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
MARTIAL MASTERThe man had not been particularly interested in Duke's offer of more money.But the picture that Duke had sent him of the beautiful Miss Madison and the suggested offer the photo indicated were what had really gotten him on a plane.Duke certainly knew his tastes.From his perspective, Master Falcon's willingness to take the matter seriously encouraged him.The man was an expert and would be able to put Brian in his place.“Please call me Keith”, Falcon said . It's easier in drawing his attention. “We assume that you are Duke.Duke nodded, and Keith went on. “You are a persistent man.If you hadn't sent me the photo of the woman, I may not have gone”. Duke smiled in embarrassment while silently cursing. “Why did you offer so much money?” But all he wanted was to see a pretty face, he thought. Instead, Duke simply inclined his head respectfully and said. “You are indeed a man of character, it is rumored”.He made a motion toward his car. “I've had a meal prepared in your h
KEITHKeith, who would only just arrive and didn't know who Brian was, stared at the newcomer with mild surprise.“I'm married to him”. His expression was much more interesting.she'd hoped that Brian would receive his message and come, but he'd arrived too early.It was supposed to arrive after Samantha had had a few drinks. Drinks laced with something special to make her more receptive.hoping that Brian would show up to find his wife in a compromising position with Keith.He would have tried to fight and Keith would have fought back, making Brian down permanently.Now that Brian had arrived early, his plan had gone out the window.As for Samantha, after the initial shock of seeing her husband passed, she quickly became angry. “What are you doing here?” She cried.“I'm in the middle of a business meeting, yet here you are breaking down the door. Don't you know who these men are?”As she talked, Brian reached out and pulled her behind him.He turned his gaze to the strange man in the room.
THE REAL BOSS“I was never fooled”, Brian said.The old man from the Shijing mountain who taught me so much about tea, came to my house as a guest.He and I have been friends for a long time. He informed me of a great number of things, each of which holds immense value”.He turned his unwavering gaze back to Keith.“You are courting death for insulting my benefactor Keith Warned.In a sense of who Brian was talking about when he referred to the old man.If he was right, the old man was his old master whom he had betrayed.He now had enough of Brian's arrogant attitude.Keith took a fighting stance as he thought haughtily.This kid doesn't know what he's in for. Duke leaped toward Brian, intent on taking the younger man down in one quick move.He lashed out with a sneak attack.As he did so, he felt a brief gust of wind brushed by him and the target he had aimed for was no longer there.Before he knew it was happening, he felt a blow land from behind, knocking him off his feet.The gasp stunned,
JELOUSYRoss shoved him aside. “You want me to give you another chance? “If I keep providing protection for you and your store, how am I going to explain that to Mr. Maxwell when he finds out? it's best for you to just shut the whole store down at this point, otherwise, next time He comes here, he's going to be offended that you're still here, and then you don't want to offend Mr. Maxwell”. He said to the manager. “I'd laugh if anyone else said that. But if it's what Ross thinks is best that would only mean I'm done for it wasn't easy to get to this point. I thought with Ross providing protection, I could do whatever I wanted. I never thought I would offend someone that even Ross is afraid of”. Ross just looked down at him, “Let me give you one last piece of advice”. He said, “try to be a good person from now on if you know what is good for you”After leaving them all, Laura was in no mood to continue their day out, so she and Brian got in the car to head home.Laura was clearly p
THE MANAGERBrian tilted his head thoughtfully “Ross? he asked.“you're not talking about Ross Gilmore, are you? the same guy I had a little chat with yesterday” he thought.“I think I left quite an impression on him”.“ you know Ross Gilmore?” the manager asked. “You could say that” the manager was surprised but then he saw Laura’s panicked expression clearly showed she had also heard of Ross or at least she knew of his reputation.“that's right,” he said “My shop is under Ross Gilmore’s protection so if you two both get down on your knees and beg for mercy I’ll consider asking for less compensation, otherwise you'll have to beg Ross for mercy” “and at this point, the compensation is the secondary”. he thought. just look how pretty that girl is, Ross, is going to be very happy when he sees her”. many people in the crowd had also heard of Ross and his reputation as a local thug they were not surprised that someone as Petty and nasty as the owner of this store had someone as vici
CHAOS Brian smiled at her but did not comment.The shop manager returned in short order with a Gray scarf draped across his arms. “Go on, Brian, Laura said. “Try it on and see what you think”.She lifted her hand, but the manager turned and held the scarf out of reach. “What?” She asked. “ Aren't you going to let us see it before we buy it?” The manager replied. “You've already seen and handled the other one.Isn't that enough?Except for the color, the two scarves are identical. Come up to the register and I'll get you checked out”.He smiled arrogantly. “They Caused the most trouble”, he thought. “They really need to put their grubby hands all over a genuine branded cashmere scarf.The rich ladies who come in here just point at what they want, pay the bill and leave without any fuss”. Laura's eyes flashed with anger. “Is that how you do business?” She asked. “If you don't try on clothing.How will you know if you like it or not?Maybe we won't like the feel of it.But we won't know until
