《Revenge of The Furtive Billionaire Heir》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 I get fired. Rain fell from the skies, sttering loudly on the warm asphalt of the road. It mixed with the stench of burned rubber and garbage stocked on either side of the alleyway. The alleyway is empty except for the lonely cat who had taken shelter inside a garbage can under an upturned cardboard box. The cat¡¯s glistening amber eyes stare at me, and I stare back, unwilling to get up from where I cuts on my face, given how it fucking hurts when I try to move my mouth a little. The water flowing down the road is dangerously close to rising to be leveled with my mouth. Because I did not fancy taking a gulp of road-washed water, disregarding the pain in my body from the blossoming bruises, I shake myself and get up.Each step I take toward the direction of the road hurts. The rain gets harder and harder as I trudge towards the miserable building my studio apartment was situated in so I could change and get to my job. I did not anticipate constant bullying being part of my university life when I moved to Empire city in order to attend King¡¯s College University. I had been so excited when I got the final eptance letter. King¡¯s College was the most prestigious academic organization in the country, and its eptance rates were very low. Their graduates were guaranteed to be much-sought experts in their rtive fields, and being chosen was an honor. I confess I was idyllically na?ve when it came to university. I thought all the students would be respectable and good-mannered, polite and friendly. How wrong had I been. Kings¡¯ College students were instead snobbish and arrogant, snotty and privileged. I¡¯d rather eat rocks than be friends with them given how much they tend to backstab each other for their own advantage. So, rest assured, I did not gain many friends in my first year. However, I gained many enemies. And Stone Jeffreys was the worst of them all. He was a football yer, a star athlete, and an academically gifted student. And he was also a bully of the worst kind who seemed to be especially targeting me. And today was one of those days where I was caught in his rage. Showering was torture, and I get dressed in clean, dry clothes in my apartment as fast as possible. My whole body aches, but I can¡¯t afford to call in sick. I make my way to the caf¨¦ where I do a part-time job. My boss barks at me to get my ass to serve the tables immediately before I can even say, ¡°hello¡±. I exchange a short greeting with the floor supervisor and my fellow waiters before donning the mandatory apron with the caf¨¦ logo, grabbing a pen and a notepad, and making my way to the tables to start my job as a waiter. I try to immerse myself in my job, but the pain is too much. Stone had made sure to target my ribs when he punched me as two of his friends held me by the arms, and now breathing itself was difficult. As time goes on, the ache in my side heightens to a point where I have to crouch when walking. I pray that no one notices my difort. ¡°Hey, waiter,¡± One of thedies at a table calls me as I lean over a counter to take a breather, ¡°I need a refill. Hurry up.¡± She taps her ss with her fork, getting some of the sauce on the ss as well as the table. Oh, great, she¡¯s one of the messy customers who get everything dirty. I am so not going to enjoy cleaning that one up. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Taking a ss jug of water, I make my way to the table. Just as I¡¯m only a step away from her, the pain in my side res up, blinding me for a moment. But that moment is more than enough for me to lose my footing. My hand goes up, and a shriekes. Water sshes on the woman who called me. Oh, shit. The woman begins to scream immediately as I apologize, but it¡¯s toote. The manageres to see what had happened. And just as he gets closer, the woman gets up and ps me hard across my face. Fuck. ¡°This dress cost me ten thousand dors, you idiot!¡± She starts to scream, ¡°Who is going to pay it back?!¡± That dress is so not ten thousand dors, it was most likely thrifted. ¡°I¡¯m so, so sorry, I did not mean to do it, I just slipped,¡± I try to apologize again, my face burning from humiliation, but it¡¯s not enough. ¡°What the hell did you do now, Jace?!¡± My manager gets in my face. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, sir, it was a mistake, I sincerely apologize¡­¡± The manager¡¯s eyes narrow on my face, ¡°Is that a bruise on your cheek, Greyson?¡± Oh, crap, there¡¯s a bruise on my cheek? I didn¡¯t know Stone got me there. ¡°Is this how you expect to work here, Jace?¡± The manager blows up on my, ¡°Sporting bruises like some criminal, being negligent and spilling water on our customers? What kind of a server are you? Do you think we pay you toe and act like thugs?¡± God, make it stop! ¡°No, sir,¡± I murmur, knowing that arguing with him is pointless. ¡°I demand to bepensated for my dress,¡± the woman deres, ¡°Otherwise, I will sue this ce!¡± She is clearly bluffing; nobody can sue a caf¨¦ over a mistake like mine. She was being ridiculous.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°We are so sorry, ma¡¯am,¡± the manager apologizes again. ¡°We willpensate your loss, of course. And your meal is on the house.¡± Then he turns back to me ¡°You¡¯re fired.¡± He speaks. My eyes widen. ¡°But-¡° ¡°You¡¯re fired! Get out of here, now! I¡¯m docking your pay topensate for her dress. Now get out!¡± *** And now I am jobless. I scuttle back home, sorrow heavy in my mind. It wasn¡¯t the best job, but it paid my bills. And now I have to look for another. As I get closer to the apartment, my phone rings. It¡¯s a familiar number, and my heart skips a beat. ¡°It¡¯s Jace,¡± I answer the phone, and a familiar voicees. ¡°Young master,¡± Gerald said, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to contact you for ages.¡± ¡°Hello, Gerald. I was busy. How are you?¡± ¡°I am fine, master, but your father is asking for you. He misses you very much,¡± I scrunch my eyes shut. It¡¯s the same plea over and over again, ¡°Pleasee back. It¡¯s been a so long already. It is time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gerald, but for thest time, no. I will note back to ndestine city, that part of my life is over. I start the new school year tomorrow. Have a good night.¡± With that, I end the call. No matter what happens, I need to find a way. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 I meet the girl of my dreams! The new school year is here. The first ss of the day is Economics, so I make my way to the lecture hall and take a seat in the back. I love Economics, mostly because Stone and his goons don¡¯t take this particr ss. As the lecture is about to start, a girles running towards me. She¡¯s very pretty with curly ck hair and hazel eyes. I¡¯ve never seen her before, but I can¡¯t help but feel myself blush as shees near where I¡¯m sitting. She smiles brightly at me, and points to the chair next to me, ¡°Is this taken?¡± ¡°Oh? No, no, you can take it,¡± I sputter. Wow, a pretty girl wants to sit next to me? I was not what you would call model handsome. I think I¡¯m okay in the looks department, I just look average. But this girl, she¡¯s way out of my league. But as soon as she takes a seat, she turns to me and grins again, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ka. Ka Sherwin. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± I stare at her hand that is stretched towards me for a moment before taking it, ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Jace Greyson. And the pleasure is all mine.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she tucks her hand under her chin to give me a coy look. ¡°You¡¯re a charmer, aren¡¯t you?¡± Iugh awkwardly at that, ¡°Oh, I was not trying to be creepy or anything.¡± ¡°Aww, you¡¯re precious. I love polite boys,¡± She giggles, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you around here, are you new?¡± ¡°No, no. I¡¯ve been attending here sincest year.¡± ¡°Me too. Hey, your ent is familiar. It¡¯s not an Empire city one.¡± ¡°Haha, you noticed that?¡± ¡°Are you by any chance from ndestine city?¡± She asks and my eyes widen. ¡°Yeah, wait, are you from there too?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She looks overjoyed, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re from the same city I am! Talking about coincidences.¡± We talk about our home city after that, and with each passing second, I find myself falling for this girl. Ka is so open and talkative, and she sounds polite and honest, which is a nice change from other kids who attended this school. I¡¯ve never been a believer in love at first sight or instant attraction, but with her, it feels inevitable Maybe this meant my bad luck was turning better. At the end of the Economics lecture, we get up to leave, and Ka asks, ¡°So, where are you headed next?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got Creative writing next. It¡¯s a minor I take this year.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice. I have world history,¡± She looks sad at that, ¡°I wish we had the same ss. I had such a great time with you!¡± ¡°Me too,¡± I don¡¯t normally do this, but with her, it feels just right, ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re freeter this evening, would you like to grab a coffee with me or something?¡± Ka raises a brow, ¡°Are you asking me out, Jace?¡± ¡°I mean, yeah,¡± I gulp, ¡°yeah, I am.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so sweet. I¡¯d love to go out with you, but I¡¯m more of a dinner date kind of girl.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool. We can go wherever you like!¡± ¡°Awesome. It¡¯s a date then!¡± I feel like the day just got a bit brighter. *** I did not anticipate her choosing one of the trendiest, most expensive restaurants in the city for us to go to dinner at. I mean, that one is on me, she is a girl from King¡¯s College after all. But a dinner there would cost me an entire month¡¯s sry! At a moment like this, that kind of a ce wasn¡¯t affordable. I try to ask her if we can change the location just for tonight, but she looks at me pleadingly. ¡°Please Jace, I¡¯ve been wanting to go here forever,¡± she clings to my arm, and directs her shining, puppy dog eyes at me, ¡°I promise I will make it up to youter.¡± She strokes my chest, and I immediately understand what she is implying. I sigh, ¡°Okay, then.¡± I¡¯ve always been a sucker for puppy eyes. It¡¯s just one night, right? The food was delicious, but the prices were off the roof. I let Ka choose whatever she liked, but got only two side dishes for me. When she asked why I was being so frugal, I made up the excuse of being on a restrictive diet. When the billes, I try not to cringe at the sum. After dinner, Ka gives me a kiss on the cheek as we walk out of the restaurant. ¡°Tonight, was great. Thank you, Jace,¡± she murmurs, her lips still on my cheek. ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± I reply, blushing from her ministrations. ¡°So, I booked us a room,¡± Ka says, ¡°And I¡¯d love it if you apany me there. I promised I¡¯d make it up for you, didn¡¯t I?¡± I¡¯m pretty turned off after the whole thing with dinner, but at the mention of the room I think, ¡®why not?¡¯ It¡¯s been months since Ist had some fun with a girl. We make our way to her hotel room, and as soon as we enter, Ka starts to kiss me. I kiss her back enthusiastically, and her ferociousnesses out. She starts to unbutton my shirt as she holds me to the wall. My timidness takes over me, and I stand there awkwardly. God, I¡¯m such a wimp. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to do this for hours,¡± she gasps into my mouth as she pushes the shirt off my shoulders, ¡°take off your pants, baby.¡± My body heavily reacting to her touches, I follow hermand and strip off my pants. However, the moment I take off my underwear, the door opens, and in bursts a bunch of people. Shocked, I freeze on the spot as I register the faces of the mob. It¡¯s Stone and his goons! ¡°Prank, bro!¡± Stone yells out in glee, and to make matters worse, produces a camera, ¡°You¡¯ve been pranked! You fell for our trap, you idiot, and now you¡¯re being live-streamed on the inte!¡± I try to cover myself, my brain reeling from humiliation, hurt, and shock. I look at Ka for help, but she is laughing with the bullies. ¡°What?¡± Catching my eye, she grins nastily, ¡°Did you really think I was into you? You¡¯re pathetic. Greg¡¯s my boyfriend!¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. That¡¯s when I get over my shock. ¡°Stone, this is too much,¡± I tell him, ¡°Beating me up at the streets in one thing. Turn off that camera and get lost!¡± ¡°Yeah, no,¡± Stone grins, ¡°You think you can get rid of me, you pathetic loser?! I will make sure you¡¯re little weeny is pasted all over the inte, so even the dean will find out.¡± ¡°No, you will not.¡± Suddenly, a familiar voicees, and I can¡¯t help but gasp. Everyone turns to the door, and Gerald enters the room. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 She¡¯s with them? ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Stone, looking mad, demands Gerald, and Gerald gives him the most disgusted look. ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern,¡± Gerald snaps at him before turning to me, and his face softens, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± I find myself saying, desperately trying to hide myself with my hands. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t it? What¡¯s up, Jace? Is this your dad? Your grandpa? Did you call your grandpa toe and rescue you? E.¡± That¡¯s when ten men in ck suits who were twice the size of Stone storm into the room, looking as intimidating as mob bosses. I recognize them all, and something like homesickness hits me squarely on the chest. It¡¯s been a long while since I¡¯ve seen them all, and the humiliation just increases. But Stone¡¯s expression changes at the arrival of the men. Gone is the arrogance and the snark, he looks like he¡¯s scared. ¡°Who are you? Who are these people?¡± he questions, ¡°Whoever you are, you better get out of here. I booked this room, and my father is the richest, most powerful man in this city. You better scram before I call him!¡± Oh, how pathetic. He¡¯s talking about tattling to his father? I¡¯m the naked one here, but I¡¯m embarrassed for him. Gerald, in the typical Gerald fashion, ignores him and picks up my clothes from the floor. Then he turns back to me, holding out the clothes. With my cheeks zing, I take the clothes, and hastily start to dress. Gerald bows to me, to the onlookers¡¯ great surprise, and apologizes profusely, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, young master, I thought that I could make it in time, but I didn¡¯t realize that something was wrong until I noticed Stone Jeffreys and recognized his face.¡± I sigh, ¡°You have been spying on me, haven¡¯t you?¡± Gerald shrugs, ¡°You couldn¡¯t honestly expect us to let you gopletely, young master. You may have left your father, but your father cannot afford to let you go.¡± ¡°Oh, I get it now,¡± Stone¡¯s annoying voicees, and he starts tough, ¡°You are all actors, aren¡¯t you? Did this dude pay you toe to stop us? Gotta says though, how on earth did you pay them all? You can¡¯t even afford to treat a girl to a good meal without bankrupting yourself.¡± I blink at Stone, baffled by the sheer stupidity in his guess, ¡°Do you honestly believe that? Really, Stone, can you be that stupid?¡± ¡°Oh, look who¡¯s talking,¡± Stone taunts me back, cracking his knuckles, ¡°Seems like someone wants another shake-down. Wasn¡¯t the one we gave you yesterday enough for you?¡± All content is ? N0velDrama.Org. I feel my anger rise at that, ¡°What the fuck is the matter with you?¡± I ask, frustrated, ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything to you, but all you¡¯ve done is try to harass me and beat me up. I¡¯m over here minding my business and you sic your friend¡¯s girlfriend at me for a prank. You literally pimped her out to go on a date with me for a prank! What the hell is wrong with you?!¡± Stone¡¯s eyes narrow, and he charges at me, ¡°Shut the hell up, you twerp!¡± Before he can get close to me, Gerald steps in front of me, and the guys in ck stand alerted. ¡°Mr. Jeffreys,¡± Gerald warns in his t voice, ¡°I urge you to leave Master Greyson immediately. We will not stand by and let youy a finger on him this time. You¡¯ve tortured him enough.¡± You could literally see smokeing out of Stone¡¯s ear. ¡°Oh, yeah? You think you can order me around?!¡± He bellows, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll beat you up too. Come on!¡± Stone and his goons charge at us, but the guys in ck intervene. It all happens so fast. These guys are professionals in the security field, and in no time, the bullies groan at their side of the room, holding onto various body parts that have been kicked and punched by the men. ¡°You¡¯re not going to get away with this,¡± Stone shrieks, ¡°You and your weak old man and these goris, I¡¯ll end you all. My father will make sure you¡¯re sent to jail for this. No one dares to touch my friends or me. Who do you think you are?! I¡¯ll end you; you¡¯ll never see the sun again.¡± Finally, the anger that I¡¯ve been trying to hold at bay snaps at that. I¡¯m so tired of Stone¡¯s constant harassment and jabs. He¡¯d tortured me enough this past year, I¡¯m not going to let him make my life hell furthermore. He¡¯d crossed the line today, humiliating me like that. My heart hurts from being betrayed by a girl I actually liked. I just want to live my life in peace on my own terms. Why the fuck isn¡¯t he letting me do it? ¡°Young master,¡± Gerald asks me as if he¡¯s sensing the storm brewing within me, ¡°What do you want us to do with this menace? Let him go, or something else?¡± ¡°No,¡± I reply, ¡°They¡¯ve had their chance to leave. Now, they¡¯re going to pay for their crimes.¡± ring at Stone, I give Gerald my very first order, ¡°Make him lose everything.¡± Gerald¡¯s eyes harden, and he gives a nod as he takes his phone out of his pocket. ¡°Your wish is mymand,¡± He replies and takes a call. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 We are being genuine, Stone. ¡°Oh, fuck off,¡± Stone, not believing that we are being genuine, scoffs, ¡°What¡¯s a beggar going to do to me? Your empty threats won¡¯t work. I¡¯m going to give my father one call, and he¡¯s going toe for me. And he will destroy you all.¡± Gerald ignores his prattling and goes on to make several calls, whispering furiously into the phone. Ka hangs onto her boyfriend¡¯s arm, looking frightened at the ten men in ck ring at them. ¡°I did what you asked,¡± I hear her plead from her boyfriend, ¡°Can we leave now? I¡¯m getting scared.¡± ¡°No, Stone will take care of it,¡± The bully reassures her, ¡°The twerp can¡¯t harm us. Who even is he? A nobody with some actor friends.¡± ¡°My master is anything but a nobody, your man,¡± calmly, Gerald locks his phone and shoves it back into his pocket, ¡°And in thirty minutes time, you will see what exactly we¡¯re capable of. I know everything about you, Stone Jeffreys, and your father. I know about your family corporation, your father¡¯s business. And in thirty minutes time, you will be going bankrupt.¡± A sh of fear runs through Stone¡¯s eyes, and I can see he hesitates for a moment. His confidence in thinking of us as losers and paid actors-which is so dumb- wavers. But in the typical Stone fashion, he recovers and starts tough great bellyughs. ¡°This is such a joke,¡± he wheezes. ¡°Did you think I would fall for that, Greyson? My father is the most powerful man in this city, there is no one above him. What can you do? You¡¯re a waiter at a caf¨¦, you live in a crap apartment where I won¡¯t even let my dog live. You dress like a hobo and you can¡¯t afford to take a date to a decent restaurant!¡± His friends join him hesitantly, chuckling along with him. Gerald looks at him with a t expression before giving me a side eye, ¡°Although I said thirty minutes,¡± he tells me, ¡°It should be much faster.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Did you go through the right channels?¡± ¡°You know I always do, young master. The call shoulde in about three, two¡­¡± Stone¡¯s ringtone res through the room, and hisughter abruptly stops. With a frown on his face, he pulls out the device. ¡°What is this? Why is my father calling me now?¡± he mutters before taking the call. I cross my hands over my chest and watch as the chaos unfolds. ¡°What?¡± Stone¡¯s eyes widen as a masculine voice scream from the other end of the call, ¡°Dad, what are you talking about? What? Wait, seriously? Are you sure?!¡± He nces at us, his eyes riddling with fear, ¡°You have to be joking.¡± By now the room has gone so quiet that I can decipher what the voice on the other end is saying. ¡°¡­my business partner is ready to take me to the courts if I don¡¯t agree with him and terminate all operations in ourpany, he wants me to resign as a co-founder! I don¡¯t have the majority shares, Stone, what I have is tied to thepany and if I resign, we¡¯re going to be left with nothing! Do you think this is a joke? What the hell did you do, Stone?¡± ¡°What¡­what did I do? I didn¡¯t do anything, I¡¯m not even in the business-¡° ¡°Bullshit!¡± His father screams, his rage exuding into the room even without his presence, ¡°Stop lying, you ingrate! This is all your fault. My partner never had any problems with me, but suddenly he calls me and tells me that my son had gotten into trouble with the wrong man, and now he¡¯s being forced toy me off. How could this happen? Who the hell did you piss off?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t k-know,¡± Stone stammers, panicking out of his mind. His eyes travel to everyone in the room before falling on me, ¡°I don¡¯t know who he is.¡± I can¡¯t help but smirk at him. Damn right he doesn¡¯t know who I am. Nobody in this city does. My name was Jace Greyson, and I never tried to hide it. Greyson is a prettymon surname, so I had nothing to fear. There was no way anyone was going to look at me and recognize which family I belong to. I looked like your average college student on a schrship. I was on a schrship, but I didn¡¯t need to be. My family was rich enough to pay at least a hundred kids to attend King¡¯s College without breaking a sweat. ¡°Whoever he is, he¡¯s rich and powerful, and he¡¯s decided that we are his enemy,¡± Stone¡¯s father screeches, ¡°Everything I worked for is gone, because of you! You¡¯re the reason for all this! Get your ass back home this instant so we can resolve it. Now!¡± With that, Stone¡¯s father ends the call. The silence that followed the call was deafening. Everyone looks at Stone, shocked to their very cores. Stone looks like he¡¯d seen a ghost. I could literally see tears trying to break from his eyes. A savage glee ring through me. ¡°Young master,¡± Gerald¡¯s voice breaks the silence. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. Shall we leave now? Your father requests your audience, especially after this.¡± I sigh. I knew this wasing, ¡°I need toe back to Empire city tomorrow, though.¡± ¡°That can be arranged. Please, your father is dying to see you. Come home.¡± ¡°What?¡± Stone utters, ¡°No, you can¡¯t go. You-you have to undo this. Tell them to stop. Whoever it is. Please.¡± I re at him, ¡°Oh, now you want me to stop?¡± ¡°Look, it was my mistake, I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t ever bother you again. Please don¡¯t bring my family into this, we would lose everything. My father will never forgive me.¡± I nce at him, and for a split second, I consider undoing it all. Maybe I could be the bigger guy here. My name is Jace Greyson, and I am the son of Joseph Greyson. Stone¡¯s father might have been the most powerful man in the city, but my father was the most powerful man in the country, only second to the president. My family was unfathomably rich, and I was the sole heir to his business empire. But there was so muchplicated history surrounding it, so I did what I do best and left without resolving anything. I wanted to live a normal life where I could just be a normal man in a normal city, with no drama. But it seemed like the world wasn¡¯t going to let that happen. Without another word, I turn on my heels. Gerald and the men in ck suits fall in line behind me. Together, we all walk out of the room, leaving Stone to his despair. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Jace, stop! My pace is swift as I make my way through the hotel, followed by Gerald and his crew of men in ck suits, who were actually security personnel my father had hired ever since I was a child. I feel like I should get the hell out of this ce soon because the stress and anxiety from the whole incident are starting to get to me. Tears are right behind my eyeballs and regret pangs in my chest Suddenly, as we near the lounge, a voicees from behind us. ¡°Please, Jace, stop!¡± Ka. Anger and despair war in my heart as I debate ignoring her and continuing on, but she calls my name again and again. As much as I don¡¯t want to talk to her, I don¡¯t think I can ignore her. After all, she is right next to me. She looks as panicked as Stone was, her eyes stormy, her cheeks flushed. The security personnel move to keep her away from me, but I raise my hand, signaling them to stop. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What?¡± I growl at her. ¡°Jace, please, you have to undo what you did to Stone¡¯s father,¡± she pleads, and my heart sinks. Here I thought she wasing to apologize for the pain she caused me, ¡°Please, you don¡¯t understand, he won¡¯t even be able to continue his studies without his father¡¯s help. You can¡¯t ruin his life like this.¡± Sadness unlike any other cuts through the anger I feel, and I close my eyes shut. God, how I wish I¡¯d never taken a liking to her. ¡°And here I thought that you were regretful for what you did to me,¡± I sigh, ¡°No, Ka. I will not be undoing what I did for Stone. This is the world Ie from, you fuck with the wrong person, you reap the consequences of your actions.¡± I look into her eyes, ¡°You know, I really liked you. When you talked to me, I thought, ¡®finally, here is someone who might be my friend at least.¡¯ I thought you liked me too.¡± She purses her lips and gulps. ¡°I liked you,¡± I reiterate, ¡°And I trusted you. Had you not done this, I could¡¯ve given you everything you could¡¯ve ever wanted. I could¡¯ve made you the happiest girl in the world, and afforded you anything you wanted. We could¡¯ve had a future.¡± I shake my head, ¡°But no. You betrayed me. And worse of all, you betrayed me to Stone. You¡¯re despicable. Don¡¯t ever contact me again, physically or otherwise.¡± With Ka standing in the lounge of the hotel, we leave the premises altogether. Near the main entrance of the hotel, there is a brand-new luxury car parked. It¡¯s a Mercedes Benz Maybach S ss model, sleek grey in color with the surface gleaming as if it had just been bought. Gerald opens the door for me, and I sink into the interior with a sigh of nostalgia. In all honesty, I¡¯d missed cars like these in thest few years. The interior is warm, with light cream-colored padding and seats covered in original leather, unbelievably soft andfortable, warm like a roasted marshmallow. In the middle of the rear seats, there is a cupholder containing two empty champagne sses held in ce, and an armrest that contains a tab with which you can control the interior of the car, such as lighting, heat, etc. But as soon as I get settled in, the pleasant feeling of being in a nice car evaporates as the reality dawns within me. Gerald takes the seat next to me, and the lights in the interior of the car dim ambiently. The vehicles start to roll out of the hotelpound, silent as a ghost. ¡°Young master,¡± As we exit the hotel parking lot, Gerald awakens his voice. I turn to catch his tender gaze, ¡°Can I finally take you home?¡± There are a couple of SUVs driving behind us, all containing security personnel. It feels like I¡¯m back in my childhood again. I still don¡¯t really want to go back, but after the incident today I think I should go home to pay a visit to my father and somehow get the live-streamed prank sorted. I think that is my duty now because nothing of that sort rted to me can circte the inte. Not if I¡¯m nning to rejoin the family. But that doesn¡¯t mean I amfortable with the very idea of going back. There is a reason why my mom left the family when I was very younger and took me with her. I haven¡¯t been back home in years, not even when I was struggling. I did not want my father¡¯s help with anything, because I wanted to do it all on my own. I was not ready to go back. But did I have a choice now? I take a deep breath and give him a nod, ¡°Yes, Gerald. Take me home.¡± And so, we embark on the highway en route to ndestine city. It didn¡¯t take us much time to reach the family estate, where the massive residence that belongs to my father, a modern vi that reflects his wealth, his business empire stands, awash with gleaming lights, looking like some Hollywood star¡¯s dream home. The automatic gates open as we near the estate, and I feel my conflicting emotions shing within me as I take in the sight of my childhood home. It looks just like how I left it. My heart races as the car parks right in front of the house. This is it. A figure stands in front of the open doors, and upon seeing the cars, he makes his way toward us. His slight, tall frame, his salt and pepper cropped hair, his piercing grey eyes and his hooked nose is familiar, but the wrinkles on his face are new. There is a weight in his eyes, and as I step out of the car, a light starts to shine within. ¡°Son,¡± My father breathes. ¡°Hello, dad,¡± I reply, the tenderness in my own voice surprising me. ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡± ¡°It looks like that.¡± ¡°After all these years¡­and now you look just like your mother¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I reply, feeling once again like a little boy, ¡°After all these years.¡± ¡°Does it mean you are ready to be my heir and rece me? Are you ready to inherit mypany, my empire?¡± And of course, there are the questions I dreaded. I look into my father¡¯s eyes and see the desperation in there. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, mother,¡¯ I think, ¡®I came back.¡¯ ¡°Yes,¡± I reply, ¡°I guess I am.¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 I don¡¯t want to go there¡­ My father and I didn¡¯t talk much that night. The level of awkwardness between us was embarrassing. I knew that he was nearly bursting with all the questions he wanted to ask me and all the things he wanted to tell me. Our rtionship was never the best, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been this strained. Father tells me that we both need to handle this carefully, so he will be giving me enough space. Fine by me. I am in no hurry to venture through this particr no-man¡¯snd. *** The next morning, I¡¯m mildly startled by the unfamiliar surrounding as I wake up but before I can panic the memories of the night before flood my mind. I sit silently on the bed as I go through them, one by one as not to overwhelm myself. The hurt I feel is significantly less, but not enough to be called faded. I really don¡¯t want to go to school today. I don¡¯t want to face whatever awaited me there. But the other choice was to stay here in this house and face my father. The choice is easy whenparing the options. Dressing up in my normal university clothes, I silently collect my bag to slip out of the house. The mansion is far more beautiful in the morning light than in the night, and I feel a pang as it brings forth past memories that I¡¯d rather keep buried. My n to sneak out of the house is, however, crushed by Gerald, who stands near the front doors, shooting me knowing nces. I sigh, ¡°It¡¯s too early for this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Young Master,¡± Gerald replies haughtily, ¡°I¡¯m just here to give you a ride to school.¡± ¡°College,¡± I correct him automatically, ¡°And I can use the bus.¡± ¡°At this hour? Good luck,¡± he snorts, e along, now.¡± With that, he turns on his heel and walks away. I walk to follow him, but suddenly, my phone starts to ring. Curious, I take it out. Who is calling me at this hour? The number is unknown. ¡°Hello, this is Jace Greyson,¡± I answer. ¡°Hello, Jace!¡± A perky voice chirps, ¡°My name is Lucinda, and I don¡¯t know if you recognize me, but we went to the same high school and I was the President of the Student Council!¡± She is right, I can¡¯t really ce a face for that name. Nheless, reply politely. ¡°Hello, there. How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you. I was calling you to notify you of the Annual Alumni Association meeting happening later this afternoon. You failed to make an appearancest year, which was regrettable.¡± ¡°Oh, crap,¡± I mutter, remembering the call fromst year, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I was so busy.¡± ¡°No worries. Please try to make it this year, there are a lot of people looking forward to reconnecting with you!¡± I highly doubt that, but whatever helps Lucinda sleep at night. She rattles off the address of the venue and makes me promise that I would try to make it. I agree half-heartedly although I don¡¯t believe I would attend. My high school period was tumultuous. I never did have a good time or the dream school life there, especially after the death of my mother in my junior year. I was a right mess after her passing, from which I still haven¡¯t recovered. Regrettably, I¡¯ve turned to numbing my feelings in order to function properly. I try not to think about how fricking unfair it was because I¡¯m afraid once I get in there, I won¡¯t find my way back. After mom¡¯s death, I was so angry at everything and everyone. My father reached out to me, but I lashed out. I protested any of his attempts to help, and eventually broke contact with him. I did not want him or his family to be associated with me. I tried to do the same with Gerald, but that was for naught. Nothing I said ever affected Gerald; he was there in my corner trying to help me, even if it was just a phone call. I don¡¯t really want to attend the dinner and meeting, but I am quite curious about my former ssmates. With my job gone, there¡¯s really nothing for me to do in the evening. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Oh, what the hell, I think, what¡¯s the worst that could happen? *** I ditch Gerald¡¯s attempts to drive me to the venue in the evening in favor of my rusty old bike. The restaurant is not far from the house, and I¡¯m pretty sure that I won¡¯t be partaking in any alcohol so riding back home isn¡¯t an issue. As I am riding down the main road, suddenly, arge BMW car behind me starts to honk like crazy. I try to ignore him and be on my way because there is a whole otherne next to me which he can take unlike me in myne, but the insistent vehicle keeps oning behind me, honking repeatedly. By the time I wonder if the car is going to run over me, it takes me to the otherne, and the window rolls down, revealing the angry face of a man about my age, with gelled ck hair slicked over his head and a sneer on his lips. ¡°The hell is wrong with you?! If you can¡¯t pump your legs faster, get off the road and let others drive in peace! I hate goddamn slowpokes like you!¡± The voice, the face, the attitude¡­it all rings a bell in me, and as soon as we reach the restaurant he gets out of his car, shrugging on a sports coat. I¡¯ve seen that gesture a million times in the past, and the screamer¡¯s identity suddenly clicks in me. ¡°Wait, Jon?!¡± I question, ¡°Jonathon Drake?¡± Jonathon Drake, the former varsity football captain of our high school nces at me, his lips turning down, ¡°Do I know you?¡± ¡°We were in the same grade,¡± I remind him with a polite smile, ¡°I¡¯m Jace Greyson.¡± He looks me up and down, ¡°Hmm,¡± he says, ¡°Nope, don¡¯t remember you.¡± With that, he turns and leaves without a word ignoring me entirely. Oh, well, so much for hoping for the better. As I predict, everyone rocks around him as soon as we enter the reception booked for the meeting to wee him gratuitously. Nobody even notices that I had arrived. I try not to let it hurt. ¡°Well, then, now that everybody¡¯s here,¡± A woman who I¡¯m sure is Lucinda announces, ¡°Let¡¯s get started! Chapter 7 Chapter 7 What¡¯s wrong with you? The host asks everyone to be seated, so I look around the tables to see if there is an empty spot. There are few, so I choose the one nearest to me. As I make my way through the tables, I realize that the seat next to me is upied by none other than Coraline Granger. She looks so different from the girl she once was but simr at the same time. For example, her previous bob-cut style haircut is gone, reces by luscious tinum blond curls that rivulet down her naked shoulders. Her gorgeous blue eyes,rger than life and electric, shes t her friends, crinkling at the corners as sheughs at something they say. Her face gleams like the full moon, her makeup almost non-existent. Ruby-red lips contrast dizzyingly with the pearlescent tone of her teeth. She wears diamonds in her ears and neck, with a in, ck strapless dress. She looks so mature and sophisticated. Beautiful. I could hear the conversation she¡¯s having with her friends even from here, them inquiring her about her whereabouts and her life. ¡°How have you been, Coraline? Girl, you look so gorgeous.¡± ¡°How¡¯s university treating you?¡± ¡°You got a boyfriend yet? Go on, don¡¯t be shy.¡± She used to be very open and friendly, nice enoughpared to Jon, so I risk it and decide to take the seat next to her. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to hit on her or creep her out. I just want a seat and maybe some tonicpany for the evening. Maybe I should¡¯ve asked her permission before trying to take a seat because as soon as Coraline notices me next to her, her delicate nose exhales a sniff. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t sit here,¡± putting her hand on the chair as if she¡¯s trying to protect it, Coraline states, ¡°Please find somewhere else.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I have the good grace to blush, certain that I was about to take someone¡¯s seat, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was upied.¡± Coraline nces at her friends, and when she turns back to me there is a taunting smirk on her lips. I feel nasty d¨¦j¨¤ vu in the back of my mind. Something tells me that smirk is not good. ¡°No, the seat is not upied,¡± she replies haughtily, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to sit next to a hobo like you. Are you lost or something? Because this is not the sort of ce where we¡¯d have the misfortune of bumping into someone like you.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. The conversation around the table grinds to a halt as I stare at her, processing what she¡¯d just uttered. What is this, be an asshole to Jace week? Why was everyone so up against me? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve even talked to Coraline before. ¡°Well,¡± I find my voice after oveing my initial shock. ¡°That was a little uncalled for, isn¡¯t it? I was invited to this event.¡± ¡°Then you should¡¯ve had the decency to dress in something better,¡± Jon¡¯s voicees from behind me, and I turn to see him sauntering towards us. His expression morphs into that of disgust as he looks me up and down, ¡°What on earth made you think wearing that garbage here was eptable?