Everyone was already seated in the living room when Anita and Adrian walked in. All eyes turned to them; some filled with disdain, some envy and others indifference. Grandma Esther, who was seated next to Grandpa Lloyd, in a simple designer gown, was the first to break the silence. “Oh look!” she announced in a high pitched voice. “Her majesty has finally arrived. Anita, don’t you know your grandfather hates any form of tardiness to family meetings? Why did you keep us waiting?” Anita cheeks flushed as she bit her lip in embarrassment and remorse. “I’m sorry for keeping you all waiting,” she mumbled as she approached her grandparents, her attention particularly focused on her grandfather who rested comfortably on the largest chair in the room. She addressed him directly with a curt bow. “I’m sorry for being late, Grandpa.” Lloyd’s expression was unreadable as his gaze landed on Anita, then Adrian and back on Anita. “Don’t stand so close to me,” he gestured for her to move backwards
Anita’s eyes watered as she covered her mouth with her palms to prevent herself from bursting into tears of joy. She simply glanced at Adrian who gave her a thumbs up and a wide grin before silently mouthing ‘congratulations.’ Her hands slid down from her mouth as she gave him a warm smile in return.“Grandfather—!” Evelyn and Natalie began to protest in unison but Grandpa Lloyd raised his hand to silence them.“I made a promise and one thing I will never do is go back on my promise.” He remarked in a firm tone. The two ladies huffed in frustration as their faces flushed in disappointment and Lilian, who didn’t take the news well, stood up abruptly. “This is not fair!” she exclaimed in exasperation before grabbing her bag, giving Anita a momentary glare and storming out. “Lily, wait!” Natalie called out to her friend as she equally got up from her seat and followed after her.Grandpa Lloyd ignored them as he prepared to speak again. “Now that this issue has been settled, there is some
Adrian clamped down on the accelerator as he sped down the track, the car moving as fast as he wanted. Nathan’s Aventador was ahead of him, but only by a few meters. And that was simply because he was yet to activate the turbo engine which he was saving till the last two laps of the race. As they circled the track for the first time, Adrian glanced at Nathan who was whispering something into the ears of the race track leader while pointing at his car with a triumphant smirk. He let out a smirk of his own as he turned his attention back on the track and continued with the race. They circled the track two more times, the tensions and anticipations rising with each lap. As soon as they got to the starting point of the second to the last lap, Adrian pressed a button that activated the turbo engine and the car which surged with newfound power, vibrated as the engine revved with a roar. Nathan, the racetrack leader, as well as other spectators where astonished at the accelerated speed whic
Nathan was overcome with deep sated rage as he stomped towards Adrian who was in a conversation with Bolt. “You bloody Lowlife! How dare you ruin my car?!”Adrian turned at the sound of Nathan’s voice and stifled a laugh at the way he resembled a tomato due to how red his face looked. “It’s a pity your car got destroyed, Nathan. But, I’m not at fault. All of this wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t decide to cheat.”“You still have the guts to deny being at fault?” Nathan bristled, his fingers coming up to jab at Adrian. “You’ll surely pay for this and that’s a promise.”“I’ll advise you don’t threaten me, and just accept that I won the bet. Besides, your car would have been mine if it hadn’t gone up in flames, so let’s just call the explosion a collateral damage. This would be a lesson for you not to underestimate me next time.”“A lesson? Oh please!” Nathan snorted in contempt. “I’ll never stop underestimating you because to me, you’ll always be a loser! And frankly, it’s better th
“Oh…” Anita nodded in understanding. “That’s actually not a bad idea, Mr Grant. I-”“Great!” he chirped up from his seat, interrupting her. “It’s settled then. We would be having the dinner at Raving Delights Restaurant. I hear the seafood there is spectacular.”A sliver of nervousness crept up Anita’s spine. Raving Delights was a popular four star restaurant in Wibston. She had heard of how expensive meals served at the restaurant were and she wasn’t sure she would be able to afford them. “Mr. Grant,” she began, smiling nervously. “don’t you think Raving Delight is a bit on the…uhm…”“…Expensive side?” Micheal finished the sentence for her. “Oh don’t worry about that, Ms. Davies. If it’s too much for you to afford then we can go to a restaurant that’s more your….” he eyed her up and down in a condescending manner. “…standard.”Anita was irked at the condescending look in Michael’s eyes. She knew he was just trying to bait her and a part of her wanted to ignore it, but the other part
Adrian got to the restaurant at exactly 8pm and met Anita fidgeting with her phone as she paced anxiously at the restaurant’s parking lot. When she saw him, her shoulders slumped in relief. “Finally,” she let out a sigh. “You’re here. I was just about to call you.”Adrian’s gaze raked over Anita, taking in her appearance. She wore a blue colored knee length gown with silver strapped heels that made her legs look longer. Her long, straight hair draped beautifully over her shoulders and the makeup on her face was minimal, yet made her features pop. “You look stunning,” he complimented sincerely. Anita’s cheeks reddened as she shyly averted her gaze from him, her hands subconsciously tugging at the sleeves of her gown. . “Thank you,” she breathed. “I was starting to think I went a bit overboard.”Adrian chuckled at her cute shyness. “Don’t be silly. You look perfect." His gaze shifted to the parking lot and he looked around, his brows raising inquisitively. “Where are your colleagues? I
