Barry wore a neutral expression as he responded to Zayn’s outburst. “I thought we had a deal,” he said firmly. “You said if I paid the $5 million, I could slap you. Or are you going back on your word now?”Zayn’s face flushed with anger, his fists clenching at his sides. The sting of the slap still burned on his cheek, and the humiliation of being bested in front of everyone was almost too much to bear. But he knew he couldn’t back down—not in front of Snow, not in front of the boutique staff, and certainly not in front of Barry. Taking a deep breath, Zayn forced himself to calm down. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth, his voice low and dangerous. “I’ll overlook it… for now. But don’t think this is over, Barry. You won the first round. Name the next challenge.”Barry crossed his arms, a small, confident smile playing on his lips. “Alright,” he said casually. “Whoever can afford to buy Cinderella’s glass shoes wins the next round.”The room fell silent once again. Zayn’s eyes

After the manager, finished jotting down Barry's home address, Barry and Snow prepared to leave the boutique.Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires echoed outside. A sleek black car came to an abrupt halt in front of the entrance, and Zayn stormed like an enraged bull. His guards followed closely behind him.Barry raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He knew why Zayn had returned. “That was fast,” Barry said, a jeering note in his voice. “Have you bought the shoes already?”Zayn’s eyes burned with rage as he stepped closer. “Someone bought all three pairs of the Cinderella glass shoes. There’s nothing left. Do you know anything about this?”Barry tsked, shaking his head in a mocking disappointment. “What a shame. I had high hopes for you, Zayn. But you’ve disappointed me. That means you lost this round.”Zayn’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. “So did you,” he shot back, his voice laced with venom. “You don’t have the glass shoes either. T

Zayn couldn't believe his ears when he learnt that the Eclipse Diamond was bought by Veronica Phoenix."How?" He yelled in his phone at Dorian Blackwood. "How did you let this happen? Why couldn't you get to me first before you sold the diamond?"Dorian was on the other end of the line. He had just handed over the Eclipse diamond to the representatives of the Phoenix family an hour ago before Zayn's call dropped in."I had to, your majesty," Dorian replied him, coolly. "My company was going under by the minutes. Veronica Phoenix offered to help in exchange for the diamond. It's my most priceless possessions.""You should've talked to me about this first," Zayn snapped. "I wanted that diamond. Would she be willing to sell it to me?"Dorian replied with a gloomy expression on his face. "I'm afraid not, your highness. Veronica Phoenix cleared $50 billion of debt in exchange for the diamond. She's not going to give it up that easy."Zayn felt blood rush to his face. He wanted to strangl

Barry leaned back in his chair. “Then we have no deal, Mr. President. If you’re not willing to cooperate, the Sullivan Group won’t help you. It’s as simple as that.”President Grayson’s face flushed with anger, and he turned sharply to Veronica, pointing an accusatory finger at Barry. “What is his deal? Who does he think he is? I’m not making a deal with him! I’m making a deal with you, Ms. Phoenix. This man has no right to speak to me like this!”Barry’s lips curled into a faint smirk. Veronica responded, her tone cool. “Mr. President, as I mentioned earlier, Barry is an integral part of this discussion. He speaks for the Sullivan Group. If you want our help, you’ll have to negotiate with him.”Barry interjected. “It’s like Veronica said, Mr. President. I’m important to this deal. $20 trillion doesn’t come cheap. If the Sullivan Group is going to give up that amount of money, we might as well take total control of the country. But we’re not that greedy. You and your regime can still

"Big brother, I'll like to visit our hometown for the holiday," Snow said. It was the 20th of December and only five days to Christmas. Barry was already making preparations for having an amazing Christmas with himself, Snow and Veronica.But then Snow's request hit Barry like a brick wall. "You want to celebrate Christmas at our hometown? But Snow, we haven't been there for years.""I know," Snow said, her eyes pleading. "I have friends I grew up with at our old neighborhood and I'll want to see them again. Even more so, I wish to visit our mother's grave and spend some time with her."Barry was surprised at Snow's request. Ever since he acquired wealth, it never crossed his mind to visit his hometown. The bad memories of his past caused him to hate his hometown. But Snow has a point. His mother's grave would need a better renovation."You know what," Barry playfully ruffled her hair. "Why don't we all fly to our hometown and spend both Christmas and new year over there?"Snow's ey