Meanwhile, in Alexander’s Office… He had returned in a rush, still angry with Jessica.He hadn’t even spent three minutes in the hotel room. The moment he saw Jessica waiting for him, he knew something was off.She had danced around the topic of Gerald, offering no substantial information. It had been a waste of time, and he’d left almost immediately.Now, standing in his office, his assistant, Mark, rushed in, holding a tablet.“Boss, you need to see this,” Mark said, handing it over.Alexander stared at the screen, his heart dropping into his stomach.The headlines were everywhere. Photos of him and Jessica entering the hotel room together were plastered across every major news outlet.The captions were even worse, speculating about their relationship and hinting at an affair.Alexander’s grip tightened on the tablet. His jaw clenched. "Damn it!" he muttered, his pulse racing.He hadn’t done anything wrong, but the media had already made their own narrative.And now, the entire wor
Amelia reached across the table and held her hand. There was nothing more to say.The alcohol might dull the pain for a while, but it could never truly heal her heart.She knew this had to be a misunderstanding, but where was Alexander? As Sophia's husband, shouldn't he be here to clear things up?***Back at the other end of the city, the man in question was rushing frantically through the city.After failing to locate Sophia at the office, he had driven like a madman to Sophia’s old apartment.Nothing.His chest felt like it was being crushed with every second she remained missing. He could feel the world slipping from beneath his feet.Worse still was the fact that Gerald was in the shadows and Larry might take action if he gets a perfect opportunity.In desperation, he rushed to the villa where Catherine and Ethan lived. He knocked urgently, barely containing his panic.Catherine opened the door, her face lighting up when she saw him."Alex! Come in! How are you?" she greeted war
Meanwhile, in Jessica's private villa, she sat smugly, her manicured fingers resting against her cheeks as she savored the chaos she had caused.Two servants were giving her a massage and she closed her eyes to relish the moment.Her assistant had been pacing outside, waiting for permission to enter.Jessica had specifically given the order that no one should disturb her.Two hours later, she signaled for her assistant to get in.The assistant hurried in nervously.“What's it? Didn't I say I don't need you around until tomorrow?” Jessica snapped.She wanted a peaceful evening, yet this girl had been standing there for hoursIf I weren’t in such a good mood, I’d have her punished for standing outside that long.“Miss Jason, the news was pulled down.” the assistant reported cautiously.“What?” Jessica snapped, sitting up straight, her eyes turning cold.“Didn’t I tell you to use however much money you needed to make it trend until tomorrow?” She asked angrily.“We tried, Miss Jason. But
Back at The Last Stop Bar, Sophia was still drinking, her eyes glassy and her words slightly slurred. Amelia, sitting beside her, had been trying to coax her into leaving for the past hour. “Bestie, you’ve had enough. We should leave,” she said, gently placing a hand on Sophia’s arm. Sophia blinked lazily, pushing the glass away from her lips. “No... I can take a… few more drinks… Amelia.” Amelia stared in disbelief. Sophia was already slurring, yet she wanted more. With a sigh, she reached for the glass and pushed it further out of her reach. “Come on, let’s go,” she said, her voice firmer this time. Reluctantly, Sophia nodded. “Fine, but I don’t want to see him.” Amelia bit her lip, glancing around the bar. She knew who she was referring to but where else should she drop her?
