Prologue: The Hartley's Lineage

Ryker Hartley, a young boy full of life and vitality, was deeply scarred by the loss of his dearest dad to some ruthless crime boss he never knew or heard about, at the age of ten.

 

Because of the Hartley's family's legendary possession, he possesses- 'the Alex box'. (The Alex Box is a treasure trove that is said to contain unimaginable wealth for whoever possesses it. 

It contains, predominantly alexandrites, emeralds, a couple of glittering golds, and diamonds with scarcely a few other species of gemstones like onyx and rubies found in the Superstitious Mountains). 

Yes, history has it that there were irrecoverable treasures lost in there, but little did they know not all humans are very overt about their discoveries and achievements nor entertain the idea of clout chasing. 

This box was found and owned by Oakley D. Hartley, Ryker's paternal grandfather, and friends in the days of their youth. 

Back then, after viral news of many failed attempts by different search parties, 

Oakley, at the time, was seventeen-years-old. Would talk jokingly but persuasively about his plans to get rich in school and at home. 

Many of his friends would express their disapproval and boo him, some just disregard his obsession with "the shortcut to riches", as he would always pontificate about the point to his friends and classmates. 

"Listen, this ain't no joke." He'd say.

"I already killed the quest with plan A, and buried it with plan B, we just need to go claim victory with plan C."

He carried on with this persuasion for months, his academic performance began to deteriorate with the thought of this dreadful journey to riches occupying the largest portion of his mind. 

But for some reasons, he never considered embarking on the "the shortcut to riches" journey alone. 

At last, he managed to convince and bring together some like-minded friends or acquaintances, about eight young men were assembled for this promising mission, together with himself, they were nine.

Sedulously, with utmost discretion, they contrived on how to ace the expedition, without any of their parents' knowledge, as that may of course, forfeit the whole plan. 

And after the dangerous quest, they were fortunate to have toppled the jinx of the Superstitious Mountains, although only five of the participants survived with the goal.

But they were still very morose about their deceased friends, who died in the course of "the shortcut to riches". 

They wouldn't share the contents in the trove yet, they planned on dividing it among themselves before announcing their success but how, and what to do with the share of the crewmen who died for the fruition of the expedition? 

Now a very ruthless and devious crime boss, Andrez H. Douglas, somehow heard about the uncommon good news. 

He summoned the five friends, and in all subtleness, demanded to be in possession as they were still young to handle such fortune. 

The friends were not convinced and made it known to him that they haven't decided what to do with it yet, moreover, they've got parents to handle it for them if that should be the case. 

But Andrez was not happy with them; he promised them he would get it by force and they would not be compensated at all.

After the discussion,

The surviving mates knew what was after them, and planned to hide well, the box from him.

They devised an extreme measure to keep the box from becoming Andrez's possession, by demarcating a large lake waterbed, bucketing out the trapped water, and digging the earth real deep, right there they had buried the box. 

Perhaps a dumb move that had escalated issues, but that was the deliberated approach they could plan in desperation in the heated moment of the course. 

The teenagers' parents would know at last but the boys aren't opening up about where it was buried. 

Andrez felt disappointed with his constant threats that never seemed to bother the boys, and the futility of his men searching hard to lay hands on the Alex Box. 

So he commands his men to carry out an untraceable assassination on the boys and their families, (If he is not possessing the box, no one else on the face of earth will be worthy to claim it too). 

Oakley fled for his dear life in the middle of the night when his father was battling some intruders he wouldn't overcome, only for the morning to bring him the news of the death of his remaining conquest mates.

Oakley had never been able to bring himself to retrieve the treasure, haunted by the guilt of the lives that had been lost in the pursuit of it. 

For days, weeks, months and even years, he lived miserably with ignominious guilt.

The inevitable has come upon him, he became a man and was very devoted to his farming occupation that he, with his melancholic efforts, managed to raise above the echelons of peasants, so he could take very good care of the only child he had managed to have later in life, whose mother died after giving birth to him. 

He named him Alex, as he made it his belief that the boy is his own Alex Box, the buried chest is not for him. 

He painstakingly trained, chastised, and treated the boy with all he had, he'd walk him to school and leave his duty to go walk him home in the afternoon, many extreme measures to bring up a child he'd observe, every of his child's movements he wanted to know. 

He promised to give his reasons for perhaps being so overprotective by recounting his ever-biggest fatal mistake when he sees his grandchild. 

He gave up going by the lakeside, as he age faster with depression and consuming guilt.

And later, when Ryker was born Alex was twenty-seven years old then when it was Alex's birthday that year, Oakley decided, it was time, he wanted to tell the story of his life to him and his infant grandson.

