Gavin Rourke turned, his face dark. His glare locked on Jones Morello and Lee Brooks like a loaded gun. He held up the counterfeit bottle with disgust, like it was a rotting rat.“This garbage? You’re saying this crap is the real deal?”Lee Brooks visibly crumbled. Sweat poured down his temples. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, but all he managed was a choking sound. Then he buckled under pressure and confessed like a coward.“M-Mr. Rourke... I was told to lie,” he stammered, voice breaking. “It was Mr. Morello’s assistant. He came to me with a deal—told me what to say.”He looked at the ground like it might swallow him whole.“He gave me thirty thousand to back up the story... I’m sorry. I swear, I didn’t know things would go this far.”The room fell silent for a second, cold and heavy.Jones Morello looked like he’d swallowed glass. His pride, his smug arrogance, all of it shattered in real-time. His face lost color, then flushed red with fury and shame, then turned pale agai

"That's right. One of our uncles even got beaten half to death by his own men in the Miracle Avenue," Elizabeth said carefully, her voice low but urgent. She leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "It’s too risky to get tangled in their mess, Mr. Morello. If we push this any further, we’re walking into a snake pit. My advice, is for you to drop it."Jones Morello’s lips curled into a cold, dismissive smirk. He leaned back in his chair, rolling a glass of whiskey between his fingers as if her warning amused him. "What makes Morix Sable think he can parade around in front of me like some untouchable king?" His tone dripped with contempt. "That man doesn’t know who he’s dealing with."Elizabeth’s brow furrowed, but she said nothing.Jones set the glass down with a sharp clink. "I’ll deal with Jaden Rift no matter what it takes. And Morix Sable…" His eyes hardened, voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "If he dares stick his nose in my business, I’ll drag him down with Rift. Both of them.""I tak

At that moment, Selena’s phone rang, the sharp trill cutting through the air. An unknown number flashed across the screen.Her brows furrowed instantly. “Who the hell…?” She swiped to answer. “Hello?”A deep male voice rolled out of the speaker, dripping with mockery. “Ms. Verrick, I presume? I’m guessing you’ve seen what’s left of your car by now.”Her eyes widened, rage flashing across her face. “You did it, didn’t you?” she snapped, voice climbing into a furious pitch.“I didn’t say that,” the man replied with a lazy scoff, like he was enjoying her reaction.Before she could unleash another word, Jaden Rift reached over and plucked the phone from her grip. He pressed it to his ear, his expression flattening into ice. “Who are you?”A short pause. Then the voice grew smug. “Ah… Jaden Rift. I thought so. Well, since you’re on the line, I might as well save you the guessing game. The name’s Travis Kroll. President of the Arden Grand Hotel.”Jaden’s jaw clenched at the arrogance in the

Theresa Lion and Jaden stepped out of Wisdom Fargo’s office.Theresa pulled the door shut with a controlled click, then turned to Jaden with that clipped, businesslike tone she used when she was setting boundaries.“No matter what you hear, do not go in there,” she said firmly, eyes locking on him. “Director Fargo despises interruptions. Especially during private meetings.”Her words lingered like a warning. Then she pivoted on her heels and strode away, leaving Jaden standing alone in the polished corridor, his expression unreadable under the dim downlights.Inside, Wisdom Fargo leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, eyes fixed on Selena with a gaze that was anything but professional.“Please, sit,” he said, gesturing toward the chair opposite him.Selena lowered herself onto the seat, posture straight, eyes cautious.“I’ve been looking into your project,” Fargo began, his voice oiled with false charm. “Greyfield Shopping Mall is going to be a cornerstone of this city’s growth.

Jaden jabbed a finger toward Wisdom Fargo, who lay sprawled on the floor like a discarded rag doll, his face pale and his chest rising in shallow, erratic breaths."This old goat tried to bully my wife," Jaden’s voice was calm, almost cold, but there was steel under every word. "Tell me, Lionel, what are you going to do with him?"Lionel Bobson’s apple bobbed. His forehead was already beaded with sweat, and the way he kept wringing his hands made it clear he understood exactly how dangerous this question was."Rest assured, Mr. Rift—" Lionel’s voice cracked and he immediately corrected himself, "—rest assured, sir. He will be dealt with severely. We’ll make an example out of him, exactly as you wish."Around him, the other Ironvale City Bank higher-ups were falling over themselves with apologies. One bent slightly forward, voice trembling."Mr. Rift, please believe us, this was a… a terrible oversight. We take full responsibility."Another chimed in hastily, "If there’s any compensat