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2024-10-29 19:42:56Daniel had been asked to cater alongside the more professional and popular planners who had been contracted to cater for the wedding between Vanessa and Nathan, since Nathan enjoyed his company.
So by association, Ryan was also going to be at the wedding. As much as he despised the idea, he couldn't afford to lose his job and arouse any inch of suspicion. … Working at his ex's wedding was not something Ryan could have imagined after all her and her family had done to him. He still had a lowly reputation to maintain, after all. “The wedding is in a week, people! We need to make sure we make a great presentation” Daniel addressed. “Aren't there going to be much more professional and well recognized bartenders at the wedding scene?” One of the workers mentioned. “Well…we may be the smallest out of all of them but we hold a special spot in the groom's heart, so we have to give it our all” Daniel answered, reassuring them. “Plus, we have Ryan! Our best bartender since I got into this business!” Daniel added. A weak cheer followed, more for the sake of satisfying Daniel's ego than out of genuine happiness. Ryan slipped out a half smile, feeling awkward. “Alright! Let's get back to work, we have so much to do and in such a short time” Daniel announced, ending the meeting. The workers began to troop away slowly from the table they had gathered at. … “And it's official! Miss Vanessa Jordan, General Manager of the Jordan Empire has tied the knot with wealthy business tycoon and heir to the Daniels Empire, Nathan Daniels! Everyone wishes them a beautiful life together” an announcer on TV said. “Alright everyone! To your places! The ceremony at the church is over, guests have begun to arrive and the couple will be heading here soon” somebody announced. Everyone began to scamper around their tables in a controlled chaos. Soon, Ryan found himself at Daniel's table, waiting to see the mother of his unborn child, walk in with her celebrity sweetheart husband. It was going to be heartbreaking to watch but he still had a lot to accomplish before he was ready to take action for his rights. “Ryan, you have been specially requested by the groom to tend to the VIP tables. Guess you finally got in his favor” Daniel announced a few minutes after Vanessa and Nathan arrived at the wedding reception scene. Ryan let out a deep sigh and walked down to where the VIP tables had been placed, directly opposite Vanessa and Nathan's table. He felt a strange deja vu just hearing Daniel say how he got in Nathan's favor. Ryan sighted some of Nathan's bratty friends who frequented Danny's Bar with their whores. “Hey dipshit! Over here! Get our table a round of your special mix!” One of them called, as the ladies at the table giggled silly. “Um…I'm sorry but we're all out of the mix. But we have the…”. “Do I look like I care for whatever leftover you have? I'm sure you see that this is a VIP table, you clueless idiot!” The man interrupted, looking around for the support of the entire table. The girls giggled again. “My apologies…”. “Save your useless apologies and just get out of my sight” the man sneered. Ryan turned away, walking down to another VIP table. Clink! Clink! Everyone's attention turned to the direction of the noise. Nathan stood up, holding a glass cup and a little metal stick. “Hello Everyone, I want to thank you all for coming out today, my wife, Vanessa and I are beyond grateful for your support in one way or another towards our dream and we hope to see you all gathered the same way at the arrival of our lovely child”. He paused and the crowd took it as an opportunity to cue the first round of applause. “A lot of you don't know our story. Nessa and I were high school sweethearts, the perfect pair. Yeah, our relationship dates back that long haha. We were together until two years ago when I took a business trip that appeared to ruin our relationship. We broke up and went our separate ways even if we missed each other sorely. I concentrated on furthering my business while Nessa here found another man”. The crowd took a simultaneous gasp as Nathan's lips formed a sly smirk. Ryan's eyes remained widened. What kind of story had Vanessa and her parents cooked up for Nathan to win his trust?, he reasoned. “Yes! Long story short, he physically and mentally abused her. My darling Nessa was a victim of abuse. Her new man was a psychopath and when she heard I was in town after a whole year overseas, she ran to me. I became her comfort place and we slowly became friends all over again. She could not tell her parents". Nathan paused to give the crowd time to murmur loudly amongst themselves. Nathan felt powerful, cooking up the non-existent protagonist of his story. Ryan shifted his gaze to Vanessa whose expression looked like one of pure embarrassment. “I fought to