Isabella surveyed the room, her eyes narrowing on Emily."Hm. What's that smell?" Isabella wrinkled her nose in disgust.As she neared Emily, Isabella's lips curled into a sneer. She then stopped beside Emily."No wonder the whole place reeks," Isabella spat, her voice dripping with disdain. "It reeks of wretchedness. I could smell it from outside."She had not planned on coming tonight, but the constant whispers about Emily and Alex had wormed their way under her skin. Worse were her father's cutting remarks, each one a reminder of her perceived failure. She could still hear his mocking laughter and the disappointment in his eyes when she visited him in his office to apologise for her failure."Beaten by a nobody." He had sneered.She was here to extinguish that flame by any means necessary. This confrontation was just the opening salvo in her campaign to reclaim what she saw as rightfully hers.Hearing whispers that Alex had arrived with Emily made her lurk behind a corner while E
"What Mr. Thornton did shows that he truly loves you." Santiago smiled.After the three of them were left alone, he turned to Emily and mused, "He's really trying to impress you by competing over something so trivial. But don't forget what I told you earlier: don't get involved with a loser."However, Isabella was furious about Santiago's ridiculous pride. Before Alex could intervene, she decided to confront Santiago directly."You are not to tell me what is right and wrong. Besides, I'm always acquainted with a victor, not a loser." She chuckled."I hope that tells you something."Alex could not believe such words could come out of her mouth, as he was amazed and impressed by them."With a woman like this with me forever, I could surely take over the world if I wish to." He thought inwardly as a smile plastered his face while he momentarily stared at her.Santiago's lips curled into a sneer. "You call him a victor?" His eyes narrowed as he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a mena
"Mr. Thornton?" Derek was shocked to see Alex at his doorstep very early in the morning, especially because no one, not even Isabella, knew his location.Alex had decided to treat the reason for the visit urgently because it seemed to be the final piece to defeat Santiago."We need to talk." Alex said, his hands shoved in his pockets with an unreadable expression.For a split second, Derek was taken aback by Alex's utterance as he wondered what could be the reason he wanted to converse with him."What is it about?" Derek inquisitively asked Alex."We should go in." Alex was still maintaining his expression.Derek hesitated for a moment, then grudgingly stepped aside, allowing Alex to enter. The door creaked shut behind them with a dull thud.Alex's eyes swept across the cramped, dingy room. Peeling wallpaper clung desperately to damp walls, while a sagging mattress occupied one corner.Wrinkling his nose at the musty odour, Alex let out a derisive snort. He could not fathom why a pe
"All you need to do is reveal the mission to the public." Alex told Derek."What?! I can't do that." Derek refused. He shook his head. "No, I can't."His blatant rejection despite the control Alex held over him stemmed from a deep-seated fear: if he carried out Alex's plan, Santiago would surely come after him.Alex intentionally stayed silent for some seconds with a smile plastered on his face, much to Derek's surprise."Are you sure you can't?" He scoffed. "I have a question for you...""How long until the agreement expires?" Alex asked, his tone sharp.Derek's eyes dropped to the floor, shame colouring his voice. "Five days," he mumbled.Unexpectedly, Alex let out a dry chuckle. Derek's head snapped up, meeting Alex's gaze with surprise."Five days?" Alex's voice dripped with derision. "And here, I thought you were clever just moments ago."Confusion clouded Derek's face until Alex leaned forward, his eyes boring into Derek's. "The contract, you fool. The original deadline. T
As he drove his car to meet Emily wherever he thought she might be, since she had not been answering his calls or messages, he received a call from his secretary informing him that Mr. Collins was waiting for him.A wry smile crossed his lips. "Okay. Tell him I'm on my way," he replied.Alex had called for this meeting because it was the second step in his plan to bring Santiago to his knees."I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I was dealing with something very important to pull the company out of this mess." Alex apologised to Mr. Collins as they made their way to Alex's office after they had exchanged greetings. "What was it about?" Mr. Collins inquired. Alex sucked his teeth. "It's nothing. It's not worth telling you because the result is bad news."He lied to Santiago."So, let's get straight to business," Alex announced, looking intently into Mr. Collins' eyes."Tell me, what have your fellow shareholders been plotting recently?" Alex inquired. Much to his surprise, Mr. Collin
Since Alex had achieved his goal for the day, he finally decided to visit Emily at her house, as she still refused to pick up his calls or reply to his messages.But when he got there, he didn't find her.He then strode to Amara's room to ask about Emily's whereabouts, but was surprised when another person emerged from behind the door."Who are you?" Alex arched his brows, remembering that Emily had told him Amara had no relatives and that Emily was the only person Amara was close to."You are the new tenant?" He could not believe it when the woman told him she had just rented the apartment a few weeks ago."What happened to Amara...the former tenant?" he asked the woman."How am I supposed to know?" The woman shut the door on his face, to his surprise."She definitely didn't know who I am." He muttered as he strode from there to his car. Knowing that Emily would likely be either at school or the mall—though he didn't know the mall's location—he decided to head to the school.As he d
"Why are you here?" Alex scrunched his face upon meeting his parents at home."It's high time I changed the entrance lock if you think you can come over whenever you like when I'm not a kid.""Why haven't you been picking up our calls or replying to our messages? If you did, we wouldn't be here." His father retorted."It's because I don't want to. I've been busy cleaning up the mess you caused, father." Alex blurted out."What mess?"Alex laughed in disbelief. "Really? Do you really want me to spell it out to you?""I had a busy day; please kindly take your leave." He said, calmly.As he strode to the stairs, he was halted by his father's words."Come back here, Alex! How dare you walk out on us?"Alex chuckled as he turned to face them. "Why won't I? Tell me. After you almost ruined my perfect life."The accusation hit his father like a punch to the gut, and his response choked in his throat."Alex..." His mother started softly and cautiously, defusing the tension his father had spar
Alex's mind raced as he drove aimlessly through the dimly lit streets, seeking solace in the familiar rhythms of the city. With Henry out of town, his usual confidant was unavailable, leaving him adrift in a sea of troubled thoughts. The local bar, his typical refuge in times of distress, seemed like an empty solution tonight. His problems required more than the numbing embrace of alcohol. Almost unconsciously, he found himself steering towards Emily's house, drawn by an inexplicable pull. As he parked across the street, his eyes locked on Emily's window. He sat motionless, his hands gripping the steering wheel, as a war waged in his mind. "She thinks I'm weak already, and I'm yet to convince her that I'm not," he muttered, his voice barely audible in the quiet car."Won't going to her for consolation make her think I'm vulnerable?" A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "I should head back home or anywhere else." He decided, reaching for the ignition. His hand froze midway as anot