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There were three other men after him and none of them had the ring but they didn't dare say it after they were caught stealing from the man sitting behind the table with a gun in his hand.
For the fact that they were caught stealing goods from him to resell, who wouldn't also think that they stole his ring. It was like the earth was against them to have picked this particular day they had planned to steal for his ring to go missing.
Tears dropped from the corner of his eyes as he heard a gun reloading. "Please, please, please don't kill me..." He muttered with his hands clasped together.
"Where is my ring?".
"Please...I didn't take it..."
The whole room shook as another gunshot rang out.
Thud! Another body fell.
One of the men standing at the side walked forward and picked up the two shells of the bullet. He moved to the third man who was already trembling and placed the two shell in front of him.
"I don't have to repeat myself for you to know what I'm asking for." His voice pierced through the silence.
The third man broke out in cold sweat. He was about to beg for forgiveness when a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in."
The door pushed open and a small group of people walking in.
"Boss, we found this container with a white substance laying beside the bed in your hotel room at Ice five-star hotel. We conducted a research on the substance and found out that it's a sexual stimulant that stimulates the body into wanting to engage in sexual intercourse. On the container, we found fingerprints. Fingerprints of a lady."
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the container in the transparent nylon. "No surveillance footage?"
"No sir. That is the VIP floor. Surveillance cameras are not on that floor to ensure the privacy of their VIP guests."
He nodded then asked. "Who owns the fingerprints?"
"A young woman who goes by the name Natasha Kisniver."
He leaned back on his chair as he aimed at the third man. "I give you 24hours to find her." He pulled the trigger and the third man fell to the ground with a soft thud.
"We are on it sir..." The man replied, visibly shaken as he watched the third man fall from the corner of his eyes.
They turned and walked out, the room returning back to it's deadly silence.
The fourth man was already crying and he had wet his pants. The three bullet shells were in front of him and he knew any moment from now, four bullet shells will be laying in front of the last man.
The silence in the room was eating him up. The only sound he could hear was his heart slamming his chest.
He heard the man inhale and exhale sharply.
"No clue? Then you two are just as dead as the others."
Before they could utter a word of plea, two shots fired.
Thud! Thud!!
He stood up with the gun and his secretary opened the door for him. "You know what to do." He said to one of the men in the room before walking out.
"Natasha Kisniver." He muttered as he entered the elevator. So she had the guts to drug him and sleep with him. That crime could have been forgiven but she automatically signed a death warrant after she stole his ring.
"Theodore." He called.
"Yes Mr. Darkmoon."
"Prepare the cage for our new guest." He said, his eyes cold and calculating.
"Yes sir."
_____
After weeks of sleepless nights and desperate decisions, Natasha stood in the doorway of the hospital, her heart pounding in her chest. The heavy smell of antiseptic clung to her clothes, but today was different-today, her sister was getting the treatment she needed.
The doctor had just confirmed that the last round of tests had come back, and they had a plan for her now. The massive debt was gone, the auction was over, and now all that was left was to pray the medicine worked.
But it hadn't been an easy journey.
"Do you remember when you were younger, Elina?" Natasha whispered to her as she held her hand, her fingers gently tracing the lines of her sister's palm. "When you would race around the yard, even in winter, daring the cold air to stop you?"
Elina, pale and frail in the hospital bed, gave a weak smile. Elina's once-bright eyes were dimmer now. The constant battle with her lungs taking its toll. She coughed-a deep, rattling cough that echoed in the sterile room.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the doctors had said. Though it had progressed beyond simple asthma. And now, cystic fibrosis. It was a battle to keep her lungs clear, a daily struggle that had only worsened as she entered her teenage years. Natasha had watched the slow decline in real-time. Each breath was a fight. Each day brought a new set of pills, nebulizer treatments, and hospital visits.
"I'll be okay," Elina whispered, though the tremor in her voice told Natasha otherwise. Her sister's condition wasn't fatal in the immediate sense, but it was insidious. It would shorten her life and steal away her strength if left unchecked. "The doctors said the new treatments... they might work."
Natasha nodded, tears threatening to spill. She wanted to believe that. The cost had been astronomical, but it was worth it to see her sister's chest rise and fall with a less labored breath. The pain in Elina's eyes was still there, but she wasn't fighting to breathe at least-at least for now.
"Ma'am, you'll have to step out. We are about to begin the surgery." A nurse said from behind her.
Natasha nodded and gave Elina's hand a gentle squeeze. "You'll be fine, ok." She whispered, a tear threatening to fall.
Elina gave a weak smile as Natasha stood up. She watched her leave, the door closing behind her before allowing the tears slip from her eyes.
Natasha cleaned her eyes as she walked out of the hospital. She took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Just then, she felt her phone vibrating in her bag.
She opened it and pulled her phone out, only to be meant with 15 missed calls from Tiana.
Another call came through again and Natasha was quick to answer it.
"Hello..."
"Natasha, where are you?" Tiana's worried voice came through the phone.
"I just came out of the hospital."
"Natasha, you need to run and hide. Your life is in danger."