Lawton watched the table in disbelief, amusement barely contained as he leaned back in his chair. Around him, Amanda’s high school classmates were falling over themselves, praising Steve with near-hysterical enthusiasm. The reunion had turned into a strange spectacle, with Steve basking in the spotlight like a self-declared king. It was like watching a performance, everyone playing their part in some bizarre ritual to win his favor. “Steve, you’ve really come a long way since high school,” one of the former cheerleaders gushed, practically glowing as she raised her glass to toast him. “Oh, it’s nothing, really,” Steve replied, but his smile betrayed how much he was enjoying the attention. “Success just tends to follow those who know how to stand out.” Lawton reached for a small appetizer, only to feel the sharp sting of judgement from one of Amanda’s old classmates, a petite woman who had once been part of the debate team. “Hey, take it easy on those, Lawton. This isn’t an open buff
Steve sat frozen, his face a mix of shock and disbelief as the table’s heated murmurs died down. What had started as a lively reunion filled with nostalgia and shared memories had now shifted into something darker—awkward, tense, and charged with unspoken resentment. The classmates who had been laughing at his over-the-top stories earlier now exchanged sceptical glances, their expressions shifting from amused indulgence to outright amusement at his predicament. “So… are you going to pay for it, Steve?” Jane’s voice cut through the silence. Sharp and teasing, her tone carried just enough faux innocence to make her jab sting. Steve’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his usual smooth-talking confidence nowhere to be found. “Well, uh, I mean…” He fumbled with his words, glancing desperately around the table for support. But no one was coming to his rescue. Eric, who had spent the earlier part of the evening loudly agreeing with Steve’s boasts about his “connections,” leaned back in
As the group lingered in the restaurant, tension filled the air. The grand meal that had started with laughter and Steve's boasts was now overshadowed by the awkward realization of the bill. Lawton leaned back in his chair, watching the chaos unfold with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Amanda steepled her fingers on the table, watching everything unfold with keen attention. "So, Steve," Lawton began, his voice light yet laced with mischief, "weren't you the one who said all of this was courtesy of the owner because he recognized you the moment you walked in?" Steve's face reddened instantly. He fidgeted with the edge of his napkin, unable to meet anyone's gaze. "Uh… yeah," he muttered. "That’s what I thought... at first. Must have been a mix-up or something." Lawton raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "A mix-up? Convenient excuse." His tone was calm, but the subtle challenge in his words was unmistakable. Several of Amanda’s old classmates exchanged uneasy gla
The table was tense, the air practically vibrating with a mix of confusion, irritation, and barely concealed panic. Steve stood up suddenly, his chair scraping loudly against the polished floor. His hand shot out, demanding silence from the group, though no one was speaking at that moment. “Alright, everyone, just calm down,” he said, his voice trembling slightly as he tried to project confidence. “I’ve got this under control.” Amanda arched an eyebrow, leaning slightly toward Lawton, who was sitting quietly with an expression of mild amusement. “Got it under control?” she murmured, her tone dripping with scepticism. “That man can’t even get his shoelaces under control, let alone a situation like this.” Lawton’s lips quirked into a smirk, but he didn’t reply. His gaze stayed fixed on Steve, who now looked like a flustered actor trying to remember his lines on stage. Steve straightened his blazer and adjusted his tie, as though that small act might magically transform him into someo
The tension around the table was palpable, everyone drowning in their own thoughts after Steve’s spectacular failure to charm his way out of paying the bill. The clinking of glasses and the low murmur of conversation from the other diners only made the silence at their table feel heavier. Steve sat stiffly, his shoulders hunched and face flushed from embarrassment. Amanda, still quietly amused, sipped her wine, her sharp gaze flitting between him and the rest of the group. Lawton remained composed, his face neutral, but there was a faint glimmer in his eyes—something that suggested he was enjoying this more than he let on. Just as Amanda opened her mouth to say something, the sound of brisk footsteps approaching their table drew everyone’s attention. The manager was returning, his earlier expression of annoyance replaced with something… different. Amanda noticed it first. The manager wasn’t looking at Steve anymore. His sharp, calculating eyes were now locked on Lawton. The change
The weight of the evening’s events hung heavily over the table. Steve, who had earlier carried himself with the air of an untouchable big shot, now sat slumped in his chair, his bravado crushed. The others were no better, their confidence replaced by a mix of quiet shame and growing panic. The ticking of the wall clock felt unusually loud, filling the uncomfortable silence. Even the waiter who had hovered nearby earlier seemed to sense the shift in dynamics, retreating to the shadows to avoid the fallout. Amanda sat quietly, her fingers tracing the edge of her wine glass. She wasn’t in any rush to break the silence, enjoying the rare moment when Steve and the others were stripped of their usual smugness. But the satisfaction didn’t last long. As much as she wanted to revel in their discomfort, she knew how this would end. Sure enough, Steve was the first to crack. His head turned toward Amanda, his expression a mix of desperation and reluctant humility. “Amanda,” he began, his
