LOGINAdam was surprised when Olivia texted him on Thursday evening if he was available to meet with someone. ByMore surprisingly was the person. Daniel. Her cousin.When he thought about it, Adam felt it should have been expected.He was dating the man's cousin afterall.The bar Daniel had chosen was fairly simple.No craft cocktail menu on a chalkboard, no Edison bulbs strung at careful intervals to suggest character. Just solid wood counters, decent lighting, and a bartender who didn't hover.Daniel was already there when Adam arrived, sitting at a corner table with two drinks already ordered, jacket off, collar open.He looked up when Adam walked in and raised a hand in a wave, like they were picking up something that had been briefly interrupted rather than starting something new."Adam." He didn't stand, just gestured at the chair across from him. "We finally meet properly this time.""I know," Adam agreed, and sat.The drink in front of him was whiskey, neat.He hadn't told Daniel h
Walter Cho's office wasn't what Adam expected.There was no glass tower and no skyline view, just a converted warehouse space near the rail yards, exposed brick, a long table covered in rolled blueprints instead of a polished desk.It smelled like sawdust and coffee.Adam liked it more than he expected to and he also felt it fit the man's character more."Most people who meet me for the first time look disappointed," Walter said, not looking up from the plans he was straightening. "They want marble. I give them plywood and ask if they still want to talk business.""I came for the conversation, not the furniture." Adam replied."Good answer." Walter finally looked up, gesturing at the chair across from him.Melissa was already seated, notebook open, pen uncapped.She'd arrived some minutes early, the way she always did, like punctuality was a personality trait instead of a habit."Your assistant called ahead asking for margin breakdowns on three of my past projects,"Walter said, amuse
Melissa Hale’s apartment was smaller than people probably expected, given the title on her business card and the six-figure decisions she signed off on weekly.In the living room, a desk was crowded with two monitors, a coffee maker that ran basically every hour, and a couple of sofas.She liked it that way.Less to clean, more to focus on.It was just past seven in the morning, and she was already two coffees in, scrolling through Titan's contract pipeline with the focus of it not being a chore, but a shape waiting to be solved.Her phone buzzed.It was a text from her only friend and self-acclaimed sister, Hana.– Mom's asking if you're still "working for that rich kid" lol. She wants to know if he's nice.Melissa snorted, typing back without looking up from the second monitor.–Tell her he's polite and chronically late. Otherwise a functional human.–She says that sounds like every man in the family.– I know that.She set the phone down and let herself enjoy the small, ordinary no
Olivia's lecture had already ended by the time Adam reached the building, but she was exactly where she said she'd be; sitting on the low stone wall outside and scrolling her phone with patience.She had the look of someone who'd learned not to expect punctuality.So it wasn’t unexpected when, Olivia looked up.Turned her eyes back to her watch, then looked back at him."Who are you?"Adam blinked."What?""You're early."She narrowed her eyes."Did someone steal Adam Wilson and replace him with a responsible adult? Should I be worried?""I'm exactly on time.""For you, that's early." She finally noticed whatever was left on his face from the hallway conversation. "Rough afternoon?""Group project stuff. Derek thinks I've been using the company as an excuse to dodge responsibility.""Has he met you? You don't dodge responsibility. You just collect way too much of it and then act surprised when it crushes you." She hopped off the wall, falling into step beside him. "Is he wrong, though
The good mood from the presentation lasted exactly until Adam checked his phone in the hallway and saw a maintenance contract review that needed his signature before the next day.He was already mentally groaning from the stress when Derek's voice cut through it."Got a second?"Adam looked up.Derek wasn't alone, Priya stood a step behind him, arms crossed, and the third member of their group, a quiet guy named Sanjay who usually let Derek do the talking, was hovering near the wall like he wanted no part of whatever was about to happen.Adam immediately knew that look.It was the look people wore when they'd spent time discussing whether to confront someone.And from the looks of things, they we're going through with it.Priya looked annoyed.Derek looked determined.Sanjay looked like he regretted being born into the conversation entirely"Sure," Adam said, pocketing his phone. "What's up?""You cut it close today." Derek's tone was flat. "Real close.""I made it and we did fine, so
The air had begun to grow chilly as the end of the year approached. The leaves had already thrown off the shade of green to embrace more darker colors.It was under these conditions that Adam kept running his businesses.He didn't make much of a power move at the moment since his last issue showed his shaky foundations.But he didn't let Havenridge and Titan stop their growth either.Riding the game from the clash with the Lacoste’s, Adam made the property management and the maintenance company search for bigger contracts.They could now get meetings they couldn't get before.It seemed like a nice reward for coming out on top but it still wasn't easy for them.While getting the meetings had become easier, actually winning the contract was difficult.According to Melissa, it had become more difficult than before.It was no surprise to Adam when he began hearing grumblings from the executives of Titan, there was nothing they could do, but he paid it no mind for now.So, it was expected
In a room where the furniture consisted of only a small bed, a table and a small sized wardrobe, a young man lay on the bed uncaring about the water dripping of his dark hair onto the small bed.If someone else was in the room, they would be surprised at how the young man kept staring into space.O
The restaurant — Benji's Kitchen— was the same way Adam had left it though the jeers and mocking laughter had died down.Adam's arrival, however, had reignited the flame."What is he doing here again?" "Has lack of nutrients caused him to run mad."Walking with a confidence he had never had before
The silence that came after Adam's taunt was a long one. Almost as if the world itself was waiting to see if he would take it back. Adam could see surprise on the faces of the surrounding people but he didn't fill the silence and let it sit. Around the guy with the keys, the group had gone still.
The notification for his debt repayment couldn't have come at a worse possible moment. Adam stared at the cashier. She stared back with a smile, she looked like she was enjoying herself and didn't mind if he knew. "Card declined," she said, though he'd heard her the first time. "I—yeah." Adam sto







