"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "You want to see inside the Diamond Villa? There's an access fee: sixty thousand dollars, Non-refundable, same as before."Dennis didn't hesitate, didn't even blink. "Take it."She snatched the card from his hand like she expected it to burn her fingers, swiped it hard enough to rattle the machine on the counter, and watched the screen flash green a second time. Her confidence wavered again, just for a heartbeat, before she buried it under fresh suspicion."I'll purchase it after the inspection," Dennis said, unshaken. "Take us in."Elaine crossed her arms, planting herself between him and the gate like a wall of pure stubbornness. "Listen to me carefully. I don't think you can pay two hundred and fifty million dollars for that. I think you're playing a game you can't finish. So do yourself a favour and walk away now, before this gets embarrassing for you.""I'm not leaving," Dennis said coldly. "I paid for the inspection; I intend to buy that v

She never finished the sentence when Hector's cane came down across her knee before she even saw it move.Elaine's scream tore through the courtyard as she collapsed onto the marble, both hands clutching her leg, her face twisted in shock and agony."Do you have a death wish?" Hector's voice thundered over her, all traces of the weeping man gone, replaced by something cold and absolute. "Did I not warn you to keep your mouth shut?"A violent shiver ran through her body. "I'm sorry, Mr. Beaumont. I'm sorry, please.""You're fired," he said, his words landing on her like a sledgehammer. "Every asset you hold under this company's name is seized, effective immediately. The mansion this company gave you, I want you and your pathetic family out of it by morning."The words hit Elaine harder than the cane had, and a cold sweat broke across her forehead as the full weight of what she'd lost crashed down on her all at once. Everything she had built over years of climbing and smiling at men she

Roland came at him screaming, all technique abandoned, grief and rage driving the blade in wild, unpredictable arcs that should have been dangerous precisely because they made no sense.Dennis read it anyway; grief always moved the same way, no matter whose hands carried it.He let Roland's first swing pass wide, stepped inside the second, and caught the wrist holding the blade before it could turn back toward him. He twisted hard until the knife spun free, and Roland's own weight betrayed him, driving him down onto one knee.Dennis caught the falling blade out of the air and, without hesitation, drove it into Roland's thigh.Roland's scream tore through the quiet night, raw and endless, his hands scrabbling uselessly at the hilt buried in his leg. He collapsed sideways onto the gravel, blood already spreading dark beneath him, his brother's body cooling only a few feet away.Dennis moved fast enough for Roland to see, and he cr

Dennis had several plans already lined up in his head for the anniversary. He wanted to compensate her. That was the only word that mattered to him now. He had missed six years of birthdays, six years of anniversaries, six years of simply not being there, and no amount of money could buy those years back. But he would try to change things now that he was back.He left the mansion, flagged down a cab, and gave the driver one destination: Olive Jewellery, the most talked-about jewellery store in the city. People said if a stone existed anywhere in the world- gold, diamond, jade, sapphire- Olive had it locked behind glass somewhere in that building.He wanted something that would take Doris's breath away. The moment he stepped through the door, a young sales attendant looked him over, top to bottom, and her smile thinned into something cold. His shirt was plain, his shoes were not expensive. She'd seen enough men like him walk in and walk out empty-handed to know exactly where to place

Dennis was still staring at Doris's photo on his screen when a car horn blared behind him, sharp enough to make him look up. A sedan rolled to a stop right beside him, and the window slid down."Mr. Dennis?" Esther leaned across the passenger seat, sunglasses pushed up into her hair, surprise written all over her face. "What are you doing standing out here alone?""Esther." He slipped his phone back into his pocket, the small velvet box shifting against his ribs. "I didn't expect to run into you.""Small city," she said, smiling. "Where are you headed? I can drop you somewhere if you want."He hesitated for half a second. He hadn't actually settled on a venue yet, somewhere Doris had never been before. "Actually, yes. I need somewhere good. A hotel, the kind with a private restaurant, somewhere I can take my wife in two days. It's our anniversary."Esther's face lit up. "Your anniversary? Mr. Dennis, that's wonderful." She reached over and pushed the passenger door open. "Get in, I k