The new policy stated that anyone caught doing drugs would be sentenced to life imprisonment.Alex didn’t feel a trace of pity for Billy. After all, his foolishness had taken a life. There was nothing to feel.“We should press charges against Johnson and Empire Music,” Jude said.“Obviously. There are already many charges on their heads, but we still have to add ours. Make sure it leads to life imprisonment. Attempted assassination isn’t a minor crime.” Alex nodded.*******Johnson stood by the window, staring at the house across from him. Through the open window, he could see someone inside, seated calmly with a book in hand, turning a page like nothing else mattered.It was Alex.A faint smirk formed on his lips.He had pulled strings in secret, bending people and systems to his will, arranging to acquire the house right next to Alex’s. Even with the police searching everywhere for him, he had still managed it. That alone proved how far his influence reached.There was almost nothin

He had a responsibility. Her. She was beautiful and delicate, the kind that made him feel he had to shield her from everything, and he couldn’t allow her to suffer. That was why he started working with Diego.The money he got was enough. More than enough. She wasn’t demanding, even though her parents were poor. She only accepted gifts when he offered them, never asking for more, sometimes even hesitating before taking them, as if she wasn’t sure she should.But when it started becoming too much, she questioned him.“Johnson, where are you getting all this from? You only go to shows once in a while, and they don’t pay much. How can you even afford this? I can’t accept it anymore if you don’t tell me how.”She spoke firmly, but unease lingered beneath her words. Her eyes stayed on him, searching for something real.But he lied.One lie turned into many as he covered his tracks, each one coming easier than the last. He even reduced how much he spent on her so she wouldn’t grow suspicious

"Vanessa… Vanessa, listen." He shook his head slightly, as if he could still undo everything. "Forget all that. You still love me, I know you do. And I’m… I’m crazy in love with you. This can still work. Just leave him and come back with me. I promise," his voice faltered before steadying with effort, "I will never, in my life, get involved in anything illegal again."The silence that followed felt suffocating."I liked you, Johnson." Vanessa walked toward him slowly, her steps measured. She stopped behind Maxwell and slipped her arms around his waist, holding him as if anchoring herself. "But I have someone I love now." Her voice softened, but it didn’t waver. "I’m sorry… it can’t work between us anymore."Something inside Johnson shattered completely.He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He barely registered the moment Maxwell calmly pushed him out of the room. His body moved, but his mind stayed behind, trapped in that single moment.He stood outside the door for several minutes, stari

Vanessa wasn't having any of it. Her whole body trembled as she struggled against him, her hands pushing hard against his chest, desperate to keep him away. She would rather die than commit any atrocities with this man who killed her husband, and worse, right in front of her husband’s fresh corpse.Deep sorrow and pain churned violently within her, squeezing her chest until breathing felt tight and painful. It was all her fault. Maybe she shouldn't have given him hope. No, she shouldn't have even gotten back together the first time they broke up.Her emotions spiraled, dragging her deeper into regret and sorrow, each thought heavier than the last.Johnson leaned closer, trying to force himself on her, his grip tightening, and she reacted on instinct, snapping forward and biting his tongue hard."Ahhh!"Johnson jerked back with a sharp scream, clutching his mouth as blood filled it. She didn’t waste a second. She shoved him off with everything she had and stumbled toward the birthday

"Alex, are you alright?" Lulu asked worriedly.He raised a hand, signaling that he wanted to be alone. Lulu nodded and quietly left. She hadn’t gone home yesterday, having cleaned deep into the evening, so she had to leave now to meet her family.Luckily, Anna came."Alex," she said softly when she saw him sitting there, a cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling into the air."Anna," he replied, his voice low and distant."Are you alright? I heard what happened." She sat beside him, gently taking the cigarette from his hand before wrapping her arms around him."Hmm." Alex only hummed, his body stiff in her embrace."What really happened, Alex? You don’t look… like yourself." She frowned, studying his face. This wasn’t the first time someone had tried to assassinate Alex. The last attempt had been even more dangerous.But Alex had still acted normal."Anna… he killed my parents." His body shook violently as the words left him, a storm of anger, rage, and sorrow crashing through hi