The sky darkened quickly. It gradually changed its shade from light blue to orange as the sun set and finally, darkness arrived coloring the city with a beautiful black. It was the time many people preferred, especially the working class who had a hard time working their ass off during the day. It was time for family, for fun and most of all for sleep.

However, not many people were happy with the arrival of the night. One among them was Jared as well as his men. Like other people he too was fond of the night but for other reasons. He could do all the things he wanted quite boldly at night as it was easy to hide and misguide. It was his favorite time of the day. But not today.

Today, he loathed the night. His Godfather was coming to meet him along with his father and this was something he dreaded the most. He did not hate his Godfather as much as he hated his own father, but he did not like him too. The man was a nightmare even to him.

Though it was his Godfather who made him the way he was today, Jared never forgot how strict he had been in the past. His Godfather never liked people who made mistakes. So, whenever Jared made even a small mistake, his Godfather would whip him until he almost bled while his father looked on. He never tried to protect his son nor did he voice a word against the man who was brutally hurting his child. This was one of the reasons why Jared hated his father more than his Godfather.

Jared had no idea who his mother was. His father never told him nor did he even ask. The love and affection he expected from a parent was completely an unknown feeling to him. He too did not have any compassion for his father. As time passed, the distance between the father and son only increased until they became strangers. Jared did not speak to him nor did his father try to mend their relationship.

Jared's father would only contact him if he had any work for his son or from his gang. Now that the duo were going to meet after a long time, he did not know what to expect. Not to forget that his Godfather would be there with him.

His assistant had informed him that they would reach his lair around midnight. So, Jared had made sure to order his men to be at their best behavior. He did not want any mistakes from them as he would be on the receiving end too. Even if it was somebody else's mistake, since the gang belonged to Jared he was responsible for them. So, he would be punished too and just the thought of the punishment made him shiver. He could still remember all the punishments he had received and there were still marks branded on his body that reminded him of the beatings all the time.

Jared had called back all his men whoever was in the city as he knew his Godfather would want to meet them in person. This was one of the routines the man practiced to make sure everything was in order. But only Jared knew that was not the case. It was to check if all their men were being wary of him or not and if not his Godfather would erase them completely. This was to serve as a warning to all those who tried to betray him also, it gave him some sort of wicked pleasure to have people following his orders.

"Remember," Jared turned to look at his men again. "Behave well or your head will be chopped off and put up on that stake over there for everybody to see." He almost growled scaring his men completely. Only Margaret remained calm. She wanted to see this man who could scare even this sycophant Jared. She folded her hands and stood quietly at the corner which was her usual place. She gave a glance at the other men around her.

They looked worried sick anticipating the devil's arrival. She rolled her eyes seeing the fear on their face. These men were worse than rats when it came to facing serious and dangerous situations and they wanted her to leave the gang. She was bolder than them when facing these kinds of situations. She scoffed at the so-called Vipers gang. They were just a bunch of coward men in a gang.

Jared walked back and forth his anxiousness increasing as the clock ticked closer to midnight. His palms had become clammy and he was sure if this continued, he would eventually lose his mind. He glanced at his assistant who averted his eyes and stared elsewhere unable to meet his penetrating gaze. He could sense how worked up his Master was even before his Godfather had arrived.

Time passed and the clock struck twelve. Jared sucked in a deep breath. His Godfather would be here anytime soon. The time he was dreading had arrived and he waited for the satan to make his presence. However, even after waiting for long, there was no news of his father or his Godfather.

How he wished they would be lying dead somewhere but he knew it was just a dream, a beautiful dream which would never come true. His Godfather was an iron man. It was not easy to kill him and death would not come to him that quickly. Even it was scared of him.

An hour passed slowly and still, there was no news of them. At that time, a phone rang killing the deadly and haunting silence in the warehouse. It was Jared's and his assistant answered it quickly. He listened to the person on the other side and after a long time, he ended the call.

"Master," He slowly approached the man who looked nothing less than a raging lion that had not eaten for days. Seeing his angry look, his assistant was sure that he would be the first one to lose his life today. He had decided that his end was near and all that he had done since he started working for Jared flashed in his mind.

"What?" Jared barked, his voice chilling the others to their bones. It was terrorizing.

"I just got a call from their side. Your father and Godfather are not going to come today. They have been held up at work. So, they have postponed today's meet." His assistant blabbered in one go and closed his eyes waiting for Jared to chop his head off. But even after waiting for a few minutes, nothing happened.

He slowly opened an eye to make sure everything was alright. What he saw shocked him to the core, making him widen his eyes in disbelief. His Master was smiling happily and it was a genuine smile which he had never seen before. There was a look of relief, of happiness and most of all ease. His body relaxed visibly and even Margaret could see it from where she was and to the record, she was quite far away from him.

"What did you say?" Jared held his assistant by his shoulders and shook him vigorously. His assistant became dizzy due to the effect and he remained mute for some time as he tried to get his stance back.

"Are you dumb? Speak." Jared barked again and this time, his assistant started speaking.

"They are not going to come here today."

Jared released him and let out a breath. "That's the greatest news I have heard in days. You will be rewarded accordingly."

His words surprised everybody present in the warehouse. Even Maggie raised an eyebrow seeing him being this generous. Never had he rewarded anyone though they had carried out and survived many dangerous missions. However, now just by conveying a meager piece of information had made him happy to the extent that he was ready to reward him. This was a first.

Jared sat heavily on the chair which he had reserved for his Godfather and he started laughing all of a sudden. However, it was a short laugh. He knew this moment would not last long and his Godfather would come to meet him in the near future. He was happy that at least for now he could rest in peace.

He got up suddenly. "All of you are dismissed." He waved his hand and left the place with his assistant right behind him.

Maggie sighed. She was looking forward to seeing the man who had got Jared so riled up. She wanted to see who he was, how he looked. Also, she wanted to see who Jared's father was. But the opportunity had left as fast as it had come. 'Guess I'll have to wait for a few more days.'

She returned to her room quietly amidst the loud whispers that were being heard in the warehouse. She was in no mood to talk to those men who were rejoicing their fate of successfully evading the meet with satan. This was a waste of time. She had better things to do.

However, she had no idea she had been extremely lucky that day. The two men delaying their meet had saved her life. Otherwise, that day would be the end for her.

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Hey guys,

I am going to give a mass release on 31st August.

The number of chapters released will be based on the number of votes this book will receive after the weekly reset.

The votes will be counted from 24th August to 30th August (GMT+8)

Less than 1000 - 2 chapters

More than 1000 - 4 chapters

More than 1500 - 6 chapters

So, what are you waiting for? Start voting.