Good and interesting story
Good and interesting story
Story by: Adebisi Israel
The scent of stale cigarettes and lilies clung to the air, a morbid perfume that had become Isabella's constant companion since the funeral. Her father, Marco 'The Architect' Rossi, was gone. Not from old age, or some dignified illness, but from a bullet to the back of the head, left in an alleyway like refuse. The official story was a botched robbery. Isabella knew better. Marco Rossi didn't get "botched." He was a man who built empires, both legitimate and otherwise, with a calculated precision that earned him his moniker. He was a man who had more enemies than friends, and fewer still who would dare to cross him.
Now, she sat in his ridiculously oversized leather chair in the study, the one he always claimed was "good for thinking." It dwarfed her petite frame, and the polished mahogany desk in front of her felt like a vast, empty plain. The room itself was a monument to his life: shelves overflowing with first editions and ancient maps, a globe that spun silently in a corner, and a hidden bar stocked with single malts Isabella knew her father rarely touched. He preferred cheap whiskey, the kind that burned on the way down, a habit he claimed kept him "grounded."
A knock at the door startled her. It was Luca, her father's consigliere, a man whose silver hair and neatly pressed suits belied the ruthlessness Isabella knew lurked beneath. Luca had been a fixture in her life since she was a child, a silent observer who always seemed to know more than he let on.
"Isabella," he said, his voice a low rumble. "The will reading is in an hour."
Isabella nodded, her gaze fixed on a framed photograph on the desk: her father, young and smiling, with a hand resting on her mother's shoulder. Her mother, Elena, who had died when Isabella was barely ten, a slow fading from an illness no one could name, or perhaps, no one dared to.
"Luca," she began, her voice barely a whisper, "who did this?"
Luca's eyes, usually as still and dark as a winter lake, flickered. "The police are investigating, Isabella. It's a tragic accident."
"Don't insult my intelligence, Luca. My father didn't die in an 'accident.' He was murdered. And you know who was behind it." Her voice gained strength with each word, a defiant tremor that surprised even herself. She had always been kept on the periphery of her father's "business," shielded from the ugliness. But now, the shield was gone, and she was standing directly in the path of the storm.
Luca sighed, a long, weary sound. "Your father made many powerful enemies, Isabella. The underworld is a dangerous place."
"I don't care about the 'underworld.' I care about justice. And I'm not going to let this go."
He studied her for a moment, a strange mix of concern and something else – perhaps a grudging respect – in his gaze. "Your father would have wanted you safe."
"My father would have wanted answers," she retorted, pushing herself up from the chair. "And I intend to get them."
The will reading was a somber affair, held in a stuffy law office filled with distant relatives Isabella barely recognized. Her father's lawyer, a thin man named Mr. Thorne, droned on about assets, trusts, and various properties. Isabella tuned most of it out, her mind still replaying the grim scene of her father's empty house, the strange quiet that had descended upon it.
Then, Mr. Thorne cleared his throat, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "And finally, to his beloved daughter, Isabella Rossi, Marco Rossi bequeaths full ownership and control of all his legitimate businesses, including 'Rossi Holdings,' and all its subsidiaries."
A ripple went through the room. Isabella felt a prickle of unease. "Legitimate businesses?" she echoed, a note of disbelief in her voice. Her father had legitimate businesses, yes, but they were the thin veneer over a much darker enterprise.
Mr. Thorne nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes, Miss Rossi. Your father was a shrewd businessman."
Isabella felt a chill run down her spine. This wasn't just an inheritance; it was a poisoned chalice. Her father, the Architect, had just handed her the keys to his empire, the very same empire that had ultimately led to his demise. She knew, with a certainty that settled deep in her bones, that this was his final message, his last, desperate plea for her to finish what he couldn't. Or perhaps, to survive it.
As the meeting concluded, Luca approached her, a file clutched in his hand. "Your father left this for you," he said, handing it over. "He said you'd know what to do with it."
Isabella opened the file. Inside, nestled among a stack of financial statements and legal documents, was a single, cryptic note, scrawled in her father's distinctive, sprawling handwriting:
"The serpent's coil tightens. Find the head, Bella. Don't trust the shadows."
