Spoken out loud, that name seemed to change the very air in the room as everyone’s expression shifted instantly.Even before Marcus could continue with the interrogation, Ross intervened.“What the hell did you just say, Olly? Did I hear the name, Alex Verlaine?”Oliver nodded silently.“That’s not possible. You’re a God damn liar!” Ross snapped right back, marching up to Oliver. “Spill the truth, man. Did Alex really send you after me?”“No, God damn it!” Oliver retorted helplessly. “I knew…Alex was in Cobalt Cove, so I came to warn you. That’s why I’ve been begging you to come back to Glenmonte with me!”Marcus slowly lowered his gun and moved aside to look at Ross.“You mean to say, Alex Verlaine is here for Mr. Spencer?” he asked, shifting his gaze from Ross to Oliver. “Is that true? Speak the hell up!”“Yes, it is!” Oliver exclaimed. “Alex has a personal beef with Ross. And he is here for payback. What the hell else do you think he is doing in Cobalt Cove?”“Shut the hell up, Oll

Oliver’s plan of scaring Ross by using Alex as a threat had crashed even before it could take off. With the mayor’s hand on his shoulder, Ross wasn’t afraid of anyone.Having already laid the foundations of his new business in Cobalt Cove, there was simply no chance of him returning to Glenmonte.This left Oliver in a deeper hole than before, and the noose seemed to tighten around his neck with every passing second.As expected, Claire’s call lit up his screen first thing in the morning, even before the alarm could buzz him awake.“It’s been over 24 hours already. What have you been up to all this time?” Claire’s sharp voice cut through the morning silence like a knife."I...am doing what you asked me to. But this will take time. Cobalt Cove is a different ball game altogether,” Oliver replied.“Don’t toy with me, darling. I want Ross Spencer dead! Do you hear me?”“I am trying to bring him back to Glenmonte so you can do the deed yourself. You need to trust me or forget about it!” Ol

Alex tossed the steel rebar away and gave in without any resistance, allowing the cops to cuff him effortlessly.But Josiah wasn’t having any of it.“Get your hands off me!”He continued resisting even as the cops kept yelling at him to comply.“Drop the weapon!”“On your knees!”“Don’t force us to use force, or we will.”“I’m not submitting to you pigs without a fight!” Josiah yelled, waving the wrench threateningly.“Put him down!” the Sergeant ordered.Two cops immediately fired their tasers.The shock finally brought Josiah to his knees, and the wrench clattered to the ground.The other cops quickly rushed in and cuffed his hands behind his back before hoisting him up and dragging him away.“Josiah Warrington is innocent!” Gary yelled from behind. “Alex Verlaine started this fight. He was just defending himself!”The Sergeant turned to his left and gave Gary a distasteful side-eye.“Word of advice, don’t get involved in this mess. If you do, I promise you’ll never see daylight aga

Now that Angelo had successfully swayed the public against the current Governor of Valestra, he focused on cleaning out the weeds in his own backyard.On their way back to his residence, he asked Josiah about the whole incident at the steel plant, and soon learned why Alex had gone there in the first place.Dustin Hoffman’s name was now right on his radar.That same evening, Dustin received a call from Tracy Torres, informing him that the mayor wanted to meet him for tea.Dustin knew this wasn’t a simple courtesy call, but an order. And he wasn’t brave or stupid enough to reject Angelo’s invitation.As Dustin Hoffman came over to the mayor’s residence for the evening tea, Angelo welcomed him personally.“We haven’t talked in quite some time. I am glad you could make it, Dustin.”He escorted Dustin to the front parlor and poured tea into two porcelain cups.As Dustin Hoffman took his seat, Angelo reached for the flask.“With or without milk?”“You know I am lactose intolerant. No milk

It had started with Dustin Hoffman getting off the hook, and now the Taxicab Commission was investigating the cab drivers operating in Cobalt Cove. Angelo realized this wasn’t a mere coincidence.Someone was pulling the strings from above, and only one person came to his mind.“It’s Alex…Alex freaking Verlaine!” he muttered. “Listen up, Oleg! Stash all the moonshine away. Do whatever it takes to get rid of the damn bottles. If they get their hands on the moonshine, you won’t be able to wriggle free from this one.”“Most of the crates are stashed away in our garages outside the city limits. But…”“But what?”“A few drivers were scheduled to make deliveries tonight. They are carrying a couple of bottles at least.”“Call them up and tell them to dump the bottles at once!” Angelo yelled back sharply. “Alex knows about us. I don’t know how he figured it out, but he knows that you have my backing. He is going after your drivers to dry up my funds. And we cannot let him get the upper hand. D