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From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 70. The Plan
Two Hours Ago. Van's jaw dropped in horror and shock when he saw the pictures that Elaine posted. "W-wha- how– when–" he couldn't construct a simple sentence. "What is it?" Ivy dropped what she was doing and walked over to them. Taking a peak at Van's phone, she was equally surprised at what she saw. Pictures of Van, seemingly naked in bed with Elaine were all over her Instagram page with the caption; Future hubby and I after a spectacular date."I can't believe this." Ivy said quietly. "You know –""I can't believe she would go as far as editing pictures of you two together. This Elaine is much more of a psycho than I thought.""Editing…?" Van asked slowly. "Yeah. I mean, that's not you. Right?""Yeah of course." Van was surprised that Ivy didn't doubt him at all. Other ladies would have questioned him and might not even believe him no matter what his truth was. But Ivy was different, even before it sunk in his head that the pictures were edited, she already said it out, putting
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 71. Andrew
'Hi, this is Van, your long lost brother. I would like for you to be my best man. My wedding is tomorrow by the way.'Andrew laid his head back against the couch, a side smile on his smooth face. That was some way to introduce himself after all those years. He scoffed at the invitation but of course he was going to attend, after all his mother had invited him as well. He glanced at the time on his golden wristwatch. 08:30pm, it read. If he wanted to make in on time, he would have to leave home early. He thought about how awkward it would be to see Van after all those years, especially due to the way they parted back at the orphanage. He was sure his estranged baby brother would still harbor some resentful feelings towards him. In fact, the whole 'best man's thing might just be an excuse to get him there to receive an earful from his mother and siblings. Still, he made the decision to go. Strolling upstairs to his bedroom, he marched straight to his walk in closet to select his choi
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 72. Brothers
Even though he barely knew him, Van could immediately tell that the man standing in front of him was his brother. He was never one to look at himself that much but he could tell what he looked like, and the man he was staring at had similar features to him. Just more sinister looking. He dropped the little traveling bag he held, a half smile on his face. "Whoa, is this your bride baby bro?" He eyed Ivy from head to toe, admiring her appearance. "Damn she's hot." He walked over to their mother and sat next to her. "Why do you all look so gloom? Didn't you invite me because you wanted me here?"All eyes turned to Van and he realized they were waiting to see his reaction. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. His brother who fired a gun at him when they were kids was sitting right in front of him. Up until recently, he didn't even remember that he had a brother. "You came." Was the only thing that he could voice out. "Well you did ask me to be your best man. It would be cruel t
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 73. The Proposal
Van could barely get a wink of sleep all through the night. The day had finally arrived. His wedding. He couldn't keep his nerves calm and he kept on worrying about the many ways things could go wrong. He had gotten out of bed as early as five AM and started to wander around the house with nothing to do. Almost thirty minutes later, his bride to be walked down the stairs, her face as pale as a recently drowned person. "Ivy, are you okay? Do you feel sick? Is there something I can do?" He kept on asking various questions without giving her the chance to answer any of them. "Do you feel like you need to visit a hospital? Or maybe it's something you ate–""I'm fine." She said finally, ending his long list of worry filled questions. "Just really nervous. I could barely sleep.""I feel the same way." He admitted. "Really? You don't look like it.""Yeah? Maybe the pacing around for thirty minutes actually helped." She laughed at his comment and he smiled at her. "I'm sure everything is
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 74. Mrs Everest
Ivy smiled lovingly at the dress she was about to wear. The beautiful silk seemed to glow as the light from the dressing room hit the dress. It was well fitted all the way own to her hips, then a soft A line flair went all the way down to her feet. It was a simple but elegant design. She decided that her make up was going to be fairly nude with a little extra efforts on her eyes and lips. She looked down at her wrist and her smile grew even deeper. Van said since they were getting married that day he didn't want to propose with a ring, so instead he gave her a bracelet. A thin silver bracelet with both of their initials on it. She held the bracelet close to her chest amd inhaled deeply before she started to dress. ★★★The hall was more beautiful than Van had been expecting. Balloons of different colors were hung all over the place for a cute and festive touch and decorative lights were put up to give the room a beautiful mixture of colors. On one side, a huge screen was fixed on
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 75. The Wedding
Around five minutes past eleven, the guests had all arrived as well as the reporters. Everyone had taken their places and were all awaiting the start of the ceremony.Van had taken his place at the aisle with his best man standing tall and proud next to him. His mother was seated in the front row with a soft smile as she watched him. She was putting on a peach color dress befitting for the groom's mother and Van was surprised when he noticed that Grace was putting on the same dress. He didn't think she was going to attend but she walled in few minutes ago and went to sit next to his mother. Even though they hadn't fully settled their dispute, Van was glad she decided to show up. The room was completely quiet except for the occasional murmurs among the guests. Minutes passed and the priest walked in and announced the start of the program. "Please let us all stand for the bride." He said, his voice coming off as frail and gentle, probably due to his old age. The guests did as they
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 76. The Wedding II
