Santiago’s words were less of a warning and more of an open threat.Alex realized that someone had tipped Santiago off, and now even the smallest attempt to derail the event could put the lives of his friends in danger.As the day rolled by, more guests started arriving on Santini, escorted by armed bodyguards and Santiago’s own men.Among them was the police commissioner of Nuevo Durango, a plump cop in his mid-fifties, named Gilford Holland.The other notable ones included the chief customs officer, Dennis Marsh, and a retired army sergeant, Lawrence Carson.Alex quickly realized that Santiago wasn’t just a man with deep pockets, but also had friends in high places to get him out of all kinds of legal and financial dilemmas.As dusk blanketed the island under its ochre hue, Alex stood ready at the makeshift altar.Santiago escorted Ellen down the grassy aisle as guests applauded and blessed the bride.Jakob Rashford quickly scampered over to Alex and whispered in his ear.“This is i

Surrounded by masked mercenaries who held them at gunpoint, Santiago’s guests quickly realized the odds had shifted completely against them.The first one to step up and accept Alex’s terms was the chief customs officer, Dennis Marsh.“Mr. Hernandez is dead now. I see no reason to be on his side anymore. I’ll work for you instead, Mr. Verlaine.”With his arms raised in the air, Dennis surrendered without any hesitation.“Now that’s a wise call. Your first job will be to disclose all of Santiago’s illegal cross-border transactions and give me a rundown of all his offshore assets.”“Of course, Mr. Verlaine. I’ll get to it right away!”Seeing their whole life crumbling again, Pamela burst out.“Alex Verlaine had my husband shot! How can you side with this murderer? You should have him cuffed and arrested right away!”“Everyone knows Santiago Hernandez wasn’t a saint. He was the leader of a criminal cult who was responsible for hundreds of killings and abductions,” Alex retorted, turnin

Alex knew the God Serum breakthrough could prove to be a complete game-changer.Dr. Lucy’s experiments on the contaminated God Serum had finally yielded a stable formulation, which was safe enough for ordinary humans.And if the clinical trials were successful, they could mass-produce the modified serum and use it to create the ultimate soldiers with superhuman abilities.But to test the serum’s efficacy and potential side effects, they needed trustworthy men who were willing to risk it all.“How many volunteers do you need?” Alex asked after careful consideration.“At least fifty healthy individuals who can stay at our facility for a month and be willing to subject themselves to advanced training and testing,” Dr. Lucy replied.“That many?” Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise.“Fifty may sound like a lot on paper, but every individual might have a different reaction to the serum. And not all the trials will be successful.” Dr. Lucy hesitated for a while and then added, “Some might f

A wave of relentless violet washed over the state of Valestra as the election results were announced the next morning.The New Progressives swept every city and every province with a flood of supporting votes, securing a massive win over their opponents.Alex flew straight down to the Mayor’s Residence to congratulate him in person.Having secured his chair for a second term, Phillipe Du Monte was in unusually high spirits.He hadn’t just won the elections, but caused a landslide which practically eliminated all trace of any opposition, making him the undisputed head of the state.“Congratulations, Mr. Du Monte. It seems the people of Valestra were pleased with your past performance. May you continue to help the state prosper and progress.”Governor Du Monte immediately dismissed all his other guests and instructed his secretary to seat everyone else outside.“Mr. Verlaine, all this is your doing. It would never have been possible without your support!” he gushed, shaking Alex’s hand.

Raziya and Captain Williams were among the best in the business when it came to taking down high-value targets.Captain Williams had years of military expertise, making him the perfect person for executing a hit on another military man.Whereas, Raziya Durani, the fabled Viper of the East, was renowned for hunting targets across the globe and then disappearing like a ghost.However, this time the stakes were higher than anything else they had faced before.Eliminating Valheim’s top military brass meant going behind enemy lines and being cut off from all support.If caught, no one would be able to pull them out, and the government of Alexandria would deny any involvement.But despite knowing the risks involved, Captain Williams and Raziya had accepted their missions without any second thoughts.They knew that eliminating the two colonels would cripple Major Monroe, curbing his influence on Alexandria and weakening his army.Raziya and Captain Williams exchanged their final words and le