"Think about it, son," Mum says, placing a kiss on his left cheek.He nodded, his deep frown still etched on his face. "I will," he mumbled in response."Oh, and please do something about your looks." She suggests not liking how unpresentable he looks.He fought a chuckle. "That won't be necessary now, will it?"Judging by the circumstances at hand, Rhys is still trying to make sense of the mission and put the two together with his plans in hand.She laughs, "So I'll take that as yes, then? You are willing to do this?"He shrugs, "Maybe.""I believe in you, son. I know how overwhelming it is for you. Having to relive the life that had almost cost you everything," Mom says in concern.He hummed, unsure of how to respond to her."I know how badly you want your revenge, but you need to act smarter than you already are. You're the toughest amongst your brothers, Rhys," she breathes out. "You've always been the obstinate, nonchalant one, right from when you were kids. Sometimes I had worri

Angela's fingers grazing on the computer ahead of her paused at the sound of her phone ringing. She drew her stare to the phone surprised as she read the caller ID.Natalie? The last time they spoke was since she informed her about her engagement with Alec. Why was she suddenly reaching out?She blinks her senses back to reality, sliding the answer button, and Angela places the phone on her left ear."Hey!"Angela hears Natasha sighing with ease: "Thank goodness, I've been trying to reach out to you for days but never really got the chance to.""Why?" Angela's questions were piqued.Angela would be lying if she said she didn't despise every one of them for what they did to her brother. They may not have noticed it—heck, who was she kidding?—Rhys was more like a piece of trash to them than an in-law.Angela is aware of how her brother is holding up, and if not for the mission their dad is sending him on, they'd have been in deep shit as they speak; she would have wanted that as well.A

Rhys watched as Ethan walked out of Ashley's office, sending him a glare. The once-filled confidence Ethan exuded was nowhere to be found. It got Rhys wondering what must have happened in there.Did she say something to him? Was she intimidating?Ashley has a hard time standing out from her siblings. Alec and Hannah are known for their confidence and strong personalities; you could say she's overshadowed by them."Mr Mickelson" His name being called out by the secretary cuts him out of his train of thought.She sent him a glare, her nose scrunching with disgust. "Ms. Freeman would see you now."Rhys nods and fights back the urge to hiss. Working with a secretary would only add more to his problems; he can't have another person irritating him."Lex," he murmured as she led him to Ashely's office."Yes? What's up?""Get her fired.""Who? The secretary?" He chuckled. Rhys ignores knowing Lex is well aware of who he means yet wants, getting on his nerves."Right. On it" After a short wh

Ashely sat in her spacious office, lost in thought, after the phone call she had with her uncle. Her eyes sting from the words he had used on her, but who was she kidding? It's something she got used to over the years.Everything she ever does is not enough. Ashley, you're imperfect, naive, incompetent, and useless. Every word of his was carved in her skull, probably for the rest of her life.A sharp knock coming through has snapped her back to reality.Squaring her shoulders and masking away her emotions, "Come in," she mumbled, expecting anyone but her best friend."Hey, girl!" Layla greets her, her smile soon dropping as she sets sight of Ashely's dull demeanor.She huffed out, "It's him again, isn't it?" Layla asked, flying her hands out of the air with a low hiss.That's all it took for Ashley to burst out: "I don't know how I'd ever be able to please him. Nothing I ever do is enough for him. I'm sick and tired of him dictating my life." She spat, annoyance evident in her tone.La

Natalie paced back and forth in her room, unsure of her parents' decision. Her relationship with Alec was going pretty fast; it was becoming overwhelming.It's three days until the announcement of their official engagement party, which has been organized by Alec's family. Alec is a good man; he's given her all she could ever think of having: attention, care, love, and most importantly, wealth, but somewhere deep down, something is missing that she couldn't quite understand just yet.Her mind has been wandering off Rhys lately; she still thinks they got off on the wrong foot, and the guilt is starting to become unbearable.She may have used Rhys all along if only she had realized that she was only infatuated with him and nothing more, yet she only understood that long after they had been married.Rhys wasn't the man for her; they didn't belong in the same status; she was way above his league. All that her parents had tried to point out to her, but she never listened, not until it was t