“I found a property that matches almost everything you asked for, Boss.”Kate sat in the driver's seat of the car while Xavier studied the photographs and documents she had placed in front of him.“Where is it?”“On the eastern side of the city, about two hours from the business district. It's a fortified hillside estate that was built as a private residence. The current owner has been trying to sell it for several months, but no one has been willing to buy it because it's far from the city and somewhat outdated. The owner is also willing to lower the price from the original asking price.”Xavier flipped through the photographs. "What about the security?”“The entire property is surrounded by a fifty-foot reinforced wall, and there's only one main entrance. The gates are strong too. I'm not sure if the owner was exaggerating, but he insisted that they're bombproof as well. The security system can also be upgraded, and there are cameras covering most of the perimeter.”“That sounds sui

“Marcus was one of the few people I had truly relied on after the world fell apart.”Xavier kept his eyes on the road as he drove through the evening traffic, one hand resting on the steering wheel while the other remained near the gearshift.He had spent the better part of the afternoon tracking Marcus down.It had not been difficult once he knew where to look.In this life, Marcus had not become the man Xavier remembered from the apocalypse. He was still dealing with the consequences of his dishonorable discharge, drinking away his days and keeping away from the people who once served beside him.Xavier understood why.Marcus had been a sergeant in the special forces, and he had been discharged after taking responsibility for an operation that had gone wrong. Xavier knew the truth because, in his previous life, he had heard Marcus explain what had actually happened.The man had been blamed for a decision he had never made.The military career he had spent years building was gone, an

Xavier's tone remained calm as he said. “I know you were discharged after refusing to let your men take the blame for an operation that wasn't their fault.”Marcus's expression changed, and the bottle remained untouched in front of him. “Who told you that?”“No one told me.” Xavier shrugged casually as he took a sip from his own cup, which only made Marcus more curious. “Then how do you know about it?”“I just know. That's it.”Marcus stared at Xavier for several seconds before finally speaking again. “You've done your homework.”“I prefer being prepared before I put my trust in someone.”Marcus reached for his whiskey again. “You still haven't told me why you're preparing this much, and I'm starting to think there's something you're not telling me.” “I don't need you to understand everything right now because I need you to decide whether you're willing to do the job.”“That usually means there’s something you’re keeping from me.” Marcus raised an eyebrow.“There is something I’m not

“You worked there, but that doesn't make my shares yours.” Xavier kept his voice calm throughout the time. “My ownership of the company never depended on our marriage.”“You were my husband, so you should have considered me before making a decision that could affect Horizon,” Selene insisted, as though being his wife gave her authority over his decisions.“And you still demanded that I transfer my shares to George,” Xavier pointed out the decisions she had made before. “What happened to the role of a husband then? When I sell my own shares, I have to consider your opinion and worry about hurting your feelings, but when you demanded that I give those shares to an outsider, did you consider my opinion? Did you worry about hurting my feelings?”Selene paused, but only briefly before defending herself. “That was different. Don't try to act smart by mixing up two completely different things. Geo wasn't an outsider. He was by my side like a little brother, and he did a lot for me and the co

“Bastards! How dare they treat me like this? I'll make them pay for this!” Selene stomped her foot in frustration, still furious over the humiliation she had endured at the hands of the hotel security guards.“Sister Selene.”A familiar voice reached her from behind.Selene stopped and turned around to find George hurrying toward her.“Geo, what are you doing here?” she questioned, clearly surprised to see him there."Sister Selene, are you okay? That security, they didn't misbehave with you, did they?"Selene clenched her fist but remained silent. She didn't want to mention something so humiliating and put herself through the embarrassment all over again.However, trying to divert the conversation, she changed the subject. “What exactly are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the company at this time?”George lowered his head and kept his voice soft. “I know all these problems are happening because of me, so I came here….”“So?” Selene prompted when he stopped.George remai