release Nessa from the clutches of her man and we became even closer. She got pregnant for me, I proposed, and we are here today” Nathan continued, gripping Vanessa's hands. Vanessa let out a half hearted smile. “We were always meant to be together, as fate would have it. Cheers!” Nathan said, as everyone raises their glasses in support. “You idiot! Don't you have eyes?!” Another of Nathan's friends yelled. Ryan's attention turned back to the glass he had been pouring into for the past few seconds. He had been too invested in Nathan's crazy story. “Oh…I am so so sorry!” Ryan apologized, untying his apron to clean the spot on the man's shirt that had been stained. “Of course it's you. You seem to have a talent for giving people's outfits drink stains” the man commented. People around laughed. Nathan took a quick glance at the table and scoffed. “Everyone! The highlight of the day, our celebrity klutz bartender has done it again!” Nathan announced, as the crowd erupted in laughter. Ryan faced the floor, walking away slowly. This was now a canon event in his life. He walked straight to the entrance of the venue, tossing his apron in the trash. He was done for the day. “Hey bud! Been a while! We miss you back at the Jordan Mansion” a familiar voice called. Ryan turned to see HIM. Kale, one of the few people who had managed to turn his life upside down. Ryan drew his fist and landed a deep punch aimed at Kale’s left eye. “Ahh! You monster! What have you done?! I can't see anything!” Kale screamed. Everyone stopped and began to gather around Kale. Ryan dashed out from the scene as fast as he could. He was in trouble again.
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“Good morning” Serena greeted, her eyes hovering above his face. Ryan opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, watching Serena draw the curtains in his room open. “What are you doing in my room?” Ryan asked her. "Again, a simple thank you would suffice" Serena chuckled. She sat on the chair in the room. “ Well if you must know, I happen to be your designated saviour because I keep finding you everywhere but at a safe spot" she joked “Shit” Ryan cussed, the events from the wedding party coming back to his memory. “Work issues?" Serena probed. "What?". "Whatever got you so drunk and passed out at a bar that the owner had to go through your contacts and call me" She explained. “I wasn't…I wasn't drunk” Ryan pushed. “You don't need to lie, Ryan. I brought you back here, I saw the state you were in" Serena countered, her voice lacking empathy. “I'd rather not talk about it, Serena” Ryan responded. “You know that old saying that goes 'a problem shared is a…”. “I
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Ryan remained fixed to the spot he had been standing on. He had fought to get away from the enemy, while being unable to see that his greatest enemy was right in front of him. He sat down on the sofa slowly, bending his head and covering his face. He was completely overwhelmed. The woman who had been in the room with Tony, appeared, using her hair to cover her face in shame. Tony had probably threatened her to get into bed with him. Ryan felt complete pity for her. “You may leave. I'm sorry for whatever this creep did to you” Ryan sympathized.The woman muttered a ‘thank you’ and slipped out of the apartment with tears in her eyes. Tony stood at a corner of the room, watching everything unfold. Ryan fixed his gaze at him with complete fury in his eyes. “Don't think about getting in a physical fight because I'd hurt you badly. I have several years of training. Just a friendly warning” Tony mentioned. “You're a monster” Ryan commented. “You're not the first person to say that, R
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“You are a really great actress, Serena. Name your price” Ryan told her. “Excuse me?” Serena responded, amused. “Tony sent you here to probably ‘win me over’, didn't he? Now name your price so I can give it to you and you drop the act. I don't need any false pity Serena” Ryan spat. “You are totally misunderstood, Mr. Roberts. I despise Tony as much as you do right now and I just want to help…”.“I never asked for your help, neither did I tell you I wasn't capable of handling my own problems” Ryan cut in, coldly. His clenched jaw and distant gaze made Serena’s heart sink. But she was determined, even if she didn't have much time. “Why don't we have a meeting again, Ryan Roberts? Same time tomorrow, and I'll bring with me every possible proof that I'm not in any kind of alliance with Tony. Will that be enough for you?” Serena suggested. Ryan remained mute. He was not interested in meeting with her again, even if a small part of him wanted as much information as he could get from
