“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
“Happy Birthday, my love.”Jason smiled from ear to ear as he presented Diana, his wife, with a tiny jewellery box.She hugged him and excitedly took the box from his arms.She was honestly surprised that such a gift was coming from Jason. Or should she say that any gift at all was coming from Jason?Usually, on her birthdays or any other celebration, Jason would write her a love letter.There was a box full of them on her bedside table, and while she cherished them, it was nice to finally switch things up, she thought.As she opened the box, the gleam in her eyes disappeared, and her excited look was sealed with one of disappointment.“it’s empty?” She questioned."Yes, love, I plan on filling it with precious jewels in the future,” Jason stuttered.Diana sighed She knew that if Jason had the means to do so, he would get her a thousand pieces of jewellery, but sometimes she couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment.“Thank you, Jason.” Diana said stiffly and offered him a fake smi
The drive back to the Sinclair mansion was a quiet one.Everyone was taken aback by Stephen silencing them at dinner and standing up for Jason.He’s never approved of him. Although his disapproval was more silent, It was always a form of disappointed gazes, backhanded compliments, and sometimes he would completely ignore his existence. But it seemed as though hell had frozen over.Jason kept replaying the moment in his head. Was his father-in-law finally warming up to him?He scoffed at the thought. Of course not. He was probably thinking of his daughter’s feelings and not his own.He turned to Diana, who was sitting behind him. Her head was tilted towards the window, and she seemed to be lost in thought. Jason held her hand, but she didn’t reciprocate the action or even turn to acknowledge him.“I’m sorry” was all she whispered; her voice was so low that Jason thought he imagined the apology.When they finally arrived at the mansion, Jason didn’t go up to He and Diana’s room.He sat
“Someone help; Mr. Sinclair is unconscious!” Jason shouted, and immediately, dozens of the club’s employees rushed to the scene.They took him to the clinic in the club, and after thirty minutes, he regained consciousness.“Sir Thank God you’re awake. Is everything okay?”Stephen had a sombre look in his eyes. "No, Jason, to be honest with you, I don’t have much time left.”"What do you mean, sir?"“I’m dying”Jason was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to reply to what he was just told; he simply sat in a chair in the room and listened to Stephen as he spoke.“Brain Cancer. Inoperable” Stephen said, “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me or anything like that. All I want to do in my last days is spend time with my children and grandchildren, but I won’t even be able to do that.”“Why Sir?” Jason managed to say, his voice shaky.“There’s people conspiring against me at the company. They want to get me voted off the board and put me in jail, so they’re framing me for fraud and em