Liam’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor at Adrian’s revelation. How had he discovered that he was Mr. M? His eyes flickered towards Thomas Hardy, who mirrored his expression as the guests’ attention became fixated on them. Thomas gave him a signal to do something, and Liam regained his composure, his lips pursing into a thin line as he glared daggers at Adrian. “That’s a lie!” he defended, pointing a finger at Adrian, then at Jonathan Reid. “The both of them, who happen to be close acquaintances with Nigel Hunter, are just making up stories against me and Thomas Hardy, someone I just only met at this event.” A devious grin appeared on his lips as a plan to turn the tables against them formed in his head. “As a matter of fact,” he continued, while still glaring at Adrian. “I’m very sure they are in cahoots with Nigel Hunter, who is the actual fraud here! The artist who had forged this painting in question happens to be the father-in-law of that man over there,” he pointed specifical
Adrian pressed play on the tape recorder, and everyone listened in as two unmistakable voices echoed through the speaker. FLASHBACK TO EARLIER THAT DAY Adrian had just returned from visiting his mother at the hospital, when Jonah Leigh called him with information regarding the instructions Adrian had given him. “Good morning, young master.” Jonah greeted respectfully. “I’ve been able to reach out to the police officer who will facilitate Vincent Davies’s release. He assured me that Mr. Vincent would be released before the day ends.” Adrian nodded, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “That’s good, Jonah. What about the evidence I asked you to find against Thomas Hardy and his partner?” “I was also able to get it, young master.” Jonah replied curtly and began explaining. “I hired a private investigator to keep an eye on Thomas Hardy, and they discovered he had frequently been in contact with a particular someone, whom he also met with at a restaurant yesterday. My priv
The morning after the auction, Adrian had just finished with his morning routine, when he remembered that he hadn’t told Anita the good news about the outcome of the previous night, so he decided to call her. “Hey, Adrian,” Anita’s gentle voice rang out through the receiver. “I was just about to call you. Were you able to succeed at the auction last night?” “Hey Anita,” Adrian replied and was about to tell her the truth, when he had a mischievous idea to pull her legs a little. He instantly feigned a somber tone as he began explaining. “I’m sorry, Anita, I wasn’t able to. Nathan derailed my plans and I couldn’t get the jade pipe. I also wasn’t able to get the evidence regarding your father. I know your hopes must be dashed right now.” Anita sighed audibly from the other end of the line and was about to speak, but someone else interjected in a nagging voice—it was Regina. It turns out that Anita had put the phone on speaker while getting dressed for work and Regina had been by h
Later that afternoon, Adrian arrived at Happy Desserts Bakery, an enigmatic one storey building with a brown brick exterior. A giant cupcake-shaped signboard hung proudly from the highest point of the building with the words, ‘Happy Desserts Bakery’ displayed in neon letters on it. A smaller signboard was also placed by the side of the bakery’s entrance, with the words, ‘Wibston’s 15th Annual Bake-off’ boldly inscribed on it. Adrian placed his hand on the brass handle of the glass door and pushed it open, the aroma of freshly baked treats enveloping him in the process. As he glanced around the spacious interior of the bakery, he saw bakers, each dressed in a different colored uniform with a name tag indicating their bakery, standing in their respective stations as they buzzed with anticipation for the start of the competition. He pulled out his phone and was about to call Vincent to ask him if he had arrived, when he spotted Ashley talking to Vincent at her station. And as if she
Fred’s eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring like that of a bull. “You dare be so brazen as to challenge me?!” “Ignore him, sir.” Maya interjected, her distaste for Adrian growing by the second. “He’s not worth your anger at all.” A smirk grew on Adrian’s lips. “If he ignores me, that means he’s a big coward.” his smirk then widened as he raised a brow at Fred. “Are you going to be a big coward?” Steam could almost be seen coming out of Fred’s ears as his face reddened. “I’m not a coward!” he gritted and puffed out his chest. “I face whatever challenges thrown at me head on and I always win. So try me!” “Now that’s the spirit!” Adrian cheered, his tone laced with sarcasm. “The bet is simply ‘winner takes all.’ Whoever ends up winning the bake-off between this bakery and your bakery, gets ownership of the loser’s bakery.” Ashley and Vincent simultaneously turned to look at Adrian, their eyes widening as they looked at him like he had grown two heads. “What do you think you’re