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Ryan watched as Serena bundled her three kids into the backseat of his car along with a few of their belongings. He admired her grace-like nature and how well the kids believed in her and barely asked questions. They were probably used to this: packing up and moving suddenly as Tony was not exactly the biggest fan of his ex-wife. He felt pity for them, and in that instant wondered what life would be like for his own child if he didn't end up the victor in this whole sharade. “We're all set, Ryan” Serena spoke sharply, her eyes indicating that the sooner they were to move away from that location, the better for them. Ryan placed his hands on the steering wheel and drove off into the dimly lit street. They soon found themselves on the freeway and Ryan heard Serena breath with relief. He could not imagine how many phases of tension she had been through the past few minutes. “Where are you taking them?” He asked, glancing at her occasionally. “My sister who lives out of town. She
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Ryan woke up with a throbbing headache the next day. He had barely shut his eyes until sunrise and his conversation with Tony still felt like a dream. A bad dream he kept reliving in his mind. “Hey!” Bethany shrieked as she bumped into Ryan. “Good Morning” Ryan mumbled, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He felt slightly dizzy and the fact that he was going to be downstairs before getting any aid was not going to help. “A head ache? I've got something for that, follow me” Bethany smiled. How did she know? Probably mother's instinct, Ryan guessed. Or the fact that he had been massaging his forehead consistently for the past minute. He followed after her to get room where she offered him some pain relief tablets and watched him swallow them. “Mom? Mom?” Ryan waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I'm sorry, Ryan. I just…I thought about how unfair it is that I only get to see you for a few more years and as a full adult. I was never around to
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“This is certainly a nice surprise” Serena boomed from the entrance to the house. Ryan felt uneasy, forcing a smile as he shut his car door. He said Serena had built a weird friendship over the past few days and she wasn't the closest person to him but she had been through so much. The thought of harming her was like a bullet through the chest. “Fuck” Ryan muttered under his breath. He had begun to rethink his choices all over again. It was supposed to be a simple task and he'd already made up a plan in his head on the way.Kill Serena. Drop a knife beside her and a short suicide letter he'd also written on the way there. But his hands were now sweaty and fidgeting as he sat down on the sparse furniture in Serena's sister's home. “Hey. I'm Sarah” A raven-haired, slender woman offered a hand to Ryan. “Ryan. Great to finally meet you” Ryan answered, giving her a handshake. “My pleasure, Ryan. Thank you for what you did for my sister and her kids. It was…very brave of you” Sara
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Ryan opened his eyes as the stench from the adjoining toilet was the first smell that hit his nostrils. He rushed to the toilet, vomiting from the intense nausea.“Ha! Always these rich ones…you'll get used to the stench sooner or later, boy” an older man sitting at a corner laughed. Ryan shot an angry look at him and sat down, pushing himself against the walls of the cell.“Why’d you end up here, boy?!” The old man snickered. Ryan remained silent, fixing his gaze on the scribblings on the wall and trying not to concentrate on the oozing stench from the toilet. He was sure the old man had messed the toilet up while he was asleep. He hadn't said a word to the man since the previous day when he'd been brought to the cell. He was not in the mood to mingle. He was not built for this life, and he wanted to return to his life before meeting Tony.Most importantly, he wanted to know if Serena was safe.The hard brick he had laid on for most of the night had made his back sore.He didn
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Ryan nodded in support, spotting a half smile. “Thank you, Serena” Ryan found himself saying. Serena’s attention was far away, as she gazed at the wall without interruption.“Your face…was it him?...”.She shifted her gaze back to Ryan.“I…I'll explain later. I have to leave now to put some things in place for Sarah's funeral” Serena responded, standing up. “My condolences” Ryan muttered.Serena nodded slowly, walking away quickly. Ryan rested his head on the table briefly, blaming himself for all that happened. When he raised his head back up, the guard was already behind his chair waiting to escort him back to his cell. He wished his time with Serena had been longer like his mother's. Most of all, he wished all the good people in his life did not suffer further because of him. …“Ms. Roberts” Tony called, startling Bethany. She had just returned from the Central prison and she wanted to get a few of her documents in order before Tony's arrival. Too late. Now she understoo
