Martins had not been thrilled with his grandfather's decision to make Bradley, a stranger, a co-heir to the family fortune. He felt slighted, betrayed even, that his grandfather would choose to share his legacy with someone without a connection to their family."Please, Grandfather, give me more time," Martins begged. "I'll prove myself worthy of being the heir of the Kaiden family."But the older man's face remained implacable, his eyes cold and distant. "The same way your father pleaded before he died in an operation against the Tiger Willows?" he spat. "You're just like him, good for nothing!"Martins' heart sank at his grandfather's harsh words, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He knew there was no use arguing with the older man, not when his mind was already made up, but he was too late.Martins, seething with anger, shot back, "If you're as powerful as you claim, why haven't you faced the Tiger Willows and killed them yourself?"The older man's face contorted with a twisted smi
Martin's tone was skeptical as he turned to face James. "How can you be certain of your information?" he asked, his words dripping with disdain. "For all we know, you might be guessing because you feel she's successful and the Nathaniels are," Bradley's sharp tongue cut Martin deeper than any blade as he spoke with verbal onslaught. "This is why your grandfather says you are useless," he scoffed. "You don't think before you talk, and now you're trying to drag others into your incompetence."The old man's laughter filled the room, causing Martin's self-esteem to plummet even further. "That was the perfect response for a fool!" he chortled, slapping his knee as he laughed with mirth.The young men stared at each other, their faces hard and their eyes like coals in the dim light of the room. Martin's face burned with shame and rage, while Bradley's was a mask of cold, calculating disdain."If you can't trust my intelligence, Martin, then maybe you should just stay out of this," Bradley
Avery sat at her desk, reviewing some documents she has been working on, non stop since morning and she knows the time for her meeting his fast Approaching. She glanced at her watch and realized she still had a few minutes before the important development meeting with her staffs. At that moment she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. With a bright smile on her face, she then dialed Jeremy's number. The phone rang a couple times before he picked up.And without wasting anymore time Avery said.“Hey there, handsome” Avery greeted him warmly. “I wanted to check in and see how your first day at the new role is going.”She leaned back in her chair, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.On the other end of the line, Jeremy chuckled he wasn't expecting Avery to call him just yet, because he knew she would be busy but here comes her call.without wasting anymore time Jeremy said.“Well hello to you too, beautiful.” He paused and let out an exaggerated sigh. “To be
At that moment Avery stood up quickly and walked to the meeting room with a sense of purpose, she wanted to get the meeting done with, so she could leave immediately As she entered, she noticed that everyone was already seated, waiting for her arrival. immediately they saw her coming, they all rose to their feet in unison, greeting her with polite nods and murmurs of greetings followed.“Good afternoon”Avery at that moment quickly acknowledged their greetings with a curt nod and she took her seat at the head of the table. She immediately scanned the faces of her team members, trying to gauge their expressions so she would know if anyone has something for her. Some looked nervous, others confident, but all were clearly anticipating her next words.Immediately she cleared her throat and said.“I hope the team has something substantial to present today, I don't want to hear your regular excuse of we are trying to come up with something” Avery said, her voice calm but firm. “Now Le
immediately Avery heard the voice she turned around with the heavy bag she was carrying.And her eyes pushed immediately when she saw who was in front of her.“Oh no,” said Avery. Her face looked sad. “These bags are so heavy.”Avery said again, she doesn't want to speak to Vivian so she just wants to look for a way to leave quietly.Avery tried to carry the bag. Her arms shook. Her face turned red.She was just pretending the bag was heavy so he could leave immediately because she knows what Vivian wants, and she doesn't have the strength to exchange words with her.Just then, Vivian immediately came over with a big smile that would brighten a dark room.“Hi Avery!”said Vivian again but this time very loud. Her voice was too loud and Polites. “Let me help you!”Vivian immediately grabbed the bag. She did not wait for Avery to say yes.“I will carry these” said Vivian. She smiled brightly again. “It is no trouble at all!”Avery at that moment couldn't believe what she just saw.
Vivian said again and again. Her whole body shook as she was about to cry.Avery at that moment watched Vivian. She could not believe it, she doesn't believe her, because Vivian knows who never apologized for such a thing, and it didn't happen recently, but yet she is apologizing. At that moment her face turned red with anger. She knows Vivian is playing game.“This might just be her plans to hurt me, she might be jealous I'm now a CEO of my family company”Avery was about saying something when a voice came through.“Vivian! Stop! What are you doing?!” Malisa yelled. “Why are you kneeling to her and apologizing? She is nothing special!, even though you wronged her then but that still doesn't give her the right to look down on you”Upon hearing what Malisa said, Vivian heart skipped Immediately she couldn't believe she was trying to settle the mess Malisa just added to it. Immediately she started blinking fast at Malisa telling her to stop talking. She wanted Malisa to stop. Bu
Avery slowed down her pace and waited for Vivian to reach where she was. She already knew what Vivian had to say but wanted to hear it from her mouth. The tension in the air thickened as Vivian knelt before Avery. She struggled to find the words to express herself, knowing the impact of her revelation would have on her husband at work. Malissa, however, was not as reserved."Are you seriously going to grovel like a fool over this nobody?" Malissa shouted, her anger mounting. Avery remained silent, her expression unreadable as she waited for Vivian to speak.Vivian swallowed nervously, her eyes downcast in shame. "Please, Avery," she pleaded, her voice quivering. "I'm so sorry. I know there's no excuse for what I've done."Avery's gaze was piercing, but she said nothing. She simply waited, letting the silence stretch on like a tightrope ready to snap at any moment.Malissa, meanwhile, rolled her eyes with disgust. "This is ridiculous. Vivian, get up off the floor and act like the wife
Avery's final words hung in the air like a dark cloud, casting a shadow of fear over the two women. They stood frozen in place, their eyes wide with terror, as she paid for her purchase at the counter.The other shoppers in the store watched in bewilderment as Malissa and Vivian quivered and shook, like two rabbits caught in a snare. When Avery turned to leave, they scrambled towards her, eager to carry her purchases like a pair of frantic servants.But Avery would have none of it."Stop this nonsense," Avery snapped, her voice hard and authoritative as she scooped up her own packages. "I'm not interested in your pathetic attempts to curry favor. You have a choice. Either you can apologize for your behavior and hope that I'm in a forgiving mood, or you can leave and never come back."Vivian and Malissa stared at each other, their faces pale and drawn as they weighed their options. Finally, Vivian stepped forward, her voice breaking with emotion."We're sorry, Avery," she said, her eye