MADDOX MIRK

The dead and deafening silence flooded inside the room and only the beating of his heart can be heard. Like the shock of a bucket of ice water being poured over his head, shock is written all over Yakov's face, and stared at his father in disbelief.

"Sister? I didn't know..." All his life, Yakov thought he was Lucian's only child. He fell into deep thoughts.

"A younger sister. Before your mommy and I broke up, I got her pregnant. I thought that when she found out that I was dead, she would take you or introduce you two to each other, so I assumed that she was with you now." Lucian explained making Yakov frown.

"Dad, why did you hide from me the fact that you are still alive? I can understand if you hide from others, especially from your enemies, but why from me?"

Yakov swerves the subject. He felt his head wrapped with nonsense. Tons of questions swirling inside his mind to ask his father. He felt his tongue got cut off from daring to ask him and now he utters such unwitting and not trivial questions right now. He needs time to clarify his thought. He wants to know everything.

"I did that to protect you," Lucian responded in a serious demeanor. Yakov waited for him to say something else but nothing followed. The old man was still sitting, silent and waiting for his questions.

"Then how did you know I was coming today?" Yakov asked, brows slightly narrowed questioningly. Lucian let out an audible sigh.

"Narco." Lucian shortly replied making Yakov's eyes widen.

"How?" With a puzzled look, Yakov's slightly gaped at what he heard. He seemed utterly incognizant around him. He truly is ignorant. He has no clue at all. What he knows is that Narco works in his agency. 'How is this-' Yakov couldn't put a word inside his mind as he was deeply confused. Why was Narco involved in this conversation?

"As expected, you are unaware that Narco is Mort's adopted son. I paid him to work at your agency and report all your plans and moves to me." Lucian said, crossing his legs under the table and sipping on his tea like a Boss.

Yakov felt his veins pulsing in his head and were going to pop out any moment at what he just found out. The flash of memory came back to him the day he met Narco six years ago. Yakov laughs half-heartedly. He was a fool for falling from his trick. He didn't even doubt his real identity. Yakov does a background check at young Narco and found out he came from an orphanage.

6 years ago........

Midnight. It was dark stormy night, a williwaw rose up seemingly out of nowhere and wreaked havoc in the place. The heavy rain and strong gust of wind crashed on his car while he was driving alone on the long road when he suddenly hit something in the middle of the road. Yakov hurriedly got out of the car and founds an unconscious young boy lying in front of his car with a face filled with blood coming out of his head and soaked in rain. Yakov didn't have a second thought about scooping him back into his car. He waited for him to wake up. Only then he found out that this boy was from the orphanage.

"Narco. 14."

The young lad answered his questions after Yakov brought him to his home and dressed him. Yakov did a background check on him and it was indeed Narco came from the orphanage. Absconded. With no family or relatives, Yakov decided to keep the boy under his care, raised him, then gave him a job at his agency.

"Did you also pay him by getting himself hit in my car just to get into the agency?" Yakov asked not knowing whether to laugh or kill.

"He was already an assassin when Mort adopted him. A few scratches won't kill him." Lucian replied and poured another tea into his cup. "When you met him, Narco was actually grounded, so he tried to run away. But before he could leave the house, he was wounded by the dagger Klauss throw at him who was chasing after him to stop him. I, who was going to Mort's manor to ask for a favor didn't go any further after what I saw. I just saved him from Klauss' rage who was flaming in fury. That's the time I paid him. You probably didn't run into him. Everything goes according to the plan."

Lucian added that Yakov on his seat stiffened, hands tightly clenched. There's nothing else on his mind right now but to kill Narco. That explains every time he gets him to do something that involves Mort, he suddenly disappears from his sight like a bubble pops in the air. He pretends to go to school or do something else.

"I almost did the most hilarious thing." Yakov burst out maniacal laughter as he remembered his goal tonight. The invasion of Aslanovs' base and burn their clan down.

"So, where are the Aslanovs? Why are you all alone here?" Yakov asked in a serious tone. How amazing he could change his personality in a split second. Lucian sighed again.

"They have a new base."

Yakov doesn't know what to do now that he knows the truth. He sat in his swivel chair while looking down at the bottom of his company's building. He has been dialing Narco's number over and over again today but the brat is not answering his call. He just wanted to curse the hell out of him.

.............

Narco and Lyric who had just come out and were about to leave Victoria's home were blocked by Yelena's hulk and brawn men in the black suit. They have the body of famous wrestlers in the world, their physique built beyond ordinary. They are strong, tall to medium-sized men who have well-formed muscles evenly distributed across their frame. Looking big and intimidating, Narco and Lyric quickly raised their hands when the high-caliber of bazooka was pointed at them. Escaping is now futile as they are already surrounded by all the hard weapons darted at the two of them.