¡± ¡°I was never given a specific dress code,¡± I try to reason, although I have dressed up in the best clothes I own. Jeans, shirts, and a respectable coat. Should I have rented a whole damn tux for a dinner? ¡°Still, when you hear the name of a fine establishment like this, you should be able to call upon your common sense,¡± Jon scoffs, ¡°Did you get those shoes from a dump truck or something?¡± My cheeks heat up as I look down at my old vans. ¡°Geez, you¡¯re right, Jon, they look hideous,¡± Coraline added, fake gagging before turning her attention to Jon¡¯s shoes, ¡°Compared to yours, they look vile.¡± Jon grins, ¡°Check it out, sweetheart,¡± he sticks a leg out, showing off the designer shoes that adorn his foot. They are back in color and look to be made of leather, positively shimmering in the evening lights. There¡¯s a harness with ck metal buckles going around the ankle and down to the crevice between his sole and the slop leading to the ball. The Gi mark shines proudly. There¡¯s a dot pattern on the toes, and I have to admit, they are some nice shoes. But I cannot stop the sudden huff ofughter that escapes my throat, making everyone re at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± I try to get myself under control. ¡°But Jon, I think someone scammed you on those shoes. Those aren¡¯t real Gi, they¡¯re copies.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Jon growls, and maybe I should take that as a warning to back off. Too bad my mouth is filter- less tonight. ¡°The logo is slightly different,¡± I point out, ¡°I¡¯m afraid those are forged. Clever, but forged nheless.¡± Everyone starts to whisper at one another in low voices, giving us incredulous looks. Jon slowly reddens, a thunderous expression overtaking his face. ¡°And how do you know that, garbage boy? Have you ever seen a real Gi pair?¡± Jon looks downright mad, ¡°Why don¡¯t you take your ignorant ass somewhere else and spare us your embarrassing attempts at trying to seem like a big shot. Seriously, fuck off.¡± I gape at him, ¡°Dude, are you okay?¡± I question, ¡°You just went from zero to a hundred in less than five seconds.¡± ¡°Fuck you, you miserable shit!¡± ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Coraline stomps her foot on the floor, and I snap my head at her. But my reflexes are not as fine-tuned enough to detect her next step. The crack of her palm on my cheek brings the whole world to a halt, and the force behind it makes me stumble. In a corner of my mind, I realize that I just got pped twice within two days one after the other. The whole reception room gasps. ¡°Apologize to Jon,¡± Coraline growls at me, ¡°Right. Now!¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8This chapter is missing , we will fix it soon ! Chapter 9 Chapter 9 9. Here shees again! I can¡¯t help but screw my eyes at her in anger as she makes her way towards me, looking sheepish. Now that I¡¯m aware of who she really is, her beauty diminishes in my eyes. I wonder what she¡¯s doing here, trying to humiliate me again? What the hell was with girls and metely? It had never been like this. Normally, girls are nice to me, and other guys are hostile. Now, everyone is hostile regardless of gender. Maybe there was something in the water which is making everyone see me as a target. Maybe it¡¯s my face. I¡¯ve heard some people saying that certain individuals have faces that make them want to do horrible things to them. Does my face look like that too? Is that why everyone is picking on me? Man, I¡¯m too tired of all this drama. ¡°What do you want now?¡± I ask her in a hard, cold voice as shees within hearing range, ¡°Want to rub salt in the wound more? Call out the guys here so they can make it a real public humiliation?¡± Coraline gulps and looks ashamed, but I don¡¯t let that deter me. I¡¯ve seen crocodile tears too much to believe her. She takes a deep breath before starting in a gentle voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what I did in there,¡± she points at the restaurant with her thumb, ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t havee to the meeting, none of them wanted to see you or y nice with you. They just wanted a clown for the evening, and you were the chosen one for it. They wanted to bully you and make fun of you.¡± ¡°Yeah, I figured,¡± I snap back, ¡°you know when they actually did that and you joined in. In fact, I would say that you led it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she mutters again, ¡°I just wanted you to get out of there as soon as possible. You¡¯ve misunderstood my intentions.¡± I stare at her as her words sink in, without having a doubt that my expression must look as boggled as I feel. Does this girl even hear what she¡¯s saying? That¡¯s a total of one-eighty from her attitude within the restaurant. What does she mean that I misunderstood her intentions? How the hell do you misunderstand someone pping you and demanding you get out? ¡°Coraline,¡± I say, ¡°when you want someone to do something, you ask them to do it like a normal person. If you wanted me to leave, you could¡¯ve just told me to. As far as I¡¯m aware,¡± my voice is getting angrier, ¡°we both speak the samenguage, which means we can understand each other when we talk with the saidnguage. If you want someone to leave, you ask them. You do not p them and get your friends in on an attempt to bully them!¡± Coraline¡¯s lips thin into a bloodless line and she cringes away from me as my rant progresses. She looks and sounds sincerely remorseful, but I¡¯ve been fooled too much in recent times to trust her. Her story is just too stupid to believe in. The Coraline I knew was much smarter than that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she murmurs again, sounding like she¡¯s near tears, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Before I can retort to that, the waiteres back running towards me, my card held reverently in his hands. ¡°Here you go sir,¡± the waiter huffs, ¡°we refunded the whole thing and swiped the card again to only charge the relevant amount. We promise that this kind of error would never happen again, and urge you to not let this impair your judgment should you dine with us again. We hope you had a pleasant time during your stay.¡± ¡°Nah, bud, I don¡¯t think it was that much of a pleasant time,¡± I mutter before drawing out my wallet to take the card from the waiter and push the card into the empty slot. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Coraline eximed, ¡°You got an Emerald credit card? You?¡± Her voice sounds so incredulous I wonder what¡¯s wrong now. ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± I reply, ¡°so, what? Is that a crime or something?¡± ¡°A crime? No, no, no, it¡¯s just,¡± she gulps as she gestures at the card still being held in the waiter¡¯s hands. ¡°It¡¯s just that Emerald credit cards are really rare. In fact, there are only a thousand of them issues all around the world.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± I mutter. Of course, my father owns a couple of those thousand cards. How very typical of him. In a way, it would be a miracle if he hadn¡¯t gotten his hands on one. My father loved to own rare things, it was a hobby and an obsession of his since I was small. It is kind of reassuring to know that the habits had not changed much over the years. Had I known that this specific card was so rare, I might not have used it for this. Rather I¡¯d have used a normal card, just to avoid people questioning it. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. When Coraline looks at me next, her eyes are narrowed into slits, ¡°Whose card are you using?¡± she demands in a hostile tone. I blink at her, ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°This card,¡± she points at the card in the baffled waiter¡¯s hands, ¡°whose card is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s mine, who else should it belong to, Jon?¡± I reply sarcastically, wondering what she was up to now, ¡°I mean, considering how the card in question got my damn name on it, it shouldn¡¯t be that much of a mystery who it belongs to.¡± Before I can take the card from the waiter, Coraline snatches it. I feel the anger in me spike again. ¡°What are you doing? Mocking me is one thing, but this is crossing the line. Give it back!¡± I try to snatch it back, but Coraline dances away from my grasp. ¡°This is not your name!¡± she shrieked, her eyes shing angrily, ¡°This card doesn¡¯t belong to you. It belongs to Jace Greyson!¡± Chapter 10 Chapter 10 10. The Card Belongs to me! For a moment, I am confused. Of course, the card belonged to Jace Greyson. That shouldn¡¯t create any issues, because my frickin name is Jace Greyson. Had Coraline hit her head somewhere? Was that the reason why she was acting so goddamned strange today? ¡°I knew that you were up to something sketchy,¡± Coraline goes on to say, ¡°This card is clearly not yours, you have stolen it from somebody. Who did you steal from? Do you know how much these cards are worth?¡± ¡°What? I didn¡¯t steal it, because that¡¯s my card, and that¡¯s my name,¡± I insist, ¡°I¡¯m Jace Greyson!¡± The waiter looks in between us, and his brows furrow, ¡°Sir,¡± he addresses me, ¡°this is a very valuable card, and the miss¡¯s im is a serious offense. I don¡¯t think I can let you go. We thought you were wealthy upon your initial reaction to our mistake, but now I¡¯m starting to think that it isn¡¯t the case.¡± Why, the gall¡­ I step forward and grab the card from Coraline¡¯s hand, making her yelp, and read the name on the card. Jace Greyson. What was she so confused about? And then it hits me I wasn¡¯t Jace Greyson always. When I was in high school, my surname was different. Instead of using my father¡¯s surname, I was using my mother¡¯s surname. It was only after graduating that I changed my name to what I was using now. So, everyone in High school, including Coraline and Jon knew me as Jace Pastor. But Jace Pastor didn¡¯t exist anymore. I was Jace Greyson now. ¡°I changed my name after I graduated,¡± There¡¯s a lot of history and secrets between the circumstances of my name which I do not want to reveal to anyone, so I decide to keep it simple, ¡°In high school, I was using my mother¡¯s name, but now I¡¯m using my father¡¯s name.¡± ¡°Oh, how convenient,¡± Coraline spits, her eyes narrowing even more, ¡°No ordinary person can get their kid a card like this. Who is your father?¡± I sigh, ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to convince you of this.¡± ¡°You know what, folks,¡± the waiter looks in between us and puts up his hands, ¡°I¡¯m just going to let you two figure it out. The bill is paid so I got no obligation here.¡± With that, he leaves me in the parking lot with Coraline. ¡°You know, I felt sorry for you before, but not now,¡± Coraline seethes, ¡°You¡¯re clearly a thief. I thought you were better than this, Jace. You used to be a decent guy.¡± ¡°And you used to be a smart person who could see the truth when they see it,¡± I snap back, ¡°Also, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re all high and mighty now, what you did in the restaurant is still wrong.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You stole that card from someone rich,¡± she takes out her phone from the purse slung across her shoulder, ¡°I should call the police now.¡± ¡°What? Are you crazy? You¡¯re taking this too far!¡± I screech, not fancying the idea of getting entangled in a police investigation in the middle of all the other drama in my life. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. I shove my hands into my hair and turn away from her, my mind racing to find a solution for this. All around us, the twilight was turning to night. More and more vehiclese to park in the restaurant parking lot, and music starts toe from the reception room. Clearly, the Alumni Association party was going on. So why is Coraline out here arguing with me rather than going in and having fun with her friends? God, there¡¯s nothing I won¡¯t do more than for her to leave me alone to go home. Finally, a thought buzzes in my mind. It¡¯s not a particrly good one, in fact, I do not like it at all. But it got the potential to work. ¡°Look, I got an idea,¡± I state. ¡°I¡¯m listening. What is this great idea you¡¯ve conjured that can prove who you are?¡± ¡°Look, I loathe to do this,¡± I sigh, ¡°But go to dinner with me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Go to dinner with me, and I can show you I am who I really am,¡± I reply, ¡°I¡¯ll call my driver now to pick me up, and he¡¯ll set things straight. I¡¯ll use this card and prove to you that it belongs to me.¡± Coraline blinks at me, ¡°You want me to go to dinner with you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it same as you clearly do, but that seems like the only option that¡¯ll keep you from calling the cops on me,¡± I say, crossing my hands, ¡°or you can be a normal person and just believe me without jumping into ridiculous conclusions.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Coraline protests. ¡°Great, then I¡¯m going to go-¡° ¡°No, you can¡¯t!¡± But Coraline doesn¡¯t get to talk anymore. Another car makes its way toward us, this time it¡¯s a vehicle I am not familiar with. But it looks right at home with all the expensive vehicles in the restaurant parking lot. The lights of the car dim as it parks next to us, and the door opens. Out of the car steps a young man around our age. He is tall, with brown hair with streaks of silver, clearly, dyed, cut in a rakish style, and molded into his head with so much product. He wears a pair of sunsses (who the hell wears sunsses at night?) so low on his nose that you can see the color of his eyes, which is a lighter shade of brown than his hair. He¡¯s dressed in a designer suit consisting of a shimmering silver jacket which is garish to look it. On his neck, there are several chains, all made of silver and white gold, and rings on his fingers. In one of his hands, he holds a cigarette. The man saunters towards Coraline and without even asking, puts his arm around her and pulls her to him. ¡°Well,¡± Coraline blushes, ¡°I don¡¯t think I would be able to go on a dinner with you, Jace. Because this is my boyfriend.¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 11. Why would I harass her? ¡°Hey, baby,¡± the guy who got out of the vehicle, the guy who is apparently Coraline¡¯s boyfriend-because of course, this moment has to be more dramatic than it was, why not?-presses his lips to her cheek and gives her a smacking kiss. Then, he takes another drag of his cigarette. He gives me a once over before asking his girlfriend, ¡°Is this dude harassing you?¡± I gape at them. She was the one harassing me! Coraline shakes her head, ¡°No, it¡¯splicated¡­¡± ¡°Wait, do I know you,¡± letting go of his girlfriend, he steps towards me, and blows the smoke from his cigarette which he was holding all over my face. I screw up my face in disgust and step back. Geez, where were this guy¡¯s manners? ¡°I doubt you do,¡± I mutter. ¡°No, no, you look familiar,¡± he points at my face, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen you in Empire city. You¡¯re Anton, aren¡¯t you?¡± Empire city? Well, there is only one ce in Empire city where people could find me. That was at the Kings¡¯ College. So, this guy goes to Kings¡¯ College, or he is at least familiar with the ce. I can¡¯t help but worry that things are about to get moreplicated than necessary. Maybe I should just call Gerald so he cane here and clean this mess. ¡°No,¡± I sigh, ¡°I¡¯m not Anton. My name is Jace. Jace Greyson, nice to meet you.¡± Out of politeness, I extend my hand towards him for a shake, but the guy just looks at it with a sniff and ignores me. Awkwardly, I retract my hand. ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re the Cockroach anyway.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± both Caroline and I utter. Cockroach? What was he referring to? Who was this guy anyway? Seems like a typical douchebag. ¡°Oh, babe, this guy right here is called the Cockroach in Kings¡¯ Coge. He¡¯s the most famous white trash in there.¡± My eyes shoot up. I had a reputation in Kings¡¯ College as the Cockroach? This was the first time I¡¯m hearing it, and tantly so. ¡°He came from the garbage, and he lives in the garbage,¡± Coraline¡¯s boyfriend goes on, his voice gleeful, ¡°Rumor has it that he works three jobs and got a loan to pay for college. Is that right, cockroach boy? Are you still living in that dump you call an apartment?¡± Anger flushes through my veins as my fists clench. First off it was two jobs, and second off, I was on a schrship. I hold myself back from slugging the dude on his cheek as he deserves. Who does he think he is, talking about me like that when I was standing right next to him? I was getting tired of all these assholesing for me for no reason. First Stone and Ka, then Coraline and Jon, and now this idiot. Was I a douchebag ma? I swear to God, my patience was wearing thin with all this. I am not a coward. Maybe I should attack him for his words, maybe I should give him a piece of my mind. But I do not want trouble toe after me. I had my father¡¯s reputation to consider now. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d take it well if I end up in prison over beating up some guy just because he mocked me, especially when we are still in somewhat of a problematic position. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. So, I tell myself to hang on until they both leave. Eventually, they would get tired, especially when they don¡¯t get the reaction they deserve. They all do. ¡°Babe, I don¡¯t think talking about him like that when he¡¯s next to us is very nice,¡± Coraline chimes in, looking worried, ¡°besides, the party is going on inside. Maybe we should go in. Don¡¯t want to miss the fun, right?¡± ¡°Sure, sure, but I want to ask, what¡¯s the cockroach doing here?¡± ¡°I came to the party,¡± I find myself replying, ¡°and now I¡¯m leaving. Have a great night, you two.¡± I turn to hightail it out of here, but the boyfriend calls me out. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry there, cockroach? Late for your third job?¡± he taunts with a grin on his face, ¡°didn¡¯t know you went to Coraline¡¯s high school. Was he this much of a wimp back in high school too, Coraline?¡± ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t, let¡¯s go in,¡± Coraline tries to drag him in, but he pushes her away a bit, making her stagger. For some reason, the action rings rm bells in my mind. ¡°Come on, babe, let me talk to my fellow university student over here,¡± the guy says, taking a step towards me, ¡°it¡¯s a shame you got into a good school like the Kings¡¯ College. You¡¯re taking up the spot of someone who can actually pay for it, rather than taking out loans. You must feel so pathetic with that, having to beg money.¡± I re at him, ¡°I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡± ¡°Or, sure you don¡¯t. God, you¡¯re weaker than I thought. What a sissy.¡± ¡°Aiden, can we just go in,¡± Coraline, sounding distressed, pulls at his arm again. I notice the exact moment the asshole¡¯s facial expression changes, and he shoves at an unsuspecting Coraline. Hard. Coraline, on her heels, loses her bnce and falls to the ground with a cry and a thumb. She looks up at her boyfriend with an expression somewhere between hurt and disbelief. I¡¯m pretty sure my face is also frozen in shock. ¡°The hell is with you?¡± her boyfriend growls at her, ¡°pulling my arm and making me look like a fool in front of the cockroach. What¡¯s he to you to get all butthurt about him?¡± He takes off his sunsses and narrows his eyes at her. The expression on his face looks downright predatory, ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend, not his,¡± he sneers, ¡°unless, of course, you are cheating. Is that it, Coraline? Ie here to find you two alone in the parking lot, chatting like good old buddies. I knew something was up the moment I say.¡± ¡°So tell me, Coraline,¡± he growls, ¡°are you cheating on me with the fucking Cockroach?¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 12. I can¡¯t believe her¡­ Material ? N?velDrama.Org. I snap out of the daze I find myself in as Aiden berates Coraline for a crime she did notmit, and rush to her side. Aiden¡¯s rant gets cut midway when I shoot him a re, but the thunderous expression on his face does not change. For a moment, I wonder if he is drunk, but no, he looks stone-cold sober. This means that pushing Coraline and demeaning her like this was done intentionally. I turn back to Coraline, anger humming in my chest. I did not like her, but that was another issue. It wasn¡¯t right to be treated like this by her own boyfriend. ¡°Here, let me help you get up,¡± I ask her gently, and she nods, clearly shaken by Aiden¡¯s actions. She lets me help her to her feet. Aiden continues to re at us, a storm brewing in his eyes. I know I¡¯m not helping my case right now, but damned if I leave a girl alone in a situation like this, no matter how badly she treated me. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go with him if you don¡¯t feel safe,¡± I whisper to Coraline. Distantly, I saw the Maybach my father had assigned to me approaching the parking lot, ¡°Gerald hase to pick me up I can give you a ride home if you don¡¯t want to go in and join the party.¡± Coraline opens her mouth to talk, but Aiden¡¯s hard voice cuts her off. ¡°You bitch! You¡¯re not even trying to hide it!¡± he roars, taking a step. I immediately put my body in between them, afraid he was going to hit her, ¡°you¡¯re fucking him, I see that now. You¡¯ve been fucking him behind my back all this time.¡± ¡°No, Aiden, I have never cheated on you,¡± Coraline defends herself, her voice wavering as she¡¯d about to cry, ¡°Jace, please leave us. You¡¯re making things worse.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t leave you here alone with someone whose willing to beat you up,¡± I reply, matching Aiden¡¯s re, ¡°And for the record, no, I am not in any sort of a rtionship with Coraline¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s riching from you,¡± Aiden sneers, ¡°don¡¯t you have a girlfriend, too, cockroach? Saw you two chatting and giggling in the campus cafeteria the other day, giving each other the heart eyes. Where¡¯s she now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I question, unnerved by this sudden change of topics. The feeling in my gut worsens. ¡°You even tried to go down on her, didn¡¯t you, Jace?¡± somehow, when he says my name it¡¯s more insulting than calling me ¡®cockroach¡¯, ¡°Didn¡¯t have much like with that huh?¡± Suddenly, cold realization dawns on me as I recognize Aiden¡¯s face, ¡°You were there,¡± I utter, my eyes widened, ¡°you were there with Stone. You were one of his gang.¡± Aiden grins, and there is nothing humorous in it. ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t join him in his more daring and physical ventures, there were enough grunts for that,¡± Aiden replies, ¡°but that night, I had to be there to see your humiliation.¡± ¡°I knew I¡¯d seen you somewhere,¡± new waves of anger rush past me, ¡°your father is the founder of New Haven Industries, isn¡¯t he? I remember you bragging about it.¡± ¡°Come now, cockroach, you act as if it¡¯s a secret,¡± the grin does not leave, and I feel something dark rise within me, from the pits of my guts, simr to the feeling I had with Stone only yesterday. ¡°I heard that your dad¡¯spany was having a rough day,¡± I note. ¡°A tumultuous time, in fact. So why are you here, Aiden? Shouldn¡¯t you be with your father, trying to help him in every way possible? Instead ofing here and harassing innocent girls. What would your father say, Aiden, if he knew that his son was gallivanting around town having fun when he¡¯s working his ass off to save hispany? After all, it¡¯s only because of him you¡¯re able to have all the luxuries you enjoy.¡± The grin on Aiden¡¯s face vanishes, and I feel savage satisfaction. ¡°Coraline, my friend,¡± I emphasize the word friend, before turning to Coraline, ¡°What do you say? You want me to give you a ride home?¡± The Maybach is behind us now, and Gerald gets down from the passenger seat in the front. He narrows his eyes at Aiden but waits by the door until I can give him an order. Coraline gulps, looking indecisive for a moment. But then she rubs at her arm which is now starting to bruise from the fall she took, and the expression on her face changes. ¡°Yes, Jace, if you are still offering, I¡¯d love to take you up on it,¡± she replies, ¡°I¡¯m done with you, Aiden. I¡¯ve had enough. We¡¯re over. Don¡¯t try to contact me again.¡± With that, she turns abruptly and walks to the rear of the car. I can¡¯t help but smirk at Aiden, who is now gaping at Coraline,pletely taken aback. ¡°Well see you around,¡± giving him a cocky salute, I turn back to my car, and give Gerald a nod. Aiden is still standing when we move out of the parking lot, looking bbergasted. Coraline sits next to me, looking at me with a shocked expression. ¡®What?¡± I ask her. ¡°Nothing,¡± in a small voice, she replied, ¡°thank you for standing up to me.¡± ¡°Would¡¯ve done it for anyone,¡± I reply. ¡°Young master, I hope you and the youngdy are alright,¡± Gerald pipes in from the front seat. ¡°We¡¯re alright, Gerald,¡± I assure him. ¡°Master?¡± Coraline hisses, ¡°Did he just call you ¡®master¡¯?¡± I blush, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get him to call me by my name, but it¡¯s his habit.¡± Trying to change the topic, I ask her, ¡°so, can I have your address? So we can drop you at home.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± she opens her mouth, but instead of words, a shuddering sigh wrecks out. ¡°Oh, god, he¡¯s going to kill me, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Who, Aiden?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to be so mad because I left him like that. We share an apartment, but I¡¯m afraid to return to that ce. He¡­he¡­¡± her eyes look teary, ¡°that¡¯s not the first time he pushed me like that. And he¡¯s done much worse.¡± ¡°Then why the hell have you been staying with him?!¡± ¡°He¡¯s powerful, his dad¡¯s powerful, I was afraid that he¡¯d take away any future employment opportunities in goodpanies if I¡­If I dare to defy him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I find myself saying, because what else can I say? Tears start to flow from her eyes, and she gasps, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to cry. I¡¯ve been so bad to you, I even pped you, but here you are helping me when no one else is there¡­¡± I feel kind of ufortable with what she is saying, so I inquire, ¡°Where would you want to work, Coraline?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What kind of apany would you choose? You got one picked up?¡± She sniffs, tears still flowing, ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe Greyson Consolidated? It¡¯s the best there is, and working there would be a dream.¡± I can¡¯t help the smile that curls on my lips, ¡°Well, in that case, Coraline, I think I may be able to help you. Just apply, and you will get in.¡± She shoots me an incredulous look, ¡°How would you know¡­¡± And then her eyes widen impossibly, ¡°Wait¡­Greyson¡­the name on the emerald card¡­¡± I watch her as the pieces of the puzzle finally slot into ce. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 13. I wasn¡¯t ready for this. Coraline was pretty silent when we dropped her at her parents¡¯ house, rather than the apartment she shared with her ex-boyfriend. She changed her mind after learning about my identity after I promised her that I would help her get into Greyson Consolidated. It felt like her fears alleviated a bit, and she promised not to go back to the apartment for her own safety. She thanked me profusely after we dropped her off, and gave me her name. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized again, looking near tears, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for everything I did. I don¡¯t deserve this help¡­¡± ¦§ ¡°I forgive you,¡± I responded, and meant every word. Gerald doesn¡¯t ask me any questions as we make our way home, nor does he talk after we get there. He follows me silently as I walk through my father¡¯s house, meaning to go to my room. ¡°Young master,¡± finally, he talks, ¡°did you have any dinner?¡± My stomach, at that moment, chooses to growl. ¡°No,¡± I say, ¡°didn¡¯t have the time, was with Aiden and Coraline.¡± ¡°I see,¡± something in his tone tells me that he doesn¡¯t believe that¡¯s the whole truth. Gerald is scarily perspective like that, ¡°please follow me to the kitchen, young master, and let me make you some dinner.¡± ¡°Oh, no, Gerald, you don¡¯t have to-¡± ¡°Please, Master Greyson,¡± Gerald¡¯s tone leaves no space for argument, ¡°let me get you something to eat.¡± I can¡¯t ignore my hunger even though I tried to so I nod and follow him. There are leftovers in the industrial-size refrigerator of the industrial-size kitchen in my father¡¯s mansion, and Gerald asks if I want something else freshly cooked. I tell him to just pop it in the microwave, at this point I¡¯d eat cardboard if it was seasoned and warm. As soon as I get a whiff of the food, my appetite returns, and I don¡¯t face a second more gobbling it down. I don¡¯t even know what it is, but there¡¯s meat, there¡¯s some sort of vegetable and ky pastry, so it¡¯s enough for me. Gerald waits until I¡¯ve polished off every crumb in my te, and ces a tall ss of water next to me. ¡°I have something to notify you about,¡± finally, after I¡¯m adequately fed and watered, he reveals. I knew he had something to tell me. There was a certain tension in the car ride back home, and I almost hear him worrying. ¡°What¡¯s up,¡± I ask, trying to be nonchnt. ¡°There are numerous subpanies directly under Greyson Consolidated,¡± Gerald begins, ¡°scattered across the country, operating in various industries, and various ventures.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m already aware of that,¡± I point out, ¡°I may have just returned home, but I¡¯m not new to this.¡± ¡°I am aware of that, Master,¡± Gerald nods once, ¡°and so does your father. You promised him that you will be taking over the mainpany from him, so he has made up his mind to ease you into his world.¡± My head snaps up from my empty te, ¡°What?¡± I hiss ¡°He had already registered a subpany under your name,¡± Gerald confesses with a grimace, ¡°From today onwards you¡¯re officially the COO of Zelt Technologies.¡± My eyes widen to the size of saucers, ¡°no!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gerald confirms, ¡°Congrattions.¡± ¡°Congrattion?! I don¡¯t want congrattions,¡± I yell, chagrinned, ¡°I thought father was going to wait. I specifically told him that I had to be done with schooling first.¡± ¡°You can continue your schooling-¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Not like this!¡± I get up from the chair, ¡°Never like this, oh my god, why won¡¯t any of you listen to what I say?! I won¡¯t do it; I will not take the position. You tell my father that.¡± With that, I storm off from the room. I fester in anger for a few days after that, but life gets in the way. Coraline calls me, asking me if I could help her with trying to get an internship with apany that wasn¡¯t under Greyson Consolidated. ¡°I want to try my luck there too,¡± she told me, ¡°see if Aiden was really telling the truth.¡± For the past few days, we¡¯d talked with each other, and hade to a position where we could call ourselves acquaintances. Not friends exactly, but getting there. We helped each other with school and life, and she vented to me about her abusive rtionship with Aiden. He¡¯d tried to contact her twice, but she hadn¡¯t given in to his whims. It was a brave thing to do, and I didn¡¯t hesitate to tell her that. And how she smiles at that. I escort her to the internship interview, giving her all the moral support possible. I also put in a good word from Greyson Consolidated, a rmendation letter of sorts. I¡¯m positive it will help her in getting. After that specific interview, Coralinees out looking triumphant. There¡¯s a light in her eyes unlike anything I¡¯ve seen before, and finally, I recognize it when we both get into my car. It¡¯s confidence. The light that used to be in her eyes when we were both in high school when she was the head cheerleader. She was finally recovering from all the abuse Aiden inflicted on her. ¡°There¡¯s another interview I have to attend in about two hours,¡± she tells me as the driver begins to roll out of the parking lot, ¡°it¡¯s a smallerpany than this one, but their internship is good, and it¡¯s paid. And man, the benefits¡­¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go,¡± I reply, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to do anyway. Got no lectures or sses today.¡± ¡°Thank you so much, Jace,¡± she remarks warmly, and I smile back at her. ¡°So, what is thispany?¡± ¡°You may not have heard about it, because they¡¯re pretty new around these parts. Zelt Technologies.¡± Well, ain¡¯t that a coincidence? ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± I assure her, my heart rate increasing, ¡°and I definitely think you should give it a try.¡± I haven¡¯t been to Zelt Technologies even after Gerald had urged me to, saying that my father was not going to rece me as the COO. I guess I have been putting it off. But now it seems the time hade. We park the car at the parking lot and make our way toward the generic building with a giant Z erected at the side. But as we near the main entrance, we are met with an unwee surprise. Coralinees to a halt and clutches my arm as Aiden walks towards us, looking like Satan incarnate. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 14. Look who it is! ¡°Well, well, well,¡± Aiden sneers, and I feel my fists clenching on either side of me, ¡°look who it is.¡± ¡°Aiden,¡± Coraline breathes next to me, and in the next moment, moves behind me. I feel so damn protective of her that I move my body right in front of hers yet again, just like the night at the restaurant. ¡°Hello, Coraline,¡± his voice is anything but pleasant when he voices her name, ¡°I see you¡¯re still shagging the cockroach.¡± ¡°He¡¯s ten times, no, a thousand times the man you are,¡± surprising me, Coraline growls, ¡°What the fuck are you doing here, Aiden? Are you stalking me?¡± ¡°Is that what you think this is?¡± he demands. ¡°What else am I supposed to think? We broke up, Aiden, don¡¯t you remember? I left. You¡¯re thest person. I expected to see here.¡± ¡°Well, I could say the same,¡± a gloating smile takes over his mouth, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m here, Coraline?¡± ¡°Clearly, we don¡¯t,¡± I find myself saying, ¡°which is why we asked in the first ce.¡± He ignores me, his attention on Caroline, his eyes predatory, ¡°I¡¯m here because my father bought millions of dors¡¯ worth of investments in thispany.¡± I feel my blood run cold. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°And that made him the third majority shareholder in thepany, as well as a member of the board,¡± Aiden cannot contain his gloating grin, ¡°Remember what I said, about the dangers of letting me go, Coraline? How I would ruin your life? Well, consider this the beginning.¡± The grin vanishes. ¡°You left me. I¡¯m going to destroy you for that. And crush your little cockroach with you.¡± ¡°You truly think you can do that?¡± I inquire, partly awestruck at his sheer arrogance. One would think he was the one who bought the shares, not his father. Finally, his attention switches to me, and an expression of disgust overwhelms his face, ¡°The fuck are you here anyways, cockroach? Are you her new emotional support buddy? Lapping after my leftover like the dog you are. Tell me, how do second-hand goods feel like?¡± I can ignore a jab at me, but not at Coraline, ¡°Shut your whore mouth,¡± I growl at him, and a flicker of surprise shes through his face. ¡°Try to act a bit civilized. Coraline is here for an interview for which she was formally invited to. You can¡¯t do anything to stop her from participating in the interview.¡± ¡°Oh, can¡¯t I? Can¡¯t I, cockroach?¡± That word is starting to get on my nerves really fast. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see about that. I give you one chance to hightail out of here with dignity. No way in hell will I let her interview here.¡± ¡°That is not your decision to make,¡± I inform him. Aiden grins again, this time almost murderously. ¡°Yeah, but I know a man who can.¡± He takes out his phone from his pocket and rings a certain number. ¡°Mr. Crane!¡± He exims jovially, ¡°how are you doing? It¡¯s Aiden. Listen, we got a problem at the main entrance Some bitch is here, demanding an interview.¡± The need to punch him in the face had never been higher, and I believe I should be given some sort of an award for reigning myself in. ¡°Yeah, yeah, no, I don¡¯t think my dad would like that very much, no, what with me being his only son. Wouldn¡¯t want someone like that in thepany, considering how new we are.¡± Aiden goes on to say, and I can¡¯t help but raise a brow. Oh, now it¡¯s ¡®we¡¯, isn¡¯t it? Suddenly, the doors of the main entrance open, and out trots a middle-aged man, looking like a hurricane personified. Aiden cuts his call, his expression smug. Coraline shrinks into herself behind me. ¡°What the hell is happening here?¡± the man yells. ¡°Mr. Crane, this is the girl,¡± Aiden points at Coraline, who is now beet red from embarrassment. Mr. Crane turns to us and screeches, ¡°what is the meaning of this? I¡¯m the manager of this prestigious. company, and I don¡¯t have time for snotwads like you to waste my day with nonsense. Get the hell out of here before I call security to do it.¡± I feel like this charade has gone far enough, so instead of replying to his questions, I ask him, ¡°Mr. Crane, do you have any idea who the owner of thispany is?¡± I didn¡¯t think it was possible for the man to get even angrier than he was, but he does. I can almost see the smokeing out of his ears, ¡°Are you trying to be funny, young man? Is that it? Of course, I know who owns thepany I work at What the hell do you think I do all day long?¡± ¡°Yeah, you tell him, Mr. Crane,¡± gleefully, Aiden interjects himself into the conversation, ¡°Teach this welp a good lesson for me, will you? He and his slut have been a major issue for thest few days, and I believe they should be taught their position.¡± Mr. Crane looks at Aiden, ¡°They¡¯ve been disturbing you too?¡± ¡°Disturbing is an understatement. Especially this asshole,¡± he points at me, ¡°He¡¯s been running my life. Even stole my girl.¡± ¡°Nobody stole me,¡± Coraline replies from behind me, ¡°I left on my own because you beat me up, Aiden. You¡¯re an abusive bitch, stop trying to make excuses.¡± She steps forward from behind me, eyes zing, and points at the manager, ¡°Listen, Mr. Crane, I got an interview at thispany today. I¡¯m a damn good student, and I¡¯m good at my job. I will be an asset to thispany. Please don¡¯t listen to Aiden, he¡¯s not telling you the truth.¡± Mr. Crane¡¯s eyes narrow, ¡°Aiden is the son of the third majority shareholder, and you can bet your mother that I¡¯d take his word over yours anytime.¡± Then he yells out, ¡°Security! Get these little shits off my property, right now.¡± Then, his eyes turn cruel, ¡°And rough them up enough that they won¡¯t even think of stepping around these parts ever again!¡± ¡°No, you will not be doing that, Mr. Crane,¡± suddenly, a new voicees from behind us. ¡°Because you are fired, effective immediately.