Novels by ERO HAY

310. The digital world buckled like a paper house in a hurricane. Amanda and Devin flailed around as Devin tried to stabilise himself. Amanda clung to Devin's arm, her fingers digging in so hard they left white marks on his skin. Her entire body felt strange, and she hated that she was even in such a place in the first place. Amanda's eyes darted around the crumbling space. Gloria pulled the plug out of Amanda’s hold. "Do you think it's that easy, boy? You really think that you can just walk away?" "Shut your goddamn mouth!" Amanda yelled, yanking harder on Devin. His body jerked, veins still glowing like overheated wires. "We've had enough of your bullshit games!” Devin groaned, his knees buckling. “Amanda, it's like she's got hooks in my skull. We can't... we can't hold on." "Like hell we can't!" Amanda snapped, her free hand clawing at the interface node. It floated there, mocking them, a glowing orb was flashing with red warnings. She slammed her neural plug deeper

309. The monitors were going haywire and Amanda could feel the vibrations of the computer in her brain. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! Everything was just wrong, but that Devin was too stubborn to listen to anybody. Amanda got up from her chair, coffee spilling over her lap. "Shit! No, no, no!" She slammed her hand on the console, eyes wide as the readings on Devin's vitals dropped fast, heart rate crashing, neural activity spiking off the charts. The man had done it now! What was she supposed to do in such a situation? What was happening to him in there? "Devin, you fucking idiot!" She yelled, her voice echoing in the small lab. She pressed the comms link, though she knew damn well he couldn't hear her anymore. "You just couldn't wait, could you? You never fucking can! You are a burden on my neck, Devin! Fuck you!" The medallion was floated at the centre of the room now, glowing erratically as pulses of light came out of it like an arrhythmic heartbeat. Amanda had had his body

308. Devin glared at her. He clenched his fists and try to clear his head. “No, I can’t be speaking to you right. Ow. You’re not real.” Gloria smiled. “Define real. You’re not standing in your own body right now either, are you? You uploaded yourself here, does that mean that you are not real? Does that mean that this is real? You brought yourself here willfully.” He swallowed hard and looked around. The walls started changing and displaying images of his past, flashing them for half a second at a time. It showed him at meetings with investors, his time with Petra… and then, the blood. The massacre at the tower. Everything that could mess with him. “Get the fuck out of my head!” He snarled. “Your head?” Gloria asked. “Oh, Devin. You stepped into mine. You should get out of my head, I'm not the one intruding.” He took a step closer. “Where is she?” She smiled wickedly at him. “Where is whom? Petra?” “Don’t play dumb with me, you know where she is. Stop act

307.Devin took his hands off the panel, looking around. "Well, that was anticlimactic." He said. "Devin, you are not allowed to touch that thing before I'm done calibrating it. I'll bash your head in with the keyboard if you do that again." He looked at her as the power returned. "And ow long will that take?" Amanda looked away. She didn't know. "It's the only way to find Petra right now. Stop trying to save me, I can make my own decisions!" Devin exclaimed angrily. Amanda groaned, rubbing her face. "You keep saying that all the time, but your actions in times like this prove otherwise. Now, listen to me. That Echo is not stable yet. If you link your mind to it right now, there's a good chance that it could fry your neurons or worse, plug you straight into Gloria's network. From what I have seen, it is very powerful." "Good." He said coldly. "Then maybe I'll find her faster." Amanda got up and stood toe-to-toe with him, glaring. "Are you hearing yourself? Yo

306. Devin hadn’t slept, not a wink or a quick shut eye. He sat at the edge of the cold metal bunk staring at the medallion glowing faintly on the table. His fingers twitched every few seconds like he was resisting the urge to grab it again, he wanted to feel it, the slow pulse that felt like a heartbeat to him. Amanda came later in the morning, her face was pale and her hair even messier than before. She looked like hell but so did he and he didn't seem to mind. “Good Morning.” She muttered, carrying two mugs of black coffee in her hands. “If we can even call it that.” Devin didn’t look up. “Do you have something for me?” Amanda set the mugs down and sighed. “You’re welcome, asshole.” He realised that he upset her and he rubbed his face. “Right. Sorry.” “You should be.” She took a sip of her own coffee and sat across from him. “You look like someone dragged you through stones.” “Feels like it too.” He muttered. He was exhausted and his voice sounded hoarse.

