Jas and the driver were stomping their feet in the dark alley - one standing, one squatting.
In the freezing cold and pitch darkness, they had been waiting there for over half an hour. Neither expected their respected boss would still be... occupied.
The driver seed quite content, squatting by the roadside with his vape, repeatedly blowing clouds of vapor. In the darkness ahead, the black Maybach sat silently like so forbidden boundary not to be crossed.
It was November, for heaven's sake, and Jas's legs were going numb. He had rushed to tell the driver to stop here, and now they were stuck in this alley in the middle of nowhere, with no coffee shop to sit in, and no idea when the boss would erge from the car.
"Think they're done yet?" Jas stomped his feet and paced back and forth, making casual conversation with the driver.
"...Hard to say."
The driver had a zen-like expression as he squinted his eyes. Just as he finished speaking, the car roof visibly shook again. He quietly took the vape from his mouth and released another cloud of vapor - probably his hundredth that night: "If you ask , at least another hour."
Jas hadn't been idle during this half hour, constantly responding to ssages. He had Adrian's two backup phones with him, both buzzing non-stop. He had already cancelled all remaining appointnts for the night and was now debating whether to postpone tomorrow morning's etings as well.
The boss was being rather... enduring.
He had thought that since Christine was pregnant, the boss would at least be gentle and make it quick. But here they were, half an hour later, and it seed like things were just... getting started?
Finally, Daniel arrived in response to Jas's SOS ssage, letting them into his car where the two nearly-frozen n could finally enjoy so warm air conditioning.
This place was hard to find. Following Jas's location, Daniel had almost parked right next to the Maybach. Thankfully, Jas frantically called him, telling him to "silently" reverse out through the alley, making absolutely sure Adrian wouldn't notice - probably saving Daniel's life in the process.
Besides rescuing them from the freezing cold, Daniel brought so news.
Victor's younger son, Marcus's brother Wesley had just stord into the company headquarters with three bodyguards, causing chaos by throwing punches and breaking things, claiming he wanted to get revenge on Adrian for his brother. Fortunately, the company's security wasn't just for show - they held him back and threatened to call the police, while also managing to chase away so paparazzi who had caught wind of the situation.
When Wesley found out Adrian wasn't there, he left in a rage, saying he'd gather reinforcents.
That's when Daniel had rushed out of the company. He figured Wesley would probably round up every security guard he could find and go trash Adrian's house.
It made sense - given Victor's personality and his decades-long hatred for Adrian, Ethan, and their father, how could he just let this go?
Thomas had seen this coming and had already headed back after dealing with Marcus.
"Hey, what if Victor's people really show up at the house looking for a fight?" Daniel asked worriedly.
"What's there to worry about?" The driver lounged comfortably in his seat, eyes half-closed.
"When has the boss ever not had a plan? Besides, with Mr. Thomas there, those little punks don't stand a chance. I bet the boss and Mr. Thomas could handle all three of them - father and sons - without breaking a sweat."
Jas listened quietly, staring out the window.
To put it bluntly, Victor's two sons were both scumbags and losers, just like their father.
The older son Marcus looked like a gentleman but was actually a pervert. The family had heard rumors about his sick habits, but there was never any solid evidence, and no one dared to accuse him directly.
The younger son Wesley was the sa age as Ethan - an arrogant brat with no brains and a petty personality. He couldn't stand losing face and would try to show off at the slightest provocation, causing a huge scene only to crawl back ho with his tail between his legs, leaving Victor to clean up his ss.
Their family had thrown their weight around for years, but this ti they'd really stepped in it - or you could say karma had caught up with them.
Victor had miscalculated badly.
First, although Victor had suspected Christine and Adrian had so secret relationship, if he'd known she was Adrian's woman, he would never have sent Marcus to spy on her.
Second, he definitely didn't know his younger son had rushed out looking for a fight with Adrian, or he would have stopped him at all costs. His dear son Wesley was an idiot with no subtlety - Victor knew exactly how his son asured up against Adrian.
If Adrian dared to publicly declare Christine as his woman, he must be confident he could protect her. Their whole family better think twice before ssing with Christine ever again.
"Oh right, I heard Marcus got beaten pretty badly? They say the boss and Thomas dislocated his arm and broke two of his ribs. Ha! Looks like that bastard won't be showing his face for a couple of years~"
Daniel suddenly rembered, his face lighting up with his usual gossip-loving expression. "Honestly, they had it coming."
"Yes, it was brutal. Not just the ribs - his nose and teeth are probably ruined too," Jas nodded.
He recalled the scene after getting out of the car: Marcus lying pathetically on the ground, his head like a ball under Adrian's foot. The man's eyes were so swollen he couldn't open them, his face covered in blood, spitting bloody foam - looked like he'd had a tooth knocked out.
But unlike Daniel's gossiping, Jas was worrying about sothing else: what if Victor and his people went to Rebecca and told her about Adrian publicly declaring Christine as his woman?
Jas wasn't worried about Adrian handling it - he had complete faith in his boss's eloquence and ability to control the situation. Adrian could probably turn the tables on Victor and even use Marcus's "secret habits" as leverage to keep him quiet.
But how would Miss Christine feel about all this?
Jas couldn't help but picture the usually gentle and calm woman's face.
And... what would Ethan think when he found out, still lying in his hospital bed?
If the brothers and family turned against each other, what would all his boss's planning, help, and efforts amount to?
It was all too complicated.
Jas sighed silently. He could help Adrian handle business matters, manage governnt relations, and keep his boss's position watertight in this concrete financial empire.
But matters of the heart and emotions - not only was he unable to handle them, he'd never even seen such feelings from Adrian before.
Well, it wasn't his place to interfere.
"Hey," Daniel typed sothing on his phone, then suddenly asked, "Jas, do you think the boss will be in a better mood after today?"
"Better?"
"At least... happier?"
"I doubt it," Jas gave him a aningful look.
Everyone in upper managent knew about their boss's dark mood over the past two months.
Daniel was one of the direct victims.
One night, he went for Korean BBQ with so high school or college friends before returning to work overti. Although he was very careful and changed his clothes before going upstairs, when he passed Adrian - in Daniel's own words - Adrian looked at him like he wanted to turn him into BBQ right there and then.
Adrian was already incredibly difficult to please.
His germaphobia showed in every aspect of life: no heavy footsteps, voices must be kept low, and his office had to remain odorless and pristine.
These past two months, dealing with him had beco even more challenging. During one eting, a product manager forgot to silence his phone, and when it went off in the conference room, Adrian just glanced at him and fired him on the spot.
Fortunately, Jas managed to convince HR to transfer the unlucky product manager to a branch office in another city - sowhere Adrian would never see him - finally containing the boss's fury.
Jas had a pretty good idea why Adrian was angry: simply put, sexual frustration.
On the way to rescue Christine tonight, Jas had hoped things might improve: the boss saves Christine, she expresses gratitude, says so nice things, maybe even offers herself to him. If the boss got what he wanted, it might improve his dark mood.
Instead, as soon as she got in the car, Christine dropped a bombshell that basically destroyed all of them.
Jas looked complicated at the distant Maybach, which showed no signs of opening its doors, and sighed deeply: "You know what? The boss is still angry, or rather, he's even angrier now."
"What the hell?!"
Daniel looked shocked, glancing between the car and Jas's face, his mouth twitching in despair before muttering two words: "We're dood."
Reviews
All reviews (0)