Isabella's gaze lifted from the note to meet Luca's. His expression was inscrutable, but she felt a tremor of understanding pass between them. The game had just begun, and she was the unwitting player in a deadly match she hadn't asked to join. Her father's death was not just a tragedy; it was a testament, and she was now bound to decipher its meaning.
📘 Book Title: The Cemetery Apartment Genre: Supernatural Horror | Psychological Thriller 📖 Brief Description: When James, a down-on-his-luck graduate, finds an unbelievably cheap apartment in Lagos, he thinks he's stumbled on a miracle. But from the moment he moves into Apartment 3B, everything begins to unravel. The windows don't reflect. Footsteps echo above - on the top floor. And each night at 3:17 a.m., someone knocks... but no one is ever there. As James digs into the building's past, he uncovers a terrifying truth: The apartment complex was built on a colonial-era mass grave, and the dead never left. Now, the walls whisper, the shadows move on their own, and something ancient beneath the foundation is waking up - one tenant at a time. Trapped in a decaying building that distorts time, memory, and reality, James must uncover the rules of survival... before he becomes part of the building himself.
📖 Book Description Adanna thought she was just another forgotten girl in the slums of Lagos-until a dying stranger reveals a life-changing secret: She is the first daughter of Nigeria's richest man. Abandoned at birth, raised in poverty, and scarred by loss, Adanna must now step into a world of power, wealth, and ruthless secrets. But the Ikenna family doesn't want her. The media calls her a fraud. And someone is determined to silence her... forever. Torn between revenge and truth, survival and legacy, Adanna must fight for the place she was never given-and the identity she never knew she had. ---
Book Description: Love and Tears Love and Tears is a deeply emotional contemporary drama that delves into the raw aftermath of a profound heartbreak. We meet Elara Vance, a gifted artist whose vibrant world has faded to muted tones since the sudden and unexplained departure of Eliott, the love who painted her life with new hues. As Elara navigates the desolate landscape of her studio apartment, each rainy day mirroring her internal storm, she's haunted by cherished memories and the lingering ache of unspoken questions. This novel intimately explores the tender complexities of lost love, the enduring power of memory, and the daunting yet courageous path Elara must walk to rediscover her own vibrant spirit and the possibility of a future beyond the shadows of her past. It's a story about finding beauty in the wreckage and the slow, defiant bloom of hope after tears have run dry.
"The Echo in the Attic" plunges readers into a gripping psychological thriller where the tranquility of an isolated colonial manor twists into a chilling nightmare. Meet Adira, a driven architect, desperate for solitude to complete her career-defining project. She rents the grand, ostensibly peaceful Briarwood Manor, nestled in a remote Nigerian village, dismissing local whispers of its "peculiar history" as quaint folklore. But the silence Adira craves is soon broken by faint, disembodied sounds emanating from the house's attic. Initially dismissed as the creaks of an old building, these "echoes" grow clearer, more distinct-a child's giggle, a woman's sigh, fragmented whispers that repeat like a broken record: "Is he home?" "Where did you go?" As the echoes intensify, blurring the line between sound and shared memory, Adira's meticulous world unravels. Her sanity begins to fray under the weight of unseen presences and an overwhelming sense of being watched. Driven by a desperate need for answers, she delves into the manor's shadowed past, unearthing dark secrets and a tragedy that history tried to bury. "The Echo in the Attic" is a slow-burn descent into terror, exploring the fragile nature of perception and the terrifying possibility that some houses don't just hold secrets-they replay them, endlessly, for those who dare to listen. Will Adira escape the Briarwood with her mind intact, or will she become another echo in its ancient, haunted walls?
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
"Please trust me, I didn't do anything." "I don't believe you. I am rejecting you as my Queen and giving you the punishment of death." Alina was living outside her pack for five years. Her parents didn't try to contact her and always ignored her. Her best friend convinced her to go back to their pack and she agreed. But she had never imagined what was waiting there for her. She never thought she would meet her mate and had to face betrayal from everywhere. She had to pay for the crime which she never committed. Aaron Robertson is the king of Lycans. He is a very dominant and powerful King who not only rules Lycans but also rules other ranks of werewolves. Everyone is afraid of Lycans and he is the king of them. But who knew that he would get a mate who was just a simple Omega with no powers and strengths? He called her weak all the time but little did he know that his weak Omega would give him the biggest betrayal of his life for which he had to give her the sentence of death.
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
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