All Chapters of Vincent Kane's Rise From Ash : Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
10 chapters
1: A Bitter Homecoming
Orders from the general were flying around when the call came in. The assistant, Gary Lynch, came forward- hands trembling at the furiousity of his superior.“Sir, there's an important call for y-” “Not now Gary,” the general brushed it off even when the assistant tried explaining. A different call came from the headquarters this time and Sheryl, another officer, was forced to put him on. “What's going on Kane?” Said the brash voice on the other end of the phone.“A minor inconvenience-”“Well, you better handle it before we have no choice but to send in Special Ops.”The call ended, and it was as brief as his level of patience was getting.The counteragents were a known terrorist group who were already on their way to infiltrate the border, but thanks to the insider among them, Vincent knew he didn't need help from the headquarters to control the situation.“Send out our squad to the frontiers immediately. The order is to target the enemy, kill on site!”Boots moved immediately wi
2: A New Identity
The place was cozy enough for him to get a good sleep that night, but the chair outside on the sundeck was where he felt most at peace. He stared out into the cityscape in the distance- the place was nothing like he remembered. It seemed even more callous with the harsh weather. He thought about his aunt- who had introduced herself as Theresa, and how she bowed to him. Lord Roth.The name was alien, but all his life he was treated like a nobody. He wanted to be Lord Vincent Roth, not the low life that was hated by his own family. He looked at the black card on the table before him. Written on it was her address- Office of the Duchess of Quincia.He picked up his cell and dialed.“Hello,” answered an older man.“Tell Theresa I accept my position as the new Duke of Quincia,” he said.“Yes, Lord Vincent.”“Let's keep it confidential,” he ordered lastly before ending the call. *The Kanes’ family reunion happened in honour of their new son in law. Morgana Kane had made Richard the hap
3: Duke of Quincia
In the large study room of the mansion, Theresa dropped a pile of documents on the table for Vincent to read through.“My husband and I never had any children. And next to us, you and Tamar are our closest kin.. which means you have every right to my inheritance. I became tired of my title after the grief,” She said in a solemn tone, eyes drifting and staring at nothing in particular. “Now I crave nothing more than retirement.”Silence settled.His eyes scanned through every paper listing the estates and businesses that would be transferred to him once his signature was on it. From the palace to the many farms owned by the Roths, even down to the landed properties that were overseen in different parts of the country and abroad.In net, the title was worth over $500 billion, and all of that was going to be his. A pen was handed to him by his assistant and in seconds, the ink was drying out on the papers. He was officially the Duke of Quincia.“What would you like to do first as the ne
4: Repercussions
Everything about the house was different now to Vincent. Even when the stairs still creaked the way they used to and the same way the lights slowly flickered from the double chandeliers, the verandas felt emptied of the warmth that they once used to carry.The places where their old pictures had hung from had been cleared and dusted, replaced by new faces of the step family. Traces of Emilia Kane had vanished from every picture ledge. He wondered where they kept all the photos of her. If at all they were kept. He stood, observant, as the maids roamed about, cleaning and making sure they didn't step on anyone's toes- because they didn't know whose feet were more important now.The Kanes had refused to leave. In fact, after Vincent had given the notice, they stubbornly went back into their rooms as if daring him to make a move.He would rather tear the place down to dust than have any of them breathe inside its walls for more than those merciful twenty four hours.“Vince”He turned to
5: Sold To The Devil
Richard's phone calls had been left unanswered since the offer had been made to Nova Energy, and instead Brian had agreed to meet with the man they called mysterious.In the glass and steel office room of Mr Eastwood, Gary Lynch sat across the greedy business tycoon. It was the order of his boss to represent him in whatever meeting Brian would call as he had other important duties as duke to attend to.Brian looked at Gary's timid face with a desperate kind of hunger.“I finally got the chance to meet you, Mr…?” Brian said, hoping for a confirmation from Gary.“Mr Lynch,” Gary said as he extended his right hand for a shake. “I'm sorry to inform you that the boss couldn't make it today but I'll be here in his absence.”Brian was a little disappointed. He wanted to see for himself the man who had the power to command his own attention. It wasn't something any other businessman could do considering he was above them all. “I've been sent to ask what your decision is, Mr Eastwood,” Gary f
