C373 The Beginning Of War

Willy's vehicle finally entered the gates of his estate. The moment the gates closed behind them, Willy leaned back in his seat and released a long, frustrated breath. His anger had been building throughout the entire journey. First, Jack was dead. Then, before they could even understand what had happened, the police had appeared and chased them away from the Mooney residence. Nothing about the situation made sense. Willy stepped out of the vehicle and walked into the house without saying a word. Brian followed closely behind.

The moment they entered Willy's office, Willy slammed his hand against the desk. "First they kill my nephew," he said angrily, "and now, out of nowhere, the police are waiting for us." He turned toward Brian. "How did they know?" Brian remained silent for a moment. He had been asking himself the same question throughout the entire drive. "I don't know, Boss." He paused. "Could it be that they knew we were coming?" Willy's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" Brian carefully continued. "Maybe they were already waiting for us. Someone could have alerted them before we arrived."

Willy slowly sat down. "If that is true, then someone is giving information to the police." Brian nodded. "That is possible." Willy leaned back in his chair. "How many of my men survived?" Brian lowered his head slightly. "Three, Boss." "And the others?" "Three were killed during the exchange of gunfire. The three who survived have already been taken into custody." Willy's expression darkened. "Our lawyers are handling their case?" "Yes, Boss." "Good." For several seconds, neither man spoke. Willy finally looked up. "And we still don't know where the Gupta Family lives?" Brian shook his head. "No, sir."

Willy's jaw tightened. "Not even a location?" "We know they are somewhere outside the city, but that doesn't help us much." Willy gave a bitter laugh. "Outside the city." He shook his head. "There are hundreds of places outside the city." Brian nodded. "Exactly." Willy stared at him. "So, in other words, we still have no idea where they are." Brian lowered his head. "I'm sorry, sir." Willy stood. "Don't apologize." He walked toward the window and looked outside. "You need to train our men harder." Brian looked at him. "Boss?" "The situation has changed."

Willy's voice became colder. "A war is coming." He turned around. "I cannot sit here quietly after they killed my nephew." Brian remained silent. Willy continued. "If I do nothing, my enemies will think I am weak." He clenched his fist. "And I will not allow that." Brian nodded. "Yes, Boss." "Increase the training. Make sure every man knows how to fight, how to protect himself, and how to follow orders." "Yes, sir." "Also put a price on Alicia's head, $100 000 for whoever that will bring her head to me." Brian bowed. "Yes, Boss." He turned and left. The door closed.

Willy was left completely alone. He slowly walked back toward his desk and sat down. His anger began to give way to grief. He looked down at the photograph of Jack that was sitting nearby. "Jack..." He shook his head. "How could you be so careless?" His voice became quieter. "How did you allow them to kill you?" He stared at the photograph for a long moment. "Why didn't you run?" His eyes became cold again. "I will avenge you, nephew." He slowly clenched his fist. "I don't care who was responsible." "I will find them." "And whoever caused your death..." Willy's expression hardened. "...will pay for it."

Before he could continue, the office door suddenly opened. Brian rushed inside. "Boss!" Willy immediately looked up. "What happened?" Brian was breathing heavily. "Your nephew's body..." Willy stood. "What about it?" Brian took a breath. "Jack's body was left inside one of the vehicles." Willy froze. "What do you mean?" "When we escaped, we didn't take every vehicle with us." Brian continued carefully. "The police took the two cars that remained behind." Willy stared at him. "And Jack's body was inside?" Brian nodded. "Yes, Boss."

For a moment, Willy said nothing. Then he slowly walked back toward his desk. "Contact our people at the police station." Brian nodded. "Yes, sir." "Tell them whoever brings my nephew's body back to us will receive a bonus." Brian nodded. "Understood." He turned and left. Willy remained standing alone in the office. The situation was becoming more complicated by the minute. Meanwhile, the gathering at the Gupta residence had been going surprisingly well. The atmosphere felt almost peaceful. The family had been enjoying the moment together.

Emmanuel had become the center of attention. Everyone wanted to see him, hold him, and talk about him. Then suddenly, Mark's phone began ringing. He frowned. "I clearly told them I wasn't going back to work today." He stared at the screen. "Why are they calling me?" Before he could answer, another phone rang. Peter's. He looked down. "The Mayor." Mary's phone began ringing almost immediately afterward. She checked the screen. "Valeria." Angus the Hammer also looked at his phone. His expression changed when he saw the message coming from one of his spies.

Sarah's phone rang. A call from Tracy. Alicia and I exchanged worried looks. Something was happening. One by one, everyone answered their phones. Mary was the first to speak. "Hello?" Valeria's worried voice immediately came through. "My friend, are you safe?" Mary frowned. "Safe?" Her expression changed. "Valeria, what happened?" Valeria didn't waste time. "There was a shooting at the Mooney residence." Mary froze. She slowly turned toward me. "A shooting?" Valeria continued. "Why do you sound like you don't know?"

