“Alright trash, name your price. How much will it cost for you to get out of this family's lives, and leave Vanessa alone.”The room fell into stunned silence as Marvin flipped open the checkbook, pen hovering over it. Not only Jason, but everyone else was surprised. Marvin was ready to write a check for Jason, just so that he would leave Vanessa alone? If that didn't show what a good person Marvin was, then nothing could.“Name your price. How much, Five hundred thousand?” Marvin mocked. "Actually, judging by the way you look, you'll need more than that just to seem halfway respectable. Make it one point five million."He scribbled on the check and stretched it out toward Jason with a smirk.The room buzzed with whispers. He wrote a check for 1.5 Million, all for Vanessa? The family was even more impressed by Marvin, if he was willing to give out so much money for her, then he must really love her.“We know you're after Vanessa for her wealthy Jason, so accept this, and you'll walk
When he was in the Smith villa talking with Vanessa, Jason had received a text from Jamal White, informing him about Grayson Leung, the former artifact broker who might know where the Obsidian Dagger was hidden or have information that might be helpful in knowing the location it was. According to Jamal White, Grayson lived somewhere in the city. He had sent Jason the location to pay him a visit.After receiving the location, Jason decided to visit the place immediately. It was located in the middle of the city, and Jason had to take a taxi to get there.Arriving at the building in the late afternoon, Jason walked inside the apartment complex. He took the elevator to the last floor, where Leung's apartment was located.When he came to the apartment number, he rang the doorbell once, then waited for a few seconds. There was no answer. He rang again, but there was still no answer.Jason sighed, then leaned closer to the door to see if someone was inside the apartment or not. He heard a
Jason turned to Grayson and casually approached the bloody man. He was still tied to the chair, and gagged so he couldn't say anything, however he had a terrified look across his face as Jason approached him. Having witnessed the way this man effortlessly took down three armed men, Grayson was rightly terrified for his life. He thought Jason must be some special military person, if he was that skillful. Was he going to harm him?"Grayson Leung?" Jason asked, like he was confirming a grocery list. He reached out and removed the gag from Grayson's mouth, allowing him to breathe out. “Can you answer some questions for me, Mr Leung?” Jason asked, his voice was casual, yet it made Grayson’s skin crawl. There was something about it that made him feel even more vulnerable than when he’d been tortured.Grayson flinched, swallowing hard. The way Jason already knew his name was unsettling. He could only assume this was yet another threat, someone else looking to hurt him. “Yeah... yeah,” he r
One early morning. Jason sat at the counter, gazing into the amber liquid in his glass. He looked like a man with nowhere to be, dressed plainly and enveloped by quietness. The bar had no patrons, empty, with just him and the bartender wiping down glasses, and the faint sound of a TV playing last night’s news. His eyes drifted to the screen. The anchor was talking about market shifts, corporate deals, etcetera. A headline crawled across the bottom: Smith Royale in Financial Trouble. Jason recognized the name Smith Royale. It was a powerhouse of a company. Prestigious. Powerful. And it was owned by the Smith's, his fiancée’s family. Looking away, Jason didn't pay too much attention to the talking head on the TV and took a slow sip from his glass, enjoying the cold taste of the drink in his mouth. Just Then, a voice behind him disturbed the quiet. "You shouldn’t be here." Jason didn't turn around, instead he glanced at the reflection in the bar mirror. A man in a black coat
Jason showed no mercy to the men. Cole had ignored him, thinking he wasn't on his level, and so he had left his minions to do the job for him. And that left Jason feeling disrespected. It was clear that Cole didn't see him as a worthy opponent. He probably saw him as nothing more than a street-level punk that a few goons could handle. Did he really think Jason was some average fighter who could be taken down by lackeys? If so, he had severely miscalculated. Effortlessly defeating the lackeys was his way of sending a message to Cole. Jason walked out of the bar, leaving the unconscious guys sprawled out on the bar's floor. Walking into the city, he reached for his coat pocket and took out a piece of paper. It was a contract. But not just any contract, a marriage contract that his master had arranged a long time ago to settle an old debt. Jason had come to this city on a mission for the eclipse syndicate, sent to retrieve something important. But before he left, his master had
The lady's fingers moved to the telephone and without hesitation, she made the call. “We’ve got a problem at the front desk,” she said, scowling in annoyance. “Some lunatic is out here claiming he’s Miss Smith's fiance.” Lunatic? Jason did not appreciate being labeled that, however he let it slide for now. He didn't want to cause a scene right now, and give his future wife's staff a bad impression of him. Within seconds, someone appeared. It was the head of security, a towering man with a chest like a fortress war. Frowning, he sized Jason up, demanding, “You got an appointment? No? Then get lost.” Without moving, or showing any sign of being fazed, Jason answered, sounding a little amused, “Yeah… no. I think I’ll stay.” The security guard was already annoyed. Well of course, he would be annoyed, because it sounded like Jason was underestimating his authority as the head of security. Not having any of it, he reached for Jason’s shoulder. Surprising him, Jason caught his wri
