In the Park Avenue Penthouse, David Vexley stared at the digital clock on the wall. The red numbers blinked, changing from 23:59 to 00:00.The one-week deadline was up.On his desk, the holographic screen displayed the balance of the bank account set up for the extortion: $0.00.Robert and Camelia had failed to pay."What a pity," David muttered without emotion. He took a sip of his espresso. "And here I was hoping they would sell a kidney."David tapped a virtual button in the air.[File Sent: "NYPD_Brutality_Uncensored.mp4"][Recipients: CNN, Fox News, New York Times, TMZ, NYPD Internal Affairs.]"Good morning, New York. Watch your hero fall," David whispered.***Six hours later, at the 99th Precinct Police Station.The atmosphere felt like a funeral home that was currently on fire. Phones rang incessantly. Reporters were already swarming the front lobby like sharks smelling blood.Robert Gable sat

From a distance, David seemed to feel that gaze. He paused for a moment before entering the hotel's revolving door. He turned his head toward the dark street across the way.David's blue eyes met Camelia's swollen ones.They were fifty meters apart, separated by the road and by fate.Camelia wanted to scream, wanted to run over there and kneel. David! I am your wife! Forgive me! Take me back!However, David only looked at her for a second. Flat. Cold. Without emotion. As if Camelia were nothing more than a trash bag lying on the sidewalk.David then turned back to Elena, smiling warmly. He whispered something that made Elena laugh happily, then wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her into the warmth of the luxury hotel.The revolving door closed. The light vanished.Camelia was left behind in the darkness and rain once again.The pain in her chest was no longer from heartbreak, but from a crushing realization. She had thrown a pure diamond into the mud just because she was bli

The long corridor leading to Elena's master bedroom in the Moretti Mansion was deadly silent, with only the sound of their footsteps brushing against the thick Persian carpet. Yet, in Elena Moretti's blood, the sound of the giant chandelier crashing last night still echoed loudly, pumping her adrenaline to a boiling point.She was still wearing her black gown, while David had untied his bow tie, letting it hang loosely around the neck of his white shirt, the top button undone.Arriving in front of the bedroom door, Elena didn't open it immediately. She turned around, pressing her back against the cold wood of the door, staring at David with eyes that flashed wildly—a mixture of residual terror and burning passion from being so close to the killer."You're not going home tonight, are you?" Elena asked, her breath slightly ragged. Her hand reached for David's lapel, pulling him closer until their bodies touched."Your father is in the west wing, Ele

The main lobby of Titan Corp had transformed into a war zone in a matter of seconds.Thick smoke smelling of sulfur and burnt flesh billowed high from the wreckage of the box truck that had exploded at the entrance. Fire alarms wailed, competing with the hysterical screams of receptionists and employees running for their lives.From behind the curtain of black smoke, a giant shadow stepped out.The floor cracked under each of his footsteps. THUD... THUD...The figure stood two and a half meters tall. The flannel shirt and jeans he wore were torn to shreds, unable to contain the unnatural surge of muscle mass. His skin was a reddish-grey, stretched thin over bulging veins the size of fire hoses.It was Robert Gable. Or at least, something that used to be Robert.His face was distorted. His jaw had widened, his eyes glowed red without pupils, and foam dripped from his mouth. On his back, small metal tubes were embedded directly int

Maura Lannigan's world had narrowed down to a spinning dark tunnel. The pain in her body was unbearable. Her shattered ribs stabbed into her lungs every time she tried to inhale. Warm blood soaked her face, which was pressed against the floor.Yet, amidst the ringing in her partially deafened ears, she heard one sound that forced her to stay conscious.David's choked voice.Maura opened her swollen eyes. The view in front of her was blurry, but she could see the horrific silhouette. Robert was lifting David high with one hand, while the other was clenched, ready to crush her master's head."No..." Maura whispered, foamy blood bubbling from her lips. "Don't..."David was her demon. David was her tormentor. But strangely, in these final moments, Maura realized that David was also the only thing that gave her purpose. Without David, she was just an empty, discarded woman. She couldn't let David die.Maura saw a shiny black object ly