
Bruce stood outside the penthouse suite, carrying a stack of pizza boxes in his arms.
He checked his wristwatch for the third time and clicked his tongue, tapping his foot impatiently against the carpet. This was his last delivery for the night. After this, he was going home to prepare dinner. It was his wedding anniversary, and he had planned the perfect date night with his beloved wife, Caro. Caro wouldn't be back from work until 11 o'clock. He only had two hours to prepare for her arrival. "Come on," he muttered, ringing the doorbell for the fourth time. "I don't have all day." The door finally swung open. A tall, broad-shouldered man with a handsome face that looked like it was carved by a Renaissance sculptor stood before him. Bruce cleared his throat. "Your order, Sir. Mr. Willis, right?" Willis looked him up and down with open disdain. A white towel was wrapped around his hips, sweat beads clinging to his chest. "You fool," Willis snapped. "What took you so long? I ordered these twenty minutes ago." "Apologies, Mr. Willis," Bruce said, adjusting his spectacles with unsteady hands. "Traffic was bad, but I got here in ten minutes." Before Willis could complain further, a woman's voice drifted from inside the suite. "Is everything alright there, darling?" Bruce froze. That voice. His fingers tightened around the pizza boxes. He recognized that voice. No. It couldn't be! Willis turned his head lazily. "It's this stupid pizza guy making lame excuses. After keeping us waiting, he's now blaming traffic." "That's not very nice," The woman replied, approaching the doorway. Bruce's heart slammed violently against his ribs as she appeared. It was Caro—his wife. Her hair was loose and slightly damp with sweat. She wore one of the hotel's white robes, tied loosely at the waist. It didn't take long for Bruce to put two and two together. His wife was sleeping with Willis. Caro stopped mid-step, her eyes meeting her husband's. "Bruce?" She called, stunned. "What are you doing here?" * * * * Bruce felt the world tilt. His arms suddenly felt weak. "I should be asking you the same thing. You told me you'd be working late." Willis frowned. "You know him, Caro?" Caro rubbed her temples, letting out an exasperated sigh. "This is my husband. The one I told you about." Willis blinked, stunned. Then he let out an ugly laugh. "Your husband?" he repeated, his eyes returning to Bruce. "This is the guy?" Bruce's blood rose like a heated thermometer. "Caro," he croaked. "You're sleeping with him? How could you? How long has this been going on?" Caro narrowed her eyes. "Shut up, Bruce!" A jolt of electricity zapped through Bruce's body system. "I should shut up?" He said quietly. "You're overreacting," she rolled her eyes. "It's embarrassing. Take a chill pill for Christ sake!" Bruce's eyes widened. "I'm overreacting? You're cheating on me on our anniversary. How am I supposed to react?" Caro tilted her head, her eyes devoid of remorse. "This shouldn't surprise you, Bruce. We agreed to an open marriage, remember?" "You said that was just a phase," Bruce retorted, his eyes filled with pain. "That you weren't seeing anyone anymore." Caro sighed, clearly annoyed now. "Well, I lied. Happy now?" "Hold the phone," Willis chuckled, pointing his index finger at Bruce. "So you're the husband? The useless son-in-law of the Griffin family?" Bruce clenched his jaw. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Sleeping with a married woman. That's so low of you." Suddenly, Caro's hand moved fast and struck him across the face. SMACK! The sound echoed sharply through the hallway. His spectacles dropped on the carpet. Bruce staggered back a little, his head snapping to the side. For a few minutes, there was silence. "Don't you dare talk to him that way," Caro barked at him, venom in her voice. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Bruce didn't say anything. He raised his trembling hand to his cheek which burned from the slap. Caro stepped in front of him, gesturing at Willis. "That man is an executive board member of Shepard Group. He oversees a quarter of the conglomerate. Show some respect." Bruce stared at her as though she had grown two heads. This woman just slapped him like a dog despite being caught red-handed having an extra marital affair. It broke Bruce to pieces. Willis chuckled softly, clearly enjoying Bruce's humiliation. He reached out and casually draped an arm around Caro's waist. "Easy, darling," he said, smirking at Bruce with a mocking expression written on his face. "The poor man doesn't know any better. Let's cut him some slacks." "Thank you for understanding, dear," Caro smiled back at him. Willis leaned closer to Bruce. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood tonight. Your wife charmed me with her beauty that I'm considering investing in her company. You should be grateful she's working hard." Bruce's stomach churn. His tongue felt heavy like metal. Before he could respond, Willis reached forward and snatched the pizza boxes from Bruce’s hands. Then he tossed cash onto the carpet at Bruce's feet. "Keep the change," he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Now, if you’ll excuse us. Your wife and I have unfinished business." Caro glanced back at Bruce one last time, a detached look in her eyes. "I’ll stay out late tonight, Bruce," she said flatly. "Don’t wait for me. Goodnight." She turned and walked back into the suite without another word. Willis smirked one final time before stepping inside after her. The door closed. Bruce stood there alone in the silent hallway, his cheek still burning from the slap, the cash scattered on the floor at his feet. He dropped to his knees, driving his fist into the carpet. "Damn it!" He cried, veins sticking out his head. "You've wounded me, Caro. You've wounded me.”Latest Chapter
New Boss
