The final results of the game were very straightforward…Renly was the biggest winner that day. Aside from winning Connor’s 75 million dollars, he even won a side bet against the same person, who insisted on getting back at Renly for beating him. As a result, after wiring all the money to Renly, Connor had lost a total of 225 million dollars.Meanwhile, Javier had lost a total of 9 million dollars. There were six rounds altogether, and Javier had folded in every single round. The ante for each round was 1.5 million dollars, which constituted the 9 million dollars he had lost. Connor might have lost the game, but he was still smiling away, not feeling ashamed or frustrated because he had lost that money.However, when he looked at Javier, he wagged his finger. “I feel most frustrated that I’ve been put together with a man who doesn’t have any fight in him at all. You aren’t a good opponent for me, nor are you even worthy of being my opponent. “Renly’s the only one who might be my
The explosions lasted for little more than 10 minutes before everything went silent. Throughout this entire time, nobody had seen who their attacker was, so unless they were experts, they would not be able to tell whether this had been done by a battleship or a fighter jet. After pushing aside a large slab of rock, Javier, Jade, and Maya stood up with soot covering their faces.They were also able to clearly see how bad Maya’s injuries were. She had just a minor flesh wound, so she was going to be alright. Javier hurriedly looked at Jade, who was thankfully safe. Only then was Javier able to relax.The area where the lunch banquet had been held had not been bombed, which meant that neither Zephiel nor Angelina were injured.Hence, nobody related to Javier had been injured during the attack, which was the best-case scenario considering everything that had happened.The island was now in a miserable state. The conference hall had been attacked very hard, leaving nothing but destr
The attack on the Whites’ island that day made all the major families realize just how insane and powerful the Raiders were. They really were insane because they had even tried to kill off all the major families in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, everyone inside the bunker’s conference room was utterly furious.This was something that had never happened before throughout the history of these major families, so this was literally a challenge launched against them all! Sitting on the host’s seat, Piers began speaking. “Now that you’ve all witnessed how sinister the Raiders are, I hope we’ll all be able to share any information we have regarding them. We must hold nothing back and team up to eliminate them as quickly as possible!”Thomas Andrew immediately agreed with what Piers had said. “Yes, we must never allow such arrogant people to challenge our position! I’m willing to contribute all the information we have on them first.”After saying that, Thomas gave Connor a signal, and he
Everyone present at the meeting agreed that they would all work together, share whatever information they had, and focus on defeating the Raiders.After all, they were not going to allow anyone who dared to strike against them to remain alive in the world.After the meeting ended, Piers did not keep everyone around any longer. After all, the island was almost in ruins and was no longer suitable to accommodate guests. Because the runway and the planes had been destroyed, the Whites arranged for a large ship to take them to the nearest pier before they could board another flight.Javier was ready to leave with Zephiel, but Maya grabbed his arm.“We’re best friends! You can’t leave! Jade and I are best friends too. We’re all best friends.”This was the first time Javier felt her voluptuous chest on his arm, which sent Javier down an uncontrollable spiral.However, he did not actually grab that opportunity to take advantage of her because of her mental state…Meanwhile, Renly walk
Javier fondled her, sating his hunger with the warmth of that body. It was at that moment that the room was suddenly lit up.He instinctively turned to the source of the light and froze.A bathrobe-clad Jade was standing by the bathroom door.But if Jade was standing over there…Then who the hell was wearing Jade’s nightgown and lying right here?!He turned back to the bed, feeling taken aback.M-Maya White? No, a flustered Maya White with her hands all over her cheeks! It was palpable how beet-red the young woman’s erstwhile, fair neck had turned!Javier panicked. “Oh my god! How the hell did you get here?”His panic was not unfounded. He had been enjoying himself because he had thought it was Jade. But now that the lights were on, he realized he had been fondling Maya this whole time. It would have not been a problem at all, except Jade had turned on the light.In other words, Javier had walked into Jade’s room and felt another woman up right in front of her face. This could
Fortunately, despite any suspicions Renly might have, he did not act on them. Javier and Jade boarded safely, and the plane took off. As it soared into the clouds, far from the ground, Jade murmured, “If May-May ever recovered from her intellectual regression, I…don’t think I would know how to face her again!”Javier, though, thought his anxiety was overblown. By the time Maya recovered, all they’d need to do was make their little game an actual “sport”—Of course, of course! That was the kind of thing a man could think about and dream about doing in the future but was definitely not meant to say it aloud right now. So, Javier sealed his lips, ensuring that he was not going to join this conversation.Thankfully, Jade herself found the topic too awkward to continue, so she abandoned it.The plane they were boarding was the Whites’ modest private jet, so it was unauthorized to fly internationally. Since the Kerseys’ large private jet had been destroyed in the explosion, the two had t
