For the first time in years, Frank felt the ground shake beneath his boots. He realized he was no longer in control, and the feeling of helplessness washed over his being like a flood.If it were anyone else, Frank wouldn’t have hesitated to call the cops and raid the Cortez mansion right in the middle of the night. But since it was Ginny’s life on the line, he didn’t dare to take any risks.Thus, despite knowing what had happened and possessing all the evidence he needed, Frank was compelled to lie low and submit to Alex.That night, Frank Morton sat on his balcony drinking neat scotch straight out of the bottle and staring at the pictures of his sister.Ginny was being held hostage at the Cortez Mansion, and Alex had tied his hands, preventing him from making any moves.“I should have known something was wrong. All this is my fault,” he sighed, remembering the first signs of trouble. “I never should have let you out of my sight. But I swear I won’t let those bastards hurt you, my de

The slap continued resounding in Enrico’s ears even after Ginny had left.Even though her supple white fingers barely left any mark, it hurt worse than a bullet to the chest.Enrico felt his whole world crashing around him, and he just stood there like a broken man who had nothing to live for.“So, how did it go? Telling her the truth and exposing us all?” Xavier jeered. “I bet you are feeling really stupid about this now.”Enrico frowned and clenched his fist.“I am happy I told her the truth. She may hate me now, but she’s finally free. I kept my promise.”Standing at the farthest corner of the room, Alex sighed, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”***The roads outside were nearly deserted save for the odd motorbikes and trucks pushing through the thunderous downpour.It had been raining for an hour now, and Ginny had left without an umbrella.She had tried to hail a cab, but with no luck.And even her cellphone was dead, so she had no way to contact her brother or anyone else.So

Ginny decided to stay at the Cortez Manor, and Enrico refused to leave her alone even for a minute.Even though they had begun on the wrong foot, Xavier and his wife soon warmed up to her, treating her as if she had always been a part of the family.Ginny wasn’t afraid of them anymore, but her heart still trembled thinking of her brother.The news of Frank’s house arrest had put her under tremendous stress, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the troubling thoughts out of her head.“I can’t leave my brother in there all alone. I am sure he’s worried sick about me.”Seeing Ginny teary-eyed, Enrico was ready to melt, but Xavier stopped him before he could give Ginny permission.“If you call your brother right now, Raymond will know you’re here. And that’s going to take our advantage away. We will free the Governor. But it will take time.”“Could you at least let him know that I am safe?” Ginny asked.“I’ll see what can be done. But no promises.”***That same night, Marti

Despite being a gambling man, Martin Iverson had no intention of putting his life on the line.Even the tiniest chance of getting himself killed was not worth the prize.He slapped Alex’s hand away, refusing to take the revolver.“I am not playing your psychotic game. Get that gun out of my face!”“I thought you liked the odds. No?” Alex asked, raising a sly eyebrow. “Well, we can always up the stakes.”Right on cue, Xavier Cortez pulled out his double-barreled sawed-off shotgun and pointed it at Martin.“The revolver is precise and ends the job cleanly, but this one causes quite a mess. Your family won’t even manage to recognize your face after I blow your brains out.”Martin shuddered as his blood ran cold in his veins.“You can’t kill me! The whole state will come after you if you dare to pull the trigger!”“We can always make this look like a heist. And there won’t be any survivors to point fingers at us,” Alex replied with a sense of cold cruelty. “So, here are your two options.

When Alex returned to the Cortez Mansion, Xavier, Enrico, and Ginny were waiting for him in the second-floor living room.Behind them was a whiteboard, and the table in the middle was overladen with blueprints.Alex expected Xavier and Enrico to be there, but was surprised by Ginny’s presence.“You told her?” he asked, turning to Enrico.“Half of it,” Enrico replied.“He told me that Raymond Smith has close ties to the H.J. Morgan bank and you’re trying to break that connection to weaken his influence,” Ginny replied.“Precisely so,” Alex acknowledged. “But I already tried the easy way and failed. Now, we have no option but to walk a different path.”“What exactly are you going to do?” she asked, furrowing her brow.“We are going to rob the bank and put them out of business. And with no funds in his pocket, Raymond Smith won’t be able to sustain his private militia. He is going to wither like an uprooted sapling.”Ginny’s eyes widened as she heard that insane plan.“You can’t be serio