Alex shrugged nonchalantly, trying to downplay the severity of the situation. "I don't know.Maybe he's jealous of our relationship," he suggested.The mere thought of Ethan being jealous of their relationship seemed absurd to Lauren, but shecouldn't shake off the doubt that lingered in the back of her mind. "But why would he hurt youlike this?" she pressed, her eyes searching Alex's for the truth. This seemed too much for evenone man.Alex swallowed. “After firing me from his company, I went back to plead. He asked his men tobeat me to a pulp! He has always hated me. You were here when he fought me for no reason!"Those lies came out smoothly, blinding Lauren's conscience.She didn't want to see the truth."He's never liked me, never wanted me around. He's always seen me as a threat because ofyou."Could Ethan really be capable of such cruelty? Was their relationship built on lies anddeception? Her mind was made up.“Fine. I know what to do.” She got up and resumed

"More of my secrets?" Ethan chuckled. "What secrets?" He gestured toward the door. "I see thatevery day. You know how it is; women often throw themselves at me. What can I do? Rejectthem?"Sandra let herself in. Without waiting for his permission, she plopped onto his sofa. "Why do Ihave a feeling that this particular woman is different?"Ethan nodded, sitting down at his desk. "You are right, it is different."Her eyes brightened as if she had struck gold. "Aha! So..?""What do you want, Sandra Walton?"She pouted. "That's harsh. You didn't even let me finish.""What do you have to say, Sandra?" Ethan didn't seem in the mood for jokes. These past fewweeks had taken a toll on him, and this woman here was just smiling, which irked him evenmore."It has come to my knowledge that you have been... stressed out by a lot of things," she began,tapping her long nails on his desk. "I want to help."Ethan sighed heavily. If she was talking about the mafia boss, yes. Unfortunately, after h

As Ethan stepped out of his sleek, modern office building, he glanced at the address she hadprovided on the card she had left behind. Sly. With a sigh, he hailed a cab and directed thedriver to take him there.Minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of a building that stood in stark contrast to the toweringglass structures of the majestic skies. Sandra's company was housed in a beautifully renovatedVictorian-era mansion.He had no idea what to expect from this meeting, but one thing was for sure: Sandra Waltonwas full of surprises, and he was about to uncover one more.Taking a deep breath, Ethan pushed open the ornate double doors and stepped into the foyer,where he was greeted by the sound of soft music.He met a male receptionist, typing away at his computer.“Hello there.”The man nearly fell off his seat as he met Ethan’s gaze. “Ma-Master Ethan!” he stuttered. “Whata pleasant surprise! Miss Sandra is ready to see you.”Ethan smiled at the young man's enthus

Thankfully, his relationship with the old man was mended. All Ethan wanted to do was have agood night's sleep. To him, today was fulfilling and he hoped the day after would be better. Ashis eyes fluttered close, he drifted to sleep.In the depths of his slumber, Ethan found himself trapped in a haunting dream of his past. Thevery images he had tried to bury resurfaced vividly and relentlessly.This time around, he stood in the shadows of a bright alley, his hands stained with guilt. Helooked down to see the street boy he had just confronted for stealing food at the general foodsupply. He was in charge today but the boy had disregarded his warnings out of hunger.Ethan was hungry, the mafia boss was hungry, everyone in the streets was hungry, but none ofthem resorted to stealing because of the owner.The Mafia boss who doesn't take no for an answer. All he had told him was to prepare to die ifhe didn't bring the boy back to their den."I can't do this," he protested w

“Because you are double crossing me. This wasn't the deal.”Sandra cackled like a chicken. Then she got serious. “Oh, poor Ethan. The moment you signedthe contract, you agreed to my terms. I won't hesitate to make your life a living hell if you stopme. I will take charge of this project and that's final.”“Er.. no.” Ethan said with a smile playing on his lips. Now, he could see what the old man wassaying. Her true colors were becoming visible by the second. “Sandra, do you know one ofAnderson's strengths?”How words seemed to confuse her. “And where are you going with this discussion?”“It’s the four houses' weaknesses. That's why you can never beat me.” Ethan knew he was justbluffing, but he had other things to assign Rachel to. “Either you play by my rules or I cut theproject off totally. It is my building, my project, my rules.”“The Houses will hear about this.”What House? Ethan scoffed. “They are only waiting for you to mess up so that they would scoopin and