The surveillance camera in the cabin, along with the other passengers’ smartphones, had saved a digital record of Benedict’s harassment. It was natural that he’d end up being removed from the plane, first by the steward and then by the airport police.His punishment was probably going to be light. Good, cooperative behavior could earn him a reprimand and little else. Even if he continued to be violent, the worst he could suffer was probably detainment. Nonetheless, one thing was certain: Benedict was not going back into the plane. His ticket had gone to waste.Javier watched Benedict get hauled away with schadenfreude. For a man in his forties, his opponent had been ridiculously easy to trigger—almost as if he had the meltdown point of a ten-year-old. One had to wonder if age really conferred wisdom!And to think he was the same guy who had claimed he could make Javier crawl out of the airport. Ha! Fat chance!No longer sparing that man a thought, Javier turned to Jade and said, “I
When it came to Jade, Javier was the least suspicious. She would never do anything that could hurt him.He fixed a piercing stare on Herschel’s eyes, his gaze strong enough to rattle the man.“Look, Boss, I don’t mean this is a scandal, okay? I’m just telling it as it is. We don’t know what they talked about or who that guy is. My underling’s still investigating him.” He defended himself. “But one thing’s for sure—it ain’t a normal client.”Jade would never be unfaithful to him. And yet, Herschel would never make up a lie either.Interesting. Very interesting, indeed. Who could this secret man be, then?Sam’s car appeared, stopping Herschel from dwelling on the subject. He made up an excuse about needing to park their SUV and left.Javier flicked some ashes off the burning end of his cigarette and feigned nonchalance while studying Sam, who was getting out of his car. “What’s the matter now? Got another reason to talk to me?”Sam stammered with a copious amount of ums and ahs, a
As Bernadetta launched a barrage of kicks against the restaurant door, Mrs. Greene summoned 120% of her strength, holding the fort. The older woman had made a living terrorizing others with absurd accusations and downright unreasonable demands, but this time, she had met her match. Bernadetta James put the “man” in the word “woman”—in that she resorted to violence as soon as things escalated. In the end, it took both Mrs. Greene’s apology and a deal to provide Javier and Bernadetta with three days’ meals, all free of charge, to make the young woman stop. Then—“because I actually have a weakness against people sincerely appealing to my better angels,” according to Bernadetta—she amended the peace offer, changing the three days’ free meals to…a week’s worth. Back in the inn, Javier expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Bernadetta for rescuing him. “I can’t thank you enough for standing by my side when I needed it the most, Bern. But I can thank you a bit more if you refrain from using t
Mrs. Greene opened her flap and unlocked the floodgate, the spit during her tirade so profusive that she could water an old lady’s lawn. “It’s him, officers! It’s all him! He did this to his own camera just to remove himself as a suspect, but we know better than that! He’s the guy who stole my goddamn lingerie!”She turned and trained her finger on Javier. “You vile, disgusting, degenerate piece of sh*t! Ptooey!”‘Back at you! I'd rather spend the night with my left hand than with you!’ By this point in the morning, Bernadetta had arrived at work. Her heels clicked onto the floor as she sauntered toward the commotion. As soon as she heard what had transpired, she laughed, looking clearly amused. She trained her perfectly manicured finger on Javier and piled on. “Oh, it was him. I can testify to that! He stole Mrs. Greene’s bra because he is…the Lingerie Phantom Thief! By day, he is Javier Kersey. At night, he is Jo Ker, the Bra Stealer!” Javier threw his arms up in exasperation
Javier shook his head. By the time his vision was back to normal, the dog was gone. It had escaped! “What kind of hell spawned this little sh*t?!” Javier wondered to himself aloud. “Was this really an effect of the world changing? Is this an example of mutation because of the Storm? Or is there something else at play?”Baffled and unsure what to think, Javier returned to the dorm and told the residents to open the door. Inside, he found Florence huddling the frightened kids closely. She was white from fear, and yet in the presence of vulnerable kids, she had assumed the role of the protector without a second thought. “Hush, it’s alright! It was fake. Someone pulled a terrible prank and put on this white sheet and…” Javier made up a fib to explain the haunting away exactly because the truth could land him in a mental institution. No one would believe him—and for good reason too!Javier drove Florence back to the Yuzuian restaurant, where the latter’s electric scooter was. While