¡± Chapter 15 Chapter 15 15. I wasn¡¯t expecting this. For a moment, I can¡¯t ce that voice with those words. It just feels wrong, because I never expected that specific voice to utter those specific words. But then I whip towards where the voice ising from and notice Gerald making his way toward us. Gerald did not apany me to Caroline¡¯s this morning, he said that there was something that needs his dire attention, so I left on my own. Which was more than fine with me, because having him as a shadow made me nervous for some reason. Gerald has traded his normal butler uniform for a sleek suit and walks with the confidence of a man who knows what he¡¯s doing. His expression is crossed, not quite angry but not pleasant either, and his eyes are hard and cold. Distantly, I wonder, what the hell is going on? ¡°Gerald, what are you doing?¡± I ask him as soon as he nears us, ¡°we can handle this, you don¡¯t have to get involved.¡± Gerald sighs, ¡°on the contrary, young master, I believe this is one of the moments where my involvement is necessary.¡± Meanwhile, the manager has started to fidget on his spot, looking as pale as a ghost. He hears Gerald calling me ¡®young master¡¯, and grows even paler. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Mr. Manson,¡± in an airy sort of voice, he says, ¡°what brought you here in this fine morning, sir?¡± Gerald¡¯s attention shifts from us to him, ¡°Mr. Crane, you have made a grave mistake,¡± without beating around the bush, he gets straight to the point, ¡°and that mistake is going to cost you your job. I¡¯m sorry, but you are fired.¡± The manager starts to sputter, ¡°Wh-what? Why? What did I do wrong?¡± ¡°You have threatened a close associate of Mr. Greyson¡¯s with violence,¡± Gerald gestured at us, ¡°and you know what Mr. Greyson¡¯s rules are regarding his closest associates.¡± ¡°But, sir, I did not know¡­¡± ¡°Which is why we treat people politely and ask them who they are before mindlessly giving orders to have them thrown out of our property,¡± Gerald growls, looking extremely pissed. ¡°Had you not been blinded by your frivolous loyalty to this young man,¡± he points at Aiden, who looks shell-shocked, ¡°you could¡¯ve treated these two with respect and asked them why they were here. This youngdy was clearly called for an interview, and it¡¯s within her rights to ask for that window. You, however, are not within your rights to threaten them with violence.¡± Mr. Crane¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Yes, I heard what you ordered the security guards to do,¡± Gerald adds, ¡°you should be ashamed of yourself. We¡¯re a reputedpany, not some mafia ring withmon thugs. If you want to work at such an establishment, now that you¡¯re no longer with us, you are most wee.¡± I¡¯m positively gaping at Gerald now. He¡¯s totally different from the man I thought I knew. I¡¯ve caught glimpses of this confidence before, when he was standing up to Stone and his gang in the hotel room back in Empire city, but not like that. Here, he sounds like he¡¯s the one in charge. I realize then that I don¡¯t really know much about Gerald. When my mother tried to cut all ties with my father all those years ago, he insisted that even though she won¡¯t allow me to see him, at least allow him to keep contact via Gerald, who he introduced as his butler, and my mother grudgingly agreed. Since then, Gerald had always checked in with me, mostly via phone calls, seeing to my living situation and health. Granted, I never let him help with anything with my father¡¯s money up until recently, but a small part of me always looked forward to his calls. I always thought Gerald was exactly who my father said he was, a butler. But now, I¡¯m not so sure. Finally, Mr. Crane¡¯s anger catches up with him, burning like wildfire, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare do that!¡± ¡°I already did, Mr. Crane.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what you will lose without me! All my contacts, all the favors I can pull with one phone. call,¡± he stomps to Gerald and thrust a finger to his face, ¡°you will be losing a goddamn gold mine if you do this, mark my words. I¡¯m the best in the industry as it is, you will never recover from the fallout. Especially with apany like Zelt, still so new to the field. If you got even an inkling of sense in that head of yours, you will not fire me.¡± Gerald ces his hand on Mr. Crane¡¯s shoulder and pushes him away, irritated exasperation on his face. ¡°Security,¡± he calls in an even voice, ¡°get this man out of my property.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± Mr. Crane thrashes as the security guards, looking as bewildered as we feel close int on the man, ¡°you will pay for this, you hear me? Thispany will be nothing without me.¡± ¡°Zelt Technologies belong to Greyson Consolidated,¡± Gerald calmly iterates. ¡°A multi-billion business empire operating all across this country as well as the world, and you were employed to be the manager of only one subpany under it.¡± Then he smiles, ¡°I believe we will do just fine without you. Your belongings will be delivered to your home address, Mr. Crane, I wish you luck in your future ventures and employment opportunities.¡± Gerald looks over at Aiden, who is standing stupefied, taking in what was happening, ¡°Young man,¡± Gerald calls out to him, making him flinch, ¡°I suggest you leave the premises as well and notify your father that I would like to ask him why he¡¯s letting his college-age son interfere with serious business matters on his own personal whims.¡± ¡°Why you!¡± before Mr. Crane can retaliate, the security guards apprehend him and tow him away, the middle-aged man fighting against his restraints. Aiden follows, his expression sour like a lemon. I do not miss the look of pure loathing he shoots me and Coraline. After Mr. Crane and Aiden disappear, Coraline and I turn to Gerald. And I ask, ¡°Gerald, what the actual fuck?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 16. A reveal. Gerald sighs, ¡°I guess we have some things to talk about.¡± ¡°Damn right we do,¡± I step closer to him, ¡°like who the hell you actually are? I thought you were a butler.¡± ¡°It is my role at times,¡± Gerald replied, looking tired, ¡°Young master, perhaps we can talk about thister. Right now, I believe that thedy you apanied here today has got an interview to attend to.¡± We both turn to look at Coraline, who is looking like she had no idea what was happening. ¡°Of course,¡± Gerald continues, ¡°that is if the youngdy still desires to have a position within the company. I can imagine an experience like the one she had the misfortune of witnessing today might deter her. Miss. Coraline, would you like to have the interview now, after everything?¡± The direct address startles Coraline out of her thoughts, ¡°um, yes, sure. If you have me,¡± she adds quickly, ¡°I can do the interview.¡± ¡°Very well, both of you follow me.¡± We do as he says and trudge toward the Zelt Technologies building. The whole altercation from before happened outside, and already, there was a group of people gathered at the entrance, whispering amongst themselves. As we enter the building, I hear some of their conversations. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Mr. Manson said they were close associates with Mr. Greyson.¡± ¡°Must be some big shots for Mr. Mason to fire Mr. Crane like that.¡± ¡°Wait, Mr. Crane is fired?¡± ¡°Oh, good, I hated that hard-ass.¡± ¡°I heard that he was taking bribes from higher up to get them on the board.¡± ¡°Good riddance I say.¡± ¡°Those kids look like they¡¯re just college-aged. Must be rtives to Mr. Greyson.¡± ¡°Maybe. My. Greyson doesn¡¯t have any children, so that might be the only possibility.¡± ¡°Who the heck are those two anyways? The girl and the boy? They look like kids.¡± As we leave the crowd, Gerald turns to them and says, ¡°Pray, tell me, why are you not at work? This is a company, not a gossip mill.¡± With that, the crowd scurries off like disturbed ants, and Gerald sighs. ¡°God save us from gossiping employees.¡± We march to Gerald¡¯s office, and Gerald invites me to take a seat. Coraline remains standing as another man enters the office room. He looks way more pleasant than Mr. Crane the ex-manager, with a friendly smile on his face. ¡°Mr. Maddock, the head of our interview board, will be having you in a few moments, Miss. Coraline,¡± Gerald says, settling into his seat, ¡°Mr. Maddock you know the drill.¡± ¡°Of course, Miss, please follow me,¡± Mr. Maddock gestures at Coraline, who sends me a nervous nce. I give her a smile, hoping that it would alleviate her worry. She looks clearly shaken from the incident outside, and I don¡¯t me her one bit for it. Had it not been for Gerald, I believe that the security guards would¡¯ve carried out Mr. Crane¡¯s orders without any protests. Mr. Maddock and Coraline leave the office, leaving me and Gerald alone finally. ¡°You,¡± I point at Gerald, ¡°owe me an exnation.¡± ¡°Ask any questions you want,¡± Gerald replies. ¡°Okay, so this is thepany I¡¯m supposed to be the COO, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t the manager know who I was?¡± Gerald gives me an unimpressed look. ¡°Perhaps it is because you never showed up here to ept your duties.¡± ¡°I told you I am not going to,¡± I point out, ¡°besides, we¡¯re in the twenty-first century, there are such things called photographs. Could¡¯ve texted him a picture of me saying, ¡®hey, head¡¯s up, this is the new guy, or something.¡± ¡°Or you could¡¯ve visited thepany to formally introduce yourself,¡± Gerald argues and it takes all my strength not to roll my eyes at him. ¡°Whatever,¡± I mutter instead and jumps to the next question, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°My name is Gerald Manson.¡± I really want to tear my own hair off, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of that,¡± I spit through gritted teeth. ¡°And I thought. you were my butler, but clearly you¡¯re more than that. Tell me the truth, Gerald. These few days had been taxing enough already.¡±Material ? N?velDrama.Org. Gerald sighs, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m actually a partner of your father¡¯s. A minor one, but a partner nheless. And a very trusted friend. As of now, I am the CEO of thepany and part owner.¡± My eyes widen in surprise, ¡°the hell are you following me around then?¡± ¡°Because your father asked me to look after you,¡± he replies. ¡°He knew that your mother wouldn¡¯t let him take care of you, but as his only heir, he wanted you to be safe, in case something happened, having someone to lean onto. Your father trusted me enough to give me the responsibility.¡± ¡°My life is a damn fairytale,¡± I mutter under my breath before exhaling shakily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell this to you sooner, young master. I was going to reveal the information when you came to ept your position in Zelt Technologies, but you never dide,¡± In a soft voice, Gerald remarks. ¡°Also, I am very sorry that you had to deal with Crane like that. I never did like him very much, but he was good at his job.¡± ¡°Will you be able to rece him? ¡°I ask, worried. ¡°Of course. He¡¯s not the only talented individual in the field, and plenty of people would be overjoyed to have such a prestigious position in apany belonging to Greyson Consolidated.¡± Silence roams the office room for a few moments until I pose my final question, ¡°Is Aiden¡¯s father really a majority shareholder?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. He recently invested enough to get him a position on the board as a partner,¡± Gerald doesn¡¯t look too happy about this. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would help us, in the long run, to have a partner like that,¡± I pronounce, ¡°he let his son gallivant around doing whatever he wished, and also bribed the manager, as far as I could tell. Plus, his ownpany is about to go under.¡± I give Gerald a meaningful look, and he nods, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll see what I can do, young master.¡± ¡°Oh, about that,¡± I raise a brow at him, ¡°you really should stop calling me that. It makes me feel like a Disney viin or something. Call me Jace, Gerald. God knows you¡¯ve earned it.¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 17. A new assistant? Coraline¡¯s interview ising closer to its end. I feel anxious to get out of here, as the surrounding seems to have an almost suffocating effect on me. Everything I learned today is too much for me to handle. I need some peace and quiet, a chance to leave the building. But Gerald dogs my steps along the way. ¡°I know it¡¯s too much to handle,¡± he says, ¡°but think of it this way. You will be getting a COO¡¯s sry rather than an allowance from your father. You would be able to live as independently as you want. Get your own apartment, your own vehicle, and take care of yourself like you want to.¡± ¡°Very tempting, Gerald,¡± I mutter unhappily, ¡°but I¡¯ll pass for now.¡± ¡°Jace,¡± for the first time, he calls me by my name, and I turn to him with a sigh He looks confused, ¡°why do you deny this so much? Is it because of my position in thepany?¡± ¡°God, Gerald, that¡¯s thest worry in my mind,¡± I assure him, ¡°in fact, I feel good about having you here at thepany. You could clearly handle yourself as you did with that asshole manager.¡± Gerald purses his lips, and regards me for a moment, ¡°Then why are you denying this opportunity?¡± ¡°Gerald, I¡¯m only human,¡± I confess, ¡°I can¡¯t go to school and work as the fricking COO in apany. You have to understand this. I¡¯m not even twenty-five years old. I do not have the experience, nor do I have the necessary qualifications. And more than that, Aiden¡¯s fricking father is the third majority shareholder, and his son hates my guts. Clearly, his father lets him do what-the-hell-ever he wants, and thest thing I want is to have problems in thepany because we can¡¯t stand each other-¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Coraline approaches us, having done with her interview. She catches the tension between us before she even gets close, ¡°Er, am I interrupting something?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± before Gerald can answer, I butt in, ¡°I¡¯m about finished here. How about you?¡± ¡°Same. They said they would give me a call after evaluating me,¡± for some reason, she does not look too pleased about it. ¡°Very well, then. Let¡¯s get out of here. Do you have any other interviews you want to attend?¡± ¡°Nope, not today. In fact, this is thest one for a while,¡± the unhappiness in her voice deepens, and I realize that I need to know the root of it. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s the afternoon now,¡± I make a show of ncing at my wristwatch, ¡°do you want to have lunch with me?¡± Coraline bites her lower lips, and nods, ¡°sure if you aren¡¯t busy.¡± I¡¯m not. In fact, I got a free day today,¡± I reply and turn to Gerald who regards me with barely hidden exasperation, ¡°tell dad I want to talk to him about the liberties he seems to be taking concerning myself. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± Gerald looks like he wants to retort, but at thest moment, changes his mind, ¡°very well. I will do what I can about our third majority shareholder. Have a good evening, Master Greyson. And you too, Miss. Coraline¡± With that, he leaves for his office ¡°So, your servant isn¡¯t your servant at all, huh,¡± Coralinements as the waiter leaves our table after cing our respective lunch dishes in front of us. We have chosen to have our meals at a local FrenchN?velDrama.Org owns all content. food ce where Coraline is a regr attendant. I have never had French food before, so I was open to the experience. Besides, the day had already be the worst it could be. I¡¯m pretty sure nothing else can happen to sour it. ¡°Not at all,¡± I reply, spooning the French onion soup in front of me, ¡°He¡¯s the CEO of Zelt Tech and a friend of my dad¡¯s. He¡¯s looking after me as a favor for my father.¡± ¡°How does he find time to follow you around and do his job?¡± Coraline wondered loudly, and I shrug. ¡°Beats me,¡± I decide to change the subject, ¡°so, I hope you¡¯re not having any personal problems with the change in your rtionship status.¡± ¡°Oh, no, none,¡± Coraline smiles ruefully, ¡°in fact, my parents are thrilled to have me at home again. I¡¯m an only child, you see. They always see me as their baby girl. It was hard for them when I moved out in the first ce. Now my mom spoils me so much when I do as much as mention the possibility of moving out. again on my own.¡± She chuckles at that, and I find my own lips quirking into a smile. Must be nice to have parents like that. ¡°Well, they would be proud of you when you get the internship,¡± I provide, and her face darkens, ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I will get the internship,¡± she confesses, looking dejected, ¡°the level they expect is way higher than where I¡¯m currently at. I mean, I¡¯m still a student, and they asked me about my previous experience. For an internship! With Aiden being a jerk and taking away the opportunities at other companies and my own inexperience here, I don¡¯t know if I will get a job at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so unfair,¡± I protest, ¡°you¡¯re great at what you do from the little I saw.¡± ¡°I know. Maybe I¡¯m overestimating myself but¡­¡± she sighs, ¡°I just want things to sail smoothly again.¡± I think about her dilemma for a moment, and make an offer, ¡°Okay, I can help you with the inexperience problem.¡± Her head whips up from where she is poking her food, ¡°how?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t get the internship,e and work for me as my assistant,¡± I remark, ¡°I know my father won¡¯t be letting this go until I be the COO, and I don¡¯t know the first thing about the job. But you do, you¡¯re more adept in the corporate world than I am. So, being my assistant will get you work experience, and help me get my father off my back. It¡¯s mutually beneficial. After some time working for me, you can apply to Zelt Tech again, and by then I will have the ability to even give you a good promotion!¡± ¡°That does sound tempting.¡± Coraline whispers after a few seconds of thinking, and grins, ¡°you know what, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer. After all, I got nothing to lose if I get rejected from all of thepanies I interviewed at. I will be a good assistant, and I¡¯ll finally get the opportunity to pack my debt for the help you gave me. So, I ept.¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 18. A friendship- I cherish¡­. Coraline and I decided that the day was too good to waste by going home, so after lunch, we take a detour to the park nearby. We walk the cobblestone path that leads us around the park which looks beautiful with all its lush trees, freshly cut grass, and well as ponds filled with ducks and swans that dot it here and there. I feel myself be more and more rxed as we glide through the path, listening to the sound of the wind rustling through leaves, people ying with their children or walking their pets, and spotting various kinds of birds flying through trees, all while engaging in pleasant conversation with Coraline. I nearly forget the altercation we have mere hours ago at Zelt Tech with Aiden and his goon of a manager, followed by the revtion of Gerald¡¯s actual status in my father¡¯s employment. All in all, it had been such an eventful day. Something that seems to be a frequent happening in my life as ofte. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not offending you by asking this,¡± Coraline pipes in as we take abend near yet another pond,¡± but why does everyone we meet seem to hate you?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I question, even though I know exactly what she meant. ¡°Before you came to the reunion dinner at the restaurant, everyone was talking smack about you,¡± Coraline states, ¡°it was really confusing to hear at first, but after some time it got annoying because I realized that they clearly wanted to harass you for their sick entertainment. That¡¯s why I thought I should get you to leave before things could escte. I¡¯m still sorry about the way I did it, I should¡¯ve just pulled you to a side and exined matters to you like an actual mature person.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± I stop her by putting my hand on her forearm, ¡°I¡¯m not mad about that now. You did what you had to do. Who knows what I would¡¯ve done if you had tried to talk to me? Knowing myself I would¡¯ve taken my chances rather than leave the premises, effectively humiliating myself further.¡± I try tough it off, ¡°And I honestly got no idea why people suddenly go apeshit around me. Maybe I got one of those faces you really want to punch.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your face,¡± Coraline insists, her own cheeks rosy, ¡°it¡¯s a good face. A kind face, actually.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile at that, ¡°Thank you,¡± I reply sincerely, and mull over her words, ¡°maybe that¡¯s the reason. Maybe I look like the perfect punching-bag material for the bullies.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Aiden used to talk about you with so much scorn,¡± she continues, ¡°he always went on tirades about the cockroach who was a stain to the prestigious name of King¡¯s College university. What¡¯s all that about?¡± ¡°Aiden is part of this clique of bullies, along with a dude called Stone who acts as their ringleader,¡± I reveal, ¡°and the whole gang got it out for me and people like me. They believe that people like me shouldn¡¯t get to enroll at a ce like King¡¯s College. They think King¡¯s College is for the rich elite of the country, not the orphaned poor.¡± Coraline snorts, ¡°I take it they had no idea who your father was.¡± ¡°None I tried not to let them know. I wanted to do it all on my own, just like my mom did. I managed it for a year, even with the constant bullying.¡± ¡°Aiden mentioned you having a girlfriend?¡± Coraline questions, almost hesitantly, and I can¡¯t help but let out a bitterugh. ¡°Some girlfriend alright No, that is so far from the truth that it could be another,¡± I grouse, ¡°Stone and his gang had it for me since day one, but recently their attacks got more physical. So much so that they began to beat me up on the street.¡± Coraline gasps, ¡°didn¡¯t you file aint?¡± ¡°Nope. Didn¡¯t think it¡¯ll work. Stone had some influence on campus. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to be a snitch.¡± ¡°Forgive me for saying this, but that¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°I see that now. But back then, I thought I was protecting my own dignity by doing that. Anyways, Stone and his gang apparently couldn¡¯t find satisfaction in beating me up anymore, so they nned this. borate prank. They made one of their girlfriends pretend to like me and coax me on a date. I was an idiot, so I went along. She wanted to sleep with me, and I was even more of an idiot, so I agreed.¡± ¡°I have a feeling this is not going to go well,¡± Coralinements, and I smile grimly. ¡°Anyways, the momentes. We¡¯re in a hotel room, she¡¯s fully clothed, and me being the horny idiot got my pants around my ankle, and in bursts Stone and his gang with a fucking video camera.¡± ¡°Oh, shit.¡± ¡°Oh, shit indeed. My junk got live-streamed around the world.¡± Humiliation washes over me as if it just happened, ¡°fortunately for me, Gerald burst into the room and stopped anything else from happening. God knows what else they¡¯d have done if not for him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you,¡± Coraline says, looking sincere and remorseful, ¡°no one deserves to have their trust betrayed like that.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I murmur, ¡°so to answer your question, no, I got no idea why the things that keep happening to me are happening to me. I¡¯m just a guy trying to make the best out of the opportunities I have, but somehow, I end up pissing a lot of people off by simply existing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fair,¡± Coralinements, ¡°I wish everyone would see you for who you really are.¡± I shoot her a smile, ¡°so do I, Coraline. So do I.¡± After the afternoon transforms into the evening, we decide to call it a day. I drop Coraline off at her current home and return to my father¡¯s ce. I got a pile of homework to do, and I decide I should better get started on it soon before night falls. As I clean up for the day and sit down for work, I think of Coraline. She¡¯s so different from who I thought she would be after the whole restaurant ordeal, more like the kind and friendly girl I met way back in high school. It¡¯s nice to have a friend in her when everything seems to be so bleak now. I just hope that our friendship remains without being soured, like everything else in my life. Chapter 19 Chapter 19 19. You decide everything! ¨C Why? My father sits opposite me on the table, facing me with an inscrutable expression on his face. If I were to look beyond the stony fa?ade, I¡¯m sure I would see disappointment and maybe frustration. ¡°Gerald told me that you want to speak to me about your position in Zelt Tech,¡± he started, voice steady and not betraying anything he was feeling. ¡°It was good of him to notify you before I did myself,¡± I reply, trying to sound pleasant. Thest thing wanted was a fighting match with my father. ¡°Apparently I have been taking liberties with you,¡± father prompts, and I reply with a shrug. ¡°You did appoint me to the position of the COO without my consent.¡± ¡°You gave me consent when you said you were ready to take over thepany after you returned home.¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t say I was going to do it immediately,¡± I point out, ¡°father, with all honesty, you cannot expect me, a college student with only one year and two months of education under my belt to take over an actualpany.¡± ¡°Boy, I started thispany with no education whatsoever,¡± my father protested, his mask cracking a bit, ¡± When I started this, I only had my arms and legs in addition to the head on my shoulders. Look at me now.¡± ¡°Yes, I am aware,¡± I grouse because it¡¯s going to be like pulling teeth trying to exin something to him, ¡°I am just not ready for such a huge responsibility.¡± ¡°You will never conquer fear unless to face it head-on.¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to face it?¡± ¡°You do not have a choice, because you already made it.¡± Feel anger rise within me, ¡°I made the choice? You were the one who was begging me left and right trying to get me toe home after mom died. You were the one who assigned Gerald, who is by the way, not an actual butler, to me.¡± ¡°Yet you were the one who came back,¡± Joseph points out, almost smugly. ¡°I didn¡¯t have much of a choice,¡± I mutter back, my voice lowering. My father sighs with the weight of the world on his shoulders. ¡°Look, son,¡± he starts, ¡°I wish I would let you gallivant around, go to college and be a normal kid, but the circumstances are against us.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me to go into detail, but I have to retire from my position by the end of this year. It¡¯s non- negotiable, and you need to take over after me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s non-negotiable? My voice rises again, and I stand up, ¡°You can¡¯t-you can¡¯t just throw something like that at me and expect me to ept it with no protest! You can¡¯t throw me into the deep end like this.¡± ¡°I wish that I don¡¯t have to,¡± my father¡¯s voice was calm, but there is torment in his eyes, ¡°when the time is right, I¡¯ll exin everything to you, I promise. But for now, I can¡¯t. You have to trust me on this. I¡¯m trying to ease you into this world Zelt Tech is new, and with Gerald, you can gain all the experience you need to take over Gerald will help you along the way, in fact, all my executives will. I¡¯ll give you a list of close friends as well, along with their contact information so you can get in touch with them.¡± I cannot believe what I¡¯m hearing. This old man was only father to me by name. I¡¯d never known him much growing up, because he had a wife, and my mother was only his mistress. I was his bastard child and had he been able to conceive with his wife, I¡¯m pretty sure that I would not be here. ¡°I should¡¯ve nevere back,¡± I yell, ¡°I should¡¯ve never listened to Gerald. Mom was right keeping me away from you! You don¡¯t really care for me; you just want me around because I¡¯m your only child!¡± My father¡¯s eyes turn stony hard, ¡°don¡¯t talk about things you don¡¯t understand, Jace.¡± ¡°What the hell is there to understand about all this? It¡¯s clear as day what you¡¯re trying to do.¡± ¡°I tried my best with you,¡± my father replies, ¡°I begged your mother to let me be a part of your life. I begged her to return to this city so I could be a father to my son. But she refused, and she had the custodial rights. to you. There was nothing I could do! Nothing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a literal billionaire,¡± I exim, ¡°how could you not win a court case against her?¡± ¡°Because we had an agreement until her death, and I honored the agreement because I respected her.¡± ¡°That¡¯s bullshit, dad. You¡¯re just trying to get off the hook.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one to me me. You did not evene around to see if I¡¯m alive after your mother died,¡± there is hurt in his voice, I could hear it. I don¡¯t dare to turn towards him, because I¡¯m afraid the expression on his face would be my undoing.¡± ¡°You sealed our fate by not marrying my mother,¡± I mutter darkly. ¡°There are things that you don¡¯t understand-¡± ¡°Then tell me! Make me understand!¡± I bang my fists on the table, practically vibrating from all the repressed anger. My eyebrows are lowered in a re, and I can almost feel the lines on my forehead, ¡°Tell me what the hell is going on.¡± For a second, it looks like my father is about to crack. But that second passes, and he is back to his controlled self. ¡°Jace, please,¡± he murmurs, ¡°I have faith in you, I know that you will do great. You¡¯re underestimating yourself if you think otherwise. I¡¯ve seen your grades at school, and I¡¯ve even talked with your professors at college-¡± My head snaps up to meet his eyes at that, ¡°you¡¯ve been to my school?¡± ¡°Yes, I have. I wanted to know more about my son,¡± he shrugs, ¡°sue me. Your professors only had good things to say about you. You¡¯re a hardworking kid, and you¡¯re ambitious. You understand business matters easily. Talking with them cemented my opinion of you. I know that you¡¯re capable of taking our legacy to the next level.¡± I feel like I¡¯ve been defeated in this battle. ¡°Take the position, Jace,¡± my father implored, ¡°you can continue your education side by side with it. Let¡¯s make a deal. You only need to be present at thepany for three days a week, and you can employ an assistant to take care of your work. Gerald and I will assist you in any way we could. Do this for me, and trust me, you will never regret it.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. I sigh from the depths of my soul, all the fight leaving me. I¡¯m so goddamned tired. ¡°Fine,¡± I reply, ¡°what else is there for me to do? You¡¯ve plotted my path yourself.¡± ¡°Jace¡­¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 20. ng! When I wake up the next day, I just want to dive back under the covers and sulk like a petnt teenager. The memories ofst night ring in my head, causing something like a headache. But today is a day full of lectures, and if I want to make it to the King¡¯s College university on time all the way from ndestine city, I have to be quick. After taking care of all my needs, I sneak out of the house through one of the back doors. Technically, I could call my own personal driver and have him drop me off at the campus. But where¡¯s the fun in that? So, I take the train straight to Empire city and then use the tram to drop right at the entrance to the university. For some time, the day went on peacefully. I attended the lectures, took notes, talked with the professors about any doubts I had, got them cleared out, and moved around the campus. But then the lunch break came. The cafeteria is crowded, as is the norm, and I make my way to the food court as discreetly as possible so as not to derive any attention from myself. By now, I¡¯m aware that there is danger lurking on campus grounds, danger directed at me. And I have to do my damndest best to dodge it. But I am only one person, and there isn¡¯t a Gerald around to save my ass. And my luck is the shittiest on the. So of course, the sharks start to smell blood in the water. ¡°Greyson!¡± Stone¡¯s voicees from behind me as soon as I stand in the lunch line, and I feel a shuddering breath leave me. I turn towards my nemesis, ¡°Hello to you too, Stone.¡± My eyes widen as I take the man in. Usually, Stone is pretty polished, perfectly dressed, and perfectly groomed, wearing designer threads and having a swagger to his whole being. But the guy who stands in front of me looks extremely haggard. His cheeks are gaunt, and there are dark circles under his bloodshot, skittering eyes. His hair is a right mess, devoid of its usual array of styling. His clothes are in a simr state, his shirt is buttoned wrong, his pants lined with dirt, and his shoces are untied. His whole body looks like it¡¯s shivering. There¡¯s a five o¡¯clock shadow on his face, and it¡¯s still noon. ¡°Hello?¡± he demands, ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done to me. To my family, and my future. You destroyed us, and all you got to say is fucking ¡®hello¡¯?!¡± I feel guilty for what I made Gerald do, but then I remember the very reason why it happened. ¡°You brought it on yourself, Stone,¡± I notify him, my voice hard, ¡°I gave you plenty of chances to leave me alone, but you kept pushing and pushing until you broke past the limits.¡± ¡°It was a harmless prank,¡± he insists, and I feel the rush of anger. ¡°After a full year of harassment,¡± I point out, ¡°of beating me up in the streets with your goons, calling me every name in the book, and fucking up my own life too many times than I could count. That harmless prank of yours was not all that much harmless to me! You yed with my trust and dignity. That¡¯s unforgivable Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°What you did to me is unforgivable too.¡± Stone takes a step towards me, his eyes wild, ¡°you could¡¯ve taken it out on me, you didn¡¯t have to go after my family ¡°Actions have consequences,¡± I remind him, ¡°you should¡¯ve remembered that.¡± Apparently, that is the wrong thing to say, because as soon as the words leave my mouth, on me, hands clenched into fists. Stone pounces The weight of his body paired with the force behind his offense strikes me down to the ground, and Stone firmly nts himself on my chest, his weight making it hard for me to breathe. His fists rain down on my face, and the pain is so excruciating that for a second I forget to defend myself. He¡¯s like a wild animal, his blows unfocused but strong, and through the blinding pain of getting my head pommeled, I manage to shove him off me and scramble to my feet. But Stone does not give up. He charges towards me, murder in his eyes, and I grab the object nearest to me, which is a lunch tray. There¡¯s blood flowing down my face from a cut on my forehead and my nose is broken given the excruciating pain shooting from the area with every ragged breath I take. My head pounds with the rushing blood, and the pulse in my ear drowns all other noise. The upiers of the cafeteria look from the sidelines shock evident on their faces. Behind us, I can faintly make out someone calling for security. I notice all of this within the split second it takes for Stone to attack me again. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, you fucking bastard!¡± Stone cries as he leaps towards me, and with all the force I can muster, I swing the metallic lunch tray at him. ng! Stone staggers away from the blow, nearly falling on his ass before he rights himself, leaning on a wall clutching his head. He lets out a low groan. And that¡¯s all it takes for his goons, who are hidden in the crowd, toe down on me. Within seconds, I am down on the ground again, and this time I can¡¯t even think about fighting back. I hands think there are four people beating me up, but I can¡¯t say for sure. I tuck into myself and put my around my head to protect my most vital organs from their attack, but it¡¯s not enough. Pain is never- ending, and I can¡¯t tell from where one punch ends and another kick begins. They¡¯re screaming some things at me, but it¡¯s too garbled for me to differentiate. Because oh, sweet god, it hurts too much. Suddenly, whistles start to blow from all around me, and my assants are dragged off my limp, bloodied, and bruised body by the security officers of the campus. Through the bloody haze in my eyes, I see one of the officers approaches me, his mouth moving in what seems like a scream. I can¡¯t tell for sure, because I can¡¯t seem to hear anything. Labored breaths fall from between my lips, along with blood and saliva. ¡°Hospital, hospital!¡± I hear someone urge faintly. Perhaps they are screaming, I¡¯m too tired to care. And then, everything goes ck. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 21. A special allergy? Numbed down pain. I That¡¯s all I feel when I find myself waking up, a low, drawled groan leaving my mouth as I slowly regain consciousness. My throat is scratchy, and it feels like something died in my mouth. Faintly, I hear a beeping sounding next to me, and I slowly turn my head to see what it is. A machine. A machine to measure my heartbeat, the kind you see in hospital rooms with serious patients. Why was I a serious patient, then? That¡¯s when all the memories came back to me through the haze of my mind. Stone and his goons. The beating in the cafeteria. Falling unconscious as soon as the security guards managed to get the attackers off me. Someone screaming the word ¡®hospital¡¯ while I faded to ck. Crap. I use my tired eyes to look around the room. The walls are painted white with ents of light yellow, and there¡¯s a window. It¡¯s a private room, and there is even a TV mounted in the corner. All around me, there are various machines taking my reading there¡¯s, and an IV poked into my hand dripping saline. There are wires hooked onto my chest. Many parts of my body are bandaged. Just as I end up taking in the room, the door opens, and a nurse strides in. Upon seeing my open eyes, her face lights up, and she immediately presses a button on the side of the bed. ¡°Mr. Greyson, I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re awake,¡± the nurse greets me with a polite smile and rushes towards 1. I open my mouth to talk, but my throat and lips are too dry. So, I croak, ¡°water.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, Mr. Greyson,¡± the nurse hastily retrieves some chips of ice from the trolley cart she just rolled in, ¡°The doctor was anticipating you waking up soon, so she instructed us to be ready. You are due another change of bandages as well, and we were waiting for you to wake up for it, rather than do it while you¡¯re unconscious.¡± The ice chips on my parched skin feel like heaven, and their moisture trickling down my arid throat finally loosens up my vocals enough to talk, ¡°what happened? I remember the fight¡± I ask. ¡°After you were physically assaulted by five individuals at the King¡¯s College campus grounds, you were brought into Empire State Hospital. We had to get you into the ER immediately, of course. You were out cold and bleeding all over the ce. One of your assants used a brass knuckles weapon on you, bruising your ribs quite badly. You¡¯re very lucky that they aren¡¯t broken. Apart from that, your midriff was damaged, your left arm was sprained, and your right pinky is broken. It will take quite some time for them to heal.¡± ¡°Why are there wires hooked to me?