106"Listen up," Hawk growled into the phone, his voice dropping to a dangerous calm. "If you’re really Derek’s friend, you’ll help him out. Because if you don’t…” He let the threat hang in the air, letting Ethan fill in the blanks.A heavy silence lingered before Ethan’s voice crackled back, icy and controlled. “Are you seriously threatening me right now?”Hawk chuckled, a low, menacing sound that sent a chill through Derek. “No, I’m promising. Now, are you going to help him or not?”Derek stood there, trying to keep his breathing steady, his gaze fixed on Hawk’s expression—a smirk that screamed danger. He wished he could say something to ease the tension, but Hawk’s glare pinned him in place.Ethan’s tone turned even colder. “Put Derek back on the phone.”Hawk rolled his eyes, thrusting the phone at Derek with a sneer. "You better hope he’s got good news," he muttered, his tone dripping with mockery. "Otherwise, you’ll be seeing the wrong end of a shovel."Derek took the phone, his
107Derek’s phone, tucked away in his pocket, rang once again. The sudden sound caught him off guard, and before anyone could stop him, he swiftly pulled it out and answered. His heart was already pounding, but the tension in the air multiplied as he heard Ethan’s urgent voice on the other end.“Derek, I just tracked your location through the phone. Do you realize where you are? This place is crawling with Hawk’s men. I’m sending someone—”“No, Ethan!” Derek hissed, his voice a panicked whisper. “If you send anyone, Hawk’s guys will—”But he didn’t even finish before the unmistakable sound of screeching tires filled the warehouse, freezing everyone in place. Derek’s stomach dropped. He could only watch, dread building, as two black SUVs rolled up outside, their headlights casting an intense glow through the dusty windows. His mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last. Hawk’s rivals? The police? Or something even more dangerous?Hawk’s expression darkened, twisting wi
108Derek looked down, a wave of shame washing over him. "I... I didn’t mean for any of this to happen," he stammered, barely able to meet Grayson’s eyes.Grayson’s expression was colder than Derek had ever seen. “Didn’t mean for it to happen?” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Do you have any idea how many strings I had to pull to get you out of that mess? You think I enjoy cleaning up after you, Derek?”Derek flinched, his left arm hanging limply at his side from the beating he’d taken. “I know, I messed up,” he mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. The pain in his leg throbbed with each tiny movement.“Messed up?” Grayson’s voice was low, almost a growl. “This stunt…” He leaned in closer, eyes cold and piercing. “Do you have any idea what your father’s going to do when he finds out?”Derek opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. The fear gnawed at him, and the memories of Hawk’s men roughing him up flashed across his mind. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. “I… I didn’
109As Derek and Grayson stepped into the grand foyer of the estate, the towering silhouette of Victor Hawthorne loomed at the top of the staircase, his gaze piercing. His jaw clenched in visible anger, and the sound of his shoes echoed as he descended each step."Derek," Victor's voice was a low, furious growl. "What were you thinking?" He stopped inches away, eyes cold and unforgiving. "After I specifically warned you."Derek shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet his father’s gaze. "Dad, I—"Before he could finish, Victor’s hand swung across his face, the slap echoing through the hall. The impact sent Derek stumbling back, pain flaring in his already bruised cheek as he crashed against the marble floor. His injured leg throbbed, and his arm pulsed with agony.Victor didn’t flinch, watching his son crumple to the ground with a look of disgust. "Look at you," he sneered. "Injured and pathetic. How do you think you’re going to show up at the party this weekend like this?"Derek struggl
110Derek limped up the grand staircase, each step a grueling reminder of the injuries throbbing through his leg and arm. Every muscle protested, and by the time he reached his room, he nearly collapsed against the door, shutting it with a frustrated slam.He clenched his jaw, anger bubbling up as he looked down at his bruised knuckles. “Damn you, Allvar,” he spat, punching the wall, barely registering the fresh jolt of pain.“How could he have fought off Hawk’s men?” he muttered, pacing back and forth. “Some nobody coming out of nowhere, embarrassing me like that… humiliating me!”He rubbed his sore shoulder and sat down heavily on the edge of his bed, his mind racing with images of the brawl. Hawk’s men had fallen so easily; Allvar had barely broken a sweat. It didn’t add up.“Unbelievable,” he sneered to the empty room. “Who the hell does he think he is?”A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts. Grimacing, Derek straightened, wincing as his shoulder protested the movement. “What?” h
111At Waterfall Corporation, Allvar sat in his spacious office, surrounded by a mountain of paperwork. Morning sunlight poured through the tall windows, illuminating his desk, yet his mind was a tempest of thoughts. The previous night’s confrontation with Derek lingered heavily on him, despite his best efforts to push it aside. He had ensured that no one in the office was aware of it—his personal troubles were to remain just that.A gentle knock on the door broke the silence. Allvar looked up, his tense expression softening slightly as Clarabelle stepped in. With her bright smile and warm demeanor, she seemed to bring light into the room, effortlessly lifting some of the weight on his shoulders. She held a neat stack of files and her ever-present notepad.“Good morning, Mr. Falck,” she greeted, her voice cheerful. Her fiery red hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, perfectly complementing the rich green dress she wore. “I see you’re already hard at work. Didn’t take you for
112“Look who decided to grace us with his presence,” she drawled, her voice dripping with mockery. “I hope you’re ready to lead us through this disaster, Allvar.”Allvar took a steadying breath. “Let’s focus, shall we?” He gestured for everyone to sit, his voice firm. “We’re here to address the supplier delays affecting our project timeline.”“Maybe if you wore something a bit more professional, we’d take your leadership seriously,” she quipped, leaning back in her chair, crossing her legs with exaggerated nonchalance. “I mean, what is that? Did you lose a bet with your wardrobe?”Allvar clenched his jaw but held his ground. “Or maybe you could contribute something constructive instead of just sniping from the sidelines.”She smirked, clearly enjoying the banter. “Constructive? Is that what you call it when you show up looking like you just rolled out of bed? How can we trust your leadership if you can’t even dress the part?”“Enough,” Allvar interrupted, his tone sharp. “We’re not h
113The meeting continued, but Allvar felt the tension in his shoulders rising with every mocking comment she threw his way. What had started as mild sarcasm had morphed into something bolder, almost outright disrespectful. Her dismissive tone and relentless jabs tested his patience, and the amused looks from his other team members weren’t helping.“Maybe we should hire a stylist to keep the boss on brand,” she quipped with a smirk, earning scattered chuckles from around the room.“All right,” Allvar said, his voice steady but firm. He was determined to keep his cool. “Let’s keep this focused. This issue isn’t a joke, and we need real solutions.”“Oh, lighten up, 'BOSS,'” she responded, leaning back with an exaggerated sigh and a knowing grin. “If you’d stop taking everything so seriously, maybe we’d actually get somewhere. Or do you need a dress code to help you concentrate?”Allvar gritted his teeth but forced himself to keep a professional tone. “This is serious. We’re here to work