Jason shut the door behind him, nonchalantly slipping his hands into his pockets as he met her gaze. His eyes roamed over her, not for too long, but it was enough for him to see how beautiful she was.Vanessa noticed the way his gaze swept over her, brief, but not dismissive. It wasn’t the lingering stare of a man entranced by beauty, but more like someone assessing something of value. Nonetheless, that was enough to irritate her. "I asked you a question. Who are you?" She demanded, her frown deepening. Jason took a step forward, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Jason," he said simply.Vanessa’s patience was already running out. "Jason who? And why are you in my office?”"Jason Wolfe. I suppose you could say… I’m here on personal business." Jason answered.Vanessa's eyes widened at that statement. Personal business? What business could this man possibly have with her? And dressed like that, he looked downright suspicious. She felt a cold shiver creep up her spine. Has so
Vanessa didn’t bother asking the intern who it was. Driven by curiosity, she strode toward the door and stepped into the hallway. Curious, Jason followed Vanessa and the intern outside into the hallway. Vanessa barely made it three steps before stopping abruptly. A frown formed across her face as she saw what was happening. A crowd had already formed. Employees and staff whispered among themselves, drawn to the scene unfolding before them. Standing at the center of the commotion was a group of men in suits. They formed a semi-circle, each holding a bouquet of red roses. And at the center of it all was a young man, in his mid-twenties, well-dressed, with the polished look of someone who came from a good background. Vanessa's expression turned into a bigger frown as she recognized the man, Elvis Montgomery. He was the son of a wealthy banking family. He was known for being entitled, arrogant, and persistent to the point of being insufferable. Unfortunately he is incapable of r
Jason turned to Grayson and casually approached the bloody man. He was still tied to the chair, and gagged so he couldn't say anything, however he had a terrified look across his face as Jason approached him. Having witnessed the way this man effortlessly took down three armed men, Grayson was rightly terrified for his life. He thought Jason must be some special military person, if he was that skillful. Was he going to harm him?"Grayson Leung?" Jason asked, like he was confirming a grocery list. He reached out and removed the gag from Grayson's mouth, allowing him to breathe out. “Can you answer some questions for me, Mr Leung?” Jason asked, his voice was casual, yet it made Grayson’s skin crawl. There was something about it that made him feel even more vulnerable than when he’d been tortured.Grayson flinched, swallowing hard. The way Jason already knew his name was unsettling. He could only assume this was yet another threat, someone else looking to hurt him. “Yeah... yeah,” he r
When he was in the Smith villa talking with Vanessa, Jason had received a text from Jamal White, informing him about Grayson Leung, the former artifact broker who might know where the Obsidian Dagger was hidden or have information that might be helpful in knowing the location it was. According to Jamal White, Grayson lived somewhere in the city. He had sent Jason the location to pay him a visit.After receiving the location, Jason decided to visit the place immediately. It was located in the middle of the city, and Jason had to take a taxi to get there.Arriving at the building in the late afternoon, Jason walked inside the apartment complex. He took the elevator to the last floor, where Leung's apartment was located.When he came to the apartment number, he rang the doorbell once, then waited for a few seconds. There was no answer. He rang again, but there was still no answer.Jason sighed, then leaned closer to the door to see if someone was inside the apartment or not. He heard a
“Alright trash, name your price. How much will it cost for you to get out of this family's lives, and leave Vanessa alone.”The room fell into stunned silence as Marvin flipped open the checkbook, pen hovering over it. Not only Jason, but everyone else was surprised. Marvin was ready to write a check for Jason, just so that he would leave Vanessa alone? If that didn't show what a good person Marvin was, then nothing could.“Name your price. How much, Five hundred thousand?” Marvin mocked. "Actually, judging by the way you look, you'll need more than that just to seem halfway respectable. Make it one point five million."He scribbled on the check and stretched it out toward Jason with a smirk.The room buzzed with whispers. He wrote a check for 1.5 Million, all for Vanessa? The family was even more impressed by Marvin, if he was willing to give out so much money for her, then he must really love her.“We know you're after Vanessa for her wealthy Jason, so accept this, and you'll walk
