Novels by Addiction

The conversation after the challenge stayed controlled, and before the dinner was even finished, Victor was the first to get up, even though his own plate still held more than anyone else's.He cleared his throat. "Mr. Ethan, it was good having you here. Something has come up that I need to attend to urgently, so I'll leave you with my granddaughter and the rest of the dinner," he said, before making his way out of the room slowly, leaning on his walking stick.Even then, it wasn't the kind of slow that belonged to an old man. There was still a sharpness to the way he moved."Now that it's just the two of us, can I have his chicken?" Ethan asked."Big bro, no!" Mirabel said, clearly caught off guard that Ethan would make such a bold move. It wasn't that he'd been rude at the table, but reaching for it the moment Victor left the room felt like a step too close to disrespect in her eyes."It's okay, Mirabel," Vanessa said, reaching a hand out to calm her down. "I understand why you'd th

Ethan hadn't finished chewing when the question hit him, and he quickly reached for his glass of wine, taking a sip to buy himself a moment."I thought you weren't supposed to talk while eating," Ethan said, swallowing. "I almost choked.""Well, it's your eating etiquette, Mr. Ethan. Properly timed chewing is supposed to leave room for conversation," Victor said."Even so, I prefer eating without talking much, if at all," Ethan said."Well, this is my house, so I didn't call you here just to feed you," Victor said."Grandpa!" Vanessa said, clearly not wanting that to come off as something that could provoke Ethan.But Ethan wasn't bothered by what Victor said at all. Instead, he turned his attention back to his food, eating with full enjoyment and no concern for timing, even with the question still hanging in the air.For a full five minutes, Ethan said nothing and simply kept eating, and it was evident that Victor's patience was thinning.Finally, after taking another sip from his gl

They arrived at the Marsh family's club just on time, exactly as Diego had promised. In front, two men in dark uniforms were already standing at the main gate, as if they had been told to expect them. The moment Diego's car rolled up, they pulled the gates open and bowed slightly, and Diego drove them inside."Wow, this place is..." Mirabel said, her voice trailing off as she leaned toward the window to look outside. It was a captivating scenery.The grounds were polished to perfection, with grass trimmed along the whole length of the driveway with trees that were well arranged and complimented the entire thing with heavy blossom.Ethan had been in nice places before, but this one felt different. He hadn’t pictured it to be this welcoming especially when he knew the venue was brought about by Mr. Marsh. Diego parked and Ethan didn’t need him to tell him he wasn’t going to follow them inside.As Ethan and Mirabel alighted from the car a staff member came to meet them.“Welcome, ple

"Hello! We can see you!" Mirabel called. The man still hadn't come out from behind the display, even after a full minute, and they were all standing there waiting patiently."Should I go and get him, big bro?" she asked. She was clearly eager to, but before Ethan could answer, the man stepped out with a frown on his face."Finally," Mirabel said.He walked toward them with an angry expression and stopped close to the cashier's side. Mirabel's relief turned serious again when it became clear he had no intention of apologizing for what he'd done."Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked.What he said next flabbergasted her."What do I have to say for myself? What do you have to say for yourself? I was your escort, and instead of following me, you wandered off halfway through my presentation. If I'm at fault, it's only because I was the one running around trying to find you. And if my instinct hadn't told me you'd pull a stunt like this, I'd still be looking.""Hey, that's

"That's very rude!" Mirabel said, completely unsettled by the way the old man had spoken to Ethan."You shouldn't talk to strangers like that, especially when you don't know the full story," she added.The old man didn't give her more than a side glance before turning his attention back to Ethan, who stood there unbothered by the insult."I'm still waiting for an answer," the man said.Mirabel thought Ethan was going to speak harshly to the man. Instead, he gave the old man neither an answer nor an insult. He turned back to the woman attendant."As I was saying, can I have the price of this jacket? I'd like to take it, pay, and go, instead of needing somebody to walk me to the counter."The woman's mouth fell open. The old man was visibly annoyed at being ignored, and he stepped in front of both of them."Stop trying to hijack my escort!" he said, shaking with fury."I'm not hijacking her. I'm asking questions," Ethan said, realizing the man wasn't going to be sidelined."Well she’s m

"We're looking for formal attire that I can wear for an occasion tonight," Ethan said plainly."Of course, that's no problem at all," the man in the charcoal vest said. "Right this way, please."Ethan turned and saw that Diego hadn't moved from the side of the car. He was leaning against it with his arms folded, clearly not interested in coming along."I think it's better if I stay outside," Diego said. "I’m not the one planning to rise to the occasion.”"That's fine," Ethan said, and he and Mirabel followed the man through the glass doors.Inside, the boutique didn't fall short of what Mirabel had promised. The polished finishes, the warm lighting and the careful arrangement of every rack gave the place a sense of its own, and Ethan gave a small nod of approval. It was nothing like the last boutique he'd walked into."Please follow me," the man said, leading them to one particular section before turning around and clasping his hands together. "May I ask what exactly you're looking for

