Laxus spent the entire night going over the proposal knowing that he would have to add his own touch to it. He did not want to pitch all o Thaddeus’s idea without a touch of his own even though he had already bought it completely out of his hands.By morning, he was confident in what he wanted to do. However, being that it was on a Saturday, his chef had to cajole him into having breakfast. Laxus had just sat on the dining chair when Bowman called him.“I was calling to check if you are ready with your pitch,” Bowman said in a fatherly manner that made Laxus almost emotional. “Were you able to go through it as you said?” Bowman asked with concern.“Yes, Bowman, I was,” Laxus answered, feeling better now that he was talking to someone about it. “When do you leave?” Bowman asked.“Abby Golden said the lunch would begin at 12pm, but I ought to be there an hour before the lunch begins to make acquaintances,” Laxus said.It was the professional thing for any businessman to do. If he arriv

Laxus thought he was experiencing a movie twist in that very moment, and his lungs lost air to breath. Never did he think that he would find Luther and Linnie, walked in together looking beautiful and perfect together, in the same space.For the first time since his father declared that Luther would be marrying instead.“I honestly had no idea that they were invited by my father,” Abby whispered into Laxus’s ear.She sounded sincere, and Laxus also knew that father and daughter could act differently, but that wasn’t even what was bothering him; it was the fact that he had been stunned to his bones. Seeing Linnie and Luther’s loved-up couple pictures and videos in the blogs had been very hurtful, but Laxus had no idea that seeing them together physically would make him feel this excruciating pain and feeling of betrayal.“It’s fine,” Laxus lied, because what else could he say or do at this point?The only possible action to take would be to withdraw by simply taking his leave, but then

Darwin visited the company even though it was on a weekend, and it certainly wasn’t the first time. As he got to the gate, he met the regular security who often guarded the gate during the weekends.As usual, Darwin wound down, brought out a few dollar notes and presented it to the security guard who collected it without saying a word. It was their routine, and they had been in on it for years now, which was why Darwin had refused to fire this particular security guard.“As usual, keep your mouth shut. I was never here,” Darwin told him darkly and he simply nodded as he drove into the company.Everyone else was in their homes, or probably making do with the weekend time that they had, while Darwin sneaked into the Kinkaid Distillery Company. It sounded absurd that a CEO would be sneaking into his own company, but only Darwin understood why he had to go about it like that. There were so many things about the company that the world, didn’t know, and Darwin intended for it to remain that

Laxus knew that this was a bloody set up. He had seen and noticed everything that had transpired on the dining table, and he understood what was going on. Laxus also knew the game Linnie was trying to play, but he would not give her the satisfaction of it, and at the same time, Laxus did not have to lie.“She is my employee,” Laxus answered without stuttering or flinching.Then something crossed his mind briefly; how in heaven’s name did Linnie know anything about Nessy, but Laxus did not even have the luxury of time to dwell on that thought. As soon as he gave that response, Abby’s defense dropped rapidly.“That is much better,” Abby said. “I was slightly worried for a bit,” she added quietly and lightly.Laxus knew that he would have to correct some impressions that Abby was trying so hard to make, but he would have to do that much later. There was nothing going on between them, and even though Laxus had already sworn off love and women, Abby was the last person he would think about

Dinner ended and Luther could not be more grateful. It felt as though it was dragging for too long and Luther could not continue to bear the sight of Abby and Laxus together. Also, he was acting too stupidly, and he feared that it would jeopardize things for the company, but unfortunately, he could not even control himself.“Golden and I will wait to get the food digested and have a few words together before I send for Luther and Laxus,” the man from Zayomi said, rising to his feet.Everyone also rose; indicating that they were officially done eating.“He is right,” Mr. Golden suggested. “I usually don’t rush into business right after meals, so I suggest that while we wait for the food to digest before the two businessmen have the opportunity to pitch their proposals, the rest of you should feel comfortable and ensure that you get some digestion as well,” Mr. Golden finished.With that, he and the Zayomi man slowly and leisurely walked out of the dining room.“They are certainly going