Marcus stormed into the house, rage burning in his eyes.
He found Rachel—Linda's mother—kneeling on the floor, mopping in silence. The moment their eyes met, his fury exploded.
Without warning, he marched toward her and grabbed her roughly by the arm, then struck her across the face with a heavy slap that echoed through the room.
"This is all your fault!" he roared, voice shaking with rage. "You're so useless you couldn't even give me a child!" He paced furiously. "Do you know what just happened? I lost a set of twins. Twins, Rachel! A whole set of twins!" He turned back to her, face twisted in disbelief. "Can you believe that? And you… you gave me nothing!"
Marcus had just returned from court—defeated, humiliated. His friend Tony had walked free, granted full custody of the twins and absolved of all charges. The paternity test was undeniable. The children were his.
But that made no sense. How? Marcus's mind spiraled in disbelief. I was the one who took Selina that night—when she was coming back from the grocery store. I was the one who violated her. How could the children not be mine?
The bitter loss played on repeat in his mind. Each thought made his blood boil. He turned his anger back on Rachel, hitting her, kicking her as she cried and begged him to stop.
"You think you're smart, don't you?" he hissed, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her close. "Let me show you who you've messed with."
Her eyes widened in fear.
"Don't think I don't know you helped Mr. Lee to escape with Linda—that you sent her abroad and lied to me all these years." He tightened his grip. "I know where she's been hiding. And now I'm going to hunt her down. If I have to kill her, I will. I'll eliminate anyone who threatens my power. Anyone."
He shoved Rachel to the ground, dragged her by the hair into her room, and locked the door behind her.
Then, he stormed into his study, grabbed his phone, and dialed a number he hadn't called in a while—a longtime ally, a drug dealer who ran a covert criminal organization.
"Send your best agents," Marcus said coldly. "Track Linda. I want her watched—every move, every breath. Bring everything to me."
"Roger that," the man replied, then hung up.
Marcus dropped into his chair, grabbed a beer from the table, and downed it in one swig. As the alcohol burned down his throat, his mind drifted back to how it all began—how everything had spiraled so quickly out of control.
It started with a plan—their plan. Tony had been the one to suggest it, the one who encouraged Marcus to go through with it. They were supposed to be in it together. But somehow, when it all came crashing down, Tony came out clean—better off, even. He had gained everything: the children, his freedom, and now sympathy from the world.
Meanwhile, Marcus was left with nothing but betrayal and consequences.
The memory still stung, sharp as ever—a wound that refused to heal, as raw as the day it was made.
FLASH BACK...
Tony and Marcus had been best friends for years. Despite their closeness, Tony had never introduced Marcus to his long-time girlfriend, Selina. They had been together for over a decade. At first, it had been love—but after ten long years, Tony grew tired of the relationship. His heart had shifted toward another woman, someone new and exciting. He wanted out.
But there was a problem.
Tony's family adored Selina. She was kind, gentle, and deeply rooted in their lives. Over the years, she had become like a daughter to them, and they dreamed of seeing her marry into the family. When Tony brought up the idea of ending the relationship, they pushed back—hard.
"You can't just walk away from ten years," they said. "You owe her that much."
Feeling cornered, Tony confided in Marcus, hoping his friend might offer a way out. Marcus, however, wasn't known for his empathy. He was cold, calculated—brutal. Instead of offering advice, he offered a plan.
"Ruin her," Marcus said with a cruel smirk. "Make her look unworthy—damaged. Then no one will question you for leaving."
At first, Tony was horrified. The thought of hurting Selina felt too much—even if he no longer loved her. But slowly, twisted by pressure and desperation, he agreed.
The plan was cruel beyond imagination.
One evening, as Selina walked home from the grocery store, Marcus and a group of his men ambushed her. In a dark alley, they violated her—physically and emotionally—taking from her not just her dignity, but the sense of safety and identity she had always carried with pride.
When they finally let her go, Selina staggered home in tears. Her body was bruised, but her spirit was shattered. She collapsed into her mother's arms, sobbing, barely able to speak.
Through broken words, she kept asking, "Do you think Tony will ever forgive me?"
She didn't know the horrifying truth:
Tony had planned it all.
And the man who hurt her the most was his best friend.
After that night—after Selina was attacked—Tony couldn't help feeling worried. For over a week he kept on trying to reach Marcus. No reply and he never returned his call. Marcus hadn't called. There was no word, no update on how the plan had gone. The silence was deadening.
Growing more anxious by the days, Tony got dressed one day and decided to confront Marcus face-to-face. He needed answers. He needed to know how the plan played out.
But fate had other plans.
On his way to Marcus's house, Tony was involved in a terrible car crash. The impact was brutal. His car was mangled beyond recognition, and Tony was rushed to the hospital—barely alive.
When Selina heard the news, she nearly collapsed from shock. She raced to the hospital, heart pounding in her chest, only to be met by a grim-faced doctor who delivered crushing news: Tony had suffered massive internal injuries. He had slipped into a coma and his condition was critical.
For a week, Selina never left his side. She stayed by his bed, wiping his face, cleaning his wounds, and whispering soft apologies as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Tony," she would whisper, holding his hand. "I didn't know how to tell you… about my pregnancy. I didn't know how to tell anyone."
