At this time, some of the onlookers stopped and watched the spectacle as the two security guards harassed a young man.The skinny server was sweating bullets as he didn't think Alex would have the guts to mock them!"If you want to be a bootlicker, you shouldn't have to complain about being called a lapping dog!" Alex said his voice could be heard loud and clear, making the onlookers secretly chuckle. As far as the onlookers were concerned, they wanted to see a good show, and the young man in front of them just happened to provide them with entertainment; moreover, the young man wasn't wrong.At this juncture, the security guard's face was flushed red, and in a mixture of embarrassment and anger, he grabbed Alex by the collar."I swear, I'm going to kill you if you say that again!" He blurted out while leaning forward; his hideous face was a breath away from Alex, who was simply smirking. It could be imagined how scary it was considering that the security guard was on steroids and t
"If you will excuse me." Alex smiled at young master Nathan as he turned around and headed toward his seat in the middle of the rows.At this point, young master Nathan, who was in a state of shock, finally recovered, and he was beyond furious at being rejected by Alex. He couldn't help but grit his teeth while glaring at Alex with his eyes that were full of murderous intent.Alex merely shrugged off his shoulder with his keen senses—there was no way Alex wouldn't do anything the way Nathan Lester was looking at him. It wasn't that Alex was afraid of the Lester family; rather, it was more damaging for an egotistical guy like Nathan Lester to be ignored as their ego couldn't take it. On the other hand, Shenna was baffled as she watched from the side; this whole time she was being ignored by Alex, who didn't even spare him a glance! She couldn't help but bite her lips, feeling irritated that Alex was treating her like air. In the back of her head, she was thinking. Is it possible that
"Not only is young master Nathan successful in the business world, but he's an eye-candy!" A madam in her forties commented while giggling.A man in his tuxedo who was sitting between his bodyguards couldn't help but comment. "Although he is young, he graduated from a prestigious school for the elite, and now he is showing great potential, just like his father!" Everyone in the venue praised Nathan with flattering words, and Nathan Lester and Shenna, who were beside him, were enjoying everyone's praise and compliments."I'm thankful for everyone's praise; unfortunately, I encountered a certain fool outside. Never mind; everyone should enjoy!" When Nathan Lester said that on the mic with hidden meaning, those who knew what occurred outside the auction house couldn't help but chuckle while glancing at Alex.At this point, Alex's lips twitched in irritation as he continued to hear everyone's words while Nathan Lester was taunting him indirectly. This son of a gun was clearly provoking h
"Valley Hotel bids $56 million!""Herman Group bids $61 million!""SCS Association bids $68 million!""$70 million....."Though Alex had mentally prepared himself, hearing the bids that were placed made his heart cold...The price was skyrocketing; at this rate, third-rate families would be unable to afford it. It would be strange if those large corporations were forced to reconsider buying the properties...Finally, Alex wrote eighty-two on the small paper and raised it, placing his bid."$82 million." Alex spoke calmly; his voice sounded powerful, drawing the attention of many of the wealthy guests in the venue, including Shenna, who tilted her head while watching Alex participate in the bidding war.After all, only the VIPs had mostly placed their bids, and certainly not someone at the back table like Alex would have that much liquidation for the bidding.Just then..."$85 million!"Someone in the VIP seat shouted as a counter bid against Alex.It was none other than young master N
Alex didn't act impulsively while young master Nathan was threatening Emily and her family; he just gave him a simple glance before ignoring him. To him, Alex was more like a dog—all bark and no bite.On the other hand. The people inside the venue made a stir after, and at how intense the bidding was, no one could blame them for doing so; after all, they were talking about properties that reached millions of dollars!At this moment, Miss Catherine thought of something while observing young master Nathan and the rather mysterious young man, whom she hadn't heard of. Was he a young tycoon? or someone from a prestigious family?Nevertheless, with these two men, this bidding war was bound to bring more attention to her auction house; the more intense the atmosphere, the more profit!Then...'Why don't I make this more appealing?' Miss Catherine mused in her mind, and with that, she took a step forward while raising her hands and signaling the audience to pay attention."Is there anyone el
"Mr. Nathan, are you going to compete for a higher bid?" Miss Catherine's eyes were smiling as she spoke those words.However, there was no response, as though young master Nathan was petrified, so she started counting, putting more pressure on the silent young master Nathan."Hitting once!" Miss Catherine shouted at the same time she was hammering the wooden surface. "Hitting twice!"Just as Miss Catherine was about to call for the closing bid.Meanwhile, young master Nathan fell into silence, but if one was observant enough, they would notice that his right hand was trembling in anger, and every time Miss Catherine was hammering while counting down, it was like a sledgehammer hitting on his chest personally!After all....This bidding war was no longer about the money; rather, the reputation of his family was at stake. But where in the h*ll would they get the money from?"$201 million dollars!" Young Master Nathan said that he didn't believe Alex would still be able to follow him i
