Jonah looked down at his screen. "Speak of the devil," he mumbled when he saw Jasper's name on the screen. "Mr. Beckett," he greeted coldly after answering the call.Silas frowned immediately. He leaned forward just to listen to the phone conversation. "Mr. Taylor, I'm looking for Alice. I'd like to talk to her about something." Jasper's deep voice was tinged with a trace of anxiety."Alice is busy with something else right now.""When is she available to talk, then?""She'll always be busy when it comes to you."Jonah had always been nice and polite. But he'd always go for his target's weak spot whenever he started insulting them. Silas clenched his fists excitedly. He was cheering his older brother on.Meanwhile, Jasper fell silent, his expression now stormy. "First of all, the fact that Alice changed her phone number means she doesn't want you to contact her anymore. Even if you two have yet to get legally divorced, you shouldn't disturb her. That's the minimum respect
Alyssa looked at the handsome man in front of her.He had sunk down on one knee while looking up at her affectionately."I heard that my dear sister wants to punish me." The man's lips curled into a mischievous smile."Axel …" Alyssa murmured in a soft tone."Whew! I was so relieved when I heard you call my name."Axel Whitaker was the fourth scion of the Taylor family. No one would have thought that a cold and distant man like him was capable of smiling at his sister brightly.He wrapped a muscular arm around Alyssa's waist and held her tenderly. Then, he stuck his other hand into his trench coat's pocket and fished out a bar of chocolate. Axel proceeded to tear open the packaging with his teeth before feeding the chocolate to Alyssa."This chocolate bar is a local specialty at Artoria. Besides, it's your favorite as well. Give it a taste.""Axel!"Alyssa leaned forward to hug Axel tightly. For some reason, she felt like crying all of a sudden. Soon, her tears started stainin
"Haha! Hasn't anyone warned you about ripping your pants if you're not careful? You should be mindful of your own limits!" Axel burst into laughter on the spot.It had been a very long time since he was able to laugh so heartily. After all, the atmosphere at the secret spy headquarters was always very tense and serious.Jonah's expression softened as he watched his younger brothers mess around. At that moment, he couldn't help but reminisce about the past. "Speaking of gifts, look at what I got Lyse."Axel's eyes glinted mischievously as he showed the others a silver rectangular box while looking excited. After punching in a complex passcode, Axel opened the box and revealed the contents for all to see. Jonah froze up while Silas inhaled sharply in return."The R&D department in the headquarters created this gun recently. There's a mix of ammo and tranquilizers in this revolver. Lyse can spin the cylinder to the left if she is in danger. The tranquilizers are more than enough t
Alyssa ended up staying at Stellus for the next three days.She barely slept as she wanted to craft the perfect emerald bracelet, the exact replica of the one Newton had given her. If she got tired, she'd nap in the workshop. Once she woke up, she'd take a few bites of food before continuing work.The other men worked their respective jobs during the day. They turned down all business and social invitations just to have dinner with their sister at night.Jonah and his brothers prepared a fancy dinner that night. It consisted of Alyssa's favorite dishes. Still, she played with her food moodily while propping her cheek with a hand. The men were anxious about Alyssa's current state. But they didn't know how to help her out.They knew nothing about jewelry, after all."Ms. Alyssa." Alyssa snapped out of her thoughts before turning to look at Don wearily.The latter placed a beautiful jewelry box in front of her."What's this, Uncle Don?" "Why don't you open it and find out for y
"I told him not to contact you ever again. Also, I was quite mean to him. I wonder what he was thinking back then.""Good job. I won't let a filthy bastard like him into my life ever again. After all, I'm the beloved sister of the KS Group's president.""Of course. All the men in the KS Group worship the very ground you walk on." Jonah smiled lovingly while patting his younger sister. "Jonah, give me your phone," Alyssa said.Jonah handed his phone over to her. He looked confused. "Your birthday's the passcode.""Got it."Alyssa tapped on the contact list and blocked Jasper's phone number."How brutal." A small smile appeared on Jonah's face."I gotta end things once and for all with him. That bastard won't learn his lesson if I don't take the extreme approach." Alyssa's gaze grew icy the moment she brought up her ex-husband. …It was safe to say that Jasper could barely eat or sleep over the past few days. All because of his ex-wife's disappearance. Ever since Alice we
Some hotel guests started crowding in the lobby to watch the drama."Ms. Beckett, please calm down. You'll ruin your reputation if you keep causing trouble here. Why don't we discuss this matter in the parlor?"The front desk manager was so nervous that he kept sweating profusely. At the same time, he did his best to convince Betty to calm down. "If your employee has the guts to steal from a VIP like me, doesn't that mean she'll do worse things to the other guests?" Betty slammed a hand on the marble counter. Then, she placed her other hand on her hip. She kept glaring at the manager furiously the whole time. The crowd exchanged looks with each other. Some of them obviously recognized Betty.They knew that she was a daughter of the Beckett family. But if they didn't look at her face, they would have thought it was a shrew causing trouble for the hotel."I-I didn't steal anything!" the housekeeper stammered timidly with her head bowed."How dare you talk back to me!"Betty j