Mary swallowed. "We're fine." She paused before adding, "We're outside the city." Valeria sounded relieved. "As long as you're safe." The call ended. Mary remained standing there, staring at her phone. Across the room, Sarah answered her own call. "Mom?" Tracy's panicked voice immediately came through. "My child, are you and Samantha safe?" Sarah looked confused. Then, despite everything, she laughed. "Sam, Mom is asking if we're safe." Samantha laughed as well. "Tell her we are doing just fine." Tracy's voice became more serious. "How can you laugh at a time like this?"

Sarah's smile disappeared. "Mom, what are you talking about?" "What happened?" "Where are you?" Sarah looked around. "We're at the Gupta Family residence." Tracy sighed in relief. "As long as you're safe." The call ended. Sarah lowered her phone. She looked at Samantha. "Something happened at home." Samantha's expression became worried. Outside, Mark was still on the phone with one of his officers. "What?" He listened carefully. "How many did you capture?" He paused. "Was anyone injured?" The officer answered. "Sir, we did exactly as you instructed. We waited in our hiding position. When the attackers entered your property, we moved in." Mark's expression became serious. "But the damage had already been done."

Mark's voice lowered. "What happened?" "A security guard was killed." Mark closed his eyes briefly. The officer continued. "The driver was shot." Mark immediately became concerned. The officer hesitated. "They told us to deliver a message." "What message?" The officer answered quietly. "A son for a son." Mark's expression hardened. He asked again, "Did you capture anyone?" "Yes, sir." "How many?" "Three." Mark nodded. "The pther three were killed during the exchange." Mark paused. "What else?" The officer hesitated. "Sir..." Mark's eyes narrowed. "What?" "One of the vehicles contained a man's body." "We believe it is Jack Harris."

Mark breathed slowly. "They must have found him. No wonder they came rushing to find us." Then he asked, "Have you announced anything publicly?" "No, sir. We were waiting for your instructions." Mark didn't hesitate. "Inform the media." "Sir?" "Tell them exactly what happened." He looked toward the Gupta residence. "I'm coming back." "I'll be there within an hour." He ended the call. Then he immediately rushed back inside. The moment Mark entered, everyone looked toward him.

Alicia and I exchanged another worried glance. I couldn't hold back any longer. "Father, what happened?" Mary answered before Mark could. "There has been a shooting." Victor's expression changed immediately. Miller also looked concerned. Mark walked toward the group with Angus and Peter following behind him. Chris stood. "What shooting?" "Where?" Mark took a breath. "The Harris Family came to our house." Everyone froze. "They came with guns, shooting at everyone." Chris's face became pale. "What?"

Mark continued. "They were looking for Alicia." Alicia instinctively held Emmanuel closer. Mark continued. "They didn't find us there." He paused. "But one of our security guards was killed." Everyone fell silent. "The driver was also shot." Peter frowned. "What driver?" Mark looked at him. "I don't know." Chris shook his head. "Why would they attack the house?" Mark answered. "They wanted revenge." The room became silent. I looked at Alicia. She was holding Emmanuel tightly. Mark continued. "The police officers I placed around the house managed to stop them."

He looked around. "Three Harris Family guards were killed." "And three were captured." Everyone remained silent. Mark looked toward me. "I have to return to the city." "Are you coming back or staying with my daughter?" Alicia suddenly stood. "Grandpa." Victor looked at her. "Great-grandpa..." She glanced at Miller. "I'm sorry, but we have to go back." Victor immediately became concerned. "You just gave birth." Alicia smiled gently. "I know." She looked down at her son. "But I also need to know that my family is safe." Victor sighed. "Why can't you arrange everything from here."

Alicia shook her head. "I promise I will come back." She looked at Victor. "I've just given birth, so I'll take maternity leave. Once everything is sorted out, I'll return and stay here with Emmanuel for a while." Victor finally relaxed. "All right." He pointed toward her shoulder. "But be careful." Alicia nodded. "I will." Everyone began preparing to leave. As we walked outside, Laura approached Mark. "Did they come after our families too?" Mark shook his head. "No." He looked toward Alicia. "They were specifically looking for her." Laura nodded slowly. "At least our families are safe." Mark didn't answer. None of us felt completely safe anymore.

Soon, the vehicles began leaving the Gupta residence. My car was at the front. Alicia sat beside me, carefully holding little Emmanuel in her arms. I glanced at her. She looked exhausted. But she was still determined. I reached over and gently touched her hand. "We'll get through this." She looked at me. "I know." Behind us, Mark's vehicle followed closely. Quinton was sitting beside him. Further behind them were the other vehicles carrying the rest of our friends.

Nobody knew what waited for us back in the city. But one thing had become clear. The Harris Family had made their move. And whatever happened next would no longer be a simple family conflict. It was becoming a war.