"What is it this time? We're going home and we don't need extra work." Narco said with his head held high but none of them answered him. The buffed men move like robots waiting for commands from their masters.

"Do you have any idea who they are?" Lyric naively asked Narco in a low tone who just nodded to him. Narco knew that Lyric knew who they were, so he just played along with his act to entertain themselves while waiting for what Yelena's goons would do to them.

"They belong to the Oddesseau Mafia. Rival clan of the Aslanovs." Narco replied and Lyric nodded one after another as if he just found out about it just now.

"So, who's stronger?" Lyric asked again as Narco flashed a smirk.

"The Aslanov."

Narco answered proudly that the other goons who were carrying guns loaded with bullets aimed at them at the same time. But they quickly lowered their weapons when a dark-silver car arrived at the place. The hooligans made way. The car stopped right in front of Narco and Lyric making the young men frown. There emerge a beautiful pale woman wearing a villainous smile. Yelena came out wearing all black with grave flowers on her hand.

"Advance condolences to ya'll, kids. A member of your family is about to succumb to death tonight. I am deeply pleased about it." Yelena wickedly smiled and she raised an eyebrow at one of her men.

One tall and muscular man stridden forward and injected Narco and Lyric with a syringe containing sleeping pills in the neck, who immediately lost consciousness and fell on the cold ground. Eyes devoid of emotions, Yelena looks down at them.

"Put them in a sack and throw them in the middle of the ocean." Smiling and gently, Yelena orders her men and they all quickly bowed after her. Humming in gaiety, an evil grin painted on her face as she sauntered back into her car.

"After the midnight strike, one Aslanov will die."

................

The sun rose bright and fair. The early morning was quite lively with the waves of murmurs filling the air. Eiryss was busy preparing the morning meal with Lunaire in the kitchen while Chaise was talking to five policemen and a very handsome young man in the living room, drinking coffee. They were engaged in a lengthy conversation about the maiden's current issue involved in. The wave of soothing noises slowly disappeared in the air when someone caught their eye.

Half awake, a beautiful maiden descended the stairs barefooted with messy bedroom hair. Eyes slightly closed and yawning, Sumire was still wearing her comfy revealing transparent red nightgown that exposes her thighs, the slope of her neck, and the lace hanging intimately from her shoulder down on her porcelain skin.

Coffee nearly spilled out, one of them choked out on the tea, and jaws greatly dropped, the five male policemen's eyes widened in surprise. One of them had dropped his ballpoint pens, petrified in his place. They were staring out the maiden in a trance.

"Oh my..."

"What a beauty..."

"Is she..."

"Shit!" Chaise exclaimed, hurriedly got up. He took the huge coat placed on the coat rack and was about to go after her but the handsome hunk preceded him. The man went to her daughter's place and took off his business trench coat.

Ears reddened, his eyes traveled to the maiden's sultry appearance he had been wooing for months. Sumire's curves naturally flaunt on the sight and her undergarment is quite visible on the thin fabric she wears. Her braless chest is hiding behind her long and raven hair. The man chuckles inside his mind. 'What a cutie...'

Sumire passed in front of them, unaware of their presence, and headed straight to the refrigerator. They were all invisible in her eyes. She took a glass and drank the cold water. Sumire could feel her veins in the head throbbing so hard and it hurts her so much. Lunaire and Eiryss stopped at the kitchen work as they stared at the maiden's messy appearance.

"Sumi...." Eiryss could barely utter a word, so stunned to see her in that clothes.

"Oh, Sweet Jesus! Holy Mary..." Lunaire dropped the cooking ladle making a sound in the kitchen, eyes wide open. Sumire quickly turn her gaze to their direction and yawned again.

"Morning, Mom..." Eyes half open, Sumire greeted her mother with a sweet morning smile. Lunaire went to her place with big strides.

"Sweety, are you sure you're fully awake?" Lunaire asked and stood in front of her daughter blocking the view. All eyes were now set upon Sumire.

"I am Mom, why?" Sumire responded in a sexy yet adorable tone. A streak of pain in the head made her slightly staggered but a strong arm quickly snake on her waist before she fell to the floor. Sumire was shoved on a massive manly chest.

'Fuck, why do I never learn. Alcohol always put me into trouble.' Closed-eyes, the maiden curses inside her mind. Sumire looked up at the man whose face was concealed by the bright sunlight from the opened window.