¡± I question, confused because I haven¡¯t seen assault victims with my injuries hooked to machines like this. The nurse bites her lower lip, ¡°there was aplication with a painkiller we administered to you. Were you aware that you¡¯re allergic to silver, Mr. Greyson?¡± Surprise makes my brows lift to my scalp, ¡°silver?¡± ¡°Yes. You were sent into anaphctic shock as soon as the painkiller medicine was administered, and we had to operate on you to remove all sorts of silver from your system.¡± So, that is why I feel like I¡¯ve been gutted like a fish. ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± I tell her honestly, ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had any allergies, period.¡± ¡°It was not on your medical record either. Perhaps it had recently surfaced, that happens,¡± the nurse uses a small controller on the side of my bed to move my head to a more vertical position, and switches to liquid water. I gulp down the cool fluid gratefully. Great, now on top of everything, I had a silver allergy and had to have an operation performed on me. ¡°How long do I have to stay here?¡± I ask her, trying not to sound too pathetic. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°That is up to the doctor to decide, he will be arriving in a few moments.¡± ¡°If you were to estimate based on my condition, how much will it be? Can you give me a number?¡± ¡°Sorry, young man, I cannot,¡± the nurse smiles kindly, ¡°but do not worry. You¡¯re way better now than you. did before. You will get better soon.¡± That was not very believable. As she told me, a few secondster the doctor arrives and begins to fuss over me. He asks me for a full ount of what happened at the cafeteria as he checks my bandages and vitals, as well as the readings on numerous devices. Of course, the doctor also profusely apologizes for the reaction my body had to silver. ¡°Such allergies are not unheard of, but extremely rare,¡± the doctor says as he begins to unwrap the soiled bandages from my body, ¡°the silver allergy is such a rarity.¡± He tells me about how my family members and emergency contact, who was Gerald, has already been notified of my waking up. They would be allowed to see me during visiting hours. They all had been very worried about me, especially after the allergic reaction. Even my father had visited and demanded to see the director of the hospital so he could request him to make sure that I was taken care of in the best possible ways. He nces at me with an apprehensive expression, ¡°During the operation and the subsequent treatment of your injures, I noticed that there were manyceration scars on your body, and older bruising that were nearly healed,¡± his voice drops a notch, ¡°these suggest extensive abuse, Mr. Greyson. Now, I know you are twenty-three years of age, but I have to ask, how is your situation at home and school? Is this the first time you¡¯ve been physically assaulted?¡± I want to scoff, but I quell that urge as I fear pulling anything vital with the action, ¡°no, there¡¯s nothing wrong with my home situation. They¡¯re just from fights.¡± ¡°I see. Do you get into these fights a lot, Mr. Greyson?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t go actively seeking them out. But when they happen, they happen.¡± ¡°I see. Then, Mr. Greyson, why is your hospital record so damn clean? I could count the times you¡¯ve been in a hospital on one hand. Mr. Greyson, disregarding the damage from the beatings, just how healthy are you?¡± Chapter 22 Chapter 22 22. A favor? I was told to stay in the hospital for a week, N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I really could not answer the questions the doctors asked me about my health. It is true that I have not been to the hospital much, at least not as much as a person my age should¡¯ve. It was only because I never got sick enough for the hospital. The handful of times I visited the hospital was for some kind of broken arm or leg or a vination shot. Whenever I got sick, I would be healed before it got serious. A cold would onlyst a day in my body, and a stomach ache from eating something off-putting wouldst only a few hours. It was a blessing, in a way, because my mother and I were not that well off as my mother refused any kind of financial help from my father. I considered myself extremely lucky to have such a good immunity system. Which was why it was such a surprise when I was told I had an allergy to silver of all things. Because this isn¡¯t the first time I have ingested silver, and never before have I gone to anaphctic shock because of it. A sudden onset allergy is thest thing I needed. My days in the hospital are so boring. I¡¯m forbidden to do any sort of schoolwork as the doctors think it will affect my healing ability by tiring me out, so I spend my days watching movies or doing some light. reading. When they are also taken from me in the guise of ¡®providing me enough rest to recuperate,¡¯ I spend the time daydreaming, thinking about my father, Stone and his bullies, Coraline, Gerald, and everyone else who had turned up in my life to make it seem different from what it was just a year before. I think about my mother who had the misfortune of being at the wrong ce at the wrong time. I wonder how it would¡¯ve been if she was still alive. One thing is for sure, she would¡¯ve never let me put up with the bullying for so long. Coraline visits me on the second day when the doctor deems me adequate to have visitors. As soon as she enters the hospital room andys her eyes on my still-bandaged being, her hand goes to her mouth to hide her gasp, ¡°Oh, my god, Jace, what did they do to you?! Did they stab you?¡± I realize that Coraline is not aware of the incident that took ce. So, I tell her about the silver allergy, hoping to cate her worries, but it makes things worse because her eyes start to get shiny. ¡°You could¡¯ve died!¡± she shrieks, ¡°if the doctors had been the tiniest bitte¡­¡± ¡°But they weren¡¯t,¡± I remind her, ¡°nothing bad happened. They managed to patch me up just fine. And apparently, I got a really good immunity system, so I¡¯m healing just fine and really fast.¡± She still looks shell-shocked. After some contemtion, I hesitantly take her hand, which is lying next to me on the hospital bed, and give it a reassuring squeeze. She turns her teary eyes at me, ¡°I¡¯m okay now, Coraline. I¡¯m getting better. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°Oh, Jace,¡± she squeezes my hand back, and shoots me a wobbly smile, ¡°you¡¯re my friend. I won¡¯t stop worrying until you¡¯re out of the hospital and all the bandages are gone.¡± Her words bring me such warmth that I can¡¯t help but smile back. She visits me almost every day afterward. Coraline had been assimted into her position as my assistant quite well, and during my absence, she takes care of my work. I wonder out loud if she feels the workload is too much, but she is enthusiastic about it, gushing about the sheer experience she is umting. It also helps that she genuinely loved the work. My next visitores in the form of Gerald, who goes pale when I mention my allergy to silver. ¡°Silver, you say?¡± he asks in a strange sort of voice, ¡°how interesting.¡± This peaks my attention. ¡°Why is it so interesting, Gerald?¡± ¡°Your father used to have one,¡± he informs me, ¡°when he was younger. Not anymore.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Suddenly a puzzle piece falls into ce, ¡°so I inherited it from him. Figures.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Gerald¡¯s expression changes into one of relief and determination. ¡°Get better soon, young master. Because we have to teach your attackers a lesson, and I¡¯m not going to let them go scot-free this time. By the looks of it, neither will the university.¡± ¡°The university is concerned? What exactly is happening anyway? Also, I told you to just call me, Jace.¡± He ignores that. ¡°The university¡¯s reputation is on the line, as they pride themselves in being a prestigious but anti-bully, non-discriminatory establishment with a zero-tolerance policy. The fight got leaked to the inte because of course the students videotaped it and released it on social media. The university had been getting a lot of bacsh for letting a student be attacked like that.¡± I groan, ¡°Oh, god, seriously?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± ¡°Does that mean everyone is aware of who my father is?¡± ¡°No, no one had made the connection yet. This is why the discrimination charges have been brought up, ording to the university records you¡¯re still a student from a lower-ss background, who is also on a schrship. Even if your identity is revealed, there will be a hearing because you were assaulted.¡± ¡°When is this hearing scheduled for?¡± ¡°It hadn¡¯t been scheduled yet. They¡¯re waiting until you¡¯re released,¡± he reminds me. Gerald leaves after giving me all the information and bringing me up to date with the proceedings. The very next day, my fatheres to visit me. He looks stoic as he takes in my condition, which is way better than when Coraline visited me at first. At first, our conversation is awkward, but slowly we warm up to each other. He does not talk about Zelt Tech or the argument we had before. Rather, he asks me all about my life at the university, especially about the bullies. After protesting reluctantly, I finally open up and reveal to him everything that¡¯s happened from then to now. After listening to my story, my father watches me with a contemtive gleam in his eyes. ¡°They aren¡¯t going toe after you again,¡± he promises, ¡°Believe me, I¡¯ll go and talk to the Dean myself if I have to.¡± I nch at that. ¡°Please don¡¯t. I can handle this on my own.¡± ¡°You always say that,¡± he observes, ¡°Jace, it¡¯s not a weakness to ask for help, especially from your parents.¡± ¡°And I will ask when I need it, just like I did before when I returned home,¡± I reply, wanting him to stop talking about this subject. My father sighs. ¡°You¡¯re as stubborn as your mother. Alright, I won¡¯t stick my nose into the hearing.¡± He murmurs, ¡°but at least do me a favor.¡± ¡°What favor, father?¡± ¡°Learn to defend yourself,¡± he advises. ¡°Enroll in a ss or a club, learn to fight. Something tells me that this won¡¯t be thest fight you¡¯re going to face, so better be ready. Besides, no one would willingly pick a fight with someone who they know would kick their ass. I¡¯m not saying you can¡¯t already, but when you learn how to do it effectively, you would be able to gain power over those who wish to attack you. it will do you good to have self-confidence as well. Learn to fight after you get released,¡± he smiles mysteriously, ¡°you won¡¯t regret it.¡± I think Chapter 23 Chapter 23 23. The Hearing I got released from the hospital earlier than anyone anticipated, leaving a bunch of baffled doctors as I left. Had it not been for the ethicalws of the country that prevented human experimentation, I was pretty sure that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it out of the hospital anytime soon. They looked like they were dying to put me into a ss box so they could find out what secrets thaty within my body. My finger is still broken, and it will take about a month for it to heal, hence it is in a cast. The bruises on my body are faded, and the ribs are still smarting. I get massive headaches from time to time, and half the medicine allocated to me is painkillers. But I¡¯m upright, and I can walk. That¡¯s healed enough for me. Gerald and Coralinee to take me home from the hospital, and I realize that I still have a long way to go in order to be fully functional as I fall asleep halfway through the trip. I have been given an indefinite leave of absence by the university, none of the lectures or exams I¡¯m missing will affect my coursework, and after I healed and returned, I had plenty of opportunity to catch up. And so I spend the next few days at home sleeping and eating, eating and sleeping. I do nothing, no matter how hard it is. But it pays off. Soon, I am fit enough to nearly function as I did before. And that¡¯s when the emailes. The hearing regarding my physical assault is a closed-off, highly confidential affair, as a result of the university trying to do its best to have some kind of damage control regarding the whole situation. But the secrecy makes it worse, and when I arrive at the campus grounds, there¡¯s a bunch of reported parked outside, interviewing students and lectures, basically hounding everyone that was entering or exiting. From inside the car, Gerald and I watch them. ¡°Let¡¯s take the back entrance,¡± I tell Gerald, ¡°I do not fancy sticking my face in the evening news.¡± The back entrance, which is one of the seven auxiliary entrances to the King¡¯s College university grounds is the least known, hence we find no reporters there. Our car parks right in front of the administrative building of the university, where the Dean¡¯s office is situated in, and Gerald and I hastily make our way inside to avoid any sort of attention. Within the Dean¡¯s office, the whole university board, as well as representatives from the student¡¯s union, the school council, department heads, and professors are all present, and it¡¯s fortunate that the Dean¡¯s office isrger enough to ce them all and still have extra space. Everyone¡¯s expression is somber. At a corner, Stone and his goons stand, looking terrified but doing their best to not let it show. Stone looks no better than he did thest time, but when I look at him I feel no guilt. Serves him right for everything he put me through. At least now he will learn his lesson. Behind the students, their parents stand, and I notice all of them give me death res before I take my ce opposite them. The hearingmences, and it doesn¡¯t take much time for it to delve into chaos. ¡°That boy ruined mypany!¡± Stone¡¯s father screams at me, mottled with rage, ¡°he started all of this because he was jealous of my son. He wanted one of my son¡¯s girlfriends, and when the girl refused, he took his revenge on Stone!¡± ¡°I did no such thing.¡± I protested, eyes wide at the tant lies that were being told, ¡°I wanted nothing to do with your son, your son is the one who bullied me from my first day on campus. He put up Ka to lure me into a hotel room so they could prank me.¡± ¡°Silence, both of you,¡± the Dean orders, and we purse our lips, ¡°Mr. Jeffreys, we are aware of every altercation that took part between your son and Mr. Greyson over here, and I can assure you that whatever it is that your son told you happened is not the truth. In fact, we have a video of the distasteful prank he yed on Mr. Greyson at hand. That alone is a vition of campus rules. Besides, the girl, Ka, testified.¡± Stone¡¯s eyes widen, ¡°what?!¡± ¡°Soon after the assault at the cafeteria, she came forward and told us everything that happened firsthand. After her, a few more students witnessed me. Greyson being bullied came forward as well. That is how. we knew that this issue was going on for so long.¡± ¡°But he ruined mypany!¡± Mr. Jeffreys insists, and the Dean inclines his head toward us. ¡°That is none of the university¡¯s concern,¡± he notes, ¡°but for rity¡¯s sake, Mr. Greyson, did you do what he uses me of?¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. I open my mouth to speak, but Gerald beats me to it, ¡°Mr. Greyson is not responsible for what happened. to Mr. Jeffreyspany. I was present in the aftermath of this so-called prank, and Mr. Greyson told me to notify his father about what happened so we could work on taking down the live-streamed video. Mr. Greyson¡¯s father, who was a good friend of mine. Jeffrey¡¯s business partner told him about Stone Jeffreys disgraceful contact. What happened afterward is not the fault of the Greysons.¡± I¡¯m kind of miffed at being interrupted by Gerald, but he handled that question so easily that I can¡¯t bring myself to be mad. ¡°What he said,¡± I confirm, ¡°I just wanted to give my dad a heads-up.¡± I don¡¯t normally resort to such lies, but during my time in my father¡¯s world, I realized that reconstruction of certain facts, or altering them was necessary at times. Stone¡¯s father looks like he wants to end me then and there, but keeps his mouth shut. The hearing continues, and finally, after getting witness statements from everyone, the Dean and the board discuss the best course of action. ¡°Stone Jeffreys, Phillip Cray, Jean Lee, Dex Slitter,¡± the Dean announces, ¡°The board and I have reached a decision, and we¡¯ve realized that we cannot overlook your actions, nor can we excuse them. This is not the first time any of you have been caught breaking the rules, and we¡¯ve given you too many chances. So, you are hereby expelled from King¡¯s College university for dishonorable conduct and assault of student Jace Greyson.¡± Chapter 24 Chapter 24 24. Adrenaline Rush ¡°I think your father¡¯s idea has many merits. A person must know how to defend themselves. Given how you have a penchant to end up in fights, it would be prudent to learn how to fight back.¡± Gerald says after we exit the restaurant, he took me out to for celebrating winning the hearing. It still feels so bizarre to me, because I honestly didn¡¯t expect for the Dean and the school board to take my side in the hearing. I¡¯ve never had that happen to me before. Usually, I would be the one getting the short end of the stick, but this time, I won. I won over Stone and his goons, and I won¡¯t have to be paranoid and watch over my shoulder every time I enter campus grounds again. However, my victory came with consequences. I did not miss the pure venomous re I was shot by Stone¡¯s father thest time I caught sight of him. His gaze promised retribution for what I¡¯d done to his son, and I have a feeling that I¡¯d made a powerful enemy. Which is yet another reason to consider my father¡¯s advice. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault I always end up in these situations,¡± I point out petntly, ¡°half the time I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s happening until I get a fist on my face.¡± ¡°And with the proper training, you will be able to dodge that fist, if you can¡¯t escape it,¡± Gerald smiles. ¡°You know, Coraline said the same thing.¡± She actually demanded that I go and register for some ss right that day when I called her to tell her about the hearing. Coraline had been ecstatic about me winning as well as Stone getting expelled. ¡°Serves that bastard well,¡± she¡¯d muttered darkly, ¡°I hope he won¡¯t get into any other university.¡± ¡°Come now, we have to be the bigger people here,¡± I¡¯d reminded her teasingly, and sure enough, I¡¯d gotten a snort in reply. ¡°Yeah, right. I¡¯m too tired of being the bigger person, it¡¯s gotten me nowhere. Let me be petty and spiteful for your sake.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile as the conversation reys in my head. During the days I¡¯ve been hospitalized, I¡¯d gotten to know Coraline much more, and discovered her wicked sense of humor, which was often dark. Coraline was indeed different from the girl she once was in high school, but boy, she¡¯d grown up to be a fine person. I¡¯m d to have a friend like her in my corner. She could not join us to celebrate because of her work, for which I felt bad because she was doing my work as well, but Coraline had brushed it off and told me to enjoy myself. But without her, it¡¯s not the same, so Gerald and I decided to just have a meal together and call it a day. ¡°Coraline is a smart girl,¡± Gerald informs me, bringing me back to the present. We round the restaurant parking lot and wait until the driver pulls up the Maybach next to us. ¡°She is, and a godsend at that. I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done without her helping me out at Zelt Tech. How is she doing by the way?¡± ¡°She is doing well, I would say. Of course, there are some mistakes here and there, and she does have a long way to go in terms of experience. The only reason she didn¡¯t get the internship she applied for is that there were more qualified applicants, otherwise she would¡¯vended it in one go. She got the foundations of a brilliant businesswoman You did right in offering her employment.¡± I sh Gerald a grin, pleased. ¡°d you think so.¡± When we settle down in the car Gerald sits next to me rather than taking the passenger seat at the front. ¡°So, about those self-defense sses,¡± Gerald begins, ¡°do you have something picked out? Any discipline you want to learn? Martial arts?¡± I tilt my head while I think, ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. I¡¯ve never had an interest in martial arts¡­to be honest, I kind of find the idea of me with martial arts ridiculous I¡¯m just not cut out to be a martial arts guy.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me why and I swear it¡¯s not ¡¯cause I don¡¯t like the countries they originate from or anything, I just found it¡­not to my liking.¡± I shrug. ¡°Not even when you were little?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Well, then, how about something else,¡± Gerald thinks, ¡°I don¡¯t know, like boxing?¡± I raise a brow at him. ¡°Boxing?¡± I want tough, ¡°Gerald, do you seriously think I¡¯m made for boxing? I¡¯m a literal twig!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you are skinnier than most. I think boxing would be a good fit for you, especially when fighting. I practiced some boxing in my youth as well. It is a good sport, and it makes you strong.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± I cannot see myself fighting anyone, to be honest. All my life, I¡¯ve been the one who had gotten. pummeled, not the one who did the pummeling. In fact, I think the most I fought was when I hit Stone. with the lunch tray on the day he beat up in the cafeteria. But I can¡¯t deny the idea isn¡¯t tempting. ¡°You know what,¡± I muse, ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on it.¡± And that is how I found myself, a monthter after everything had calmed down and my wounds healed, in front of a boxing club named Adrenaline Rush in downtown ndestine city, nestled in a peaceful, yet very urban neighborhood, with a sports bag, slung over my shoulder containing a pair of newly purchased boxing gloves, a towel, a bottle of water as well as other essentials that were listed in the website for the club, decked in gym clothes and feeling entirely out of ce. I watch the brownstone building as burly- looking men and women enter and exit the club through its ss double doors and gulp. And then I go inside. The owner and the head coach of the club Adrenaline Rush is named Brennan Yates, and he is a pleasant man who is about my father¡¯s age sporting a military crew cut and arms that could literally snap me in half. At first, I feel intimidated by him, but his eyes are kind, and he smiles sunnily as he greets me from the reception desk. ¡°Good evening, son. Wee to Adrenaline Rush. You must be the Jace Greyson who left me an email earlier today?¡± ¡°Yes, sir, that¡¯s me.¡± I shake hands with him. ¡°No, no, no, call me Brennan, or even Yates. We don¡¯t have sirs around here. So, you want to learn boxing huh?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Any reason why? For recreational purposes, or¡­?¡± ¡°I want to defend myself,¡± i answer honestly, ¡°I recently got better after getting beat up quite badly, and I don¡¯t want to go through that again.¡± Brannan nods in understanding, ¡°Got it. Well, you¡¯re in just the ce for that. Don¡¯t worry, by the end of the training course we provide here for beginners, you¡¯re going to be unrecognizable. And no one will even dare of throwing you a punch.¡± I smile, ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence.¡± Brennan nods, ¡°Well, I believe you would like to take a tour of our premises before we begin, hu?¡± ¡°Of course, Brennan.¡± ¡°Great, follow me.¡± We enter the Adrenaline Rush training area, and suddenly, I feel like the air has been knocked out of me. There, right in the ring, fighting a man twice his size without breaking a sweat, is none other than Aiden, Coraline¡¯s creepy, abusive ex-boyfriend. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 25. A Good Future. I stand frozen at the door, staring at him. He¡¯s attacking his opponent with all his might, not even noticing me. His opponent tries to match his strikes, but Aiden is faster and more powerful. He dodges the other man¡¯s punches masterfully and strikes like a cobra, targeting his most critical ces. His expression is single-focused and dangerous, and his unyielding. He looks like he means business, and failure is not a word in his vocabry. Suddenly, how this man managed to overpower Coraline makes much more sense. What rotten luck do I have to wind up in the same boxing club as freaking Aiden was? Seriously, what the hell? I want to turn and run. Choose another club, reviews, and five stars be damned. But what reason can I give Brennan for turning tail? That I¡¯m intimidated by one of the members of the club? How absurd and humiliating will that be? No that won¡¯t do. I am going to have to see this through until the end. And I¡¯m going to face whatever happens like a man, dammit. I¡¯m too tired of being scared of the world. Even looking at him makes me angry, and its high time I used that anger, not letting it turn into fear. ¡°You okay, Mr. Greyson?¡± Brannan asks, noticing my inner turmoil. ¡°Perfectly fine, Brennan,¡± I look at him and give him a smile, ¡°I was just taking everything in. Also, please call me Jace. Mr. Greyson is my father.¡± Brannan smiles back, ¡°Oh, I understand the sentiment. The club is a real beauty if I say so myself. I¡¯d go as far as to say that our facilities are state-of-art, even.¡± The club really does look good. It got a worn-out, brick-walled, grunge feel to it. The ceilings are lined with bar lights that illuminate what looks like a giant warehouse that got converted to a boxing gymnasium. There is an open area where a few guys and girls are stretching and exercising, while a separate area, is upied by the members punching away at the sandbags hanging. In the middle of the layout were two full-sized rings, both of them upied, one by Aiden and his opponent, who was now down on the ground, and the other by two women. Dotted around the club were instructors in ck clothing. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Had it not been for Aiden¡¯s presence, it would¡¯ve been such a nice atmosphere for my first day at the club. ¡°Well, first, let¡¯s get you tested so I can make a program for your training. Do you know how to throw a punch? You said you¡¯ve gotten into fights before.¡± Brannan asks, and I break myself from my observational stupor. I can¡¯t help but blush, ¡°They were not all that sessful.¡± Brannan nods, ¡°I see. Well, in that case, we should start from the very beginning then. Why don¡¯t you stow that bag away in the lockers and follow me.¡± I follow his instructions and meet him on a mat in the open area. Brannan circles me as I stand, his gaze contemtive, I wonder what he says. The skinny man who looks like he would blow away like a leaf in the wind? Or someone with the potential to be more? Did he see me as a good future boxer, or was he mentally scratching my name off the list? ¡°Alright,¡± Brennan puts me out of my misery, and stands in front of me, ¡°punch me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Punch me, Jace. Give me your best shot.¡± ¡°Um, alright, sure,¡± I clench my fingers into a fist and swing at Brennan, aiming for his midsection. Of course, he swiftly catches my fist. ¡°Hmmm. Again.¡± He releases my fist and orders again. I try to punch him once more, but he catches my fist again. ¡°I¡¯m lousy at this, aren¡¯t I?¡± I murmur, feeling embarrassed but Brennan shakes his head. ¡°Not lousy, merely inexperienced. Ow, let me show you how to punch someone.¡± And from then on, Brennan gives me pointers to hold my posture and clench my fingers in such a way that would prevent me from breaking my fingers, especially my thumb when I hit. He teaches me how to hold myself so I won¡¯t stumble with the force between my own swings, andmends me when I get it right after the second try. ¡°You¡¯re a fast learner,¡± he grins, ¡°you¡¯ll catch up to the proper level soon, just watch.¡± very By now, I¡¯d realized that Aiden had noticed me. I did not miss the way his eyestched on me the first time and the sheer anger that enveloped them I wondered if he would march up to me then and there, but he did not. Instead, he ignored me and went back to his opponent. But I felt his eyes on me a few times as I maneuvered around the mat with Brannan Perhaps he was keeping his distance because Brennan was there. Or perhaps he didn¡¯t want to fight me anymore. I sincerely wish it is thetter. Brannan moves me to the sandbags next and gives me a pair of gloves. He teaches me how to bind my hands with practice tapes before putting the gloves on, and holds the bag for me to punch. After two hours, I am exhausted and dripping sweat, my whole-body aching. There¡¯s nothing I want more than to go home and get on my bed. I¡¯ve never been the most active person, but my stay at the hospital followed by my healing period had weakened my body greatly. But Brennan still had ns for me. ¡°We need to do a final assessment,¡± he says, and calls over a junior instructor, ¡°I want you to fight him.¡± My eyes widen, ¡°wait for real?¡± ¡°Of course, for real. It doesn¡¯t have to be impressive; I just need to see how you do in an actual fight.¡± The fight does not go well. In the end, I¡¯m wheezing on the ground, nearly dead, my newly mended finger hurting. But Brennan has a strange light in his eyes, and he smiles at me. ¡°You¡¯re not as bad as you seem to think you are,¡± he tells me as he gives me a hand to get up from the floor, ¡°in fact, your reflexes are excellent. You¡¯re very nimble, and your coordination I s not too bad.¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s strange,¡± my brows furrow, ¡°I am actually very clumsy.¡± ¡°I have a hard time believing that. Truth is, you¡¯ve got a lot of potential, Jace. I know just the program to train you in, and within no time, I¡¯m sure you will be up in the ring, holding a good fight with some of my finest.¡± I perk up at that, pleased, ¡°you really think so?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he nods, e on the next day as well, and I¡¯ll finish putting the program together for you. I look forward to teaching you, Jace. I have a feeling you got a good future in boxing.¡± Chapter 26 Chapter 26 26. I grew up. That night as I do my homework, I cannot help but mull over the words of both Brannan as well as the hospital staff. I¡¯ve never thought of my health much. I got as sick as regr children did and got into the same scrapes as they did. I never gave much thought about how my bruises would fade away so quickly, or about how I never spent a day in the hospital except for a broken limb. Even then, I¡¯ve only had my limbs broken twice, both by idents. I remember now how the doctors remarked about how quickly I healed and called me a good boy for taking care of myself enough to elerate the healing process. Back then I absorbed the praise as if it was precious but did not think about it further. My mother, when she was alive, never seemed fazed about this. Like me, she was quick to heal. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. I ponder more about what Brennan said than the doctors did. I thought I was a lousy fighter and a terrible klutz because ording to all my past experiences I was. I always came home with bruised knees when I was smaller because of how clumsy I was, constantly falling, and constantly making a fool of myself in public. My hand-eye coordination was, to say the least, shitty. I was the worse yer in any ballgame the school I attended hosted. Because of this, when the teams were picked in PE, mine was thest name to be called. So howe Brannan is telling me that my coordination and my reflexes are good? I want to think that he made a mistake, but he¡¯s a clear professional in this regard. How can he make a mistake? The only logical conclusion is that between then and now, my brain and body became more refined. The good health I can scratch off in the name of good genes. It¡¯s not unheard of, otherwise, I would be somewhere in ab being tested, ethics be damned. And the advanced coordination and reflexes? Well, my body finally decided to grow up. I admit, receiving that sort of praise was nice, and I¡¯d go as far as to say that it totally makes it up for running into Aiden. Aiden, who will be attending the same club as me. Unable to concentrate on my work, I move away from the study desk and perch myself on the window. seat right next to the open window. The moon is up tonight, full and silvery, casting beautiful, soothing rays all over the grounds of my father¡¯s estate. Watching the moon had always been calming to me, a good stress reliever when my mind seemed to be a tornado of chaos. Thest few days, or thest month to be precise, had been a headache. I just wish the worst is behind me. I¡¯ve had enough. excitement for a lifetime, and I¡¯m plenty busy with the job at Zelt Tech, school, and boxing. Aiden did not pick a fight with me today, and I decide to take it as something positive. I hope he will continue to ignore me because I like Adrenaline Rush, and I do not want to search for somewhere else. Suddenly, my phone rings. I skim it out of my pants pocket to see who it is before taking it. Coraline. Huh. At this hour? ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hey, Jace. Did I wake you up?¡± ¡°No, no, I was just catching up on some schoolwork,¡± I tuck my legs under my knees, crossing them. ¡°Oh, cool. How was the club by the way? Good?¡± ¡°It was good, but you will never guess who I met there.¡± Silence dawns, and then in a low voice she says, ¡°No!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, yes.¡± ¡°Aiden?!¡± ¡°The one and only.¡± Coraline lets out a cuss that would¡¯ve made a sailor proud. That was another thing that I¡¯vee to notice about her. Whenever she was stressed, Coraline was prone to cussing. ¡°Well, that¡¯s just awesome. Are you going to quit, then?¡± ¡°No,¡± I decide after a brief contemtion, ¡°No, I¡¯m not. The club is good, and the coach is great. It¡¯s exactly the ce I need to hone myself, and I¡¯m not going to tuck my tail and run just because Aiden is there. Besides, he didn¡¯t even look at me. I mean, he noticed me being there, but that was that. Just shot me a re and went on with his day.¡± ¡°That is only wishful thinking when ites to Aiden,¡± Coraline mutters darkly. That is not exactly consoling to hear. So, I decide to change subjects. ¡°So, did you call me to ask about the club?¡± Coraline huffs augh, ¡°Not exactly. I got some news, which bizarrely ties to the subject at hand. Actually, there are two new developments.¡± ¡°Shoot.¡± ¡°First, Aiden¡¯s father has been looking into buying more stocks at Zelt Tech,¡± she reveals, and I immediately feel wary, ¡°I got the information through the corporate grapevine that he¡¯s approached quite a few of our minor shareholders and offered to pay a ludicrous amount of money to buy the stocks from them. Because we¡¯re a fast-developingpany, many of them hadn¡¯t taken him up on the offer.¡± ¡°But some did,¡± I conclude and Coraline sighs. ¡°Yes, some did¡± ¡°Do you think he¡¯s nning to take over thepany by somehow bing the majority shareholder?¡± I ask. ¡°It is a possibility, especially after what we did to his son,¡± Coraline¡¯s voice lowers again, ¡°Who, by the way, is apparently stalking me.¡± My blood runs cold, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw him watching me from a street corner one too many times for it to be a coincidence, no matter how he looks to be otherwise upied all the damn time,¡± she grouses, and I can hear the underline of fear in her voice. ¡°He especially lurks around Zelt Tech, because it¡¯s an easy spot to hang around at, what with all the little cafes and the mall.¡± ¡°Coraline, this sounds serious and really creepy,¡± I reply, feeling concerned for the sake of my friend, ¡°I think you should file aint at the police station. This might escte into something else if we let it fester.¡± ¡°With what evidence, Jace? All I got were glimpses. Besides, it might not be much.¡± ¡°Coraline, he abused you,¡± I point out, and hear her take a deep breath which is exhaled in a sigh. ¡°You have to do something.¡± ¡°If things get more serious, I will,¡± she promises, ¡°I swear I will. I don¡¯t fancy bing a victim of his again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for him at the club,¡± I add, ¡°try to get something out of him.¡± ¡°Be careful, though. He is as vtile, and he is vindictive.¡± ¡°I will,¡± I promise her. Turns out my thoughts were wrong. Aiden was up to something. And so was his father. And something tells me it goes deeper than I can even realize. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 28. Letting go of past is important. Coraline instantly gets up from her seat and embraces me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jace,¡± she says, squeezing me. I let her friendly warmthfort me and wrap my arms around her. I do not like the fact that my mother¡¯s death makes me feel so out of depth. I feel like I¡¯m weak for still getting this emotional over it after so many years. The rational part of my brain understands that losing a parent, especially a parent who entirely raised you is going to be hard, and that kind of wound cannot be healed easily. But the smaller, illogically macho part of me that still reels over the fact Stone managed to send me to the hospital urges me to man up and bottle all my feelings inside. It¡¯s a constant battle to not give into that voice because I¡¯m well-read enough to know bottling up feeling ultimately leads to a nasty climax. So, I force away those feelings and focus on the present, on the tickle of Coraline¡¯s hair on my cheeks, and the pleasant smell of her body wash that still drifts. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± I say, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s sad and all, but I¡¯vee to terms with it. It was a hit-and-run, and the driver of the car didn¡¯t even stop to see if she was okay. She had been crossing the road, you see,¡± I feel the old anger rise, ¡°that bastard left without even slowing down.¡± Coraline breaks away from me to give me a calcting look. ¡°No one even saw the number te?¡± ¡°Nope, no one did. Everyone was too busy trying to help my mother. She was¡­it hadn¡¯t been pleasant. There was a lot of blood.¡± Coraline covers her mouth in her sympathy. ¡°What happened to you afterward?¡± ¡°Well, I was nearly eighteen, so I was given a choice to stay out of the foster system and get emancipated. Mom had a little money saved, and my father was willing to help as soon as I let him.¡± ¡°But you did not let him,¡± she guesses, and I can¡¯t help but huff augh. ¡°I was angry, so angry at everything,¡± I whisper, ¡°so I told him that I wanted nothing to do with him. I could live alone; I could survive alone. I didn¡¯t need his money. Deep down, I med him for not choosing my mother over his wife. I irrationally thought that if we had been a family, mom would¡¯ve never had to move away from him, and thus get killed by the hit and run.¡± I drag a hand over my face, my emotions tumultuous, ¡°I wasn¡¯t in a good headspace, so naturally, I came up with convoluted logic. In my hurt, Ished out all around me.¡± ¡°I remember the funeral,¡± Coraline says, ¡°I didn¡¯t visit because I was out of state at the time. But my mother and father did.¡± ¡°I honestly don¡¯t remember much about it,¡± I confess, ¡°I was under this sort of haze throughout, watching everything as I was underwater. School gave me some time off to get my head straight. It took me a month to gain a semnce of normalcy again.