When John Odell, the chairman of Odello Corp, was first attacked by his illness, he had lost consciousness after being hospitalized. Therefore, Matthew had endorsed himself as the vice general manager of the company, wanting to take charge on the basis that he wanted to “ensure that the company’s operations remained stable.” The people who had agreed to this motion of his were of course the elders of the company, with Victor as their leader. Thus, they had “absolute control” over this temporary person in charge. Both Matthew and Neve immediately realized that something was wrong when they heard the dangerous words Victor had just said. However, both father and daughter still held out some hope that Victor would not make that choice. Matthew believed he was definitely going to be the chairman in the future, so Victor and the other elders would not gain anything if they were too hostile to Matthew. However, the reality of the situation exceeded his expectations, as Victor v
John Odell had disappeared, leaving behind a letter he had personally written, which was also a will. In it, he stated that he was about to leave the world, so he was not going to interfere with any superficial matters. Instead, he would like to travel to his ancestor’s hometown and enjoy the beautiful scenery. He wanted to be buried there, so his family did not have to search for him. Although the will specifically mention that he did not want to be found, the Odells still used their connections to try searching for Mr. John to no avail. Meanwhile, John Odell’s disappearance was also a huge blow for Odello Corp. Victor, who was the leader of the five-man group, now held the most power in his hands. Meanwhile, Matthew, whose power had been stripped away by Victor, could no longer be bothered with the battle against Jade. All he wanted to do at the moment was regain the authority Victor held. Thus, the internal management of Odello Corp. underwent a huge change battle-wise, turn
Zayn was sitting in the host’s chair inside a restaurant’s private room that afternoon, while Matthew and Neve were sitting next to him. Zayn made a suggestion. “As Mr. John’s biological granddaughter, Jade should have the right to inherit his shares if his death is confirmed. Therefore, we must coerce her into joining us and being our ally.“On top of that, she’s a member of the Odell family as well, and now’s the time for your family to work in harmony together to overthrow Victor. This way, you’ll be able to take control of Odello Corp. the moment Victor gets eliminated. Meanwhile, I’ll get to marry Jade, so it’s a win-win situation.”Matthew thought that Zayn’s suggestion was a perfectly sound one and immediately promised Zayn that he would do his best to gain Jade’s favor and make her one of their allies. While they were having this discussion, Matthew received a call from his secretary, who told him that the company had called an emergency meeting that afternoon. “F*ck th
Javier met up with Odello Corp.’s “most loyal servant” in Victor’s office. “There are rumors being spread outside that you’re Jade’s close confidant and you’re both living under the same roof. Is that true?”Javier merely looked at Victor silently upon being questioned, wanting to see what Victor was playing at. However, Victor obviously did not need Javier to answer. He went on to say, “Don’t worry, I’ve never been one to look into someone’s family background. What I’m more concerned about is how capable they are and how ambitious. The way I see it, you’re not too bad yourself…”After saying that, Victor once again expressed his dissatisfaction with Zayn and how much he admired Javier. “I’ve been watching Jade grow up since she was a child as the previous chairman’s old partner, so I look at her as my own granddaughter. I would never allow her to be with Zayn Dunham, who’s obviously a wolf disguised in sheep’s clothing. I hope that her future companion is a young man as decent
Javier had already expected long ago that Zayn would go after Jade’s 26% share, so he was not going to allow Jade to leave empty-handed. On top of that, this would make Zayn break character, which was why he had been waiting for this event to begin for a very long time. When Jade saw Zayn’s flattering expression, she could not help but want to vomit. However, before she could even reject his offer, Zayn had already snapped his fingers at the person in charge of the exhibition. The man rushed over to Zayn’s side and flatteringly said, “How may I assist you, Mr. Dunham?”“The yellow diamond necklace that Kate Winslet wore in the past looks pretty nice. Bring it over for me!”Perhaps afraid that the surrounding crowd did not know how valuable the necklace was, Zayn deliberately added, “I’m talking about the necklace that’s worth 1.7 million dollars.”The person in charge nodded his head and walked away, very quickly returning with a beautiful model on a tray. It was undeniabl
”Oh wow, he bought a necklace for almost 8 million dollars. He’s so rich!”“And I thought Mr. Dunham was rich. He’s nothing compared to this guy though!”“Hey, does anybody know this guy? Introduce him to me, pretty please? I don’t have a boyfriend yet…”The voices that had originally been filled with admiration and envy for Zayn were now directed at Javier. Unfortunately, Zayn heard them loud and clear as well. He felt incredibly put off as if he had just swallowed a fly.There were a few others who were looking at him with a smile. While they did not say anything, the implication was clear.‘Didn’t you want to become a server? Go on. He’s bought a better necklace. Go on then, fulfill your promise!’The sight of Javier grinning ignited Zayn’s fury. He wanted to slap the grin off Javier’s face and storm away, but that would not be plausible as someone had already recognized him as the Dunham heir. If he backed out of his promise and left now, that would embarrass him more than be
Victor’s plan was rather simple. He had no intention of making Jade repay him in cash—not that Jade could fork out that much—and instead wanted to direct their conversation toward the shares, hoping that Jade would offer them as repayment.After all, shares were valuable and were what he needed most right now. It then surprised Victor when Jade opened her mouth and said thank you, looking like she was done with the matter.That was one expensive thank-you. Million-dollar syllables!While Victor was caught up in his shock, Jade giggled and spoke up, “I know you like to pamper me, but I can’t possibly let you pay so much, right?“Why don’t we strike a deal? When we defeat that traitor Matthew, I’ll transfer 10% of the shares to you as thanks for your help and as repayment for the 7.5 million dollars.“When that time comes, you mustn’t refuse me at that time, all right? It’s my way of showing my appreciation for you…”After some more “genuine” thanking, Jade left with Javier.Victo
That afternoon, as Javier drove back to the office after taking care of some personal business, a van started haggling him on the road and forced him to stop by the side. Immediately, three more vans appeared and surrounded his car.As he looked at the thugs getting out of the vehicles, Javier figured that it most probably had to do with what had happened last night. The man showed no signs of panic though, and even had the mood to pat his pockets for a cigarette, only to realize he had none.“I need to remember to get two more packets and keep them in the car when I go out shopping next time.”Muttering to himself, Javier got out of his car and was about to pull his phone out of his pocket to toss it back into the vehicle when he spotted a familiar face. It was a large, shiny bald head. It was the fellow who had wanted to cut his ear off the last time.Javier wracked his brain and finally recalled his name. “Sam Langdon, right? Great timing! Come, come. I’ve run out of cigarettes
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