Florence and Jack glowered by the window, practically brimming with poisonous contempt as they tore into Alex’s name.“I swear to God,” Jack hissed, slamming his palm on the table, “the world’s gone completely insane if that incompetent asswipe actually owns this hotel.”Florence leaned forward with a vicious glare, her words dripping with venom. “You’re telling me. That leech is just mooching off Jasmine’s good graces. Without her pity, he’d be homeless, rolling around in his own filth somewhere.”Jack gave a low, humorless laugh, eyes brimming with envy.“He probably crawled on all fours, begging like a stray dog to get this place under his name. And don’t even get me started on the ‘man-whore’ shtick—if I wanted to stoop that low, I’d blow that loser out of the water. At least I’ve got a shred of dignity.”Florence scoffed. “Ha! Don’t flatter yourself, Jack. No one can sink to Alex’s level. He’s the champion of freeloaders. Now, Charles—there’s a real man: young, shrewd, polished.

Alex watched as Sophia and the others walked out.Jasmine and Raymond had already left, leaving him alone.He took a moment to steady his heart, his mind racing with thoughts of Charles. He had just released the monster back into the water, and now it had only grown bigger and even more dangerous.Suddenly, a beautiful woman approached his table, pulling out a chair and sitting down in front of him.“Jasmine?” Alex looked at her, surprised. “How do you know I’m here?”“I know everything that happens in Vancouver,” Jasmine said smoothly. “It’s hard not to notice when the biggest hotel and restaurant in the city changes its name.” She gestured for a red wine to the waiter.“I’m starting to regret asking you to release Charles,” Alex admitted.“Don’t.” Jasmine tilted her head, her eyes sharp.“Even without you asking, I might have released him anyway. You just added the tipping point.”“My mother already thinks I’m too cruel for doing all this to my own brother—especially after he got st

“How could this be?” Jasmine was stunned, her confidence shattered by the unexpected defeat.No one had anticipated Gabriel would fall so easily—especially to someone who looked so weak.One of the vice leaders rushed forward, grabbing Gabriel from the arena and shaking him awake.Gabriel groaned, then blinked as he came to.“So, I lost?”He stood up, rubbing his head, but instead of regret, a smirk stretched across his face.“I’m sorry, Miss Kingston. I didn’t expect to meet someone that strong,” he said, shrugging.“But don’t worry! My vice leader will secure the next two wins. We can still turn this around.”He turned to Karl. “Karl, you’re up next. Make sure you win this round.”“Yes, leader!” Karl responded and immediately stepped toward the arena.“Stop it!” Kelly suddenly shouted, her voice sharp with fury.“You’re losing on purpose!”“Don’t you dare send another one of your men in! Jasmine, these people are trying to drag us down!”“Shut up,” Gabriel shot back. “We’re trying t

“We’ll drive out of Vermont, and once we’re past the Vancouver border, Jericho Kane can kiss my ass,” Jasmine declared, her voice tight with determination.Kelly huddled over a map, tapping a spot with her finger. “It’s about an eight-hour haul from here,” she noted. “But once we link up with Lydia’s chopper, we’re golden.”Jasmine nodded. “She’s on standby. As soon as we reach the rendezvous, we’ll be in the clear.”Her jaw clenched as she glanced at the winding roads ahead. “But first, we’ve gotta ditch Kane’s goons.”They formed a quick plan: three SUVs taking three different routes, each one a decoy to confuse any potential pursuers.Jasmine, Kelly, Alex, and two bodyguards piled into one of the vehicles.For a while, they sped down forest-lined roads, winding turns making it feel like the trees were closing in. Just as they approached a fork:CRASH!A massive tree slammed down, blocking the road completely. The driver cursed, slamming on the brakes.Dark shapes materialized from

Inside, Kelly sat on one side, her jaw clenched so hard it was a wonder her teeth didn’t crack.“They're traitors, Jasmine,” Kelly hissed, eyes burning. “Dirty, backstabbing traitors. And you know what we do with traitors?”“We crush them. We make them regret the day they decided to cross us.”Jasmine pressed two fingers against her temple, trying to will away the headache that pounded behind her eyes.She’d had enough chaos for one day.“I get it, Kelly,” she said in a low voice. “But we need a real plan.”Kelly’s eyes flickered with frustration.“You want a plan? How about we start by tossing every piece of human trash that came out of Detroit or Winston? You heard that bastard Charles—he’s still got connections everywhere.”A muscle in Jasmine’s cheek twitched.If only she’d been more ruthless, if only she’d shut the door on Charles for good.But regrets wouldn’t keep them safe now.“Jasmine, Hesitation is the enemy of power. Strike first, or be struck down."“You know we can’t jus