Five minutes after, Micah left the office. They had promised each other to meet again that night. It was a promise thick with old emotions. They would spend the night together and make love—the way they used to, even back when she was still with Lucas. Some things never really died, and some choices were too tempting to ignore.Left alone, she turned her attention to the ring on her finger. She raised her hand slowly, letting the sunlight from the window strike it. The way it sparkled almost blinded her, glittering like temptation itself. With the extravagant lifestyle Micah always lived—his 30k monthly allowance, the sports cars, the designer watches—there was no doubt in her mind. This ring wasn’t just expensive. It was obscenely expensive. She was more than a hundred percent certain.Then, her eyes shifted to the flower Micah had dropped on her desk. For years, she had hated the gesture. She had always thought it childish, unnecessary. Flowers, to her, symbolized apologies or empty

“Look at her. Birds of the same feather!” Isla burst into another round of episodic laughter. Her team behind her echoed it in the same mocking fashion, like a chorus of hyenas desperate to please their queen.To Isla—and clearly to them—if Lucas was a lowlife, then what did that make the woman standing beside him?In Velmoria, like in many places around the world, the rich hardly associated with the poor. It was always the rich walking with the rich, as if they occupied an entirely different realm of existence.And if Lucas, whom she had once been engaged to out of nothing but pity and misplaced empathy, was poor… then clearly, this woman who had just called her stupid had to be even lower.Isla narrowed her eyes and examined Jeruel with an obvious sneer—head to toe, toe to head again.“Listen, poor bastard. I am not someone you think you can mess with, okay? I am Isla Quinn—and by my name alone, you should know who my father is. Don’t let me report you to him. Don’t let me frown on

 “I thought you said he was a nobody,” David snapped. His voice was firm and furious.They were all in the room—David, Jerome, and Isla—sitting on the long couch. All except David, who was pacing slowly back and forth. One hand was behind his back, the other by his side, holding a long cigar between his fingers.The atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension.Yesterday had been the national Velmorian Event, a momentous occasion. And for David Quinn, it was also a day drenched in shame. He didn’t get the chance to shake Adrian Virelli’s hand. But the same lowlife who used to hang around his daughter just nine months ago managed to?“Yes, Dad. He was indeed a nobody but—”

Twenty-four hours ago, at the Velmorian National Event, Lucas had stood confidently before the crowd and spoken at length. He had gestured toward her and proudly introduced her to everyone, thereby presenting her company to the house. He explained how Jeruel’s company had thrived in Jamaica. And if it could succeed in Jamaica a country with a relatively small population compared to Velmoria then surely, it could flourish here as well.Lucas had reminded the audience that Velmoria once had a similar fashion venture, but with Isla’s boutique now declining, it made sense to embrace Jeruel’s vision. The council had listened intently, and eventually, they accepted the proposal. She was granted permission to launch her business in Velmoria, but with one condition: she had to secure a piece of land to house the business within the next two weeks.On that note, Jeruel had immediately instructed her assistant, Anastasia, to begin searching for a suitable location. It had to be perfect accessi

Jerome opened her eyes in shock. The man sitting before her had just asked her to pay a fucking 100,000 USD to secretly investigate Lucas. Her breath caught in her throat. How could that be? 100k was a lot of money, and this wasn’t even a quote for a tangible item. It wasn’t as if they were trying to buy the White House of America itself.She sat back in her chair, momentarily stunned.Before coming down here, Jerome had done her homework. Painstakingly so. For someone like her, being meticulous wasn’t just a habit. It was her armor. She paid attention to detail like her life depended on it. She wasn’t the kind of woman who walked into a deal blind.She’d researched thoroughly. She’d never worked with Donald before, but she had identified him as the right man for the job. That much was certain.She had also taken time to watch countless YouTube videos—case studies, industry breakdowns, pricing estimates. Some of them featured former detectives turned investigators, breaking down the s