Jasper felt that he treated Alice very well other than the fact that he didn't love her. When she was still living at Seaview Manor, she enjoyed all the luxuries money could give. The housekeepers there served Alice well, and no one caused her any trouble.Heck, Jasper even gave her a supplementary credit card. He was never one to skimp out on money, after all. Alice never used that card in her purchases over the past three years. Still, her life as the Beckett family's young madam was much better than her life as a medical aide in the nursing home.How dare Alice say such things in public! She made it sound like she had gone through many hardships and torment!The more Jasper thought about it, the angrier he became. His eyes started to become bloodshot as he gritted his teeth tightly. "Tch! You sure are stubborn, huh? Since you're the manager of this hotel, I'll be straightforward. Your hotel needs to provide me with a solution regarding this incident today."Betty continued
Everyone was shocked when they heard the statement.Betty and her friends dropped their jaws in astonishment as well. Sean showed the necklace to Betty. A cold expression was apparent on his handsome face."Ms. Beckett, take a look at this necklace. Is it the one you lost?""W-Well …"Betty accepted the necklace and studied it. Then, she started shrieking at the top of her lungs. "Ah! My poor necklace! What happened to it? Who ruined my necklace?"Everyone stared at the necklace. Soon, they realized that the necklace was broken into a few segments."Our manager ordered us to search every inch of the presidential suite the moment she received news of your missing necklace. In the end, we found it under the couch."The thing is, your necklace was already ruined when we found it. We don't know what happened to it as well," Sean explained coolly."See? I told you she's just causing a fuss over nothing! She didn't remember where she had left the damn thing! That's why she was just
Justin curled his lips into a smirk, scoffing in silence. Newton had gone to great lengths to bring Alyssa into Beckett Group. This was his way of decentralizing power and keeping it in check, and he wanted to prevent Justin from having complete control. Unlike others, Javier couldn't hold himself back. He blew his top instantly, his face turning red like a tomato. "Dad, have you lost your mind? Don't you know who she is? She is KS Group's president—our direct competitor!"KS Group is also bidding for Project A5. No matter how much you favor her, you should at least recognize the limits. If you promote her, it's a blatant conflict of interest—outright cronyism!" Newton sneered. "I might understand your concern if I were promoting someone other than Alyssa."His gaze hardened. "Cronyism? A conflict of interest? I wonder who you're really talking about."With those words, he cast a knowing, enigmatic glance at Justin's blank expression. Just then, a board member from Javier's
Despite his age, Newton exuded the same energy and sharpness he had in his younger days, even when surrounded by the board members brimming with vigor. Despite his quiet presence in the wheelchair, an intimidating atmosphere clung to him. In an instant, Javier was transported back to the days when he worked under Newton's strict supervision."Good day, Mr. Javier and all fellow board members. I assume no one has any objections to my presence at this meeting?"Newton's gaze swept across the room, a perfunctory smile gracing his lips."Of course not. You are part of the corporation's board of directors!" the members responded immediately.Newton nodded. "Much has happened within the corporation lately. Our shares have been fluctuating amid the controversy. "As you all know, I had intended to retire after dedicating most of my life to this company. I wanted to step aside for the younger generation rather than hover over them like a specter, micromanaging everything. "However,
Jasper's arrival plunged the conference room into an uneasy silence, and heavy tension settled over the space. Justin looked up, his expression a frozen mask. A palpable chill emanated from him. Javier's eyes widened in surprise. "Jasper? What are you doing here?" "Even though I'm no longer the president of Beckett Group, I remain a shareholder and board member. It's only natural for me to be here," Jasper replied smoothly as he strolled to his seat. As he passed behind Justin, he abruptly stopped. Without a moment's notice, he struck the back of Justin's chair. The sudden impact made Justin flinch. "Am I right, Justin?" Justin's expression darkened. Forcing a smile, he replied, "As a board member, you have the right to attend, even if you're no longer involved in operations. There's no issue.""If that's the case, why wasn't I informed about this meeting?" Jasper lowered himself into his seat, legs slightly parted, exuding an air of indifference. Yet, beneath the nonc
