“What the hell?” John exclaimed as soon as he turned and saw Rhys. It was Brad who held him by his hand.“What is going on? Let go of my hand,” John protested, but Brad had a firm grip on his hands and quickly dragged him into the nearest room. It was a store room in the Mansion.“What are you doing?” John finally protested again, using his strength to break free from Brad’s grip. John was inflamed with anger, his face contorted with rage. His eyes bore into Brad’s like a lion ready to pounce on its prey.“I am sorry about that,” Brad finally spoke, adjusting his black suit and tucking his right hand into his pants pocket.John’s heart was pounding in his chest, each beat echoing like a war drum in the silence of the store room. The dim light cast eerie shadows on the walls, adding to the tense atmosphere. He could feel the cold sweat trickling down his back, his muscles tensed as if ready for a fight. The air was thick with the scent of dust and old wood, mingling with the faint, mu

John stood there, his mind swirling with a whirlwind of emotions, as he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to tear his gaze away from Gabriel Blake. The room seemed to blur around him, the chatter of the business partners fading into the background as he focused solely on the enigmatic figure before him. Every detail of Gabriel's appearance was etched into John's mind: the confident tilt of his head, the subtle gestures of his hands as he spoke, the way his eyes seemed to sparkle with intelligence and charm. It was as if time itself had slowed down, allowing John to drink in every nuance of the scene before him. His heart hammered against his chest, the intensity of his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, a mixture of awe and disbelief at finding himself in such close proximity to someone he had admired from afar for so long. But just as he was trying to make sense of his conflicting feelings, his phone shattered the

“ I don’t understand what you are asking?” John turned to feign ignorance.His eyes rolled around even though he tried to maintain composure. He did not know the lie that he would tell Stephanie, but he knew that any wrong move he made would put him in trouble.“You heard my question, answer it!” Stephanie snapped, her eyes like a fierce dragon.The morning was still young, and the room was not that bright. John and Stephanie entered a silent battle of wills. John heaved a deep sigh as he wondered what lie he could fabricate. He couldn’t even dare tell Stephanie the real truth because he didn’t have any truth to back it up. He was in a tight spot.“Can I ask you a question?” John finally got hold of his tongue.Stephanie remained unfazed. “I do the question asking while you do the question answering. So answer my question,” her voice unwavering with authority.The tension in the room was real, almost tangible. John’s heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears like a dru

“I want just one thing from you,” John began, his eyes still intently peering up at Brad.There was a palpable tension that flared up between the two men, a tension so thick it felt like a physical presence in the room. The smirk Brad had been wearing faded away, replaced by a look of curiosity and caution.“What is that?” Brad asked, the suspense John kept him in gnawing at his patience. The air hung heavy, a handshake suspended in mid-air, as if time itself had frozen.John’s voice was steady, but the stern gaze in his eyes revealed the seriousness of his demand. “Apart from you, no one should find out that I am working with you. And also, I want to be the one in charge from now on,” he declared, each word falling like a hammer on an anvil.Brad’s eyes narrowed as he tried to read John’s expression, as if searching for any sign of uncertainty or deception. The weight of John’s words hung between them, an unspoken challenge lingering in the silence that followed. Brad’s mind raced,

“Get away from me!” Stephanie growled, pushing John away from herself with all the strength she could muster. Her voice was filled with a raw, visceral power that sent a shiver down his spine. She shook her head vigorously, taking a step backward as if the very closeness to him burned her skin. “How dare you? How dare you think that you can even kiss me?” she shouted, her voice cracking with a mixture of rage and disbelief. Stephanie’s eyes flared with a fiery intensity, reflecting a storm of emotions that left John utterly baffled. “Answer me, how dare you? What stupid love are you talking about?!” Her voice rose to a fever pitch, each word dripping with venom. Her eyes, wide and wild, glared at John with a fury that seemed almost otherworldly. They shone like thunderbolts, crackling with barely restrained rage. “But I love…” John began, his voice soft and pleading, desperate to bridge the chasm that had suddenly yawned between them. He took a tentative step forward, his heart