Cruel Realty

Chapter 26

Katarine while in her car, felt unusually light headed and, oddly enough, was happy. Seemingly, that day was a turning point for her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had a strange sense of peace and excitement. She told her driver to wake her up, as she would take a light nap as traffic had already built up along the streets. Katarine drifted off into a peaceful slumber, her mind filled with dreams of new beginnings and endless possibilities. As she slept, a smile played on her lips, a reflection of the newfound hope that had blossomed within her.

While this was happening, the man and his friends didn't leave the coffee shop without repaying the woman who insulted him; these five young men weren't even from this city or citizens of this country. They were tourists visiting from a neighboring country. These five guys were seen in social places and gathering as much casual intimate pleasure from women who caught their fancy.

These five had already made a significant mark on the social scene, and because of their wealth and nearly limitless arrogance and ego, most women in this city were all materialistic and only interested in their money. Despite their behavior, they were still able to charm some women with their charisma and lavish lifestyle.

Within a span of five days these five were able to lure women into their lush-full debauchery every night and just use their money to cover the women's desires and keep them coming back for more. The women, initially drawn in by the glamour and extravagance, soon found themselves entangled in a world of manipulation, deceit, and slavery as many were physically hurt and, at worst, subjected to taking illegal substances. Nine women were reported missing, as were four bar hostesses.

And their next target was a feisty, very sexy, and good looking woman who rejected Jafeerah Sayed and insulted his casual friendly encounter; he has no idea the woman they were targeting was no normal person; their foolish assumption was off by a mile; her casual clothing and the place she was were not places where rich and influential people would stay, and the man who came looked average and unassuming.

These stubborn fools didn't even fear Ethan's appearance; they left her alone because many people were already noticing them. Gaining attention was never something they liked; the fact that they were getting away with their criminal acts means they never flashed their wealth openly to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. They usually target women who are good looking but financially lacking, and they base this on where they go and what they wear.

Regretfully, Katarine left the heated tent floor to provide her employees with emotional support. She was the ideal target for their plan because she was dressed casually in jeans and a shirt. The chance they had been waiting for was present in the traffic. One approached the driver while brandishing a tazer pistol, grinning and tapping the car window while stating that the driver's rear tire was a little low on air. As the driver opened the door, the taser gun struck him squarely in the face. Katarine was electrocuted as the other attacker swiftly leaned over the unconscious driver and opened all the car doors. Despite her unexpected awakening, Katarine was unable to escape the other men, who had already opened the back seat.

The two men grabbed Katarine and casually transferred her to a red van that was beside her car, throwing her in the back with a few other women who were also unconscious. The five young men know how to use their money, as they already have enough hired manpower to efficiently carry out their criminal activities. With the van door slamming shut, Katarine was unconscious.

Jafeerah Sayed was driving the van and was now having second thoughts about this, while his Russian friend told Jafeerah that his cousin controls these areas and the police are unlikely to interfere. Ivan quickly speeds off while nobody notices their action yet, leaving Katarine and the other women at the mercy of their captors. As they drove further away from the scene, Jafeerah couldn't shake the feeling of unease growing inside him. She likes women but seeing the recent activities of his friends from casual group dates and parties, they were now using drugs to lure and kidnap innocent women, which made him question their true intentions. Jafeerah knew he had to make a decision soon before things escalated even further.

He really liked the last woman; the revelation he got was a light eye opener that not all women were gold diggers, as this particular woman didn't even look at his luxury watch and custom tailored tree piece Armani suit. He wanted to distance himself from his friends, but Ivan and Numa Samad were too high to care anymore. Their first debauchery was innocent but when the other three got bored, Ivan asked around, and soon illegal drugs came into their circle. Ivan's influence was strong, and soon they were all caught up in a dangerous lifestyle that none of them had anticipated.

The consequences of their actions would eventually catch up to them, and soon their actions would open their entire families to a world of trouble they never could have imagined. Ivan's reckless behavior led them down a path of destruction that would ultimately test the bonds of their friendship and the strength of their character.

Victor knew that his cousin was doing this and never once told him to stop, afraid of losing their close relationship. As the situation escalated, Victor found himself torn between loyalty to Ivan and concern for their families' well-being. So, like the rest of his younger relatives who were living in their home country, they were indulging in so many risky activities and social misbehavior, as they were well aware that the elders of the Romanov family would never turn their backs on their own blood.

Soon after, the red van was followed by another van. Ivan's phone rang, and when he answered, Victor welcomed him, telling him that he had sent some of his men to make sure they were safe and to clean everything up so that no one would witness who they were. Ivan laughed and thanked Victor for his assistance, knowing that their secret would be safe with Victor's men keeping watch over them. As Huang Shu was filming the scenario and Koldan Egorov was resuming his drug use, he hastily bid farewell to the comatose and drugged woman inside the driving minivan. Numa Samad was the fourth member; he was driving beside Jafeerah all the way to a safe place.

Ivan assured Jafeerah Sayed that the woman he liked was not a drug, but if she continued to reject him, he would force himself on her. Knowing that Ivan's reputation for getting what he wanted was well-earned, Jafeerah Sayed nodded in agreement. Ivan drove off with the woman and a menacing smirk on his face, leaving Jafeerah Sayed to ponder the extent to which Ivan would go to gratify his cravings.