Beckett Group was, in essence, Javier's heart and soul, forged from his own labor. "Justin set me up, framed me for drug addiction, and bribed my primary physician to give false testimony—all so he could drag me down. The fact that he dared to target me like this means he's willing to betray anyone."Jasper took a deep breath, forcing down the rage roiling inside him as Javier remained silent. "Fine. Even if you insist this is just a family matter, Justin's reputation is already in ruins, and the corporation's stock prices are fluctuating. Are you really going to stand by him, even now?""Justin has explained everything to me. He wasn't aware of the bribery. That female doctor who worked for him acted on her own. Besides, she's been arrested. The backlash against Justin will settle in time…"Jasper listened, his face unreadable, but his heart clenched painfully. A lump rose in his throat, suffocating him.He had lost his mother at a young age, but he had never longed for his fa
Julien's merciless, hate-filled words hit Jonah like a ton of bricks. The pain was unbearable, a gut-wrenching ache that shattered his heart.Under the dim lighting, Julien vaguely noticed a sorrowful tear forming at the corner of Jonah's eye. But before it could fall, Jonah forced a blink, swallowing his emotions whole. Despite Jonah's attempt to brace himself, sorrow engulfed him, a tidal wave of despair. His features mirrored the devastation ripping through his heart. As Evan opened the driver's side door, Julien lurched forward and vomited again. The sickening sound of him retching echoed in the air as if he were expelling everything inside him. "Judas, Mr. Lovelace looks like he's suffering from alcohol poisoning. We should take him to the hospital."Evan's worry deepened at Julien's condition. Jonah wordlessly removed his suit jacket and began cleaning the mess in the car. His chest tightened painfully as he watched Julien groaning, clearly suffering. Then, without he
Jonah's gaze burned with a mix of longing, sorrow, and something deeply affectionate. The world swam back into focus as Julien looked at Jonah. Without preamble, he asked, "Are you new? How much do you charge per night?"Light-headed and grinning, Julien reached out a hand, his fingers brushing softly against Jonah's cheek. "You're pretty good-looking," he said, his voice slurred. Then his expression shifted. "Why do you… look so much like someone I hate with every fiber of my being?"Jonah's heart clenched. Even so, he slid his arms around Julien's waist. Trembling, he pulled Julien into his arms. "I'm new here. Could you help me meet my target tonight, Mr. Lovelace?"Julien's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Jonah. Jonah's eyes teared up as he held Julien's waist tightly. "I promise you won't be disappointed," he said, his voice deep. Watching from the shadows below the stage, Evan nearly gagged at Jonah's sultry tone. Was this really the Judas he knew? The man sounded downri
The bar was alive with striking lights and thundering music, and the air was thick with the scent of tobacco and alcohol. The atmosphere was one of moral decay—corrupt, degrading, and vile. "Where's Julien?" Jonah's voice cut through the noise, his tone icy and sharp. When Jonah stepped inside, the eyes of several men turned toward him, their gazes filled with illicit intent."Why, hello there. Are you here alone? Are you feeling lonely?" A sexy man sauntered over, draping himself over Jonah's shoulders. He let his hands linger with a playful squeeze. "If you're bored, I'd be happy to keep you company." Jonah's expression darkened. His hands trembled, veins bulging with barely contained rage. Suddenly, Evan burst through the crowd, his face twisting in alarm at the sight of Jonah surrounded by a swarm of predatory men. Evan yelled, "Don't touch him!" A heavy thump reverberated through the room. Gasps erupted as people scrambled back.The man who had draped himself over
Rafe stated, "But Beckett Group is in the middle of a storm right now. If I insisted on giving your corporation the project, my superiors would investigate me. I wouldn't be able to escape unscathed!""If you're investigated, I'll make sure you can still live a life of luxury—even if you lose your job." Justin's tone darkened. "But if you turn against me, you won't just suffer a few losses. You'll lose everything."Under the dim moonlight, Justin fiddled with his antique tea cup, his gaze narrowing. "You've worked so hard to get to where you are. Are you prepared to lose it all?"After ending the call, Justin turned to Remy, who stood quietly at the side. "Sheryl is still being detained. She can't be bailed out for another two days. I need someone to watch over the research lab. You'll handle that."Remy was taken aback. "I failed my last mission. Aren't you going to punish me?"Justin's smile was cold and insincere. "It wasn't your fault. You were ambushed. If not for that, I tru
Remy pursed his lips, bending down to pick up the fallen poker card. It was the King of Spades—an entry pass to Kings' Club. "My attacker was…" Remy's pupils constricted as he tightened his grip on the card. "It can only be that dear uncle of mine, always claiming to see me as his own son." Justin's lips curled into a sinister smile. "He's trying to get rid of my right-hand man, taking advantage of my internal feud with Jasper. Weakening me is just his first step toward gaining control over me."He's been a fugitive ever since his successful prison break, never returning to Cyrris after receiving his life sentence. His power base remains in Kontina. "I'm the last surviving Dutton. The Dutton Group, as a cover, has declared bankruptcy and severed all ties with the country. "My dear uncle has taken a huge risk just to target me. He sent his men to attack you in Solana City. What a delightful surprise. It seems he truly doesn't trust me, his only remaining family."Remy lowere