2026-04-29 15:50:42The scar-faced man looked him up and down with contempt.
"Who are you? So what if I kidnapped them? Anyone got a problem with that? Step forward." The thugs snickered. "See? No one has a problem." Alexander's expression turned cold. Without a word, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey," he said. "Your men are causing trouble on my turf. Didn't you warn them?" The thugs burst out laughing. The scar-faced man clutched his stomach, laughing so hard his eyes watered. "Did you hear that? He's calling our boss!" A short thug with buck teeth sneered. "Yeah, why pretend? Our boss never answers calls. Unless it's from the leader of a country, I can't think of anyone who could get through." Alexander, visibly displeased, held the phone out toward the scar-faced man. "You'll know if it's real once you listen." The scar-faced man took the phone, still smirking. His smirk disappeared. He recognized the voice immediately. It was unmistakably his boss. "Get out of that hotel immediately. Do not offend this man." The scar-faced man pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it. "Could it be AI?" he whispered to his men. The voice on the other end roared. "Are you doubting whether I'm real? Just you wait." The call ended. Immediately, a second call came through from his direct superior. "Get the hell away from that hotel right now, or you can die out there!" The scar-faced man's face went white. He turned to Alexander and dropped to his knees. "Honorable sir, please don't hold this against us. We'll leave right now." He kowtowed. Three times. The remaining guests who had not been taken away stood in stunned silence. Within minutes, Aurelia and Nahir were released. The gang vanished. Aurelia stood in the entrance of the hotel and straightened her dress. Her heart was still pounding. But her mind was already moving somewhere else. That hotel owner. Whoever he was, he was genuinely impressive. A single phone call and six armed men kowtowed on the ground. If only she could meet someone that powerful. She did not look around the entrance. She did not notice the man who had made the call quietly disappearing into the service corridor. The hotel returned to normal quickly. The lobby filled with laughter and conversation again, as if the earlier scare had been nothing more than a bad dream. Aurelia led Nahir through the crowd with a glass of juice in her hand, introducing him to the senior contacts she had spent months cultivating. A kind-looking woman with blonde hair smiled at them warmly. "You two really are a perfect couple." Aurelia blushed and didn't deny it. Nahir seized the moment and took her hand, making the picture more complete. A bald-headed executive with sharp eyes pushed a glass of red wine toward Nahir. "We're all seniors here. You youngsters can't just stick to juice. Drink up, or I'll get upset." Nahir froze. He was allergic to grapes. Not a drop of red wine could touch his lips. Before he could speak, Aurelia stepped forward and took the glass, smiling apologetically at the executive. "Uncle, don't make things hard for him. He's allergic to grapes. I'll drink this one instead, as a toast to your continued success." She tilted it back and set it down empty. In the shadows at the edge of the room, Alexander stood very still. He watched her drink for Nahir. He remembered being twenty-two. A faculty dinner. A table full of older men who thought refusing a drink was refusing respect. Aurelia had looked at him sideways with something desperate in her eyes, and he had reached across and taken glass after glass until he ended up in the hospital three days later with a stomach bleed. She had cried at his bedside. She had said she was sorry. Now she was doing the same thing for another man without hesitation. His heart shattered quietly. He stood there a moment longer. Then he turned and walked to the back office. He found a waiter's uniform on the rack and changed quickly. He checked his reflection in the small mirror. Ordinary. Invisible. He pushed a service cart back into the banquet hall. The crowd had gathered around Aurelia and Nahir, egging them on with cheerful noise. "You two are so in love! How about a cross-arm toast? Do it, do it!" Amid the cheers, Nahir raised his glass and turned to Aurelia. Her cheeks were flushed. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face. But she raised her glass anyway. Their arms intertwined. They were about to drink. Alexander pushed the cart directly into Nahir.
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CHAPTER 24: REKINDLED FLAMES
That night, the apartment was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. Aurelia had decided not to leave. Instead, she used every trick she knew to close the distance between them. She moved with slow, deliberate grace, touching his arm, leaning close, and whispering words she knew would stir old memories. She had always possessed a great figure, and after nearly three years of marriage, Alexander knew every curve, every sensitive spot, and every way she liked to be touched.At first, he tried to resist. The pain from the past few weeks still lingered in his chest. But Aurelia was persistent. She kissed his neck gently, ran her fingers through his hair, and pressed her body against his in ways that made it hard for him to think clearly. The familiar scent of her perfume, the softness of her skin, and the way she looked at him with both desire and regret slowly broke down his defenses.Eventually, the walls he had built crumbled. They spent a long, pleasant night together.