Jason stared at Marvin with a cold look.Who the hell gave this man the right to speak about him like that? Jason usually didn’t play with disrespect. He ended it quickly. In Fact no one ever dared to do that. And the few people who dared, people like Marvin ended up regretting it. But out of respect for the family he was about to marry into, Jason kept that part of himself leashed for now. Plus he couldn't imagine what they would think of him if he beat Marvin right In Front of them. Maybe he finally would get some respect? No, they probably would use that as a reason to say he was a brute who shouldn't be married to Vanessa. But he really wanted to do something bad to Marvin at the moment.And he couldn’t deny his surprise. Marvin’s words had come out of nowhere. Jason didn’t even know the man, and Marvin didn’t know him. So what made this arrogant stranger think he had the right to speak to him like that?Vanessa’s family, however, seemed to admire Marvin’s audacity. He just
Jason was taken aback. He looked at Marvin. From the looks of it, Marvin was probably in his late twenties, dressed to impress in a tailored suit that screamed money. Jason could tell, this guy was rich. Just then, Seraphina Smith’s eyes landed on the pair. Her expression was ugly with disgust the moment she looked at Jason, but when her gaze shifted to Vanessa, a smile bloomed on her face.“There she is,” Seraphina said warmly. “Vanessa, dear. Marvin is here for you, and you won’t believe what car he drove coming here.”Marvin let out a smug chuckle. “Hahaha, Madam Smith, come on now. It’s not that expensive. At least, not by my standards.”He said it with a wave of his hand, like a man brushing lint off a thousand-dollar jacket. He was humble on the surface, but every bit meant to show off. A million-dollar car, downplayed as if it were pocket change.He hoped to impress the family, especially Vanessa. Marvin had heard about how the smith family was in financial trouble and he was
Jason heard every word, and it was getting on his nerves. Who the hell did they think he was? Some mutt they could kick around and laugh at? Did they really see him as that far beneath them? They thought Jason was a poor person, and that was why they were looking down on him so much. If only they knew who he really was. As one of the Eclipse Syndicate’s top operatives, Jason had a personal net worth that would shut every mouth at that table. Infact, if he was to count everything he personally owned around the world Jason would easily rank among the top five wealthiest people in the city. Being the Syndicate’s top dog came with perks. A lot of them. Jason wanted to make it clear to them that he was not their slave, but Vanessa interrupted him. “Let's go.” He watched as she walked out of the room. At first he wanted to stay behind. However, the people here were even more annoying. The smug faces and continued whispering, while looking at him Jason decided to follow Vanessa
With a swift movement, Charlie grabbed Jason by the shoulder, pulling hard, intending to yank him out of his seat. “Get up now, me and you need to have a conversation about respect.” He wasn’t just angry. Jason had called him out in front of everyone, dragging up a past mistake no one else dared to mention. Charlie felt it like a slap to the face. And worst of all it was Jason of all people? Charlie could hardly believe how audacious this street-level thug was. Who the hell did he think he was? And now, with all eyes on him, he couldn't let it slide. But Jason didn’t budge, he remained seated, taking a bite out of a roll, like he didn't have an extremely angry and aggressive person, trying to pull him to the floor. “Hold on, I just started eating,” Jason said calmly, chewing as if Charlie wasn’t even there. Seeing Jason ignore him, made Charlie even more enraged. Gritting his teeth, he continued to pull with all his strength. But Jason might as well have been made of stone.
Everyone at the table anticipated Vanessa's response. Was she going to accept, or refuse to honor the contract? Some of them hoped Vanessa would agree, because that way, she'd be stuck with someone like Jason for a husband. ‘Serves her right,’ some thought. But most of them were waiting for her tl reject it. The family name had already taken enough hits lately, and the Smiths couldn’t afford another scandal. Bringing in someone like Jason, who looked more like a liability than an asset, would only drag their reputation further into the dirt. Vanessa took her time to answer the question. “Yes. It was Grandfather Alaric’s wish.” She said, She did not want to in all honesty, but this was already decided by her grandfather, her parents and other members of the family. So she didn't want to let Alaric down. And, truthfully, a part of her was curious. Curious if Jason could really do what he claimed and help pull Smith Royale out of the financial quicksand they were sinking in.
There was silence across the room as everyone took in Jason's appearance. "Please, don't tell me that is him?" Cassira, Lance’s youngest sister sneered with a raised brow, disbelief dripping from her voice. She watched Jason make his way across the room. "This is the man Dad promised his granddaughter to?"“Unfortunately, yes,” Seraphina replied dryly, unable to hide her irritation. She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. She was more embarrassed than annoyed at this point. And it was understandable that she was embarrassed by Jason. She was wondering what everyone was thinking of her now? After all, not long ago before she had seen the man Vanessa was promised to, she had convinced herself he was a wealthy heir. She’d even boasted to half the family that her future son-in-law was some elusive billionaire, a mysterious figure with deep pockets and powerful connections.But, how wrong was she about that? Now that she had seen him, she regretted ever opening her mouth. The