2025-02-13 21:29:11Robert sat in the waiting room of Brightstar Corp, buzzing with excitement.
Today was the day.
Once he signed that contract, his money problems would be history. No more debts!
Soon, his bank account would be overflowing again—like a broken ATM spitting out cash.
Just as he was reveling in the thought, his phone rang.
He snatched it up immediately.
“Manager! I’m already here. When are we signing?”
His voice was thick with flattery.
But whatever was said on the other end wiped the grin right off his face.
His expression stiffened.
Then darkened.
By the time he hung up, his hands were trembling with rage.
Crash!
The phone smashed against the marble floor, shattering on impact.
“Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!”
The deal was off.
Robert's mind raced, heart pounding like a drum in his chest.
What the hell went wrong?!
***
William stood off to the side, escorting Ethan toward the grand lobby of Brightstar Corporation.
Just as Ethan reached the exit, the sharp click of hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.
A girl in a blue dress rushed in, nearly colliding with him.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!”
She blurted, stepping back in a fluster.
Her hair was slightly tousled, her breath uneven, eyes filled with urgency.
Ethan froze.
That face. That voice.
A strange wave of déjà vu hit him like a forgotten melody playing in the distance.
His brows furrowed as he studied her.
The feeling only grew stronger.
The girl, however, didn’t seem to notice Ethan’s gaze.
She bypassed him completely and went straight to William.
“Mr. William, hello. I’m Katherine Blair, representing the Blair family. I’m here to discuss the business partnership.”
Kathrine？
Ethan froze, his fingers curling into a fist before he even realized it.
It finally clicked.
This woman standing before him was Madeline’s friend, Katherine from the Blair family.
He had never met her before, but he’d heard Madeline mention her name.
And that strange sense of familiarity he’d felt the moment he first saw her…
Could Katherine Blair be the same girl from all those years ago?
Katherine’s full attention was on William. This was her last chance.
The Blair Family was once a mid-tier business in Atlantis.
While they couldn’t compete with the top-tier elites, they had been doing fairly well.
Until recently.
Over the past two months, the family business had been hit by a series of strange and sudden failures, plunging them into an unprecedented crisis.
If it weren’t for the reputation they’d built over the years, the Blair Family would have already gone bankrupt.
Now, their only hope for a comeback lies in securing a partnership with Brightstar Corporation.
With Brightstar’s massive influence in Atlantis, this deal could be their lifeline.
She carefully pulled a sleek, leather-bound proposal from her bag. Held it out with both hands.
“This is our proposal for the city center project,”
She said, her voice steady, but her posture poised yet tense.
There was no missing the edge of desperation beneath it.
“Please take a look.”
“This is our family’s last hope.”
William took the proposal and flipped through it.
With all the enthusiasm like a man scanning a takeout menu.
He barely skimmed a few pages before shutting it with a quiet thud.
Katherine’s stomach clenched.
“Mr. William,” she tried again, her voice dipping slightly.
“Is there something wrong with the proposal? If you have any concerns, we’re happy to revise it.”
William cleared his throat, cutting straight to the point.
“Miss Katherine, Brightstar Corporation only partners with top-tier clients.”
His voice was polite, but his words landed like a slap.
“Given the Blair family’s… situation…”
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before going blunt:
“Anyway, to put it plainly, you don’t meet our standards.”
“I’m sorry, but this partnership isn’t possible.”
Katherine felt like the ground had been pulled out from under her.
But she wasn’t the type to give up.
“Mr. William, please reconsider,” she pleaded.
“Our family may be struggling, but this project has potential! We can cut the profits, and give 50% ... No! 60% profits to Brightstar Corp!”
Her voice wavered slightly, but she forced herself to hold his gaze.
“We’re open to any terms. Just give us a chance.”
Tears glistened in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
William, however, remained unmoved.
He let out a slow, patient sigh and shook his head.
“Miss Katherine, this isn’t about personal favors. It’s company policy.”
Katherine saw the dismissal in his eyes.
The last shred of hope drained from her face.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to nod.
“…Alright, Mr. William. Thank you for your time.”
Her voice was barely above a whisper. She turned to leave.
Ethan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
“William. The proposal does look potential.”
“Perhaps you should reconsider the partnership with Miss Katherine.”
Katherine stopped mid-step.
She turned immediately, looking at him, surprise flickering across her face.
For a brief moment, something like hope surfaced in her eyes. But just as quickly, doubt settled in.
She was appreciated this man spoke out for her.
However, after all, William was the general manager of Brightstar Corporation.
William was the one who controlled the business, and he decided everything.