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“Lupita Nell, do you swear to say the truth and nothing but the truth?” Serena asked, standing right in front of the witness stand. “Yes” Lupita answered, her eyes boring into the jury.Ryan gulped hard. What kind of evidence would Lupita have that would make Serena late to the most important thing in his life currently, and even more confident than she had being the last time he saw her?Moving forward, Serena engaged Lupita in a series of questions that didn't make much sense at first but gradually began to lean towards the ‘grand evidence’. However, the prosecution began to chip in, asking controversial questions about Lupita’s past relationships.“Objection my lord! Such questions have nothing to do with the current matter and are only to lure the witness into a sense of cowardice!” Serena charged. “Objection sustained!” The judge’s voice rang. The prosecuting lawyer returned to his space with a fuming expression and Serena resumed with the questions. By the end of the inter
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Ryan nodded in support, spotting a half smile. “Thank you, Serena” Ryan found himself saying. Serena’s attention was far away, as she gazed at the wall without interruption.“Your face…was it him?...”.She shifted her gaze back to Ryan.“I…I'll explain later. I have to leave now to put some things in place for Sarah's funeral” Serena responded, standing up. “My condolences” Ryan muttered.Serena nodded slowly, walking away quickly. Ryan rested his head on the table briefly, blaming himself for all that happened. When he raised his head back up, the guard was already behind his chair waiting to escort him back to his cell. He wished his time with Serena had been longer like his mother's. Most of all, he wished all the good people in his life did not suffer further because of him. …“Ms. Roberts” Tony called, startling Bethany. She had just returned from the Central prison and she wanted to get a few of her documents in order before Tony's arrival. Too late. Now she understoo
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Ryan opened his eyes as the stench from the adjoining toilet was the first smell that hit his nostrils. He rushed to the toilet, vomiting from the intense nausea.“Ha! Always these rich ones…you'll get used to the stench sooner or later, boy” an older man sitting at a corner laughed. Ryan shot an angry look at him and sat down, pushing himself against the walls of the cell.“Why’d you end up here, boy?!” The old man snickered. Ryan remained silent, fixing his gaze on the scribblings on the wall and trying not to concentrate on the oozing stench from the toilet. He was sure the old man had messed the toilet up while he was asleep. He hadn't said a word to the man since the previous day when he'd been brought to the cell. He was not in the mood to mingle. He was not built for this life, and he wanted to return to his life before meeting Tony.Most importantly, he wanted to know if Serena was safe.The hard brick he had laid on for most of the night had made his back sore.He didn
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN: FRAMED
“This is certainly a nice surprise” Serena boomed from the entrance to the house. Ryan felt uneasy, forcing a smile as he shut his car door. He said Serena had built a weird friendship over the past few days and she wasn't the closest person to him but she had been through so much. The thought of harming her was like a bullet through the chest. “Fuck” Ryan muttered under his breath. He had begun to rethink his choices all over again. It was supposed to be a simple task and he'd already made up a plan in his head on the way.Kill Serena. Drop a knife beside her and a short suicide letter he'd also written on the way there. But his hands were now sweaty and fidgeting as he sat down on the sparse furniture in Serena's sister's home. “Hey. I'm Sarah” A raven-haired, slender woman offered a hand to Ryan. “Ryan. Great to finally meet you” Ryan answered, giving her a handshake. “My pleasure, Ryan. Thank you for what you did for my sister and her kids. It was…very brave of you” Sara
- My Billionaire Betrothed: Golden Comeback
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: TO DO OR NOT TO DO
