The next morning, asn heard Beck directing the chefs in the kitchen to whip up a hearty stew for Maja, his patience finally snapped.


    He trudged back to the bedroom, intent on bending Maja''s ear.


    "Beck''spletely zeroed in on us now, but he needs to have his own life, you know? Look, your brother at least has some young gal by his side, but Beck''s all alone. Must be lonely. I say we get Tyler to hook him up. The guy knows plenty of women."


    Maja, halfway between dreams and waking, barely registered the conversation but mumbled an agreement.


    "Do whatever you think is best."


    With that, she drifted back to sleep.


    lan wasted no time and called Tyler, asking him to introduce Beck to some women.


    Tyler was a notorious yboy, never short on scandal or a party to attend.


    He agreed without hesitation.


    "So, you want Beck to stop bugging you at Greenfield Gardens, huh? Say no more, buddy. I got this. You have no idea how bored I''ve beentely. Tried to grab a drink with Fitch, but the guy won''t even look me in the eye. He''s always off to God knows where at night, and I can never catch him. Beck''s a good sport, though, our kind of people. I''ll flip through my contacts and see if I can find a match for him."n breathed a sigh of relief. Tyler might love stirring the pot, but he always came through on his promises.


    Descending the stairs,n spotted Beck lounging on the couch, engrossed in a video game. The living room TV had been co-opted for his gaming sessions, and he sometimes roped Maja into ying with him. Just the other day, Maja had ignoredn altogether in favor of gaming with Beck.


    Fortunately, now that Maja was pregnant, she limited herself to half-hour sessions, but she''d still spend hours discussing strategies and hidden levels with Beck. During those discussions,n might as well have been invisible.


    lan was skilled at many things, but gaming wasn''t one of them.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    He had hardly any experience with electronics growing up, so he was no good at uncovering the secrets hidden within the games.


    This only made Beck more smug, andn increasingly irked.


    Upon seeingn descend, Beck couldn''t resist a jab.


    n, stillzing around at this hour? Aren''t you supposed to be at the office?"


    Beck had been born with a silver spoon, rarely dabbling in the family business. The Sanders family affairs had always been Dn''s burden. When Dn had relinquished his shares and was supposedly ousted from the Sanders n, he vowed to make his own way.


    But as events unfolded, Dn still remotely steered the family empire, settling for a modest monthly sry, a thankless task if there ever was one. Yet he neverined.


    Which meant that Beck, the pampered scion, had never really run thepany, spending his days indulging in leisure and pleasure. Nobody could beat him at gaming.


    lan felt a lump in his throat,


    watching Beck leisurely explore another secret level, probably nning to discuss it with Majater. His lips pressed into a thin line.


    "I''m heading to the office now."


    Beck casually waved the game controller, his annoyance as palpable ton asn''s was to Abner.


    "Is that so? Too bad. I just figured


    out a new hidden level. Was about to


    share it with Maja. Oh, and about the baby''s name, Dad said there''s no rush Haven''t you been to North America yet?"


    lan''s eyes narrowed, a sense of crisis ring within him.


    His gut told him Beck had definitely been badmouthing him to Augus.