As Amanda and Lawton stepped out of the restaurant, the cool evening air wrapped around them like a comforting blanket. The tension from earlier was finally beginning to fade, and Amanda felt herself relax. She glanced over at Lawton, who seemed unusually composed considering the chaos they had just left behind. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out with a casual smile. “Everything okay?” Amanda asked; her curiosity piqued as he quickly typed a message. Lawton’s fingers moved with practised ease across the screen, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Just telling the manager to keep up the good work,” he said, tucking the phone back into his pocket. Amanda frowned, a hint of suspicion creeping in. “Good work? What do you mean?” “Well,” Lawton began, his voice taking on a light, teasing tone, “you know how everything went down back there, right? I thought it’d be a good lesson for them.” He winked at her, his expression so carefree it almost seemed too perfect. “If it wa
The clock on the wall ticked steadily, a reminder of the late hour as Amanda settled on the couch, flipping through a book absentmindedly. She could hear Lawton moving around the kitchen, his usual calm demeanor present even after the chaotic events of the day. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was going on, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She glanced up when she heard Lawton’s phone buzz on the coffee table. He picked it up, glanced at the screen, and his expression immediately shifted. Amanda’s heart skipped a beat as she caught the brief flash of concern in his eyes before he quickly masked it with his usual stoic expression. “Who was that?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual, though she couldn’t help but feel a little worried. “Mr. Smithson,” Lawton replied, his tone clipped. “It’s about my mum.” Amanda’s brow furrowed at his serious tone. “What happened? Is she okay?” “She’s fine,” Lawton said quickly, his gaze briefly meeting hers
"Amanda," Lawton yelled as he repeatedly tapped her on the cheeks. Smithson who could hear their noises rushed towards where he could hear Lawton's voice to meet him. and Amanda on the floor. "What happened?" Smithson said as he saw an unconscious Amanda. "We should rush her to the hospital," he added. He then assisted Lawton in carrying Amanda and they both picked her up. They carried her into the car and Lawton entered the back seat with her while Smithson sat in the front seat with the driver. "Take us to the nearest hospital," Smithson instructed the driver who drove off immediately. The driver increased the speed a bit as he could tell it was an emergency. Lawton carefully placed Amanda's head on his lap as he felt her pulse frequently. "Please hurry," Lawton who was feeling a mix of emotions said. "I found a hospital," Smithson said as he pointed towards a hospital on the other side of the road. "Drive-in," Smithson ordered. The driver immediately drove into the hospi
Peter gently placed his phone down on the table as he looked at Lawton."The papers?" Lawton asked, looking at the lawyer.The lawyer handed the papers to Lawton who placed them on Peter's table."Sign it," Lawton said gently.He then assured Peter his secret was safe with him as long as he signed the papers.Peter reluctantly picked up a pen and sighed the paper in front of him before handing it back to Lawton.Peter knew he could lose his position and his wife, losing the shares to the pharmaceutical company was a small loss compared to what was going to happen to him if his secret gets leaked.Lawton then brought out the cheque he had already written and carefully handed it to Peter.Peter gasped as he saw the amount of money in the cheque."Nice doing business with you," Lawton said, to Peter before standing up and walking out of his office with the lawyer.Amanda watched Lawton walk out of Peter's office and wondered if he was able to get Peter to sign the document."Did he sign
Lawton exchanged pleasantries with the lawyer and sat down.He then asked the lawyer if there was a way the company could be his own forever and the lawyer told him he had figured out a way."You own more than half the shares of the company," the lawyer said."It's almost impossible for him to take the company away from you but there's one thing we could do that guarantees that," the lawyer added.Lawton asked what it was and the lawyer brought out a document containing the remaining shareholders of the company.Most of them had little shares but there was a particular man who had the highest.The Lawyer then suggested they convince the man to sell his shares to them."If he sells his shares to you, you would not have to worry about anything," the lawyer said.Amanda and Lawton nodded in agreement as they both thought the idea was a good one.Smithson then informed Lawton what Barry was up to and told him they had to hurry."He rescheduled the meeting to tomorrow," Smithson said."Wha
