Without wasting any more time, he skewed his face bitterly, the lines of frustration tightening around his eyes. His jaw locked, and he turned away, fast, refusing to let anyone see the storm burning behind his eyes. It was too much. Too humiliating. Too unreal. He didn’t want to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing his pride bleed through his expression. And just like that, his feet moved stiffly, angrily, as he walked away from the scene, his soaked footsteps fading into the distance.At that moment, Tyler and his mother stepped back inside their establishment.The warmth that greeted them was nothing compared to the warmth glowing from Tyler’s mother’s face. She was practically buzzing with joy, her voice light and full of excitement as she began to speak words tumbling out of her as if she couldn’t hold them in any longer.“Tyler! Did you see what just happened out there?” she said, still drying her arms with a small cloth. “The way Mr. David looked at me, the way he smiled. And

Nathaniel Jr. stood in front of his father like a statue carved out of shame, his head bowed low, his lips sealed, and his eyes fixed on the ground. His fingers were clenched tightly behind his back, his breathing shallow, and he could feel the cold weight of failure pressing heavily on his shoulders. He couldn’t speak there was nothing to say. Because he knew, deep down, that he had failed.Everything was falling apart. Nothing was going the way it should have gone.For the past few days, he had been hunting for that good-for-nothing Tyler the boy everyone was talking about, the same boy who now had the ridiculous privilege of picking between two royal princesses. Nathaniel Jr. had searched in circles, calling in favors, paying people, making threats but no trace of him. Tyler had vanished, as if protected by some invisible force, and now... time was up.Tomorrow was the day. The royal selection. The day Tyler would stand before the King and make his choice. And Nathaniel Jr. who had

At that moment, upon hearing what Mr. Brown had just revealed, Mr. Nathaniel stood up so quickly that the ornate wooden chair beneath him groaned and scraped against the polished floor. His expression, once composed, was now fierce, almost thunderous. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated, then pointed toward the floor as if trying to hold back the anger bubbling inside him.“I knew it!” he snapped. “I knew we weren’t the only ones she approached. How could we be so foolish to think otherwise?”He turned slightly, pacing. “We’re here, sitting with folded arms, taking things slowly like we’ve got all the time in the world, when another family no, not just any family, the Bushmans are out there moving, laying their groundwork, probably already in talks with the boy!”He paused, his chest rising and falling with frustration. “And what are we doing? Nothing! Nothing but hoping that time will wait for us. This is a golden opportunity one that only comes once and we’re just going

At that moment, Mr. Brown was now standing right in front of Tyler.He had taken his time to observe the young man, and from every single detail from the way Tyler stood, to the way he looked back at him without a hint of fear Mr. Brown could already confirm everything he had heard. The reports were not exaggerated. Tyler truly looked like nothing special. Just a regular man. No aura of nobility, no presence of power. His clothes were plain, his stance unassuming. If one were to pass by him on the street, they wouldn't even glance twice.And that… that was what made it all so unbelievable.Then Mr. Brown’s lips thinned. he couldn't believe this is the one they chose? This is the boy who caught the attention of a royal princess?He found it ridiculous, how could someone so ordinary, someone who didn’t even carry himself with an ounce of royal etiquette, possibly be in the same space as them, let alone be considered for anything that concerned the royal family?He had worked under the m

At that moment, Mr. Brown calmly adjusted the cuff of his coat, then looked straight into Tyler’s eyes. His voice carried weight not loud, but heavy with confidence and finality.“Now listen,” he said. “I’m not here on behalf of the Bushman family. I came directly as the voice of the Nathaniel family. And that means I don’t deal in rumors, I deal in facts and results.”He took a step closer, tone sharper but still polite.“Whatever it is the Bushman have promised you… status, money, fame, protection I want you to say it now. Every single word. Because I’m telling you, the Nathaniel are ready to double everything. Twice the benefits. Twice the protection. Twice the reward. That’s how serious we are.”He paused again, letting those words hang heavy in the air like a silent threat. “That is why I came myself. Not a messenger. Not a middleman. Me. Because I came to strike this deal with you face to face. So that there’s no misunderstanding. No confusion. No turning back.”Mr. Brown then p