“Ho ho, talk about the devil. Hey Gary, come join me, I was just about to slap your beautiful wife. Ex-wife, I mean. I already slapped her once, but ehr, just like you, she is just another stubborn creature.” said Juan. “Ooh, Me va a encantar esto” he ended. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Juan.” Gary said, fearlessly. He was a little too calm for the chaos in the room. People around tried to warn him to just let things slide. Getting on Juan’s wrong side was like stepping on a snake. The result was instant, deadly. “You strike women?” he said. “Very impressive. Does your mommy still change your diapers too? Or are you just mad that my wife won’t bow to your tiny dick?” Juan dropped Evelyn to the ground with a silent thud. Then, he began to approach Gary, fury in his eyes. This was the moment the staff knew that Juan would skin this confident man alive. Evelyn replayed the words in her head over and over and over again. “Did he just… did he just call me his wife?” It was s

The city stretched out around them like a dream too bright to be real. Evelyn sat in the passenger seat, silent, barely breathing. Her hands lay limp in her lap, her fingers still cold from the call she’d just received. She wasn’t blinking. She wasn’t even sure if she was awake. Gary drove, eyes on the road, the weight of everything between them settled quietly in the space. He said nothing, letting the stillness do the talking. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Who was this man? Who the heck was this man seated in the driver’s seat, driving with no care in the world, like he didn’t just make her a CEO automatically? A few days ago, he’d been just her ex-husband—strange, reserved, awkward at times, soft-spoken, even forgettable in some crowds. But now… he was something else. Something terrifyingly bigger than her world could comprehend. That call—Serena Voss herself, the woman who made presidents pause mid-sentence—just casually called her. Evelyn. Lancaster. The woman who wa

Returning to the house was a man and a drunk woman, unable to walk properly. Gary helped Evelyn walk in, her arms wrapped around his wide shoulder. She had actually taken over ten bottles alone, an outrageous number. Funny enough, Bae also had so much to drink. But the men –Edmond and Gary, knew better than to get drunk. They would be the ones in the driver’s seat, taking their ladies home. As soon as Gary was in the living room, someone turned the lights on. It was a huge living room that usually felt empty. But tonight, something felt off. People. Lots of people. Everyone was in the living room, waiting for the arrival of Gary and Evelyn. But the way they stared at Gary, he knew they were waiting for him specifically. Madam Ann, the head of the Lancaster family, was seated on her golden chair in the middle of the living room, William, her first son, standing beside her. Enrique sat on the couch, sipping from whatever drink was in the cup he was holding firmly, his eyes unreadab

The bar reeked of expensive bourbon and awkward silence. Not a word was spoken, not even among the chatter-happy. Just the occasional clink of a glass, the low hum of jazz from the speakers, and the haunting stillness of a room filled with people pretending not to notice the elephant in the room—Gary Wang. He sat in the corner booth with Kage and a couple of Lancaster affiliates who still hadn’t figured out whose side they were really on. Gary leaned back, his expression unreadable. Calm. Detached. Yet his eyes scanned the room with surgical precision. Something felt off. The whole night felt like a setup, a test, a stage. Kage, ever the fool in a devil’s suit, tried to lighten the mood. He tossed back a shot and laughed a little too hard at his own joke. “You know,” he slurred, nudging Gary with his elbow, “you and that bitch... Evelyn, I mean... You’d actually make a perfect couple. Both so uptight and dramatic. I swear, it’s like watching a telenovela.” Gary didn't flinch. Jus

“Kage.” Ruth called out. Kage had literally been ousted from the family ever since he lost his place in the business world. The Lancasters no longer gave a fuck about him and he went from being a potential son-in-law to an outcast, a loser like Gary. But seeing Kage bid $90 million for Edmond’s painting in his arrival party, it shook the entire city. Where could Kage possibly have gotten such a huge amount of money from? His father, his family, the Howards were literally demoted to the 64th richest in the country from the top 10 just a few weeks ago. None of the Lancasters got to see Kage before he left, to perhaps rekindle their broken relationship. But now, here he was, standing in the mansion with power and authority. “Yes. I know who Gary really is. See, there is a private sector, a secret organization…” Kage paused for effect, then glanced around the room as though sharing a national security secret. “It’s extremely confidential. I wasn’t even supposed to know, but I stumb