Inside the prison, Jason was in his cell alone, unaware of all the plotting that was going on only a few centimeters away from him.Wylie had stepped out a while ago to, as he put it, “warm-up because the cold aura that the godfather emitted was too much for him.”The godfather had also stepped out of the cell. When he did, he seemed more upset than usual, which Jason didn’t even think was possible.Now that he thought of the godfather, he had been acting rare. Usually, he stayed on his bed, not moving, always reading a book. But sometime around noon, he started flipping the pages of his books frantically, then he stormed out of the room with a deep scowl on his face.Jason sighed. Why was he thinking of the grumpy old man so much? The prison boredom must’ve really been eating at his brain, he thought.Suddenly, the clanging of metal bars jolted him from his reverie. He looked up to see a guard standing at the entrance to his cell, keys jangling at his side."You've got another visito
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to do that, miss,” the man at the desk told Serena. His lips curled downward in a frown; he was expecting her to request something that would be exciting for him.Serena didn’t relent; instead, she flashed him a smile that ought to be on the cover of a magazine. “What? Don’t tell me that there’s a rule against taking photos here.”"Well, no, but...” the man trailed off."Exactly, so please help me out with this; it’s important,” she urged him but kept her voice sweet.The man stayed silent, thinking about his response. Even though technically there were no rules against it, he had a strange feeling that he was doing something wrong. Plus, he didn’t want to do the favour without getting something from Serena in return, but he felt like asking something from a lady like her would make him look like a jerk.Sensing that the man needed an incentive, Serena gave him one. “Do you have a pen and paper?” she asked.The man blinked, confused by her question, but he
“How have you been holding up in here?” Reuben asked genuinely."Well, the food is horrible, and I have to watch out for my own shadow, but apart from that, I’m good," Jason said in a sarcastic tone.Reuben let out a small chuckle. “There’s that optimism that I love!” he said in an equally sarcastic tone.“How are things with you? Did you find out what happened with Timothy?” Jason asked, concern clear in his voice.Reuben's expression hardened at the mention of Timothy. His eyes, which had been somewhat relaxed during their conversation, suddenly darkened with a mix of worry and anger. The faint smile he had been wearing vanished, replaced by a tense, furrowed brow. "I went to his house to check on him... He's in the hospital, Jason. Timothy's in a coma."Jason swore that he felt the blood drain from his face once the words left Reuben’s lips. He blinked in shock, trying to process the information.“A...coma,” Jason repeated.Reuben nodded. “Apparently he got into an accident the n
Jason watched Reuben exit the visiting area, a mix of determination and concern etched on his friend’s face. A short while after Reuben disappeared from view, Jason sighed deeply, ready to return to the dreary confines of his cell. But just as he turned to leave, the guard’s gruff voice stopped him in his tracks."Where do you think you’re going, Mr. Popular?" The guard's tone dripped with sarcasm.Jason frowned, glancing over his shoulder. “What do you mean? My visitor just left, so I'm going back to my cell.”The guard smirked. "Well, it looks like you’ve got another one. Guess today’s your lucky day.”Jason’s confusion only deepened. Another visitor? Who could it be? He hadn’t expected anyone else, and certainly not so soon after Reuben’s visit. His mind raced through the possibilities, but nothing made sense. He nodded to the guard, who gestured for him to stay put.Moments later, the door creaked open, and Jason’s breath caught in his throat as Connor walked in. Shock rippled thr
Connor and Serena had now returned to his apartment, and on the way there, Connor played the recording for Serena.“Reuben and Jason must be very close for him to have agreed to something as risky as being a spy,” Serena remarked as she poured herself a glass of water.“Yes, but it's too bad that their bomance will be Reuben’s downfall,” Connor said with fake pity as he shook his head. He was typing away on his laptop, drafting the email that he would send to Stefan to expose Reuben.“If everything we know about Stefan is true, then once he finds out about this, Reuben is a dead man,” Serena said as she took a seat next to Connor. There wasn't an iota of concern in her voice.“Let's hope so,” Connor added but didn't look away from his laptop or stop typing. A few seconds passed when Connor finished the email. "Done,” he said.“And you're sure that this is his personal email?”Connor asked.“Yes. I know a friend of the family, and he gave it to me,” Serena answered.“Alright then.” Conn
Meanwhile, on the Upper East Side of the city, Reuben stood outside the Sinclair mansion and knocked on the door.A few seconds later, the door creaked open to reveal a maid. “Good evening, Mr. Forester,” the maid greeted with a smile. Nearly all the staff at the Sinclair mansion were fond of Reuben.“Evening Rosie, could you let Andrew know that I'm out here waiting for him?” Rosie nodded "Yes, sir,” she nodded. “Aren't you going to come in?”Reuben was about to nod, but through the window, he saw that Christopher was sitting in the living room with Lana in his arms. Reuben shook his head in no. “I'll just wait for him out here.”Rosie gave him a soft nod, then went back into the mansion. Moments later, the door opened, revealing Andrew.“Reuben, is there a problem?” Andrew asked.Reuben nodded and let out a small sigh. "Yes, Andrew, a big problem.”“What is it?”Reuben cleared his throat, and his eyes went steely. “I don't know how to say this... It's better you come with me; let's
''Andrew.’’ I swear you're way more out of it than I thought; we never mentioned Jason.' Reuben said, thinking quickly.‘You didn’t?’ Andrew drawled.'No, we didn’t.’ Amelia responded, catching on to what Andrew was doing. She grabbed her purse that was resting on the table and smiled. ‘It was nice running into you, Reuben,’ she paused, as she did. Reuben noticed the questioning glint in Amelia's gaze and gave her a small nod, signaling that he would explain why he was out drinking with the enemy.‘’Goodnight,’’ she waved, then walked away.‘’night gorgeous’’ Andrew slurred as a lopsided grin crept on his lips. ‘’Is she single?’ he asked after glancing at Amelia's retreating figure. ‘’Maybe I could give my wife a piece of her own medicine,’’ he spat bitterly.Reuben’s jaw clenched slightly. ''She's not a pawn, isn’t your revenge plan,’’ he bit out.Andrew gave him an incredulous look, his eyes sparkling with mischief. ‘’ What do you care what she is to me? You don’t like her, do you?’
At the bar earlier, Andrew was sure that he had consumed more alcohol than he ever had in his life, and yet all it took was hearing the recording to make him sober up. ‘’Who sent that?’’ Andrew asked through gritted teeth.‘’Don’t blow a fuse yet; you haven’t seen everything,'' Stefan said, and Andre could’ve sworn that there was amusement in his father’s eyes as he turned his laptop so that Andrew could see the images on the screen.Andrew’s eyes narrowed into slits as soon as he saw the images of Reuben and Jason together at the prison. At first, a small part of him was sure that the audio was somehow fabricated, but there was no denying it now. Reuben wasn’t an investor, and worse of all, he was never his friend.It was all an act. Every moment that they spent together, every conversation they had. It was all part of Jason’s plan.‘’I’ve had Reuben keep an eye on them to find any information that could help me get my revenge.”Jason’s words played in Andrew’s head on a devastating