Anita chewed on her bottom lip as she skeptically pondered Lilian’s words . She turned to Adrian to gauge his expression and he simply shrugged, even though within him he knew that Lilian was just putting up an act. Anita took a deep breath, closed her eyes and sighed. Calling a truce with Lilian didn’t seem so bad but knowing the kind of person Lilian was, she feared it wouldn’t last. Nevertheless, she returned her gaze to her, a cautious expression on her face. “Fine,” she agreed. “I accept your offer.”“Great!” Michael clapped his hands together. “Isn’t this lovely? Everyone gathered here with no bad intentions whatsoever. Anita, we can go in now and enjoy the evening.”“After you, please,” he gave a bow of courtesy and gestured towards the entrance with his hands.“Mhmm,” Anita nodded with a small smile and began her way into the restaurant. Adrian's gaze lingered warily on Michael and Lilian for a beat before following directly behind Anita. Michael and Lilian discreetly exchange
Michael smirked as he slid his phone back into his pocket after sending the text to Lilian. He then grabbed the menu card and scanned through the available options, his interest being particularly in the very expensive meals. When he had seen what he wanted, he beckoned to one of the waitresses with a wave of his hands and she came up to him with a smile on her face. “Are you ready to order, sir?” she asked politely. “Yes he is. And I am too.” Lilian interjected as she equally gestured to the menu in her hands. She and Michael had planned to order the most expensive foods that were obviously not complimentary so they could incur so much expenses that Anita would have no choice to pay. They both made their outrageously expensive orders and the rest of the group stared at them in disbelief. “Lilian, Mr. Grant. Don’t you think your orders are a bit too much?” Someone piped up in curiosity. Lilian brushed the question off with an innocent shrug. “Nope, I’m starving so it’s not too mu
Regina was rushed to a nearby ward by Adrian and Doctor Arnold instantly got to work reviving her. Adrian and Vincent stood at opposite ends of the room, each watching what Doctor Arnold was doing with rapt attention. Adrian was calm, though his heart raced as he relived the moment Regina fainted out of shock when she heard the disheartening news about Anita.A coma? He himself still struggled to believe that Anita had slipped into an indefinite coma. At that moment, his heart was filled with different kind of emotions which he wasn’t sure how to express.He simply clenched his jaw very tightly with his fists held to the front of his mouth as he waited for Regina to wake up.Vincent, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain a calm composure. He just got news that his daughter had slipped into coma and now his wife had fainted.That was more than one person could handle. The tears he had been holding back ever since he arrived at the hospital began streaming down his face. And
Adrian pushed the doors of the Life-mate hospital open, and headed straight for the intensive care unit without as much as an acknowledgment to the staff at the reception. He met Vincent, who had been out of Wibston on a trip, and Regina pacing in the waiting room of the intensive care unit and the panic and worry on their faces made his heart sink.The moment Regina saw him approaching, the panic on her face morphed into anger as she marched to him. And before he could say anything, her hand collided with his cheek in a slap that resounded through the waiting room.“What kind of husband are you?” She seethed, her irises flickering with rage. “Anita has been fighting for her life for the past one hour, and you dare to show up just now?!”Her voice rose a few notches as she grabbed the neckline of Adrian’s tee in her hands, completely disregarding the tiny patches of blood around it. “What were you doing that you couldn’t protect my daughter?” She spat again, her voice trembling with
Kai didn’t bother to pay any attention to Adrian as he tightened his grip on Blaze’s neck. The color on Blaze’s face transformed from red to ashen, and it became obvious that Kai was infusing some of his dark energy into him.Adrian’s anger rolled off him in waves, and his body seemed to glow a little more as he crossed the distance to Blaze in the speed of light. Before Kai could process what was happening, Adrian retracted his palm and slammed it against Kai’s chest with enough force to send him flying across the ring and landing on the ground with a thundering crash.Blaze fell to the ground after Kai released him and he wheezed as he tried to catch his breath. The whole arena was silent at this point, as no one dared to utter a word, not even an intake of breath.Adrian walked up to Blaze and extended a hand towards him. “I’ll take it up from here, Blaze. You did well holding the fort for me.”Blaze looked up at Adrian, and his expression was filled with awe as he took in his gl