They headed to the lake in Oakley's truck along with Evelyn Orton Hartley, Alex's wife, Ryker's mother. 

They sat by the lake once again as Oakley tells the sad tale of his life, Alex is not amused he'd heard pieces of the story as he grew up, he'd pieced them together, but it doesn't get this clear though. 

He was pleased with the treasure talk, as was his wife but he doesn't seem ready any time soon to do that insane task of draining a lake. 

Now, Old Andrez H. Douglas' mob is a well-organized crime empire, with his son in the outside-law game, together they were flourishing. 

They have eyes everywhere in Vornen city, outlying counties and the districts, and also connections outside their territory. 

At last, they knew where to find Oakley. 

That fateful day, Ryker's grandfather sang to infant Ryker in his arms outside their house, he looked up and sighted two all-black Escalades and a Van from afar, he never had visitors in years so to him, the imminent is easy to discern. 

He rushed in, gave the boy to his mother, and to get his son and his family to hit the road with enough financial assistance to settle somewhere else, buy a house and start a life. He knew someone in Indiana, one of his top-chain clients to which he distributes his farm produce. 

"They are going to be here soon, but I'll finish what I started. 

Just make sure when I go with them you leave with immediate effect because they will be back for you as I am not going to let them have the box," poking his son on the chest, "It is Alex Box. Take it or not, the choice is yours, but I'm not going to let them have it. 

Here, take this card, when you get to Indiana, introduce yourself. His name is Mallam Kyari Ahabad.

You're a man now, plan your life." Those were Oakley D. Hartley's last words to his family. 

*******

Ten years later, the son of the crime boss- Angel H. Douglas, now the new boss of the empire, very scholastic with the inherited malevolent principle of his father's empire wants to fulfill his father's last wish at all costs.

 

Therefore, the plot continues with the next generation. 

Alex D. Hartley, who enjoys living the simple life he had inherited, always procrastinates when to go back and drain the lake; he forbade his wife from discussing anything about going back or the box itself. 

Content with his sales managing job at a general merchandise and superstore. 

Now, Alex is a man with no extra motivation and doesn't take anything far too seriously except for his firstborn son- Ryker Hartley [The MC]. 

His predictable routines were the commute from home to Ryker's school, from Ryker's school to his office, and the reverse again.

Angel and his men in their convoy had approached him once to communicate their intentions. 

But Lo, Alex might be phlegmatic but the stubborn mind he inherited will never give in to threats. 

And until he was being threatened before he knew the value of the namesake box.

So he held on to his conviction, he would not sell neither would he allow them to have it by any means. 

Unfortunately, those convictions earned him the cruel tier cessation. 

Well, Ryker has grown too fond of his dad when it happened, he was 10 years old by the time of his father's death. 

He knew no other mechanism to cope with the loss, he derailed from his inherent trajectory, growing very bitter with egotistical choleric vibes, he wanted to act like in the movies, and taking revenge is now his goal and ambition.

Quit important involvements like schooling. 

But, seriously? A ten-year-old boy? Entertaining such murderous thoughts?

That was what her mother thought and always advised him, reprimanded, and reassured him. 

"You can be a good boy, Ryker.  And living with ambitions and growing successful is the biggest revenge you can take." She will say.

But nay, Ryker cannot live without harbouring his original thoughts and motives. 

He is way too determined to be easily steered, he grows really worse and more toxic every year, taking out his anger on folks in the hood. 

He adjusted his temperaments so no one is allowed to break through the barriers. 

Not even his family can understand him; to buttress the point, he is not friendly even with his immediate family. 

(Once he stayed away from home to express unbridled bullying on the streets, he was known as the bully of the street urchins). 

He provoked the law enforcers several times and oftentimes lodged behind bars. But as a juvenile, he's still getting fair judgements. 

Not until Ryker was sixteen years old, that his fearless hectoring persona had seduced a teenage crime peddler who was expertly tactical with the bad boys' artifices. 

The notorious Emperor Jude, is capable of bringing him under influence, bringing him into the real game, only to expose his integrity to more consequences. 

But Ryker rather put his life on the line to extricate himself from the loop. With a thin chance of seeing the next sunrise, involuntarily he went on the adventure with his treacherous motives, and henceforth Ryker heeds to the still small voice, pursuing his passion and was acing the game as he makes new friends in the long run. 

But all these Ryker did under Angel's watch, while Ryker's mother, though sad with the death of his husband, knows not who the culprit is, but she was hoping for the day his son would grow up and man up to go for his father's possession. 

  *Follow Ryker in his adventurous journey through life.*