When the priest came out and asked everyone to stand, Ivy's heart rate doubled. It was her turn! All eyes would soon be on her. Chloe was supposed to be the only flower girl but Van said he didn't want Billy to feel left out so they decided to have a flower boy as well. "Okay kids, it's your turn." Macy had already taught them that when they heard the music start it was their cue to go inside and start to line Ivy's path with the petals in their little basket. "Bride's father, you're up.""With pleasure." Fred walked up to Ivy and held out his arm to her. When Macy asked Fred to take the role of the bride's farher, he had been so touched that he accepted the role with teary eyes. Ivy took a deep breath and took his arm, allowing herself to be led into the hall. He escorted her down the aisle, which suddenly seemed longer than before. He became her strength and she felt like she could pass out if he left her side. The guests all looked at her, some eyed her from head to toe, like
From Prison Bars To Gold Bars. 77. Reactions
Blanche frowned at her cellphone, that would make it the fourth time she would be calling and still got no answer. She had been trying to get hold of the Fisherman but he was refusing to take her calls. "What could be so important that he has to ignore the calls of his boss?!" She tossed the phone aside. "Ugh, maybe watching TV will get it off my mind." She took the remote and switched on the large flat screen. The first few stations didn't have anything interesting to offer and it only annoyed Blanche more. "Ugh, this thing is useless!!" She tossed the remote and as the device came in contact with the ground, it pressed one of the buttons, changing the channel one more time. This time, it was an entertainment news channel. "As you can see, the wedding of Van Everest is currently ongoing. The couple apparently decided to have a small but elegant ceremony with only friends and families on the guest list.."Blanche's eyes widened when she saw the face of the groom. "Wait a minute, tha
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226. The Accountant's Secret
The safehouse smelled like old coffee and fear when Louisa Martin finally showed up.She came alone, wrapped in a cheap raincoat two sizes too big, hair hidden under a beanie.Her eyes darted everywhere — ceiling corners, dark windows, even the cracks in the floor like they might bite her.Van watched her quietly from across the room, arms folded.She looked nothing like the sharp financial shark Keller described.This woman was frayed at the edges, like someone who hadn’t slept properly in months.Keller made the introductions. "Louisa. This is Van. Van — Louisa."Louisa’s voice was brittle as glass. "I know who he is."Her eyes flicked to Van, then away again like looking at him too long might get her killed.Van didn’t bother with small talk, time was blood now. "You worked for Barron, that means you know where the bodies are buried. You talk — I make sure you stay breathing.You stay quiet — and you’ll be next on his list."Louisa’s laugh was short and humorless."Sweetheart, I’ve
225. Next Move
By mid-morning, Van couldn’t step outside without seeing his own face staring back from every screen.Some called him a vigilante.Others spat the word criminal like poison.But the city was buzzing, and Barron’s name was finally dragged through the dirt alongside his own.Van didn’t care about the headlines. He cared about the numbers Carla showed him — accounts traced, shell companies linked, wires exposed like raw nerves.Money. That’s where they would cut next.She tapped the screen, her nail chipped and trembling slightly."See this? Phoenix Holdings. Looks clean on the outside, but dig deeper and it’s washing Barron’s trafficking money through luxury imports. Art, watches, cars—hell, probably gold toilets for his mansion."Van grunted. His mind wasn’t on art.It was on Lenny, still fighting for his life three floors up."You said we could burn him financially. How?"Carla smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She looked as tired as he felt."We leak it. Quiet first — to the rig
224. First Blood
The attack came at dawn.Silent. Surgical. Cruel.Lenny never saw it coming. He was stepping out of his apartment, headed to meet Van at the old mill, when the van screeched up.Three men in black masks.No words — just steel pipes and fists.Neighbors heard the commotion but kept their doors shut.Everyone knew better. When Barron’s men came calling, you looked away.By the time the van peeled off, Lenny lay in a broken heap, blood pooling beneath his head.His niece’s picture, which he always carried in his pocket, fluttered to the ground, soaked red.★★★Van got the call an hour later.Nora's voice shook."They nearly killed him, Van. Lenny’s in ICU. Skull fractures, broken ribs. They meant to send a message."Van stood frozen in the middle of Keller’s living room, heart pounding like a war drum.Carla looked up from her laptop, face pale."This is escalation. Barron’s going full scorched earth now. If we don’t hit back hard—"Van was already moving.★★★At the hospital, Lenny lay
223. Raising An Army
Van’s phone buzzed just past midnight, it was an unknown number but he answered without hesitation.A familiar voice, rough and low, crackled through."You said if we ever wanted payback, we should call. Well, we’re calling."It was Lenny — an old cellmate from the prison days. A man who’d lost his niece to the same trafficking chain Bianca had just escaped.Van’s chest tightened."Where are you?""Abandoned mill off 43rd Street. And we’re not alone."Van grabbed his jacket and keys.This was the sign he’d been waiting for.★★★The mill was a ruin of rust and cracked windows, but inside, the air was electric.Dozens of faces turned when Van stepped in.Ex-cons, street runners and women with haunted eyes — survivors of Barron’s network.At the front stood Lenny, his massive arms crossed over his chest. Beside him, a thin woman with a scar along her jaw — Nora, who had once testified and then vanished from public sight.Van took it in: a gathering of the discarded and the damned.People
222. Barron Retaliates
The news broke before dawn. Grainy footage leaked online — flashing lights at the docks, bodies being loaded into ambulances, women wrapped in blankets, their faces blurred.The headlines screamed in bold:Human Trafficking Ring Busted in Dramatic Night Raid.But behind the headlines, in dark rooms far from the public eye, powerful men were already plotting their revenge.Van sat beside Bianca's hospital bed, watching her chest rise and fall. She was sedated, her body too battered and exhausted to stay conscious for long but she was alive.That simple fact kept him breathing.Keller stood near the door, on the phone with someone high up — probably trying to keep this operation from exploding into a political scandal.Carla scrolled through her tablet, her face grim."They’re already spinning this," she muttered. "Barron’s people are leaking stories that this was a rogue smuggling crew. Small-time. Not connected to him."Van’s jaw clenched."Typical. Burn the pawns, protect the king."
