All Chapters of BLOOD AND ASHES : Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
113 chapters
THE DEBT GHOST RETURNS
The revolving glass doors spun slowly as Tobias Sheldon stepped into Pedroza Finance Group, the same building that had once chained him to misery.Inside, everything gleamed. Polished marble floors reflected the golden chandelier lights. Digital boards ticked with numbers, interest rates, and debt reminders. The air smelled of new paper and perfume — expensive, artificial, soulless.He paused for a heartbeat in the center of the lobby.To everyone else, this was just another weekday. But to Tobias, it was a battlefield.He could still remember standing in this very spot months ago — desperate, broken, begging for more time to pay for his wife’s expensive cancer treatments. They had laughed at him then. Called him a “charity case in a teacher’s suit.” Now, as he walked across the floor, some heads turned, curious. Recognition flickered in their eyes.Now, every whisper he passed carried a familiar tone — curiosity, pity, and quiet mockery.“Is that—? No, it can’t be.”“Isn’t that Tob
MOCK THE WRONG MAN
“What’s going on, Lucy? Is the famous debtor begging for money or mercy again?”Rico chuckled.“Nah. Maybe he came to borrow oxygen for his sick boy. Word is, the kid coughs more than a generator.”It angered Tobias that these people were making fun of his son.Their laughter filled the lobby.Luciana smiled sweetly, mockingly.“See, sir? Everyone remembers you. You became… kind of a legend around here. But for the wrong reasons.”Another louder wave of laughter rippled across the reception area.Tobias stayed silent. The stillness in him made their noise sound childish.Manuel leaned closer.“If you kneel now, maybe we’ll convince the boss to forgive some interest.”Rico slapped his thigh.“Yeah! Beg a little. It worked for your wife, didn’t it?”That one hit deep. The entire room felt it. But Tobias didn’t move.He raised his eyes slowly.“Call him.”Luciana folded her arms.“Sir, I already said—”“Call. Him.”The voice wasn’t loud, but it rolled through the air like thunder wrapped
THE DEBTOR BECOMES THE KING
Mr. El Pedro’s face hardened, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.“So now you decide who deserves respect?” His tone rose, sharp as a blade. “You think debt cancels a man’s worth? You think tragedy erases his dignity?”The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Luciana’s lips trembled, color draining from her face.“Sir, I—I didn’t mean—”“Enough.”He turned his piercing gaze toward Manuel and Rico.“And you two. You enjoy ridiculing others eh?”Rico swallowed hard.“Sir, we… we knew who he was,” he stammered. “But we never imagined—”“You knew,” Mr. El Pedro cut in sharply, “and you still mocked him? You judged a man by his past, when you didn’t even know what he had become.”His gaze swept the hall, cold and furious.“Then listen carefully. Tobias Sheldon here did not just repay every cent of the $115,000 he owed—he paid with interest, and today he owns the Pedroza Finance Group itself!”The announcement hit like a thunderclap.Gasps exploded through the room. Hands flew to mouths. Ey
THE AUDIT THAT ISN’T
The view from the top floor was endless — it was a sweep of glass and skyline where sunlight painted every surface gold.Below, the city breathed in muffled rhythm — oblivious that a throne had just changed hands.Tobias Sheldon stood before the oval boardroom table, a pen poised between his fingers.The documents before him gleamed with seals, signatures, and one empty line waiting for his name.Mr. El Pedro stood opposite, his hands clasped, eyes flickering with a blend of pride and unease.No one else in the room dared breathe.“This… makes it official,” El Pedro said at last, his voice low. “From today forward, the Pedroza Finance Group belongs to you.”Tobias’s hand hovered above the paper for a heartbeat — then descended, the pen etching Tobias A. Sheldon across the line.Each stroke felt like reclaiming a life once buried under debt.He capped the pen and exhaled slowly.“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not yet fully mine. It’s ours — until I decide otherwise.”The lawyer sitting n
NUMBERS DON'T LIE
“An audit? Since when does a man who borrowed lunch money order audits?”He pointed toward the door. “Listen, amigo. Leave before I mess you up. This yard doesn’t take orders from debt rats.”Tobias’s silence was colder than anger. He walked to the desk, flipped open a ledger, and traced his finger down a column of numbers.Each line was a lie — inflated deliveries, forged receipts, duplicated signatures.“Funny,” Tobias murmured, “you messed up these numbers long before I got here.”Carlos stood upwards, his face reddening. “You got nerve, beggar. You think you can come in here and talk to me like that?”Tobias closed the ledger gently and looked him in the eye.“Carlos Menéndez,” he said. “Effective immediately, you’re fired.”The words hit like a slap.Carlos blinked. “You… what?”“You’re done. Clear your desk.”Carlos barked a laugh, but it was shaky. “You can’t fire me! You’re nobody, at least your nothing but a schoolmaster with lots of debts that you cannot pay back!”Tobias pu
