Chapter Two

Jonathan Leo stayed silent while he endured thirty minutes of scolding from his mother, Lilly Leo.

She was very pissed on the other end of the phone, and she did not try to hide it.

"How could you fail to set your brother up with the girl we had arranged for him?" Lilly fumed. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to drug your brother? We finally got him, and you ruined it by not putting our girl in that room. We might never get this chance again."

"Calm down, Maa," Jonathan said, trying to diffuse the situation. "I'll think of something."

"You'd better," Lilly snapped. "Find the girl he was with, give her an offer she can't refuse, and make her talk to the media. She needs to tell them she was raped. That's the only way we can get the shareholders to want to remove him as the company's CEO. They won't want something like that to spoil or be associated with the company's image. That's the only way you can be in charge,"

"Do I have to be in charge?" Jonathan said before he could stop himself. That was his inner thought, not meant for his mother's ears.

"What do you mean by that?" Lilly angrily asked, her rage palpable even through the phone.

"Nothing, Maa," Jonathan said quickly.

"You had better not mean that. Everything I do is for you."

"I didn't mean it, Maa." But all he heard was a beep, indicating that his mother had ended the call.

Jonathan actually meant it. He did not need to be the company's CEO; he was already a famous superstar. He loved the life he had. He loved being an actor, and most of all, he loved the girls that came with fame. He did not want the company. The company rightfully belonged to his brother, Ethan. His mother, the former heiress to the Leo empire, had married Jonathan's father, who then took up the Leo name to be allowed to run the company. Unfortunately, Ethan's mother died of cancer when he was four years old, and according to their father, that was when Ethan became the cold-hearted person he was now.

When Ethan was six years old, he had taken his favorite pet rabbit, stabbed it in the heart, and gouged the heart out of its body with his own hands. To this day, nobody knew what had changed him. Everyone feared and hated him—everyone except Jonathan and their sister, Leah. They loved their big brother. Jonathan still did. His mother married Ethan's father a year after his first wife's death because he needed a family for Ethan. Still, he was mostly at work taking care of the Leo empire. Jonathan remembered when he was four, and Ethan was nine, he wanted to play with his big brother. However, Ethan shoved him to the ground and told him they were not a family and that he was not a Leo. Jonathan remembered crying himself to sleep. He had often yearned for his brother's attention, but Ethan seemed to love the company—and Leah—more than anything.

Jonathan thought that if Ethan loved the company so much, he would take it away from him. Maybe then, Ethan would give him the brotherly love and attention he had yearned for all his life.

Noticing that the gin in his glass was almost finished, Jonathan signaled the barman to fill up his glass. He was at the chic bar of one of his family's clubhouses. They had VIP lounges open 24 hours daily, a boutique, restaurant, chic bar, and a nightclub that ran from night into the following day. The inside of the trendy bar was dimly lit and bathed in a warm, golden glow, courtesy of strategically placed pendant lights and elegant wall sconces. The walls were adorned with deep burgundy velvet panels, contrasting beautifully with the polished dark oak floors. Plush, velvet-upholstered armchairs, and low, marble-topped tables were arranged to create intimate seating areas perfect for quiet conversations or relaxed lounging.

The lounge's centerpiece was the bar itself, a long, sweeping structure of polished brass and black marble. Behind it, shelves lined with an impressive array of premium spirits and rare liqueurs stretched up to the high ceiling, illuminated by soft backlighting that highlighted the bottles' vibrant colors. The bartenders, dressed in crisp white shirts and black waistcoats, moved with practiced ease, crafting bespoke cocktails with flair and precision.

Music, a curated blend of smooth jazz and modern chill-out tracks, filled the air, creating a relaxed yet refined atmosphere. The lounge was frequented by a discerning crowd—a mix of well-heeled locals and stylish visitors, all drawn by the bar's reputation for exceptional service and a sophisticated ambiance. But it was still early in the day, and only a few people were in the bar.

Jonathan noticed two men sitting just across from him. One was of average height and stocky, while the other was slim and tall. He could tell from their faces that they were livid and upset, which surprisingly piqued his curiosity.

"He really is the living king of hell," the stocky one said, clearly livid.

Living king of hell? Jonathan knew only one person got called that: his big brother. He leaned forward towards the men to hear them better.

"He bankrupted our company because we dared to hit on his half-sister," the slim guy complained.

Jonathan stiffened at the mention of his sister. These bastards dared to move close to his sister.

He was immediately angry.

"I mean, why is he being stingy with her? He's just a miserable soul. That's why his life is miserable," the stocky one exclaimed.

"He is nothing but an abandoned child who will never get love. I am sure even his family hates him," the slim one replied.

Jonathan could not stand them slandering his brother. In anger, he got up and ran straight to the tall one, turned him around, and punched him in the face, leaving the two men shocked.

"Keep my brother's name out of your mouth," Jonathan barked angrily.

"Oh, you do look like him," one said.

He, indeed, did look like his big brother. The difference was that Jonathan was not as tall as his brother and did not have blue eyes. Apart from that, they could pass as twins.

"Since you're here, we'll use you to vent our anger."

Before Jonathan knew what was happening, they pounced on him.