Ethan stood his ground, looking Jaxson up and down before shaking his head with a cold scoff. "Saxson, Hexion, whatever your useless name is," Ethan said to Jaxson, "your gifts are still fake, and Cynthia and I are still together."Jaxson threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Ha! Very funny, huh?!" Jaxson sneered, stepping closer to Ethan with an arrogant smirk. "You really thought that was all?! You thought those cheap, ruined displays were all my gifts for the night?! Do you honestly think I’d show all my cards early to a broke loser like you?! No, no, no! I saved the best for last, you little rat! And here it is!"Jaxson snapped his fingers. Instantly, his assistant hurried forward from the edge of the crowd, reaching into his inner suit jacket to pull out a thick black envelope stamped with a gold seal. The assistant handed it to Jaxson with a bow.The moment Samantha’s eyes caught sight of the black envelope, her jaw dropped wide open. "Holy mother of... oh my God!" Samantha s

Cynthia grabbed Ethan's arm, in panic as she looked at him. "Ethan, no! What are you doing?! Are you crazy?! You can't make a deal like that with my mother! She will hold you to it, and when you fail, she's going to force us apart!"Ethan looked down at her, putting a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. He gave her a calm, confident smile. "Hey... it's okay," Ethan whispered softly to her. "I got this. Just let me do this for you."Before Cynthia could say another word, Ethan's phone vibrated in his pocket, ringing silently. He stepped away from Cynthia and her mother, walking a few feet toward a quieter corner of the hall to take the call. He slid the screen open and brought the phone up to his ear."Go ahead," Ethan said."Sir," Mr. Dawson continued smoothly, "are you still planning on revealing your true identity as the head of HVMX at Miss Cynthia's party later tonight?"Ethan paused, turning his head slightly to look back across the room. He saw Cynthia standing alone, nervo

Ethan held off on calling his assistant. He slipped quietly past the crowd, following Marcus Stone, Cynthia, and her mother upstairs. He kept a safe distance, watching them walk down the long hallway until they entered a private meeting room, leaving the door slightly ajar.Ethan walked closer, stopping right outside the cracked door to listen.Inside, Marcus Stone was going over the details with Cynthia and Samantha. "So, it is settled then," Marcus said, his voice echoing softly into the hallway. "My boss had a long flight tonight, so we won't be meeting him right now. Instead, I will set up a face-to-face meeting for tomorrow morning.""Tomorrow morning?" Samantha asked eagerly. "Is that confirmed, Mr. Stone?""Yes, completely confirmed," Marcus replied. "We will meet at his private office at nine o'clock sharp. Make sure Cynthia is ready.""Oh, she will be ready!" Samantha promised loudly. "She will definitely be there on time!"Standing in the quiet corridor, Ethan’s frowned. Som

Olaf pointed toward a floating tray hovering near the edge of his pool. "Bring me those cherries."Cynthia looked over at the glass bowl resting on the floating tray. She walked toward the water, bending down to pick up a cherry with her fingers."No," Olaf commanded sharply, stopping her mid-motion. "Not with your hands. With your mouth."Cynthia froze. She stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Excuse me?""You heard me," Olaf said, leaning back in his lounge with a cold smirk."Mr. Volkov, is this really necessary for a brand meeting?" Cynthia asked, trying to keep her voice steady. "I thought we were here to discuss my ambassadorship contract.""Everything I ask you to do is necessary," Olaf replied, annoyed. "You disrespected my brand, Miss Rose. You think you're above the rules. Prove to me you can do more with that pretty little mouth of yours than just talk back."Cynthia clenched her fists at her side. She looked over at Marcus Stone. He was standing a few feet away, sile

Cynthia stood by the edge of the pool, dripping wet and shivering uncontrollably. The heavy fabric of her dress clung tightly to her skin, turning almost completely transparent under the bright sunlight. She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, attempting to cover herself from the degrading gazes on the patio. She bent down slightly, released the cherries from her teeth and dropped the two cherries onto the silver tray in front of Olaf.Olaf picked up the cherries one by one, popping them into his mouth with a loud, dramatic smack of his lips. "Ah," Olaf sighed happily, chewing slowly while staring directly at her exposed body. "Delicious."Cynthia swallowed her pride, her chest heaving as she tried to keep her voice from shaking. "Are we even now?"Olaf smiled, winking at her casually as he wiped his lips with a linen napkin. "This was just the beginning, kid. Now, let's get on to more important things." He gestured toward the lounger beside him. "Show me your Instagram."Cynth