“Obviously. Or do you see anyone else?” the man asked sarcastically, pointing out that they were the only ones washing their hands at that moment.“Who are you, and what do you want?” the boy asked, frowning.“Who I am isn’t important, but let’s say I’ve been looking for you to talk about something very important.”“And how can you tell me something important when you’re a stranger?”“Wow, for a kid, you sure use your brain.”“And you, for being a competitor of my family’s company, are kind of dumb.”“What...” Gabriel was now surprised, looking at the boy, who smiled arrogantly.“Well, now you’re not a stranger, but you still are to me.”“Wait a minute. How do you know who I am?”“Oh, please...” James said in a bored tone, letting out an audible sigh. “Remember, the internet exists, and these days nothing is a secret.”“Tch... whatever.”“Bye bye then. I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”“But you’re already talking to me, so now you need to listen to me,” the older man
Extra 18: Roger and James Part 1After the incident at the restaurant, Elliot decided to take the kids to his house so they could rest a bit since he wanted to talk to James about what had just happened.When they got to the house, Erika tried to distract Elizabeth so they could talk in private before Deborah and Jayden arrived. They had already been informed about what had happened.George and Elliot took James to the study because they wanted to question him.“James, come here for a moment,” George called, gesturing for him to sit in one of the chairs in the room.“You too, Max, come over,” Elliot said in a serious tone.“Wow… the way you said that made me feel like a little kid about to be scolded by his dad,” Max joked.“Well, maybe we will have to scold you and your sister,” George replied playfully.“Ugh...” Max said, sitting down next to James.“Why are you going to scold him, Grandpa?”“Before I answer that...” George began, getting comfortable in his seat. “James… te
“That’s my fault,” Max admitted. “When James asked me, I asked for time and started looking into where Roger lived and worked. After spying on him for a week, I knew his entire routine and waited for the perfect moment to have them meet casually.”“What… spying?” Elliot asked, shocked.“That’s actually one of the many skills I hired him for to be Deborah’s bodyguard,” Jayden explained.“Hehe, sounds like you’re some kind of hitman,” George joked.“Um...” Max just averted his gaze, making the others a bit nervous. “Well, I haven’t had to do that in this job yet.”“Ahem... let’s get back to the main topic, please,” Elliot requested. “So, you found the right time and place to see him, and then…?”James and Max exchanged a look before the younger one started explaining what he had done.-Flashback-After discovering the whole truth online, James didn’t know how to feel. It turned out his family wasn’t his real family… well, halfway. But now his head was a mess, and he didn’t know w
Extra 18: Roger and James, Part 2After a week passed, Max took James out with the excuse of buying some school project supplies.“So, repeat the rules to me,” Max said while driving.“Don’t leave your side, and listen to everything you tell me.”“Yes… despite everything, we don’t know how he’ll react.”“Yes, Max, I’ll be a good boy and obey you.”Max let out a sigh and smiled as he parked the car.With that, they got out and started looking for Roger since they knew he would be at the park around this time, playing with his stepdaughter.After walking a little, they found them in the play area.“Hehe, take it easy, Cassie,” Roger said cheerfully, pushing her on the swing.“Higher, Dad! Haha!” she said with a big smile.Max couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that hypocrisy. He was taking care of a girl who wasn’t even his own flesh and blood while rejecting his real son.“If you want, you don’t have to talk to him,” he said when he saw the grimace on the boy’s face.“No...
Extra 19: New PlanBack at home, Deborah focused on comforting her son to make sure he was alright, but she noticed he seemed calm and collected as he chatted with his sister, telling her about what they did at the company.In fact, James was excitedly telling them that his grandfather had said he would support his decision to become an architect.“See, I told you, honey,” she said.“Hm… Grandpa said he taught me about jewelry because he just wanted to share his knowledge.”“And James is good at it,” Elizabeth added.“Oh? Why’s that?” Jayden asked while rocking the twins, who were still awake.“Because he quickly figured out that his auntie’s gift was cosmetic jewelry and not a real gem.”“What? Is it really not real?” Samantha asked, looking at the little girl’s necklace.“It’s what’s called luxury jewelry,” James explained, blushing when he saw everyone looking at him in amazement. “Uh… Uncle Elliot taught me about this. It’s a special process used to polish plastic so that
“Oh, don’t worry, Dad. I think I know what I can offer him in exchange for the job instead of money,” Jayden said, smiling slyly, already having a pending visit in mind.With that in mind, they continued talking a bit more before heading to bed for the night.On the other hand, Gabriel was furious. He had just gotten out of prison because he’d only now managed to get released since his idiot assistant took forever to post bail and get him out of there.“Tch… I never thought I’d set foot in such a disgusting place,” he said once they were out on the street.“Hopefully, this time you’ll learn your lesson, Boss. And honestly, this was your fault.”“My fault?”“Harassing a minor is a serious offense.”“I wasn’t harassing him. I just wanted to talk to him.”“And that looks suspicious because you’re nothing to that boy.”“Tch… whatever.”“So, and...?” the assistant asked, worried.“And… what?” Gabriel asked, frowning.“Did… did you tell him?”“Oh, that… yeah, I told him, but it
Extra 20: Request“Hey babe, guess what,” Brandon said, reading the message he’d just received from Jayden.“What is it?” she asked as she turned off the stove flame since she was cooking at that moment.“Your special arrangement is a done deal,” he said, showing her his phone.“Aw… my man always delivers,” she said playfully, giving him a kiss on the lips. “What do you think he needs? This would be the second time he’s asked you for something as Vox.”“I think it’s probably something related to his company, considering Deborah also asked us to investigate it.”“That’s true. In that case, I’ll get a head start and do a little digging on Gates Construction,” she said, taking off her apron. “Alright, put your phone away. Lunch is ready.”“Haha, I’m on it,” he said as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. “And you know, it’s most likely to be about that. Even in my wildest dreams, I can’t picture Jayden asking me to kill someone.”“That guy deserves it, though. I heard he
He was scared, yet excited at the same time. This showed that this guy wouldn’t let him down and would fulfill his request.“Sorry for the wait,” Gabriel looked up and saw a blond man with some red streaks in his hair enter the room, hiding part of his identity behind a black mask adorned with gemstones and a few feathers. “I wasn’t expecting a visit from the millionaire who suddenly showed up and monopolized the city’s construction industry. Quite an impressive feat… something even Eric Cooper himself couldn’t pull off.”“Wow, it seems like information is your thing.”“It’s not the only thing I handle,” he said, smiling slightly, his eyes turning serious and scaring Gabriel for a moment. “And as you can imagine, I’m a bit curious. How did you find the Great Shadow of Light?” he asked, sitting down to face Gabriel.“Why do you need to know my source?”“Curiosity, and also to send a gift to that informant,” he said, reaching for one of the apples in the fruit bowl on the table and