¡± ¡°What did you do afterward? How did you survive?¡± ¡°I made a n. The apartment my mom paid for was too much for me to afford on my own, so I moved to a smaller, more affordable one. Used up some of my mom¡¯s savings until I could find a decent job. It wasn¡¯t easy, the first few days. I was so worried about surviving that I only had two meals per day. But somehow, I found a bnce Had to work two jobs, though I also frenced on the inte, writing academic paperc and such. After I graduated, I applied to a bunch of schools. King¡¯s College was not my choice, but Gerald always called me despite my protests and encouraged me to apply for the schrships there. I did it almost as a joke. I was going to go tomunity college.¡± ¡°But you got the schrship,¡± Coraline provides, ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. Your grades were awesome back then, as I remember.¡± I manage a smile at that, ¡°Thanks. So, yeah. Moved to Empire city, got a job and an apartment, and started college. And then Stone happened, and here we are.¡± ¡°Here we are,¡± she repeats, ¡°why did youe back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I murmur, ¡°maybe I got too tired of running and hiding. It was a particrly bad day when I decided that enough was enough, and I was letting my past anger ruin my life. So I sort of let go.¡± By now it is lunchtime, so Coraline and I decide to take a bit of a break and stretch our legs. We have an adequate cafeteria in Zelt Tech, but there were little cafes and food joints strewn all around, so most of the time we went out to eat. Today, we decided to visit a pizza joint we were both fond of As we wait for our order to arrive and chat amicably. I ask Coraline what happened to her after graduation. ¡°Well, as you are aware, I¡¯m still attending university as well,¡± she says, ¡± got selected to an elerated business studies program at the state university, and it¡¯s going great. I only got one more year to graduate.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I raise my brows, impressed, ¡°and you manage to do this job while also studying for an elerated course?¡± Coraline shrugs with a smile, ¡°I like keeping busy Besides, you¡¯re the same as me ¡± ¡°Not really, my program is a normal bachelor¡¯s degree.¡± I point out, 1 got plenty of downtimepared to you.¡± Then almost hesitantly, I add, ¡°how did Aiden happen?¡± She sighs, ¡°Our college did this joint club fair with a bunch of other schools King¡¯s College was one of them. Aiden was there, and he had the handsome, bad-boy thing going on I¡¯m ashamed to say I fell head over heels almost instantly. At first, he was gracious, smart, funny, and sexy. But then things got rough, and he became aggressive.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. She is interrupted when our food arrived. Coraline was trying out a new topping today, her half of the pizzaprised some sort of mushrooms and meat. I¡¯d opted for good old cheese and pepperoni for mine. With a sigh, Coraline takes a bite out of the pizza slice she picked, and chews. ¡°The first one was after my birthday. We had a party, and I danced with some of my friends. One of these friends was a guy, and he didn¡¯t like it. And then-¡± Her eyes narrow into slits as a blush rises to her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± I assure her, ¡°you don¡¯t have to go into details¡­¡± But she¡¯s shaking her head, her expression distressed. ¡°No, I¡­I¡­something¡­¡± she chokes, and her eyes widen. Her hands fly to her neck, and she begins to gasp for breath. ¡°Coraline, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± I screech, gaining the attention of the pizza joint. Coraline chokes, ¡°ALLERGY!¡± Chapter 29 Chapter 29 29. Is she going to be okay? The paramedics who arrived at the scene manage to stabilize her a bit after asking me and the waiter who served us a rapid slew of questions, and immediately puts her on a stretcher and leads her into the ambnce. ¡°Is she going to be, okay? What happened?¡± I demand, feeling my heart racing in my chest ¡°where are you taking her?!¡± The woman EMT of the pair that came from the ambnce turns to me, holding her hands up. ¡°Sir, you need to calm down. Your friend just had a severe allergic reaction to a spice present in the sauce of the pizza topping she ordered, which is why we took samples of the food to determine what exactly she had a reaction to. We need to take her to the hospital to treat her further.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming with you,¡± I tell her. ¡°Alright, you can follow us. We¡¯re taking her to ndestine General Hospital. However, you better notify ande with her family.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, of course. I will be there, and I¡¯ll call her parents.¡± ¡°Of course, sir, we have to go now.¡± The EMTs get into the ambnce and race away, leaving a bewildered crowd in its wake. As I stand there, trying to wrap my head around what just happened, the cook, the manager, and the waiter of the pizza joint approach me. ¡°We are so sorry for what happened, sir,¡± the manager says, looking downright terrified. ¡°Nothing like this has ever happened here before, and we assure you that the quality of our products is the best-¡± But I wave my hand at me. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. None of you guys. She just had an allergy. It happens, and she didn¡¯t tell you about any allergies she had either.¡± ¡°Nevertheless, sir, we are sorry,¡± the cook joins, looking devastated, ¡°I take pride in making food to the best of my ability, and to have my own creations hurt someone like that¡­¡± ¡°The pizza is on the house, sir,¡± the manager is quick to add, ¡°as well as the drinks. Everything is.¡± ¡°Thank you, but you don¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°We insist sir, it¡¯s the least we could do.¡± ¡°Well, thanks then. And don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t sue you or anything. It¡¯s just an unfortunate ident. I got to go now.¡± ¡°Please notify us about the young miss¡¯s health, if possible,¡± the manager asks, and the waiter nods. ¡°Yeah, man.¡± ¡°I will. If you guys excuse me.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. I race to the Zelt Tech parking lot and find my driver to ask him to take me to the General Hospital. On the way, I call her parents and tell the story shakily, and her mother cries out. I assure them that she was alright to the best of my ability. ¡°We will be at the hospital in moments,¡± her father assures me, ¡°just need to get off work. We¡¯ll be there as soon as possible. Please take care of her until we get there if you can. Coraline speaks highly of you as her friend, and we know that aside from us, you¡¯re the next best thing she got.¡± Their words manage to warm my heart, quelling some of my own panic. By the time we arrive at the hospital, I am in a considerably level-headed state. I walk through the hospital halls until I reach the reception, and approach one of the nurses behind the desk. ¡°Hey,¡± I sh her a smile, ¡°a friend of mine was taken to the ER by an ambnce, she had an allergic reaction, and her parents are on the way. Can I know how her situation is?¡± ¡°Sure, sir, can I know her name?¡± I ry Coraline¡¯s full name and wait for the nurse to look over her records. ¡°Are you family, sir?¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just her friend, and technically her employer. We were having lunch together when she had the allergic reaction.¡± The nurse looks at me with a nervous expression, ¡°Sir, the patient had aplication with her life insurance policy. I can¡¯t ry to you the exact details because of confidentiality issues, but we cannot treat her because of this.¡± My eyebrows climb to my scalp, ¡°what? What kind of aplication is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to liberty to discuss it with your due to legal issues. But we can¡¯t charge her fees because of 1. In fact, no one can until the issue is resolved¡± Anger unlike any other shes in me. That¡¯s absurd. She is clearly hurt, and you¡¯re telling me that you won¡¯t treat her because of what, money?¡± The nurse looks like she would rather be in hell than here, ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but that¡¯s the hospital policy.¡± I want to scream at her, I want to demand she shows my friend somepassion and be humane, but I know that it will be useless. The little ones down thedder like the nurse had no say in these issues. So I rein in my anger and take a deep breath to control my voice. ¡°Fine, then put her under my bill,¡± I reply, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for her charges out of pocket. Or from my insurance policy. Whatever it takes, just treat her.¡± The nurse nods, ¡°yes sir, we can do that.¡± own life I huff and provide all my financial information. Later her parents arrive, and I notify them all about what had happened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Coraline¡¯s life insurance?¡± her mother questions, ¡°we always made sure that she had the best for everything avable. She was under ours when she was young, but then after graduating she got her own one. As far as I know, it was fine. She made all her payments in time too.¡± I shrug, ¡°they won¡¯t tell me anything about it, maybe because I¡¯m not family.¡± ¡°Well, we are her family, so they better tell us,¡± Coraline¡¯s father grouses before both of them march to the nurse and demand to know what is going on with their daughter¡¯s life insurance. The poor nurse, who is starting to look more and more agitated the second, splutters and finally reveals what had happened. ¡°Her life issuance is tied to that of her partner, Aiden Collins, and the paperwork had not beenpleted yet. Neither of them can use the insurance policy until the issue is resolved.¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 30. Confronting Coraline got released a dayter from the hospital. She was extremely disturbed to learn about the situation with her life insurance, as she had not even been aware of something like that happening. ¡°He must¡¯ve forged my signature,¡± she utters in horror, sitting on her hospital bed as doctors fussed around, making sure she was ready to be released, ¡°I do not have any sort of memory about altering my life insurance policy.¡± ¡°You know, that is a crime, right?¡± I ask her, ¡°you need to take this to the police, Coraline.¡± She nods mutely, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must. But first, I need to talk to him.¡± And she looked so damned terrified at the idea that I wanted to find Aiden and strangle him for what he did to her. I could understand her hesitance, but as long as she was afraid of him, he would get the power to control her life even without being her boyfriend. I can¡¯t even imagine how he managed to forge the documents and alter her life insurance without anyone noticing. I have a suspicion that he bribed some people in order to do it. It takes me so much effort to ignore Aiden the next time I attend the Adrenaline Rush club after Coraline¡¯s release. There is nothing I want more than to march over to him and nt one on his smug face, but out of respect for Brennan, I refuse to give into my baser urges. I steer clear of him as much as I could, but Brennan can sense that I¡¯m livid and wrung taut like a bow. ¡°Woah, kid,¡± hements as I instill rapid punches on the sandbag in front of me. ¡°Slow down, would you? Otherwise, you will break your knuckles, and broken knuckles are a pain in the ass.¡± I huff as I slow down on my punches. I feel the pain in my knuckles all right, but the pain fuels my anger, and I don¡¯t want to let the hot rage go. Brennan holds the sandbag until I¡¯ve exhausted all the pent-up anger on it, and copse on the ground on my ass, panting. He calmly crouches next to me and asks, ¡°what¡¯s wrong? I¡¯ve never seen you like this before.¡± ¡°A friend of mine had her psycho ex-boyfriend alter her life insurance policy,¡± I mutter, not naming names in order to keep everyone anonymous. Brennan sucks in a breath. ¡°We found out when she was taken to the hospital after a severe allergic reaction. I¡¯m so fucking mad at that son of a bitch I could march over to him and kill him.¡± Brennan¡¯s brows raise, ¡°normally I would advise against aggression, but that is a pretty shitty thing to do. Hope you got the anger out of your system. At least wrecking the sandbag won¡¯t have legal repercussions like a fistfight.¡± I snort at that and feel a bit of the tension flow out. But then at the end of my session, I see Coraline walk in through the double doors. Immediately, I snap my head at Aiden to see his attentiontch onto her, his eyes gleaming strangely. I rush towards Coraline. ¡°What are you doing here? I hiss before she could even get a word in. Coraline looks surprised, and her brows furrow, ¡°I just came to talk with you about an important matter at Zelt Tech. We have a light issue we need to resolve before the day ends and Gerald told me to meet you at the club so we could get on with it as soon as you¡¯re finished here. Why are you so pressed?¡± ¡°Because Aiden is here,¡± I reply Coraline¡¯s jaw sets. ¡°So what? I¡¯m not going to cower away in fear just because he¡¯s here.¡± It¡¯s funny how she says that when she still won¡¯t go to the police station against him. I open my mouth to ask her to wait outside until I gather my stuff when a voice, I did not want to hear growls behind me. ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Putting myself behind Coraline and the talker, I turn to catch Aiden¡¯s re. Without showing any hesitance, I re back. ¡°None of your business,¡± I snap. He bares his teeth. ¡°Is that so? Tell me, you bug, are you unting our rtionship with the cheating slut around here? Is that what this is?¡± Coraline cries out in protest behind me, pushing me away to show herself. ¡°Fuck you, Aiden. I¡¯m tired of you making me out to be the bad guy here when you¡¯re the one who screwed up our rtionship first. You got no right to speak after what you did to me.¡± ¡°What did I do to you, dear Coraline? Was it leaving you?¡± ¡°Hell, no! And I¡¯m the one who left, you might remember, I¡¯m the one who broke up with you after you dared to touch me outside our house!¡± ¡°Is that why you¡¯re settling down for that rat bastard over there? Because you want to get back at me for what I did?¡± Aiden demands. By now, Brennan had noticed the confrontation. He narrows his eyes and starts to walk towards us. ¡°Coraline,¡± I warn my friend, ¡°we¡¯re causing a scene here.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. But Coraline has not finished saying her piece. ¡°Jace and I are nothing like you and me,¡± she spits. ¡°Even if we are lovers, it¡¯s none of your goddamned business.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter here?¡± Brannan asks. ¡°Nothing, coach. We¡¯re just having a conversation,¡± Aiden provides with a sadistic smile, ¡°I was going to leave anyway.¡± Coraline ignores us all and demands, ¡°What the hell did you do to my life insurance, Aiden? You altered it without my permission and forged the documents with my signature. I only realized at the hospital.¡± Aiden¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Caught on that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Coraline looks like she might burst at her seams, ¡°Undo it,¡± she orders, ¡°give me back my original policy, damn you!¡± ¡°Hmm, how about no? Now, if you excuse me, I have ces to be. Can¡¯t waste my time on the likes of you.¡± He brushes past her as she splutters in her indignation. Without a care for the world, he saunters towards the door. And something in me snaps. I start tounch myself at him, but Brennan¡¯s arms hold me back, ¡°Jace, Jace, stop,e on, it¡¯s not worth it.¡± Aiden turns and shes me a cocky smile. ¡°Getting feisty there, cockroach?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± Coraline questions. Aiden tilts her head, ¡°Oh, honey,¡± he grins, ¡°I haven¡¯t even started yet.¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 31. 31. We all feel empty at times. The incident at the club has me shaken, and Coraline fumes throughout our meeting. We don¡¯t really get any work done as we sit around the table back at my office. She is adamant about pursuing him once again, and I try my best to change her mind. ¡°Get awyer and take him to court,¡± I tell her, ¡°You saw how demeaning he was. He brushed you off without even thinking. Do you honestly think that he would listen to you again?¡± ¡°He has to. This is illegal!¡± ¡°And he somehow managed to do it in the first ce.¡± I point out, followed by a sigh. ¡°Look, Coraline, I understand you not wanting to havew enforcement entangled in this. It will be much moreplicated.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never gotten a police record in my life,¡± Coraline whispers. ¡°I just don¡¯t want my name to be tarnished like that.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be any tarnishing, because you¡¯re not the criminal here. You¡¯re the victim ¡°I soften my voice, ¡°and no matter what happens, you¡¯ll have my support. Zelt Tech got some pretty good lawyers. We can handle it all.¡± She eshoots me a small smile. ¡°But what if this causes a massive fallout between Greyson Consolidated. and the Collins Group? You know how cases like this spiral out.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not an employee at Zelt Tech,¡± I remind her ¡°You¡¯re my employee. Although you work at Zelt Tech, you¡¯re not on their payroll. You¡¯re separate from Greyson Consolidated. So, if you decide to do this and have legal counsel without your ownwyers, you will be taking on thewyers at Zelt Tech privately. Gerald and I will facilitate that. And Aiden won¡¯t have his father¡¯spany be dragged into his, something tells me that his father wouldn¡¯t jeopardize the name of thepany when it is so focused on expanding at the moment. Besides we can also request the whole affair to be private.¡± Coraline nods, ¡°I will think about it, Jace. I really will. First thing tomorrow I¡¯ll contact my life insurance. policy provider and see if we can resolve this without legal action. If that isn¡¯t possible, well, there is no other choice than to go to the courts.¡± Coraline nods. I¡¯m fully aware that Coraline doesn¡¯t need me to tell these things to her, she¡¯s brilliant enough to know them herself. But she is also reserved and needs a little nudge in the right direction. With her parents being unaware of her circumstances other than the minimal information, and her other friends being entirely oblivious to her real life, she oftenes to me to speak. I find this gratifying all while recognizing the weight of the responsibility. I¡¯ve never had such a friend before, and even if her problems are this serious, it was nice to be the person she relies on. We part ways after wrapping up our business at Zelt Tech, and as I shower and get ready for a night of studying, my mind wanders back to what happened in the evening. Brennan had not been mad at me about what happened, because there hadn¡¯t been an actual fight, but he was disappointed. He did not like such aggression in his club, and I understood his concern. I hated aggression as well. So, I pull out my phone and dial Brennan¡¯s personal number. After two rings he answers. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hello, Brennan, this is Jace from the club.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± he replies, ¡°hey, Jace, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I just wanted to talk about this evening.¡± I hear him sigh on the other side, ¡°I understand that we brought our private business into the club and ruined the entire mood. I¡¯m really sorry for that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Jace, I mean, I could¡¯ve done without it, but I know it¡¯s not your fault. Although I have to ask, what was that? I didn¡¯t realize that you and Aiden were not on friendly terms. You never even looked at each other prior to this evening.¡± This time, I sigh, ¡°It¡¯s all connected to my friend, Coraline. I don¡¯t know if it is my ce to reveal the details, but Coraline and Aiden have some history, and they aren¡¯t on the friendliest of terms with one another.¡± Brennan snorts at that. ¡°I heard what he said to you, Jace, you don¡¯t have to omit any details. I got an idea about their history together. I didn¡¯t realize that Aiden had hurt your friend like that.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t either until recently. Had I known Coraline would drop in at the club, I would¡¯ve stopped her.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no sweat, Jace Things happen.¡± ¡°But what if this isn¡¯t a one-time deal? Aiden is a long-standing member of the club, he¡¯d been there more. than I have.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say, Jace? That you want to quit? His voice sounds incredulous. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s for the best, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°No, of course, I don¡¯t,¡± he retorts, sounding impatient, ¡°you¡¯re just getting the hang of it, and you¡¯re learning fast. You have great potential, and I hate to see you go. Especially over something like this.¡± ¡°But what if Aidenes at me again? It will negatively affect your business, Brennan. The club is your livelihood. I would hate to do anything to jeopardize that?¡± ¡°Hang on, I got an email,¡± abruptly, Brennan changes the subject. From the other end of the phone call, I could hear him tapping on a keyboard. ¡°Huh,¡± Brennan mutters, ¡°well, what do you know about that?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Aiden just quit the club,¡± surprising me, Brennan reveals, ¡°I just got his email. It¡¯s all formal and cites personal reasons. He says he¡¯s going to find somewhere else. Well, that is a shame. The boy may have had his issues, but he was a damn good fighter.¡± ¡°Oh, man, we¡¯re making everything worse,¡± I shake my head unhappily, ¡°what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to call him and try to convince him to stay, but the way this email is worded, I don¡¯t think that will be a possibility. But it¡¯s a professional courtesy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Come to the club next week, Jace. You won¡¯t have to be ufortable here anymore.¡± ¡°I guess so, coach. I will see you, then.¡± ¡°See you too, kid. Good night.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± Ending the call, I turn to the window and stare at the full moon once again, letting her cool rays bring mefort. What a trying day had it been. And what a strange twist to end it with. I watch the moon in an almost trance-like state, not wanting to think about it. My head feels heavy from all the thoughts I don¡¯tMaterial ? N?velDrama.Org. know if I will even sleep peacefully tonight. Suddenly, sitting in my room in the massive house, I feel so alone. The urge to go out of my room and try to find my father is strong and strange. I haven¡¯t wanted to search him out like this since I was a small child longing for his father. But I know that he won¡¯t be home, he rarely is My father might not be avable, but Gerald is. I can¡¯t dissuade the urge to call Gerald, so without even thinking, I find myself taking my phone again. Gerald¡¯s phone rings and rings. But no one answers. For some reason, this makes me feel worse than before. I never feel the need to call Coraline, but I¡¯m too submerged in feelings of self-pity to notice. So, I keep the phone in front of me and listen to it ringing under the moon, and a distant part of me wonders about the moon. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 32. Agenda? N?velDrama.Org owns all content. When I meet him the next morning so he could give me a ride to school, Gerald profusely apologizes for not taking my calls. ¡°I am really sorry, Jace. I left my phone at the office before going home and missed a bunch of calls, along with yours. Are you okay? Did something happen? Was there an emergency?¡± I blush at his questions. My idiotic actions had left him worried about me, and that was thest thing I wanted to do. ¡°No, Gerald, no, there were no issues. I just wanted to have some conversation,¡± I scuff the floor with my feet, feeling mortified. But I somehow spit out the next part of the exnation, ¡°Just wanted some companionship, I guess. You know how the house is at night.¡± Gerald¡¯s eyes soften with something akin to parental concern. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jace,¡± he mutters, but I brush it off. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I was just a bit shaken from what happened that evening, which, by the way, I need to notify you about.¡± That does the trick as Gerald sits ramrod straight, his eyes focused. I tell him all about the incident that happened in the evening, and the email Brennan had gotten at night. ¡°I see,¡± he murmurs after I finish the report, ¡°this Aiden fellow is starting to be a problem.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I agree. ¡°But unfortunately, a problem we can¡¯t get rid of soon, what with his father trying to take over Zelt Tech and all.¡± Gerald nods unhappily, ¡°I can¡¯t help but think they have some sort of an agenda behind whatever they are trying to do, you know, apart from the most obvious motive, which is expanding theirpany interests. But I just cannot pinpoint what it is.¡± I nod, ¡°I get that feeling too.¡± Two days passed without an incident. Coraline still had note to a conclusion from her talks with her insurance provider, and Aiden was refusing to change anything from the policy. In fact, it was like he¡¯d totally gone off the grid. He was absent from school, and I heard that the school board was not pleased with his behavior. Brennan had not even heard from him, in fact, he couldn¡¯t even call the phone number he was given. For a moment after hearing it, I was worried for Coraline. The new developments were unsettling, and I wondered if she was secure enough. Aiden had not hesitated to put her hands on her once, who is to say that he won¡¯t do it again? Two days after the incident at the Adrenaline Rush, I exit hall number seven at King¡¯s College after finishing myst lecture for the day, too busypartmentalizing everything I learned today and going through the work! had toplete before tomorrow, as well as the assignments, that I nearly missed Gerald who was standing next to my car. ¡°Hey, Gerald,¡± I greet him as I approach him, and stop when I notice his expression. His lips are pursed and his skin is pale, and his hands are sped tightly behind his back, which is ramrod straight. I could feel the tension buzzing off of him, ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°There had been an incident.¡± he inhales harshly and adds in a tense voice. ¡°We should get inside. I don¡¯t want anyone to hear us¡± ¡°Okay, sure,¡± we get into the car, and Gerald locks the doors. I look at him apprehensively. ¡°An incident, Gerald? What kind of an incident? Corporate?¡± I question, crossing my arms. I do not have a good feeling about this, whatever it is. ¡°No, not quite,¡± Gerald looks me straight in the eye before delivering the news. ¡°Three of Zelt Tech employees had been gunned down.¡± I suck in a breath, stunned. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Yes. It happened near the Zelt Tech building They¡¯d juste outside when a vehicle had driver past them, and the window opened to reveal a gunman He fired away at them.¡± I feel like I can¡¯t breathe Someone shot Zelt Tech employees just outside of Zelt Tech How could this happen? I never¡­I never thought such things would happen at Zelt Tech We were a smallpany that madeputer chips for god¡¯s sake Why would anyone target our employees? ¡°Are they alive?¡± I question, voice shaking ¡°Yes, they are, fortunately Although one is still in the ER, in aa which the doctor says he will wake up from soon They were shot in their limbs and torso The other two only have flesh wounds¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Gomez from ounting. Bethany from IT, and Tanaka from HR.¡± ¡°Crap,¡± I utter, feeling devastated at the attack, we need to go to the hospital immediately to see them.¡± ¡°Yes, we are on our way Hopefully, we can get in before visiting hours end.¡± ¡°This is crazy. Shooting at our employees? Why? ¡°I do not know, Jace. I¡¯m confused as we are. If it was another one of your father¡¯spanies, I¡¯d say that some pissed-off businessman whose deal went wrong was behind it. But this is Zelt Tech and Zelt Tech. is not old enough to make such enemies.¡± ¡°So, this had happened before to my father¡¯s employees?¡± ¡°Not exactly shooting, but well, there have been instances where harm was done. Most of them were cyberattacks and doxing though. About five years ago, one of your father¡¯s managers got kidnapped for ransom. But other than that, most of them are minor.¡± ¡°Nothing involving a shootout.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± We travel in silence for a while. I listlessly watch as the driver maneuvers the car to the expressway connecting Empire city to ndestine city. ¡°What did the police say?¡± I ask, turning to him, do they have any suspects?¡± ¡°Apparently this was not the only shootout that happened in the Empire city recently,¡± Gerald provides, ¡°it is, in fact, the second one for this month. The police are sensing a pattern.¡± ¡°A pattern?¡± ¡°It seems like a crime syndicate has been formed,¡± he reveals, ¡°And ndestine city just might be in the center of it.¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 33. Detectives. We managed to make it to the hospital to visit the victims within visitor hours. The employees were pretty shocked, and I couldn¡¯t fault them for that Gomez was still in the ER, but the doctors said that he was in a medically induceda from which he would be waking up soon, to our immense relief I promised the employees that they will bepensated for this damage, and their hospital bills will be charged by the company. They will also be getting paid leave for however long they needed to heal. The employees were thankful for this, which made me a bit ufortable. I was more than aware of the inhuman nature of corporate when it came to sick leaves and wages, but Zelt Tech wasn¡¯t like them. Well, it might have been before, but not anymore. Not as long as I had a say in it. After visiting the victims of the shootout, I get a call from Coraline. ¡°Hey, Coraline, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Jace. Are you at the hospital? Gerald said that he¡¯ll take you to visit the victims of the shootout. My god, I still can¡¯t believe that happened.¡± The concern is clear in her voice, along with urgency. ¡°Me neither, honestly. And yes, Gerald took me. In fact, we just came out of the hospital.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, because there are two policemen here-well, a policeman and a policewoman, and they want to get a statement from you and Gerald,¡± I stop short at that and shoot Gerald a nce. Gerald is on his own phone, and I have a feeling that he¡¯s getting the same news as I am. ¡°Why do they want us to give a statement? We weren¡¯t even there at the crime scene.¡± ¡°I think they just want to cover all the bases. After all, the three victims are all Zelt Tech employees.¡± ¡°Right,¡± I sigh. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve had a meeting with police officers. I¡¯ve spoken with them plenty when my mother had been killed, and those discussions often ended in heartbreak. Suffice it to say, I was not a fan of the police. And yes, I do realize that my opinion is heavily based. ¡°So, you two better get down here soon. They seem restless here, and the people are starting to notice.¡± ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll be right there.¡± I end the call and turn to Gerald, ¡°Do you think they believe us to be suspects?¡± Gerald shakes his head. ¡°That would be illogical. Why would we shoot our own employees? And it¡¯s not like the three victims held positions of much importance. They were regr employees, not even department heads.¡± ¡°Hmm. Well, let¡¯s go and get it over with, then.¡± It only takes a few minutes to make it to Zelt Tech, and sure enough, there are two officers waiting right in front of the door that leads to Gerald¡¯s office. They are both tall and severe looking, a Latina woman with her hair in a tight bun, and a pale man with curly red hair. They¡¯re dressed in the civies under their department jackets which boast their positions as detectives, and their badges hang on a chain around their necks As soon as we step out of the elevator their eyestch on to us Gerald precedes me to greet them. ¡°Good evening detectives. My name is Gerald Manson, and I am the CEO of Zelt Technologies,¡± he offers them his hand, and the Latina detective takes it first. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr Mason, I¡¯m Detective nco and this is my partner, Detective Coulson.¡± ¡°Hello, Gerald shakes hands with Detective Coulson before turning to introduce me, ¡°this is our ¡°Mr. Greyson,¡± I shake hands with both the detectives as well while murmuring pleasantries. After letting go, they both give me appraising looks, ¡°any rtion to Joseph Greyson?¡± ¡°He is my father,¡± I confess, and watch them exchange nces. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we didn¡¯t realize Mr. Greyson had a son.¡± My father¡¯s name was pretty popr around these parts, so I can understand their surprise at not knowing my name. ¡°It¡¯s not public knowledge,¡± I give them a smile, ¡°so, detectives, may I ask what you¡¯re here for?¡± ¡°Of course. I believe you are both aware of the shootings that took ce yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, we are.¡± ¡°Well, we are getting statements and asking questions from everyone rted to the incident, including the victims¡¯ families. And judging by how all three of them were Zelt Tech employees, we have to wonder if they have been targeted due to their employer.¡± Detective Coulson provides. ¡°I see. While you¡¯re certainly allowed to have your suspicions, I don¡¯t personally believe that anyone got it out for Zelt Tech. Quite frankly, we haven¡¯t been around much to make enemies.¡± Gerald replies ¡°We¡¯re really new,¡± I add, ¡°and we haven¡¯t had any hostile encounters before. I mean, sure there were fallouts, but nothing to warrant actions like this ¡°I see,¡± Detective ncoments, ¡°well, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get to investigating. If you gentlemen please,¡± she gestures at Gerald¡¯s office, and after murmuring words of assent we all file in. Detective Coulson takes to question Gerald and Detective nco turns to me She stares at me for a few seconds across the table, as if she is sizing me up, and begins to ask me questions. ¡°Where were you when the incident urredst evening at around 7.46 pm?¡± ¡°By then I had gone home after a workday at Zelt Tech. If my memory serves me correctly, at that exact moment, I was in the shower.¡± ¡°Oh? Are you usually this aware of the time?¡± ¡°Not really. But yesterday I was because I had a virtual meeting to take at around eight, so I was checking. the time constantly.¡± ¡°I see. When did you hear about the shooting?¡± ¡°This afternoon. Gerald came to pick me up from campus, and he told me then.¡± ¡°Campus? You¡¯re still schooling?¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Detective nco nods. She asks me more questions, about what I did after receiving the news, how I felt, how the victims were and if I had any suspicions myself. And then she moves on to the most important question. ¡°Mr. Greyson, do you have enemies?¡± Well, how am I supposed to answer this? ¡°It¡¯s aplex question,¡± I admit. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. An eyebrow moves up. ¡°Can you rify?¡± I can¡¯t help but give her a ruefui smile. ¡°Well, this is going to take some time.¡± Chapter 34 Chapter 34 34. Confession. Telling the detective about Stone and his gang is easy because it is purely my own story to tell. I got nothing to hide in that regard. So, I go in-depth about the harassment, the prank, the assault, and the subsequent expulsion. Detective nco pulls a notebook from her pocket in the meantime and jots down notes from my statement, nodding her head lightly. ¡°Do you think that Stone is somehow rted to the shootout?¡±- I shake my head. ¡°No, of course, not. One, Stone is a bully, not a killer. He might be an asshole, but his family isn¡¯t into such activities. They¡¯d rather go to the media and nder you than shoot your employees.¡± The detective nods again. ¡°So, who else are your enemies, Mr. Greyson? I have to admit, for someone so young you seem to have a lot.¡± I quirk my lips at the irony. ¡°Not a lot. Just Stone and his gang, and this one guy who¡¯s got it out for me for a reason I cannot fathom.¡± ¡°Who is this guy?¡± ¡°His name is Aiden Collins,¡± I reply, ¡°and honestly, much of this story is not mine to tell.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t allow that, Mr. Greyson. We are going to need the full story in order to perform our best in the investigation. I will assure you that the information will not be misused in any form.¡± I nod at her honest tone. ¡°Well, it started out when I was invited to a dinner at a restaurant for a high. school reunion¡­¡± And so, I tell her the whole story from start to finish, and of course, that includes Aiden¡¯s conduct with. Coraline, his abusing her in the past, his attempt at altering her life insurance n, his conduct at the Adrenaline Rush, and everything else. ¡°This one does sound serious, Mr. Greyson,¡± Detective ncoments, ¡°I assume the Coraline you speak of is your assistant.¡± I nod. ¡°And despite his insistence, you¡¯re not engaged in a romantic rtionship with her?¡± ¡°Nope. We¡¯re really good friends, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Right. After his departure from Adrenaline Rush, did you meet him again?¡± ¡°Fortunately, no. But that is strange in and out of itself.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well, this is going to sound really suspicious,¡± I remark, ¡°but ever since then, he had not even been attending university. None of his friends had seen him either. The coach at Adrenaline Rush, Brennan. tried to call him to ask him about quitting the club, but he couldn¡¯t reach him.¡± ¡°That is strange indeed. And yes, very suspicious.¡± Her brows furrow as she contemtes. ¡°Was Aiden aware of your connection to your father?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say that for sure,¡± I reply, ¡°from the things he said to me, I am under the impression that he didn¡¯t. Otherwise, he won¡¯t make fun of my supposed poverty. ¡°Does your friend Coraline wish to get legal attention for her insurance policy alteration?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Coraline¡¯s decision to make,¡± I reply with a shrug, ¡°she is in contact with her insurance providers and working to find apromise without taking the matters to the next level. We¡¯ll see what happens. after that.¡± ¡°Right. So, Aiden dislikes you because he thinks Coraline cheated on him with you while she was engaged in a rtionship with him, and now thinks you stole his girlfriend? And of course, he dislikes you for hailing from a lower-ss background as well.¡± ¡°Essentially, yes. But I have a feeling that there¡¯s something more. Just a feeling, I can¡¯t even verbalize it correctly. Do you ever have this gut feeling that something is wrong, detective? Like a premonition of sorts.¡± Detective nco quirks her lips into a grim smile, ¡°I may have felt something like that before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that, a gut feeling.