Ryan tapped a nervous knuckle on the desk of his office. With his left hand, he flipped a cigarette expertly and hissed as the light smoke trailed into the air. His brain was whirling, the thoughts muddled and scattered all over the place.He had to do something to revive his almost bankrupt company before it was too late. He couldn't afford for everything he had ever worked for to go down the drain, and most importantly, he couldn't risk letting Adrian win.That would mean suicide.Straightening his back, he felt a sharp pain course through him and he hissed. The place where Adrian's men had beat him up that day still hurt, like a motherfucker.Mixed with the pain, he felt raw fury travel through his body. Gosh, he had never felt this vivid in his entire life. He wish he had some sort of super powers to blot out this poison that was slowly crippling him —Adrian.“It's okay, Ryan…it's okay. Take a deep breath,” He whispered to himself, his fists clenched. “It's not your fault. You wer
Adrian's hands reached out for the mug of coffee before him and he took a quick sip. A gentle sigh escaped his lips and he groaned before looking up to Felix whose face was squeezed into a petty frown. "Hey, you wanted to say something earlier. I'm listening,”Felix expression was tight as his frown deepened.“That's weird, don't you want to concentrate on your work anymore?"“I'm the boss. I can do whatever I want,” Adrian smirked, his aim to provoke the other man further.“The information was urgent and I came in here with a lot of vibes. You killed the excitement when you asked me to wait until you were done with work,” Felix growled, his lips pulled into a feigned pout. “Sorry, but the mood is gone. Can I leave now?”Adrian chuckled. “You're being petty,” He sighed. “Look, just accept the fact that you came in at the wrong time. I was attending to some international clients,”“That couldn't wait?” Felix said, sounding like a jealous lover. “Well, you'll have to bribe me to spill
"I'm sorry to bother you sir, but if you don't want to order something else, I suggest you leave. This table needs to be cleared for another customer,"Adrian looked up from his glass of wine to the waitress who was trying so hard to maintain a smile. He exhaled deeply, trying to recollect his thoughts."Sir…"Adrian didn't reply, instead, his eyes shifted to the papers in his slightly shaky hands. It was divorce papers that his wife, Layla had persisted him to sign for a week now.One might think that he should be grateful for an opportunity to finally get out of a toxic marriage where he wasn't receiving any peace of mind. But Adrian felt different. He felt that it was still possible for Layla to change the way she felt towards him.To Layla, their marriage was just a business merger between their families. He was not even the husband she was supposed to marry. She was supposed to marry his handsome, perfect brother, Ryan, but when he disappeared on the day of their wedding, she had
Adrian opened his eyes slowly to find himself in a hospital room. Pain slithered through his forehead and he released a gentle groan.He tried to sit up, but waves of pain shot through his body and he groaned again. He stared down at his hand and noticed they were handcuffed to the bed."How did I end up here?" He winced, his question directed to no one in particular."I see you're awake, you son of a bitch. Next time you pull a trick like this on us, I promise we'll take you to a mortuary and deposit your useless body there," A police officer who stood by the side of the bed said harshly.And that was when the painful memories of how he had fainted began to click. Daily, the police would take him to a dark room and beat him up, urging him to confess to crimes he didn't commit.They'd tie him up, maltreat, and abuse him without waiting to listen to his pleas of innocence. In the end, when his body couldn't take the pain anymore, he passed out in the dark room and they brought him here
Adrian didn't know what he was thinking when he decided to enter a car with a total stranger. What if this was a plot by Ryan and Layla to kidnap him? Those two could go through hell just to make his life miserable.He scoffed.He was such a fool to have believed that they had a heart like normal people.From the corner of his eyes, he saw Felix look at him through the mirror with an emotion that suggested pity. He didn't like it when people pitied him."It's been ten years since you left home, young Master. A lot has happened since then. Now, your grandfather wants you home for good," Felix said, initiating a conversation.Adrian straightened in his seat with a curious brow. "G–randfather Milan?""Yes," Felix nodded."What's your relationship with him?” Adrian frowned. "And what does he want with me? He drove me out of his life like I meant nothing to him. Now he wants me back? Amuse me,"Felix was silent for a minute. "He's dying,""What?" "Stage four cancer," Felix replied. "He ha
The cold evening air slapped Adrian's hair back and forth as he walked inside the hall. The place was filled with wealthy people drinking and sharing jokes amongst themselves.Adrian allowed his eyes to wander, taking in the festive mood that dominated the atmosphere. Ryan and Layla had put so much effort in organizing this party, evident from the heavy decorations and the majestic display of expensive dishes and drinks.A surge of air escaped from his mouth as he released a gentle chuckle. Were those two really serious about moving on with their lives after what they did to him?Did they really not care?The only crime he had committed was getting married to Layla. Did he deserve to be nailed to the cross, suffer the most inhumane punishment, and betrayed because of that?“Adrian?! What the fuck, you worthless piece of shit. Is that you?!” A feminine voice suddenly sounded behind him and he turned around with a frown.Speak of the devil.It was Layla. She was dressed in a beautiful g
“What the hell are you doing?!” Ryan hissed, almost forgetting that he was in a public place.“What does it look like I'm doing? You called for the president, so here am I. Allow me to give my speech,” Adrian replied calmly. Ryan blinked once in surprise, then twice in anger. His eyes shifted to the audience and he could see their inquisitive eyes. He swallowed nervously, feeling like a fool.His hands curled beside him as horror spread over his face. What the hell was happening? No, he scoffed. This had to be a joke.“I'm going to give you two seconds to get yourself down from this stage, you delusional fool. You want to ruin my event, don't you?” Ryan said, but his voice came out weaker than expected.“I won't entertain any insulting words from you, Mr Ryan. Learn to address me properly since it is obvious we're not on the same level,” Adrian scolded, but Ryan could hear the mockery in his words. It was enough to piss him off.“Security!” Ryan yelled. “Throw this worthless fellow o
“Arggggh!! Fuck hell!” Ryan yelled, throwing a glass of wine against the wall and watching with satisfaction as it smashed into pieces. “How…how did he get out of jail. He was supposed to fucking rot in there!” He heaved, his chest rising up and down. “Damn it, but I paid those stupid wardens enough money to make his life miserable. Now he's out?”Ryan scoffed in disbelief, his mind refusing to erase the picture of how embarrassed he felt at yesterday's party. Not only had Adrian managed to get himself out of jail, he had also paraded himself like a king. Like someone untouchable.He…looked different, like a fucking royalty.“Fuck…! How could I not have known?!”“Sir…here's the report,” A scared voice broke into his reverie and he turned around with a hiss to find his secretary shaking like a leaf in the winter.It irritated him more. “What is it, Rita? You've been standing there like a goddamn piece of paper for the past three minutes. Have you lost your tongue?!”“The investors h