“Reuben and Jason agreed to discuss everything about Stefan once they had reached Jason’s apartment. They were now there and seated in the living room."So, what did you find out?” Jason insisted“I think it's better if I show you than tell you,” Reuben said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He pressed some buttons before turning the phone so that Jason could see what was displayed on the screen.It was a picture of a laptop screen. On the laptop screen was an email.“Zoom in to read what the email says,” Reuben said.Jason zoomed in so he could properly see the contents of the email. Subject: Urgent: Finalizing Agreement with the Elysian SyndicateHi Andrew,I wanted to touch base regarding our ongoing negotiations with the Elysian Syndicate. As you know, we've been working diligently to secure this partnership with them, and I believe we're on the brink of finalizing the agreement.Given the recent developments in the market, I urge you to expedite the process a

As Jason's consciousness slowly returned, his surroundings blurred into a haze. He couldn't make anything out; all his blurry vision could pick up were indistinct shapes and muted colors. He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear the fog that was his surroundings, but his disorientation only seemed to deepen.His head began to throb with a dull ache, the pain pulsing behind his eyes, making it difficult for him to focus, think, or even fathom the situation he was in. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to quell the relentless pounding in his head, but the feeling only got worse.With a groan, Jason tried to push himself upright, but his arms and legs felt heavy and unresponsive. His fingers grope around, and he feels a hard mattress under them.“A bed,” he barely voices out.A wave of nausea washes over him, the taste of bile rising in the back of his throat. He swallows hard, trying to suppress the rising tide of sickness. He squeezes his eyes shut, willing the sensation to pass, bu

“Camilla?” Jason said, his voice trembling with disbelief. “Jason, oh my God." Camila embraced Jason, her body trembling with fear. “Thank God you're here.”"Camilla, what's going on? Why are we here?” Jason asked as he pulled away from her embrace.“I don’t know. Have you seen Amelia? I’ve been looking for her everywhere,” Camila said, her lips quivering. She caught a glance at Hannah and panicked for a moment. She mouthed something to Hannah that Jason did not catch: “Who is she? Is she the one that’s keeping us here?” "No...no, I’m not," Hannah said as she raised her hands in defense. “She’s not, but her employers are; we need to get out of here," Jason explained “No, no, I’m not leaving till I find Amelia," Camila said as she scraped her hands through her brown tresses.“Do you have any idea where she might be? Where were you?” Jason asked"No, I don’t know where she is; if I had an idea, I'd be there,” Camila answered, her eyes now glistening with tears. “I was outside the ho

“W-what” The woman’s voice faltered, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes widened.“I said I'll do it.” Jason repeated, “Isn't that what you want?”"Yes, but if I'm being honest, I didn't expect you to say yes—well, at least not so soon,” she admitted. "Well, what can I say? I really sympathise with everything your family went through,” Jason said, his words dripping with feigned sympathy, which the woman did not detect.With a wide grin stretched across her face, she leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “I don’t want to sound forward, but I think it’s best that we move with haste and don’t delay. I think we should hold the wedding tonight.” She said with so much confidence and urgency.“Tonight?” Jason questioned “This woman is really something,” he added internally, marvelling at her audacity.“I know it's soon, but it will be a small ceremony. I'll call a priest that I know, and we can -”“No,” Jason interjected, cutting her off before she could

The next morning, Jason woke up with only one goal on his mind: to get his phone from Camila and contact Reuben. If anyone could find out if it was truly Monica who posted the blind item, as Jason suspected it was, then it would be Reuben and his connections.He left the room for the first time since he tried to escape with Hannah in search of Camila. In the hallway, he ran into Hannah, who was dusting paintings.“Good morning, sir,” Hannah mused as she noticed Jason’s presence.“Hello Hannah, Good morning. Do you know where Camila is?”“Oh yes, she's having breakfast with her mother.” Once the words left her lips, Hannah slapped her palm against her forehead with a frustrated expression on her face. “I'm sorry, sir, I forgot to call you out to breakfast; it's just that.”“Hamnah” Jason gently called her name, cutting her sentence off. “It's fine,” he said before leaving the hallway and walking into the dining area.“Good morning, handsome." Camila beamed as soon as she saw Jason."Ye