6: God's of Greed
Lord Roth stood on the balcony, watching and waiting as the evening ushered in new faces from far and wide. Men and women who had come to fill their bellies and feast their eyes, because that was the only thing they could do. He watched everything- from the stolen glances a certain Missus gave the city's newest widower, to the mouth of one Evelyn Greytower that whispered secrets in the ears of a fellow gossip. Not many saw the Duke from the platform he stood which was dark and concealed, but the few who did caught the strong unknown presence of the new noble and paid attention. They tried to guess, they even whispered other possible names, but the mask he wore- a silver metallic veil in form of an eagle, the large beak protruding forward and golden feathers falling loosely over the side top of the frame- hid not just his name but his countenance and true character.But in a way, Lord Roth thought of himself as the predator tonight. Over the smaller birds that flocked together as the
7: To Dare A Devil
When the evening slowly quieted into the night, the guests decided it was best to leave. Regina had been the first to make a dramatic exit when she found her wasted husband in the arms of another woman and slapped him across the face. The sound was what everyone heard, followed by a dissatisfied complaint as she dragged all the members of her family out.Emma Williams was the last to follow her mother-in-law’s lead, turning back for a glimpse at the Duke one last time. The servants stayed up cleaning the house as Vincent waited for the moment his limbs would tire and finally give in to rest. “Hello again, Vincent,” a soft voice spoke.Vincent wasn't quick to answer, instead he wondered who had recognized him as not just Lord Roth but as Vincent Kane. “It's good to see you after retirement. Although, I didn't imagine this was your definition of the word,” a laugh was followed by an aging cough and that was when Vincent remembered.He turned to acknowledge the older man then, and emb
8: Damsels In Distress
Vincent ran towards the scream he'd heard, and even Gary couldn't keep up with that speed and agility. When he reached the top, strange faces greeted him with mockery and scorn. Thugs. There were about fifteen of them holding spiked clubs and daggers. A few of them had guns holstered at the hip. But the only thing Vincent noticed was the beaten girl laid next to the wall, crying weakly.“Tamar!” He called out to her.He wanted to run to her and pick her in his arms but the men surrounded both of them- and he doubted the Glock 19 Gary held up at the biggest guy would help them in that very moment.“She's really precious to you, isn't she?” The biggest one of all the thugs asked, his husky tone drenched in sarcasm. “Aww,” he added mockingly, “shame we had to do what we've done to her, right boys?” Vincent lunged forward in a futile attempt to attack the man. He was struck across the face instead, the force pulling him to the ground.They laughed. No pity. No remorse. Just callousness.
9: Doxies
They put a sack over her head so she couldn't see who gripped her or where they took her. She heard distant voices, rough and aggressive, but nothing was said about anything in particular. At least, not to her hearing.“Please…” Tamar whimpered fearfully, “let me go.”She felt a hard push by the shoulder that was followed by a man telling her to keep quiet. They led her down the stairs, with music playing in the background until they stopped after a minute of walking. Her breaths were short and heavy, and she felt beads of sweat trickle down from the intense heat of being covered. Then, they removed the sack from her head and she saw a door in front of her. Two heavily guarded men stood by her sides, hands tightly clutching her arm so that she could not run away. One of them knocked once on the door and waited. Seconds later, the chains rattled behind and a bulky man who looked like a bouncer opened the door. His gaze went from her to the two men holding her and nodded. When they we
10: Pieces of The Puzzle
Lucas White, the major general of Division 6, got a call that morning. They had said it was urgent- duty calls from an old friend of his.“Hello, Luke,” the aging voice spoke on the line. A smile slowly crept onto the corners of White's lips.“To what do I owe this surprise, Chief?” Lucas White asked.The retired chief on the phone call hadn't been in touch for years. So- really- to what did he owe such surprise? Archie Watson was renowned and revered all through his service in the Quincia State army, and even fifteen good years after, he still commanded so much respect that Lucas held his breath at the sound of the familiar baritone. “Chief…” Archie laughed, “I haven't been called that in over a decade. How's the lovely Mrs?”“Tabitha's doing just great, Archie. We were actually planning on paying a visit soon”“Is that right?” Archie scratched the greying undergrowth of his beard. “Well, you're always welcome anytime, son. And make sure to bring the kids along. It gets a little qui