A resentful wail—interspersed only by sobs that sounded more like someone was being strangled—was echoing in the middle of the night while Javier and Florence could not see even a single soul out there? Animated by the power of “hell, naw!”, Florence dove into Javier’s arms for protection. Her hands were clasped firmly on either side of her head, hoping to block out the ghastly demand in her ears. Her eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that even a crowbar could not pry them open.Javier himself was just as terrified. He would have felt better if he could see the source of the voice rather than just hear a woman sobbing about getting her head back. At least he would know what he was up against! But just hearing it without any visuals at all?! Nooooope!Then, Florence hugged him in a “help-me!” sort of way. She was soft and supple—damn, that sexy figure in combination with her silky-smooth skin sure was welcoming. She was warm, and damn did she smell good! Nothing competed with fea
The dog barked in protest as it pointed its paw at Javier with the intensity of a mob before executing a monarch. The flames in its eyes were so bright that they could incinerate Javier into ashes in milliseconds. In the end, though, all that protest was for naught. Constance tied it up in the parking garage, while Javier watched in glee. Ah, sweet, sweet revenge! The stupid dog had thought it could set him up, had it? That would teach it!The look the Pomeranian shot him almost felt like a threat: ‘Just you f*cking wait, hooman!’‘Wait for what? How much can a stupid b*tch like you do to me?’ Javier scoffed in his mind. Now that the four-legged pest was gone, Javier turned back to Constance and talked about the new orphanage. As it turned out, despite the old woman’s sentiments for the building she had founded, she was a lot less obstinate and unreasonable as she might appear. “I mean, I don’t object to it completely. I know the new place is gonna be better, but…” She faltered a
Florence called half an hour later to tell him where they’d be having dinner. After leaving the inn in Bernadetta’s care, he hurried to the venue. Florence had picked a newly-opened Yuzuian restaurant. Javier had never liked Yuzuian restaurants, but since Florence had invited him, courtesy stopped him from asking the woman to change their meeting venue. He found Florence quickly enough and sat across from her. They placed their orders, and Javier began his performance: He started sighing and doing his best to look forlorn. It intrigued Florence enough to ask what was wrong, and Javier told her about his unfortunate beef with Constance that day.“It’s so unfair, man! Why would I bully a dog for no reason?” he moaned. “I’m sure Aunt Constance misunderstood. You’re a knightly, heroic, kind man! How could someone like you possibly get off on hurting a dog? I’m sure Aunt Constance was just too worried about the dog’s welfare to think things through. She didn’t mean it. I can vouch for
Herschel was dressed quite sharply today. It was the full ensemble—black leather shoes, black slacks, a white collar, and last but not least, the good old oil-slicked hair. The typical look of a high-ranking office worker, just as Javier had requested. Ordering him to get in his car, Javier asked, “You brought all the stuff I told you to?”“Yo, I would never forget the stuff my boss told me to bring. I’ve got all the preparations down pat. You can check ‘em if you don’t trust me,” Herschel replied. He fished an ID and some documents out of his leather bag. “See? All the documentation a journalist in the most important room of a news agency would have.”After a round-check and some instructions, Javier sent Herschel on his way to complete his mission. The man was strangely reluctant, though. “Boss, you told me you decided to work in that inn, right? Does that mean, you know, that you’re gonna call me ‘boss’ while you’re there?”Javier had almost forgotten he had mentioned this. It
Javier’s suspicion turned to Constance Hellman’s white Pomeranian. He turned to the director’s office and met the dog’s eyes. With its paws on the windowsill, it hoisted itself up to look out of the window. Seeing the dog cracking a lopsided grin and baring its fangs—beaming as smugly as a teacher’s pet who had managed to subdue everyone through the power of being the boss’s favorite—made it look both amusing and chilling. It would have been had the dog not caught Javier’s gaze, suddenly dropped the smile, and put on a face that seemed to be saying, ‘I’m just your average dog! Nothing to see here!’And then it feigned—yes, feigned—a yawn as its one last measure to cover up the fact that it had been laughing smugly to itself. ‘What. The. Actual. F*ck?!’ Javier thundered in his mind. ‘B*tch’s a natural actress! What’s it doing here instead of being interviewed on a talk show after becoming viral on TikTok?’In combination with Russell’s report, the incident inside the director’s of
As Javier was befuddled, Constance rushed in from outside and picked up the white Pomeranian gingerly to carefully check its injured leg.“Oh, baby, what’s the matter? Did you hurt your leg?”The white Pomeranian whined in pain and began twitching upon hearing Constance’s concerned question. This upset Constance so much that she admonished him sternly. “Mr. Kersey, I thought that you were a loving person, but I can’t help doubting your motive now.“I’m skeptical about you taking good care of the kids here when you’d even hit a cute dog!”Javier felt extremely offended. When had he hit the dog? He hurriedly explained, “Madam Hellman, I didn’t do anything!”Constance asked angrily, “You didn’t do anything? Why would it suddenly limp now and whine so pathetically? Why did it hurry over to me? Give me a reasonable explanation!”Javier was in distress as well. “How would I know? It was fine when I was carrying it just now, but it wanted to get down on the floor, so I carefully placed