Gumball: The Mess Novels & Stories

“They can keep going. But the mess is on all of you. Broken chairs, spilled blood, cracked tiles, every last bit of it gets cleaned up by the crowd watching.” That gets their attention. The cheering dies down as the group scatters back toward their drinks and card games, less enthusiastic now that consequences are involved. I turn back to the two men still breathing hard in front of me. “Are you two serious right now?” Ghost grins like a lunatic and claps Glitch on the back so hard he almost stumbles. “I feel great now. Thanks for the time-out.” Glitch is already laughing. “He needed to hit something. I needed to be hit. Worked out.”

"Gosh, I'll never make 50 million dollars in this lifetime." As if that wasn't enough, she also put up a massive banner in the restaurant saying, "Congratulations to Shayla Lane for winning 50 million dollars!" Right then, a lecturer suddenly asked, "The lottery ticket is with you and hasn't been drawn yet. Where did you get the money from?" Shayla replied nonchalantly, "I'll get the money soon. I'm just enjoying it in advance." In the crowd, someone suddenly asked, "Wait, isn't Aaron dating Bella? Why is he with Shayla now?"

You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? As soon as she was done speaking, Johann's staff began giggling and chuckling in delight among themselves. They pointed their fingers at me and said, "Mr. Garner is good at everything, but the only thing that sucks about him is his taste in women!" "Yeah. How could he have married a woman like her? It's so embarrassing!" "I heard that Mr. Gardner and Ms. Ford used to date in the past. I think they're the ones who truly should belong together. This useless mess of a woman is probably the homewrecker after all."

Emily Larson's shrill voice echoed through the banquet hall. "This meatball dish is something I paid a fortune to learn from a master chef at a five-star hotel. It's a perfect harmony between meat and vegetables. The broth is rich and fragrant, and its plating exquisite. How could the clients possibly be unhappy?" Hearing that familiar voice of my nemesis, I snapped fully awake and realized that I had been reborn. Her voice drew the other colleagues, who quickly gathered around.

"I… I need time to analyze it…" "Analyze my ass!" Peter slammed the table. "The clients are about to storm the company. Fix it. Now!" I closed the video and leisurely brewed myself a pot of tea. My phone rang again. It was Oliver. "Rex, something terrible has happened. The system has completely collapsed. Can you come help? We'll double your compensation!" I calmly hung up and set my phone to silent. By noon, the internal company group chat had erupted. Jason actually posted a message: [@Rex, the system has encountered a serious issue. Could you please come back and help resolve it? It's extremely urgent!]

Of course, he played Matthew’s part and he was supposed to know the plans. A knock came upon the door, and Marcus grumbled, “Enter.” Gabe walked in, bringing in a full bottle of rum. Marcus grinned. His friend had read his mind. “I thought you might be thirsting for this.” Gabe held up the bottle. “It always helps you think clearly before.” “Indeed it has.” Marcus walked to the liquor tray and snatched two glasses. “I hope the spirits will work their magic once again.” Gabe poured them equal amounts then set the bottle on the table. He lifted his glass. “To the good days, which hopefully we’ll return to soon.”

The Wrong Vow, My Perfect Match Chapter 131: A Tomorrow Worth Living A month passed. The world remained wonderfully ordinary. No hidden messages appeared in the sky. No impossible doorways opened. No ancient systems awakened from forgotten corners of reality. The greatest crisis Gabriel faced was losing an argument with a vending machine. A fact he complained about repeatedly. “It stole my money.” Arthur didn't even look up from his work. “You said that yesterday.” “Because it happened yesterday.” “And today?”

The barcode was gone. I looked at my own chest. The skin was clear. Caleb leaned against me. He was exhausted. He was messy. He had morning breath and a gash on his forehead. "So," Caleb said. "What do we do now that we're broke?" I looked at the crowd. At the world we’d broken and remade. "I think I’ve got a gambling debt to pay," I said. I reached into my pocket. I pulled out a single gold coin. "And I know a guy who can get us a deal on a used hockey rink."

At that moment, Maurice had already seized control of Four Seasons Incorporated and had been extremely arrogant—even toward Leroy. "Yes, it's true," Quinn affirmed with a nod. "Please come to Jipsfort with us, Grandma." "You should follow them, Mom. You can see it for yourself, right? Gabe is a total lost cause," Lorraine said. She knew that Gabriel was a compulsive gambler who was beyond redemption.

As the car door closed on us, I smelled the strong smell of gunpowder on my hands that wouldn't stop shaking. Don grabbed my hands and pressed a kiss against my forehead. "You did very well. It's all in the past now." … The wheels on the car rolled over the drenched streets, leaving the chaos of Perez Steakhouse in its wake. It was deathly silent inside the car, with only the muffled sound of the raindrops hitting the bulletproof glass. I looked down at my hands. The strong smell of gunpowder and blood seemed to still be lingering under my fingernails.