305. Amanda sat hunched over the desk with her hair tied up in a messy knot, and her eyes bloodshot from hours of staring at holographic code. The room around her was dark except for the dole glow of the medallion hovering in front of her. It was pulsing slowly, just like Devin had said, like a heartbeat, so slow and in rhythm. "Come on, you stressful piece of worm!" She muttered, tapping on the keyboard. "Show me what the hell you're hiding." Amanda had been working on decoding it for three straight days, fuelled by caffeine, anger, and perhaps obsession. Devin's obsession had bled into her, and now she was just this... creature. She ran her fingers through her hair, sighed, and then squinted at the screen. The code was beautiful but terrifying too. It was fluid, adaptive, almost alive. Every time she broke through one firewall, the medallion seemed to rewrite itself, sealing new layers of encryption in seconds. "This isn't just code." She murmured, shaking her head. "This i

Jane stormed into the coffee shop, her eyes blazing with anger. Her friend, Rachel, looked up from her laptop, concern etched on her face."Jane, what's wrong?" Rachel asked, closing her laptop.Jane collapsed into the chair, her voice trembling. "He rejected me. Jaxson rejected me."Rachel's expression softened. "Oh, Jane. I'm so sorry."Jane's hands clenched into fists. "I went to him, poured my heart out, and he just...dismissed me. Like I meant nothing."Rachel's eyes widened. "What did he say exactly?"Jane's words spilled out in a torrent. "He said I used him, manipulated him. That he wouldn't be fooled again. Foolish? Me? Ha!"Rachel's gentle touch on Jane's arm was a stark contrast to Jane's seething emotions."Jane, maybe you should take a step back. Reevaluate—"Jane's fury boiled over. "No! You don't understand. Jaxson owes me. He used me, too. He pretended to love me, and now he's just...gone?"Rachel's voice remained calm. "Jane, you know Jaxson's engaged to Semira now. M

Jaxson's phone soon rang as his secretary put a call across to him. He had asked not to be disturbed for he wanted the entire night to himself and Semira alone."Yes?" Jaxson asked, his voice Stern."Pardon me for interrupting your night sir but Marcus Thompson is here, and he wants to see you," she said to him.Marcus was a business partner that Jaxson was trying to get a contract with. But Marcus has been proven stubborn, and Jaxson knew it was because of the silly rumors about him that spread weeks earlier."What does Thompson want?" Jaxson asked the secretary."I think he wants to pull out of the negotiations sir," She replied. Semira overhead the words and gazed at Jaxson."I'll be there" he replied and hung up. "Driver, take me to the office," Jaxson said."I'm sorry for this, Semira. I didn't think this would happen tonight," Jaxson apologized. Semira smiled and held his hand."Let's get that contract once and for all!" She replied to him.Jaxson stood confidently in the sleek

The soft glow of candlelight danced across the crystal chandeliers, casting a warm ambiance over the elegant dining room. Jaxson Green sat across from his stunning fiancée, Semira, at the city's most exclusive restaurant, Le Coeur.Their table, nestled near the floor-to-ceiling windows, offered a breathtaking view of the city skyline. The maître d' poured champagne, and Jaxson raised his glass in a silent toast.Semira's eyes sparkled as she sipped her drink. "To our future, my love."Jaxson's smile was genuine. "To forever with you."Their dinner arrived, and the aroma of roasted duck and sautéed vegetables wafted through the air. Semira closed her eyes, savoring the flavors."Mmm, this is heavenly," she whispered.Jaxson chuckled. "Only the best for my princess."As they dined, their conversation turned to their upcoming wedding."Have you finalized the guest list?" Semira asked, her brow furrowed."Almost," Jaxson replied. "I've decided to invite a few business associates, but I wa

