"Vivian," Vincent said slowly, "went to the Lorenzos today. She told them she noticed your... unusual behavior." Moses looked away from Vincent, his fist clenching. "That's not enough reason," he muttered bitterly after a while. "If anyone was to be a target, it should be Ivy." A dry chuckle escaped Vincent. "I love how you hate her," he said. "I really do." Then he reached into his coat pocket and flicked something across the table. A credit card slid to a stop in front of Moses. "That's more than enough to cover Vivian's hospital bills," he said calmly. Moses picked it up slowly. As he got back up, he noticed that Vincent's eyes had hardened slightly beneath the brim of his hat. "But you must tell her something for me." He paused, then rubbed his mouth in a way that depicted a threat. "The next time she interferes with my plans, she won't survive it." Moses swallowed, muttering a stiff 'thank you'. Vincent waved a dismissive hand. " Get the hell out."Two of his men inst

From inside the mall, the parking lot looked like a blur of headlights and shadows. The glass reflected the bright interior lights, and it made it quite difficult to see clearly. Still, Derrick narrowed his eyes and was able to study the lot carefully. He could only make out the faint silhouette of Ivy's car where it was parked near the curb. No one stood near it. A quiet breath left his lungs. Maybe he was simply overthinking things. "Derrick?" He turned to see Ivy two aisles away holding two jars of tomato paste. She raised one of them curiously. "Which one are we buying?" she asked. Derrick walked over and glanced at them briefly. "Either one works for me," he said. "Alright," she muttered with a smile before tossing one into the cart. They continued through the store together. Ivy pushed the cart while Derrick casually grabbed ingredients from the shelves. He picked spaghetti, fresh tomato, pepper, seasoned cubes, onions, and beef. Within a few minutes, the cart had e

"Fine," Moses said calmly, extending his hand toward her. "Give it back." Her eyes sparkled. "Promise you'll pay for my drink?" Moses nodded lazily. "Deal." She began lowering the card toward his hand. "Good," she said. "Because I–" In a blur of speed that clearly didn't belong to someone as drunk as he was, Moses' hand snapped forward and plucked the card clean from her fingers. The woman froze. She stared at her empty hand, then looked back at Moses. He still wore a smile–a smug one this time. Then he casually turned to the bartender. "You can add her bill." The bartender chuckled. "Of course, sir." Moments later, the card was returned. Moses grabbed it and slipped it into his pocket without even looking at the lady again. "I've had enough," he muttered after a belch. Then he stood up from the stool. Despite his wavering balance, he steadied himself and began walking toward the exit. He had barely taken five steps when he heard his name. "Moses Lorenzo." The voice c

"Do you even hear yourself?!" Moses snapped, his voice echoing sharply through the room as he paced like a caged animal. His fingers quickly dug into his hair, tugging harshly as he turned and kicked a chair aside. "You followed me, toyed with me, and now you have my number?" he continued, tone rising with each word. "And who the absolute hell do you think you are?!" On the other end, there was such silence that made it all worse. Moses scoffed bitterly, running a hand down his face. "Look, stay away from me. I mean it. You've got no idea what you're getting into–" "You're just too loud," her calm voice finally cut in. It was smooth as silk. Moses got more annoyed, as her tone didn't match the situation in any way. "Well, if you're done," she continued, unbothered, "you should really think about how utterly foolish you sound." His jaw clenched. "Excuse me?" "You had a chance," she said lightly. "A cool chance to know who I am. And you blatantly turned it down without even a s

Why would Vincent try to kill them? It just didn't fit, Derrick reasoned. Of course Vincent was many things–calculating, ruthless, and always three steps ahead. He wouldn't mind killing a Lorenzo. He'd love it, in fact. But the timing was just strange to Derrick. He knew that the Lorenzo Group and the Maguire Group were close rivals, and that was the reason why Ivy was a target. In all, it was obvious that the only plausible way for Vincent to strike the Lorenzo Group was through corporate means, and not a direct violent attack. He wasn't so daft to take such a messy step. Derrick's fingers tightened slightly against his thigh, and his eyes narrowed faintly. If Vincent wasn't the one that planted the bomb...then who did? His gaze shifted briefly toward Ivy, who was focused on the road. She still had no idea that her life was saved based on Derrick's mere feeling to inspect the car. Funny enough, the car wasn't inspected that morning before they all got in.Derrick sighed, shut