“Could the duel be over?!” Julian boomed from his spot at the front stand of the arena. “The other guy seems not to be getting up. If he’s still down in the next twenty seconds, he’ll be declared the loser!”Blaze’s ears perked up in alarm at Julian’s announcement, and seeing as Adrian wasn’t going to get up on his own, he rushed to him without hesitation.With a precise strike of his fist against Kai’s spine, Blaze sent him stumbling away from Adrian.Taking advantage of Kai’s momentary disorientation, Blaze knelt beside Adrian and quickly placed an arm around his shoulder to support him. With some effort, he helped him up to his feet just before the final seconds elapsed. “Master, you need to fight the dark energy before it consumes you,” he advised, his tone filled with concern.Adrian wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and held onto Blaze’s arm for a moment longer to steady himself. “I’m trying,” he gritted, his face tightening as the dark energy wrapped around his hea
Nathan’s anxiety began to fade as his friend Malik methodically worked to cover up their tracks, ensuring no one would ever trace Anita’s accident back to him.Still, the memory of her terrified scream, and the sound of the crash replayed in his head like a broken record. His heart gnawed with extreme guilt, but then a dark sinister voice whispered in his head.“Cheer up, Nathan. It’s too late to cry over spilled milk. At least now you’d get back all you lost to her. You’ve won.”At the mention of him finally defeating Anita, every shred of guilt he felt vanished and was replaced with sadistic triumph, and a befitting smile slowly crept up his lips.“It’s all done, Nate,” Malik announced as he pushed back from the table, and reclined on his swivelling chair, both of his hands coming to rest at the back of his head.He looked up at Nathan’s relieved face and chuckled. “That was kind of scary, wasn’t it? Even I froze for a moment before my mind geared into action.”Nathan scratched the
“N-Nathan?” Anita’s jaw dropped in shock as she heard the voice of her cousin come in from the speaker. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as her unease became stronger. “What’s happening? What did you do to my car?” “Oh, nothing much, just a little…rigging,” Nathan replied in a casual voice. “Isn’t it exciting to know that I can control your car from where I am? I can even..” He trailed off and before Anita could respond, the steering wheel jerked suddenly under her grasp and started moving on its own accord. “Nathan, stop!” She screamed in panic as she tried to regain control of the steering. “My car is swerving out of control! Why are you doing this?!” The mocking sound of laughter came from the speaker again, and slowly the steering wheel started working normally. “Oh you look so sacred, Anita. You should see your face right now.” Anita’s heart dropped to her stomach as her eyes darted around the car. Was he watching her? A shiver ran down her spine as she scanned for an
The air in the hall crackled with tension as the four men faced off with each other. Adrian and Blaze, Lawrence and Kai.Lawrence and Kai wore identical smug expressions as they undermined their opponents, while Adrian and Blaze wore unfazed, yet confident expressions.Lawrence, deciding to add more heat to the tension, turned to Kai with a cocky smirk. “Kai, what do you say we make things more interesting for our dear opponents?”Kai’s brows rose in intrigue and a sly smirk slowly crept up his lips as his gaze flickered to Adrian and Blaze, then back to Lawrence. “I think that’s a splendid idea, boss. Let’s spice this challenge up a bit.”“Perfect, then,”’Lawrence clapped and turned to face Adrian and Blaze, but his gaze was particularly trained on Adrian. “Why don’t we make a little bet?” He tilted his head challengingly.Adrian and Blaze exchanged glances with each other, and Blaze shrugged. “It’s entirely up to you, master. I’ll go ahead with whatever you decide.”Adrian nodded hi
Murmurs and hushed whispers erupted from the crowd at Adrian’s declaration and everyone began to wonder what would have given him the courage to say such.Julian Xu’s brows furrowed as he sized Adrian up from the podium. Adrian was wearing a black, silk untucked shirt and black slacks with a pair of white air force ones, looking more casual and unassuming than any other person in the hall.Was he dreaming? Julian thought as he watched the young man approach the front of the podium.Adrian didn’t pay any mind to all the comments as he strode towards Julian, his head held high and his hands tucked into his pockets.Lawrence Smith, on the other hand, was seething as his irises flickered wildly at Adrian, while Xavier Palmer and Nolan were wide eyed with disbelief.Nolan was the first to break the silence as he turned to Lawrence. “Mr. Smith, you have to do something!” He blurted out. “You can’t possibly let that loser challenge your position!”“Yes, Lawrence,” Xavier added with a frown.
Adrian had overheard Nolan’s request for Lawrence’s help, and initially he paid no mind to it, but seeing as Lawrence had agreed, he became curious to see how things would play out. Especially since he had given specific orders for Sebastian not to be released without his permission.He observed quietly as Lawrence placed a call to his supposed friend. “Hello, Chief Legal prosecutor Rashford,” Lawrence greeted the person on the other end with a smile. “I have a favour to ask you.”“Lawrence Smith, my good friend. Long time no see,” the chief prosecutor responded with equal familiarity. “Of course, tell me what favour I can do for you.”Lawrence’s expression gleamed with hope. Maybe the chief prosecutor will be able to help afterall.“So the thing is,” he began, lowering his voice slightly. “I have a friend whose brother was thrown into Hades Prison. Is there any—”“Hades Prison?!” Lawrence’s chief prosecutor friend echoed, his voice pitched with shock. “No, no, friend. I’m afraid I w