Swiftly, Nicholas slammed the phone handle back onto the landline, his chest rising and falling as panic consumed him. "Wha… what the hell is happening to me?" he muttered, tears spilling freely down his cheeks.
He wiped them with the back of his hand, staring helplessly at the ceiling. "How on earth did he even get this number?" he whispered, but no answer came.
"Brrrrrr… Brrrrrr…"
The shrill ring cut through the silence again, making Nicholas flinch as though the sound itself were a weapon.
His gaze locked on the phone, dread pooling in his stomach.
He knew answering the phone was dangerous but what if ignoring it made things worse?
Nicholas's trembling hand reached out, fingers brushing the phone handle before he finally snatched it up and pressed it to his ear.
"Good evening, Boss. Your dinner will be delivered to your room in ten minutes." A woman's voice came smoothly from the other end, then clicked off before Nicholas could respond.
His heart pounded. 'Boss? Did she think I was Gabriel… or is Caesar playing with me?'
The phone rang again and Nicholas froze once more, but after a few seconds he forced himself to answer. "H-hello?" he stammered, his voice barely audible.
A harsh, mocking scoff echoed through the line.
"So… you finally found your tongue," Caesar growled, his tone sharp. "Don't you dare hang up on me unless death is what you wish for yourself." Caesar spat and his words dripped like poison, each syllable heavy with menace.
Nicholas's throat tightened. "I I'll… I'll try to get the money. Just… just give me some time. Please… I promise I'll pay it."
"Time?" Caesar snarled, his voice rising with fury. "You dare beg me for time? I don't grant favors, boy. You stole from me, and now you'll pay with every drop of fear in your body. Miss one breath of my command, and I'll make sure your suffering is the last story anyone ever hears of you."
Nicholas nearly dropped the phone as his whole body shook, his lips quivering too hard to form words.
"Pfft!" Caesar scoffed, shaking his head slowly, his tone dripping with contempt. "And just how do you think you'll raise my money, Nicholas?" He inquired, his voice sharp and cold, making Nicholas's skin crawl.
He swallowed hard, the motion visible in his throat. "I'll… I'll borrow from the bank. I have friends, I believe they'll help me, so please don't…"
"Shut up!" Caesar's roar cut through his words like a blade, fierce enough to freeze Nicholas in place as his eyes wide in terror. "I don't want your pathetic excuses. I don't want your money. What I have for you is an offer. One that can wipe your debt clean."
"An… an offer?" Nicholas stammered, his words tumbling out in a rush.
Caesar's smirk deepened, his eyes glinting with cruel delight.
He ran his tongue slowly across his lips, his hand brushing against his chin as though savoring the moment. "I know where you are, Nicholas. Hiding in Gabriel Steele's hotel."
Nicholas gasped, his breath catching. 'How… how does he know I'm here?' he thought in horror, his grip on the phone trembling.
"How did you know that I…"
"I know everything," Caesar snapped, his voice slicing through his words. "Every move you make. And I know Gabriel killed your mother because your father betrayed him."
The words struck like a dagger, and Nicholas's grip on the phone tightened as his teeth clenched in rage, hot tears burning at the corners of his eyes.
"Nicholas," Caesar said, his tone dropping to a deadly calm. "You want your debt erased? Then kill Gabriel Steele. Do that… and your life is spared."
'Kill Gabriel Steele? Did I hear him right?' Nicholas's mind spun, panic tightening his chest.
He froze, unable to speak, and his silence only fueled Caesar's fury.
"Hey!" he barked, his roar so sharp it rattled in his skull.
Nicholas flinched, yanking the phone a few inches from his ear.
Meanwhile…
At the doorway, a young man lingered, hand on the knob as he stood still.
He hesitated at first, listening to the heated exchange inside the room before slipping his phone from his pocket.
His fingers flew over the screen until a live feed from the hotel's CCTV flickered to life, revealing everything inside the room as he watched Nicholas's knees buckle, his stomach twisting into knots.
"Did you hear me?" Caesar's voice sliced through the line, cold and merciless as he spoke to Nicholas. "Kill Gabriel or I'll finish what he started with your mother. I'll slaughter your father, and then I'll come for you. No one will be spared."
Nicholas's pulse hammered. "Please… please don't hurt my father. He's innocent, I swear!" he cried, his voice breaking as tears streamed unchecked.
"Spare me your pitiful whining," Caesar sneered. "Your pleas mean nothing. A meal is on its way to your room. Inside, you'll find a gun… and poison. Use one, use both… I don't care. But Gabriel Steele dies by your hand. Do this, and your debt disappears but if you fail me… your bloodline ends with you."
Nicholas bit his lip until he tasted blood, his trembling hands clutching the phone handle and his mind screaming for escape, but his heart was caged in terror.
"Please…" Nicholas sobbed, "I'll do anything… just don't hurt my father."
"Enough!" Caesar snapped, his voice colder than steel.
Meanwhile…
Outside the door, the young man who was watching what transpired inside the hotel room exhaled slowly, turned away, and strode down the hallway.
He swiped the CCTV room video from his screen as he proceeded in dialling the number of one of his men and the call was answered on the first ring.
The young man's voice dropped to a low command as he began issuing orders while Nicholas and Caesar kept on conversing through the phone call.
"Listen carefully, Nicholas. If you don't want your father to suffer the same fate your mother did, you will do exactly as I say. When the doorbell rings, you open it. Take the poison from the waitress, slip it into Gabriel's drink. He's sharp, so don't be stupid. Fail me, and I'll carve the life out of your father inch by inch."
Before Nicholas could respond, the line went dead.
His breath caught in his throat as he slowly lowered the phone handle back onto the table.
Nicholas's trembling fingers pressed against his lips, fighting the rising panic as Caesar's words pounded in his skull like a curse.
'Kill Gabriel Steele? How can… how can I even stand against him? And what if… what if Caesar truly kills my father if I refuse?
Nicholas's thoughts spun into chaos, but one truth cut through the fog. Gabriel had taken his mother's life so if he obeyed Caesar, he could save his father… and maybe avenge his mother.
The thought twisted in Nicholas's gut, filling him with dread and a dangerous spark of revenge.
Suddenly, the sound of the door sliding open made Nicholas flinch.
Gabriel Steele stepped into the room, his expression unreadable.
Without a glance at Nicholas trembling form, he moved toward the bathroom and his hand lingered on the door handle before he turned, his piercing gaze locking onto Nicholas.
"Before I step out of the bathroom, you will be dressed." Gabriel spat, his voice low, commanding and leaving no space for hesitation.
Then, without another word, he disappeared into the bathroom, the door shutting behind him.
Fiercely, Nicholas's hands curled into fists, his teeth grinding together as he stared at the closed door.
Fear, rage, and desperation clashed inside him. "I'm going to make him pay for what he did to my father and mother and I'll make sure that he dies a miserable death!" Nicholas exclaimed within himself in determination, unaware of what fate has in store for him.