DEBT OF SILENCE
The sun hung low, bleeding gold across the dusty street when Tobias Sheldon’s Tobias Sheldon rolled to a stop before the branch. The sign above the gate read PEDROZA FINANCIAL GROUP – SATELLITE OFFICE 7B, but the paint had long begun to peel, and the letters themselves seemed to sag under the weight of deceit.This was just a branch of the Pedroza financial group.He stepped out quietly. His coat hung across his arm, the wind teasing its folds like a flag of calm defiance. In his hand, he held a small envelope — Elena’s last breadcrumb.He approached the gate and gave a brief nod to the uniformed clerk inside. “Tobias Sheldon. Internal audit,” he said evenly.The clerk barely looked up from his chair. “Audit?” He let out a dry laugh. “You mean handout review?”Tobias’s jaw tensed. The man tilted his head, sizing him up, then added, “We don’t allow charity cases past this gate.”A bitter taste filled Tobias’s mouth. For a long second, he said nothing. He had been here before — at gate
TRUTH RUNS THE AUDIT
The man’s eyes found Tobias — and widened. “Director Sheldon?”The room went silent. The title hung in the air like thunder.“Director?” one of the debt collectors echoed weakly.Tobias didn’t flinch. “Valerio,” he greeted the man with a faint nod. “I came unannounced.” He paused. There was a mixture of anger and disappointment written on Valerio's face.“These are your people, Valerio?” he asked, his voice was low but edged with iron. “This is what Pedroza now breeds? Arrogance dressed as authority, cruelty paraded as professionalism?”Valerio swallowed hard. “Sir, I—”Tobias raised a hand, stopping him. “No excuses. I expected mockery — I’ve lived long enough to know how the proud treat those they think beneath them. But to witness it here, in a house that bears Pedroza’s name, still disgusts me.”He turned slowly toward the trembling guards. “You laughed at a debtor, not knowing he was here to test your decency. Not knowing that he was the head of this very firm. Congratulations —
CHECKPOINT WOLVES
The road stretched ahead like a dark vein through the wilderness — silent, endless, and hungry.Tobias gripped the steering wheel tighter as the dim glow of the dashboard reflected off his face. Sweat shimmered faintly across his temples, though the night air was cool. Every hum of the engine, every bump beneath the tires, seemed to echo his heartbeat.He had driven for hours now, leaving Ciudad de Sanvelis behind — a city of ghosts, debts, and laughter that cut like blades. Ahead lay Villa Dorada, the glittering nest of snakes where his next move waited.But tonight, the game had teeth.He glanced at the dashboard clock. 10:42 PM. The road signs said fifty kilometers to Villa Dorada. And beneath his driver’s seat — the sealed package lay heavy and silent.El Moro’s words burned in his head.“Five kilos — pure. You move it clean, viejo, you live. You fail, I’ll feed your bones to the dogs.”Tobias didn’t need to open the package to know what it held. The faint sweet-chemical scent tha
THE CHECKPOINT OF NO RETURN
Then came Tobias’s turn.The officer at the barrier raised a hand. “Stop.”Tobias obeyed, rolling gently to a halt. He forced a calm smile as the beam of a flashlight slashed across his window.“Evening, officers,” he said softly.Before any of them could answer, a sharp snarl split the air.The dog — a massive German shepherd — snapped its teeth, yanking hard against its leash. It lunged toward Tobias’s door, barking violently.Tobias froze. Every instinct screamed run, but he stayed still. His hands rested visibly on the wheel.“Easy there, boy,” the handler muttered, pulling the leash back. But the dog wouldn’t stop. Its nose pressed against the door seam, sniffing, growling deep.Another officer stepped closer. The spotlight pinned Tobias through the glass.“Step out of the vehicle, sir.”Tobias’s throat tightened. “Of course.”He opened the door slowly and stepped into the cold night. The gravel crunched beneath his shoes. The dog growled again, circling.The officer gestured tow
THE CHECKPOINT TRAP
His hand moved toward the lever, fingers trembling. The spotlight cut across his face, turning sweat into glass.A voice cracked suddenly through the radio on the officer’s shoulder — loud, urgent, garbled.“— Unit Bravo, respond! — armed suspects— Calle Norte— repeat, immediate backup!”The officer’s head snapped toward the radio. Another beam of light swept over the line of cars. Men began shouting orders. Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed.But even as the chaos rose, the officer didn’t move his eyes from Tobias.The dog kept barking.The radio screamed again, calling every available unit.But the man’s gaze — cold, unblinking — stayed fixed on Tobias’s.And in that stare, Tobias realized with a chill — this officer wasn’t just doing his job.He was waiting.Waiting for him.It seemed like he knew something was off about Tobias.Sirens wailed louder — a chaotic chorus that shattered the stillness of the night. Red and blue lights painted the trees and gravel road in frantic c