At the West estate, a playful exchange leads to a deadly agreement. As the party winds down and darkness envelops the night, tragedy strikes: by dawn, the entire family lies brutally murdered-except for John West, the eldest son. Facing a future of poverty and despair, everything changes with a fateful encounter that unveils hidden secrets and exposes betrayal. Caught in a tangled web of deceit and unexpected romance, John transforms from victim to strategist as the truth comes to light. "Karma" is a gripping tale of mystery, sabotage, deception, and love.
It was a warm evening. Everyone was immaculately dressed, and John West kept beaming with joy. He had helped himself to several rounds of dessert, and his loud belch subtly reminded him that the metabolism of the ice-cream in his stomach wasn't over, and he would do well to stop the intake. John ignored the warning and went for more, who could resist strawberry flavor? His Dad, Oliver West was sitting at the dining table along with the rest of his family as they celebrated. He could hear their laughter and metallic cling of clashing glassware.
He did not know what they were celebrating, neither did he care. He had all the ice-cream he wanted, and that was all that mattered. Nana, his maid should have been watching him, but she was too busy cooking.
With his parents outside welcoming guests, his maid in the kitchen and the butler putting the finishing touches around the house, there was no one to watch him, and he roamed free.
Three minutes of a ninja-like walk brought him to the kitchen, his favorite spot in the house. A mild groan from his stomach reiterated the warning that his body had had enough of ice-cream, but he went on undeterred. He was fantasizing about the yummy, gelatinous goodness about to grace his mouth when a deep voice from behind him disrupted his reverie.
"Hmm, hmm. John, don't you think you've had enough ice-cream?"
John looked back and looked into the deep blue eyes of their butler. He started to explain, but the butler cut him short with a finger to his mouth.
"Yes, I know you love ice-cream, but you have to take it easy so you don't get sick. OK?" A nod from John sufficed for him.
"Good. Just take one more, and....." His words were drowned by a barrage of fireworks (or so it seemed) and a loud explosion. His ice-cream tumbled in slow motion and everything suddenly went dark.
He woke up with a start and a mild headache. He had had that dream that haunted him almost every night without warning. He could not decode what the dream meant, but it always made him feel like he had lost something so precious to him. He took one look at the figure sleeping peacefully beside him, and he smiled. When he remembered that the beauty beside him could soon be taken away from him, his smile turned into a frown.
Sarah Lance was his two month old wife. He had promised her many things while they were dating, but sadly their lives had been filled with the opposite of his promises. He had promised her a life of joy and happiness, but their marriage was constantly plagued by sadness and despair.
It was not really his fault, but that of his in-laws. Sarah – in their opinion – had made the mistake of marrying a pauper when she could have married a much wealthier man whose investments could have kept the declining family business afloat. It didn't help that Peter Lance, her father had been embarrassed many times as Sarah had obviously decided to keep insulting the men her father had tried to matchmake her with. It didn't help that their family business – Lance industries – had been severely affected by unfavorable government policies, an hostile market and ever-increasing competitors and greatly needed a large injection of funds if it would stay afloat. Peter Lance had tried in vain to get his daughter to marry one of the many billionaires around him.
Sarah was blonde, had a lovely figure and was exceptionally beautiful. He had watched her grow and mature with joy, knowing that she would prove to be a useful pawn in future business negotiations. Little did he know that his daughter had her eyes fixed on someone else.
John West was the adopted son cum mechanic cum cleaner cum all-purpose handyman of the Lances, and had lived with them since he was a boy. He was slightly older than Sarah, but had grown fond of her, and she of him over the years.
She was the only daughter of the Lances who didn't treat him like a maid. Peter Lance had noted the growing fondness between the two, but had dismissed it as just child-like affection, until he had asked his daughter one day the type of man she would like to marry.
To his consternation, her blunt reply was, "someone like John." Alarmed, Peter Lance decided to take no chances and separate the two of them, sending Sarah overseas to study but they had somehow managed to stay in touch and their love had blossomed. Sarah had rejected five suitors in one month, all of whom were multimillionaires and had promised to invest heavily in Lance industries and had ended up marrying John.
John looked at his beloved again with a heavy heart. he had brought her into a life of penury since their marriage as he was jobless and Sarah had been disowned and cut off from the family funds by her father. Not that Sarah cared though, all she wanted was to be with the man she loved.
John quickly forced a smile as he saw Sarah turning. He didn't want to trouble her, but his efforts were futile.
"Good morn....." Suddenly Sarah stopped. "John, are you okay?"
John managed to squeeze out a chuckle. "No dear, something got into my eye."
Sarah sighed. "Don't lie to me John, did you have that dream again?"
Chapter 1 SWEET BEGINNINGS
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Chapter 2 A LONG WALK TO THE LANCE MANSION
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Chapter 3 A STONE IN THE ROAD
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Chapter 4 A STAND FOR US
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Chapter 5 DARK BONDS
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Chapter 6 FAMILY TIES, BROKEN BONDS
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Chapter 7 DIVIDED LOYALTIES
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Chapter 8 A RACE AGAINST TIME
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Chapter 9 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
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Chapter 10 CAPTURED HEARTS
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Chapter 11 NO ESCAPE
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Chapter 12 BLOOD TIES
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Chapter 13 THE LANCE LEGACY
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Chapter 14 A MAN BOUND
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Chapter 15 SHADOWS
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Chapter 16 RISE FROM RUINS
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Chapter 17 SAVIOR OR CAPTOR
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Chapter 18 COLLATEREAL HEARTS
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Chapter 19 HIDDEDN PAINS
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Chapter 20 A PRICE TO PAY
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Chapter 21 BOUND BY FEAR
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Chapter 22 POWER PLAY
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Chapter 23 A FRAGILE HEART
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Chapter 24 A PLEA FOR HELP
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Chapter 25 A MOTHER'S WILL
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Chapter 26 DIVIDED LINES
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Chapter 27 A GAME OF LEVERAGE
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Chapter 28 FRAGMENTS OF TRUST
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Chapter 29 THE TEST
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Chapter 30 TANGLED WEBS
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Chapter 31 CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
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Chapter 32 NO WAY OUT
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Chapter 33 THE PRICE OF SILENCE
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Chapter 34 GAME OF SHADOWS
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Chapter 35 CALCULATED FEAR
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Chapter 36 LINES OF LOYALTY
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Chapter 37 INTO THE ABYSS
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Chapter 38 THE DEBT
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Chapter 39 THE TRAP IS SET
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Chapter 40 VICTOR'S FALL
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