William’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen. It was Rayner. He answered immediately. “Did you get him?” There was a pause before Rayner spoke, his voice heavy. “No. He escaped.” William’s eyes widened. “Escaped? How?” “He used a flashbang,” Rayner explained. “He caught us off guard.” William’s jaw clenched. “Alright. Did he find out I had anything to do with it?” “No,” Rayner replied. “We didn’t talk that much before he escaped.” William exhaled. “Good. That gives us a little time.” he said before he ended the call. “Ryker escaped?” Natasha asked as he ended the call. William nodded. “Yes. This makes things a bit more complicated.”A worried look formed on Natasha’s face. “Are you sure Rayner and Thomford are telling the truth? How could he have escaped them? What if they decided to side with Ryker and turn on us?”Roland shook his head as he entered the conversation. “I don’t think so. The international security agencies are already aware of the bioweapon, it won’t make s

“There’s nothing to deny,” William replied. Ryker stopped in front of him. “So you admit it? You betrayed me.” “I stopped you,” William said firmly. “I couldn’t let you murder thousands of innocent people just because you wanted to make money. That was never part of the plan.” Ryker’s nostrils flared. “The plan? The plan was for power. The plan was survival. You were nothing before I brought you in. Do you remember that, William?” “I remember,” William said. “And that is why I agreed to your deal, but I never signed up for something like this.” “You ungrateful worm,” Ryker snapped. “Everything you are, everything you’ve built, was because of me. And now you stab me in the back?” Ryker pulled out his pistol and aimed it at William’s chest.“I should’ve killed you when we found you on that island.” The tension in the room thickened. Suddenly, a click echoed. Natasha stepped forward, her pistol raised and aimed squarely at Ryker. “Don’t,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “

Sophia sat stiffly on the leather sofa in the reception area. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped anxiously against her handbag. Ever since it was revealed at her birthday party that she was responsible for the scandal about Martha, she had lost jobs and no one would hire her. She had come to see a director she had worked with before in hopes that he could perhaps feature her in a movie. She didn’t care if it was just a side role, she had grown very desperate. The receptionist had informed her that the director was busy and couldn’t see at the moment, so she had to wait. She had been waiting for hours and there was still no word. People came and went. She watched as a younger actress walked in after her and was immediately escorted into the director’s office with a warm smile from the assistant. Sophia’s jaw tightened. Another influence-turned-actress walked in and was allowed to go into his office. She crossed her legs, checked her phone and tried to force herself not to g

Sophia lay curled up on the living room in her pajamas as she scrolled through her phone. Her mood was unusually bright. Unlike the last week's where she had gotten a lot of rejections from directors and film companies. Her mind floated back to her coffee date with Asher Knight and it made her giggle uncontrollably. His voice, his eyes kept replaying in her mind, she was already slowly becoming obsessed with him. Smiling to herself, she continued scrolling until she froze. There was a new headline from a popular tabloid regarding Asher Knight. It read: “Asher Knight hints at marriage: I Think I've Met the One.” Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She quickly clicked on the article to read what was written. In a rare interview with reclusive billionaire Asher Knight, he admitted that he recently met a young woman who might be ‘the one’ “She's different from any other woman I've met before and she had the most beautiful smile.” He said. While he didn't give any

The midnight roses and expensive chocolates were just the beginning of gifts Sophia would receive. Over the next few days, the surprises just kept coming. First, she received a necklace. It was a delicate silver necklace with a sapphire teardrop pendant. It came with another handwritten letter: For the most beautiful of women – Your silent admirer. Sophia opened the package while alone in her room and nearly dropped it from excitement. The necklace itself cost nearly $50,000. It wasn't something just anybody could give out as a gift. The next day, she received front-row tickets to a sold-out theatre at the Royal Hall. When she arrived there, she found out that the theatre had been bought out just for her. There was a letter on her seat: “A private show befitting a queen.” Next, she received a bottle of a rare French perfume. The bottle was shaped like a swan, nestled with black satin. The perfume wasn't even available on the market yet, but her admirer had gotten it just for he