221. Final Hunt
The storm hadn’t let up by morning.Thunder rolled over the city like distant gunfire as Van paced the length of Keller’s safehouse, phone clutched in a death grip.The message replayed in his mind over and over:"Transfer complete. Barron expects the shipment before Friday."Today was Thursday.That meant they had less than twenty-four hours to find Bianca before she vanished — maybe forever.Carla spread a map on the table, jabbing her finger at different points marked in red."These are known drop sites tied to Barron’s network. Truck yards. Private airstrips. Warehouses near the docks. If they’re moving her, it’s through one of these routes."Van stopped pacing, leaned over the map."Which one?"Carla’s mouth pressed into a thin line."If I knew that, we’d already be on the road."Keller stormed in from the other room, phone to his ear."No, I don’t care if it’s off the books—pull every asset we have! She’s out there, and I want eyes on every exit point in this city!"He ended the
220. The Raid
The black SUV tore through the city streets, weaving between cars and running red lights.Rain slapped against the windshield in heavy sheets, turning the world into a blur of lights and shadows.Van sat in the passenger seat, jaw tight, fingers tapping a restless rhythm on his knee.Beside him, Keller drove like a man possessed, silent and focused.Carla sat in the back, double-checking the blueprints of the warehouse on her tablet."Franklin and Third," she muttered."Two floors. Old textile plant. Abandoned for years. No security cameras, no neighbors — perfect place to stash someone."Van’s stomach twisted.It was too perfect.He kept flashing back to Vance’s words: If they think you’re coming, they’ll move her—or worse.He couldn't afford to think about what worse meant.Not now.Not when they were this close.They arrived in less than fifteen minutes.The warehouse loomed out of the mist like a dead thing — gray, crumbling, windows shattered, rust eating through the metal doors.
219. Confession
The air inside the van was thick with tension.Julian Vance sat slumped against the wall, wrists cuffed to a metal ring bolted to the floor.The blindfold was gone, but fear had carved deep lines into his face.Sweat soaked through his shirt despite the cold night air.Across from him, Van leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, studying him like a puzzle that needed solving.Keller sat beside Van, silent and looming, while Carla hovered near the door, tablet in hand, recording everything.No one spoke for a long moment.They let the fear do its work first.Vance fidgeted, his eyes darting from face to face, looking for a crack, a kindness.He found none.Finally, Keller broke the silence."You know who we are," he said calmly."You know why you’re here."Vance licked his lips."I—I’m just an accountant," he stammered."I don’t know anything."Keller smiled thinly."You know enough to get yourself killed. Or saved. Your choice."Vance’s hands twisted in the cuffs."I can’t," he whisper
218. The Aftermath
The night was soaked in the heavy stench of gunpowder and rain.Sirens howled in the distance — getting closer — but Agent Keller’s team moved fast.They swept the abandoned lot, securing what little evidence Moses had left behind: a few casings, tire tracks gouged deep into the mud, a broken phone.It wasn’t enough.Moses had disappeared like a phantom into the night, and worse — he had seen through the setup.Van had barely made it out alive.Inside the mobile command van, Keller slammed his fist against the table."Someone tipped him off," he growled."There’s no way he walked into that meeting with backup unless he knew we were coming."Carla sat beside Van, wrapping a makeshift bandage around his bleeding arm.Her hands were steady, but her face was grim.Van winced as the gauze tightened, but he barely felt the pain.His mind was somewhere else.A traitor.Someone inside their circle.Someone who had sold them out to Moses.Keller paced furiously, barking orders into his radio,
