At half past midnight, Alex arrived at the abandoned jute mill and parked his bike behind an ivy bush.The two masked bikers standing at the gate stopped Alex as he walked up the dirt path and approached the mill.“Where’s the money?” one of them asked.“It’s somewhere safe, but I need to see Lucy first. Where is she?” Alex replied without any hint of fear.“Are you playing games with us now?” the masked man threatened, pointing a gun at Alex. “Don’t try to act smart, you city punk. Get the money right now!”“You can shoot me if you want, but then you won’t get a single penny out of me.” Alex approached the gunman fearlessly and stared him down. “Put that toy down and let me see my friend first.”“Let him in!” Rob Pinkerton’s voice rang out from inside as he walked up to the gate to personally meet Alex. He was wearing his helmet and a plain black leather jacket without any logos.“You’re late, Mr. Verlaine,” Rob huffed. “Your friend was feeling very lonely, so we gave her a few drin

Inside the Northern Eagle Express, parked at platform 1A of the modest Fairfield Railway station, the passengers were rushing to set their luggage in order and secure their seats.It was half past one on the clock, and the train was set to depart in the next fifteen minutes.Seated comfortably inside an air-conditioned business class cabin, Jennifer Warrington was trying to ease her nerves with deep breaths while Blake was furiously texting Rob Pinkerton from a new phone.Opposite them, the old housemaid, Lola, was sitting beside an unconscious Elizabeth, who was leaning against the pillow.The only other guy inside the cabin was Shawn, the local muscleman whom Blake had previously hired to sneak into the greenhouse.Even though his loyalty had changed now, Shawn somehow found himself stuck with Blake, yet again playing the accomplice.However, this time he looked nervous.“Are you really sure this is a good idea?” Shawn questioned in an anxious voice, his eyes glued to Elizabeth. “Th

Jennifer Warrington froze in place as her eyes met Josiah’s. All the explanations she had prepared seemed to dissolve into thin air as her words caught in her throat.“I always knew you didn’t like me and my daughter, but I still tried my best to get along. I overlooked all your mocking remarks and even your son’s rudeness. I tried to forgive you because you were a part of our family.”“Josiah, it’s not what it looks—”“I am not blind, Jennifer! It’s exactly what it looks like!” Josiah’s voice boomed across the corridor, his whole body trembling with uncontrollable rage. “You shouldn’t have touched my daughter. That’s where you crossed the final line.”Alex gestured to Shawn to take the duct tape off Shawn’s mouth and clear the room.Shawn obeyed at once, cutting the binds and pulling off the tape before stepping outside.“Uncle, I swear we are being framed!” Blake blurted with his first breath. “We were only trying to protect Eliza—”Even before Blake could finish, a powerful punch k

When Alex reached Washington Square, he was completely taken aback by the lack of progress. The marked plot enclosed within Kronos Tech’s name boards lay barren, and there was no sign of any construction work. Even the tents were being removed, and the construction workers were packing their bags and getting ready to leave.Befuddled by the situation, Alex stepped down and called Samantha to know more.But instead of answering the call, Samantha Atkins walked out of the temporary office cabin accompanied by her secretary.“What are you doing here at this late hour? What’s going on?” Alex questioned with a confused expression on his face.“There were some complications,” Samantha replied in an apologetic tone. “I thought I should brief you personally.”Alex followed her to her cabin on the other side of the road, and there she divulged the details in secrecy.“The City Council has rejected our construction proposal. They are claiming that this place is not suitable for any high-rise c

Everything now became crystal clear to Alex. It wasn’t about violating civic guidelines at all. The hospital project had been stopped due to personal reasons.“You brought that guy into this just to block my project,” Alex said with cold composure. “This was never about the money or the rules. It was always about your ego.”Mayor Horowitz’s face darkened into a frown as his lips tightened. Narrowing his eyes on Alex, he spoke with a rigid firmness. “I think it’s time that you learned money can only get you so far. I overlooked your actions once, but you stepped on my toes a second time when you chose to build your hospitals in Washington Square. That was where I drew the line.”“So, you’re doing all this just to spite me?” Alex retorted. “And here I thought you were smarter than this.”“I kept quiet when you destroyed Cyrus and took over the Salasar Group. I didn’t interfere because I didn’t want to invite trouble for nothing. But you never seem to stop,” the mayor grumbled, steepling