Jason had just entered Adrian’s office after the latter left a message on his phone. It seemed that it was urgent and Jason vaguely wondered what was going on. Weeks had passed by since the last test and he had hoped that the results would be normal but there had been silence from Adrian’s end. Now, he suddenly texted Jason to meet him which struck him as strange.
Adrian was grimly looking at the test reports on his computer, worried about them. He had even talked to a heart surgeon and even he said that it was unusual. For more accurate results, Adrian compared the results with Alya’s previous tests and to his shock, the reports still show that Alya and Jason have the same heart rates. It was almost as if their hearts were in a sync which made no sense.
He looked up when Jason entered the room.
Cain got out of the car and took off his sunglasses to inspect the dilapidated building in front of him. Monty had given him the address to the orphanage which Barbara ran and he arrived here under the pretext of an important meeting.The building was three storeyed and greying in parts. It looked as if it was centuries old with decaying walls and a stench of fungus was lingering in the air. Some of the children were playing in the yard. They wore second hand clothes, some too big for them while others wore clothes too small for them. Most of them were malnutritioned and too skinny for their age.Cain slowly made his way through the front gate where one of the staff members came to greet him.“Hello sir,” a stout man in his early twenties greeted him. &ldqu
“If we invest at least a million dollars then our projected revenue would double by the end of the month,” one of the presenters was saying at the meeting but Jason was not paying any attention. His mind was still on what Adrian had told him about Alya’s condition and how their hearts were literally linked.“...And it’ll be beneficial if we go for option B…”The same rhythm and heart rates. But how? Jason wondered. Was this even possible?“Sir?”Jason was startled when David whispered at him. Everyone was waiting for him to say something and Jason realized that he had phased out.“I’ll make
“Give us a good pose Lucas!” the photographer exclaimed. Lucas changed his pose by crossing his feet and leaning back on the couch he was sitting on. They were inside a studio where the setup of a living room was prepared for the photoshoot. Alya was staring at the neat little set which had been built for them.The living room setup was made of mahogany furniture coupled with colorful pillows and chaises. Lucas was sitting on a long sofa wearing a navy colored tuxedo with a green vest. His blonde hair was brushed back with one strand neatly falling on a corner of his eye. The bright light of the spotlights fell on his charming face, illuminating it while he posed for the cameras like a pro.“He looks really good!” Alya complimented. “Those clothes suit him well.”
For the rest of the day, Jason was in a very bad mood. He was avoiding Alya who wanted to talk to him. Alya was slightly hurt by his behavior. She had no idea why he was acting like that and was saddened over the prospect of losing him.“We’re done for today!” the photographer declared. “Let’s all pack up!”Alya was relieved and so was Lucas. He slowly approached her, noticing the tension between Jason and Alya. Inwardly, he was glad that Jason was finally showing his true colors to Alya but he was also guilty for creating the misunderstanding. Still, he knew that Jason Cho was going to hurt this girl just like he had dumped all his exes.To Lucas, Alya was a special person. He saw how kind and generous she was. A man like Jason Cho
For the next few days, Alya and Jason avoided each other as much as they could. Alya engrossed herself in the preparation for the fashion show which was going to be held within one day while Jason was busy with investors. He did not even ask Alexandra about how Alya was doing nor did Alya look at his way.She was still working closely with Lucas, maintaining her friendliness with him. Lucas was also working well with her, happy that she was now paying attention to him. He was smitten by her which was obvious to even his manager but Alya did not seem to have noticed.“You like her,” Paul said when Lucas came to sit with him. They were at the Cray Hotel, rehearsing for the fashion show. The stage had been set and a long runway had been installed on which the models were going to walk on. Lucas was the showstopper while Alya
The music was booming loudly around Jason as he mindlessly fiddled with his glass of wine. It was unusually crowded at the bar that night. Several patrons were dancing on the stage, wildly swaying with the tunes of the DJ’s songs. Lights shone all around him in colorful shades while the bartender was making another glass of Vodka on the Rocks for Jason.“Tough night, sir?” the bartender asked. Jason was a regular at the club so the bartender knew him well.“Name one day when it’s not tough,” he muttered. The bartender sighed and put the glass in front of him.“Enjoy your drink, sir,” the bartender said politely.“Make me one too,” a familiar voice cam
The large hall room at the Cray Hotel was filled with people that night. Colorful lights danced all around the guests while loud music boomed through the speakers. The guests were from the creme-de-la-creme of the society. Various celebrities and stylists graced the largest fashion event of the year, posing for the cameras which flashed wildly at them. Several reporters crowded the place, clicking pictures of the popular fashionistas while the social media went wild.Slight fog was engulfing the area from the ground, adding a mystical touch to the program. A long runway had been installed in the middle. It was made of pure glass with neon lights flashing on the route which the models will walk on. The blue colored velvet covering the ceiling added allure to the whole setup and bright spotlights illuminated the stage. A gigantic lotus was placed at the end of the stage which sparked pink and y
Jason and Stephenie were pretending to smile for the cameras, hiding their worried expression. Stephenie shared some throubling information with him about Lowell and he was not pleased by it at all.“A lab?” he muttered, posing for a picture with her. They were sitting in the front row, watching the show.“Lowell Kim had begun to work for a secret facility,” Stephenie muttered back. “He’s been working as a hitman for the owner. The private investigator I hired looked for him for months and finally, he was seen lurking outside a private property. Upon investigating, he saw a few scientists entering that place.”“Do you have a list of the employees who work there?” Jason asked.
