“Lovely to see you after such a long time, Audrey,” Nolan Palmer flashed a toothy grin as he came to a stop in front of his former college classmate and longtime crush, without bothering to acknowledge that he had just bumped into someone. Audrey’s warm expression faltered, her eyes narrowing at Nolan. “Nolan, are you really going to act like you didn’t hear that?” Nolan tilted his head, confused, until he noticed some guests murmuring and staring at something behind him. Before he could turn, a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder and forcefully spun him around. Adrian stood there, his expression steely and his left eye twitching as though trying to rein in his anger. Nolan’s brows furrowed into a deep V as his eyes disdainfully flickered to Adrian’s hand on his shoulder before settling on his face. “Why are you touching me with your filthy hands?” He asked, a hint of disgust and hostility seeping through his voice. “Let go this instant.” But, Adrian didn’t budge, and hi
Everyone watched with curiosity as a man stepped forward, and the guests parted a clear way for him to pass through. When he came into view, nobody recognized him, and they whispered amongst each other, wondering who he was.Cole turned to the man and raised an inquisitive brow. “May I know who you are, and why you’ll like to taste the whiskeys?”The man let out a polite smile as he came to a stop next to the scene. His gaze swept from Cole, to Nolan, then Adrian and Audrey before returning back to Cole.“My name is Joshua Weston, and I’m a professional whiskey connoisseur,” the man introduced as he pointed to himself. “Actually, I came here on behalf of my boss, Aiden Johnson, a luxury whiskey dealer. He’s supposed to be at this party, but he had an impromptu trip to make. That’s why no one recognizes me, I’m not a really known face, but I can taste the whiskeys and confirm their authenticity.”“Well, if you’re not really a known face, why should we trust your ability to detect genu
Nolan turned to Joshua, his fists clenching and the veins in his temple throbbing. “My whiskey is genuine, and it’s obvious this loser has bribed you to lie against me! He spun toward Cole, and gave him the most desperate look he could muster. “Cole, you have to believe me,” he pleaded before pointing to Joshua, then Adrian. “They’re just trying to humiliate me! Please, throw them out!” Cole’s expression was unreadable, but a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes as he became conflicted. On one hand he wanted to believe Nolan’s accusation, but on the other hand, Joshua’s confidence and expertise made it difficult to dismiss his judgment. Meanwhile, Joshua’s jaw tightened, and he met Nolan’s glare with an indignant expression. “Sir, I’ll advise you to watch what you say,” he spoke, his voice tight with a hint of irritation. “I’m certainly not biased, and I don’t appreciate you trying to damage my reputation. If you keep up with this accusation, then I’ll be forced to press
Lawrence Smith and his bodyguard, Kai, had just arrived at the driveway of Jordan Waynes’s villa when they saw a young man being escorted out of the mansion by two guards.Kai recognized him immediately, but Lawrence had no idea who he was, so Kai leaned in and whispered to him, nodding ever so subtly towards Nolan. “Boss, that’s Xavier Palmer’s son right there, and it seems he’s the only one who came to the party.”“How interesting,” Lawrence’s brow rose in intrigue, and a slow, calculating smile crept on his lips as he observed the way Nolan paced back and forth while throwing his hands in the hair, and muttering curses under his breath.His movements showed he was extremely pissed.An idea began to form in Lawrence’s mind, and he relayed it to Kai. “It seems something went on at the party that didn’t sit well with him,” he pointed out, his eyes gleaming strategically.“Maybe we can use his anger to our advantage, and get him on our side. If we play our cards right, I’m sure he’d
As soon as Lawrence and Kai got inside the grand hall where Jordan Waynes’s party was being held, they scanned the room with sharp precision.The place was brimming with laughter as the guests engaged in light hearted conversation with each other.A tall, svelte and beautiful woman in a shimmering good evening gown stood on stage, her melodious voice echoing round the room as she sang classical tunes.Her presence commanded attention, yet Lawrence and Kai barely noticed. They were searching for one person in particular—Adrian.Their search was interrupted as the beautiful lady on stage suddenly stopped singing, and the sound of cutlery tapping against glass resounded.“Attention everyone,” the gravelly voice belonging to none other than Jordan Waynes announced from where he was seated. “Sorry to cut the music short. I know you were all enjoying it, but I'd like to make a very important toast. After that we can go back to enjoying the party.”“Go ahead, Senior Waynes! We don’t mind!”
It took a few minutes for the awkwardness in the atmosphere to subside, but once it did, the party returned to its lighthearted state. The beautiful singing lady also climbed back on stage, and continued serenading the room with beautiful melodies.Lawrence, who had been fuming in envy at how comfortable Adrian was around the Waynes, saw an opportunity to gear his plan into action.He snapped his fingers at Kai. “Where’s the gift I prepared? Now will be the perfect time to present it to Jordan. Let’s get this old man wrapped around our fingers.”Kai promptly produced a polished wooden box from the inner pocket of his coat. “Here you go, boss,” he mumbled as he handed the box to Lawrence.A smile broke out on Lawrence’s face as he took the box from Kai, and admired its intricate designs. Inside the box, lay medicinal herb capsules, but mixed among them were the Yao Jin/ mind control pills. He had snuck some of the Yao Jin pills into the box, and because of their identical color they b
Regina’s grip tightened around her phone as she stared at the photos of Adrian kissing Audrey at Jordan Waynes’s party. Her shock slowly morphed into anger as she struggled to regain her composure.Just then, Anita walked in through the door back from work, but Regina hadn’t noticed her because she was too engrossed in her phone.When Anita realized that her mother was staring angrily at her phone, her brows furrowed as she approached her. “Mom, what’s going on? I could sense your anger all the way from the door.”Regina finally noticed Anita’s presence, and she shook her head trying to bring herself out of her reverie before she shoved her phone toward Anita’s face.“Look,” she urged in a sharp voice. “Look at what I just saw on the internet,” she pushed the screen further toward Anita, disgust written all over her face. “A picture of none other than that worthless husband of yours kissing another woman.”“What…?” Anita’s forehead pinched in a frown as she took the phone from Regina,
Adrian and Cole instantly rushed to Audrey’s unconscious body on the floor. “Audrey, what’s wrong? Wake up!” Cole blurted out, his voice laced with desperation as he shook her arms.Adrian’s brows furrowed as he studied Audrey’s limp form, racking his brain for a reason why she could have fainted so suddenly. He glanced at Cole as a question popped in his mind. “Does she have any underlying medical conditions?” Cole paused for a millisecond before shaking his head. “No, not any that I know of.”Meanwhile, Lawrence’s expression glinted with sly satisfaction as he watched everyone panic over Audrey. The distraction Kai had created was even more perfect than he had expected. Now, everyone’s attention had moved from him and focused on Audrey. His gaze flickered to Kai, who met his eyes with the same smug satisfaction. They exchanged subtle smirks, and Lawrence gave him a discreet thumbs-up.Then, shifting his gaze, Lawrence spotted Jordan Waynes, whose face had gone pale as he stared at