"Congrats, man," Chase said with a wide smile."You believe me?" Kenny asked. He thought he would have to show Chase pictures of his new office and probably the money he received before he would buy his story."Totally. I didn't see you at work today, which by the way, left Paul cranky and miserable, so I thought something must have happened but I didn't know it was something this big," he told him."Serves him right, that motherfucking ra….." he started to say but clamped his mouth shut due to Evelyn's presence. She didn't need to know what kind of monster she was working with."This is great news. We should celebrate," Chase announced."This is nuts," Evelyn muttered as she still tried to wrap her head around what looked like a scene directly from a movie. She couldn't understand how Theo would buy a ridiculous story like that, no questions asked."Of course, all bills on me tonight," Kenny said and flagged the waitress down who came and took their orders."You don't have to. I can

"Something important came up and I had to leave. I'll talk to you when I can. Be safe."Evelyn read the words on her screen again and again. She had gotten to work that day and didn't see Theo, thinking he was running late as usual and just as she was about to call him, her phone pinged, indicating a new message and she smiled when she saw the sender but her smile quickly faded when she read the words. She tried calling him but it went straight to his voicemail each time."What's wrong, Theo?" She muttered as she bit her lips, worry filling her.She knew the text message was a simple one and nothing indicated that he was in danger but she couldn't get herself to relax. But at the same time, she had been with him till late the previous night and if something was wrong, he would have told her right?"Did something bad happen to a family member?" She asked herself.She knew his adoptive parents were dead and he didn't have any siblings and he had never mentioned any relatives but she co

Everyone's head snapped to the staircase that a beautiful woman was descending from."I'm sorry I'm late, mother," the woman said but her eyes were not on the empress, they were on Chase.She stood for a couple of seconds, watching the man that looked exactly like her brother and sobs wrecked throughout her body.She walked up to Chase, who was confused at her reaction and pulled him up to his feet. Before he could think of anything, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, sobbing into his chest."It's really you," she said, not believing her eyes. She pulled his away, running her hands through his face and chest to be sure he was really there and when she was satisfied, she pulled him towards her again.Chase, not knowing what else to do, awkwardly wrapped his hand around her.Soon, the emotional embrace ended but she couldn't stop staring at him."Pardon me," she said with a choked chuckle. "I'm Imelda, your aunt. I thought I would never see you again. You were so little

"As you already know, I'll be retiring next spring and I'm not handing my position over based on sentiments. I'm handing it to the most capable person. I know they all have years on you and you got to the race late but I want you to put all you've got into this as if your life depends on it.""Because it does." She added to herself."I'm grateful for this opportunity and I promise not to let you down," Chase said with conviction."Good," she nodded.She got up and went to the part of the library that looked like it hadn't been used in years and pulled out a book with a thick, black cover."Read this after you're rested," she handed the book to him.He clutched it tightly as he left the room back to the living room."Take the young master to his wing," the empress said to a young woman in a maid's uniform who Chase hadn't seen earlier."Please, come," the woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties said, bowing her head slightly.The house was an estate with different large buildings a

"It's almost time for dinner. I can't believe that guy will be joining us," Jennifer groaned as she went into her mother's room. She lived in the same quarters with her mother and her brother, Benedict did too, up until he got married and was given a quarter of his own."Who are you talking about?" Imelda asked as she coated her face with another layer of makeup."Of course I'm talking of that guy that grandma picked from God knows where," she huffed and lay on her mother's bed. She had watched him throughout the meeting and if it wasn't for the way her grandmother looked at him with love and admiration, she might have just been friendly with him but now, she felt nothing but dislike for him."You're talking about your cousin, I presume?" Imelda arched a perfectly-carved eyebrow in her daughter's direction."He's not and will never be my cousin," she sat up, not believing her mother had said that to her."And you say that, because?" Imelda asked slowly."I don't know if you heard, mom