CHAPTER 23: UNWELCOME GUESTS
The next morning, Alexander was drinking water when the doorbell rang. He opened the door and found Aurelia and Nahir Virel standing outside.Aurelia spoke first. “We came to apologize.”Alexander’s face remained cold. “There’s no need. Leave.”Aurelia frowned. “Alexander, don’t be so petty. It was Nahir’s welcome dinner that got interrupted. Even he doesn’t mind, so why can’t you just let it go?”Alexander’s anger rose. “So I’m the one who interrupted your happy little moment? Our wedding wasn’t even as grand as the welcome dinner you threw for him.”Aurelia pouted. “But he just came back from abroad. A guest is a guest.”Alexander’s voice grew sharper. “Then why did you drink on his behalf? You have a low tolerance for alcohol, yet you still drank for another man. When people said you two make a perfect couple, you didn’t even refute it. What exactly am I to you? A husband is a husband, and a boyfriend is a boyfriend?”The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Memories from the past
CHAPTER 22: A WARM DINNER
Before heading home, Alexander stopped by the supermarket near the residential complex. He walked through the brightly lit aisles, picking out fresh vegetables, tender meat, rice, and a few spices. Today had been a long and eventful day, but it ended on a surprisingly good note. He had finally managed to find a job for the first time in his life he had personally gone out to interview and work for someone else. The result turned out pretty well. Feeling a rare sense of accomplishment, he decided to reward himself with a proper home-cooked meal.Back at the apartment, he tied on an apron and began cooking. The rhythmic sounds of chopping and the sizzling in the pan brought him unexpected calm after the chaos of the day. Soon, the entire apartment was filled with the rich, inviting aroma of delicious food.Not long after he finished cooking, the door opened. Chloe stepped inside and immediately froze. Her nose twitched as she caught the delicious smell. She couldn’t take her eyes off
CHAPTER 21: THE HELP-WANTED SIGN
Alexander crouched down and gently helped the injured owner to his feet. The older man was still shaking, his forehead covered in blood from repeatedly slamming it against the floor. His breathing was shallow and painful from the blows Brother Scar had delivered with the steel rebar.“You need to go to the hospital,” Alexander said firmly, supporting the man’s weight with one arm.Mr. Chen shook his head weakly. “No… no hospital. I’m used to this kind of thing. I’ve been running this gym for over twenty years. I have medicine at home and know how to take care of myself. I’ll be okay.”Alexander frowned but didn’t push further. He could see the pride in the older man’s eyes, the kind of stubborn dignity that refused to show weakness even after being humiliated and beaten. He helped Mr. Chen sit on the folding chair he had brought out earlier and checked the worst of the injuries. The cuts on his forehead were messy but not dangerously deep. The bruises on his side would hurt for week
CHAPTER 20: THE MAN WHO FIGHTS LIKE HE HAS NOTHING TO LOSE
After another long and humiliating morning, Alexander sat on a wooden bench in the small park near the residential complex. He unwrapped a simple convenience store rice ball and ate it slowly under the bright afternoon sun. Pigeons wandered nearby, unbothered by the world.Shouting and crashing sounds suddenly echoed from the old boxing gym at the entrance of the complex. He finished his food, wiped his hands, and walked toward the noise.Inside, six thugs were destroying the place. They had overturned heavy bags, smashed trophies, and were kicking in display cases. The chubby owner stood in the middle, hands raised, pleading desperately.Alexander stepped through the door. “That’s enough.”The thugs turned. One laughed loudly. “Look at this beggar trying to play hero.”The owner’s face went pale. “Young man, please leave! These are Black Dragon Gang members. They’re lawless. They’ll kill you without thinking twice. Just go!”Alexander calmly took off his jacket and handed it to the t
CHAPTER 19: A BEGGER HAS NO BUSINESS BEING A BOSS
He was up before six.The sky outside was still dark when Alexander woke up. He lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling of the small rented apartment, then rose without making a sound. After a quick shower, he took out his only good suit. He pressed the shirt with slow, careful movements, making sure every wrinkle disappeared. In front of the mirror, he knotted his tie with practiced hands and studied his reflection for a long time.The suit was old but well-made. He had bought it years ago, back when people still respected his name. Now it felt like a costume, it felt like something he wore to pretend he was still part of that world. He adjusted the collar one last time, picked up his bag containing printed résumés, and stepped out into the quiet morning streets.The first interview was scheduled for eight-thirty.He arrived early and waited patiently in the sleek lobby. When they finally called him in, he sat across from a panel of three people in a glass-walled conference r
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