“Is this it?” the tall man with black hair and green eyes droned as he walked into the small room.“Yeah,” the younger man with dark hair and hazel eyes replied, shutting the door behind his guest.“Looks good,” the visitor proclaimed as he turned around, taking in his surroundings.“Yeah?” the younger man replied vacantly, like a machine giving a pre-programmed response.“Come on, Tyler, you need to embrace life a little bit more!” the slightly older man retorted casually.“Yeah…,” Tyler breathed, automated reply, eyes on his visitor, mind elsewhere.The jovial guest paused.Then, he sighed.He approached his young friend.“It’s temporary,” he stated confidentially, “you need a place out of the way till we finish up your papers for the new job. It doesn’t get more out of the way than the Sticks.”“Ye–”The man grabbed Tyler between his shoulder and neck.The younger man pressed his lips together, his eyes drifting to his sponsor.“I can’t stand it, Lincoln,” Tyler stated quietly. “Th

Tyler turned a confused expression to Ashley Belarnt, his supervisor’s boss. The young lady flushed lightly, adjusting her weight against the desk as she wrapped slender arms around herself.Tyler almost closed his eyes.“I…I should get back…to Raymond, if…if…there’s nothing else,” he stammered again, but he did not move. Instead, he leaned back in the chair, as if afraid she would touch him.Ashley sighed heavily, shaking her head slowly as she shifted her gaze from Tyler, her cheeks reddening.“Raymond’s on assignment. I need you to report to me for the rest of the week,” she said gently, almost apologetically.“Wha–” Tyler stuttered, but was interrupted.“There’s no need to disturb yourself with direct reporting, Ashley! We can take the information for you,” Adrian, the blonde assistant called out, a bit too loudly.Finally speaking as he tore his eyes from the bespectacled man whose physique looked like it belonged to an athlete or even a soldier, someone who worked with their bod

But Tyler always found his way through, always made it out. Even if he had to dig his way with his bare hands. Even if he had to use his own magic, which always felt like he was peeling his own skin.Most everyone in Ashrone, from the highest to the lowest class, could use magic.They were born with it.Gems amplified it.And people could amplify gems, used them – based on their original properties – for any number of things. From basic, ordinary, day-to-day uses to warfare.Gems were used in clothing, in accessories, in handheld tools, in technology, in medicines. Everything.They made items stronger, more durable, longer-lasting, more powerful.They made people stronger, more durable, more – anything physical. But the better the owner’s body was at doing the thing the magic was used to amplify, the more powerful the effect would be.It did not extend life.It did not heal sickness.It only made life easier, amplifying things that already existed, for the ordinary people.The gems be

Edward continued.“They have information on my secret dealings and are using ghost products. So, they have money…or sponsors. And, they are not causing any harm to humans, yet, my business is bleeding. So, I am the target!” Edward Kramer declared softly.The other man eyed Lord Kramer.“Someone wants to hurt ME. Someone is attacking ME. Someone has the audacity to strike at what matters the most to me at a crucial time, a key juncture, in my life.”“It’s personal,” the guest summarized.“Yes. Quite so,” Lord Kramer droned.“That’s a long list,” the other man commented flatly.“But we do have one,” Edward Kramer replied snidely.“WE do, do we?” the man retorted dryly.Edward’s gaze shifted back to his guest. He smiled cordially.“Yes. WE,” Edward replied casually.The other man sat back, shaking his head lightly as he joined Lord Kramer with a confident smile of his own.==========Upstairs in Lord Kramer’s home, Lady Kramer was occupied with her own troubles.“Vincent! Get up! What ar

“Yes. They just need to sign. And then, we can take that vacation,” Edward remarked excitedly.“Ah! The vacation where I hide in the belly of the boat or the one where I go first and hide on the island until your family leaves?” she asked coyly.“No!” Edward declared boldly. “The one where we both get on a plane and go to Makrysha.”“What?!” she called out, sitting up, her large breasts jiggling.Edward stiffened but kept he his focus on her face, throwing his arm casually behind his head, her eyes flicked to his taut abs, her lower lip trembled, then her eyes snapped back to his.Edward’s heart swelled with a pride only a man in bed with a beautiful woman could.“What?” he asked innocently, replying to her surprised retort.“I’ve been trying to get you to Makrysha for years! And suddenly you bring it up by yourself?” she tossed lightly at him, shaking her head again, her long curls dancing over her shoulders.“Is this…that…mid-life crisis thing I’ve heard about?” she continued slyly.