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
“According to my records, here.” The chief waitress began, waving the tablet in her hands. “Only eight meals served here were part of our complimentary package. Two others were not, because they exceeded $1000, which is our maximum limit for complimentary food prices.” She explained in a firm voice then continued as she glanced at the tablet screen. “The two non-complimentary meals were: Alfredo Pasta with garlic bread, sautéed vegetables, and Kobe beef steak which cost $6500, and our Italian seafood platter which cost; $8500. Adding the wine which cost $10,000, you’ve accumulated a grand total of $25,000.” She turned to Anita. “Ms. Davies, are you ready to make the payment?”Anita’s heart lurched into her stomach at the astronomical bill. She hadn’t planned to spend up to $10,000, let alone $25,000. It would be too much of an expense for her.“Something’s not right,” Adrian remarked with a frown on his face as his gaze flickered to the chief waitress. “According to what you said, tw
Lillian and Michael shared nervous glances as they eyes the tablet warily. Lilian stepped forward and let out an uneasy chuckle. “Mr. Kent, is there really any need to look at the CCTV footage? I mean, this issue isn’t that big of a deal.” “What’s the matter?” Adrian smirked knowingly. “Why do you look so guilty and less confident all of a sudden?” “I’m not guilty!” Lilian shot back defensively. Realizing how loud she had just been, she cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “You don’t know what you are talking about. I just want this issue resolved without making a big deal out of it.” Adrian’s smirk widened. “Then that’s exactly why we should check the footage to solve this once and for all.” He turned to James and nodded for him to proceed. “Yes, uh, we will now check the footage.” James announced as he switched on the HD flat-screen TV in the private room. He shared his tablet screen with the television and everyone’s attention was glued to it as they watched the video t
Two days later, Anita was sorting out some documents in her office when the door swung open to reveal Lilian, her colleague, who had now been demoted to the position of her personal assistant. Anita sighed as she tried to rein in her annoyance at Lilian’s blatant disregard for common courtesy. “Lilian, you can’t just barge into my office like that. A simple knock would suffice.” Lilian scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll come in as I please, so deal with it. Besides,” her eyes flashed with spite. “how else can I make you feel as frustrated as I feel for being forced to work as your personal assistant.” Anita tightly clenched her fist, her patience waned. “Lilian, that’s enough!” “Whatever,” Lilian smirked and threw a folder on Anita’s desk. “Here’s your schedule for the remainder of this week. You have a dinner meeting with Trent Howard, CEO of Howard Supplies, to discuss a potential alliance. The dinner is by 7 at the Grand Palace Hotel.” she added lazily. Anita’s forehead cr
At the same Grand Palace Hotel, Adrian was seated with Rhea Smith, the vice president of Alpha Group and David Banks, a businessman, in a different VIP lounge. His legs were crossed and he twirled his glass of wine in one hand while the other rested on the side of the couch as he listened intently to David Banks’s proposal. David Banks, an older man in his fifties, clad in a tailored suit, leaned forward with his hands entwined on the table as he discussed the benefits of his partnership with Alpha Group for the resort project. “Mr. Adrian, I hope you like my ideas for our partnership?” He asked when he was done. Adrian set his glass down on the table and met David’s gaze. “Your ideas aren’t half-bad, Mr. Banks. But don’t you think the residents in those redevelopment areas deserve more compensation? I mean, they’re been evicted from their homes on such short notice, it’s only fair if the compensation they receive is enough to pay for another apartment.” Rhea Smith, who was dres
Adrian tried to control his anger as he continued speaking to Jonah. “Also inform the manager of The Grand Palace Hotel to come to the second VIP lounge immediately!” He disconnected the call right after he said those words, and Trent frowned as he scanned Adrian’s appearance, contemplating whether to take him seriously or not. His doubts turned to fear two minutes later when he received a call on his phone. With shaky hands he picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID—it was his father. “Hello—” “Trent, you foolish brat!” His father’s angry voice sharply cut him off. “What did you do to offend the Young family?” Trent’s eyes widened as the realization that Adrian was affiliated with the Young family dawned on him and he felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine as he realized the gravity of his actions. “T-the Young family?” he stammered in incredulity. “Yes, you idiot!” Trent’s father retorted. “Our company has gone bankrupt because of you and we have nothing now! If
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