LOGINThe Jones and Vale families weren’t the only ones that felt the hit of the turbulence. Just that, while some felt the physical, the rest felt the mental. The rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Adrian’s corner office, mirroring the bleak, unforgiving storm that had taken up permanent residence in his chest. He stood with his forehead pressed against the cold glass, staring down at the city below. From up here, the cars were nothing but crawling insects, the people invisible. He used to feel like a god looking down at his domain. Now, he just felt like a ghost haunting his own life.On the massive monitor mounted on the wall, the company’s stock ticker was a relentless, bleeding sea of red. It was taking another hit. A massive, catastrophic plunge that wiped out millions in market cap by the hour. Adrian closed his eyes, his desolation so heavy it physically ached in his bones.The heavy oak door to his office clicked open. Adrian didn’t turn around. He knew the hesit
“What?” Mr. Jones’s voice was the first to thunder.Noah closed his eyes for the unexpected impact.“Talk to me, Noah. How’s Colin?” Mr Jones already snatched the phone off the table. Noah knew he had no choice but to spill everything now. “Some men took Melissa. Colin went after them. The driver followed. I got there and… and they had already beaten him badly.”Mrs. Jones gasped.Miranda’s hand flew to her mouth.Clara whispered, “Oh my God.”Noah swallowed hard, but his throat felt full of glass.“He’s in emergency now. The driver is here too. I just don’t know how bad it is yet.”For one terrible second, no one spoke.Then chairs scraped.Mr Jones’ voice shook. “We’re coming.”The call ended.Noah lowered the phone slowly.Only then did he notice his hand was red.His blood.Or Colin’s.He could no longer tell.Not long after, the Jones family arrived like a storm.Mr. Jones entered first, his face pale with rage and fear. Mrs. Jones followed, clutching Miranda’s arm. Clara rush
“Who do you think you are? Captain America?” One of the men asked mockingly, making the other laugh. Noah hit the first man before the man finished smiling.The punch sent him stumbling backward.Maybe learning to fight right from a very young age was something he did for fun; his skills had always come in handy. Another rushed him from the side.Noah ducked, grabbed his arm, and drove his knee into the man’s stomach. Pain shot through Noah’s own ribs at the movement, but he swallowed it and shoved him away.“Noah!” Melissa screamed.Colin lifted his head weakly.His eyes widened when he saw him.“Noah… don’t…”Noah didn’t listen.A third man came at him with a rod.Noah dodged the first swing, but the second caught his shoulder. Pain exploded down his arm. He staggered but turned with it and slammed his fist into the man’s jaw.The man fell.For a few seconds, Noah fought like anger had taken over his body.Messy.Reckless.Dangerous.He was already wounded before he arrived, but h
Colin’s fingers tightened around the phone.“What do you mean she’s gone?”His voice came out sharper than he expected.The driver’s breathing was uneven on the other end, like he was running or driving too fast.“Sir, we were already at her house. Just outside the gate, the moment I opened the car, a van blocked us.”Colin’s heart dropped.“What van?”“I don’t know, sir. Three men came down. Then two more from another car. They said something about a loan. That she thought she could hide forever.”Colin’s blood turned cold.“A loan?”“Yes, sir. Miss Melissa was shouting that she didn’t know what they were talking about. I tried to stop them, but they had weapons.”Colin was already moving.His feet carried him toward his car before his mind fully caught up.“Where are you now?”“I’m following them, sir.”“You’re what?”“They took her into the van. I got back into the car and followed. I’m keeping distance so they don’t notice me.”Colin yanked his car door open.“Send me your live lo
For the first time that night, Colin hesitated.It was brief.But she saw it.The coldness cracked for just a moment, and underneath it, there was pain.Real pain.Then he looked at her fully.“That depends on your relationship with Miranda from now on.”Melissa froze.Colin’s voice remained calm.“If you settle things with her and continue being friends, then I’ll consider you my sister too.”Melissa’s chest tightened.“But if not,” he continued, “then I have no business making friends with my sister’s enemy.”The words were gentle.The meaning was not.Melissa understood him perfectly.He was putting her exactly where he believed she belonged now.Not as a woman he once wanted.Not as someone who had a chance to be loved by him.Just Miranda’s friend.And if Miranda rejected her, then even that small title would be gone.Melissa’s lips trembled, but she forced herself not to cry.“I understand.”Colin held her gaze for another second.Then he nodded.“Goodnight, Melissa.”She wanted
Melissa sat on the hospital bed with her left leg stretched out, her ankle raised on a small pillow while the nurse wrapped a bandage around it.She had cried earlier.Not because the pain was unbearable, although it was sharp enough to make her hiss whenever the nurse touched the swollen area.She cried because of everything else.Richard.Miranda.Colin.The way the night had collapsed so quickly that she still could not tell where the first crack had started.“Try not to put pressure on it for a few days,” the doctor said, scribbling something on a chart. “It’s a sprain, not a fracture, but you’ll worsen it if you walk carelessly. Use the support when you need to move. Ice it. Rest it.”Melissa nodded quietly.“Thank you.”Colin stood by the wall with both hands in his pockets.He had been there from the beginning.He was there when she was brought in. He was there when the nurse examined her ankle. He was there when the doctor asked what happened. He even stepped forward once when
Melissa stared at Adrian for a long moment.Then she laughed.It was the kind of laugh that came from disbelief. From disgust. From realizing that a man had destroyed a woman’s life over his own stupidity and still had the audacity to stand there breathing like a victim.“You’re unbelievable,” sh
Clara stared at Colin with disbelief.“Oh my God,” she whispered back. “I think he’s malfunctioning.”Miranda bit down hard on her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.Melissa, completely unaware of the chaos she had caused, looked between all of them in confusion.“…Did I miss something?”“No,
Colin looked toward Nate.Nate immediately handed over the brown envelope in his hand.Colin took it casually before walking toward Miranda’s bedside.Then he handed it to her.Miranda looked confused as she slowly opened it.A second later…Her eyes widened completely.“This is…”“Your divorce cer
Clara looked at him with disbelief. “You know it’s not going to work right. Everybody already believed I didn't like her. It’ll be impossible to pretend I do now.” “Except you’re not going to be pretending now,” Noah assured. Clara shook her head. “You don’t have to pretend. I’m also not forcin







