Alex cleared his throat and said, "I just saved up," before quickly changing the topic. "So, back to you, have you chosen the location the anniversary would be held?"One could tell from the look on her face that Harley wasn't satisfied with the answer. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted the corners of her lips before clearing her throat."Well, I wanted it to be held in the ballroom of Hypernova Hotel but..." She began, slinging her bag over her shoulders. Her voice trailed off, unsure.Sensing her hesitation, Alex cut in, "but what?"They both stood up as they left the restaurant, heading towards his car."I think it's really expensive and far-fetched when compared to the budget set for the event," Harley started, as Alex opened the door of his car for her. She entered, and he also entered the driver's seat. She continued, "the total expense for the event is not supposed to exceed five million dollars, but the widest ballroom in Hypernova Hotel costs five million dollar

Alex, instead of being scared, was already annoyed by Argent looking at him. He was also thankful that he was putting on eyeglasses, or else he feared that Argent would think he looked familiar.Alex put on a smile and slightly bowed his head. "Nice to meet you, I'm from FarthestStone Enterprise. I came with my boss."Argent raised his eyebrows as he smiled and bowed his head, stretching out his hand for a handshake. Alex played along.Harley, who was so nervous and thinking whether to say his name or identify his position in the Enterprise, sighed as Argent smiled at him."My apologies, sir. It's lovely to meet you too. I hope you enjoy the event. Sorry to ask, but where is he? I mean the CEO?" Argent said in a calm yet excited manner. It was the first time Alex had seen him like this.He knew Argent was referring to him, the owner, but since Barney was acting in place of him, he decided to refer to him. When he sighted Barney, he pointed at him as Argent bowed his head and left, go

"M-Matt," Alex stammered, looking at him. Before a second had passed, Matt pulled Alex into a hug as he hugged him tightly.Matt beamed with a joyful expression, clearly amazed at Alex's growth. "Alex! how are you? Where have you been? I've been searching for you all this while after becoming the manager of SALMAS company," he smiled.He ran his eyes further down Alex, still finding it quite hard to believe Alex was the same man he knew before. He was so shabby and poor, right? Cool that tables have turned!Alex felt like he was put in a tight spot for a second. He couldn't even reciprocate the hug and stayed stunned. But he soon put himself together and cleared his throat. "Wow!" He acted surprised."W-Wow! You really deserve it, Matt! Well, I'm already working at FarthestStone Enterprise, and I need to leave now, but I promise I'll come visit." Alex smiled, also making sure Matt didn't realize Alex already knew about him being the manager. He put on a sad face and hugged Matt again

Alex's sixth sense quickly activated.He impulsively gripped the neck of the driver tightly and wanted to ask, "Who are you?"But the driver attacked him by spraying a certain fluid over his eyes."Fuck!" He exclaimed, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He couldn't even see anything properly anymore. Wait, was he... Passing out?In a few seconds, everything turned black.*** Alex found himself in a vacant room after regaining consciousness.His head throbbed with pain as he struggled to open his eyes and focus. He soon realized that he was tied to a wooden chair. Holy fuck, what's the problem now?! Who's after him???Despite his efforts to loosen the ropes, he remained firmly secured. The surroundings were dimly lit, resembling a basement filled with dirt and grime."The dick is awake," one of the goons spoke. He looked scary with tattoos and the gun he was holding. He appeared to be a well-trained fighter, with bulging muscles.He approached Alex, disdain clearly visible on his face.

When they finally reached the hospital - the same one where they had taken Barney - Amos dropped them off as he quickly took Alex off the car and put him onto a stretcher. After they were done stitching him up and giving him lots of treatment, Alex couldn't feed himself. Harley collected the meal from his hand as she began to feed him. He was sitting on the bed, receiving an IV drip with Harley at his left side.He kept staring at her face, which looked so innocent on the surface. One would think she couldn't hurt a fly! He was just fully amazed at how strong she was beneath that innocent appearance.She dropped the plate, then cleaned his lips with a napkin to dab away what was left on them. Alex yanked her hands away immediately; his heart began to beat heavily and he looked away, but she mistook it for something else. "Look, I don't want you to see me as a bad person or like a thug - just know that I saved your life," she assured him. As he turned to her, instead of asking