“Looking for us?” The kidnapper sneered. Jason looked to the man’s side and saw Leonardo tied up. “You thought it would be easy to fool me, didn’t you?” The man laughed. Who’s the fool now?”“Get in the car!” He yelled and pressed the gun into Jason’s forehead. He cocked the gun. “And don’t try anything this time because this one’s loaded and I’m afraid to...”In a split second, Jason removed the unloaded gun from his pocket. With a swift, precise motion, he swung the gun upward, using the butt of the weapon, to strike the man with a resounding crack. The man’s grip on the gun loosened, and it clattered to the ground. He stumbled backward, his head reeling from the force of the blow.Wasting no time, Jason struck the man again, sending the man crumpling to the ground, unconscious.The first thing that Jason did was untie Leonardo, who seemed to be frozen by fear. Next, he covered his hand with a handkerchief and picked up the loaded gun. Then he searched the man’s pocket for his phon
Leonardo broke away from his parents and ran to Jason’s side, his parents watching him curiously.“Mom! Dad! Meet Jason; he's my new favourite superhero,” Leonardo exclaimed, causing his parents and Jason to smile.“And how's that, my love?” his mother asked.“Jason saved my life! When the evil man disguised as my bodyguard tried to take me away, Jason saw him and tried to call the emergency number, but the man caught Jason and smashed his phone on the floor. Then he pointed a gun at Jason, but he didn't even shake. You know what he did?” Leonardo asked his parents with enthusiasm.They looked at each other and then back at their son. “What did he do?” they asked simultaneously, fully invested.“He punched his eye like...BAM!.” Leonardo demonstrated the punch by lightly punching his own eye. “Even when the man knocked us out, once we woke up, Jason already had a plan.” Leonardo went on to explain Jason’s plan to his parents.He continued with the retelling, “Everything was going well
Jason got to the apartment building a few minutes before midnight. He showered, then went straight to Amelia’s front door.He stood there and knocked for five minutes.“Jesus better be standing on the other side of this door, because I don’t see why anyone would be knocking like this at this time,” he heard Amelia yell from inside her apartment.She opened the door, and her eyes widened slightly. “Jason? It’s midnight; what're you doing here?” She was clad in her pyjamas, and it looked like she had just woken up from a good night's sleep.Jason walked into the apartment and looked at Amelia apologetically. "Amelia, I’m so sorry to bother you at this time, but I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t important.”“What’s so important that you couldn’t say it on a phone call?" Amelia groaned and gently dragged the skin under her eyes with her palms.“Does a deal with the Spaniards sound important enough?” Jason said it proudly.Amelia looked at Jason, dazed, her mouth slightly ajar. “I’m sorry, I do
Jason gave the best presentation of the proposal that he could. He tackled their questions and concerns perfectly.Everyone sat in anticipation as Mr. Ponce De Leon and his financial advisors discussed.“One more question." Mr. Ponce De Leon said, “Your growth targets seem ambitious. What factors contribute to your confidence in achieving these milestones?”Jason cleared his throat before answering; he had been especially preparing for that question.“Our financial projections are based on thorough market research, demand forecasting, and input from industry experts. We've accounted for various scenarios and risk factors in our models to ensure realistic expectations. Additionally, the infusion of capital from our partnership with you will enable us to accelerate our growth trajectory and capitalise on emerging opportunities in the market.”Mr. Ponce de Leon and his advisors nodded, pleased by everything they had heard.“Thank you for addressing our concerns, Jason. After careful cons
For the restaurant where the celebratory dinner would take place, Jason chose Lla Vespera. It was a luxurious establishment. The interior had a refined design, with plush furnishings, rich textures, and exquisite artwork adorning the walls.Their food had already been ordered, and their dinner was served.“I must say, Jason, you have good taste; this place is beautiful. And their lobster is spectacular,” Mr. Ponce De Leon commented as he took another bite of his food.“Really? I just picked the first restaurant I saw when I searched ‘fancy restaurants in New York’” Jason said.The table erupted in laughter, but Jason wasn’t even joking. That’s exactly what he had done.“Eres hilarante,” Mrs. Ponce De Leon said to Jason. She corrected herself when she realised she didn’t say it in English. “That means you’re hilarious,” she smiled.“Yo sé,” Jason said as he took a bite of his own lobster.Mr. and Mrs. Ponce de Leon looked at Jason in surprise. “You speak Spanish?” Mrs. Ponce de Leon a
The night ended, and the day of the contract signing came. The contract was supposed to be signed by 9:00 a.m. that morning.Amelia called Jason by 7:00 am because she was worried about how much he drank and wanted to make sure he was okay. There was also the worry in the back of her mind that Jason wouldn’t show up on time like he did yesterday.Just like yesterday, her call went straight to voicemail. She took a deep breath, choosing not to worry.“He’s fine. He’s not a kid; he knows how important this is. He’s probably getting ready right now and has his phone on silent,” she said to herself, trying to convince herself.An hour later, she heard a knock on her office door and assumed it was Jason.Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. “Come in,” she said with excitement.But her excitement and relief were short-lived when the door opened to reveal Franklin. Amelia’s expression soured, and her face dropped. “Hi Franklin,” she said in a dull tone.Franklin walked into the office holding
“Jason, Jason, open up.” Amelia and Franklin had been screaming and banging on Jason's door for the past seven minutes.“What if he left while he was drunk last night and got lost... or kidnapped?” Amelia said, her heartbeat racing at the possibility.“Should we ask the security men for the CCTV footage from last night?” Franklin suggested.Amelia snapped her fingers. “Good idea. Let’s go.”It took them a few minutes to convince the security guards, but they eventually showed them the footage, and the last thing that the CCTV cameras captured of Jason was when Amelia and Franklin escorted him to his apartment.“Thank you,” they said, thanked the guard, and left the security room.“So that means he’s in the apartment,” Amelia said.“Then why the hell won't he answer or open the door? I don’t get it. You saw him last night; sure, he was drunk, but he wasn’t blackout drunk." Franklin scraped his fingers through his hair. Suddenly he remembered something from the night before: “The woma
As soon as the door was moved out of the way, Franklin and Amelia bolted into the apartment. "Hey, you haven’t paid me?” Franklin rushed to him and slapped a hundred-dollar bill into his hand without even checking how much it was. The carpenter grinned and walked away when he saw the bill.The first thing Amelia and Franklin saw when they entered the apartment was Jason’s unconscious body sprawled across the couch."Jason, wake up!” Franklin shouted, and he realised he was ridiculous for thinking that would wake him up as soon as he said it.Amelia grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently, but he was completely unresponsive, limp like a rag doll.Amelia and Franklin soon realised that getting the apartment door open was one thing, but waking Jason up would be a whole other ball game.They tried everything that came to mind. Amelia tried to lift his eyelids, but it was like trying to open a stuck drawer. They exchanged worried glances, thinking he may even be in a coma.“I think we