If looks could kill, young master Nathan would have killed Alex a thousand times! However, he couldn't do anything with all these people present, in particular, Miss Catherine's family; he couldn't make enemies out of everyone here; it would be the same as committing suicide.Currently, the participants are arguing vehemently, asking questions like "who Alex is," "how rich Alex's family is," or "is he even a Humming City resident?"But one thing was certain: everyone wanted to have a connection with that excellent young man. Nonetheless, the auction was not over as bursts of laughter echoed across the stage, drawing everyone's attention to young master Nathan's leisurely shouts."$300 million dollars!" Alex spoke up while raising his three fingers.Alex finished his sentence in his head while a faint smile appeared on his lips.On the other hand, young master Nathan was clenching his knuckles so hard they started to bleed. He couldn't bid otherwise Miss Catherine would find out; his
"You want me in your life?" Alex spoke with a bit of sarcasm in his words. He found Shenna's question laughable! "Is it because you couldn't replace me? No, it's not that..." Alex shook his head. He decided to confront her. "Tell me, is it because of the money, Shenna? You want me back because you thought I was finally good enough for you? For what!? To satisfy your so-called happiness?" "It's not like that..." Shenna mumbled as she tightened her grip on Alex's clothes. Alex gritted his teeth and finally said. "But...what about me? Have you ever considered my happiness? Get out of my sight!" Alex's emotions were in turmoil; he had enough of this farce. Looking at Shenna's shocked face, she wasn't expecting Alex to snap at her. "You're scaring me, Alex; you don't love me anymore?" Shenna said while holding on to Alex, but she was pushed. "You pretty much know how damn well I've loved you! So don't go around saying I didn't love you, because I did." Alex blurted out, and for a sec
The guests in the Golden Paradise were stunned, and then they started to hang their heads down, terrified at this group of mafia-like men. They didn't want to get into trouble themselves, so they walked a bit further from the entrance.On the other hand, the employees were intimidated, not to mention that they had just seen the guards of the Golden Paradise outside groaning in pain. Clearly, they were beaten up.The senior manager gathered his courage. "Sir, please leave you're scaring the guests; if you don't, I'm afraid I would have to call the polic-"Before the senior manager could finish speaking, Alex cut him off. "It's alright, manager Kevin; from here, I'll handle this." Listening attentively to Alex's words, senior manager Kevin immediately bowed in Alex's direction and spoke politely. "Yes sir. Please excuse my rudeness." Alex turned his attention to this fellow, who was a member of the Crown family and must likely be his cousin...Alex never imagined meeting his cousin a
Teacher Vivian recovered from her shock and glared at her husband. "What are you waiting for? Shouldn't you carry your own luggage?""Um..." Richard's face was turning a shade of red as he hurriedly grabbed the bags Alex was carrying."Y-You must be tired, junior brother?" Richard wanted to keep his dignity, so he was making excuses not to be obvious. Furthermore, he had no idea about Alex's identity; he was horrified inside thinking about offending someone he shouldn't have. However, would Alex not notice what Richard was thinking? So he feigned ignorance and stated it in a calm voice. "Tired? Not at all. I can carry it for you all the way."Richard was stunned then, his back broke a cold sweat as he felt like crying with no tears. Not to mention, his wife was glaring at him."I-I'll carry it from here, please." Richard uttered, and at the end of his sentence, his voice was the sound of a mosquito; it was barely audible. On the other hand, Teacher Vivian came forward and faced Alex
"What do you mean my credit card didn't go through?" Richard was frowning heavily. How come his credit card wasn't accepted? He was pretty sure it had some savings in it.The server rolled his eyes, although he was annoyed. Nevertheless, he still had to maintain professionalism. With it in mind, he politely explained. "With all due respect, we only accept credit cards from reputable banks, mostly VIP card holders, but we do have a beer minimum; it would be the C.F.R. City Bank."The moment Richard heard those words, he was dumbfounded. What the... VIP card holders? What's even more incredulous is that the C.F.R. City Bank was considered a beer minimum.'Wasn't the C.F.R. City Bank the biggest bank in the City?' Richard mumbled in disbelief. On the side, teacher Vivian was similarly stunned, but soon she recovered, and she was starting to worry as she uttered. "Does it mean we will have to leave?""Let me think..." Richard gritted his teeth; he shouldn't have lost his cool, yet he had
