Mary Jane had always been good at reading the room. All it took her to understand the situation was Javier’s suspicion being directed at her latest guest. Few people in the company possessed the authority to circumvent her in the company’s decision-making process, and even fewer still would do something explicitly for Mary Jane’s sake, all for an unselfish reason.Javier was definitely not the one. Chad had no motives. Other higher-ups were not at all close to her that such an act would seem conceivable for them to do.Sensing both of their suspicions locking on her, Jade froze, a little perplexed. “Uh, what did I do this time? You two are looking at me like that.”“Is it just me,” Javier asked, “Or have you become even more beautiful?”Jade glared at him. “Be serious!”It would be a fool’s wish to get Javier to do that, so Mary Jane stepped in. “You’re the one who’s been helping Clark Gould, aren’t you?”Jade reeled back in realization. “Oh, so this is what it’s about? Yeah, it’
While Clark was kissing the check victoriously, Mary Jane entered and picked up a square plastic stool on the floor as she made her way toward her nephew.Just as Clack turned his head when he realized that someone was walking toward him, the stool crashed against his head with a loud crack. The square plastic stool was pretty much harmless, but the broken shards easily cut Clark’s face and made it a bloody mess.Clark was bewildered, looking at his aunt, who had swung a stool in his face so violently.Mary Jane crossed her legs as she sat on the couch and asked Clark, “Do you think your aunt’s very good? That I can rein Reivaj Group? That no one dares offend me? Not even Javier and others?“Do you think your aunt’s prowess in finance is peerless? That no one can replace me? So I can do whatever I want and even let you, my nephew, do whatever you want? That you can mock Javier right in front of his bodyguard?”Clark wanted to reply when he realized that the check he was holding ea
The Nebula Design Inc.’s reception lady was actually here at his residence. It surprised Javier. He could not wrap his head around how she had found out that he lived here.After approaching her and studying her alluring body, Javier asked, “How did you find your way here?”The reception lady answered, “Mr. Kersey, you’re famous. The chairman of Reivaj Group. It isn’t hard to find you.”Speaking of which, that was also correct. Javier’s residence had never been kept confidential. One could honestly find him easily if they wanted to. Hence, he asked again, “What do you want coming here this late at night and dressed up so sexily?”A breeze lifted the black lace on the woman and offered a peek at the temptation lying inside. She was quite a treat.She answered sultrily, “I just want you to help me, Mr. Kersey. I haven’t felt real happiness as a woman. I am troubled every time Clark forces himself on him. I don’t feel anything, and it ends.“After experiencing your greatness today,
All that should happen happened naturally, so it was two hours later by the time everything came to an end.It was with Jade’s urging that Javier left the bathroom. Once he stepped into the bedroom, he received Trevor’s call.Trevor was now the general manager of the Chinean car under Reivaj Group. He had the authority to make decisions. Why was he calling this late at night?Javier picked up his phone and a cigarette to go to answer the call and smoke on the balcony.It was not anything grave as Trevor reported all sorts of good news, like how much the sales had increased, how many 4S Shops directly under the Chinean brand were opened, the research state of the new car, the state of overseas sales, and whatnot. They all shared the similarity of soaring up high.In the end, he told Javier, “Not trying to brag, but the annual profit of our Chinean car has gone past 1.5 billion dollars!”1.5 billion dollars sounded like an astronomical figure at first. The total asset assessment of
The next morning, when Javier left his place, he got into the backseat of the car while Herschel took the wheel.“To Heisenberg Inc., I’ll take a nap while you drive there.”Herschel started the engine and drove out of the residential area, speaking. “Boss, I previously met a master living in seclusion, and he taught me how to read faces. It’s magical. I read your face just now. Do you want to know?”“No,” Javier answered.Herschel made an “oh” and continued to say, “Don’t hide your desire. You want it, I know.“From my observation, you’re pale, your steps are floaty, and your eyes are dazed. I think a siren sucked all your energy and for the entire night too, nearly devouring you clean. I think it’s time you replenish some nourishment.“I’ll get some good proteins for you later and some powerful tonic and stuff. You shouldn’t have staple meals recently. Just take these nourishments and recover your energy. You—”“F*ck off!”Herschel was one to talk. Who knew how he had so much
A chivalric knight would sacrifice for what was worth his loyalty. The medieval ancestors had figured that out a long time ago. That reflected in Trevor and Javier’s current situation.Of course, there was a premise—the knight was worth being recognized for his prowess and honor.Obviously, Trevor was the knight worthy of that, so Javier was willing to bestow him the power unconditionally. The absolute and unreserved support filled Trevor with fervent motivation.Nevertheless, such motivation was different from Javier’s motivation when he saw Quinna.She wore a white batwing-sleeved blouse with black patterns, white high-waist pants, and lavish but elegant high heels—each step Quinna took exuded an incomparable charm that was bound to entice. Her pretty face, especially, captivated in a glance that one’s soul could simply be pulled away.Javier watched Quinna, who came to them, sat down with his elbows on the table, and kept staring with a side-eye.“Quinna, kitty, why do I feel
Javier felt wronged. What did he do to have bullied Quinna? It was Quinna who wanted him to be bullied, and he fought back, only for the woman to claim that she was the one bullied.It did not even make sense. It was as absurd as the decorative tree at the hotel’s entrance that had rainbow-colored leaves.Nevertheless, Javier opened up for Quinna ultimately. They were partners, so he gave a 40% discount. Slashing 11 million dollars, he charged only 7 million dollars and forwent the 4 million dollars. It was a patent fee anyway. If Heisenberg Inc. did not invent any new car, Javier would not earn anything from them.In this way, both parties took a step back. No one was suffering a loss, and both of them managed to make it a win-win situation.Quinna wore a smile then.When Trevor got up to answer a call outside, Javier asked her, “Quinna, I’ve already opened up the way for you. Should you do the same for me too?”Quinna paused for a moment, not quite understanding what Javier mea
After successfully driving a bunch of kids away, Javier, Trevor, and Quinna ordered another bottle of wine and resumed their meal. They were not at all bothered by the young man’s threat earlier.Despite being mediocre, the young man kept his promise. When dinner was about to end, four speeding cars came to an abrupt stop in front of the hotel. A man in his thirties then got out of the imported Land Rover that was the first car in front.According to the police’s reminder, the most basic characteristics of a thug were a crew cut, big gold chains, and tattoos. Not that one was certainly a thug by fulfilling these three descriptions, but most low-ranked thugs were dressed like this. Even if those were not pure gold chains, they were keeping up their appearances if it meant they had to wear ones made from copper.That was how the man who got out of the Land Rover looked. He had a lofty pace and swung gold chains in front of him as if he was wearing a rosary while over a dozen underli
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