Wesley’s heart nearly stopped and he shot to his feet with his face pale. “T-That’s impossible,” he stammered as his fingers trembled as he clutched the armrest of his chair. “The loan isn’t due for another six months!”
The thug leader sneered, a cruel smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Plans change,” he said, grabbing Wesley by the collar and yanking him forward. “Your deadline doesn’t matter. The Brown Gang wants the money now.”
Upon hearing the name Brown Gang, Wesley gasped sharply. His demeanor shifted in an instant, panic dissolving into desperate flattery. “I—I know! I know! I borrowed the $10 million, but it’s tied up in an investment. I can’t access the funds right now. I just need more time so please just wait!”
The leader’s expression darkened, his grip tightening. “The boss doesn’t care about that,” he growled. “If he says pay up, you pay up — or we start breaking bones.”
Wesley’s legs buckled, and he clung to the thug’s arm and his voice shaking. “Please! Give me three months, no, two months! I’ll get it! I swear!”
The thug leader chuckled darkly and shoved Wesley back onto the couch like he was nothing more than trash. “You think begging helps? I’m not here to negotiate, I'm here to collect.”
Davion who was standing by the fireplace clenched his fist and his eyes were blazing with rage.
He took a step forward, but before he could intervene, Trevor stepped in front of him with a cocky stride, brushing dust off his suit jacket.
“Who do you think you are?” Trevor sneered, tilting his chin upward. “I’m Trevor Johnson, heir to the Johnson family. Do you really want to make enemies with me? Our family is about to form a major partnership with a powerful family from the capital. If you lay a finger on us, it won’t end well for you.”
Margaret who had been terrified at first, but upon hearing Trevor's words, her fear suddenly turned into delight. So the Johnson family was about to ally with a powerful family from the capital? If Beverly married into the Johnson family, wouldn’t that bring immense benefits to their family as well?
Her heart raced with excitement, and she quickly wiped her tears and smoothed down her blouse. She turned to Beverly and her eyes were gleaming with newfound hope.
“Did you hear that, my dear?” Margaret whispered, her voice trembling with eagerness. “If you marry Trevor, our family will be untouchable. We could rise to the top overnight!”
Beverly’s face paled and her stomach twisted at her mother’s words. “Mom, this isn’t the time—” she began.
But Margaret ignored her, already envisioning their future. She lifted her chin, shooting the thugs a sharp glare.
“Did you hear that?” she snapped at the thugs. “If you touch us, the Johnsons and their new allies will crush you! Let go of Wesley now, or you'll regret it.”
The gang leader stared at them for a moment, then released Wesley with a shove. Wesley collapsed onto the couch, gasping for air, and Trevor shot Margaret a victorious smirk.
The gang leader squinted at Trevor, rubbing his chin. “A powerful family from the capital, huh?” he muttered, pretending to consider it. “That sounds scary.”
Trevor smirked, puffing out his chest. “Glad you understand. Now get lost.”
The thug leader nodded and then, without warning, he delivered a vicious slap across Trevor’s face. The impact echoed through the room, and Trevor staggered into the glass coffee table, clutching his cheek in shock.
“Scared? Of you?” the leader sneered, watching Trevor crumble to the ground.
Before Trevor could recover, the leader stomped on his chest, pinning him to the shattered remains of the coffee table. “I don’t care who you are,” the thug spat. “Brown Gang fears no one.”
Trevor wheezed and he hadears spilling from his eyes. “P-Please,” he choked, “I—I was just—”
The thug ignored him. His gaze shifted to Beverly, and his lips curled into a cruel grin.
“Since you can’t repay your debt,” he sneered, pointing a finger at Beverly, “we’ll take her instead. She comes with us, and you get her back when the money’s paid.”
Margaret shrieked and pulled Beverly behind her, eyes wide with terror. “You can’t do that!” she cried. “She’s just a girl!”
The thug leader’s grin widened. “Exactly.”
“No way!” Wesley roared, surging to his feet with unexpected fury. “I know what you animals are planning. You’re not taking my daughter!”
One of the thugs grabbed Beverly’s wrist, yanking her forward. She screamed, struggling against his grip.
“Dad! Help me!” she sobbed, kicking at the thug's legs.
Wesley lunged toward them, only to be punched in the stomach. He collapsed to the floor, coughing violently.
“You’ll get her back,” the leader said, dragging Beverly toward the door. “After she earns what you owe us.”
Despair settled over the room like a heavy fog. Margaret sobbed, clutching Wesley, while Trevor lay curled up, shaking.
Just then, a figure stepped forward.
Before anyone could react, Davion moved like lightning, delivering a brutal kick to the gang leader’s chest. The thug flew across the room, crashing into the wall with a sickening thud. He crumpled to the floor, writhing in agony.
Davion straightened, his gaze as cold as ice. He swept his eyes over the remaining gang members, voice low and sharp as a blade.
“Let her go,” he commanded.
The thug gripping Beverly’s arm froze. His hand trembled as he slowly released her, stepping back in fear. Beverly ran to Margaret, sobbing into her shoulder.
The other gang members hesitated, glancing between their leader and Davion. One of them reached for a knife, but Davion’s eyes snapped to him like a predator locking onto prey.
“Get out of here,” Davion growled, voice laced with lethal intent. “You have five seconds.”