The host dragged out the anticipation for a moment longer, before he finally announced the winner. “Ashley Stevens of Happy Desserts Bakery!” The crowd erupted in cheers and Adrian and Vincent stood out in the audience as they gave Ashley ecstatic grins with their thumbs up. Ashley also mirrored their expressions as she mouthed, “I’m so glad I won this round.” Maya huffed and stomped her feet in anger. Then, she glanced at Fred with an exasperated expression on her face, and he subtly gestured for her to follow him with a head nod. He then stood up and walked out of the main bakery hall, and after a few minutes, Maya secretly sneaked out and followed in the direction Fred had just left in Shortly after, Adrian felt like using the restroom, and turned to Vincent. “Mr. Davies, do you have any idea where the restrooms are? I need to relieve myself before the second round begins.” “Yes I do, son. Once you make a turn by that hallway over there,” he gestured towards a narrow hallway
The entire baking hall fell silent as all eyes turned to Adrian who sported a calm expression. Maya's smug smirk faltered and was replaced by a look of shock, while Fred's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing in anger. “W-what are you talking about?” Maya stumbled out, as she feigned surprise. “I’m talking about the fact that you intentionally poisoned your own pastry,” Adrian replied in a disgusted voice. “You also planned to put the blame on your fellow competitor from Happy Desserts Bakery, Ashley Stevens, in order to sabotage her chances of winning this competition, isn’t that right?” A collective gasp erupted from the crowd. Even the host, the other bakers, and the judges were not left out of the rising tension. Maya's eyes widened as she pointed a trembling finger at Adrian. “He's lying! I-I never did any of that!” Fred’s veins sizzled with a mix of shock and rage. Adrian had somehow gotten to know about their plans, but he wasn’t going to admit to any of it. “Bumpkin!
After a few seconds of struggling to rein in his emotions, Fred took a deep breath. “I’ll hand over the bakery,” he muttered bitterly, and shakily reached into his suit pocket to pull out his phone. He then sent a text message to the manager of his bakery telling him to arrive at Happy Desserts with his bakery’s documents in a few minutes. “My manager will be here with the papers in a few minutes,” he informed Adrian in a strained voice, and his hands fell limply to his side as he sat on the floor, cradling his head in his hands, while mumbling incoherent words to himself. Maya immediately rushed to Fred, while still on her knees, and grabbed his arm in disbelief. “W-what are you doing, Mr. Fred? How can you admit defeat so easily?! You can’t just give up your bakery like that! I’d be left jobless!” “Let go of me, you wench!” Fred hissed as he violently yanked his arm out of Maya’s grip. “If you were competent enough, I wouldn’t have had to bribe my way into winning every damn t
Adrian remained by Anita’s bed side for a few minutes more before rising up to his feet and pressing a gentle kiss on her bandaged forehead. “I’ll be back,” he whispered softly as his lips lingered a bit. “Please don’t stop fighting.”He spared her a final glance before leaving her side and walking out of the room and, shutting the door quietly behind him.Once again, he met Doctor Arnold patiently waiting for him in the waiting room. He approached the doctor with a determined, yet fierce look on his face.Doctor Arnold noticed the intimidating demeanor and gulped involuntarily. When Adrian reached where he stood, he crossed his arms as his gaze locked on him.Doctor Arnold fidgeted with the sleeves of his lab coat as he struggled to retain eye contact with Adrian. “Young master, I—”“Don’t,” Adrian raised a hand to silence him, and he nodded.“Who was the person who brought my wife here?” Adrian continued. “Did they say anything regarding the details of the accident?”Doctor Arnold’
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.