¡± ¡°Well, Mr. Greyson, I guess that¡¯s everything for now,¡± Detective nco stands, and I follow suit, ¡°We will consider everything you and Mr. Mason told us and try to find out who did this.¡± ¡°Gerald mentioned that you suspect an alleged local crime syndicate?¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°They are a suspicion, yes, but with the new information we acquired, the suspect pool just got bigger.¡± I try not to grimace at this. Thest thing I want was for Stone, hisckeys, and frickin Aiden toe down on me at once because I got them roped into a police investigation God, I could imagine Stone¡¯s father¡¯s rage at the mere aspect. The detectives wait to take a statement from Coraline as well regarding Aiden and leaves the premises, promising to be in touch in case any new developments urred. As soon as they left, Coraline turns to me. ¡°Crap,¡± she murmurs, ¡°do you think it was Aiden? Like, if it¡¯s some sort of fucked up scheme to get revenge on us by targeting the employees.¡± ¡°I honestly doubt it, but then again, Aiden is a different kind of psycho.¡± ¡°I do not believe his father would allow him to do anything of the sort,¡± Gerald adds as he approached us, arms crossed in front of us. ¡°Did they ask you about any enemies you have?¡± I ask him. Gerald¡¯s hands tighten over in front of him, and his eyes look far away, ¡°Gerald Manson doesn¡¯t have any enemies.¡± ¡°Why are you referring to yourself in the third person all of the sudden?¡± I question, smiling at the sudden. quirk. But Gerald is sober as he says. ¡°You two better go home for the day. There¡¯s nothing here I can¡¯t handle. This has been particrly taxing.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Coraline and I bid our goodbyes to Gerald and exit the building. I ask Coraline if I can give her a lift, and she nods gratefully. ¡°I just don¡¯t feel all that safe after the shooting.¡± she whispers. ¡°Good thing I¡¯m living with my parents. I don¡¯t think I will be able to be alone tonight.¡± I give her a hug to soothe her, and she melts into my arms instantly. She¡¯s not crying, but a shudder wrecks through her body. I can understand her fear. I feel something akin to it as well. ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal,¡± I reply ¡°Until this gets sorted out, let¡¯s have each other¡¯s numbers as emergency contacts in case something goes south, in case it¡¯s really Aiden. And it doesn¡¯t even have to be an emergency. If you see anything suspicious, call me. I¡¯m always open to talk as well.¡± ¡°You too, Jace,¡± she breaks away from me, ¡°1 really hope it isn¡¯t Aiden. Because I don¡¯t think I will be able to live with the fact that I dated a cold-blooded killer Chapter 35 Chapter 35 35. Opportunity On Thursday, I do not have any lectures, which means that is a workday. I meet Coraline at Zelt Tech early in the morning, and we embark on our workday. Our schedule is tedious. today, we need to visit external supplying stations, the factory, or chips all while working on paperwork, various reports, and attending meetings with the executive board. Executive meetings are not my favorite as I always feel like the dumbest person on the when I was in thepany of others, more. experienced and mature individuals, although I understand their necessity. I don¡¯t feel as much of a fish out of the water as I did when I began this COO gig. Those early days were hard because I did not have the experience. I knew the theories, of course, but when it came to practice, I was basically a big baby. I did not have the opportunity to learn while being at the bottom of the corporatedder and most people. I didn¡¯t have the experience of working with my father from a young age. Coraline was a great help, as she had more experience than I did. So was Gerald, but he had his own job. to do and couldn¡¯t babysit me constantly. Thepany is still in a state of shock after the shootout. We try to assure the employees of their safety to the best of our ability, but it is pretty hard when the criminals responsible for the shooting were still roaming free. There were already resignation lettersing in from terrified employees who would rather leave their job than die for the job. How can I me them? I would¡¯ve done the same thing in their position. The executive meeting isrgely centered on this topic. In the end, we decide to give the employees a light pay raise and some bonuses in order to keep them from leaving the position and to give more benefits to the newly recruited. We also decide to hire more security and send warnings to the employees to be mindful of their own safety. Everyone hopes the situation will improve soon. So far, we haven¡¯t gotten a favorable word from the detectives, but we hold on to hope. ¡°Man, that was exhausting,¡± Coraline grumbles as we return to the office after a particrly stressful trip to the factory, ¡°I thought I was going to faint from the heat. Why did the manager insist on giving us a tour?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a professional courtesy, I guess. It is, after all the first time I visited the ce,¡± I pointed out, ¡°besides it was cool. I liked seeing the chips being made. It was enlightening.¡± ¡°Good for you then,¡± she chuckles and pulls an iPad towards her. She frowns at the screen, ¡°well, all our trips areplete. Now we just have to catch up on all the paperwork.¡± ¡°Oh, goodie.¡± ¡°And then we got to create some reports based off the monthly analytics,¡± she goes on, ¡°and Gerald sent. an email saying that some local news stations are trying to get hold of us. There¡¯s a possibility of an interview or at least a press statement on the horizon. It¡¯s a miracle they even waited this long before hounding us.¡± ¡°Did the detectives call?¡± I question, dragging my own workptop towards me. Sure enough, there were dozens of emails containing the analytics in my inbox. Coraline shakes her head, ¡°They did call me to ask if I had seen Aiden ever since the incident at the club.¡± ¡°Have you?¡± ¡°No. You would be the first person to know if I had, Jace,¡± she takes a shuddering breath, ¡°I thought I would be the happiest the day Aiden disappeared from my life for good. But now it feels like the opposite. I¡¯m horribly paranoid. I feel like I¡¯m waiting for him to pop from the street corner when I walk home with at gun or something.¡± I reach over the table to capture her clenched fist and give it a reassuring squeeze. She looks at me, eyes dark from emotion. ¡°We¡¯ll survive this,¡± I promise her, ¡°just you wait. I hope it¡¯s not Aiden who is responsible for the shootings. If he is, then the police would get to him.¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t believe thest part all that much. But I hope it is the truth. I hope that the oue of this would be the opposite of the oue of the investigation into my mother¡¯s death. We work on the reports until it¡¯s time for lunch. We have an agreement, Coraline and I, that we won¡¯t talk. about work or Aiden or anything of that caliber while we were taking meals together. We didn¡¯t want to get depressed, and these topics were prone to induce such feelings. Instead, Coraline speaks of her olden days in the cheer squad, and I regale to her tales from my days as a waiter at various restaurants. When we return to the office after lunch and get reacquainted with our work devices, we see that there is an email waiting for us, which is marked as very important, and from Gerald personally. Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. ¡°Wonder what this is about,¡± I murmur to Coraline as I click on it, and she leans over my shoulder to read with me rather than ess it from her own device. Noints for me on that one. During the past. few days, I have realized that I quite liked having her close by. In a non-creepy way. I hope it¡¯s not. Am I being a creep? ¡°A new client?¡± Coraline questions after reading the whole thing, ¡°that¡¯s good news. Gerald was concerned that we might lose clients after the shootout.¡± ¡°The client has a lot of potential to help with the growth of Zelt Tech,¡± I note, searching the name mentioned in the email on a sidebar. The client has a household name in these parts of the world. ¡°Well, then we got to try our best to entice him to take us on,¡± Coraline grins. She loves this part of the job, it¡¯s where she shines the most. A natural saleswoman, she is. We finish up with the reports and spend the rest of the day prepping for the meeting, which would happen. over dinner. And by the time the actual dinner arrives, we have all our weapons locked and loaded in our arsenal. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 36. What¡¯s wrong? When we leave the restaurant after our meeting, we have scored a client. ¡°Woo hoo!¡± Coraline whoops while pumping a fist in the air, grinning widely, ¡°that¡¯s one in for team COO.¡± ¡°Wait, we got a team name?¡± I ask, amused. We walk down the sidewalk to where our car is parked from the restaurant. There is a spring to Caroline¡¯s step, and she looks downright radiant. It had been a while since I saw her this happy. No, scratch that, I do not think I¡¯ve ever seen her this happy. And it looks really, really good on her. ¡°Hell yeah, we got a team name. We make a good team, and good teams need team names,¡± she replies in a no-nonsense tone, and I can¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I think I agree with the sentiment,¡± I shoved my hands into my pockets, letting myself rx, ¡°Gerald is going to be pleased. Finally, some good news¡± ¡°Yep.¡± We walked a few yards in silence, enjoying the cool air of the night and the moving vehicles Distantly, music was ying from another restaurant that was fancier than the one we were at People chattered away as they walked, going on with their days I turn to say something to Coraline but notice that she isn¡¯t next to me Startled, I look back to see her standing near a wall, staring at it There is something written on the wall, surely graffiti, with white and light red paint Coraline squints at it. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask. She¡¯s only a few paces away from me. ¡°This sentence,¡± she mutters, her eyes tracing the letters I look at it closely. With all the curls, it¡¯s hard to read but I can make out the words. ¡°I will turn her virtue into pitch,¡± I read, and nce at Coraline, ¡°what does that mean?¡± ¡°It is a quote,¡± she replies, her eyes narrowing. I¡¯ve heard it before Somewhere, I don¡¯t remember¡­¡± Suddenly, the hairs on my neck stand up. Something in the air changes, and all my thoughts leave my mind. All but one. ¡°Run!¡± It all happens so fast. The screech of tires is loud, making everyone on the sidewalks and the street stare at the speeding vehicle which just turned the corner. The window rolls down. Something shiny shes. It looks metallic. Loud sounds ring in the air. People start to scream. I lunge at Caroline. The car speeds away. Caroline crumples to the ground. There is a scream lodged in my throat as i sink to my knees next to her. Her white shirt is still white. But there is a pool of blood around her. Growing steadily in radius. Her frightened eyes hold mine. And then she falls, her head hitting the hard ground. This time I ride the ambnce to the Northeastern General Hospital, which is closer to us than ndestine General, so the paramedics take her there. They do not question me when I tell them that I need to be with them, they see that I am in too much shock to leave me there all by myself. I do not even remember the aftermath of the whole incident. All I remember are people screaming and running for their lives, while some approached Coraline and me to help us. Then the ambnce arrives, and the paramedics administered a tourniquet to Coraline¡¯s leg because she was shot in her thigh. Her thigh. She was shot. Just like those previous Zelt Tech employees. Right there on the sidewalk with hundreds of people milling along.. It was only moments ago that we wereughing and walking merrily down the street, celebrating our victory. And now we are in an ambnce. Her, unconscious with an IV hooked to her wrist while the paramedics did their best to lessen the blood loss. There were already so many bandages soaked with her blood, crimson and bright, the oxidizing smell already permeating the air. Her face is ashen, her mouth twisted in agony, and her skirt is bloodied as well. Her hand in mine is so ufortably cold. I cannot believe it. I cannot believe this is happening right now. The journey to the hospital is a blur. The paramedics pry me off her when we reach the hospital and transfer her to a stretcher. I hold on to the railing of the trolley as they ce the stretcher on it and help. them wheel her to the emergency unit. The doctors intercept her, and they take her into surgery. A worker from the hospital arrives to ask me to fill out the information about the patient. Through the haze of my mind, Inguidly make my way to the reception. And that¡¯s when the problems begin. ¡°Sir, there is a problem with the patient¡¯s life insurance.¡± The nurse tells me, and I can¡¯t help the groan that escapes my mouth. ¡°Yes, yes, there is an issue. It¡¯s a reallyplicated thing, okay, and she¡¯s working with thepany to solve it.¡± I reply with a sigh, ¡°you can call herpany if you want.¡± ¡°We have already called thepany, sir. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you that we can¡¯t treat the patient any further.¡± That brings me right out of the haze. ¡°What?!¡± I snap. The nurse shrugs, ¡°hospital rules. We try to steer clear of cases like the patient. Can¡¯t get entangled in legal disputes.¡± ¡°Have I woken up in the twilight zone or are you hospitals going insane? What happened to the Hippocratic oath? You¡¯re supposed to heal people, dammit, not turn them away when they don¡¯t have every stupid thing you want!¡± I m my fists on the circr desk thing in front of her, and she shoots me a dirty look. I feel anger rush through me, ¡°i watched my friend get shot and nearly bleed to death, miss. So, I suggest that you find any sort of loophole to treat her. What kind of a barbarian hospital are you to ?? have thesews?¡± The nurse narrows her eyes at me, ¡°I am sorry, sir,¡± she spits the ¡®sir¡¯ as if the word is poisonous, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid it isn¡¯t possible.¡± Chapter 37 Chapter 37 37. Why people are so judgmental? I¡¯ve never wanted to strangle someone so badly. By now the other nurses in the reception are also paying their attention to us, and most of them had varying expressions on their faces. Some looked pissed off while others looked sympathetic. But none of them came forward to rectify the nurse who was talking to me. Her name tag reads ra. ¡°Fine, then,¡± I grow!, ¡°I will pay for everything. Add all the charges to my ount. I¡¯ll give you all the information.¡± The nurse¡¯s mouth quirks downwards, and she gives me a distasteful look. For a split second, I wonder. what I must look like. Somehow, I¡¯d lost my jacket, and the light blue shirt that I wore underneath was covered with blood and grime. My hands are covered with blood as well, drying in the temperature of the room. My hair is disheveled from the wind and running my fingers through it. My expression must be close to insane. I don¡¯t even want to think about the state of my pants and shoes. I really need to take a shower to even gain a semnce of normalcy and sanity. But that is no reason for her to judge me the way she is clearly doing. ra seems to be awfully judgmental. ¡°Forgive me, sir,¡± she says in a tone that does not feel forgivable, ¡°but I have some reservations. Perhaps. it would be better if we wait for the patient¡¯s parents to arrive before going on further. You do not seem to be the soundest person to make decisions on behalf of the patient, given your situation.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re clearly shocked. Perhaps you should sit down?¡± ¡°No!¡± I reply, trying my hardest to keep my cool, ¡°I will not be sitting down anytime soon, nurse ra. Please put my name down to be charged for Coraline¡¯s hospital bills. It should not be so damn hard.¡± ¡°Sir, if you insist on making a scene, I might need to call security. You are not the patient¡¯s family or legal guardian to make decisions on her behalf.¡± ¡°I¡¯m her boss!¡± ra¡¯s eyebrows rise to her scalp, ¡°somehow, I doubt that.¡± I see red at that and take a step towards her. I do not mean to attack her, more so to discuss this issue with her more thoroughly. I will never let myself stoop low enough to beat a woman. But I see a warning sign go off in her eyes, and she purses her lips before pressing a red colored button on her desk. Then she talks to the microphone in front of her. ¡°Security, there is a threatening man at the reception table. Pleasee and escort him out!¡± ¡°What? I was not threatening you! What the hell, I just want to save my friend, let go of me!¡± The security guards appear almost out of thin air and clutch me by the arms. They drag me out of the hospital, even when I try toply with them. As we near the main entrance, they push me out, disregarding my previously stated ¡®shock¡±. What kind of a hospital is this? Was it specifically built to cater douchebags? And to think that I once thought this was a good, humane organization. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll fucking show you,¡± I growl to myself and fish out my phone from my pocket and angrily punch at number in my contacts, which added about twelve days ago at the insistent of one of my father¡¯s dinner guests who struck a conversation with throughout the boringly formal affair. After a few rings, the contact takes the call. ¡°Hello, Jace! I was expecting to hear from you!¡± the man on the other end exims, ¡°are you finally going to take me up on the offer to go golfing?¡± ¡°Hello, Pat. I¡¯m afraid that will have to wait. See, I have a problem here, and I believe you¡¯re the only person here capable of solving this.¡± ¡°What do you mean, my newest friend?¡± ¡°One of my employees wounded up-no pun intended- in your hospital after a goddamned shootout, and she got a little dispute with her insurance policy, so I asked your lovely reception nurses to put her charges to my ount,¡± I exin, ¡°but they refused.¡± ¡°What? That is absurd, why would they refuse? That¡¯s the normal protocol! Granted we don¡¯t really work with disputed insurance policies, but as long as there is a payment method, the staff is obliged to have it.¡± ¡°Well, I guess this specific nurse didn¡¯t get the memo then. Look, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you at this time of the day. But if you can give them a call or something, that¡¯ll be appreciated. When I tried to talk with them, the nurse asked the security officers to throw me out.¡± I do feel bad for telling on the nurse Pat, but she left me no choice. ¡°This is totally out of line, especially for a nurse in my hospital. I am actually in the building, Jace, and I will be down there in a moment¡¯s time! We¡¯ll sort this out with my staff and call the to give you an extensive apology.¡± Pat sounds downright pissed, and he ends the call immediately. I take a seat in front of the hospital on a bench and wait. The security guards outside give me threatening looks, but I ignore them. Then finally one of them makes his toward me.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Sir,¡± he tells me. ¡°We do not want any trouble here. You were clearly escorted outside the hospital for a reason-¡± ¡°My friend who is also my employee got shot right in front of me and is in the hospital for surgery. She got an insurance policy dispute,¡± I reply without letting the man finish, ¡°and your hospital refuses to let me pay for her. So, no, I am waiting here until this is solved. I won¡¯t leave my friend like that.¡± The security guard tries to say something, but he is cut off by the arrival of Pat. ¡°Jace, there you are,¡± Pat makes his way toward me, and the security guard¡¯s jaw hits the floor. ¡°Director Wright! What are you doing here, sir?¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 38. Make it right. The look on everyone¡¯s faces is iprehensibly stunned the moment I re-enter the hospital with its director in tow. The nurses at the reception all stand up as they see him approach, and ra¡¯s face pales. I feel a little bit guilty about what I had done. I know that I am misusing a power that I have on hand. But what choice have I been left with? Ever since I entered this world, I¡¯ve tried to treat people with compassion and kindness. But it only backfired on me and made me look like a right idiot. Now, it seems, that the wisest way was to treat people the same way they treated me. ¡°Who is the nurse manning the reception front desk today?¡± Pat demands as soon as wee to a stand in front of the reception table. The nurses look at one another and ra takes a step forward. ¡°I am at the front desk sir,¡± she says in a voice that is close to shivering. I tamp down the feeling of guilt. My friend is in the ER getting treated after being shot. I cannot afford guilt. ¡°Nurse ra, isn¡¯t it?¡± The director asks and ra nods. ¡°Well, Nurse ra, care to tell me why you refused to put down Mr Greyson as the ounted of the shooting patient that was just brought in?¡± ra swallows. ¡°Sir, Mr. Greyson was making a scene.¡± ¡°Was he now?¡± the director takes a step forward, tell me, Nurse, do you know who this man is?¡± The nurse shakes her head mutely. ¡°This is Jace Greyson. Doesn¡¯t his surname ring any bells? He is the son, the only son, and heir, of Joseph Greyson. Yes, the owner of Greyson Consolidated, multi-billionaire, a household name in this city.¡± Suddenly it feels like everyone in the hospital is looking at me, staring with astonishment. I try my hardest not to shift from foot to foot out of awkwardness. Perhaps calling Pat was not the brightest idea¡­ Nurse ra¡¯s lips part, ¡°he was making a scene, sir¡­¡± ¡°Jace Greyson would never make a scene unless he was provoked,¡± the director growls and turns to the other nurses. ¡°Tell me, is this the truth? Was Mr. Greyson making a scene? Was he threatening the nurses? Was he disturbing the process of the hospital?¡± The nurses look at one another. Finally, one of them steps forward. ¡°No, sir,¡± meekly, she stated, ¡°I hate to talk ill of my workmates, but the young man over there only wanted his friend¡¯s hospital bill to be taken care of. He was very polite in the beginning.¡± ¡°So? Why was he thrown out of the hospital if he was polite? I was under the expression that my staff knew the basic conduct of customer care and interaction, but now I wonder, did I hire a group of babies. to do the job of grown adults?¡± condescension drips from his voice as he sneers. ¡°Tell me the truth and truth only, from the beginning to the end. Lie to me again, and I will fire you on the spot. Nurse ra, why did you call the security guards on Mr. Greyson?¡± Nurse ra, who is now as white as a bedsheet, mumbles the whole incident from start to finish. She doesn¡¯t gloss over her behavior, nor on mine. She hangs her head in what looks like deep shame. You could hear a pin drop in the reception while she talks, so her voice carries through the hall. At the end of the testimony, Pat Wright looks pissed. ¡°Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you were getting me into?¡± He screams at the nurse ¡°Oh my god, you should all be d that Mr. Greyson had the tact andpassion to contact me personally rather than go to hiswyers Do you know how manywsuits your needlessly cruel behavior could¡¯ve spawned? Gross negligence of a patient¡¯s needs, legal discrimination, assault I¡¯m not awyer, so those are the ones I can name off the top of my head And there are many, many more. We could¡¯ve been sued into oblivion by Joseph Greyson if Jace had told him about this ¡± ¡°I-I am so sorry, sir. I was acting stupidly, I did not realize the depth of my actions it¡¯s just been a long shift, and I¡­I was n-not in the best m-mind, I¡¯m s-so sorry The nurse stammers, looking frightened I can¡¯t handle the guilt, not anymore. I hate the fact that she left me with no choice because I do not enjoy. seeing people be reduced to quivering messes like this. Why the hell couldn¡¯t she just put my name down to be charged? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m using her freaking money. It¡¯s not like she had a reason to refuse me, even personally. I didn¡¯t even know who she was! ¡°Sorry doesn¡¯t cut it, Nurse. Pack your stuff, you¡¯re done¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Nurse ra looks terrified, ¡°No, sir, please tears of humiliation and desperation spring to her eyes, ¡°I promise this will not happen again, it was a mistake. ¡°Well, I cannot afford to have a nurse who is prone to mistakes¡± Pat deres, crossing his arms, ¡°If you have the same arrogance and discrimination when dealing with patients, then I do not want a nurse like you in my hospital at all. So, pack your stuff and pay a visit to HR to get the post-discharge procedures done.¡± I can¡¯t let this go on anymore. I only wanted Pat toe here and make the nurse see sense, not get her fired from her job. ¡°Um, Pat, can we talk about this for a moment?¡± I finally raise my voice, ¡°In private, pleaseExclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Pat turns to me, ¡°Of course, Mr. Greyson. We¡¯re done here, anyway. Let¡¯s go to my office. And don¡¯t worry. about your friend, all necessary operations will be taken care of.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I reply. As we leave the reception, I turn back to nce over my shoulder just in time to see Nurse ra break. down on a fit of tears. Fuck. I have to make this right. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 39. Everyone makes mistakes. ¡°Pat, I know how you feel about her conduct. Trust me, I am as pissed as you are, and I was the one on the receiving end of it,¡± I say as I sit across Patrick Wright¡¯s office on the topmost floor of the Northwestern ndestine Hospital, moments after the whole debacle downstairs, ¡°but firing her over one such mistake is not right.¡± Coraline has been stabilized, and her bleeding was effectively ceased. She was not on the brink of danger anymore. A blood transfusion was being done as we speak. I give Gerald a call and tell him everything, but as I predicted he already knows and is on his way to the hospital. Coraline¡¯s parents have been notified. They had been out of the city on what was a mini- vacation and were racing home. When I talk with them, they beg me to stay and help their daughter until they arrive. This is the second time this month that Coralinended in a hospital with a threat to her life. I assure them of her safety to the best of my ability before ending the call I cannot imagine what they must feel like. After those calls, I contact Zelt Tech and let them know what happened. I¡¯ve still not gotten a call from the police, but that wille in soon. All in all, I feel a headache iing after I sit down in Pat¡¯s office with a cup of coffee in front of me Caffeine helps with tiredness, so I sip it slowly, savoring the warmth as my bones feel strangely cold I have a feeling that this is going to be a sleepless night. ¡°I know that it might seem harsh, but her attitude towards patients is poisonous. I¡¯m well aware that our hospital is considered prestigious, and we cater to a certain ss in this city. But that does not mean we can be discriminatory toward people who we perceive as our targeted base Especially on fanciful factors like the way they dress. Frankly, it¡¯s silly and embarrassing. Pat points out, and I nod I¡¯m aware that he is still cross about it. He¡¯s actually a good man, unlike many individuals in the corporate world that I¡¯ve had the misfortune ofing across He was a man with principles and integrity, as well as an excellent moral After all, it is a cutthroat world we live in. ¡°Perhaps this will be a learning opportunity for her,¡± I reply, ¡°you saw how devastated she was. Maybe she thought that she was doing the right thing on the hospital¡¯s side. You yourself said that she is quite new.¡± ¡°She was and showed much promise. Passed the first of her ss in graduation even. I was on the board. that interviewed her. ra Jones. She¡¯s still on a trial run if I¡¯m telling the truth¡± ¡°See? Let her stay, Pat, and learn from her mistakes. Something tells me that she will not repeat them. again.¡± Pat looks at me with an unreadable expression, ¡°I have to say that I¡¯m stunned to hear those things. coming out of your mouth when it was you that she judged so stupidly, just because you had a wrinkled, bloody suit on.¡± I shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve worked many jobs in the past,¡± I provide, ¡°and got to meet all kinds of people through them. Got a lot of experience as well. All I can say is, second chances do wonders to people.¡± Pat visibly swallows. ¡°Perhaps there is merit to what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯ll think about my decision more.¡± He then calls the Human Resources department and gives them the instruction to tell Nurse ra that her discharge is under scrutiny, and they would deliver their decision in a day¡¯s time. I feel something loosen in the depths of my abdomen, and it feels loosely like relief. The heavy curtain of guilt clearly melts away ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell Pat as soon as he ends the call, and he shoots me a smile. ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Jace. Don¡¯t ever let people tell you otherwise,¡± he says, but then sobers, ¡°so, a shooting, huh?¡± A smile I was sporting slip from my lips. ¡°Yeah. It all happened so fast.¡± ¡°The police are on their way to the hospital,¡± Pat replies, ¡°as is the general procedure for a shootout. They would want to get a statement from you and everything.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time. This is the second time Zelt Tech employees were targeted.¡± I wet my lips, feeling dread pool within me 1 thought the first attack was random. Wrong time, wrong ce. Zelt Tech doesn¡¯t have any prominent enemies ¡°Zelt Tech might not.¡± Pat remarks in a contemtive voice, ¡°but Greyson Consolidated might. During the last few days, the number of shootings in the city increased drastically I¡¯ve been personally noticing a pattern. ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Something tells me that I¡¯m not going to like the direction this conversation was taking. ¡°And it seems like most of the victims are somehow connected to your father¡¯spany Be it Greyson Consolidated or sisterpanies. I believe the police had noticed this as well¡± Before I can reply, a knockes on the door ¡°Enter, Patmands, and Gerald opens the door, ¡°Oh, Mr. Manson We were waiting for you.¡± Patrick and Gerald exchange pleasantries, and we fill him in on everything that has happened, including the incident with the nurse Gerald agrees that the young woman should be given a second chance. ¡°Everyone makes mistakes.¡± he replies with a kind smile, ¡°and almost everyone learns from them in order to not repeat those mistakes again. Besides, kindness helps in cementing the lessons learned from those mistakes.¡± Pat repeats the pattern he noticed in front of Gerald, whose expression crumbles into anger and shock. ¡°The police still got no clue about what is happening.¡± I murmur, ¡°they suspect a certain crime syndicate, of which the name they refuse to reveal, and certain individuals.¡± However, with the increase in the consistency of events, I doubt that the individual suspects are really behind it. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°If that is the case,¡± he says. ¡°I believe that we should have a contingency n in hand. And have a talk with your father, Joseph.¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40 40. Who¡¯s pissed? It takes only one more hour for the police to contact Gerald and me. They swing by the hospital and get the statements. It¡¯s the same detectives from before, and they look much paler this time around, the creases on their foreheads seemingly permanently etched. They mutter about suspects and urge us to notify them if we see any sort of suspicious activity. There are still no leads from thest case. It is only after they leave the premises after taking our statements that I realize that I forgot to ask them if they had paid Aiden a visit. When Coraline¡¯s parents arrive, the time is around 03:00 AM in the morning. They see me in the hallway in front of the emergency unit ande to a stop. I have a good idea of what I look like, my eyes bloodshot and half-closed from sleepiness, my hair barely held down by running my hand through it a couple of times, still dressed in that wrinkled, blood-stained suit that is starting to smell. Coraline¡¯s parents take one look at me and demand that I leave the hospital that instant to go home and get some sleep because I look dead on my feet I put out the obligatory protests until they threaten to not let me into the hospital room to see Coraline when she woke up (¡°Don¡¯t make us pull the family-only card. I swear to god, Jace, you can barely function! We¡¯re here now, she¡¯s safe. You can take a break now ¡°Says her mother with her hand caressing my cheek, and I lean into it in my addled mind, because it¡¯s been such a long time since I had a mother take such tender interest in me) Gerald, who had been sitting next to me, takes this as his permission to drag me home. He tells me that he will spend the night at my father¡¯s ce so we can visit her first thing in the morning. But I know that he is staying with me because he can sense the fear I was trying to tamp down §à§á. I mean, my best friend was shot right in front of me. Forgive me for being a bit jittery and jumpy. I take a shower while falling asleep on my feet, and stumble onto the bed, with just my towel around my hips. So of course, when I wake up the next morning after a nightmare of Coraline bleeding in front of me, I am naked as the day I was born. The sun shines cheerfully outside the window, and there is a raging headache ying ping-pong in my skull. All my joints hurt as if I am seventy years of age, and I am still so very tired. Cursing and grumbling, I drag myself out of the bed and take another shower to wake myself up. Gerald is in the kitchen, cooking some breakfast. I peek over his shoulder to see him stirring oatmeal in a pot. That is a good choice, I don¡¯t think I will be able to handle anything else. ¡°Good morning,¡± Gerald greets me, looking well-rested unlike myself. I swear the man has regenerative superpowers. He never looks anything but prim and proper first thing in the morning. I grunt a greeting and plop myself on the counter, grimacing at how blindingly white it is. In fact, everything in this kitchen is either white or grey. Who the hell designed this ce? ¡°Coffee?¡± Gerald asks, bringing over a pot filled with life-giving darkness, and I grunt again, this time nodding. Bad move, my headache pounds. ¡°I thought you would be well-restede morning.¡± Gerald muses as he carefully fills a cup with coffee and dissolves a cube of sugar in it. Then he tops it with my favorite creamer, ¡°but it seems that I have mistaken¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I say reverently as he offers me the coffee, and I take a scalding sip, disregarding the burn in my tongue. Gerald makes two bowls of oatmeal,plete with a dollop of peanut butter and various crushed nuts and dried berries in mine and takes a seat in front of me. He observes me for a moment ¡°You look like death warmed over,¡± he notes, ¡°so much so that I think you should just return to your room and sleep for a couple more hours. Coraline has still not woken up, I asked her parents to confirm. Why are you squinting at the sunlight?¡± ¡°Headache,¡± I reply, ¡°and no, we¡¯re going to the hospital¡± ¡°Jace, I know that you feel like you¡¯re responsible for this girl- ¡°Not just that,¡± I wave him off. And of course, I feel responsible for Coraline, she got shot right in front of me after we were walking to our car from a business dinner. ¡°Then what? Did the director ask you to meet him again?¡± ¡°Nope. I just want to see if he fired the nurse ra, the one who took one look at me and decided that I was trouble? I tried to get Pat to not fire her, so wanna see for myself Gerald shakes his head, ¡°is that really necessary right now Jace?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± I chirp, and get up with the bowl, stirring in the peanut butter with a spoon, I¡¯ll get dressed After that, we¡¯re going to the police station.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Oh,¡± Gerald nods, ¡°that¡¯s a good idea. I was thinking that we should talk to your father about this as well, as soon as returns home.¡± My father had gone to the Caribbean earlier this week to take care of some exclusive business deal that had something to do with a government of a country. He was awfully secretive about it all that I didn¡¯t even get the name of the country. Knowing that my father owned a weaponry manufacturingpany did not ease my mind off this matter. When it came to business, my father had an interesting portfolio He peddled everything from technology to textiles, from food to medicine, and even banks ording to Gerald, he was a genius-level strategist, and the most business savvy individual of the twenty-first century, on his way to bing the world¡¯s richest man in a few years¡¯ time. If he was not already. And I was supposed to be this man¡¯s heir. I didn¡¯t have half the brains he did, nor the brawn. And not an ounce of his charisma. Just thinking about it made my blood run cold. How was I supposed to shoulder. this entire empire after his retirement which was toe by the end of this year? We were already four months into the said year. I still felt like a fish out of the water, hell, I was still learning the ropes with Zelt Tech. I push down those thoughts to the depths of my mind and lock them over to hyperventteter. So, getting a one-on-one appointment with my father was difficult, to say the least. But talking with him. about the recent shooting is necessary. Because who the hell knows who my old man had pissed on his ascend to greatness but himself? Chapter 41 Chapter 41 41. Son of a Billionaire. Mr. and Mrs. Granger sit at a far table in the hospital cafeteria as we arrive at the hospital, looking tired. But as soon as they see us, they shoot us watery smiles and straighten in greeting. ¡°Hey, did you guys get any sort of rest?¡± I ask them, my voice gentle. Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°We certainly tried, but well, Coraline has still not woken up, so sleep was thest thing on our minds,¡± Mrs. Granger smiles ruefully, ¡°but the doctors said that she¡¯s going to be fine, although she will need therapy. Both for her leg and her psyche, if she so desires.¡± ¡°I mean, if it were me, I¡¯d definitely need therapy,¡± Mr. Granger mutters, ¡°getting shot like that, on the side of the road god, my baby girl.¡± His wife entangles her arm with his and leans into him infort. I feel bad for this couple who had to see their kid in the hospital twice this month, both of them being while in mypany. A part of me wonders if this is my fault somehow Am I the reason why Coraline keeps getting into these circumstances? After all, I was the one who suggested the pizza joint where she went into anaphctic shock. Had I known of her allergy, I¡¯d have never chosen the ce. Perhaps it was not my fault. But the shooting? Well, the doubt and guilt are there and needling my mind. After conversing a bit with Coraline¡¯s parents, I travel off to the other end of the hospital where the reception tables are and try to find Nurse ra who was present yesterday. But she is nowhere near the reception area, so I ask a passing nurse where she is. