Senator Moore had just finished speaking with Don Lewis on the phone, and as he dropped the phone, he picked up the remote control to the television and turned it on to the news channel, anticipating the news of Yvonne Tween’s abduction and the panic it was causing through the city.Senator Moore was a mastermind in the game of crime. He had so many skeletons in his cupboard but his position as the Senate President had shielded him from being on the list of the law enforcement agency.Joanne was his only child and everything he did, he did for her. Rumor had it that he killed his own wife, Joanne’s mother, when Joanne was still a baby, and the law couldn’t even bring him to justice.To Senator Moore. Joanne was his life, and anyone who dared to lay a finger on her or as much as make her cry would have him to deal with. And so, after the humiliation that he witnessed Joanne go through at the Tween’s fashion fiesta, he had sworn to get back at her and at Jackson.When he learned that Do

“Call Jerry,” Jackson said as the realization dawned on him that the game he played just to get back at Joanne Moore had escalated into something more serious than he had envisaged.All he wanted was to teach Joanne a lesson that not everyone should be mocked, and he had used Yvonne Tween’s fashion show as the perfect opportunity. But now, he had ended up putting Yvonne Tween’s life in danger.“I want to know how the kidnappers contacted them.” He added.Even if he had no concrete evidence, he knew Joanne and her father had something to do with this. Joanne had specifically told him that she was going to get back at him, and this must be her way of doing that.Mr. Copper gave a curt nod and tapped through his contacts. Within seconds, the phone was ringing. Jackson leaned in, arms folded, eyes fixed on the device as though willing the line to connect faster.A click—and then Jerry’s voice came through, calm but strained.“Mr. Copper. I assumed you’ve seen the news.”“Yes, we have,” Mr

The black SUV pulled up into the quiet Moonstone Street, a peaceful part of the city tucked away from the chaos of downtown Dubai. Elegant townhouses lined the road revealing an even more beautiful part of the city that Jackson was yet to see.He had been hearing tales of Dubai and how a place that was once a desert had become one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And even if his coming to Dubai was quite unplanned and not for tourist visitation, he still couldn’t deny the fact that the city had really lived up to the hype, and if he should come for a revisit, it would be for relaxation as a tourist and not as an heir fighting for his place in what his father had left behind for him.The driver turned off the engine and stepped out quickly to open the door. Mr. Copper got out first, then Jackson followed, stretching slightly as he took in the peaceful street.He had enough of the evening thinking about his father and how he had not been a good son to him, but now—now, he just

The smoke still curled skyward like an omen, even after the flames had died. What once was a beacon of scientific promise now stood as a smoldering shell—blackened, twisted, and broken beyond recognition.Celestine had cried her eyes sore so that she had no strength to cry again. Her dreams had been reduced to nothing but ashes, a shadow of what they used to be, and she could only wish it was a terrible dream, even if what was right before her was nothing but the gruesome reality that her lab was gone and gone for good.The firefighters had fought hard for almost an hour. Water hissed and steamed as it hit metal and flame. They had finally subdued the fire, but what remained was nothing short of a war zone.But that was not the problem anymore as far as Celestine was now concerned. Her lab was gone, but she just hoped Isabel wasn’t inside the lab all the time the place was burning.She had called her line over and over again but it wasn’t going through. It was unlike Isabel to switch

Celestine had finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, curled up on the couch beneath a knitted throw. Jackson remained beside her, scrolling aimlessly through his phone, trying to escape the weight of the night.That was when it rang—vibrating suddenly and startlingly in the silence.He quickly stepped outside to avoid waking Celestine. The cold night air brushed against his skin as he slid his finger across the screen.It was James on a group call with Andrew and Nancy.It has been two days since Jackson left after the Yvonne Tween’s fashion show, and since he wasn’t making any attempt to reach out to them, they had decided to be the ones to reach out to him instead.Jackson hesitated for half a second before answering, unsure of what he was going to say. But then, he couldn’t ignore the call, and so, he answered“Hey,” Jackson said quietly.There was a pause on the other end—then James’s voice came through. “Hey… man.”Jackson exhaled, knowing that he was still owing them an apology.