It's been two days after Raymond's surgery and two days since Al introduced the Starlight Serenity Diamond mission. Al assigned Ria to uncover who had the code and the biometrics to unlock the vault in the Bloodstone Tower. Without it, every attempt - would be a waste of time. **** "His name is Vladimir Pavel." Ria began. A picture of a bald man - appeared on the monitor. "He's a Russian Democrat. He runs a human trafficking ring, an illicit arms and drug dealer, and a black market organ trader." Everyone had their eyes on the screen as Ria spoke. Tyler rubbed his jaw and exhaled. "So how's he connected to the Diamond?" Tyler asked. "Yeah, spill, Ria." Al's voice blared, smoke flying around him, as Dera stood beside him. "He didn't really purchase the Starlight Serenity Diamond." Ria declared. "He stole it." "How's that even possible?" Tyler smirked - his mouth curved between a grin and a frown. "He stole it from Sultan Khalifa, a monarch in Saudi Arabia. He snuck i

“The Bayview County Morgue has been attacked. The incident occurred at 9pm last night. The morgue assistant, identified as Philip Jones, and four security guards were murdered. Police say the attackers came specifically to extract a blood sample from a corpse. Four hours after the Bayview attack, another hit took place at Bloodstone Tower. Officers reported that the criminals attempted to break into the vault but failed. Six officers were confirmed dead. And three - injured. Evidence gathered so far links both attacks to a Mafia group called Trysis, led by Al — known for several political heists. The Minister for Security assures that they will be brought to justice. This is the news from Star TV, and I am Amelia Williams. Good even—”Al grabbed the remote and killed the TV before she finished. He flung the remote into the wall. His fist tightened, and he kicked the table — it exploded into pieces. Veins crawled up his neck.“You all need to start explaining,” he thundered. “You said

RaymondThe doctor took the stethoscope off my chest, packed the rest of her equipment, and placed everything neatly back into her bag.“You’re pretty much fine now. But you still need rest. In a couple of days, you should be fully healed,” she said.She sounded exactly like Ria.Same calm voice. Same steady eyes. No soothsayer needed to tell me they were siblings. The only difference was that Ria was slightly taller… and part of a mafia.“I’d have to go now,” Amelia said. “Thanks, sis. I’ll call you later,” Ria replied. They hugged before Amelia walked out, leaving just Ria and me in the room.For some reason, being alone with her made the air feel tight.“Amelia,” I began. “Beautiful name. That means it can be shortened to Lia.”I wasn’t sure if that was a question or a statement. Either way, I waited.“Yeah. Lia for short,” Ria smiled. “But she hates being called that.”“Why? It’s a cool name.”“Our mum used to call her that. After she passed… it started bringing back memories

“Who the fuck are you?” I yelled, my feet trembling in outright shock.“Calm down, Raymond. I can explain. It’s not what you think.” Ria pressed her hands together as she stepped toward me.“What do you think I’m thinking, you freaking traitor?” I snapped. “I thought you were different. I trusted you. So you saved my life just to turn me in to the cops?” Sweat rolled down my temple. “You could’ve just let me die.”“Ray, I’m sorry, I—”“How long have you been a rat?” I cut in, nostrils flared. “Raymond, please, I can—”“ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!.” I slammed my hand against the wall.She flinched. “Five years.”The words hit like a bullet.“Wow.” I let out a hollow laugh. “So you and Al had this planned, right? You knew everything. I’ve been so stupid.” I turned away, dragging a hand down my face. “Ria… I trusted you.”“Raymond, you have to believe me. I didn’t know about any of this. It’s a setup.”I stepped closer until her breath brushed my lips. “Which part is the setup? That yo

Everyone exchanged glances, across the clustered planning table. Weapons and empty bottles of whiskey laying on the ground, like dead bodies. Al sat down, watching them — one by one. Like he could read their minds. Tyler gazed in disbelief, rubbing his face. “Wait,” Tyler began. “I don’t know what or where you’re going with this, but I’m sure you know we can’t put six billion dollars in our pockets. That’s a huge amount of money.” “Can you just shut up and let him finish?” Dera scolded, glaring at Tyler. “Where are we stealing this money from?” Ria asked — locking eyes with Al. “Good question!” Al exclaimed and stood up from his seat. He picked up a remote and hit a button. The huge screen flashed to life, the ambient glow — hitting their faces. The picture of a big building appeared. Silence. “The JP Morgan chase?” Tyler exclaimed, clearing his throat. “We’re losing our lives after this one.” “We’re taking 6 billion dollars out of the JP Morgan Chase.” Al said.