Barry drove into his house and got out of the car.He walked inside and went straight into his room.Barry removed his clothes and took a shower before changing into a black hoodie and a mask.He had a drug deal that night but did not inform his men because he wanted to do it alone.Barry opened his safe and carefully arranged the packs of cocaine into a black bag before walking out of the room.He then got into his car and started to drive towards the venue.Barry reached the venue and saw the buyer who was already waiting for him before walking out the door.Barry looked around and saw that the buyer had no guards around him and saw this as a perfect opportunity to make more money.Barry needed a lot of money for his plan to get the company back to work.Barry moved closer to the man and they exchanged the bags in their hands.The man then started to walk back to his car when Barry suddenly turned on him and hit him with the bottom of his gun, snatching the bag of drugs he had earl
Amanda watched Lawton fight in awe as he couldn't believe he had gotten so good.She then smiled as she remembered his fight with Barry and realised his training must have helped him."You were amazing," she said, as she hugged him.She then walked back into the penthouse house with him and Smisthon as they were done training.Lawton showered as soon as they got inside the penthouse and joined Smithson and Amanda who were talking about Barry.They then all started to talk and time soon went by.It was soon seven pm.Barry was in his office thinking of how to get back at Lawton for how much he humiliated him.He had called his men who knew he was back to come meet him in his office.Barry fumed angrily as he looked at the time wondering why they had not arrived.He then heard a knock on the door and immediately knew they had arrived."Come in," Barry said.Four muscular men walked in and Barry immediately stood up and walked closer to them."Why are you late?" He asked angrily."I have
Amanda isn't surprised by this as she knew Lawton was going to say that after everything she had seen today."Where to?" Amanda asked.Lawton then told her he had just started to think about it and he had no idea.Lawton then asked her if she had any place she would like to live in mind as he had the money and could afford to buy an apartment anywhere."I have not thought of it," Amanda replied.Lawton and Amanda then spent hours deciding on where they could move to but still couldn't find a place.Amanda then suggested they get an agent who could help them find their dream home and Lawton agreed to this.Amanda and Lawton smiled as they were finally going to be free of the clutches of their landlady.Amanda asked Lawton if he was still going to go back to his job but Lawton told her he was not sure he was."We should take these upstairs," Amanda said, pointing at the shopping bags in front of Lawton."Thank you," she said, as they both shared a kiss.She then carried some of the shop
A middle-aged man was on a hospital bed typing on his laptop.It was no one but Chief Williams.He has been lying and pretending to be sick when he had been conscious the whole time.Chief Williams had been in the hospital planning several plots to attack Lawton which all later backfired.Chief Williams had just finished planning another devious attack when he suddenly heard footsteps.He then looked at the time and realised it was time for his lunch.He had lost track of time and he was about to get caught by the nurse.Chief Williams knew he could not let anyone know he was fully recovered or even close to being recovered.He needed to be at the hospital so no one would suspect him.He then quickly closed the laptop and carefully placed it under his pillow before lying down on the bed and closing his eyes.The nurse walked into Chief Williams' room and dropped the tray of food on a table beside him.The nurse then moved closer to him and started to feed him with the food she had bro
Amanda and Lawton changed into their nightwear quietly as Lawton sealed glances at her.Amanda walked out of the room as she finished and Lawton followed her.Amanda walked into the dining room and carried the food Lawton had earlier bought into the kitchen.She then microwaved it and served it on the dining table.She then asked Lawton who was sitting in the living room to come and eat as she knew he was hungry.Lawton stood up and joined her at the dining table and they both ate in silence.Amanda and Lawton soon finished eating and packed the plates into the kitchen together.Amanda washed the dishes in silence with Lawton who assisted her.Amanda walked out of the kitchen as she was done with the dishes and Lawton ran after her."Babe," he said, holding her."I know you are still upset," he continued."Please let's talk about this, I don't like it when you are mad at me," he added.Amanda then nodded her head in agreement and they both walked into the living room together.Amanda
Madame Willams's chef had prepared dessert as planned.She walked into the living room and informed Madame Williams who did not know what to say to her.Everything had turned upside down and Madame Williams knew nobody would want to have dessert."Don't serve dessert," Madame Williams said."Just go!" she added.Barry and his parents were still on their knees and this was not how Madame Williams pictured the meeting was going to go.Madame Williams continued to apologise to Lawton until he had no choice but to forgive them because of Amanda.He knew Amanda hated what was happening and was uncomfortable."It's fine," Lawton said."You can go," he added.Madame Clarissa then asked him if he was going to fire Barry and Lawton assured her he wasn't.Lady Clarissa stood up with her husband and Barry and walked out of the house in shame.Amanda had been quiet as Lawton had asked her not to interfere.Madame Willams who had been feeling guilty walked up to Lawton and Amanda and asked if they