There’s no way William would change his mind just because of this unknown man.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 57
For a second, something shifted. Alateriel’s voice—usually like untouched snow—cracked with the barest hint of emotion. Bitterness. Like a glacier starting to split.Ethan didn’t respond. The only sound in the room was the faint graze of his thumb tracing the edge of the phone, over and over.“I’ve looked for you, Ethan… for seven years,” she whispered, her voice softening—melting like the first drip of spring snow.He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Is that so?”“Ethan… I’ll be in Atlantis tomorrow. Can we meet? Just once?”Her voice was barely a whisper, a feather falling through silence.Ethan’s response cut like glass.“Miss Alateriel, you’re the crown jewel of the Dunphy dynasty now. Me? I’m just the washed-up heir of a forgotten family. I’d hate to taint your vision with my presence.”His words carried a cruel edge—sarcasm, self-loathing, and something darker buried underneath.He didn’t want to revisit the past. Not anymore.“Ethan, did you hear about—”“No need.”He cut her off
Chapter 56
The dim room was still—until Katherine's text tone pierced through the silence.Ethan glanced down at the screen. The glow lit up his face, and as he swiped to unlock, his brows instinctively furrowed.“Ethan, did you hear? Alateriel is coming to Atlantis City!”Alateriel?Ethan’s thumb froze mid-air. A dull throb pulsed at his temples.What the hell is going on today? Why is everyone suddenly bringing up that name?He rubbed the bridge of his nose, then typed back:“I heard. You seem really excited about her?”The reply came almost instantly:“Of course! Alateriel Dunphy is basically the capital’s goddess! I’m heading to the airport to see her in person!”“So much has happened lately… I need something fun to look forward to.”Ethan stared at that exclamation mark—somehow, he could see Katherine smiling through the screen.He hesitated, then hit Call.“Ethan?”Her soft voice drifted through, along with the faint rustle of magazine pages in the background.“You’re really that eager to
Chapter 55
“Vulture was able to operate without fear,” Robert’s voice was low, every word dripping with weight, “because he had The Black Jack backing him.”“What? The Black Jack?!”Madeline’s eyes went wide in disbelief. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost.Everyone knew the truth—The Black Jack ruled this city.In this town, it wasn’t Vulture who was the true power player. He was just a pawn in a much bigger game. The Black Jack? That was the shadow ruler pulling the strings, the one who controlled the city’s heartbeat.The power The Black Jack wielded was untouchable.In business, politics, the military—The Black Jack had influence everywhere.If you crossed him? It was worse than death itself.“Robert, you can’t be telling me that The Black Jack is involved in this too, right?” Madeline swallowed hard, panic creeping into her voice.“It’s hard to say,” Robert muttered as he stood up and walked to the window, pulling the curtains shut with a snap. In the dim light, the veins on his forehea
Chapter 54
Elijah—the man who ran The Black Jack syndicate in Atlantis City—stirred his coffee slowly.The silver spoon tapping gently against the fine bone china cup with a crisp, delicate clink.Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, landing on his manicured hands. The gleam on his nails was cold, sharp—like polished steel under a surgeon’s scalpel.Across from him, the old man known only as The Night Owl sat as calm as a still lake. His thin, wrinkled fingers methodically dropped sugar cubes into his black tea, each movement steady, almost ritualistic.“Mr. Elijah, about the shipment from Colombia—”But The Night Owl was cut off mid-sentence.A massive bodyguard—easily pushing six-foot-six—strode up, leaned down, and whispered urgently into Elijah’s ear. His breath brushed warm against Elijah’s skin.“What?”Elijah’s voice cracked through the quiet like a whip. “Vulture’s dead?”The spoon slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the saucer with a metallic clang. Black coffee
Chapter 53
“What did you just say?”Noah’s smile froze. For a second, he thought he must’ve misheard.“I said, I have zero interest in a company that's about to go bankrupt,” Ethan repeated calmly.“Bankrupt?”The word hung in the air like a thunderclap. Everyone froze, struggling to process what they just heard.“You’re full of it!”Noah jolted upright, his voice rising in panic. “Hudson Pharmaceuticals is raking in money! We’re thriving! Why the hell would we go bankrupt? Quit fear-mongering!”Ethan leaned back, voice cool and steady. “Whether I’m fear-mongering or not, you know better than anyone. I just got word—Hudson Pharmaceuticals has been completely shut down for selling counterfeit meds. It’s only a matter of time before the bankruptcy paperwork hits.”“Fake meds? Shut down?”Everyone turned, stunned, their eyes locking onto Noah.“Bullshit! That’s complete bullshit!” Noah snapped. “Ethan, you better shut your damn mouth. Hudson runs a clean business! We play by the rules! One more word
Chapter 52
And Lewis Parker, of all people, in that photo?Yeah right. Had to be fake.Sarah let out a cold laugh. “You? Know Lewis freaking Parker? Come on. A guy like you probably can’t even spell sommelier.”She crossed her arms, chin raised in disdain. “Let’s be real—you probably stole that wine.”“Exactly!” Luke jumped in, eyes lighting up like he just cracked the case. “No way you could afford something like that. You swiped it, didn’t you?”Noah’s face lit up with smug satisfaction, like a cat who’d cornered a mouse.“That makes perfect sense,” he sneered. “Of all the things to steal, you went and grabbed a $3.4 million bottle? You realize if the owner presses charges, you’re looking at ten years minimum behind bars?”In Noah’s mind, this was checkmate. No way someone like Ethan could ever own something that valuable.Ethan didn’t flinch. He just set his napkin down, the soft rustle of fabric against wood loud in the sudden tension.First, they said his wine was cheap.Then they claimed it
You may also like
From Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise
Magical Inspirations70.7K viewsRevenge of the Secret Heir
Belladonna82.5K viewsBack From Prison!
KMyay167.9K viewsThe Return of the War Legate
Celestial Clouds655.1K viewsBenjamin Knox's Rise to Riches
Ty Writes28.4K viewsI Know Who I Am, Father-in-law.
Gimmylla Gim20 viewsThe Mafia Boss’ Successor
K Thurah3.4K viewsHOUSE OF CRAWFORD: CONRAD'S LEGACY.
Juliet Omek336 views