“I trust that you had a pleasant flight and rest last night?” Edric asked lightly.
Oh, Ryan seriously wanted to punch that smug face with his bare hands. Narrowing his eyes, he replied, “I seriously doubt you care.”
Sighing, Edric casually told him, “Now, now, brother,” he spat, “There’s no need to sound so bitter. A little gratitude wouldn’t kill you. I’m being generous in having you reside in that estate while you’re here.”
“Yes, now all of a sudden, we’re friends,” Ryan dryly mocked, “Like that makes up the fact that you failed in your attempt to kill me in the forest fire.”
Rolling his eyes, Edric let out an annoyed sigh. “Right. Whatever. Forgive me for trying to kill you that one time, but you also left me with an everlasting mark on near my face.”
“With all of the money you have, I can assure you there’s a plastic sur
Watching Edric storm off through the partially closed blinds of the office, Ryan lifted the folder from his chest and tossed it aside on the desk in frustration. He let out a shaky sigh to diffuse his building anger. With a shake of his head, he walked towards one of the tall, wide windows that overlooked the bustling city.Slipping his hands into the smooth fabric pockets of his suit pants, he leaned against the metal frame.It was only the first day, but all he wanted to do was to just leave the building without any consequences. He knew he wasn’t going to like things from the start, but honestly, he didn’t have the faintest idea of what he was getting himself into – other than pretending like he was running a corporation.Heck, even after he acquired three big companies – one of them was the rising luxury brand Vernest – he was never involved in the day-to-day business running, let alone to step his feet into this big company tha
Before the press conference, the first thing on his agenda was a proper meet and greet of all the board members of the company. Having briefly met a few of them at the formal signing for him to take over, Ryan hoped that it would go by fast.When he arrived inside the main meeting room, the air wasn’t as tense as it was last time. However, when Jorge began to lead the meeting, the Head Butler and temporary Chairman of the Board clearly wasn’t thrilled that he was here, making it to the point of not looking at Ryan unless necessary.He had tried to meet the Head Butler’s eyes, but Jorge made sure to avert his sight before Ryan could even give him any sign. What did the maid say to him this morning that Jorge wanted to meet him later today?What a laugh.Jorge couldn’t even care to give a polite smile to Ryan, yet he wanted more from Ryan.However, as the meeting went on, Ryan wondered if the Jorge standing distantly from him
Slowly scrolling through different videos, Violet hoped to find an interesting talk show late in the morning. She paused after thinking she just saw a familiar face on her handheld device. Feeling her heart beat a little faster, she changed it back as her mouth fell open in shock at what she saw.Violet couldn’t believe it as she watched Ryan’s ugly face on live broadcast. At first, his ridged, slumped posture seemed to ease as he subtly appeared to be trying to get a hold of himself, swallowing down whatever trepidations he had before clearing his throat.She almost forgot that Ryan could revert to his spineless, pathetic self again after his unexpected change. Yet, here he was.Ryan forced a smile, excusing the awkwardness she had seen long ago. It prompted a sympathetic laugh from the audience.Violet strained to hear the varying words he spoke. It wasn’t that she couldn’t hear him clearly, but it was hard to focus on another familiar face that she hated so much.Seeing Edric stand
A sharp knife suddenly appeared as if out of thin air right in front of Ryan’s face. The light on his table reflected on its sharp surface, further increasing the threat to his anticipation.He couldn’t do anything else but to let his body move on its own, dodging the surprise attack with an unthinkable ease.Danger Void.A Passive Ability TEETS granted to him after a not-so-hard Mission.Ryan didn’t know what he would do – nay. He didn’t know whether he would still be alive today if it wasn’t for Danger Void. The gratitude he felt for that particular Ability was immeasurable.Standing seven feet apart, Ryan turned his narrowed eyes to the intruder. Whoever it was stayed near the wall, making sure that he remained within the shadow to hide his identity. And yes, the intruder was definitely male.“Who are you?”The intruder didn’t respond civilly. Instead, he stepped forward with an
Ryan sat alone in his dimly lit room. He wasn't an emo kid, but the darkness somehow calmed his mind after a day of torment in front of blinding flashes of the cameras.The weight of the words he just heard from Jorge about an hour ago pressed heavily on his mind. The revelation that Edric wanted to end his life at the end of this month had shaken him to the core – and at the same time, he wasn't surprised by it.In fact, he kind of had expected it, curious as to when Edric would do it, actually.Their relationship was non-existent. Strained, of course. Turbulent, without a doubt. He knew that Edric harboured such deep and violet hatred for him, despite everything.If one was to rationalize things, it should be Ryan who hated him. As an illegitimate son, Ryan was treated like a punching bag and embarrassed.Ryan was a target for Howard to let out his stress. He was forbidden to venture out of the house in case someone saw him and learned that
Street lamps flickered on one by one as Thomas drove him about an hour south from the Ashford Gorup's building headquarters to the city's international airport.As the car rolled to a stop, Thomas turned back from the driver's seat and said, "I'll go wait for Ms. Crowne and escort her here, Mr. Wilder."Already unbuckling his seat belt, Ryan lifted a hand up for him to remain in place. Opening the door, he said, "Not necessary. Just stay here and wait for us.""But-"Slamming the door shut, he reached into the inside of his suit jacket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He felt like an idiot wearing them, but they had helped with shielding his eyes from any sudden camera flashes. He doubted it would somehow cover his identity, but it served as a kind of protection from meeting someone's eyes directly.Familiar with where to go, Ryan placed his hands in his pockets and walked towards the terminal she would be arriving from.Once he heard Vi
Right after breakfast, Thomas knocked on the penthouse door and asked if they were ready. Once they were, they left with Thomas, who had been waiting in the living room. He had been instructed to chauffeur them around Seattle today to find appropriate attire for the company's black tie fundraiser tonight.Although they were being forced to attend, Ryan surprised himself by enjoying their time together shopping for the event. Maybe it was because he got to see Violet try on dresses, or maybe it was just nice to do something normal. Before they return to the penthouse, Violet wants him to buy her a car. She would never ask him for such a thing, because even with all the wealth he had acquired, Violet could afford a car herself. Besides, she was too proud to ask for one. So, when she did ask him, Ryan easily agreed, and they bought one. Too bad, Violet didn’t let him see what the car she bought either, saying it was a surprise for him. Once they returned back to his penthouse after t
"Pick it up," Edric haughtily repeated. Violet couldn't believe what she had done - even if he did deserve it. Her reputation was already in the mud lately, so it wasn’t her concern. She just didn’t believe that she punched Edric because of Ryan, the fucking scum. To hell with people still watching her nude scenes. She had made that choice in her younger days, so she didn’t want to regret it right now. However, to insult and humiliate Ryan for having such wife, crossed her line. Oh, how her world had turned upside down because of him. Not responding fast enough for his liking, as she stood frozen in place, he roughly grabbed her arm and nearly pushed her towards the floor before Ryan had cut in between them. "Don't you ever touch her again," Ryan furiously spat. "You'll fucking regret it." Before Edric could retort, the Head Butler of the Ashford family, Jorge, wedged between them, gently pushing them back by the shou