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s at the storage area. Her station was changed after the incident yesterday. Boss nearly fired her but took pity on her afterward.¡± The nurse tells me, and I nod. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Can I enter the storage area to meet her?¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. You a friend?¡± the nurse asks, curious. I can¡¯t help but smirk, ¡°not really, no.¡± I am the farthest from a friend. I find Nurse ra in one of the storage rooms, folding some standard white nkets from a trolley and depositing them in a cupboard. She looks so miserable that I feel a tinge of pity for her. Before I can call her, she catches me hovering near the doorway. Her eyes widen before her face settles into a guarded expression. ¡°Mr. Greyson,¡± she utters, her voice neutral. ¡°Good morning, Nurse ra,¡± I greet her, trying to ignore the tension between us. ¡°Good morning to you as well,¡± she steps away from theundry and turns to me, ¡°I heard the patient you came to visit has been stabilized.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. She is alright now. Out of the danger zone, at least.¡± ¡°Great, that is wonderful,¡± she starts to shift from foot to foot, and her expression changes to one of nervousness ¡°So, uh, i just wanted to see if you¡¯re still around,¡± without letting the awkwardness drag, I stop beating around the bush, ¡°after the whole fiascost night. I asked the director not to take drastic measures, and I am gratified to see that he followed my request.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± the nurse takes a deep breath, Mr. Greyson, I have to apologize for what I didst night and how i treated you I am so, very sorry for all the horrible things I said and implied, it was not in my position, and I was downright rude and judgmental. Normally, I¡¯m not like that butst night, it wasn¡¯t a good shift, and I was just so tired that my brain got addled with annoyance..anyways, I have no excuse for treating anyone like that, and I need to apologize.¡± I hear and see the sincerity in her voice and her expression, and manage a smile, ¡°yeah, it¡¯s alright. You¡¯re forgiven.¡± ¡°And I have to thank you for talking with the director too,¡± she goes on, ¡°no one else would¡¯ve done so, in fact, I was so certain that you would want me again, and you had every right to feel that way. I was, frankly, a jerk to a person who just saw his friend get shot. ¡°Well, I have to admit that I was mad yesterday.¡± I reply cautiously, ¡°but I believe that everyone deceives second chances.¡± Finally, Nurse ra smiles genuinely ¡°Thanks again,¡± she says, ¡°honestly, I can¡¯t thank you enough. So, uh, if you want anything, like, anything that I can do for you, you can give me a call, or drop by at the hospital.¡± I raise a brow, ¡°huh?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s my way of repaying you for what I did, and for what you did.¡± she blushes, ¡°you don¡¯t have to take me up on it. But if you need any help from a nurse or someone in the medical industry, do know that I will be d to provide it ¡°Well, that is a very generous offer, Nurse ra,¡± the need to gawk at her in disbelief is strong because honestly, I did not expect her to extend such an offer But I control myself with a valiant effort. ¡°I will be sure to keep it in mind.¡± ¡°Right,¡± the nurse nods. Silence ensues, and before it can get awkward again, I state, ¡°well, I¡¯m sure that you have a lot of work to attend to. So, I will be taking my leave now. ¡°Oh, yes, of course, Mr. Greyson. Have a pleasant day.¡± ¡°Yeah, you too,¡± I reply and turn to leave, but then she calls my name. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The shootout,¡± she asks, looking curious, ¡°do you know who¡¯s behind it?¡± ¡°Regretfully, no. But I¡¯m sure the police will find it out soon,¡± I say, and then add, ¡°better be cautious while. you¡¯re out and about though. Who knows what these criminals are getting up to?¡± ¡°You too, sir,¡± the nurse replies, ¡°who knows, maybe they might have been targeting you and got Miss. Granger by mistake. You are the son of a billionaire after all.¡± I stand still at that. I did not look at the situation that way before. ¡°You know, nurse,¡± I utter, feeling the depth of my heartbeat in my chest, ¡°you may have a good point.¡± Chapter 42 Chapter 42 42. I don¡¯t do it on purpose. Gerald, of course, pales when I tell him about the nurse¡¯s observation. ¡°Well,¡± he mutters, ¡°I cannot say that the thought did not ur to me. You being your father¡¯s son¡­it will note as a surprise that people would make the connection between you and your father ande after you in order to get to your father.¡± ¡°Oh, god,¡± I drawl, rubbing my hands on my face. ¡°it¡¯s way too early to be having these revtions. Seriously, why on earth did I think it was a good idea toe back here? I should¡¯ve known that something like this would happen. I should¡¯ve taken my chance with the bullies and stayed.¡± ¡°Come now, Jace,¡± Gerald pats my back soothingly as I hunch over in the backseat of the car, ¡°it might not be true. You may have been in the wrong ce at the wrong time I mean, there could be nobody targeting you specifically, but only Zelt Tech employees Or maybe they are not targeting anyone at all. You¡¯re not the only person who had been shot at in the past few weeks.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to make me feel better? People are getting injured and dying, Gerald. This is serious.¡± ¡°I am well aware it is, young master. But that doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t consider all the facts.¡± I sigh, knowing that there is merit to what he is saying, ¡°well, let¡¯s go to the police station and see if they have any good news then.¡± ¡°Certainly, Jace.¡± Before we can leave, however, a knockes from the window of the vehicle, and I scroll the window down. Nurse ra stands next to the car, blushing a beat red. In her hand is a clutched piece of paper. ¡°I forgot to give you this,¡± she hands me over the piece of paper without really meeting my voice, ¡°I was serious about what I said. Have a good day.¡± With that, she leaves before I can get a word out. I turn the paper in my hand and realize that it¡¯s her personal number with her name. ¡°Jace?¡± Gerald questions. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why did Nurse ra Grace, the same nurse who got you thrown out of the hospitalst night, give you her personal number?¡± ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s not what you think,¡± I huff out a peal of surprisedughter, ¡°but I think this is Nurse ra¡¯s way of saying sorry. But it¡¯s cool. We now got an ally in the medical field.¡± Gerald gapes at me for a moment beforeughingly shaking his head. ¡°Only you Jace can make friends in circumstances like this. First Coraline, now ra.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I do it on purpose.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the beauty of it.¡± ¡°Mr. Greyson,¡± Detective nco greets me as soon as Gerald and I enter her office, looking up from the paperwork on her desk, ¡°And Mr. Manson, of course,¡± she checks the time on her watch, ¡°good morning. What brings you here?¡± ¡°We hoped that you would have some good news for us.¡± I reply. Also, wow, is it still the morning? The Detective¡¯s face falls a bit, and she says, ¡°well I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t really have all the news you seek but please, take a seat. I do have something to run by you.¡± We follow her instruction, and the detective peruses a folder of photos before finding what she was looking for. ¡°Does this ring any bells for you?¡± she holds up a photograph, and I squint at it, feeling a moment of confusion before recognizing it. ¡°The graffiti on the wall,¡± I answer, my voice grave, ¡°that was right behind us when Coraline got shot.¡± ¡°Yes, it was. The sentence in the graffiti reads ¡®I will turn her virtue into pitch,¡± states the detective. ¡°It is a quote, from Shakespeare¡¯s Othello. Took us some time to figure that out.¡± Now I remember. It was indeed a quote I read from the y a long time ago for a school assignment. ¡°If my memory is correct,¡± I muse, ¡°the full quote is, ¡®So will I turn her virtue into pitch, And out of her own. goodness make the, That shall enmesh them all.¡± ¡°Indeed. Whoever wrote it got the first part wrong. Seemed like they did not have the quote perfectly in memory, unlike you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that character Lago who says this stuff, right?¡± I question, dragging my finger over the letters in the photo, the memory of the shooting shing in my mind, ¡°he¡¯s talking about making Desdemona a bad person or something in order to exact his revenge on Othello.¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s part of his evil n against Othello.¡± The detective rifies. ¡°What is the meaning of it, and why is it important?¡± Gerald asks, his eyes moving from the photo in my hands to her. ¡°Well, we found that it was rather peculiar to have such an ominous quote right next to where a woman. was shot,¡± the detective states, ¡°the moment we saw it, we got this strange feeling that the quote mightCopyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. have something to do with the shooting. It was just a hunch, but we asked around about it. Particrly the restaurant owners, to whom this specific wall belongs to.¡± Detective nco smiles. ¡°To say they were pissed about the graffiti was an understatement. Apparently, it was quite new. In fact, it had been painted just thest night and was found out by the restaurant workers the very next morning. Now, I know that graffiti artists normally work at night, especially at famous areas like this. But considering what you told us about Coraline Granger¡¯s ex-boyfriend and his conduct regarding her breaking up with him, as well as the meaning of this quote, and how conveniently it is ced right next to where she got shot at¡­well, doesn¡¯t it paint some kind of a cohesive picture?¡± I nod mutely. ¡°More so than we would like.¡± ¡°The graffiti could¡¯ve been painted by anyone. We¡¯re still in the process of acquiring a warrant in order to go through the security tapes from the store right in front of the store to see who drew the graffiti. But personally, my suspicions are starting to tune in on one specific person,¡± the detective looks straight at me, ¡°one specific person who we still haven¡¯t managed toe in contact with.¡± Chapter 43 Chapter 43 43. She woke up. Coraline stepped for a day more. The bullet had grazed her thigh bone, nearly shattering it, so her recovery period was going to be long. She was to stay in the hospital for at least a week. Coraline¡¯s parents called me immediately to deliver the news of their daughter awakening, and at that point, I was in ss. With everything that was happening, the summer semester was ending, which meant there was a set of examinationsing up. The campus was, therefore, abuzz with activity, with lecturers working to finish all the study material for the semester and students functioning solely on coffee and sugar in order to cram whatever they could in order to sit for the exams and get some decent grades. King¡¯s College was a verypetitive university, and with everyone attending being the best brains in the country, students had to go above and beyond to get on par with the sybus. Fortunately, my ss was ending when they gave me the call. I, of course, could not take it without risking the wrath of the lecturer so I waited until the ss was over. By then, the Grangers had already. tested me with the good news, but I took a call anyway, purely to hear Mrs. Granger sob in relief because I could not believe the text. ¡°She¡¯s a bit jumpy, and loud noises along with sudden movements are likely to scare her ording to the doctors,¡± Mrs. Granger tells me as soon as intercepts her at the hospital lobby after racing back to the ndestine city, ¡°so we¡¯re being really cautious around her.¡± ¡°Does she remember what happened? I¡¯ve heard that sometimes victims forget the incident of their trauma.¡± I say, stepping into the elevator with her. ¡°Well, no. She remembers it clearly,¡± Mrs. Granger looks taken with grief, ¡°and I can see the fear in her eyes. Oh, who did this to her, Jace? Who hurt my little girl this badly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ms. Granger,¡± I sigh, ¡°but you can¡¯t imagine the number of times I¡¯ve asked myself the question.¡± I did not discuss the conversation Gerald and I had with the detectives back in the police station under the detectives¡¯ instructions. Gerald informed me that the detectives had gotten the warrant they were waiting for and had taken the security footage in to go through them. The detectives visited Zelt Tech again to get some statements from the employees about Coraline. They also visited her university, her teacher, and her other friends. They were following every lead they could find. ¡°The police are stretched thin,¡± Gerald had told me, ¡°And they really can¡¯t prioritize this case over the others because there are people who were actually killed. So, with the circumstances at hand, they¡¯re doing their best, albeit slowly. It¡¯s not likely that our own case will be solved soon.¡± ¡°Well, Gerald, what are we supposed to do until then? How are we supposed to keep our own people safe?¡± I¡¯d asked, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to see youe to pick me up yet another day only to hear about somebody else getting shot. Jesus, Gerald, these are innocent people with families and loved ones. They can¡¯t lose their lives!¡± ¡°Right now, we can only make sure that their safety would be ensured while they are at work. But after working hours, there is nothing we can do. It¡¯s their responsibility to ensure their safety after that.¡± Even if I was loathed to admit it, I knew Gerald was right. Coraline sits on her bed when I enter her hospital room, looking worse to wear. There are dark bags under her eyes, contrasting frighteningly against her skin that had be pale and oddly translucent as if she had lost a lot of blood. Her blond hair was dishwater colored rather than its normal golden hay hue, and her wide eyes looked dull, and maybe even frightened. She couldn¡¯t move from her bed, not yet, because Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. of the area of injury. She would be bedridden for some time. As soon as I see her, I could not help the sigh of pure relief that escapes me, and her eyes meet mine. ¡°Jace.¡± She utters my name in greeting. The instant relief on her face upon seeing me is exhrating, and for some reason, my heart flutters at her expression. ¡°Coraline,¡± I breathe, and crossed over to her bed, ¡°Oh, you have no idea how good it is to see you awake. It¡¯s been too long¡­I am so sorry about what happened.¡± ¡°Jace,¡± without letting me talk, Coraline encircles her fingers around my wrists and brings me toward her. She seems so small like this, I realize, and so delicate. It¡¯s disconcerting, and totally at odds with the woman she usually is, ¡°it¡¯s not your fault, what happened. You¡¯re not to be med. I¡¯m just so d to see that none of their bullets caught you.¡± I can¡¯t help it anymore. I move closer to Coraline, fully into her personal space, and bury her in a bear hug. Coraline enthusiastically returns my embrace. ¡°I thought you would die,¡± I whisper, ¡°there was so much blood.¡± ¡°Mom and dad told me everything,¡± she replies, and moves back to look into my eyes, ¡°and I mean everything, including what you did with the nurse Thank you so much for sorting that one out, Jace. You¡¯re ¡­.you¡¯re a really good friend.¡± I shake my head, ¡°anyone would¡¯ve done it, Coraline It was only right.¡± She shoots me a mysterious, ¡°I don¡¯t think just ¡®anyone will, but thank you just the same.¡± Then her eyes harden, ¡°I know the police are already on the case. Do they know who it was?¡± I gulp at that, wondering how much I should tell her. Considering how she was the one who got shot, I think she has every right to the information I have at hand. ¡°The graffiti on the wall where you got shot was a quote from Shakespeare¡¯s Othello,¡± I confess, ¡°drawn. only a day before. The quote is rted to revenge. They heavily suspect one person.¡± Coraline¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°Oh.¡± Chapter 44 Chapter 44 44. An Invitation Coraline spent about thirteen days in the hospital, but even after she was released, she was instructed to attend physiological therapy for her leg for two weeks, three times per week. In addition, she was given. plenty of exercises to do daily in order to strengthen her leg. The flesh wound had healed, but the bone. had not. So, there was still a cast around her thigh, and she needs to use a crutch to move around. But she looks considerably happier now she¡¯s been released from the hospital, her eyes regaining that glow that makes them sparkle. Her parents are also relieved to have her home. Two days after Coralinees home, I get a call while I travel to Zelt Tech after a particrly grueling day of exams. ¡°I wanna get back to work,¡± she says before I can even greet her. ¡°Coraline, there¡¯s no rush, I can handle it here until you get healed sufficiently,¡± I argue, ¡°seriously, Gerald and I doing quite alright.¡± We were not. Gerald was not doing badly, but I was in overwhelmed with all the exams I was facing, and all the studying I was doingbined with my responsibilities as the COO without Coraline¡¯s help. Truly, had Coraline been in my position, she would¡¯ve managed it all without a hint ofining. But I will be damned if I let my ipetence get in the way of her healing. ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand. I have to get out of the house, it¡¯s driving me crazy being stuck in here. I¡¯ve done nothing but read and watch movies for two days straight and dammit I feel antsy. I¡¯m not used to this!¡± ¡°Coraline, it had been only two days,¡± I insist, ¡°you still can¡¯t walk ten steps straight without sweating as if you¡¯d run a marathon. You need to get better.¡± ¡°But you guys have to be absolutely floored over there,¡± she retorts, ¡°admit it, Jace, you need my help.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re not stepping foot inside the office until the doctors give you the green light.¡± I can almost feel Coraline gear up to protest, but then in thest second, she huffs. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Fine. I won¡¯t step inside the office. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Coraline-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you Coraline me, Jace,¡± she yells, ¡°I may be physically invalid for the time being, but I¡¯m mentally sound. More than sound, and pretty fricking bored. I might even go crazy here without having anything to do. So, send me everything I can do with aptop while sitting down, Jace. I can handle at least that kind of work, don¡¯t you think?¡± If I were a better person, I would¡¯ve held my ground. But as it were, there were about twenty unanswered emails in my inbox with more analytical charts and reports than I could count. So, I sigh and agree to do as she says, and send her a good portion of work to keep her upied. Gerald tells me that I did the right thing. ¡°Some people are just not meant to take a vacation,¡± he provides. ¡°I would kill for a vacation right now,¡± I groan, feeling the weight of yet another set of books that I need to cram in about four days. ¡°You will be getting a vacation soon. The biggest break of them all.¡± ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not fully nning to monopolize my time once summer vacation rolls around,¡± I shoot a dirty look at Gerald, who doesn¡¯t even have the decency to look chastised. ¡°Well, young master, you don¡¯t need me to give you a special notice, then.¡± I sigh a long-suffering sigh and get back to eating my lunch. *** The semester finals end, and I feel like I can breathe again. By then, Coraline had gotten the green light. from the doctor and proudly limps back to the office. I firmly dere that we are not taking any walks out. of the office premises whatsoever until the shooting menace had been eradicated. Whatever traveling we will be doing, we¡¯re taking a goddamned vehicle. Coraline rolls her eyes as she is wont to do but doesn¡¯t argue. Because behind the bluster and the bravado, even she knows about the risk to our lives. And then another shooting happens. Another Zelt Tech employee. My father is still out of the country, and by now he¡¯s gone to Europe for some business dealing. Unfortunately for us, we can¡¯t contact him via a call because he¡¯s in some areacking the relevant signals, which is of course, typical. The police scrambled to find the perpetrator behind the shooting because the tapes they¡¯d managed to get from the establishments surrounding the location of Coraline¡¯s shootinges out with nothing. Someone had hacked into all the cameras around them when they. were painting the graffiti on the wall. The search for Aiden was still ongoing. ording to his father, Aiden had told him that he was taking a vacation and had disappeared. Hisst known location was somewhere in Puerto Rico. After that, his trail had gone dark, and his parents filed a missing person report with the local police. I admit this makes me wary. Had Aiden fled in order to be a cold-blooded killer, or was he a victim of a cold-blooded killer? Or does his disappearance have nothing to do with the shootings? All three options were entirely possible, and I admit, I wished that the real case was thetter. It gave me no pleasure to wonder if a man I had known had be a killer. Even if it¡¯s killing me, the only thing we can do at the present is to ensure our safety and somehow stay alive, all while carrying on with our normal lives. No pressure, of course. The day Coraline arrives at the office, Gerald calls us to his office. ¡°Miss. Granger, I cannot say in words enough how delightful it is to have you back with us,¡± he smiles. paternally at my friend after we take our seats across him at his office, ¡°your presence has been sorely missed by well, almost everyone who works here.¡± ¡°That is gratifying to hear,¡± Coraline replies just as cordially, ¡°I missed being here as well, ¡°I hope that we can put this behind us and go on forward. Now, the reason I called you two here today is that I got news.¡± Gerald announces, making me quirk a brow at him. ¡°Good news or bad?¡± I ask, and he smiles. ¡°Finally, it is some good news. We have gotten an invitation, which I have forwarded to your respective devices,¡± our iPads ping, ¡°take a look.¡± We both open the newly sent emails, and I hear Coraline gasp, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°The Annual North American Business Forum,¡± I breathe, ¡°we¡¯ve been invited to the ANABF!¡± Chapter 45 Chapter 45 45. Taste of business world. The forum is taking ce on the East coast, in New York, no less. And I for one, had never been to New York. In fact, I have never had the pleasure of leaving the west coast to visit anywhere else no matter how I wished, and my abysmal bad luck struck whenever there was a field trip organized for my ss whenever there was something exciting going on. And that was saying something, considering how I rarely got sick. But the few times I did, it was almost always on days when exciting field trips were scheduled. Which meant that I got the visit some boring powdered milk and dairy product factory which was just a stone¡¯s throw away from ndestine city, but never got to visit New York in the eighth-grade field trip because I apparently got food poisoning from some bad selfish after mom took me to an all-you-can-eat buffet the night before at a newly opened seafood restaurant. And I wasn¡¯t even allergic to it. Those damn oysters had just not agreed with me. So, I was as excited as a puppy just to embark on this trip. And that excitement was almost enough to drown the sheer nerves I had regarding the forum. The North American Business Forum was one of the biggest annual corporate events in this part of the world, and in order to participate in it, you had to get an invitation. And in order to get an invite, your company should be noteworthy. Almost everypany in the country strived to get in, and only five hundred invites were sent per year. I did not anticipate Zelt Tech getting an invite this year, and apparently, neither had Gerald. We thought we had years to go before we became noteworthy in any kind. But we were pleasantly surprised.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. The forum was a three-day event. On the first day, there was an introduction, followed by lunch and some panels. The second day was entirely dedicated to various panels, events, sub-forums et Cetra. The third day had the final panels, followed by naming the ten most sessful businesses of the year, followed by a g event. Ten executives of ourpany were participating in the whole thing, and I was just d that the whole thing started after the dreaded finals. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve been in such a mess. Because of the perceived threat to Zelt Tech employees, we have hired a special securitypany to provide us with the relevant bodyguards throughout our trip. At first, it was embarrassing, and when the idea was suggested, I really wanted to veto it. But given the situation we found ourselves in, we did not know what will happen. While the shooting was mostly concentrated in ndestine city, and asionally the Empire city, there is no saying what will happen once we were out of ourfort zone. Better safe than sorry. And the bodyguards were pretty non-descript, it was easy to pretend like they were just another bunch of executives in their sleep suits and casual manner. Had they been acting like the bodyguards often seen in movies, I would¡¯ve died from embarrassment. When I told this to Coraline, sheughed for three minutes straight and dered that I was such a prissy drama queen. We take a ne to New York, thankfully not together, and rendezvous at the hotel surrounded by bodyguards, where the forum is taking ce. It¡¯s a giant fie star sot that looks too pristine to live in, even for three nights. The steward at the reception table refers to me as Mr. Greyson as if she¡¯s aware of my connection to my father. While we hang around the lobby until our rooms are sorted, more and more businesspeople and representatives from corporate giantse to meet us, and whenever I get introduced to them, I see the widening of their eyes, followed by the question, ¡°so, you¡¯re Joseph Greyson¡¯s son?¡± These questions are ringed with disbelief. It¡¯s only because of general politeness that they aren¡¯t asking me to spill my life. story to them because they need to know where I popped up from, otherwise, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever be able to get out of the lobby. Mostly, people cannot believe that my father had sired an heir. Some ask why I haven¡¯t been in the public eye until now, because apparently, no one had really been aware that I existed. All the introductions are always followed by a note of surprise, and when we leave the lobby, finally, after our room keycards are given, I can feel more than forty pairs of eyes tracking me. The whole experience is bizarre, and to be frank, surreal. ¡°You, sir, are now a celebrity,¡± Coraline announces gleefully as we enter an elevator, which seems to be made from gold and marble. Seriously, everything was so bright in here. I wonder if I look as lost as I feel, ¡°what just happened?¡± I find myself asking. ¡°That is your first taste of being publicly introduced into your father¡¯s world, young master,¡± Gerald rifies, ¡°so far, there had only been rumors of your existence. Tales told by random business associates. who¡¯ve met you for a meal or a meeting. Until now, you¡¯ve never been seen in public in a way that mattered.¡± ¡°But now you have been,¡± Coraline adds, ¡°but this is informal. Your official introester in the forum introduction. By the way, with your assistance, I¡¯m going to be managing your whole timetable while you are here, and I¡¯ve taken the liberty of assigning you to various panels that I believe will be beneficial for you. Also, I just got a message from theundry room saying that your suits for the stay have been. delivered to your room¡­¡± Coraline lists off various things regarding the forum, I try to listen and keep track. It had not been even three hours since we arrived here, and I already feel overwhelmed. And we still have to get started on this. damn thing. ¡°Gerald,¡± I murmur when Coraline pauses, ¡°how am I going to do this? I¡­I know nothing about conducting myself in events like these. I feel like I need to watch a YouTube instructional video or something.¡± Gerald shoots me an amused look, and smiles, ¡°Do not worry about it much, Jace. You can handle it the same way your father did.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± And how¡¯s that.¡± ¡°You simply fake it till you make it.¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 46. Fancy ce. We arrive at the main conference room of the hotel at around 11:45 AM, a good fifteen minutes before the start of the Introduction session. We sat on the row of seats that had been relegated to ourpany. and take the introduction brochures that are tucked into the back of the seats in front of us. ¡°Wow, this is fancy,¡± Coraline murmurs next to me, taking in the cool exterior of the conference room that looks as if it could be part of some French chateau than a hotel. The ivory white and gold are the theme. here as well, but it is a lot cooler than the outside. The conference room can at least sit a thousand people at once. It seems like the forum hosts had gone all out. Soon, the conference hall brims with corporate personnel from all across the continent, and the organizers of the forum take the stage to ry their wee speech, followed by a brief summary of the history of the Annual North American Business Forum. They introduce all the people of importance, as well as do a small introductory session for their ownpany. I have to admit, it is kind of boring. After the initial excitement of the event wears off, it¡¯s just like any other corporate event. Some people take the stage and start to drone on about modern business and such. Those in the seats start to mutter amongst themselves. Coraline and I try to give them all of our attention because this is our first time, and we don¡¯t have the luxury of being ignorant. Coraline even takes notes on her iPad about the people we see taking the stage. ¡°Who knows,¡± she tells me, ¡°We might have to work with these people one day. Better be prepared.¡± ¡°What kind of notes are you taking?¡± I ask, peaking at the iPad. But Coraline snatches it away with a smirk. ¡°Just observations,¡± she remarks, ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry about it, boss.¡±Material ? N?velDrama.Org. I narrow my eyes at her but decide to drop it. The introduction panel ends, and everyone is herded to the reception hall in order to be fed. And that is where the real music begins. Before we can take our seats, Gerald states that we should mingle with the otherpanies in our tier. ¡°We are going to start from the small ones, and then move onto the bigger levels throughout our time. here,¡± he says, ¡°you don¡¯t have to do much. Just introduce yourself and make conversation. Make friends. Same thing you did with Pat.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I nod. Coraline trails me to do any damage control if needed. The first person Gerald steers me to is a middle- aged man who looks like he stepped out of a GQ magazine, with his perfectly tailored designer suit and his salt and pepper hair. Reminds me of my father a bit, the way he carries himself. He also happens to be the CEO of Rapture Enterprises, an electronic manufacturer specializing in earphones, speakers, and sound systems. Hispany¡¯s system has been a rising necessity in the music industry as well as the movie-making industry. ¡°We got a lot of contracts from Hollywood,¡± he boasts. ¡°All the bigshot studios there have taken to our sound systems, and rightfully so. Our technology is indeed revolutionary.¡± ¡°That is good to hear,¡± I provide. With the CEO of Rapture, I don¡¯t have to talk much. He does all the talking while I nod along and prod him here and there. Coraline tells meter that she thought the man. likes to hear his own voice. But I learn a lot of things from the conversation and find out that Zelt Tech products might have a ce in Rapture Enterprises products as well. When we end our conversation, Gerald bears and tells me that he anticipates a new contract from Rapture Enterprises pretty soon. ¡°See?¡± he ps me on the back, ¡°you¡¯re a natural at this, Jace. Your father would be proud.¡± I feel oddly bashful at thepliment, so I duck my head as he steers me to yet another person. For the most part, everything is cool and dandy. But then the judgment starts. ¡°Wait, wait,¡± a man no older than forty exims, staring at me as if I¡¯d grown another head, ¡°you¡¯re Joseph Greyson¡¯s son? The Joseph Greyson?¡± ¡°Um, yeah?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± the man narrows his eyes, ¡°Joseph doesn¡¯t have any kidsst I checked, and I¡¯ve known the man for years. You¡¯ve gotta be pulling my leg, there¡¯s no way he got a kid your age.¡± I look around discretely to see if Gerald is close by, but he happens to be conversing with a separate group further away. ¡°I assure you that I¡¯m only telling the truth,¡± I try to be as polite as possible, ¡°the rtionship between my father and I was a bitplicated for a time, which is why my existence was not made aware until recently.¡± ¡°¡­so, you¡¯re a kid from a side-piece?¡± the man gives me a smarmy smile which makes my insides roil. I try not to flush at that and feel sudden anger. Yes, she was his mistress, but it didn¡¯t mean he had to put it like that. So¡­crudely. Behind me, I can feel Coraline bristle. ¡°I am my father¡¯s son,¡± I reply, my voice hard, ¡°and I believe that is all that matters. Oh, please excuse me, I believe Mr. Manson is calling me.¡± With that, I slip away from him, Coraline fuming. ¡°Who does he think he is!¡± she mutters, ¡°a ssless bastard, that¡¯s who. God, I want to punch him.¡± ¡°The feeling is mutual, but I don¡¯t think Gerald will appreciate that,¡± I murmur, ¡°and well, he¡¯s not wrong.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean he had to be so crass about it.¡± We ry the incident to Gerald, who nces at the man we mentioned and shakes his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. That¡¯s Hughes. He hates Joseph.¡± We hang around Gerald for a while, and then the lunch buffet is announced. People begin to move in troves toward the buffet area, and Gerald, Coraline, and I try to find out way back to our table. I try to sidestep all the people moving in the opposite direction then I, and suddenly, collide with a hard body. The force of the collision is so much that I lose my bnce and fall to the floor. ¡°Oh, my apologies,¡± a deep, masculine voice says, and my head snaps up, ¡°I did not see you there.¡± My eyes register his face, and my mouth hangs open. Standing in front of me is a man who hears a hauntingly simr resemnce to one Aiden Collins. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 47. His Domineering Presence ¡°Breathe!¡± My brain orders me, and I force my nose to inhale some much-needed air. Only then do I realize the fire within me wasing straight from my lungs. I sit there on the floor where I fell ass-first to, almost paralyzed as my eyes keep locked onto the face looming above me. The dark hair, the shape of the eyes, the shape of the nose¡­they are all familiar features that I did not think I would see again, not after thest time. My heart stammers in my chest as I struggle to make a connection. This is not Aiden; he is much too older and broader in his frame to be Aiden. But there is no denying the haunting simrity this man has with Coraline¡¯s missing ex-boyfriend. ¡°Jace!¡± I hear Coraline¡¯s voicee from behind me as the crowd dissipates. A pair of shoes tter on the ground as she makes her way towards me, and then abruptly stops as she registers the man in front of me. I hear Coraline gasp, and that is enough to break me out of my stupor. I remember where I am, and who I am. I do not think Joseph Greyson¡¯s son should be sitting on the floor in the middle of a banquet hall like I 1. I scramble to my feet as Coralinees to stand next to me. The man in front of us now stares at us, puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± finally, he drawls, and I flinch. Fuck, even the voice is the same, if not a bit deeper. His. wandering eyes settle on mine. ¡°I did not see youing my way.¡± I order my mouth to speak, ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. The fault is mine anyway, I was the one who wasn¡¯t looking. where I was going.¡± The man smiles, but it does not reach his dark eyes, ¡°I see. Well, then we are both to me,¡± then he adds. in a more polite tone, ¡°I believe we have yet to make our acquaintance. I have never seen you around here before.¡± ¡°This is my first time here,¡± I reply, ¡°Ourpany¡¯s first time, that is.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± he raises a brow, ¡°and what will yourpany be?¡± ¡°Zelt Technologies.¡± Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org. Recognition lights his eyes, ¡°Oh, from ndestine city, right? I have some stocks in yourpany.¡± I feel my abdomen freeze. Distantly, I wonder, where the hell is Gerald? The man¡¯s expression changes minutely. Something almost predatory injects into his eyes. He takes a step towards me, a cocky smile on his face. ¡°Well,¡± he murmurs, ¡°young enough to still be in college, with a lovely youngdy always by your side¡­ you must be the Jace Greyson who I¡¯ve been hearing all these rumors abouttely.¡± I did not think it was possible for me to feel even more out of sorts. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of me?¡± I ask. The man grins, ¡°practically everyone here has heard of you, Mr. Greyson. You appear to be the star of the evening. The one and only son of Joseph Greyson, whose existence no one was aware of until today. And believe it or not, you kind of look like your father¡¯s son,¡± he extends his hand towards me in a shake, ¡°My name is Carlton Collins. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± My suspicions are confirmed, I realize with a jolt. This man shares a face and thest name with Aiden. He has to be rted to him. ¡°Well,¡± I take his hand, willing my own to be steady, ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have to tell my name.¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± he smiles again, and it is nothing but genuine. At least I think it is. It certainly looks so. But I just can¡¯t help but feel apprehension thrum beneath my skin because of the man¡¯s identity. He looks like he is respectful, and I want to believe so. But he is¡­I do not trust him. And that is a strange decision toe to about a man who I had just met minutes ago, regardless of what my intuition warns me. ¡°Well, as I said before, it was a pleasure,¡± Carlton smiles again, ¡°but I am afraid I must reconvene with my own party. I will see you around the conference, Mr Greyson. You too, Miss Granger.