Adrian Snow was gone.Not imprisoned, completely gone. The news didn't take long to spread across all countries. Adrian Snow was finally eliminated. Justice was served.Jessica was imprisoned. She couldn't escape like she thought she would. She was too heartbroken to even move.“I warned him. I warned him." She kept telling herself. Jasper asked that Jessica be sent back to Silverlake to serve her punishment in prison. And with his fall, everything else followed. The warehouse Jasper had shown Adrian that he destroyed was completely fake. Nothing was destroyed, except that the robots were switched off so they couldn't destroy anything in the city. Adrian's plan was to use the robots to distract Jasper. While the robots destroy the city, Jasper and his men would be forced to leave him and save the country. But Jasper had seen that coming. With the help of some of his lab doctors that were tired of working without much pay, the robots were turned off. And in that lab, Jasper and

Tiger and the others rushed out when they saw some people in the shadows with guns pointed at Sophia.Dirty game.Within seconds, Tiger dove Sophia pushing her to the ground. The gunshot was so loud, Jasper froze and turned.He saw Sophia on the ground, he wasn't about to comprehend what just happened before Adrian punched him from behind. Chaos erupted.Jessica stepped back, watching with narrowed eyes. If Adrian wins, which she prays for, she'll be so happy. But if Jasper wins, she'll run away quickly“Stay down." Tiger ordered Sophia as he stood to his feet. Jackson and Bai Zhe along with few other team members fought along with Jasper. Sophia rolled to the other end of the room and remained on the ground, not daring to stand up. Her eyes never left Adrian and Jasper.Adrian wasn’t just dangerous, he was a deliberate destruction. Adrian blocked Jasper’s strike and leaned in slightly, “You’re holding back.”Jasper’s eyes turned colder, “I’m ending you.”Adrian laughed, “You’ve

The day of the meeting came quicker than anyone expected. Everyone feared for what was going to happen, everyone except Jasper. He was more eager to meet with Adrian. “Only one host survives? Let's see who survives” he whispered to himself.The industrial zone was empty and quiet. Wind moved through broken structures. Metal creaked faintly like it knew something was going to happen here. Jasper stood at the center waiting. He was alone. Bai Zhe and the other team members positioned in their hideout. Weapons were ready, eyes watching. Just as Jasper was about to move even closer, he heard a call that caused him to freeze. His entire body run cold. “Jasper!" It was Sophia. His eyes widened in shock as he turned to meet her gaze.“What the hell are you doing here?!" He roared. “I had to come. I cannot let you use yourself as bait while I sit home and watch" Jasper's jaws clenched. He tried to push her away but he was too late. Adrian came out of the shadows “Awwwn, lovebird

The news caused the entire house to be silent No one spoke. Everyone mourned the death of Mark. Jasper sworn in his heart to end Adrian even if it meant dying with him. Tiger was silent and still. The pain piercing into his heart. Bai Zhe came moments later, he saw Jasper and his heart broke to pieces. He walked over to the man and held his shoulder, “This is all my fault." " That's not true.” Bai Zhe immediately frowned. " I was too late.” Jasper swallowed, " I should have been there. I should have been the one. It was my fight after all.”" And we are all willing to die for you, Boss.” Tiger interrupted. Jasper’s eyes watered. " Adrian messed with the wrong team.” Jackson whispered. " This time… there is no turning back." Jasper looked back at Jackson, “Can you trace him?" “Even if it takes me all night, I will." “I'll stay up with him." Bai Zhe added. “And I'll watch and patrol the compound." Tiger also spoke. Jasper couldn't be more grateful for the kind of friends h

Jasper called instantly for an emergency meeting. It was 2 a.m. but everyone was vigilant. The look on Jasper's face was gloomy. The first thing he said when everyone took their positions in their seats was,“No fear." Gazes at him, he turned to look everyone in the eyes, “No fear. He feeds from our fear." They didn't understand everything but they understood one thing. When dealing with Adrian Snow, show no fear. In the operation room covered in screens, data streamed endlessly. Location, surveillance feeds, movement logs… Adrian wasn't the only one who could monitor their movement without them knowing. He could too. The system’s words echoed in his mind again, “Only one host remains." This was it. It was either him or Adrian. He had a brief yet important meeting with them before he finally dismissed them. Everyone left with a new fire, all except Jackson. He remained with Jasper as he watched the feeds. " Boss” Jackson called as he looked at the screen before him. Jasper

It was late. Sophia was home. So was Jasper but he refused to step out of his room. She was stubborn. He allowed her to be. He had assigned a hundred and twenty guards to follow her in the shadows. He doesn't have anymore potions to save her. He cannot be reckless. But she was. Jasper stood alone in his study, thinking. His coat had been discarded somewhere behind him, his cuffs loosened, his tie slightly undone.But none of it softened him. He wasn't comfortable. His heart is heavy and he wondered what is causing such unease. His mind went back to the prison, the words that Elise had said that kept hunting him. “What you have… Adrian has it too.”Adrian’s voice over the phone.“I already know how this ends.”Even though he had not seen Adrian face to face as of recent, he believed the words from Elise. Adrian have a system now. He was too precise in his doing. Now steps ahead of him and even think of things before he does. The way Adrian dismantled his operations like he ha