*Three Years Later*Jason was pacing back and forth outside the operation theater. His heart was anxious but thankfully, it was not in pain like the other times. However, it was extremely cold thanks to what was going on inside.“Relax uncle!”He looked around to see a spunky eleven year old girl with long, curly hair and the same blue eyes as him. Alina had a growth spurt over the past three years. She was now almost reaching his shoulder.“Aunt Alya will be fine!” she told him. “If you get too anxious, she’ll only panic.”“I can’t help it!” he scowled. “And kids shouldn’t be here! Why aren’t you at school?”
The sun was shining brightly in the sky. Its lights fell on the series of tombstones in the graveyard. Colorful flowers were blooming all around the family which was standing next to a pair of graves with a shared tombstone. Despite the nice weather, the family was solemn as they paid their respects. The tombstone had a writing on it:“Here lies Sheila and Charles Wang. Loving parents and good people. Date 19XX to 20XX”Max dabbed his eyes, lamenting the loss of his granddaughter and her husband. Cain and Jason told him that they died in a car crash and also revealed that Alina is Sheila’s daughter who was being taken care of by her uncle and his fiance. Jason and Cain stood on his sides with their lovers. Alina was kneeling in front of her parents’ graves, silently crying.“I miss you
Alina woke up in the hospital. She was heavily sedated; Jenna’s beating had caused her arm to be fractured.“Alya...sis…” she mumbled.“I’m here.”The girl’s eyes flung open and she was delighted to see that Alya was there with her.“You’re here…” she whispered, reaching out for Alya. Alya smiled and took her hand.“I am. You should rest.”“How long have I been here?”“Almost two weeks,” Alya said. “You were badly hurt by Jenna.”“But...Aunt Jenna
Jason and Cain sped towards the factory. Cain was on the phone with his men, giving them instructions.“My men just informed me that Heath Seo was spotted outside that factory we’re heading to,” Cain told him. “How did you know he’d be there?”“I just do,” Jason muttered. Cain was suspicious but he did not ask anything else. He had filled in Jason about what happened at the Tang mansion that morning and even though Jason was tense, he was also worried about Maxwell.“Looks like grandfather took this well,” he muttered.“Well, he never really liked my mother in the first place so he wasn’t too sad seeing her leave,” Cain remarked. They were now about to leave the main city but the factory was st
Jason pulled up in front of a restaurant when he suddenly felt the familiar sensation in his heart.“Agh!” he winced when his chest became cold. He was gasping for breath and closed his eyes to lay his head on the steering wheel.“What the hell?” he muttered. “Why is that sensation happening again?”He touched his heart and it was colder than the earlier attacks. Jason was sure that it was a warning sign and that Alya was in immense danger. Flashes of her running through the rain were popping in his head.“Why is she outside?” he whispered. He was so engrossed in his pain that he did not notice a familiar Maybach pulling up behind his car. There was a knock on his window and to his surprise, it was Cain.
*Few Hours Ago*Monty arrived at the place where Jenna called him. It was a narrow alley located within an industrial area where several factories were meshed together. The buildings were in a series of rows, put side by side. A small dockyard was situated at the end of the place where a few ships were anchored.The workers had gone home for the day because the sun was setting. The gloomy clouds hovered in the sky, indicating that it was going to rain that night. Monty looked around for Jenna and finally spotted her standing a few meters away. He slowly walked towards her.“You called for me?” he asked.Jenna was wearing a pair of large sunglasses and she took them off to examine him.“Did you fi
Malorie quietly followed Cain to the patio and waited for him to talk. He was quiet for a while before turning to face her.“You should have told me about this,” he began. “That my mom was threatening you. We could have worked something out.”“I wanted to find our child first,” she replied in a small tone. “If I had told you, she might have gotten alerted and killed Billy. I couldn’t take the risk.”Cain stared at her for a while before sighing. “We’re both idiots,” he muttered. “We talk about being on our own but in the end, we let my parents manipulate us…”Malorie was staring at her fingers, unable to understand what to do. So many things had happened and it was going too fast.
Dahlia was hosting her regular afternoon tea with the socialites at her home. As a tradition, she hosted these gatherings every week with the elite class women so that she could increase her network and influence. Despite the setback with the wedding, she was now more determined to match Cain up with someone even more influential than Jenna.“Mrs. Wang, I hear that your daughter Catherine is coming back to town!” Dahlia was saying. They were sitting in the living room, sipping tea and having cakes. Butler Austin put the trays of food in front of them and stood aside.“She is,” Mrs. Wang replied. “For a business deal.”“I hear that she is now a very renowned interior decorator,” Dahlia remarked. “Maybe we should have her over for dinner sometime next week? I&rsquo
Malroie was watching the news, filled with dread. Over the past week, there was nothing other than James Park’s sudden death which had caused the business world to go into a frenzy. The stocks of his company fell and it was acquired by the notorious research firm owner, Heath Seo. Jenna took over the business and the Tang’s were in great debt. If there was no additional investment, the Tang’s were going to be ruined.The reporters were crowding outside Cain’s office. They hounded him as soon as he was out.“Mr. Cain, what’s your next strategy to pull this business together?” the reporters demande.d “Can you save the company?”“Is it true that your wedding to Jenna Park has been called off?”“Can you