Around ten in the morning, Alex finally arrived at his destination.He got out of the car while taking off his eyewear, which caused his brows to involuntarily twitch as he felt the heat rays from the glaring sun. Then he turned his attention toward the famous property of Antonio Florence.Undoubtedly, the plantsIt was a mixture of greenery and modernity, as the villas and the mansion were surrounded by gorgeous, rare plants. Alex wondered how they managed to grow those plants that could only be seen in different countries!Indeed, the place deserves its name, the Golden Paradise.Just then, someone came toward Alex."Sir, this way, please." A young man in his late teens who looks like an employee with his white and black uniform came to Alex and led him toward where a group of visitors was.'Kate and the others are not present. They've already gone ahead; I should look for them later.' Alex mumbled while scanning the crowd, looking for his co-workers, only to fail.At this point, as
Weeks passed, and everything was back on track. Alex could be seen jogging around the plaza, as the children were playing while noticing the young man, Alex pass them by while gasping for air.Gradually, Alex slowed down. He was thirsty and dead tired from working out. He took a seat on a vacant bench, gulping down the water bottle and putting some on top of his head to refresh himself. "That felt good," Alex uttered while feeling his muscles start to relax.Just then, Alex heard his name being called from a distance. He shifted his gaze toward the direction of the voice and saw a young lady wearing a yoga outfit.Rihanna? Alex thought in surprise at her appearance."Alex..." Rihanna was catching her breath as she spoke. "I noticed you from the apartment's balcony earlier; I wanted to tag along, but you were jogging too fast... Oh, I almost forgot this is for you."Rihanna took out a small pink towel and handed it to Alex in a shy manner."Wow, thank you, Rihanna." Alex grinned as
At this juncture, the veterans were starting to incircle around Alex; one of the veterans even moved a step closer toward Shenna.Just as the perverted veteran was about to grab her, Alex suddenly blocked his outstretched hands with his body."Tell your men to stop." Alex's words were directed toward the veteran leader, who was simply standing at the back of the group of veterans.Hearing Alex's sentence, the veteran leader signaled to his group of veterans to stop."You want me dead, right?" Alex said while pushing the terrified Shenna behind him to cover him from the veterans."Indeed, we want you dead; your head will be valuable." The veteran leader's statement was very alarming."At least give me a reason why you are after me... Is it because of the Crown family?" There was no need for Alex to hide his identity at this point; most likely, they already knew him beforehand. What's more puzzling is: what was their intention?"You sure have guts." "Alright, I'll explain it to you....
Bruce was taken aback as he looked at the furious Alex and Shenna, whose eyes were burning with defiance as she glared daggers at him."Pft." Bruce couldn't hold it in as he burst out laughing, and he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes."You two are really similar! Showing such a face, how scary."Bruce stopped laughing as he continued to mock Alex. "Remember this place? Isn't it ironic? It's where your 'little girlfriend' decided to betray you because she wanted to use me to get promoted? If I were in your position, there's no way I would date such a woman, not to mention putting myself in danger!"Bruce wasn't done mocking Alex, as he proceeded to speak while leaning at the table with a grim face. "If you aren't blind, then you're certainly a fool!"In Bruce's opinion, Alex was an idiot.Alex understood that Bruce was using this tactic to play with his head. He was cleverly sowing discord between him and Shenna. But would he allow himself to fall for it easily? No!However,
The sudden interruption made Bruce's countenance stiffen; it took him a few seconds to recover as he mumbled. "Speaking of the devil!"There wasn't a doubt in Bruce's mind who the caller was! Without hesitation, Bruce picked up the call."My, my, I didn't think you'd be this fast for a fool!"Alex didn't immediately answer, making Bruce irritated. Just as he was about to yell at Alex on the phone, Alex's voice could be heard."... I'm outside, the money is already here, and I want to see her." Bruce signaled his men to go downstairs. He chuckled coldly while replying. "Showing concern, aren't we? Why don't I invite you in?""Alright." Alex replied on the phone.Bruce thought for a moment before responding in a mocking manner. "Do you want me to put your little girlfriend on the phone?" "There's no need for that; just make sure not a strand of hair is missing; otherwise, you'll regret it." Alex's tone of voice was deep.Without giving Bruce a chance to reply, the call was suddenly cu
Shenna was thinking hard about what purpose her abductors were after...Was it money? No, that shouldn't be the case, as who didn't know she didn't have anything on her name...Shenna couldn't help but think of her family, but then she smiled bitterly; knowing her family, she could easily imagine their indifferent reaction; they wouldn't lift a single finger to help her. If they knew he was abducted, they would even blame her for being careless...Unconsciously, Shenna bit her cheery, ripe lips until they bled; however, she didn't care as she ignored the pain.Although she could feel her anxiety rising, she had no idea where she was or what she should do; she was all alone in this lonely room, waiting for her abductors to do their worst...'No, I hate this feeling. I need to do something; that jerk Alex would mock me if I didn't do something. Shenna did so angrily in her heart; she didn't want Alex to look down on her. She inhaled deeply. She needed to figure out how to escape here be