Latest Chapter
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The lights went red.Not blinking red. Not warning red.Blood-red.“Yeah,” Irene muttered beside me, tightening her grip on her gun. “That’s never a good sign.”The hallway shuddered like Genesis itself had taken a breath. Somewhere deep inside the facility, something massive powered up—low, mechanical, angry. The sound crawled under my skin.“Core’s awake,” Wilson said, tapping furiously on his tablet. “Security protocols just jumped to max. We’ve got—” He stopped. Swallowed. “We’ve got two minutes before lockdown seals every exit.”Beverly turned to me. Her eyes met mine, sharp but steady. “Davion. Your call.”I didn’t hesitate.“We move. Now.”We ran.Boots slammed against metal floors as sirens wailed overhead. The rescued girl—Mira—stayed close to Beverly, her fingers knotted in Beverly’s jacket like she was afraid the world would disappear if she let go.I knew that fear.The doors ahead split open with a hydraulic scream, revealing the core chamber.And my chest tightened.The
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Alright. Continuing directly from Cameron being taken, keeping it intense, emotional, dramatic, teen-author style.Next chapter — ~1000 words.⸻CHAPTER — BRANDON’S POVThe door slammed shut behind Cameron with a sound that felt permanent.Not loud—final.I stood there for half a second longer than I should’ve, staring at the empty space where he’d been, my palm still pressed against the cold barrier like he might somehow push back through it if I stayed still enough.“Cam,” I whispered.No answer.The room hummed softly, indifferent.Then the lights shifted.The control room dissolved into something else entirely—walls sliding, screens retracting, the space reconfiguring itself like it had never been meant to hold us for long. I turned slowly, heart pounding, fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Okay. You don’t panic. You don’t lose it. You don’t—”A screen blinked on in front of me.Just one this time.Cameron’s face filled it.My chest seized.H
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The room felt too small for the amount of anger in it.Iron Hand pushed himself up from the desk, blood streaking down the side of his face, but he was smiling. Not a scared smile. Not a desperate one. The kind that made Davion’s stomach twist.“You think this ends with me on the floor?” Iron Hand asked calmly. “You think tearing down Genesis stopped the machine?”Beverly tightened her grip on her blade. “You’re stalling.”“Of course I am,” he replied smoothly. “That’s what people do when they still have options.”Davion stepped forward, heart pounding. “You don’t. Your systems are down. Your guards are locked out. Whatever backup plan you had—”Iron Hand laughed. Actually laughed.“You children really don’t understand scale,” he said. “Genesis wasn’t the heart. It was a test run.”Lina’s fingers froze over her console. “That’s not possible. We traced every—”“—every node you could see,” Iron Hand cut in. “Did you really think I’d build my legacy on a single point of failure?”Rami’s
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For a second—just one tiny, shaky second—the whole room froze. Iron Hand was pinned against his own desk, breathing hard, eyes wild in a way Davion had never seen before. It was weird, almost unsettling. He wasn’t the calm, untouchable monster they’d been running from for months. He looked… human. But Davion didn’t let himself feel anything about that. Not now. Not here.“Don’t hesitate,” Beverly said sharply, shooting Davion a look that cut through every distraction like a blade. “That’s how he wins.”Iron Hand laughed quietly, the sound rough and bitter. “You think you’ve won because you shut down a few security systems? Children. You’re all children.”“And yet,” Rami called from the doorway, panting as he kicked away another unconscious guard, “the children are kicking your butt right now.”Maya snorted. “Respectfully.”Iron Hand pushed himself off the desk in one swift movement, like some engine had restarted inside him. He reached under the desk and pulled out something that look
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The moment Iron Hand hit the desk, something in him snapped—like a switch inside his head turned off all the fake calm he had been wearing like perfume. His eyes flickered with this cold, mechanical glow, and Davion felt his stomach twist.“Oh no,” Maya whispered. “Not this again.”Iron Hand stood up slowly, rolling his shoulders, and the sound wasn’t normal—it was metallic, grinding, like gears shifting inside his body.“He enhanced himself,” Beverly muttered, eyes wide. “He actually—Davion, he’s not fully human anymore.”Iron Hand smirked. “Evolution is the only path forward. You children cling to your emotions like life jackets. I’ve transcended that weakness.”Davion stepped in front of the others. “And you lost your soul doing it.”Iron Hand didn’t argue. He just moved.Fast.Faster than before. Faster than human. One second he was standing near the desk—next second he was in front of Davion, metal fist slamming into Davion’s ribs with the force of a car crash.Davion flew across
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The room trembled.Not from an explosion, not from an alarm—but from the force of everything finally collapsing into this one moment. Davion felt it in his bones, like destiny breathing down his neck. Iron Hand pushed himself up from the wrecked desk, blood on his lip, eyes burning with something between fury and disbelief.“You children,” Iron Hand spat, wiping his mouth. “Do you think you can rewrite the world by breaking into one building?”Beverly stepped forward, blade raised, breath sharp. “We’re not rewriting the world. Just removing the infection.”Iron Hand laughed—an ugly, unhinged sound. “Bold words for a girl who watched her mother die because she wouldn’t join me.”Beverly’s jaw clenched so hard Davion could practically hear it crack. “Don’t you dare—”“Bev,” Davion said softly, grabbing her wrist before she threw herself at him. “He wants to get in your head. Don’t let him.”Iron Hand looked between them, amused. “Touching. Truly touching. But sentiment won’t save you wh
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