*Cough* Dr. Bertha sputtered his drink upon hearing Alex's unfriendly statement. He glanced at me again nervously, gesturing for me to sit and not respond to Alex's sharp remark. "How long are you staying here? You're not welcome here, and one more thing, be careful how you speak to my guests. You have no manners, acting like you own the place," Mr. Rocky retorted coldly to Alex, who had just swallowed his last bite of grilled meat slices. "Pops!" Anne interjected, clearly upset. "What? Why did you let this traitor in? You know they're going to demolish our house, don't you? You're letting me live my last days in unrest by associating with him, Anneke Zane." It was the first time I had seen Mr. Rocky angry, and it made the atmosphere awkward. I wanted to stand up and leave the room, but Mr. Rocky patted my hand to keep me seated. "We've discussed this, Pops! Alex is not like Tom Merrick." "He's still a Merrick! That will never change. You! You always make my granddaughter and m
"Sir, the young master has arrived home," Zhar reported to Tom Merrick, who was still working in his home office. Hearing this, Tom closed his documents abruptly. "Tell him to see me right now." "Of course, Sir," Zhar excused himself and went to find Bash, who had just entered with his two friends through the front door. They were on their way to Bash's room. Zhar couldn't help but wonder about his young master's childish behavior. "Look, the old man's watchdog is here," Terry whispered to Bash as he approached. However, Zhar could still hear him. Bash chuckled at Terry's provocation. "Young master, your father requests your presence," Zhar said, bowing slightly with a stoic expression. "Argh, what does that old man want now? Another lecture? I can't be bothered!" Bash complained, ignoring his Dad's request. He continued to lead his friends up to his recreation room, filled with various entertainment options. "Your father wishes to discuss something very important, Sir, right aw
'That was quite surprising.' [Yes, humans and their lusts.] 'I'm human too,' I protested. [Exactly, and that's what strengthens my point.] 'Are you jealous of my feelings for Anne?' [I don't possess emotional intelligence, dummy.] 'But from your tone, it doesn't feel that way?' [It's just your feelings. Anyway, don't forget to prepare your performance this evening; you need to be convincing.] 'Of course... Wait, are you avoiding my question? Again?' [...] 'Haha,' I chuckled inwardly at it. How could I find happiness just by teasing an AI? *** "Is everything ready, Zhar?" "Yes, Sir. These are the documents signed by the court," Zhar said as he handed over the necessary files. "Good, we can begin the execution. I can't wait to see that old man beg and kneel before me. Prepare the vehicle." "Yes, Sir." Zhar bowed and left the office to prepare all the necessary arrangements. Tom called Bash, who he hadn't seen since morning. "Where is that boy? Just because his parents o
[Do you want me to do something about it?] I was taken aback for a moment upon hearing the system's question, 'What's your plan?' [Well, I can make him disappear if you want.] 'Disappear? Do you mean kill him? Do you have that feature in your system? Since when are you able to do that?!' I yelled in my mind, shocked. [No, not to that extent, silly. We're programmed strictly against harming humans.] 'Phew, you really startled me. So, how do you "make him disappear" then?' [See this.] A phone call rang from Alex's pants pocket, and he answered it. "Yes, Dad, what's up?" I couldn't hear the response from the person on the other end, but Alex's face looked panicked. Anne rushed over to him, asking about his condition, and I left the two lovers to attend to their business. 'Care to tell me what happened there earlier? Was that your doing?' [Yes, I just sent a job transfer letter from his company to his home.] 'Where to? He seemed so upset.' [Of course, because he was transferre
"Your grandpa is fine now, just a minor injury, Anne," replied Dr. Bertha. I didn't want to hear any more of their conversation, so I left the room feeling anger and disappointed, unable to contain my emotions. 'What about that?' [Quite surprising.] 'From now on, create a schedule that doesn't involve me with her.' [Alright, Danzel, leave it to me. Don't forget the shareholders' meeting schedule at Merrick Corp tomorrow morning.] 'Of course.' From that moment on, I tried to avoid Anne. I even felt reluctant just seeing her. I went home only to rest and looked for excuses to leave the house as often as possible to avoid meeting her. I cursed myself for involving my feelings from the beginning. *** "Judge Harrold, how could you cancel my proposal? Have you forgotten how much it's worth? Even your porch could stand firm, I'm sure, because of that project," Tom spoke to Judge Harrold over the phone. [What do you mean by that, Tom? Are you accusing me of taking a bribe?] "Not at a
"Oh, good morning Danzel," greeted Anne gracefully from the dining room, her presence resembling a swaying dandelion blown by the summer breeze, a vision I promptly brushed away. I had intentionally entered the dining room earlier than the other occupants of the house, hoping to avoid small talk."Morning," I replied curtly, and without meeting her eyes, I walked straight to the stove, boiled the kettle, then went to the cupboard and grabbed two slices of bread, spread peanut butter on them, and ate in silence. From the corner of my eye, I could see Anne stealing glances from the end of the table, and I tried my best to ignore her, the sparkle of the diamond ring on her ring finger seemingly mocking my presence. I couldn't linger too long near her.The loud whistle of the kettle jolted me from my prolonged stare at the ring on her finger. I stood up and brewed a coffee, intending to drink it in my room until it was time to leave. But Anne's greeting halt my steps."Is it just my imagi
"I won't let this humiliation just slide! If this scandal goes public, you'll pay for it, Tom!" Mrs. Selma accused, her anger palpable."Sigh... Always like this. If you had just stayed quietly in your mansion from the beginning, I wouldn't have had to embarrass you like this. But no, you had to be swayed by the words of that brat over there. After he successfully put you in this humiliate situation, did you just sit there? I bet he secretly enjoying the show, silently laughing at your expense. You've truly ebeen duped," Tom redirected the situation towards me.Now, all eyes were on me, and those friendly faces had turned into menacing glares. In the world of business, allies could quickly become adversaries."Actually, the way you trapped them, even involving your own son, it's clear your business dealings will always be tainted and underhanded," I retorted.The four board members nodded in agreement."I suppose you've never run a business, Mr. Rupert. Do you think there's a policy t
At 7 in the evening, I stepped out of the room, dressed in a tuxedo, freshly shaved, and impeccably groomed. "Wow, you look absolutely stunning, Mrs. Anderson," I complimented Anne, who also had just emerged from her room.She looked captivating, with a maroon velvet blouse that hugged her figure tightly down to her knees, featuring an open shoulder cut, and her hair elegantly swept up, revealing her graceful neck and tempting allure."Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I must ensure that the women out there lose their confidence to snatch my husband away. By the way, you look amazing too, Mr. Anderson.""Thank you. I bet it's because this husband of yours is a very lucky man.""He did... He did," Anne teased me with a mischievous wink.For a moment, I hesitated between proceeding with our evening plans or pulling her back into the room. It wasn't the women she needed to worry about but the lecherous gazes of men who would stare as if they wanted to undress her, and I didn't want that."Danzel?