Rachel kept her demeanor calm, despite looking like a fish out of water. It took years of working with the old man to maintain her composure. She wasn’t threatened by the press. “No comment.”The microphone was shoved in her face instantly. “A controversy has been going around concerning this. Ethan Anderson is trying to cover up his crimes by initiating some office fire…”Anger flared in Rachel’s heart. “No comment.”The man was about to continue when he felt someone large behind him. Before he could say another word, Paul grabbed his collar from behind.“The lady says no comment,” Paul boomed, dropping the man.The man managed to land on his feet. He straightened his shirt indignantly. “I will ignore this assault.”Rachel scoffed. “Aren’t you from DN Media? You are the lowest and don’t work for any of the houses. Why are you here?”“My name is Bruce! And I will have you know that someone will…” He trailed off, realizing how stupid he sounded. Rachel had purposely changed the situat

“A coincidence?” Denera hissed. Her voice was quiet, but filled with evil. “Those documents were crucial! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve jeopardized everything!”“You think this is my fault? I didn’t start the fire Besides, those documents were supposed to be secure. Maybe you should have planned better.” Jason snapped back.As soon as those words left his mouth, Denera's rage boiled over the reserve. Her face turned red, and her ears elongated furiously as she gripped the phone tightly. “You incompetent fool! This was supposed to be simple. You have resources to get the project documents, cover our tracks, and move forward. Now we’re left scrambling! How will you ever be perfect, Jason, if you fail this one job?” She knew her brother's tendency to be perfect and used it against him.“Enough, Denera,” Jason growled. “Blaming each other won’t fix this. We need to salvage what we can and move forward.”Denera took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Fine. But t

###Jason seethed with anger after hanging up with Denera. He slammed his phone down, burning with sheer bitterness and hatred.They were all directed toward one thing: failure. It wasn’t just the phone call that had enraged him; it was the constant feeling of being belittled and used. Denera was his younger sister, and despite being the head of their House, she had always been the best. To the extent that at some point, she was seen by the rest of the family as a candidate for the next heir.Unlikely, but not impossible. She had always schemed an opportunity to treat him like a pawn, a mere errand boy in her grand schemes. Every time something went wrong, it was Jason who had to clean up the mess, while Denera got all the glory.Jason was the perfect heir in every sense, but no one wanted to see it except him. “Always me,” he muttered under his breath, pacing his cluttered office. He glared at the counterfeit documents his sister wanted with malice. “Always the one to blame. Doe

Ethan's eyes widened. "Sean? Our Sean? Wow, that's... unexpected." Sean, the bully… Ethan would never have seen that coming. Rebecca nodded. "Yes, but things haven't been smooth. Sean's had a rough time. He lost a lot after the stocks crashed, and he's been struggling to find something stable. It’s been hard on both of us."Ethan's brow furrowed, but he didn't care. "I'm sorry to hear that. What about Shen? How's she doing?"Rebecca sighed. "Shen’s been through a lot too. She's battling some personal demons, and it’s been tough. The stocks crashed, and… she's in and out of therapy, trying to get her life back on track."Ethan felt a pang of guilt. Here he was, surrounded by success and fame, while his old classmates were struggling. They brought it upon themselves anyway. If only they were kind to him then… “Is there anything I can do to help?" he offered half-heartedly.Rebecca raised her hands, shaking her head vigorously. It was as if Ethan had offered leprosy to her. "No, but th

Unfortunately for Ethan, the news of the misconduct in the press hall spread far and wide. It spiraled out of Ethan's control, and no matter how much he called and yelled, an article came out in the newspaper the next morning.---The sun had just risen, streaming through the large window, when Ethan, still in his pajamas, walked into his study, yawning. He had barely slept through the night. How could he?How could he sleep when the press was bent on making his life miserable? The previous day had been filled with chaos, and even his dreams were haunted. The dark bags under his eyes were clear as he sat down.All he wanted was a cup of coffee to keep him awake. Staring at the big black clock, he planned to get to the office by 10:00 a.m. The fire had given him a good excuse to stay home.Whoever started that fire did him a huge favor.Or he could just stay home. If only he could...The old man wasn't here to take his place, like other times. Ethan sighed heavily. He missed the old ma