Ryan froze. His mind struggled to catch up with what he’d just heard. Kim—his wife—stood right beside him, yet this guy had the nerve to declare he wanted to marry her.Without missing a beat, Ryan took Kim’s hand and forced a smile. "I’m sorry, man, just in case you don’t know, Kim is already married to me”.Barnes shot him a cold, dismissive glance, then scoffed. "So, you’re the joke I heard about. How does a woman like Kim end up with someone like you? You appear more disheartening in person than my friends described over the phone.”Ryan’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing, his hand still gripping Kim’s. The guy knew she was married, yet, he acted as if her husband didn’t even exist. Unbelievable!Barnes sneered and turned back to Hannah. "Grandma, I’ve heard how hard your company has been trying to secure an Investment deal with Pinnacle Investment Company. My dad’s friends with the owner," he said casually."If Kim agrees to marry me, one phone call and the deal could be done b

Ryan’s eyes narrowed as a man in military uniform stepped out from the backseat of the car.“General Ryan!” the soldier said, snapping to attention with a crisp salute.Ryan frowned, recognizing the man immediately—Kane, his inferior from five years ago in the military. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him.“How did you find me?” He inquired under clenched teeth.Kane stared at him eyes widened, a bit of doubt on his face. “General, it is really you!” he exclaimed as he scrutinized him.But Ryan didn’t seem to share in the excitement. He gave him a dismissive glare and looked around suspiciously.“What are you doing here? Or did Kublai send you to assassinate me?”“No, general,” Kane shook his head. “General Kublai is dead! He sustained major injuries on the battlefield and passed away a few days ago”.Ryan’s jaw dropped to the news. General Kublai the supreme general of the country’s army was dead!Five years ago, Ryan and Kublai were two lieutenant generals under General Hansson in

Few seconds after the call, two muscular men appeared in the reception area.“What is the matter Ms. Lucy?” one of the men inquired with a thick voice.“This beggar won’t get out despite asking him to leave multiple times. You should beat the hell out of him before throwing him out. Let him know this is a business company not an IDP camp”.“Hey beggar! Lucy said you should leave, why do you play stubborn?” The security guard said arrogantly.Ryan stared at the two men and frowned. “I’m no beggar,” he snapped under clenched teeth. “I came here to see the CEO and I’m not leaving until I’ve seen him,” he declared firmly.One of the security man curled his fist into a fist and approached Ryan. His eyes narrowed with anger and his gaze cold.Despite the man’s imposing physique, Ryan looked indifferent and didn’t panic.Once the man was close enough he growled, “When I’m done with you, you’ll know this is no place for stubborn beggars”. With that, he swing his fist as hard as he could at Ry

****Back at home, Catherine and Sydney sat in the living room when Ryan walked in."Well, look who's finally back!" Catherine said, eyeing him. "I was beginning to think you'd vanished for good. Now, sign these papers and leave." She gestured to the divorce papers on the size stool.Sydney leaned forward, scrutinizing him. "Where’s the money from Barnes? You should give us seventy percent for feeding you all these years."“I didn’t take any money from Barnes, and I never will,” Ryan replied firmly.Catherine scowled. "So, you didn’t go to Barnes?""No, Mom," Ryan shrugged."Then where have you been all day?" Sydney asked, frowning.Ryan stared at the two women and hesitated, he wouldn’t possibly tell them he went to claim ownership of Pinnacle Investment.He had resolved to keep it a secret from everyone including Kim. Besides, even if he told them, they wouldn’t believe him anyway.“I went to see a friend,” he lied.Catherine glared at him, irritation clear in her eyes. “Does it not

AT THE KARDASHIAN VILLAIn the living room, Hannah sat on a tall chair in the center of the room, to her right seated Kingsley and his immediate family, on the couch to her left was Barnes with two men and a priest. While in front of her, just beside the door was Albert, Catherine and Sydney. They stood there excluded with no seats.Hannah glanced at the clock and frowned, “This stubborn girl, how dare she waste so much time”.When Albert noticed how annoyed and impatient her mother was getting, he took a few steps forward. “Mother you—”.“I’m not your mother!” Hannah snapped cutting him off. “Unless I have the investment papers in my hand you are not family. Now step back and stand beside the door,” she scowled, exasperated.Barnes chuckled smugly, leaned back, and promised, “Don’t worry, Grandma Hannah, once Kim divorces that trash and gets married to me, I’ll make the call and the deal will happen in a few hours,” he chuckled confidently.Shortly afterwards, Kim hastily entered the