The woman looked at Sophia, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.Just as she was about to respond, a speeding car screeched next to them.“Be careful,” she warned before vanishing into the darkness.The front door of the car opened and a burly man stepped out, opening the back door.Amelia, who was about to lead Sophia to her car, paused to look at the newcomer.“Could it be your husband?” she asked Sophia who was leaning on her shoulders.“Let's go. I don't wan’ to… see him.” Sophia said, urging Amelia to lead her to the car.Amelia nodded, agreeing with Sophia. Why did it take him so long to show up?Amelia was more disappointed with Alexander and she turned around without sparing the car another glance.But when they took two steps, a voice came from behind startling both women.“Sophia, sorry I'm late. I came as soon as I heard you were in danger.”Sophia froze as her mind cleared slightly, recognizing the voice.“Marcus?” she asked, turning around to confirm.Sure enough, Marcus
Suddenly, a group of men in black suits emerged from the shadows, their movements swift and deliberate.Their presence was subtle yet commanding, like a storm brewing in the distance.Before Marcus or his bodyguards could react, swift and precise strikes took them down.The air shifted, and in an instant, Marcus’s moment to shine was completely overturned.Groaning in pain, he barely had time to process what had just happened.One of the men turned to Amelia and gave a respectful nod. "Get Madam out of here."Amelia didn’t have time to register what had just happened. She simply nodded and led Sophia to the car.As she sped away, she stole one last glance in the rearview mirror. The mighty Marcus Hawthorne was brought to his knees. About time! She smiled, wishing Sophia was sober to witness the scene. If they weren't in a hurry, she would have stopped to take a picture.By the time Marcus regained his senses, Amelia’s car was long gone.He got up with the help of his bodyguards, who
Finally, Alexander decided to get some rest and wait for tomorrow to go find Sophia. But his mind wandered to his friend Michael Jordan. The Jordan family was the pioneer in cutting-edge technologies, investing in almost everything from advanced robotics to aerospace engineering. They had built a tech empire under the leadership of old master Jordan and were well respected for their strategic ventures that pushed the boundaries of invention. But for Michael, that wasn’t enough. Born into a family that thrived on technological progress, his ambition still outpaced even their expectations. From a young age, he wanted to create his own projects and not just within the confines of the family business. His projects were always bold and demanding, requiring massive capital for developments. The good thing was that he had a keen eye for projects with the potential to reshape current and future technology.He had developed cutting-edge AI systems, quantum computing, and next-gen encryp
Sophia was scrolling through her phone when it buzzed with an incoming call from her younger brother. "Hello Ethan, is Mom okay?" She asked, worried. "Hey, Soph, Mom is okay for now, but the doctor said the surgery can't be delayed any longer. What should we do?" Her brother's voice came, and she could tell how worried he was. Sophia panicked too, but still managed to compose herself. "How many days do we have to schedule for the surgery?" She asked. "We have 3 days, or Mom can't make it past that. Soph is Marcus not going to help Mom?" he asked, his voice hopeful. "I'll try to talk to him again. Don't worry Ethan, we will find a way." She comforted her brother even if she didn't know how they could raise the money. After ending the call, she stood at the massive window of Marcus’ villa, looking out over gardens so pristine and endless they looked surreal. The perfectly trimmed hedges and the sparkling marble walkway all screamed of wealth and power. But to her, it was all
Finally, Alexander decided to get some rest and wait for tomorrow to go find Sophia. But his mind wandered to his friend Michael Jordan. The Jordan family was the pioneer in cutting-edge technologies, investing in almost everything from advanced robotics to aerospace engineering. They had built a tech empire under the leadership of old master Jordan and were well respected for their strategic ventures that pushed the boundaries of invention. But for Michael, that wasn’t enough. Born into a family that thrived on technological progress, his ambition still outpaced even their expectations. From a young age, he wanted to create his own projects and not just within the confines of the family business. His projects were always bold and demanding, requiring massive capital for developments. The good thing was that he had a keen eye for projects with the potential to reshape current and future technology.He had developed cutting-edge AI systems, quantum computing, and next-gen encryp
Suddenly, a group of men in black suits emerged from the shadows, their movements swift and deliberate.Their presence was subtle yet commanding, like a storm brewing in the distance.Before Marcus or his bodyguards could react, swift and precise strikes took them down.The air shifted, and in an instant, Marcus’s moment to shine was completely overturned.Groaning in pain, he barely had time to process what had just happened.One of the men turned to Amelia and gave a respectful nod. "Get Madam out of here."Amelia didn’t have time to register what had just happened. She simply nodded and led Sophia to the car.As she sped away, she stole one last glance in the rearview mirror. The mighty Marcus Hawthorne was brought to his knees. About time! She smiled, wishing Sophia was sober to witness the scene. If they weren't in a hurry, she would have stopped to take a picture.By the time Marcus regained his senses, Amelia’s car was long gone.He got up with the help of his bodyguards, who
The woman looked at Sophia, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.Just as she was about to respond, a speeding car screeched next to them.“Be careful,” she warned before vanishing into the darkness.The front door of the car opened and a burly man stepped out, opening the back door.Amelia, who was about to lead Sophia to her car, paused to look at the newcomer.“Could it be your husband?” she asked Sophia who was leaning on her shoulders.“Let's go. I don't wan’ to… see him.” Sophia said, urging Amelia to lead her to the car.Amelia nodded, agreeing with Sophia. Why did it take him so long to show up?Amelia was more disappointed with Alexander and she turned around without sparing the car another glance.But when they took two steps, a voice came from behind startling both women.“Sophia, sorry I'm late. I came as soon as I heard you were in danger.”Sophia froze as her mind cleared slightly, recognizing the voice.“Marcus?” she asked, turning around to confirm.Sure enough, Marcus
Back at The Last Stop Bar, Sophia was still drinking, her eyes glassy and her words slightly slurred. Amelia, sitting beside her, had been trying to coax her into leaving for the past hour. “Bestie, you’ve had enough. We should leave,” she said, gently placing a hand on Sophia’s arm. Sophia blinked lazily, pushing the glass away from her lips. “No... I can take a… few more drinks… Amelia.” Amelia stared in disbelief. Sophia was already slurring, yet she wanted more. With a sigh, she reached for the glass and pushed it further out of her reach. “Come on, let’s go,” she said, her voice firmer this time. Reluctantly, Sophia nodded. “Fine, but I don’t want to see him.” Amelia bit her lip, glancing around the bar. She knew who she was referring to but where else should she drop her?
