Olivia Sparks

The sun was high up and its glare was blinding, but it didn't deter the crowd from the challenge. It actually boosted their competitive spirits even more.

To the organizers' luck, they were blessed with flock after flock of ducks flying around the area that day. 

Everyone was having their grand old time, exchanging notes whilst aiming their rifles on the flying birds.

A few villagers came in to help the visitors gather all the fallen ducks from the sky. 

Later, after their hunting party, they would segregate the ducks according to the bullets to tally who got the most ducks.

The thick human barrier of security detail guarded the king and the gun club president at a close distance. 

Some members would often join them for a brief conversation and would then go back to their own places because the members were more invested in their sport than rubbing elbows with the king so they didn't pester him that much.

"Your Majesty, I saw you were speaking with Lance Go earlier. I hope he didn't bother you or anything. Sometimes, he could be a little aggressive or competitive, but he is a good man. After all, he was adopted by Sir Go of Eastern Energy himself."

"Oh, I see. That must be the reason why I had an interesting conversation with him earlier. I didn't know an honorable man like Elton raised him. I thought he was a distant relative," King Alistair concurred. He was smiling on the outside. However, his thought ran wild over the details of Lance Go's adoption. He never read that in the report they gathered about the young lad.

Suddenly, a flock of ducks approached their location, silencing the hunting party. A bead of sweat formed on King Alistair's forehead as adrenaline coursed through his veins. 

He was not sure though if the adrenaline was a by-product of his excitement for another kill or the agitation over finding out about Lance Go's mysterious past.

Pressing the rifle's b.u.t.t against his shoulders, King Alistair aimed for a passing bird, marking it with a squinted left eye—his dominant eye—before pulling the trigger.

Some dropped, but most of the birds scattered, and some who were perched by a nearby tree flew away when the sound of a gunshot reverberated in the forest.

Everyone was clapping as locals ran to where the ducks dropped from the sky to collect it.

King Alistair hissed. He missed his target. He studied the gun in his hands one more time, turning to face the gun club's president. "This gun's not for me. My aide will fetch my personal one if that's fine with the rest."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Let me grab that one from you," the gun club president agreed and took the rifle from King Alistair and passed it along to his assistant.

"You said," King Alistair trailed off. His head turned to the direction where Lance Go was and tipped his head ever so slightly. "You said he was adopted, but I never heard of Elton adopting a child. I remember his wife from his third and final marriage gave birth to a son, and that's it."

The gun club president straightened his back and cleared his throat. He didn't like the information to come from him, especially since it was something that wasn't well known about, except for those who were the closest to the Go Family.

"He was the child of another man. That was why the only thing Lance got when Sir Go died was the man's last name. Not a cent. Lance was lucky that his education at Oxford paid-off… or the money from his ex-fiancee," the gun club president whispered and immediately pursed his lips. 

He felt a searing stare behind his back which made him look over his shoulder and true enough, Lance Go was there shooting daggers to his directions. 

It made him jerk in his spot, and the instinct to flee away from the king's side was too strong he excused himself right away. "Pardon me, Your Majesty. I hope you don't mind if I step away for a bit. Bathroom break. Yes, my bladder needed relief." 

It didn't matter to the gun club president if he sounded senile with his confession. He scrambled on his feet and walked as fast as he could to hide in a corner for a moment so he could gather his senses back. He found shelter under a shade of a tree and dabbed his forehead with a hanky, shaking off the demonic portrait of Lance Go from his mind.

Since King Alistair's aide stepped out for a second, the usually thick barrier of security detail that crowds the king now had a tiny crack to it.

Lance Go saw this as his opportunity. He took a deep breath and steadied the b.u.t.t of the rifle on his shoulders. He aimed his gun to where the king was standing. "This one's for you, Dad," he whispered.

Everyone was either busy chatting or reloading their guns that none of the hunting party noticed Lance Go's finger was itching to pull the trigger. 

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Lance Go ran as fast as he could, grasping in his left hand that was dripping with blood. 

He wanted to see for himself if he shot the right person, but the Sui's detail were hot on his tail.

He kept on running deep into the heart of the forest, the same one that his mother grew up in.

Although it was his mother's explicit instruction that he should take his own life after he executed the king, Lance Go was far from over.

Revenge tainted his heart black. If not for Maxen humiliating him in the Lee's Thanksgiving Party almost half a year ago, his company wouldn't collapse to financial ruin. 

After that incident, the board's confidence in him nosedived. It eventually led him to a series of bad business ventures, draining his joint assets with Selena, which ultimately forced him to agree with his mother's terms of joining her for her bullcrap cause whatever that was.

He didn't want to die as what his mother instructed him to do. He had his plan set in motion months ago. 

All he had to do was follow his escape plan and surely when the time was ripe, he would take back what was his.

A lopsided grin formed his face as he could see the road on the horizon. The promise of escape made his legs feel featherlight. 

For a minute there, he swore, he thought he was flying until he had to pause to let a passing truck slow down as it approached a blind curve. 

He took it as his chance to stealthily climb on the back of the truck as it traversed the narrow highway, heading back to the metro.

Hope filled his heart. All that Lance ever wanted was to take back what was his—his glory, his company, and his Olivia Lin.