Ryan woke up with a throbbing headache the next day. He had barely shut his eyes until sunrise and his conversation with Tony still felt like a dream. A bad dream he kept reliving in his mind. “Hey!” Bethany shrieked as she bumped into Ryan. “Good Morning” Ryan mumbled, rubbing his forehead with his hand. He felt slightly dizzy and the fact that he was going to be downstairs before getting any aid was not going to help. “A head ache? I've got something for that, follow me” Bethany smiled. How did she know? Probably mother's instinct, Ryan guessed. Or the fact that he had been massaging his forehead consistently for the past minute. He followed after her to get room where she offered him some pain relief tablets and watched him swallow them. “Mom? Mom?” Ryan waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I'm sorry, Ryan. I just…I thought about how unfair it is that I only get to see you for a few more years and as a full adult. I was never around to
- My Billionaire Betrothed: Golden Comeback
CHAPTER TWELVE: RUNAWAYS AND DEADLY PLOTS
Ryan watched as Serena bundled her three kids into the backseat of his car along with a few of their belongings. He admired her grace-like nature and how well the kids believed in her and barely asked questions. They were probably used to this: packing up and moving suddenly as Tony was not exactly the biggest fan of his ex-wife. He felt pity for them, and in that instant wondered what life would be like for his own child if he didn't end up the victor in this whole sharade. “We're all set, Ryan” Serena spoke sharply, her eyes indicating that the sooner they were to move away from that location, the better for them. Ryan placed his hands on the steering wheel and drove off into the dimly lit street. They soon found themselves on the freeway and Ryan heard Serena breath with relief. He could not imagine how many phases of tension she had been through the past few minutes. “Where are you taking them?” He asked, glancing at her occasionally. “My sister who lives out of town. She
- My Billionaire Betrothed: Golden Comeback
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE TAKE-BACK TEAM
“You are a really great actress, Serena. Name your price” Ryan told her. “Excuse me?” Serena responded, amused. “Tony sent you here to probably ‘win me over’, didn't he? Now name your price so I can give it to you and you drop the act. I don't need any false pity Serena” Ryan spat. “You are totally misunderstood, Mr. Roberts. I despise Tony as much as you do right now and I just want to help…”.“I never asked for your help, neither did I tell you I wasn't capable of handling my own problems” Ryan cut in, coldly. His clenched jaw and distant gaze made Serena’s heart sink. But she was determined, even if she didn't have much time. “Why don't we have a meeting again, Ryan Roberts? Same time tomorrow, and I'll bring with me every possible proof that I'm not in any kind of alliance with Tony. Will that be enough for you?” Serena suggested. Ryan remained mute. He was not interested in meeting with her again, even if a small part of him wanted as much information as he could get from
- My Billionaire Betrothed: Golden Comeback
CHAPTER TEN: CONDITIONS
Ryan remained fixed to the spot he had been standing on. He had fought to get away from the enemy, while being unable to see that his greatest enemy was right in front of him. He sat down on the sofa slowly, bending his head and covering his face. He was completely overwhelmed. The woman who had been in the room with Tony, appeared, using her hair to cover her face in shame. Tony had probably threatened her to get into bed with him. Ryan felt complete pity for her. “You may leave. I'm sorry for whatever this creep did to you” Ryan sympathized.The woman muttered a ‘thank you’ and slipped out of the apartment with tears in her eyes. Tony stood at a corner of the room, watching everything unfold. Ryan fixed his gaze at him with complete fury in his eyes. “Don't think about getting in a physical fight because I'd hurt you badly. I have several years of training. Just a friendly warning” Tony mentioned. “You're a monster” Ryan commented. “You're not the first person to say that, R
- My Billionaire Betrothed: Golden Comeback
CHAPTER NINE: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
“Good morning” Serena greeted, her eyes hovering above his face. Ryan opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, watching Serena draw the curtains in his room open. “What are you doing in my room?” Ryan asked her. "Again, a simple thank you would suffice" Serena chuckled. She sat on the chair in the room. “ Well if you must know, I happen to be your designated saviour because I keep finding you everywhere but at a safe spot" she joked “Shit” Ryan cussed, the events from the wedding party coming back to his memory. “Work issues?" Serena probed. "What?". "Whatever got you so drunk and passed out at a bar that the owner had to go through your contacts and call me" She explained. “I wasn't…I wasn't drunk” Ryan pushed. “You don't need to lie, Ryan. I brought you back here, I saw the state you were in" Serena countered, her voice lacking empathy. “I'd rather not talk about it, Serena” Ryan responded. “You know that old saying that goes 'a problem shared is a…”. “I
