The room was silent, except for the soft whistling of the wind. John stood by the tall windows, staring at the city lights. His father’s words still echoed in his mind.“I will be gone soon and you will have to head the family.”The weight of it pressed on his shoulders. But something else pressed on his mind, Leonard! He had disgraced him the first day they had met and John had been looking for the right time to deal with him but his father had talked him out of the idea. And right now, he was reduced to waiting, proving himself.A low beep from his phone pulled him from his thoughts. A message.Unknown number: The time has come. Alone. Hilton, Suite 1702. Midnight.John’s pulse quickened. He didn’t need a name to know who it was. It was his father’s new ally. He had a dangerous look on his face, this was the first step to proving himself!…Midnight came and John slipped into a luxury suite. The curtains were drawn, casting the room in a haze of amber light. A figure sat with his b

The SUV rode steadily as it drove past into the city. Leonard leaned back, resting on the car seat. He had temporarily put a stop to the fight between the two families and now he had just to make them work together for a common goal— defeat Riven.Gabriel glanced at him through the mirror. “Do you think anyone would want to attack Keith?”Leonard’s eyes narrowed. “If it’s true then Riven had picked the wrong bait to rattle me with. I won’t let anything happen to Keith. Inform Diana to send some of the men to look after Keith in secret. I should have issued his protection a long time ago.”Before Gabriel could respond, the dashboard screen flickered to life. A scrambled signal hijacked the comms, painting the screen with a lotus insignia—pure white petals against a black void.“The lotus group…” Leonard mumbled.A distorted female voice filled the air, calm but authoritative.“Impressive move tonight, Leonard. I always knew there was a strong narrative to you and tonight proved me righ

Seth shrugged his backpack over his shoulders and walked down the campus under the streetlights. Everyone else had scattered after finishing their end of the term projects and late night practices but for Seth, the night had the comfortable atmosphere he craved dearly for and also for the pleasure of not seeing his mother’s annoying face. He hummed the chorus of a song he barely remembered the name and shoved his hands in his pockets.‘’You coming to catch the last bus?” Mara, one of his buddies asked, juggling her laptop and a stack of printouts.“Yeah, in five. I need to grab a snack first then I will meet you there,” Seth smiled, reaching for his phone to text his father that he will be going home. Somehow he felt inwardly refreshed knowing that his father was trying his best to get him back. At least he had someone who cared deeply for him, he glanced back at Mara as he walked away from her, she didn’t have anyone who loved her and was always staying back after classes to escape h

Oklahoma.Leonard scanned the live feed projected on the wall. Diana appeared on screen, her expression calm and composed.“It’s done,” she reported. “The evidence is already circulating, every dark dragon member both near and wide has received the intel. Micheal’s secrets are no longer hidden.”Leonard leaned back in his seat, his eyes locked on the screen. “Any response yet?”A faint smile tugged at Diana’s lips. “Divison. They have begun to doubt him and are now questioning him for answers as to why he had betrayed the group. Others say that you were the best leader to ever exist and Micheal was jealous of you and decided to steal your throne.”“I am not concerned with that,” Leonard responded. “The safety of the people around me is what matters to me the most.”Gabriel crossed his arm, satisfied. “Micheal is losing the grip on his own men.”Leonard’s expression was calm as he spoke with authority. “Distrust spreads like wildfire. Michael will try to tighten his grip, and when he d

“Keith, stay calm and wait for my instructions. Do you not do anything rashly.”Leonard ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Keith’s panic was nothing new, emotions made men sloppy. “Gabriel, I want you to make two moves for me. Have Diana dig up one of William’s past secrets and have them exposed to the public once the 24 hours is up. Then contact the lotus group to start the rescue for Seth. I will also need Malik’s location traced. Time to deal with the snake.”…The 24-hours deadline Leonard had given to Williams had elapsed and just like he had predicted John wasn’t handed up to him.The Davison estate was unusually quiet that morning. Servants whispered in corners, and Williams sat at the head of his study desk, staring at the latest financial reports with bloodshot eyes.Overnight, their major bank contract was severed and he had received a phone call from a lender saying that they were freezing transactions pending an audit. One of their warehouses was