Robert's face contorted with rage, his eyes blazing red. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his split lip. He touched it with his fingers, stared at the red stain, then turned to Bruce with a murderous glare."You have the nerve to hit me?" Robert screamed, his voice ringing through the boutique. "You broke my lip! Do you have any idea who my father is? I'll destroy you! I'll bury you so deep that you'll never see daylight again!"Bruce remained unfazed. He straightened his jacket, looking totally calm and unfazed by Robert's threats. "You threw the first punch. I simply returned the favor.""That's not how this works!" Robert spat. "People like you aren't allowed to touch people like me! I am a Thorne! My family controls half of the media in this country! You're nothing! Nothing!"The rest of the staff just stood there, frozen, not sure how to stop things from getting worse.Bruce cocked his head to the side. "I am well aware that your family owns half of the media. However, t
The young master at the mall
Bruce hasn't been spending more time around Lucy and Tyler lately. His work and secret mission of overthrowing Jessica Russell was consuming his days that he barely had any chance of seeing them. Today, however, he decided to clear his schedule and hang out with Lucy and Tyler. Bruce drove them to a massive ultra-luxury mall where the rich and wealthy usually shop. The poor and middle-class do not belong here by any means.That's because the things sold here were very expensive and unaffordable by salary men. Bruce walked beside Lucy’s wheelchair while Tyler bounced excitedly ahead of them, his eyes the size of dinner plates."This place is huge!" he exclaimed, spinning in a circle.Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder, steering him gently forward. "Wait until you see the toy store. That place is to die for."Lucy wheeled herself beside them, her eyes moving across the storefronts, taking in the designer boutiques, the jewelry stores, and the cafes where wealthy women sipped champag
A visit to Marcus Griffin
The Green Meadows elder care facility sat quietly at the end of a long gravel driveway, surrounded by oak trees shedding their autumn leaves. Thomas's car crunched to a stop outside the main entrance. He walked out, adjusted his suit, and went inside.The receptionist guided him to the garden courtyard, where Marcus Griffin usually spent his afternoons. Thomas spotted him sitting in a wheelchair under a big oak tree, just staring off into space. Marcus's gaze was distant, making him appear older than his years; a blanket rested on his lap, covering his amputated legs. "Mr. Griffin," Thomas spoke.Marcus didn't look up. "Are you another reporter? I've got nothing to say."Thomas rolled his eyes. "I'm not a reporter. My name is Thomas Shepherd."Marcus blinked sharply. He slowly raised his head, studying the man before him. "Shepherd? Any relation to—""Yes," Thomas interrupted. "Bruce Dominic Shepherd is my nephew."Marcus bit down hard, his jaw tightening. "Then we have nothing to
A broken mind
Thomas remained still after Caro exploded. Instead, he locked eyes with her while wearing a calm expression."Ms. Griffin, I understand you don't want to talk about this, but—""No!" Caro interrupted, her voice rising. "No, you don't understand. You will never understand. Whatever you're after, I don't have it. Now get out!"Thomas reached into his jacket and drew out a thick cigar. He bit off the end, lit it slowly, and took a long drag. Rich smoke drifted up to the ceiling, spreading a bitter scent throughout the small room."I learned what ABC Holdings did to you and your family," he said, exhaling. "It's horrible. To go from the top to the bottom in a matter of months."Caro's eyes twitched for a moment. For a second, fear crossed her face, but she glanced away right after, tightening her jaw."I really don't know anything about them," she said again, her voice softer this time. "Now leave."Thomas leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. He took another drag fr
Visit to the psychiatric facility
The Griffin family. Thomas couldn't believe that the very company responsible for ruining them was now targeting Jessica Russell. There was more to this story than meet the eye. "Thomas," Jessica said, her sharp tone snapping him out of his thoughts, "I'm gonna ask you one more time. Do you know anything about this?""Nothing," Thomas replied fast. "But I have someone investigating a related issue. Give me some time. I'm going to find out who's behind ABC Holdings."Jessica remained silent for a long moment. Then she spoke with a dangerous tone."You'd better do that, Thomas. I'm putting our plans against Shepherd Group on hold until this issue is resolved. I need to focus on protecting my own empire."Thomas's jaw stiffened. He wasn't happy with how this was turning out. "Jessica, we had a deal. Can't you see that ABC Holdings would be a distraction for you? Let me take care of this—""The deal is on hold," Jessica interrupted. "Until I find out who is trying to destroy me, Shephe
ABC Holdings
Bruce hummed as he drove his Camry along the highway. By now, Jessica would receive phone calls that one of her subsidiaries had been acquired by ABC Holdings. Bruce smiled.ABC Holdings was the same shell company he had created to destroy the Griffin family. The company that had crashed and burned Marcus Griffin's fortune with it.For several months, Bruce had kept ABC Holdings dormant, waiting for the right moment to use it again. After his first meeting with Jessica Russell, he had quietly restructured ABC Holdings, transferring ownership through a maze of offshore accounts and shell entities. The company had no physical address nor employees but it had teeth.Bruce had injected fifty billion dollars into ABC Holdings—moved through so many accounts that no forensic accountant could ever trace them. The money was clean and untouchable. And now, that same money had been used to acquire Russell Energy Solutions.He had made the first move before Jessica Russell even blinked an ey
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