Jane sauntered into the police station, her designer heels clicking on the worn linoleum. She flashed a saccharine smile at the officer behind the desk, her eyes gleaming with malice.What Parker just told her still made her uneasy, and the shock had not worn off her. But she had another plan to safeguard herself.It doesn't matter whether Jaxson was engaged or not. She had to get him back, and she was confident that he would.Jane smiled again. Men were tools for her to play with. Plus, she had already dated Jaxson in the past. It wouldn't be hard to get him to submit to her."Visiting my father, Vance," she cooed, handing over her ID.The officer nodded, unaware of the venom lurking beneath Jane's polished exterior.As she entered the cell, Vance looked up from his cot, his eyes weary from days of detention. "Jane, what brings you here?"Jane's smile twisted. "Just thought I'd drop by and share some...enlightening news, Father dear."Vance's instincts prickled. He could see the deme

"Jaxson Brown. Why have you called? Have you called me to float because let me tell you, you're late!" Parker snapped at Jaxson who just chuckled. "Detective. I called to extend my sympathy. Your career is over as we speak," Jaxson said to him."And whose fault is that? Huh? You leaked everything. How did you even do it? How did you get your hands on those information? I don't understand it," he said to Jaxson who Chuckled again. The winds of change had blown, and Jaxson had won."I'll advise you, Parker, to change your ways. You may think that you are discreet but I assure you there are people out there who are even more curious. Change your ways so that you will not find yourself in prison," Jaxson said to him. Parker frowned."What do you mean?" He asked. "What else do you know?" He asked Jaxson. Jaxson sighed."Isn't it obvious? I left out details of that particular murder that you committed. Didn't you observe it, Parker? That it wasn't mentioned at all?" Jaxson asked and Parke

Detective Parker drove back to the station, wondering why his boss has requested to see him in such a notice. He was especially worried about the suddenly revelation that Jaxson had made to the public.What game was he trying to play? Detective Parker wondered. With Jaxson's revelation, Parker couldn't extort money from him. He had become immune.As soon as detective Parker stepped into the station, all eyes fell on him. He suddenly became self aware as he walked past the cops glaring at him with their scrutinizing eyes. The thing about cops was that they had a way of breaking a person with their glares alone and Parker knew all too well."Hey, what's going on? Why is everyone looking at me like I just returned from space?" He asked a rookie who looked around with caution before he replied. Parker could see the hesitation in the rookie's face.He didn't want to talk to him. "Look, sir, I don't want any trouble. Just leave me alone," the rookie replied and tried to walk away but Park

Drax gripped the steering wheel tightly as he navigated the crowded streets. Cara sat beside him, her eyes fixed on her phone."We're almost there," she said, her voice low and pressured.Drax grunted as his his eyes scanned the road ahead. He hated hospitals. Hated the smell of disinfectant and the sound of beeping machines. As they turned into the hospital parking lot, Cara pointed to a vacant spot. "There."Drax pulled into the spot and killed the engine. Then, in unison, they opened their doors and stepped out onto the pavement.Holding Cara's hand, they rushed into the hospital and soon met with a nurse at the nurse's station who directed them to room 3 on the VIP suites where Cara's father was admitted.Taking a lift, they went to the fourth floor and located the room. When Cara saw her grandfather lying on the bed unconscious, she gasped and clasped her hands on her mouth."Oh my God…" Cara muttered as she stepped closer to him. A maid was tending to the older man and she sto