Meanwhile, in Jessica's private villa, she sat smugly, her manicured fingers resting against her cheeks as she savored the chaos she had caused.Two servants were giving her a massage and she closed her eyes to relish the moment.Her assistant had been pacing outside, waiting for permission to enter.Jessica had specifically given the order that no one should disturb her.Two hours later, she signaled for her assistant to get in.The assistant hurried in nervously.“What's it? Didn't I say I don't need you around until tomorrow?” Jessica snapped.She wanted a peaceful evening, yet this girl had been standing there for hoursIf I weren’t in such a good mood, I’d have her punished for standing outside that long.“Miss Jason, the news was pulled down.” the assistant reported cautiously.“What?” Jessica snapped, sitting up straight, her eyes turning cold.“Didn’t I tell you to use however much money you needed to make it trend until tomorrow?” She asked angrily.“We tried, Miss Jason. But
Amelia reached across the table and held her hand. There was nothing more to say.The alcohol might dull the pain for a while, but it could never truly heal her heart.She knew this had to be a misunderstanding, but where was Alexander? As Sophia's husband, shouldn't he be here to clear things up?***Back at the other end of the city, the man in question was rushing frantically through the city.After failing to locate Sophia at the office, he had driven like a madman to Sophia’s old apartment.Nothing.His chest felt like it was being crushed with every second she remained missing. He could feel the world slipping from beneath his feet.Worse still was the fact that Gerald was in the shadows and Larry might take action if he gets a perfect opportunity.In desperation, he rushed to the villa where Catherine and Ethan lived. He knocked urgently, barely containing his panic.Catherine opened the door, her face lighting up when she saw him."Alex! Come in! How are you?" she greeted war
Meanwhile, in Alexander’s Office… He had returned in a rush, still angry with Jessica.He hadn’t even spent three minutes in the hotel room. The moment he saw Jessica waiting for him, he knew something was off.She had danced around the topic of Gerald, offering no substantial information. It had been a waste of time, and he’d left almost immediately.Now, standing in his office, his assistant, Mark, rushed in, holding a tablet.“Boss, you need to see this,” Mark said, handing it over.Alexander stared at the screen, his heart dropping into his stomach.The headlines were everywhere. Photos of him and Jessica entering the hotel room together were plastered across every major news outlet.The captions were even worse, speculating about their relationship and hinting at an affair.Alexander’s grip tightened on the tablet. His jaw clenched. "Damn it!" he muttered, his pulse racing.He hadn’t done anything wrong, but the media had already made their own narrative.And now, the entire wor
“No progress so far. We’ve used up most of our resources, but still no lead,” Mark reported regretfully.“That old man is getting more cunning,” Alexander said, gritting his teeth.“What should we do, boss?” Mark asked, understanding the grimness of the matter.“Keep searching. Don't leave any stone unturned,” He ordered.Mark nodded and exited the office.Alexander was about to get back to his work when his phone vibrated from the table.He checked and saw a WhatsApp message from an unknown number."I have some information about Gerald. Meet me in room 203 at the Grand Royale Hotel. You have thirty minutes."Alexander hesitated, staring at the message.Gerald was a constant thorn in his side, and any information about him was valuable.Mark just confirmed that there was no progress despite searching for a long time.The message tempted him.Still, this could easily be a trap. His thumb hovered over the screen as he typed back:"Who are you, and why should I trust you?"The reply came
“He has confirmed I can sign on his behalf,” Sophia said.“Great! Let’s get this done,” Drake said with a triumphant grin, quickly masking it with a casual nod.He slid the papers across the desk toward her, and she scanned them carefully.Indeed the documents were about the competition. Having confirmed everything, she picked up the pen and signed her name.When she finished the last signature, Drake slid another document toward her.'Don't forget our copy for records," he added."Sophia nodded and glanced briefly at the other papers.She didn’t feel the need to scrutinize the details again. After all, Drake was Alexander’s trusted friend, and she had her husband’s blessing.With one swift motion, she signed her name again and handed the contract back to Drake.“Thank you so much, Sophia. You’ve saved us from missing a big opportunity,” Drake said, his tone genuinely appreciative.Sophia stood and smiled. “No problem. I’m glad I could help.”“Nice. And I wish you all the best in that