OUTBURST Laura looked up from her plate of eggs and watched her sister confused. She glanced at Brian, who shrug. “I don't know exactly what's bothering her, but I can guess” he thought. “But I don't wanna talk to Laura about the whole situation with Brandy.That's too much to get into this morning”. “Hey, sis.Did you forget that Brian and I were going out for a fun day today? You should come along.Change your clothes. I'm gonna leave right after breakfast”. “No thanks”, Samantha replied. “I have some important things I need to get done today|”. “Is there anything more?Important than.Quality family time”.Samantha stood up. “You've got Brian, you don't need me”. She left the kitchen.And they heard her bedroom door closed a few seconds later. Gary Wandered into the kitchen, still half asleep.He looked from Laura to Brian. “Where's Samantha?” He asked. “I thought I heard her voice”. “Well, she's not here”, Laura said. “She's having a hissy fit or something”. “Come on Brian, let's
STILL IN LOVE“I'm glad to hear it”, said Brian. “If you'll excuse me”.With that, he walked over to the backstage door. He was determined to see Brandy, and Ross had held him up long enough.He could hear the sound of television through her door, it sounded like a cartoon and you could hear her laughing loudly at it. He Knocked several times before she heard him. “Come in, She shouted once she finally heard his knocking. “Ohh, it's you. Hello”.She walked over and gave him a huge bear hug.She squeezed him so hard he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said eventually. “Are you trying to kill me?” It took him a moment or two to disentangle himself from her grip.“You never change, do you?” He said, his words full of affection.He always spoke to her with the affection of an older brother talking to his favorite sister. Annoyed, Brandy pounded him on the chest.Always hoped that Brandy would stay as innocent as a child, but that was never going to be the case.Uncle Sam had already to
BRIANAs he realized that Brian had seen right through him, anger began to take over.He had a powerful urge to kill him.The slower and more painful death, the better.However, that was something that would have to wait.Murdering Brandy Hall's friend in a busy bar wouldn't win him any popularity contests. It was a plan he would have to save for another day. “Don't be so quick to criticize me”, he said. “You may have gotten away with it this evening, but I will get my revenge on you soon”.“I wouldn't be so sure about that”, said Brian.“But I can be sure”, said Ross, a smile starting to appear on his face. “I have a Big Brother and plenty of friends to help me.Next time you might not find the bartender quite so helpful”.“You're going to hide behind your Big Brother?” Asked Brian. “Why is he someone special?”The door to the bar opened.A man walked in.Ross smiled. his Big Brother had just walked in and his timing couldn't have been better.The man saw Ross and walked over.Ross began to s
THROW HIM OUTRoss was surprised that the bartender knew him, but he certainly wasn't complaining.He knew they had backup when it came to making Brian's life even more miserable than he had hoped. “He's the scruffy man over there”, he said, pointing to Brian's back. “He's trying to go backstage to see Brandy, which surely is a serious offense.My advice is that you have him evicted immediately”. “Well, we could always ask Brandy what she thinks”, said the bartender. “After all, she's the star performer.It's only fair that she should decide if she wants a visitor”.Ross was not impressed it wasn't the answer he had wanted to hear. “However”, continued the bartender, winking at Ross. “If she doesn't want any company, young Rossier gets to decide what to do with the unwanted visitor”.Everyone in the room held their breath, listening very carefully. “What's the punishment?” Ross asked one.Ross smiled. He made a choking gesture to the crowd, much to their delight.A huge cheer went up, sig
CODY’S BAR“Don't worry, maybe Brian will come with me”, said Lynn.Samantha looked at her. “Since when have they had such a good relationship?” She thought.But she didn't bother to ask Laura directly.“What's happening tomorrow?” She asked instead.“I thought you were busy”, said Laura. “But seeing as you're asking, it's a social event organized by the college. I thought you might have wanted to come with me”.She sighed.“If you're busy, I'll ask Brian. he won't mind coming with me. he'll make sure I'm OK”.It's sorted Laura, Take Brian”. Being her brother-in-law, she could go out with him without arousing suspicion.Samantha looked at her suspiciously, not convinced that Brian could keep her sister safe.In her mind, it was almost funny.Much more importantly, she was sure they were keeping something from her.Pretending that nothing was worrying her, she decided to go too, despite the pressures of her job. “I think I'll come too”, she said. “It'll be good to have a break from work”.Sh
UNEXPECTED His friends started to laugh mercilessly.By that time, Samantha was in earshot.When she heard laughter, she relaxed, thinking they had already resolved their differences and made-up.Deciding not to get involved, she stayed out of sight around the corner and listen.Has she gone around the corner, she would have realized that she had gotten it drastically wrong. Brian and Ross were staring at each other. Neither had any intention of backing down.Ross threw his cigarette butts on the ground and stepped on it. “I've had enough of your nonsense. It's time I taught you a lesson.Lesson”. Brian repeated questioningly. “A student?,I don't need to be taught a lesson.I think you've got it the wrong way around”. With that, he stepped forward and landed a blow in Ross' stomach”.Ross doubled up, completely taken aback by the punch.As he struggled to catch his breath, he couldn't believe such an unassuming looking man could be so strong. Started to feel nauseated and his vision st