"Drax, are you okay?" Cara asked while Drax looked around, wearing a frown on his face. His system was still sending waves and waves of warning his way. But Drax could not see any threats around."Yes, I'm fine-" he stopped when he turned to Cara and found her frozen on the spot. Her lips were parted, eyes fixed on a spot, and the gentle humming that once livened the restaurant instantly died down.Drax gently stood up from his seat and looked at other customers. They were all frozen as well. Even the drinks weren't spared as a customer's glass that was being rocked in his hand earlier, slanted toward the right, almost spilling the amber coloured champagne."What is going on right now?" Drax asked his system. The blue light appeared in his mind's eye.[He's here]The system replied to him. Drax's brows furrowed as he kept looking around."Who's here?" He asked again, and suddenly, the floor began to vibrate. Drax took a step back as a large crack suddenly appeared on the ground and e

"Jason, guess who I just saw right fucking now!" Kira gritted her teeth as Jason picked up the call from the other side of the phone."Who?" Jason asked, his tone discordant and harsh, but Kira didn't sense it. She was too angry to pick up hints."It was my good-for-nothing ex-husband. That trash really has gotten his hands dirty!" She yelled as she dug her fingers into her hair, clawing at it.Jason let out a sigh, but Kira couldn't believe her ears."Are you even listening to me? I'm telling you something serious right now. That bastard allegedly bought our wedding car. What the hell are we supposed to do now? So many things aren't connected!" She said again."Your ex is now the acting CEO of Blackview Incorporated. I got fired today. And I heard them calling him Drax. It's fucking crazy," Jason dropped the bombshell.Kira's heart skipped a beat while she received the news. "What do you mean you got fired? How did Alex or Drax or whatever his name is I don't fucking care, get your

The car parked with a subtle screech in front of DQ cars dealership, and Drax stepped out. He gazed at the building for a moment before he gently approached while the driver hurled off to the garage.The security men shot him glares as he walked into the building. He ignored their looks and was soon greeted by a large, open reception space. DQ cars dealership was the best in the city, and Drax had done his research."Are you Mr Drax who I spoke with on the phone?" A tall, lanky man appeared and took a stare down at Drax, sizing him from head to toe. Although Drax wore an expensive suit, the years of ill-treatment still took it's toll on his general appearance."I am. And what was that about you not having my proposed car in stock anymore?" Drax questioned him, but the man sighed, paying little to no regards to Drax. Of course, Drax recognized him as the manager."I'm sorry to inform you sir, but that car you wanted has been purchased already. We got a higher offer for it. But I can s

"How do you see your office, Drax?" Cara asked as they stepped into an elegant office with polished hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. A stunning executive desk, crafted from mahogany, anchored the room as soft, golden lighting and elegant artwork completed the space, creating a serene and professional atmosphere perfect for high-level meetings and focused work."It's beautiful," Drax replied and nodded his head while he gently approached the desk, trailing his fingers on it. Cara approached him."Here's my family's black card. It has one hundred million dollars inside it. It's all yours to spend on some accessories," she said and handed him a card with the Blackview family crest engraved on it."How did you make such an accurate prediction on my grandfather's business? It was almost as if you could see it coming," she asked.Drax turned to her. "I have experience in that field. Lots of experience," he said."Well, it has served you excellently. My family will ensure that

"I'm not a thief. Do not say what you don't know," Drax fumed while the accusation hit him, but the woman scoffed in response."You're supposed to be on your knees begging for your life right now! You look like the beggar that came earlier today for alms giving. How dare you break into this house to steal?" She yelled again, waving her hands in the air in an exaggerated manner.Drax was beyond angry at that point. Of all the terrible things that has happened to him that evening, this was by far the worse."Maybe I should just call the police on you. I don't know why the guards are taking so long to pick you up and throw you out of this house!" The woman added."You shouldn't speak to me in that manner," Drax replied to her gently, his face twisting into something darker."Or what? What will you do? Kill me? Are you also a killer? I should definitely get you locked up!" The woman screamed out loud."Why are you harassing my guest? Aren't you supposed to be in the kitchen cooking?" Cara