Soon, the trio made it into the Golden Heart Hotel's restaurant and looked for a table for three to sit. A waiter approached their table to take their orders. "Damn! Is it you guys?"The waiter exclaimed with a beaming face after noticing it was Kagern and Belinda. They had been working here for a long time so it wasn't so surprising to run into a waiter who knew them. "Who else would it be, Kim?" asked Kagern, raising his first to give a peace to the waiter. "Of course it's you. Guys, every crew member would have thanked you for putting Mr. Hako in his place if you had stayed a little longer."Kim's words sparked a plan in Kagern's mind. He had been friends with the restaurant crew for a long. They were his second family, his friends who sometimes did his work so he could note some ideas of his scripts that would pop up while he was at work. He had to repay them for their kindness. At least he owed them that much. The question was, how? Should he buy all of them a meal? No! Pe
The commotion came unannounced, the reason why Kagern couldn't guess where or who had started it. This forced him to raise his gaze. The first thing to come into his view was a waiter, then waiters and waitresses filled it. It was them.They came and surrounded his table, all of them happy and each saying his or her own words."Bro, Mr. Hako must be looking for a way to have you poisoned after what you did to him yesterday," said one waiter. "Hey! How come you're so rich, man? Is it true that you've won a lottery?" asked another guy.A girl punched the guy who asked this as she shouted at him, "Don't be stupid. Don't you realize that he is a scion from an aristocratic family who was just pretending to be a waiter?""Ouch! Gennie, you could have just said it. Was the punch necessary?"Kagern was relieved. No one was attacking them. Lydia was safe. He glanced at her and saw the panic on her face fading. Some waitresses she had befriended during her visits to this restaurant noticed h
Bingle wasn't dressed in her uniform. Instead, a black cargo pant and a baggy jumper of the same color, clothes you wouldn't expect a girl like her to wear. 'Interesting!'Kagern nodded his head to show her he had got her signal, then tried to end the conversation with Belinda."Saying this might be your house soon," her question replayed in his mind. "What did you mean?”Kagern didn't have a better lie. He just said, "That's one of the issues Lydia will help me with. I'll explain it to you when you're back."Belinda raised her eyebrows. "Back from where?"Kagern answered with a question."Didn't you say you'll accompany Lydia to the police station?"Belinda gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you sound like you have somewhere you want to be?""It's because there is."With this, Kagern stood up to leave while saying, "Tharn will take you. Inform me when you're back so I can come talk to Lydia."He knew Belinda would be watching him, but he had no choice but to approach Bingle. Sur
The plush king-sized bed, a cloud of Egyptian cotton sheets the color of fresh snow, still swallowed Kagern and Bingle whole. Sunlight, softened by silk curtains the color of spun gold, streamed in, illuminating motes of dust dancing in the air like tiny ballerinas. A crystal vase overflowing with lilies, their fragrance sweet and intoxicating, sat on a bedside table crafted from a single slab of mahogany, its surface polished to a mirror sheen.Here, in this luxurious haven, Bingle cried. Tears, unchecked and glistening, traced tracks down her cheeks. Leaning against Kagern's broad chest, her sobs were muffled by the thickness of the down comforter that seemed to puff up around them like a protective cocoon. Kagern, his jaw clenched with an anger that mirrored Bingle's fear, held her tight. His voice, a deep rumble that sent shivers down her spine, promised comfort. "Don't worry," he vowed, each word a testament to his resolve. "Now that I know the truth, nothing is gonna happen to y
Bingle, mortified beyond belief, peeked through her fingers at the unfolding scene. Lydia was still shocked on her own, so embarrassed as if she was to one caught in a guy's room.If only the carpet could swallow her. For once, Belinda seemed genuinely surprised... though her mischievous glint quickly returned as she wrestled Kagern's hand away from her mouth."Okay, okay," she conceded, her voice breathless from laughter. "Maybe interrupting wasn't the wisest thing."Kagern tried to defend himself. "Obviously not!" Despite saying this, his cheeks were still burning crimson. He glanced back at Bingle, his frustration tinged with a desperate hope. "Bingle, I...""Oh, don't worry about me, Kagern," Bingle interrupted, forcing a small smile. "I understand. It's a bit...awkward."Her voice held a hint of sadness that pricked at Kagern's conscience. He wanted nothing more than to usher Belinda and Lydia out and comfort her, but the urgency of the situation wouldn't allow it.Lydia, fin
"I asked you, where did you get so much money? Don't tell me it's the script.""Linda, it's a secret," he replied, with a smile. "I'll tell you when I'm ready."It didn't take long for her shocked expression to disappear. Kagern was rich, so rich that he was going to buy the hotel, nothing else.Several minutes later, Lydia was done checking the contract. Others were still chit-chatting, Kagern with Bingle, Belinda with Mr. Bannet. She seemed to be enjoying the stories this man in his 40s was telling. Perhaps because he wasn't shy to answer the weird questions she was asking. "You said you run a club, right? I mean, a real club?" she had asked. The man, a bit confused, nodded his head. "And you get to see beautiful young girls dancing naked everyday."Mr. Bannet couldn't help but laugh. "They're not naked," he corrected. "They're almost.""Same thing!""Where are you heading with this?"Belinda chuckled and said, "Just trying to know why men like such things."Just then, Lydia's
"What kind of trouble?" Kagern couldn't help but ask. He wanted to know if she needed help that instant, or if it was something that could wait. "It's our step-mom. She wants to sell the business and flee with her children abroad. I don't know what to do."Lilyon still thought Kagern was her brother. She loved him with all her heart and she has sacrificed a lot for him. He couldn't let that snake of a woman take away what was hers. She was the true Stanley. She deserved everything.The problem was, how would he prevent that woman from selling the business? Mr. Stanley had died before he could state his will. 'I have to do something.'"Lily, don't worry? I'm coming and I'll solve that problem."Her answer surprised him."No! Don't come!""Why?""A friend of mine who gave me the news about our stepmom's plans to sell the business told me he heard her say she's planning to kill me and make it look like an accident. I'm afraid she'll do the same to you if you show up."Kagern raised his
"How dare you enter this building? Didn't I tell you never to return here, you bastard?"The woman's voice was laced with contempt, the beaming expression she wore on her face reminding Kagern how she would always smile at him while she bullied him back when he still lived with them. Today was different. He was not the same pushover who would avoid challenging her because she would kick him out of the Stanley Mansion if he did so. He was now a son to the richest man in Cereal City, a soon to be Golden Heart Hotel's solo owner. That's why he adorned a contemptuous smile of his and stepped toward her. "You have no right to tell me never to come here. That's the first thing I want you to know. Second, mind your language before you say something that you might regret besides calling me a bastard."As if his words were the greatest joke the woman had ever heard, she burst out laughing, so loud that Kagern shifted his gaze to the wall beside to avoid looking into her wide open mouth. "S