OLD FRIEND Brandy, “you're still young” he replied. “Once you meet someone like her, trust me.You'll understand”.He put his hand on her head out of habit, just as he would when they were young, before he realized the gesture might be misinterpreted. “Things aren't exactly the same as when we were kids”, he thought. “I always thought of her as a sister.Looking back, I realized that she always considered me her idol”. Brandy, frowned, shaking off Brian's hand. “You told me earlier that I'm all grown up, and now you're saying that I'm still young”, she said angrily. “You're good at everything, apparently, except making up your mind”. “I know he's protecting me like he always does”, she thought. “But it's different now.If he brought me treats or gifts it would be as a friend only”.Brian smiled. “I see your temper hasn't changed at all”.She paused and said candidly. “Brian.If your marriage isn't doing well, you should get a divorce. Let's go back to your family. That's whe
GET OUT!“Completely.Remember the phone Liam stole from the Royal Plaza Inn?And the photo of the two kids.Remember.I told you that it was a photo of me and Brandy”.Jeffery pulled out the phone, open the picture and studied it.And the more he looked at it, the more he noticed that the boy in the picture had the same expression he had often seen on Brian's face.And the little girl had the same eyes as Brandy. Brian Your nodded, but he didn't want Jeffery to misunderstand.“It's not quite as serious as it seems”, he said.“I could have slept on the couch in the living room.But Samantha was pretty upset and she's sensitive about this.I think it's better to give her a while to cool down. “Last time she hit me with a lamp and caused a big wound in my arm” he thought. “She was sorry about it afterward, but I'm not sure what she might do this time.Makes my heart ache anytime she's disappointed in me.Could I crash here for a few days?”“Don't mention it”, Jeffery said. “You can stay as long
MISTAKE“They're both”, Jordan laughed. “Great. So that was a huge waste of time”.Jeffery and Liam rolled their eyes at Jordan, and only Brian could see that behind all his nonsensical stories, there was actually some truth in what he had said.He did miss someone.The loneliness in his eyes couldn't lie.Some buried their problems deep down, out of reach, while others kept themselves in denial to hold on to memories of the good times.Frustrated, Brian clenched his fists and shouted. “Jordan, tell me what to do.What?”Jordan looked at him wide eyed, as did the others.He had no idea why, out of all the people in the room, he had asked a philanderer like him for advice.And the sudden shift in tone had caught him completely off guard. “Close your eye.Just say whatever comes to mind”,“ I'll know what to look for”.Jordan said uncertainly.First taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Here's what I think.That phone call was just Samantha venting her anger.I mean, put yourself in her shoes.
RESCUEHe was sputtered.The elevator had been stopped on the 12th floor.Meaning that the man had to run the remaining way and he still had the strength to kick down a reinforced door.He was about to say more when Brian strode toward him and threw him onto the floor.Two scrambled onto his back and moved away in fright, as though a God of death were approaching him.“Mr. Maxwell, let's just talk about this. Samantha isn't here, I swear.It”always feared dying and losing everything he had built.But it had only been a fear at the back of his mind.At that moment, it felt like he was face to face with it and the thought of fighting back didn't even occur. “I wanted to get back at you because of Brandy and because of my son, but I hadn't actually planned anything. I swear on my life”. Duke looked up and saw Brian towering over him.Raising his hand like he was about to tear his heart out.Duke squealed and fainted in terror on the spot, twitching and sobbing. “I guess you really didn't do it t
I’M SORRY“Now it's your turn.What makes Brian worth $500 million to you?” Brandy folded her arms with a wry sneer.Perhaps such a ludicrous offer for divorce had been too obvious.Considering that the money had been a gift from Brian in the 1st place, she hadn't won a spend all of it.She had planned to give most of it back to Brian, but things had changed so quickly that she couldn't keep up.She looked at Samantha coldly and said.“Would you rather stay trapped in here?“I'd rather prefer you told me what the deal is between you two”.As angry as she was, she wanted to ensure she wasn't mistaken.If everything had been a misunderstanding, if Brian hadn't been in an affair, then no amount of money in the world would get her to separate from him. “Fine, said Brandy, seeing that Samantha was digging her heels in.This treasured woman of Brians really was irksome. “I'll tell you what happen.I was always bullied in school because I was so sure.One day I couldn't take it anymore and I ran hea
JEALOUSYand the fact that she had only said yes to a divorce because she thought it would make him happier and there was nothing to be angry about.When the bodyguard returned to his senses, Brian got him to take Brandy to the hospital to ensure she was OK.Only once they were both gone was he able to face Samantha again.For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.“Have you really known Brandy that long?” Asked Samantha. “Yes”, it was all Brian could say for a while.He busied himself untying the ropes that bound her hands and feet. “Our families were always close.So she often followed me around”.There was more to the story, clearly, but it wasn't the time to go into detail. “Was she bullied because she was so short?”“You could say that”.“And what about your family?” How many siblings do you have? Brian looked at her when she asked this.Brandy had obviously revealed a lot about their past.“A lot, you admitted.But we don't get along.How is that possible?How bad could it be afte
SETTLEDShe barely remembered the names of those closest to him. Brandy stared at Samantha intently and said.“Can I ask a favor?”“OK”.“Please promise that you'll be good to him. He obviously cares so much about you”.Samantha's heart seemed to surge like ocean waves. The affection and care in Brandy's voice made her feel almost sad.It wasn't like she wanted her relationship with Brian to be as icy as it was. It wasn't her fault that he was so often neglectful of his duties and commitments.All the recent drama had started because he'd been so reckless.“What did he think would happen when he met Brandy in secret after so long”, she thought.It felt like she only gained reasons to get angrier with.Yet even with seemingly countless things being wrong between them, when offered the opportunity to divorce him, her first instinct had been to reject it.She wondered if that was just her sense of responsibility, or if deep down, she cared for him.He had, after all, recieved plenty of humi
THE RIDEThings are going better”, she said. “The market seems to be opening up a bit in San Clemente, so things shouldn't be a problem moving forward. I'm beginning to think about approaching more companies”.Samantha looked out of the window, not knowing why she was talking about this.Brian was listening intently, so she decided to go on. “The largest companies in San Clemente are Robster Corporation and Princess Elizabeth's Cosmetics.They may appear bright and beautiful, but they are bound by the laws and regulations of their industries and the city.Take Princess Elizabeth's for example. The quality of the cosmetics they produce is very good. However, they are limited to the local sales and tax zoning of the city.They want to expand, but the regional market has closed its doors to them”.“If you have any ideas on this regard, you'll have to think carefully about how to approach them”, Brian offered.Ultimately, the final decision was up to Samantha.However, he knew he couldn't stay