With that, she shot Ethan a smug smile, turned on her heel, and strolled away gracefully, leaving Ethan fuming in silence.The moment Stacey disappeared, Eleanor rounded on Adam, her face twisted in anger.“You’re disgusting, Adam. How dare you look at another woman before you’ve even finalized the divorce from my daughter?”Adam raised a brow, clearly unimpressed by her outrage. “You’ve got it wrong. Stacey and I are just colleagues.”Eleanor crossed her arms, her glare sharp as a knife. “She’s the Gold family’s heiress—and the Supreme General’s personal assistant, no less. And even if she'll work anywhere, it'll be in the Bulgart Industry, owned by the Supreme General. You expect me to believe you two are just colleagues?”Ethan let out a derisive snort. “Right. Even if he somehow works at Bulgart Industry, he’s probably no more than a security guard. Just another watchdog in a cheap uniform.”Nala, standing beside Ethan, eagerly joined in, her voice filled with venom. “That’s rig
The bidding results were set to be announced in an hour, and the companies waited patiently for the outcome.Tessa tapped her fingers against the table, her nerves getting the better of her. This was her first major project since taking control of Armand Group, and not everyone in the company was happy about it. The shareholders had been circling her like vultures, waiting for her to slip up.Ralph, in particular, was eager to see her fail. If she lost this bid, it would give him the perfect excuse to force her out as CEO.Adam, sitting beside her, noticed the slight furrow on her brow. He leaned in closer, a subtle smile tugging at his lips. "Don’t worry. We’ve got this in the bag."Tessa shot him a skeptical glance. "And what makes you so sure?"Before Adam could respond, Eleanor sneered from across the room. "If we win this bid, it’ll be thanks to Ethan, not you. What makes you think you have any role in this?"Nala chimed in with a grin. "Exactly. Ethan has already made arrangemen
Ethan raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift in Kelvin’s tone. "And what would that be?"Kelvin’s smile turned predatory. "I want Tessa."Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. "Tessa?"Kelvin’s grin widened. "You heard me. She got away from me the last time we crossed paths, but now she’s in my territory. I plan to finish what I started."Ethan’s hand tightened around his glass, the edges of his smile faltering. "Look, Kelvin… Tessa’s my fiancée."Kelvin’s expression darkened. "So what? That doesn’t mean anything to me."Ethan forced a smile, his mind racing. "Come on, Kelvin. Let’s not get carried away. How about I find you someone else—someone just as beautiful?"Kelvin’s eyes narrowed with displeasure. "There is no one else like her, Ethan. We both know that. Now, are you going to bring her to me, or do I have to take her myself?"Ethan’s heart pounded in his chest. He knew what Kelvin was capable of, and he also knew that defying him wasn’t an option."Kelvin," Ethan began carefully, "surel
A rush of fury and terror washed through Tessa the moment she saw him. The urge to leave the room overwhelmed her, yet she steeled herself. Just like his father, Kelvin had also tried to sleep with her multiple times, he had always invited her for a date which she constantly declined. Because his intentions were obviously not pure.Determined to win the bid, she sat down.However, she took a seat next to Ethan instead. He seemed more reliable than Kelvin.Kelvin was unfazed. She was bound to become his plaything once she set foot in here."Kelvin, we're very serious about the project. We won't let you down as long as you choose us," Tessa began."Then show me how serious you are about it. Drink this." Kelvin poured a glass of wine for her."My stomach isn't feeling well. I can't drink," Tessa politely refused. She was wary of him because of what happened last time between her and Ethan, she can't afford to be careless.Thanks to her wits, she managed a narrow escape when he drugged he
"He's just a poor loser," Ethan scoffed, eyeing Adam dismissively.Kelvin’s face twisted in anger as he turned his glare on Adam. "How dare you interfere with my fun? Do you have a death wish?"Adam's eyes narrowed, his voice cold and steely. "You're one to talk! How dare you even think of laying a finger on my wife?"A dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes. As soon as he sensed something was wrong, Adam had stormed upstairs. Fury surged through him when he realized Kelvin had been about to assault Tessa."Your wife?" Kelvin’s surprise was brief, quickly replaced by a wicked smile.Ethan seized the moment to chime in with a laugh. "They got married a few days ago. It’s just a marriage of convenience."Kelvin’s sneer deepened. "Interesting. In that case, why don’t you step aside and watch while I finish what I started?"With that, he reached for Tessa’s arm, ignoring Adam’s presence entirely.Adam’s fist clenched, his anger reaching a boiling point. "Don't even think about it," he growle
Ethan lay slumped on the ground, a look of utter shock etched across his face.Kelvin, cornered and panicked, scrambled backward. "Stay back! What do you want from me?" His voice trembled, the fear in his eyes unmistakable. He hadn’t anticipated Adam’s audacity – his willingness to cross the line without hesitation.Adam didn’t bother to answer. With a swift motion, he swung his foot directly into Kelvin’s side.Kelvin’s eyes widened as a sharp pain exploded through his ribs, sending him sprawling onto the floor. He writhed in agony, struggling to catch his breath, the pain consuming him.Adam planted his foot firmly on Kelvin's face, his gaze cold and unyielding. "Consider this a warning," he growled. "If you ever try something like this again, I’ll make sure you don’t get up."Ignoring Kelvin’s pitiful state, Adam turned his attention to Tessa. She looked fragile and pale, barely holding herself together after the ordeal. Adam knelt beside her, gently pulling her clothing aside just
Tessa’s frustration was evident as she glanced back at the fallen bodyguards lining the hallway. "You’re the one who injured them, so they won’t be too much trouble for me. But you—if you don’t leave now, they’ll find you before you can even get out of the city."Adam nodded, his face serious. "Alright. Take care of yourself, Tessa.""Just go," she insisted, her voice softer, almost reluctant. "Before it's too late."Adam cast one last look at her, his gaze lingering. "I will. But… don’t let anyone push you around. You deserve better than all this."He wasn't scared of Wilfred or the Darkclaw, they were only a small fries. Stacey had recently informed him that many powerful underground organizations had arrived in Storm City, after the news of the amulet in his custody was revealed. Some may be even after his life.Tessa swallowed, unsure of how to respond. Before she could find the words, Adam turned and left, disappearing into the corridor. She exhaled a heavy sigh, a mixture of rel
"Tessa, what happened, exactly? Why did Kelvin suddenly get injured? Which bastard did it?" Eleanor asked, genuinely intrigued."Actually…" Tessa hesitated, but she still told them the truth."What?" Eleanor was appalled. The others were equally shell-shocked."That asshole has really got some nerve! It was bad enough to offend the Blackwoods family last time, but how dare he cripple Mr. Wilfred's son?"He shouldn't drag us down with him even if he has a death wish!" Eleanor shrieked in terror."Seriously, Tessa? I don't mean to criticize you, but look at what you've done! You chose this worthless bastard over Mr. Blackwood."Not only is he worthless, he's an incorrigible troublemaker. Well, look at him now! Our entire family will suffer because he offended Mr. Wilfred!" Henry her cousin hollered.Her aunty, Brenda was fuming. "Grandpa entrusted the company to you. But what did you do? Never mind not contributing to the family, you caused such a huge problem."I think your position