She was broken, but she tried to be strong—for both of them.
Then, one quiet evening, just hours after Selina left his room, Tony's eyes fluttered open.
Disoriented, he scanned the room, confused by the beeping machines and sterile walls. A doctor standing nearby approached quickly.
"You're awake," the doctor said, relieved. "You've been in a coma for a week. It's a miracle you pulled through."
But what came next shattered Tony.
"I'm sorry, but the accident caused irreversible damage to your reproductive system," the doctor explained gently. "You won't be able to father children anymore."
Tony was stunned. He said nothing—just stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Later, once he was alone, he picked up his phone and called Marcus.
"Where have you been?" Marcus answered. "I heard about your accident."
"Yeah… I'm fine now," Tony replied, voice flat. "About that mission. The plan... Did you do it?"
There was a brief pause, and then Marcus spoke with pride.
"Yeah. I did it. I took her."
Tony said nothing for a moment. His face was unreadable.
"Okay," he muttered—and hung up.
From that moment, Tony made a choice. He would tell no one about his condition. Not yet. Not ever, if he could help it.
But secrets have a way of slipping out.
Whispers eventually reached Marcus. He learned about Tony's infertility—but he didn't say a word. He watched silently as things unfolded.
A few days after Tony was discharged from the hospital, Selina came to him trembling, tears in her eyes. She told him she was pregnant. She told him about the night—the assault—and how, days later, she realized she was carrying a child.
Tony didn't react the way she expected. There was no shock. No confusion. Just… calm.
He took her hand and said, "Don't worry. We'll get through this together."
Selina broke down in tears, relieved and grateful, believing she had an understanding partner—a man willing to accept a child that wasn't his.
But what she didn't know was that it had all been part of his plan.
Tony knew the child wasn't someone unknown. He knew exactly where that baby came from. And now, with his ability to reproduce gone forever, this was his only chance to have a child—any child.
So, he took Selina in. And not long after…
He married her.
After Tony married Selina, the months passed quickly. Eventually, she gave birth to twins—a boy and a girl—both beautiful, healthy, and full of life. Tony was overjoyed. Their little family blossomed. He fell back in love with Selina, and for a while, they lived a picture-perfect life: quiet mornings, laughter-filled evenings, and the kind of warmth Tony never thought he'd feel again.
But far away from that happiness, Marcus watched in silence.
He had never tried to start his own family. He had rejected every woman who came into his life. Why would he need another woman, he thought, when he already had children—twins—born through Selina. In his mind, those children were his. He had taken her. He had planted the seed. And that was enough for him to wait—patiently.
And that patience soon turned bitter.
As the years passed, Marcus's jealousy began to fester. Seeing Tony live the life he believed he deserved—raising his children, with his woman—ate away at him like a disease. His silence finally cracked.
He filed a lawsuit against Tony, claiming paternity of the twins.
Tony was blindsided. He never imagined Marcus would expose their dark past in such a public way. The betrayal cut deep. But what terrified him more was the truth—the knowledge that Marcus had indeed assaulted Selina that night. And if the paternity tests sided with Marcus… he would lose everything.
Selina was terrified too. Deep down, she always knew the children might not be Tony's. But she had never known the identity of the man who had violated her. The revelation that it could be Marcus—Tony's best friend—shook her to her core.
On the day of the court hearing, the tension was unbearable. Marcus, Tony, and Selina sat in silence, each with their own storm of thoughts. The court had ordered three separate hospitals to conduct paternity tests. The results would determine everything.
If all three tests confirmed Marcus as the father, he would take custody of the twins—and Selina.
But if Tony was confirmed as the father, the case would be dismissed, and their family would remain intact.
As they waited for the verdict, Tony slipped away to the washroom to steady himself. The fear was clawing at his chest.
Moments later, Marcus walked in behind him, a smug grin on his face.
"You know those children aren't yours," Marcus sneered. "I took her. I'm going to win this case… and take everything from you."
Tony didn't respond. But inside, he was breaking. He knew Marcus was telling the truth—and that the paternity test could destroy him.
Then, the results arrived.
All three tests matched. The children were Tony's.
The courtroom was stunned.
Tony was speechless. Selina's eyes widened in disbelief. Even Marcus—so sure of himself—stood frozen in confusion.
How could this be? He was the one who had violated Selina. He knew it. He had never doubted it. And now… this?
Marcus couldn't risk speaking. He knew if he admitted what had truly happened that night, he'd be confessing to a crime that would land him in prison for the rest of his life.
So he said nothing.
He simply stormed out of the courthouse, rage bubbling just beneath the surface. That was how he ended up back home—seething, broken, humiliated.
PRESENT DAY.....
The events played in his mind like a bitter movie, the kind you regret watching but can't look away from.
"It all happened too fast," he muttered under his breath, eyes burning with vengeance. "But you'll see, Tony. I won't let you walk away unpunished."
His voice turned into a growl as he picked up another bottle of wine and took a long, angry gulp.
"It's time I eliminate anyone who stands in my way—and take back what's mine. Expand my power. My wealth. My name."
He slammed the empty bottle down.
The war had just begun.