"Don't beat others down too hard?" Xander chuckled as if he had heard a great joke.Malcolm asked, "Xander, why are you laughing?"Xander was laughing at Malcolm's naivety, and at his own ruthlessness. He did not tell Malcolm that his innocence and silly charm were what had always attracted him. If Malcolm were to lose that innocence and become worldly, he would not be the same Malcolm. Xander did not usually talk business with Malcolm, hoping he could stay innocent for them both. But now, Malcolm was 28, just a few months younger than him. It was time he understood the harshness of the world.Xander said, "Business is like a war, but even tougher. Now, you're asking me to go easy on the Guzman family. But if we let them catch their breath and their company gets back on its feet, they'll come after me first. I'm not a charity or a fool."Malcolm still had a sliver of hope. "Max has always been my best friend. I could talk to Max and make him promise not to fight with you if his com
"Abigail is different," Xander said."How is she different?" Malcolm asked."She doesn't wanna make our relationship public," Xander replied.On hearing this, Malcolm, who had been feeling down all night, could not help but laugh. "I never, ever thought there'd be someone who didn't want the world to know she's with you, Xander. It's so funny you finally had a silly moment!" Malcolm laughed so hard, tears streamed down his cheeks."Is it that funny?" Xander asked."Isn't it?" Malcolm wiped the tears from his eyes, still chuckling. "Think about it; so many girls dream of marrying you. If they could, they'd shout it to the world. And yet, your wife doesn't want to make your relationship public. That's really funny."Xander's face hardened. "I'm telling you all this because I need your help, not for you to make fun of me."Malcolm said, "First, tell me why Abigail doesn't want to tell people about you two. Is it just because she doesn't like your face?"Xander scratched his head.
Malcolm said, "Because you're so great, lots of people are jealous of you."Xander raised an eyebrow and said, "Huh?"Malcolm continued, "Abigail isn't just a pretty woman; she's also smart and knows exactly what she wants. From what I know about her, she wouldn't put all her feelings and her whole life into just one guy. Even if she's your wife, she wouldn't dare give you her whole heart. She'd keep a little back, just in case. If you ever change your mind, she could leave."If Malcolm's previous words were nonsense, these words were wise ones. Xander never thought Abigail would worry so much. Since she was his wife, she would always be his wife. He would not let her leave.Malcolm went on, "Do you like Abigail?"Xander replied, "She's my wife."Malcolm asked, "I asked if you like her, not if she's your wife. Being married doesn't mean you have to like each other."Xander said, "Of course, I like her."Malcolm perked up. "Abigail is the first and only girl you've liked in almo
Malcolm said, "Don't sweat it. I can find someone else to grab a drink with."Shawn replied, "Quit the chatter and give me the address. I'm coming over."Malcolm laughed. "You little rascal!"After Malcolm left, Xander stood alone by the huge window, gazing at the tall building across the street. The building was called Starluxe Tower, owned by Zane Corporation, and it was a big mall with stores, entertainment, and offices. Xander checked his phone and saw that there were many places in that building to get a drink. Abigail had only said she was going to have a drink with Stella, but she did not say which place. He was worried about Abigail and wanted to know where she was.'What if she drinks too much and gets into trouble?' Xander thought. 'She's such a pretty woman.'Xander's worry made sense, as Abigail was already a little dizzy from drinking, but she did not stop. She was having one drink after another with Stella, who was drinking without saying anything. Abigail joined her
Abigail was drunk and confused, unsure of what she could or could not say. She kept venting her frustration, "He married you, but then he says you're not good enough to have his child. Does he think he's some old-time king and needs someone to inherit his throne?" Once the words left her mouth, Abigail realized something. There was no royal throne in Lucas's family, but there was White Corporation. It was a big business that needed someone to take over one day. She could not fault him for that, so she changed her tune and continued, "You're right, that man is no good. He likes another woman, but he married you. After that, he said you can't have his child. Stella, just divorce him. He doesn't love you, and we don't love him. We can make our own money. Why should we rely on men?"Stella said, "You think I don't want to leave him? I wish I could, but as long as Lucas holds on, I'll never escape."Abigail asked, "Is he sick or something? Why would he keep you if he doesn't love you?"S
Abigail shook off her thoughts, glanced at the strange man, and then looked at her phone that he had taken from her. "Hey, please give me my phone back."The man waved her phone in front of her eyes. "I'll give your phone back, but only if you play a game with me. If you win, you get your phone; if you lose, you give me your contact number, and we become friends."Even though she was tipsy, Abigail knew not to give her number to a stranger. She could tell he was up to no good. "Give me my phone right now, or you'll be in trouble!"The man laughed without a care. "Wow, you look all sweet and nice, but you've got some fire in you! I only wanted your number. What's the big deal?"Abigail said coldly, "Phone, please!"The man moved closer to Abigail. "What perfume are you wearing? It smells so nice. It makes me want to eat you up.""Eat me? Even if I let you, would you dare?" Abigail was feeling a bit tipsy, but that did not stop her from slapping the man's face hard, twice. "You thi
"It really is you!" The man looked at Xander, his eyes showing challenge and scorn. "You're the CEO of Zane Corporation, and you want to control everything. Now you want to control who I like too?"Xander's eyes looked really scary behind his silver glasses. "Get out!" he said."Fine, you want me to go? I'll go then." The man got up and started to walk away. After a couple of steps, he looked back at Abigail. "Hey, pretty woman, you sure look beautiful, but you're making a bad choice. Don't just think someone's good 'cause they look nice. You've gotta see if they're really good on the inside too. Some folks might look all friendly, but who knows? They might be meanies on the inside."Abigail could tell that these two did not like each other one bit. But she was not going to let anyone be mean to her husband. "People say ladies talk too much, but you're a grown-up man and you talk a lot too. I know my husband way better than you. You won't win, no matter what you're trying to do. So
Xander carried Abigail out of the bar with everyone watching. They were on the 69th floor and took the elevator down. Soon, the elevator stopped on another floor. Occasionally, one or two people got on the elevator, and everyone's eyes seemed to be drawn to them. Abigail, feeling a bit tipsy, covered Xander's eyes with her hand when she noticed people staring."Why are you looking at us?" she asked loudly. "If you don't stop staring at him, I'll poke your eyes out! He's mine, and no one else can have him!" To show what she meant, she leaned forward and kissed him several times. "See all these kisses? They mean he's mine, and you can't have him!"Because she covered his eyes, Xander could not see. But he could feel her kisses and soft body against him. His ears became warm and red. Abigail did not know she was making him feel shy. She kept telling everyone loudly, "He's my husband!" in a silly way.Soon, they got to the first floor. Xander carried Abigail out of the big building. The