The person was no other than Vanessa.She was wearing a tight red dress that hugged every curve of her body. The dress was short, showing off her smooth legs, and the neckline dipped low enough to catch any man’s attention. Her long dark hair fell over one shoulder in perfect waves.She sat on the edge of the large table with one leg elegantly crossed over the other, her high heels dangling from her toes, like she owned the room.As she saw Damian, she flipped her hair back with a slow, deliberate motion and smiled.“Hey honey,” she said, her voice soft and sweet like honey.It was as if she had known that Damian would open the door any moment.Mr. Lorenzo’s jaw slackened the instant he saw her. His throat worked once, then twice, before he forced himself to swallow and stand straighter.“Uh… Mr. Hayes,” he stammered, his eyes darting between Damian and Vanessa. "I think I should… I have some urgent calls to make. The board meeting follow-ups, you know.”He cleared his throat awkw

At Magnus' mansion, Ethan sat comfortably on the balcony in one of the plush outdoor chairs, his phone in his hand. On the screen, a viral video played showing Vanessa being dragged out of Copper Group.In the video, the security guard had a firm grip on Vanessa’s arm as she struggled against him. Her expensive dress was wrinkled, her perfect hair now messy from fighting. She kicked and screamed, her high heels scraping against the marble floor of the lobby. Her expression was filled with desperation and humiliation as shocked employees gathered around. Some even pulled out their phones to record her humiliating moment, completely ignoring her pleas for them to stop.The satisfying sight made his lips curl into a satisfactory smile.After watching the video for the third time, he scrolled through the internet. She was trending in every headline."CALLUM CONSTRUCTION HEIRESS DRAGGED OUT OF COPPER GROUP LIKE TRASH”"VANESSA CALLUM’S DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO SEDUCE CHAIRMAN BACKFIRES SP

Mr. Richard’s heart pounded as they followed The Reaper’s lieutenant through corridors he’d never seen before.They passed through the main cellblock, where inmates pressed against their bars to watch the strange procession.Finally, they reached a section Mr. Richard had never seen in his three weeks here—a maintenance area filled with pipes and electrical panels. The walls were older here, made of crumbling brick instead of concrete.“Where… where is this place?” Dr. Williams whispered nervously to Mr. Richard, his voice barely audible.“I’m as confused as you are,” Mr. Richard whispered back, his eyes darting around the unfamiliar surroundings.But they dared not ask The Reaper or his gang members.Suddenly, The Reaper stopped at what looked like a maintenance closet door. To Mr. Richard’s amazement, the heavy steel door swung open to reveal a dark staircase leading downward.They descended into what seemed like an underground tunnel. The air grew cooler and damper with each step

With everyone now sitting around the shiny table, feeling tense and nervous—except for Mr. Lorenzo and Damian—and wondering what this meeting was actually about, Damian decided to break the awkward silence.He clapped his hands together after looking around at everyone’s faces.“I can still see you’re all confused and shocked,” he began calmly."But don’t freak out. There’s really nothing to worry about.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Mrs. Patterson, her bruised face still showing the marks of her ordeal, leaned forward with desperation in her voice. "Mr. Hayes, you said you were here to save us. What exactly do you mean when you say you’re here to save us, but we won’t be leaving these suffocation walls?”Damian scoffed, shaking his head with amusement. “The joke’s on you if you all thought I was here to be your Messiah. Especially after how you did absolutely nothing when Magnus was bringing my world crashing down.”Mr. Richard’s brow furrowed as suspicion crept into his voice. “So, is this your

Lara knew he might say no, but the way he said it hurt way more than she thought it would.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​“Is…” she stammered, forcing out a disbelieving chuckle that sounded more like a sob. "Is this about your suspicion of me? Do you still not trust me?” She pointed at herself.“It has nothing to do with that,” Ethan replied without hesitation and added that he no longer suspected her.However, he lied about the suspicion—he still had doubts about her. But he was being honest about everything else. He had never loved her, and now his heart belonged to someone else entirely.Seeing her silent, broken expression, her face pale and drawn with pain, he leaned forward and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Seeing your expression and reaction tells me everything I need to know.""You do have feelings for me, don’t you?"He sighed. "I’m sorry for putting you in this position, Lara. If I hadn’t forced this narrative on you, something like this wouldn’t have happened.”Her voice came out ba