"I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you would take care of absolute everything, Dad!" Lucas Scott grinned triumphantly as he stared intently at the glowing entertainment news headlines broadcast on the massive flat-screen television that took up an entire wall.The bold, dramatic letters proclaimed the sudden, devastating shutdown of Director Alan Chen's high-budget film set, and Lucas felt a massive, intoxicating surge of long-awaited vindication wash through his veins."Reed Hawke was a delusional fool to ever think that he could cross paths with the Scott family and walk away unscathed," Lucas continued gloating into his cell phone, his voice practically dripping with a heavy, unadulterated contempt. "He actually believed he could just waltz into our city and aggressively take what wasn't rightfully his. He thought he could publicly humiliate us at high-society events and simply walk away untouched! But he was wrong, Dad. He was so tragically, utterly wrong."After sharing a br

Lara jumped smoothly down from the bed of the rusted, high-clearance flatbed truck she had hired to navigate the dense jungle paths surrounding the foot of the mountain. Behind her, the beat-up transport vehicle rattled, groaned, and sputtered violently, its ancient diesel engine coughing out thick plumes of black exhaust as the driver eagerly slammed the gear into reverse and pulled away down the dirt track. The local driver had been visibly terrified throughout the final three miles of the journey, itching to abandon the desolate, rumored area as quickly as humanly possible. Lara adjusted the strap of her tactical duffel bag across her broad shoulder and slowly turned to survey her surroundings. Her dark eyes narrowed into cold, sharp slits. The environment before her looked beyond shabby, it was a picture of complete, tragic neglect. The low-slung, makeshift structures dotting the clearing were weather-beaten and rotting. Their faded paint was peeling off in large strips, exposin

Miyu came sprinting out of the shadows with terrifying momentum, her wooden bat raised high over her shoulder. Her target was a massive, scarred brute who had silently flanked Reed from behind, a heavy iron pipe held aloft and primed to shatter Reed's unsuspecting skull. The brute’s eyes gleamed with cold, violent intent, taking full advantage of the chaos while Reed was heavily occupied parrying a two-pronged frontal assault.Because Reed was fully engaged in a brutal exchange with two knife-wielding attackers to his front and left, he was physically unable to track the view behind him. His combat focus was honed entirely on the blade strikes before him, his movements fluid, precise, and razor-sharp but still not enough.All he heard was the sickening, splintering crunch of dense wood slamming into solid bone.The sound was wet, heavy, and absolute. The brute didn't even have time to utter a grunt before his knees buckled and he slammed face-first onto the hard asphalt, out cold.Re

"Mr. Hawke, I would like you to personally take on the role of the male lead for this movie."Reed raised a sharp eyebrow at Alan Chen's sudden, outrageous proposal, his porcelain coffee cup pausing midway to his lips.The soft morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse suite, casting long, geometric shadows across the polished white marble floor. Reed had fully expected the veteran director to drop by this morning to discuss emergency production schedules, budget reallocation, or perhaps present a shortlist of obscure, non-union indie actors who might be willing to brave the Scott family’s relentless industry blacklists. He had certainly not expected Alan to sit on his leather sofa and pitch him as the savior of the feature film."That is an exceptionally strange request, Mr. Chen," Reed answered smoothly, setting down his cup onto the glass coffee table with a soft, precise click. "Why on earth would you ask that of me? You know as well as anyone th

"How lovely to see you, Selene!" Aria, a rising television actress, greeted warmly as she stepped forward and playfully air-kissed Selene on both cheeks.The gesture was smooth, practiced, and thoroughly elegant, the exact kind of high-society greeting that was far more about public performance than any genuine human affection. Aria’s lips barely grazed Selene's polished skin before she pulled back, her wide smile radiantly bright while her sharp, dark eyes remained laser-focused, thoroughly assessing every square inch of Selene's outfit and posture.She drew back a few inches and surveyed Selene with an envious, glittering smile. "You look absolutely incredible, darling. You must have thoroughly enjoyed your trip abroad. That tan is simply stunning! Where did you go again? Somewhere wildly exotic, I imagine?""I know it was technically a work trip for my film, but Lucas spoiled me endlessly," Selene preened, her voice practically dripping with insufferable satisfaction. She tilted