¡± With that, he vanishes, leaving us bewildered in his wake. I slowly turn to Coraline who is looking back at me. I¡¯m pretty sure our expressions look the same. ¡°Coraline,¡± I say, ¡°please tell me you recognized the man ¡°I mean¡­I didn¡¯t-¡± Coraline stammers, ¡°Aiden never took me to visit his family. He said we were not ready, and he was not keen on showing me any photos of them or anything. But he knows my name, so maybe Aiden told him about me ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what? Weren¡¯t you two living together? Why were you not ready?¡± ¡°He said we weren¡¯t serious enough yet ¡°Even when he was hitting you?¡± The answer I get for that is silence. Coraline looks away in shame For a moment, I forget everything happening in the present so I can embrace her. She returns the embrace with a shuddering breath but refuses to cry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that,¡± I murmur to her. ¡°It was partly my fault. I should¡¯ve left when he first started it.¡± ¡°It was a hard thing to do, Coraline. I may never have been in love, but I know how hard it is to let go of love.¡± Coraline nods, and we part. Her face morphs from sorrowful regret to contemtion. ¡°That has to be Aiden¡¯s father,¡± she mutters, ¡°the face, the gait. Even the voice¡­it was all eerily simr.¡± ¡°I suspect the same thing,¡± I reply, ¡°but you have to admit, Carlton is so different from Aiden.¡± The man had an unexpectedly domineering presence, even when he was smiling at me. It felt like all the air got sucked out of the room the moment he stepped in, and his confidence practically oozed off him. He was stockier than his alleged son, and taller as well. And had none of Aiden¡¯s sleazy nature which I loathed. Carlton Collins seemed bigger than life itself. And his presence felt¡­like a challenge. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 48. Lowdown Bar. ¡°I regret that I was not there with you,¡± Gerald says after we track him down at the banquet, conversing with a group of executives from apany located in Wisconsin. He had been osted by them to engage in conversation as they were old friends, so he could not follow us when we met Carlton Collins. I felt bad when the fond expression on his face morphed into a frown as soon as we mentioned who we met just minutes ago, ¡°I trust that he was polite with you?¡± ??? ¡°Oh, yes, he was,¡± Coraline provides, ¡°he was apologetic as well for crashing into Jace. But the fact remains, he is Aiden¡¯s father, isn¡¯t he?¡± Gerald shoots her a look of surprise, ¡°did you not recognize him?¡± Coraline blushes again, ¡°we were never introduced to one another.¡± Gerald nods in understanding and doesn¡¯t ask further questions. I feel grateful for his wisdom. Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I have to admit, I haven¡¯t seen him around for a while, not since the allegations against his son came out,¡± Gerald states. ¡°If I had a guess, I would say Carlton was embarrassed about his son¡¯s conduct. And furious. Somewhere in between.¡± ¡°How long have you known him?¡± I ask, curious. Gerald¡¯s lips tighten, and some sort of an expression that I can¡¯t ce shes through his face. ¡°Long enough,¡± he utters, and shakes his head, ¡°well, no harm was done, so there¡¯s no need to worry about it further. As long as he steers clear of us, we will avoid him in return. Don¡¯t think he¡¯ll seek us out on purpose.¡± And so the banquet continues. As Gerald had predicted, Carlton Collins does not seek us out. We settle down in our respective hotel rooms after the events of the day, and the clock reads the time as six in the evening. I peel the suit off my body, and for the first time in the day, feel freedom. Business events are just so tedious, I can¡¯t believe this is going to be my life for the forcible future. I feel too restless and too nervous. This has got nothing to do with meeting Carlton, I¡¯ve been feeling jittery for a while now. I wonder if it has got something to do with the shootings. Briefly, I wonder if any more of those had taken ce back home. I also wonder if the detectives had managed to find some sort of a lead about the assaults. Suddenly, a knockes on the door as soon as I start to make my way toward the shower. ¡°Jace, are you there?¡± Coraline¡¯s voicees. I sigh, ¡°What¡¯s up? I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry, then. I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯re done!¡± Footsteps tter away and I assume that she returns to her room. I continue to the shower. After taking a well-deserved soaking session, I feel like a new man. After getting dressed in some loungewear, I make my way to Coraline¡¯s room and knock on the door. She opens the door and says, ¡°Oh, are you going to settle in for the evening?¡± ¡°That was the n, yes,¡± I reply, ¡°why did you want to do something?¡± She bites her lower lip. ¡°Yeah, actually. I wanted to see if we could hit a bar. There¡¯s a cool one here at the hotel, but I really want to get out of here. Besides, we¡¯re in New York.¡± I try not to let my face screw up at the mention of a bar, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Coraline. You know I¡¯m not all that fond of drinking.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, Jace, please?¡± she widens her eyes at me, reminiscent of a puppy, and pouts. I narrow my eyes at her, she knows exactly what she is doing. Dammit, that expression is too hard to say no to. ¡°The incident this afternoon shook me up too much. I really need to have a night out, and you¡¯re the only one! can cunt on.¡± ¡°Coraline¡­¡± ¡°Please, Jace, you don¡¯t even have to drink or anything. Juste with me. I just need to let go of the steam and,¡± she lowers her voice, ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to do that in ndestine city after the whole shooting incident.¡± I sigh, ¡°Alright, fine. Let¡¯s go. But I¡¯m not drinking!¡± A smile crosses her face. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Jace!¡± And that is how I find myself, mere minutester, dressed in a ck colored button-down shirt and dark wash jeans with Coraline hanging on my arm, dressed in a sparkly blue cocktail dress, bouncing down the street to an establishment that advertises itself as the ¡®Lowdown Bar¡¯. The city of New York is as busy as ever, and I¡¯m absolutely floored by the noise and flurry of activity here. So many people milling around, going on with their lives, each so unique yet so uniform in their energy. So many billboards wink and so many stores advertise their goods. Musices from the nightclub at the side of the road, and there is an unholy length of people lining up near it. The ndestine city is arge city, and so is the Empire city. But none of them are as vibrant as this one is. When we stop near the bar, I take a look inside the establishment through therge window at the side and see the sheer crowd within and feel my introverted self-shudder. ¡°Man, that ce is packed!¡± I observemely ¡°It¡¯s one of the most famous bars on this side of the city,¡± Coraline gushes, practically vibrating. Her energy amplifies my own jitteriness, and I feel like I want to runps around the city. God, am I excited about this too? ¡°Well, then. What¡¯s our battle n here?¡± I ask, only for her to give me an incredulous look. ¡°Battle n?¡± she repeats, andughs, ¡°dude, we¡¯re going to a bar. There¡¯s no battle n. We¡¯re just going to let ourselves loose and have fun. Drink, dance, flirt¡­¡± ¡°Flirt?¡± I raise a brow and feel¡­odd. ¡°Harmless flirting. I¡¯m not going to go home with someone, promise,¡± she winks, ¡°you should try it sometimes. Harmless flirting is fun and good for the ego. Very exciting.¡± Still reeling from my past experience, I give her a droll stare and reply. ¡°Pass. I got more than enough excitement at the moment.¡± Sheughs again, ¡°okay, grumpy pants. Let¡¯s go!¡± With that, she drags me into the bar. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 49. VVIP Music thrums from within the bar as well. It¡¯s not as loud as the beatsing from the nightclub, but racy enough for many of the patrons to gyrate against one another in the small dancing space. The bar is nearly filled up with people, mostly young ones ranging from twenty-one to maybe forty, sitting on stools. and sipping various colored drinks. The bar is long, and there are about three bartenders manning at portion of it. Their moments are quick and efficient. One of them performs an borate routine with at cocktail shaker, spinning it in the air, shaking it ording to a rhythm, asionally opening it, and adding ingredients. The other shes a charming grin to a gaggle ofdies at one end of the bar. This bartender is model handsome, and the pearly teethed smile makes thedies swoon. On the other end of the bar, there is a group of frat boys taking shots, and the bartender fills small shot sses with an amber-colored liquid. The bartenders are all dressed entirely in ck. They all look about my age. Coraline grins at the whole disy, and tugs on my arm, e on, let¡¯s find a seat¡± We manage to squeeze onto a couple of seats in front of the bartender handy with the tumbler acrobatics. ¡°Oh, it has been too long,¡± Coraline smiles. ¡°Do you go to bars often?¡± I ask her after realizing that I don¡¯t know much about her after-work activities when she was not spending time with me. Coraline inclines her head in contemtion, ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say often. But once in a while when I want to let loose, I do. But after the shooting, I¡¯ve been afraid you know. Thest thing I wanted was to die because I had a few and couldn¡¯t run away fast enough.¡± I feel a pang of sadness for her situation and feel guilty for protestinging here too much. ¡°If you want to go out back home,¡± I tell her against my better judgment, ¡°you can give me a call. I can have your back, and dunno, take you home afterward. I¡¯m not too into drinking, so I will be the designated. driver. Besides, I¡¯ve got a sweet Maybach at my beck and call.¡± Coraline shakes her head fondly, her expression grateful although she says, ¡°you have an unhealthy obsession with that vehicle.¡± 1 ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a pretty cool car. Love at first sight and all that jazz.¡± She sighs exasperatedly, but I could say that she was pleased. It had been a while since she was like this, and I want to savor the moment for posterity. The bartender slides in front of us after serving his previous clients with a thousand-megawatt grin. His hair is dyed an rming shade of red, and his eyes are amber-colored from what I assume to be contract lenses, although they look hauntingly natural. When he grins, it¡¯s all teeth. ¡°Hello, folks, wee to the Lowdown Bar. Haven¡¯t seen you guys around here, so you must be new. My name¡¯s Lemon and I will be your bartender for the evening.¡± ¡®Lemon¡¯. What an unusual name to have, I wonder if it¡¯s his actual name. And then mentally p myself because obviously, it¡¯s not. Nicknames exist for a reason, although the bartender¡¯s name-tag has the word ¡®Lemon¡¯ on it. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty name,¡± Caroline, much less reserved than I am when confronted with curiosity, comments with a smile to match him. ¡°With a very long story.¡± Lemon provides, leaning across the bar, ¡°and obviously not my real name, but I like the intrigue it causes in people. So, tell me, what¡¯s a ce like this, doing with a girl like you?¡± Coraline giggles and I watch the two with a touch of amusement and something else that makes me want to bolt away with Coraline in tow. It¡¯s a strangely mixed reaction. ¡°We¡¯re here for a conference,¡± I reply, feeling like I should provide something for the conversation. The bartender¡¯s eyebrows raise ¡°For the Forum thing down the road at the fancy hotel?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Well, damn.¡± Lemonments, contorting his body so he faces me, ¡°I didn¡¯t know they let interns attend such ces.¡± ¡°Oh, Jace here is not an intern,¡± Coraline chirps before I can say ¡®yeah, but my boss was feeling lenient,¡± he¡¯s a COO.¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Lemon¡¯s eyebrows hike further up his forehead, ¡°Well, double damn. You must be really something to get a position like that at your age.¡± I shrug, feeling ufortable with the praise, ¡°A good deal of nepotism was involved,¡± I reply, not wanting to take the credit for working hard. Lemon chuckles at that. ¡°You¡¯re honest, I like you. And hey, who wouldn¡¯t like a bit of nepotism here and there? So, tell me, what can I get you, folks?¡± Coraline orders some sort of cocktail with the word ¡®virgin¡¯ in the name, and I settle for a soda. ¡°Not a drinker?¡± Lemon asks. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more interesting.¡± Hements before sliding away to mix drinks. Coraline chats about nothing and everything while we wait for our drinks,ughing and looking as free as a bird. Against everything I predicted, I end up actually enjoying my time there with her. I have to admit. that I see the appeal of going to a bar once in a while, without even having the drinking factor. I don¡¯t feel. as stressed as I was before, or even jittery. Coraline and I can pretend to be a couple of college kids, without any sort of responsibilities other than getting on with life and getting good grades. We can pretend to have no life-threatening shooting happening in our home city, and that he did not meet the father of a man who might be having it out for the both of us. No, here, where we¡¯re being served with a flirty waiter who seemed to have no qualms about gender whatsoever, we could pretend to be just Jace and Coraline. That is until Lemon scoots closer to say, ¡°you know, there¡¯s a pretty sweet VVIP area in this ce, and it serves the best drinks avable. Plus, it¡¯s calmer and quieter. Wanna hit it up there?¡± Not thinking much about it, I shrug, ¡°yeah, sure.¡± ¡°Great, just go to the dude at the entrance and pay for a temporary membership, and you will be good to go!¡± Chapter 50 Chapter 50 50. Crap! I ask Coraline if she wants to join me in the VVIP section, because the music keeps getting louder and louder, and as the night matures, more and more people keeping into the bar premises. But Coraline shakes her head and stands up, ¡°No, Jace, I think I¡¯d love to join the dance floor now,¡± she comments, and gives me a suggestive look, ¡°wanna join me?¡± I take a nce at the packed crowd of sweaty bodies, and try not to grimace, ¡°maybe not tonight, Coraline.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Coraline doesn¡¯t try to persuade me further. She gives me a soft sort of smile, the same kind my mother used to give me when she thought I was being grumpy but in a cute way. It makes heart pang my in my chest. Coraline bounces off to the dance floor, and I look around until I find the entrance to the VVIP lounge that is situated on the second floor of the bear, probably the area with plush couches and a more private bar that I can see through the railing from even down here through the gap on the second floor. I take out my wallet and try to find the emerald card before realizing that I had left it at the hotel. Cursing myself, I take another, moremon card that doesn¡¯t have as much of a credit limit but would be enough for once in the lounge. I make my way to the entrance and notice a burly man in a waiter¡¯s suit standing next to a podium, looking as if he had bitten into a lime. And just like that, I get a feeling that things are about to not go ording to the n. For a moment, I wonder if I should just turn tail and leave for the public bar. After all, Lemon is there, and he is polite and sociable. And at least a bit familiar. Or maybe I am overreacting. There¡¯s only one way to find out. I wall about to the burly man and give him my most charming smile. ¡°Hey, Lemon over there said that this is the VVIP lounge. Can I get a temporary membership for the night?¡± I purposefully drop Lemon¡¯s name as not to create confusion. And just like that, the burly dude¡¯s eyes narrow. He scans my being with the painstakingly familiar air of judge mentality. Oh, boy, I muse to myself, here we go again. The man scoffs, ¡°sure, kid, like I would fall for that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to fall for,¡± I reply with much sincerity as I can muster, ¡°I can pay in advance¡­¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m going to fall for that?¡± the man growled, ¡°every night some miscreant like you would walk up here, maybe dared by your frat friends because it¡¯s so cool to make yourself a nuisance to good, hard working folk, and demand entry to the lounge and then will proceed to trash the ce with your friends who should not be allowed on the streets, much less in bars. And every time that happens, I will have to answer to the boss on why, yet another set of wine sses have been broken and why there were cops in here again to break up a fight! So please for the love of God, get the hell out of here before I call security!¡± The man¡¯s face was red like a tomato by the end of the tirade. The rant has so much feeling to it that it takes me a while to even process it. ¡°Look, man, I don¡¯t know what you went through, and frankly, that sounds like a lot, and I am so sorry that you have been inconvenienced by frat boys before,¡± I reply, ¡°but I¡¯m not one of their ilk. In fact, I¡¯m not even from around here.¡± And that is the wrong thing to say because the man¡¯s expression bes even more grumpier. Is that supposed to reassure me?¡± he asks, and then gives me a sardonic once over. For a moment I feel self-conscious in my cheap clothes which I still had not given up wearing. I mean, sure they were a little on the rough side, but they were perfectly wearable, and because of my childhood I did not have the good conscience to give up on clothes unless they were totally unwearable. I probably should change my attitude now that I live with my father under his shadow. But my clothes felt like apart of my identity that I still had to surrender to my father¡¯s legacy. My whole life felt like it was my father¡¯s to control, and selfishly, I wanted things that were only my own. Like the university I attended, and my clothes. ¡°I hoped so,¡± I shrug, ¡°As I said before, I¡¯m not a frat boy, and I can pay my way in.¡± Maybe I should let go, Maybe I should just walk away. But the gleam in eyes is so challenging, and I find myself unable to back down from a challenge. The earlier jitteriness makes itself known in my being. I feel like I¡¯m itching for something. ¡°You look like you got to work nights if you even want to make rent,¡± the burly man grouses, ¡°and you want me to believe that you can pay the fee for the VVIP lounge?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the fee?¡± I ask. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Way above your paygrade.¡± Now I¡¯m starting to get angry. ¡°Look, dude, I¡¯ve been nothing but nice to you,¡± I say, ¡°and is this the way you treat your paying customers?¡± ¡°No, this is not the way I treat my ¡®paying¡¯ customers. This is the way I treat hooligansing here to waste my time.¡± He sneers, ¡°so go on, beat it.¡± I open my mouth to refute, but something catches my attention. ¡°Look, I¡¯m going to tell this to you once and once only. I¡¯m not going to go home with you, so let hand right now!¡± go of my That is unmistakably Coraline¡¯s voice. As soon as I hear it, I turn away from the man at the entrance and whirl towards the source of the voice. Caroline stand sin the edge of the dancing space, and a big man, around my age, holds her wrists in a viselike grip. She¡¯s ring at him, while he sneers. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that sweetheart,¡± he croons, ¡°I didn¡¯t peg you for a tease before. ying hard to get is hot, until it crosses the limit. So why don¡¯t you make it easy for us both and cut to the chase, huh?¡± He tugs at Coraline¡¯s wrist again, and she yelps. ¡°Hey!¡± someone growls, ¡°you let her go right now!¡± Suddenly, every head in the near range turns to me. That¡¯s when I realize that I was the one who just growled. Crap. Chapter 51 Chapter 51 51. A Bar Fight. Gerald stares at me from across the room as I sit on the pristine couch on top of a fluffy towel that had been spread on it so that I won¡¯t identally stain it with blood. That is still steadily dripping from the various cuts on my person. Coraline sits next to me, dabbing a ball of cotton to the deepest ones on my face, specifically my forehead and cheeks. There is a small dustbin on the ground next to her, half filled with used, red-stained cotton. On herp is a first aid kid, haphazardly put together by Gerald who¡¯d run to the pharmacy nearest to the hotel after Coraline and I came crashing into his hotel room, her shocked and trying to support my weight while I tried to stay upright. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Gerald questions, still panting a bit from his run to the pharmacy. ¡°A bar fight,¡± I answer with a wince, and Coraline tsks. ¡°Don¡¯t move your head,¡± she advises, discarding the pink-stained cotton ball and taking another from the packet in her other hand, ¡°I just got this one cut not to bleed. I still say we need to get to the hospital.¡± ¡°They¡¯re just some cuts and bruises,¡± I assure her, ¡°nothing fatal. It¡¯ll heal soon, besides, this isn¡¯t the first time I got roughed up.¡± It had been far too long since thest time. I would need a couple of painkillers and some good antiseptics, along with plenty of time. But eventually, the bruises will fade off, and the cuts will scab. Thanks to my good immunity system, I healed fast. Soon, I will be good as new. I meant thest phrase to soothe Coraline and Gerald¡¯s worries, but if anything, it makes their respective scowls deeper. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question right,¡± Gerald points out, looking impatient, ¡°why were you two caught up in a bar fight?¡± ¡°It¡¯s neither of our faults,¡± Coraline pauses her dabbing to give Gerald an imploring look. ¡°We were just minding our own business, him talking with the bartenders and me dancing. There was a bunch of frat guys there, and one of them couldn¡¯t clearly hold his alcohol in, so he was wasted. First, he tried to get. me to dance with him, and I humored him a bit because I didn¡¯t realize he was a big douchebag. But then. he began to make advances on me, so I tried to leave the dancing area. And apparently, the idiot thought that meant I wanted to spend the night with his sorry ass.¡± ¡°A night?¡± Gerald questions and I can¡¯t help but roll my eyes. ¡°He was angling for a good time,¡± I rify, ¡°as in a one-night stand.¡± It¡¯s by her tone alone that I realize how much pissed Coraline is at what went down in the bar. And honestly, her anger was warranted. She had only wanted to have a good night out aftering face-to- face with her abusive ex-boyfriend¡¯s dad who she never met, and that man was something else. Unsettling was an understatement when describing him. And she¡¯d just gotten shot and recovered from it, which led to her feeling stressed and unsafe in her own home city. No one deserved to get groped and prepositioned by an asshole after that. I only wish I decked the fucker a bit more. Granted I put on a good fight if the cuts and bruises on my face are anything to go by, but it does not feel like enough of a punishment Yet I have to admit, a small part of me does feel a little guilty about the whole fighting part of the night. Maybe if I had kept my big mouth shut and let Coraline handle herself, things would¡¯ve gone down differently. Coraline also grumbled about this half-heartedly when she was hauling my ass off the barroom after the fight ended. And boy did that fight end fast. I don¡¯t even remember half of what happened.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Because that bastard had touched Coraline in a smarmy way, and I just¡­I lost it, I guess. All I remember seeing is red, red, and red. And yet I wasn¡¯t the one to even throw the first punch. That was on him. He was the one who apparently thought that I was going to steal his new ¡®girlfriend¡¯. I was honestly just going to ask Lemon¡¯s or any other bartender¡¯s help unless I couldn¡¯t talk him out of letting Coraline go. ¡°So, then he grabbed my hand and started to get forceful, so Jace intervened,¡± she gives me a scathing look, ¡°although I could¡¯ve handled it by myself.¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± I sign, and wince again as she restarts the dabbing, ¡°I was worked up because of everything that happened, and when I saw him have the fucking nerve to get his mittens on you, I had to intervene. And I didn¡¯t think the idiot would hit me for it. I just asked him to let you go!¡± ¡°Wait, so he hit you first?¡± Gerald questions, ¡°you didn¡¯t start the whole fight? Also, did you get all that damage from one man?¡± ¡°One very pissed-off man, yes. I¡¯m not too proud of it. And yeah, I asked him to let her go, and he got pissed. And then I asked him to let her go, again, a little more forcefully,¡± I may have even growled again, which was yet another reaction I could not control. It was honest to God growl that reminded me of a dog. I did not realize that humans could make sounds like that. ¡°So, he thought I was the threat, and decided to take me out.¡± Gerald¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°Something makes me think that you¡¯re significantly simplifying what went down,¡± he mutters. ¡°Not really. It all happened so fast.¡± My butler/boss sighs, ¡°Should¡¯ve known something like this would happen. How much damage did you do, then?¡± ¡°Not much. We didn¡¯t break any furniture or ssware or whatever. The fight took ce on the floor for the most part.¡± Coraline starts to apply antiseptic to the wounds, and I bite my tongue through the sting. Then, she begins to apply Band-Aids. ¡°Lemon and his fellow bartenders didn¡¯t let his friends intervene after Jace put the bastard down.¡± Coraline chirps, and Gerald¡¯s eyes sh toward me, his surprise evident. ¡°Wait, you won the fight?¡± I shoot him a petnt nce, my lips in a pout, ¡°you don¡¯t have to sound so surprised¡­¡± ¡°Last time you got in a fight, Jace, you ended up in the hospital,¡± Gerald points out, making me purse my lips. But there is a triumphant and almost smug expression on his face. ¡°Seems like the boxing sses are paying off.¡± I shrug. I did use all the techniques I have been taught to win the fight. Had I not been working on my upper body strength; I do not think I could¡¯vested against that frat boy. Drunk or not, he was twice my size. ¡°They sure are,¡± Coraline replies, and dare I say that even she sounds proud, ¡°anyways, the bartenders broke up the fight, and Lemon helped us get out in the middle of themotion before we could get ourselves into more trouble.¡± ¡°Lemon?¡± ¡°A bartender who apparently has a long story behind his name.¡± Coraline provides an exnation. Gerald stares at us for a long moment and then sighs as if he¡¯s carrying the weight of the world. ¡°Well, at least the two of you didn¡¯t get yourselves into too much trouble. I honestly thought I was going to have to get the cops involved again.¡± ¡°I have to say.¡± Coraline¡¯s smile is a tad bit top hysterical, ¡°it¡¯s refreshing to be involved in something that doesn¡¯t have half the city¡¯s police and some gun-wielding criminals involved.¡± ¡°Your humor is bing more morbid by the day,¡± I observe with amusement as she finishes thest of the Band-Aids. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m allowed to be morbid about it. I survived a shooting.¡± As she gets up with her supplies, a knock sounds on the door, making us all freeze. ¡°Who might that be?¡± I wonder as the silence carries on. The knock sounds again. ¡°Give us a moment!¡± Gerald calls out and moves to the door. For a split second, I wonder if it¡¯s the cops, but then the door swings open. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 52. Good luck! ¡°Hey, I was wondering if you had two college-aged kids, a girl and a boy stowed away in here. They got in a barfight at my workce, and I just want to see if they got into even more trouble after I snuck them out!¡± A familiar voice word-vomits right in front of Gerald, who is frozen at the door, and the abject fear 1 felt of seeing the NYPD at the door vanishes into an exhale of relief. ¡°Lemon!¡± Coraline crows and the man himself pokes his head around Gerald to give us a grin. Lemon is still in his work clothes, but his apron had been ditched, and there was a hair band keeping the scarlet strands frompromising his vision. ¡°Hey there, you two. I was just dropping in to check if you made it back alright. I wondered if you ran into the cops or went to a hospital.¡± ¡°How did you find where we are?¡± Gerald questions, his expression shady. He looks at Lemon with confusion marring his features. I don¡¯t me him; Lemon is a metaphorical human hurricane. His exuberant energy is almost as bright as the sun in our calm hotel room. The activity in the bar had dimmed him a little, I realized. Nevertheless, I feel d to see him, and grateful after how he helped us escape the bar via the backdoor. But I also wonder about Gerald. How on earth did he find us? ¡°I have my ways. Besides it¡¯s not too hard to figure out that the people who came to a conference are staying at the hotel where the said conference takes ce.¡± Lemon gives Gerald a good-natured p on his shoulder before inviting himself in. He takes one look at me and cringes. ¡°You, sir,¡± he points at me,¡± are going to be yellow and purple tomorrow. Damn, that¡¯s a shiner.¡± I can¡¯t help but snort at that. ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± And then I pause before asking. ¡°What happened after we left? Did anyone call the cops?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he replies, making himselffortable on the couch next to me Gerald still stands by the door, staring at Lemon as if he hade down from mars. And Lemon does not even nce at him in acknowledgment. .. ¡°Nothing much happened. The frat boys took their friend home, and man, that was one good hook you had there, I¡¯m impressed! After the frat boy left, I talked to the boss, and because nothing was broken or anything he decided to just let it go. I also talked to Matt, by the way, about why it took me such a long. time to get you admitted to the VVIP lounge,¡± the smirk on his face vanishes, ¡°On behalf of our establishment, I would like to apologize for what happened back there. Matt was an idiot with half-a- brain. cell in his noggin¡¯. He should¡¯ve just taken the fee and let you in rather than do stupid detective work and insult you. I mean, who does that? And idiot that¡¯s who. He needs to get his superiority complex checked. I never liked the guy anyways, but the boss-man knows his pop, so he won¡¯t let him go. But the idiot got demoted back to storage and maintenance so it¡¯s a win, I guess.¡± Lemon ends his rant/exnation like that, leaving the three of us to blink at him for a solid five seconds. Coraline nces between us, and Gerald¡¯s severe expression also morphs into confusion. He looks lost. ¡°Wait, who is this Matt? Why is this the first time I¡¯m hearing about him? What happened with him?¡± Coraline questions, ¡°is he the idiot Jace decked?¡± ¡°Nope. That guy¡¯s name was apparently Zack. Matt was the host at the entrance to the VVIP lounge when you guys were at the bar, but not anymore,¡± Lemon exins before I can, ¡°Before everything went to cray- cray-town I told Mr. Battlestar here,¡± he points to me, and I can¡¯t help but mutter the name to myself incredulously, shaking my head. Oh, but it was going to stick, ¡°that if he got the money, he could gain ess to the big boy club upstairs. It¡¯s way quieter there, and your boy looked like he needed that.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you were going to go upstairs,¡± Coraline nods in understanding. ¡°Why did I not get this part of the story?¡± Gerald interjects, and Coraline and I look at each other guiltily. Lemon continues on as if he had not asked a question, ¡°and then Matt decided that Jace-that¡¯s your name right, Jace? That¡¯s such a jock name, mind you, is it short for Jason?¡± ¡°Um, no?¡± I feel lightheaded at how fast Lemon changes topics of conversation. ¡°Oh, cool, your parents are really original, then,¡± I do not know if that remark is sarcastic or not. Should I be offended? ¡°Anyways, Matt, big and burly with an ugly mug, decided that Jace was too poor to gain entry. So, he barred entrance and insulted him until the fight happened.¡± ¡°Well, in a way, I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t go up,¡± I muse, ¡°I mean, had I not been there, what could¡¯ve happened?¡± ¡°I could have handled it by myself,¡± Coraline rolls her eyes, and shakes her head muttering. ¡°you get shot once, only once, and suddenly everyone starts acting like you¡¯re made of ss, I swear!¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean shot?¡± Lemon squeaks, eyes narrowing on her. ¡°Nothing. What¡¯s your real name? Coraline can match Lemon¡¯s speed in changing subjects. Lemon grins, ¡°that¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Cause, it is!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± Thoroughly amused, I leave Coraline and our new friend to whatever they are doing and stand up from the couch to move toward Gerald who is still gawking at Lemon. ¡°You manage to pick up the unlikeliest allies, Jace,¡± hements. ¡°Lemon is not an ally,¡± I insist, ¡°he¡¯s real friendly, that¡¯s all.¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Keep telling yourself that. First Coraline, then that nurse, and now him. At least it¡¯s not a woman this time. I was starting to think you were a closet Casanova.¡± Gerald remarks with a dry tone, and I blink at him. ¡°Did you just make a joke?¡± I question. Gerald shrugs, ¡°anyone would have the suspicion.¡± ¡°Get your head out of the gutter. I¡¯m not like that.¡± I murmur. ¡°Hey, so are you guys going to continue with the conference in the wake of these new events?¡± Lemon asks loudly. ¡°Well, yes,¡± I reply, ¡°what else would we do?¡± He snorts, ¡°Nothing I suppose. But hey, good luck exining that to the business types!¡± He moves his hand in a rotational motion at my face. Yeah, I¡¯m thinking the same thing. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 53. Reputation Lemon is right. The next day, the bruises be nasty, purple swellings, and everyone stares. It¡¯s horrible and I feel like a show pony. But hey, I made this bed, so I am going to have to lle on it. Peoplee up to me to ask what the hell happened to me, but in more polite terms, and leave me with their sympathetic remarks after I lie to them that I got mugged the night before. That is what Gerald ordered me to say because he did not want any potential clients of ourpany to get the wrong idea that the COO of Zelt Tech was an adrenaline junkie who went out of his way to get involved in barfights with frat. boys. ¡°Whatever you do, do not let them know that you actually hit someone else. Make yourself to be the victim, they dig things like that.¡± Gerald had told me, and I had stared at him because a.) he said ¡®dig¡¯ and b.) that made no sense. ¡°I was under the impression that strength and endurance are important assets for an executing officer,¡± I¡¯d pointed out, and Gerald had scoffed. ¡°Young master, people already think that the only reason you are the COO of thepany is because of nepotism. Thest thing we want them to think is that you are someone who picks fights at low-level establishments like bars. If you give them that impression for even a moment, they will have it fixed in their brain for the rest of your career. No matter what you do, you will be the nepotistic, adrenaline-driven lowlife in their eyes.¡± He had a point, I would give him that, but ¡°Aren¡¯t I the COO of Zelt Tech exactly because of Nepotism, though? I mean you guys didn¡¯t even hire Coraline because her CV didn¡¯t have enough talent. I got this job right after I came home to my estranged father.¡± I pointed out, amused. Gerald huffed, ¡°When ites to the sons and daughters of owners, founders, and CEOs, nepotism is a given. Everyone expects the higher position to go to their next-of-kin, and so it¡¯s overlooked in a way. However, getting the job is easy, but holding on to it is difficult. No matter how closely rted to the higher-ups you are, in order to keep the job, you have to work hard as the next worker does. Otherwise, you will have to be reced with someone who is capable of actually doing the job.¡± He¡¯d looked straight. at me, ¡°you can get a job out of nepotism, yes. But in order to excel in it, and keep doing it, you need to have considerable talent. And those talents should include making others see the abilities beyond your I am not going to lie Gerald gave me a lot to think about. So, when everyone questions about the bruises. the next day, I lie to them easily. I have a reputation to create, after all. *** Thanks to our lucky stars, we do not meet Carlton Collins again. Neither do we visit any bars at night or get into fights. The rest of the forum sails smoothly, and thus our mini vacation from all the chaos at home ends. The g is a nice event, if not a bit nd. But the food is great, and I even get to dance with Coraline for a ssic waltz number. Of course, my dancing is abysmal, and I try my hardest not to step on her feet, which is a task that monopolizes my attention for the most part, but in the end, Coraline isughing her head off at my antics, and Gerald is shaking his head at the sidelines. All in all, it is a rather enjoyable evening. The day the forum ends, we decide to visit the Lowdown bar again to say goodbye to Lemon. Of course, Lemon had been visiting us every night after his shift because, to quote his words, ¡°you people are so damn interesting! And trust me, I¡¯m in New York! This ce is brimming with interesting people! So, tell me how people are getting shot in your city.¡± Lemon had the most morbid interest in the criminal activities of ndestine city. He is also obviously saddened by the news of us leaving. ¡°Well, damn, thought you were going to stay longer,¡± he says, pouting, ¡°you didn¡¯t even go sightseeing anywhere, did you? How could youe to New York and not visit the Central part? Or even the Empire state building, I mean, even the very thought is sacrilegious!¡± ( Material ? N?velDrama.Org. I have to say that I wished we could stay a bit longer and do all those things. Ever since we got here, we had been busy attending the conference. That night at the bar was the only thing that broke the monotony of the three-day-long stay. And as much as we would love to stay for longer, ndestine city and our jobs there were calling. ¡°Well, we wish we could stay,¡± Coraline replies with a sad smile, ¡°but well, can¡¯t stay away from home any longer.¡± Lemon¡¯s pout disappears into an expression of contemtion, ¡°hmm. ndestine city, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Besides, I for one am feeling homesick.¡± Coraline announces. I raise a brow at her. ¡°What? I¡¯m not that good with long-term travel.¡± ¡°I thought you were dying to get out of there because of all the danger and criminal activities.¡± I retort. ¡°That city of yours sounds really interesting,¡± Lemon muses, ¡°who knows, when my stint in New York ends, maybe I will move there.¡± ¡°Your stint?¡± I question. Lemon nods, ¡°yeah, I am what you call a nomad. Staying in one ce gives me the creeps, and as soon as I start to itch, I move towns.¡± ¡°Wow. You must¡¯ve been to so many ces, then!¡± Coralinements and Lemon nods again, even more enthusiastically than before. ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say that I had covered most of the East coast by now. I saved the best, New York for last.¡± ¡°How long have you been doing this?¡± ¡°For a while. Ever since I got out of high school when I was fifteen.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!