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The book is not edited.
Updates are weekly, anywhere from Friday to the weekends.
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Thin red dust clouded the evening air as four black machines landed in the small compound, each haphazardly parking in whatever spot they found free. Two of them ran over the flower beds. The machines were glorious in all their beauty and size, but the landing design screamed trouble.
Men in black suits and dark shades flew out of the vehicles into the main house.
Ivan, who was on his way to his tiny room—just next to the main house—hid behind the oak tree, a few meters from the black machines. He was an orphaned only child left behind to depend on his cruel uncle and his wife. He refrained from complaining much, as they provided him with the bare minimum. Even his small room, with holes in the roof and deep cracks in the walls—the home of an amphibian for sure—was luck. He was grateful for it as he had witnessed people lack the very basics that got pelted at him as if he was scum.
After a few seconds, the men walked out with his uncle, auntie, and his two cousins. They commanded the family to kneel in a line from the oldest to the youngest. Ivan's uncle was the first on the right from the oak tree, and his smallest cousin was the last.
"Is this all of you from this household?" a man with a long black beard—one of the superior bodyguards—asked. His mouth was hardly noticeable as it was covered by a forest of hair and Ivan only appreciated it because the man was shouting.
Ivan's uncle nodded at the question. The man with the beard went ahead to talk over a mouthpiece and the doors to two different black machines opened simultaneously. Two men walked out of each, with a lady walking out after the second man.
A wind blew toward Ivan, the leaves of the oak tree detaching from the tree in submission to the strong currents. The atmosphere smelt like iron, and Ivan wondered whether he was smelling the future or if it was his own fear. The men had guns on even though none were pointed at anyone.
What did he do? Even though Uncle is wicked, he is a coward. He could never go asking for trouble. Ivan wondered.
"Where is the necklace?" the first gentleman asked.
Wow. All this for a necklace. Ivan rolled his eyes as he continued to peep while seated on the ground.
"What necklace, Sir Liam." Ivan's cousin, who was two years older than him, asked.
This has to do with Carlos? What necklace could he have stolen?
"Don't you dare play tricks and word games with me? I've heard them too many times," the man Liam said rather pissed. "Go search the house," he commanded and four of the men in suits led my mister beard guy entered the house.
Even from a distance, Ivan could tell cups and plates were being broken. The cluttering was too much for it to be an accident. Ivan was sure they were intentionally breaking things in the name of a search.
"Here it is," the bearded guy announced as he emerged from the house, a silver necklace in hand.
The man Liam pointed the gun toward Carlos and four bodyguards pulled out their guns. Two pointed their weapon at Ivan's uncle and auntie's forehead and two pointed their guns at his cousins' occiputs.
Ivan's mouth fell open, and he had to cover his mouth to actively withhold a gasp from sounding.
Let it not go down as it does in the movies. Please, let it not.
"I told you he was not to be trusted, Gabriel," the lady next to Gabriel—Gabriel's sister—said in a high pitch.
Gabriel? Is that the man Carlos works for? Carlos stole from him?
"Believe me, sir Gabriel, I didn't take it. How it got to our house, I do not know. But you know me well. I can't do such an act."
The man Gabriel looked at his now ex-secretary, who was in near tears begging, a gun held against his head from behind. "Liam, are you sure?" The man Gabriel asked.
"Of course, I am sure. How else do you suggest the necklace got here? Look at this place. A pigsty. He probably needed the money," Liam said as he snapped his head back toward Carlos, and Carlos leaned back, his head coming in contact with the cold muzzle. He arched his back awkwardly at the fear that threatened to crack his spine into halves. He lost balance and fell forward, belly against the ground. The bodyguard behind him proceeded to adjust his position and put the tip of the gun on Carlos' back.
Carlos fisted his hand, holding the red soil in his hands, tears finally flowing from his eyes. He was no stranger to how the two gentlemen worked. He had seen both of them murder and move on without a care. No amount of begging was going to save him, and he felt like giving up without a try. It was useless. No case had ever proved to be unique. They all begged before being killed. Maybe their victims were 'bad guys', but in this case, he had crossed them. To them, he was the thief of the silver necklace, an accessory that held the complex password to an account with private contracts and documents that ran their businesses. He was in this case a 'bad guy', at least to the two he was.
"Believe me, I didn't steal it," a whisper escaped from Carlos' mouth.
"Then what is it doing in your house, Carlos?" Gabriel asked. He wanted to save Carlos, but since Liam was also involved, there was little he could do. Liam could accuse him of wanting to save his ex-secretary, who was probably working for the Mafia Cato. Double crossers got bullets to the head. That was non-negotiable. Otherwise, what they had worked hard for would go down the drain, and they would be chased out of their business world like hyenas—with sticks and stones. Gabriel left Liam to handle the dirty work for the day. He couldn't bring himself to put bullets in his former secretary's skull.
"Answer his question," Liam commanded before spitting on the man. His spit landed on Carlos' hair.
"I don't know, sir. I honestly don't know," Carlos said.
"You know how this goes, right? If you don't talk, your whole family dies," Liam said.
Carlos quickly got on all four and crawled to Liam's feet. A position he had seen many go to before the two lords. "Please, don't involve them. Do what you want with me, but don't involve them."
"You readily give yourself. Makes me think you are guilty. That was actually a confession. Why would you accept punishment then," Liam said.
Carlos looked back at his family. His mother was shaking, his sister in her arms. His father's face was downcast, facing the ground. The old man dared not give anyone eye contact lest it be considered a challenge.
Carlos held his head between his palms. Tortured. Tears were now coming down his nose. "I know you do not believe me at all. And I know very well you will kill me because you will not believe me, no matter what. But spare my family from this."
Ivy, Gabriel's sister tugged his brother's shirt. "Let him go this once," she said. "The man is pitiful."
"That is for Liam to decide. Not me," Gabriel said.
Liam took a step back before kicking Carlos' face.
Ivan, who was watching the scene from behind the oak tree with tear-stained cheeks, hissed at the sight of Carlos' bloody face.
"Stupid man," Gabriel hissed. He'd spotted Ivan before he even stepped out of the vehicle and had waited to see whether the guards would notice him.
"Who is there?" Liam asked, and the bearded bodyguard quickly pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the oak tree as he took small steps towards it.
"Come out now before I shoot," the bearded man shouted.