight. "Why would you tell me lies? Why would you say it was Hector?" He took a step closer, his eyes locked on hers. "Hector works for Ross Corporation now. He is nobody. He has no power. He has no reach. So why ....why would Hector come after me and my family? What would he possibly have to gain from it?"He shook his head, his jaw tight."We went through school together. We shared the same circles. I know who Hector is. And the Hector I know does not have the connections to do what was done to my family. He does not have the resources. He does not have the influence." James's voice hardened. "I am sure it was one of your num

Sarah pulled the hood tighter around her face as she stepped out of the restaurant, her movements quick and deliberate, her eyes darting left and right with the nervous energy of someone trying very hard not to be seen. The hood obscured most of her features, casting her face in shadow, and she kept her head down as she moved through the sidewalk crowd toward the parking lot, weaving between people without making eye contact.Her phone had been buzzing all afternoon.James.Call after call after call, each one ignored, each one sending a fresh jolt of anxiety through her chest. She did not want to talk to James. She did not want James to know where she was. She especially did not want to see James in person, because she knew exactly what James was capable of, and the last time they had been face to face had not gone well for her. Not well at all.She reached the parking lot, scanning the rows of cars until she spotted hers tucked into a corner space near the back. Relief flickered thr

Elvis heard the question and turned slightly toward Victoria, gesturing with one hand."You can go get in the car," he said. "I will be right behind you. Let me settle this with him first."Victoria nodded once and walked toward the vehicle without looking back.Elvis waited until she was out of earshot, then he turned to face the manager fully, and when he spoke his voice had lost every trace of the reassurance it had been carrying thirty seconds earlier."Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" he said.The manager's eyes widened."What?""Aren't you ashamed?" Elvis repeated, and now his tone had shifted into something colder, sharper, the voice of someone who has made a decision and is simply executing it. "What exactly do you want from me? You want me to call your director and get you your job back? Is that it? You want me to make phone calls, pull strings, recommend you for another position somewhere?" He shook his head slowly. "What did you actually do that would make me owe you anythi

Victoria and Elvis looked at each other.The silence stretched between them, heavy and loaded with the kind of disbelief that comes when reality refuses to align itself with expectation. This was not how it was supposed to go. This was not how any of it was supposed to unfold. That good-for-nothing bastard, that nobody who had been holding up the line and refusing to back down, was the one commanding military escorts and ninety-degree bows from the director of EJSK Luxury. What the hell was happening?Neither of them could find words for it.Victoria broke the silence first."We need to find out more about this guy," she said, and her voice had regained some of its edge, the uncertainty hardening back into purpose. "We really need to dig into who he is, because this does not make sense. There is something going on here that we are missing. Something big." She looked at Elvis. "We need to know everything."Elvis nodded slowly."Agreed," he said. "I will make calls. Get the footage. St

Her hands were still clutching his jacket around herself, were still holding it like a shield, like protection against everything that had just happened and might still happen."Let's leave together," Raymond continued, his voice still carrying that quiet gentleness. "Let's get you to the car. Let's get you somewhere safe. Somewhere away from—" he didn't look at David, didn't give him the acknowledgment of eye contact, "—away from this."But there was something else in his voice now.Something underneath the gentleness.Something that suggested what he wasn't saying: *If you don't come now, if you stay here, I'm going to do something that you shouldn't witness, that you don't need to see, that will be easier for both of us if you're not present for.*"It's not going to be funny," Raymond added, and the words were still directed at Megan but were clearly meant for David as well, were clearly a warning that was being issued, a line that was being drawn. "What happens next—it won't be fu

David looked at Raymond with an expression that was cycling rapidly through emotions—shock at the interruption, calculation about how to handle this, and then, settling finally on something that looked like contempt mixed with defiance.The kind of expression that young men sometimes wear when confronting older men they don't respect, when facing authority they don't recognize, when dealing with obstacles they believe they can simply bulldoze through with enough aggression and entitlement."So this is the bastard," David said, and his voice came out with derision, with mockery, with the particular scorn of someone who believes they've identified a rival and found them wanting. "This is the old man you rejected me for? This is what you chose?"He gestured at Raymond with one hand—a dismissive wave that encompassed Raymond's entire person, that attempted to reduce him to something contemptible, something unworthy of respect or consideration."You rejected me," David continued, and his v

She could taste blood in her mouth—had bitten her tongue or her cheek during one of the impacts, blood mixing with saliva, creating that distinct metallic taste that was unmistakable, that was always accompanied by the knowledge that something had been damaged, something had been torn.David grabbed the front of her shirt—the nice blouse she had worn, the one she had picked out carefully, the one that was now rumpled and stretched from the violence.And pulled.Not trying to move her—trying to tear the fabric.The sound of ripping cloth was loud in the foyer—loud and somehow more disturbing than the sounds of impact had been, more visceral, more carrying of implication about what was happening, about where this was going.The shirt tore—not completely, the fabric was too well-made for that, but enough. Enough to expose skin, to expose vulnerability, to make absolutely clear what David's intentions were, where this situation was heading.Megan tried to fight—tried to push his hands awa

The vase connected with David's head with a sound that was simultaneously sickening and satisfying—a dull, heavy thud that carried within it the weight of ceramic against skull, the impact of desperation meeting flesh and bone.Not a clean hit.Megan's hands had been shaking too much for precision, her angle had been wrong, her strength compromised by fear and adrenaline and the awkward position she was in.But it was enough.Enough to make David's eyes go wide with shock, with the sudden understanding that she had actually done it, had actually struck him, had escalated from resistance to violence.Enough to make his grip on her wrist loosen—just for a moment, just a reflexive response as his body processed unexpected pain, as his brain tried to assess damage, as his attention shifted from controlling her to protecting himself.Enough to throw him off balance.He stumbled sideways—not falling, not collapsing, but losing his stable stance, losing his center of gravity, his feet moving

"I came here to tell you something," David said, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "To make you understand something. About me. About us. About what you're throwing away by choosing him over me."His fingers traced down her cheek, along her jawline.Megan was frozen.Not from compliance—from the paralysis that sometimes happens in moments of extreme stress, when the body can't decide between fight and flight and instead just stops, just goes rigid, just waits to see what happens next."You think he's better than me," David continued, his voice still that quiet, intense whisper. "You think he has more to offer. More money, more sophistication, more—whatever it is you're looking for. But you're wrong. You're choosing wrong. And I'm here to help you understand that."His other hand moved to her waist.And that—that movement, that escalation—broke through Megan's paralysis.Her knee came up.Fast.Instinctive.The self-defense move that every woman learns at some point, that every w

There had been a pause on the other end of the line.Then Raymond's voice, amused, teasing in a gentle way: "Well, if you want to stay forever, you should probably talk to your mom first. Get her permission. Then we can discuss it."The teasing had made her laugh—genuine laughter, the kind that comes from affection rather than nervousness."Why not?" she had said, playing along. "Why wouldn't she give me permission? I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions. I'll talk to her, she'll understand, and then—" she had gestured even though he couldn't see her, "—then I'll just move in. Problem solved.""I'll be there in less than five minutes," Raymond had said, and she could hear traffic in the background, could hear that he was driving, was already on his way. "Wait for me there. We can talk about your permanent residency application when I arrive."The call had ended.She had stood there for a moment longer, phone still in hand, smile still on her face.If only she knew, she thought.If

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