"Who are you?" Frowning, Sumire asked to which the strange young man burst into bolts of a chuckle. So deep and manly.

"Maddox Mirk." The young man replied to which Sumire stopped breathing. Her eyelashes fluttered and blinked thrice. She immediately withdraw her hand from his chest and rubbed her eyes. She was stunned on her feet.

A man stood gorgeously with a well-toned frame but her man was built bigger. He was well dressed, tall, and handsome, holding a pair of darkest ocean blue eyes. She was breathless as she stared at those pools. He has a gentle and dashing aura. The man flashed a beguiling smile.

"You- you are Maddox Mirk?! Are you that obsessed creep guy who keeps sending me a bunch of endangered flowers even after getting rejected multiple times? You are quite very persistent." Sumire uttered loudly making Maddox laugh awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, it's me. And I will never stop until you say yes." He said determinedly and leaned closer to her. Step back, Sumire winced. 'He is handsome but cut the crap! He really is creepy...' she utters in her mind.

She looked at her mom and dad. Only then she found police officers who were staring at her with surprised expressions written all over their faces. 'Why is there a police here?' She asked herself.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Brows knitted into a frown, Sumire asked with a slight raise voice. Eiryss, her manager was biting the edge of her nails and eyes shifted to Lunaire.

"Honeypie, you need to get dressed properly." Chaise said as Sumire angled her head to the side and looked at her father with questioning eyes. Her gaze travels back to her mother who is pointing at her dress with her lips.

Slowly, Sumire looked at herself. Pupils dilated, all the blood rose on her face and her cheeks quickly reddened. She was in her nightgown. All her curves were almost exposed to them. Sumire bit her lower lip to prevent her scream from coming out. She covered herself with Maddox's coat and faced them.

'Shit! Shit! Shit! Why am I dressed like this...'

"Good morning dad, officers, and...excuse me." Feeling unaffected, Sumire greeted them with a stoic face. She rushed upstairs to get dressed in her bedroom and their let out a loud piercing scream. She buried her face in the pillow as Mort's scent lingered in his nostrils making her calm.

"Wait? Did he barge in here last night? How did he get in if my door is locked?"

..............

9 AM. While Sumire was in the middle of an interrogation, Maddox who was talking to her father privately about an important matter, couldn't stop glancing at her from time to time. She is fresh from the bathroom and now properly dressed. Chaise and Maddox stood not far away from their place. Lunaire, on the other hand, was silently observing, listening, and keep watching them on the side with a serious demeanor.

The policemen were cautious and gulped with fear. Under the presence of the Massoullèves, they suddenly felt suffocated with their heavy auras. Every move and action they take were calculated. They chose their words carefully before speaking. Lunaire watched over how they treated her daughter. One wrong move, these policemen were to meet their wrath. They are all aware of how powerful the Massoullèves are in the business world and who knows what will happen to them. The interrogation lasted for 30 minutes and Sumire gave them a brilliant answer.

"So, Ms. Massoulleve, the evidence against you is strong. You are proven not guilty of the crime only if you have strong evidence to support your claims that you and your acquaintance didn't murder Mr. Lukas. I greatly admire your courage to give us your side of the story. With your given answer, am afraid it will affect your innocence since you and Mr. Sam Caux were the last people seen before he died. Unfortunately, you are under house arrest as you are suspected of being involved in the crime. You will be under surveillance 24 hours a day." The police officer long and politely said. They were sweating profusely and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. and Mrs. Massoullève." The policemen bowed and the family just nodded at them without uttering a word.

"Mom, where's Mort?" Sumire turned to her mother as soon as the police officers left her villa. Lunaire faced her daughter with a smile.

"He leaves before dawn, honey." Lunaire responded and gently combed her daughter's hair with her fingers and fixed it behind her ears.

"You really must love that man, do you? Aww, you're not our baby anymore." Lunaire teasingly said and tickled the maiden on the side which made Sumire let out giggles. Lunaire pulls her with a tight embrace and Sumire rests her face on her mother's chest.

"I love him, Mom. I really do."

............

Chaise and Maddox watched the mother and daughter laughing together, looking happy and serene. Her bright smile and laughter warm his heart. Those pair of orbs magnetically drew him to her. She is a beautiful actress who was the epitome of grace. The moment his eyes laid upon her in the charity they both attended, he knew she is his. Maddox couldn't help but smile and turn to Chaise.

"Sir, I know I have nothing to offer as you have all the wealth in the world. But the Mirks family were willing to be under your hands. It would be a great honor if you allow me to marry your daughter and take her to wife. Together, we will bring prosper to your family."