On the beach, Yve has fallen asleep beside Vince after eating the food they bought. Her workload plus the things that Vince revealed tired her up.  Having understood all of this, Vince carried her back to the car and settled her in the front seat and drove back to the hotel.

After ensuring that Yve is comfortable on the bed, he went to the bathroom to freshen up only to be interrupted by Sylvan.
"What is it?"
"Primo, they found a report about Nyelle's mother. I sent the details to your email."
"Okay. Thanks."

Thinking that it must be urgent for even Sylvan to call him late at night, he went to his study to check his email. He didn't like what he read and for sure Yve wouldn't like this, too. But he's bound by the promise they made at the beach.

---
A few hours ago while eating on the beach
--

"Vince?"
"Hmm?" Vince said as he stopped eating to look at Yve doing the same thing to him.
"To be honest, I feel nervous knowing the dangers that being in the underworld might bring."
"Do you want me to quit?"
Yve looked at him and said, "As if it would be that easy to quit."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Just be honest with me."
"...."
"I don't need you to tell me the specifics especially when it doesn't concern me. Don't make lies like you're going for a business trip or something. Just tell me you need to do something Primo-like."
"Primo-like, ei…" 
"..."
"Please, Vince. Other than that, I want you to ensure your safety as well. After that, I guess everything is fine with me."
"I promise." 

---
Back at the present
--
Vince took a deep breath and turned his laptop off and decided to tell Yve everything tomorrow morning. Before heading for bed, he instructed Sylvan to inform the police station that both of them are coming in the afternoon for their interview.  He finally took a shower and slept. 

The following morning, Yve was the first one to wake up and so she took the responsibility to prepare a simple breakfast for both of them. A few moments later, she saw Vince coming down from his room with a brown envelope in his hands. She decided to ignore it thinking it was related to Gray Group.

"Good morning, King!"
"Good morning, my Yve." Vince said and kissed Yve on the forehead.

But his next actions caused Yve to be curious. Vince pulled back a chair for her and urged her to take the seat. Yve decided to follow and was handed with the envelope. She gave him a questionable look.

"As much as I would like to hide it from you but a promise is a promise." Vince said as he went to the kitchen and served the food on the table. 
Yve reads the contents of the envelope and was shocked to see the title. 
"Did you held them captive?" Yve asked.
"Yes."
"How are they?"
"Nyelle is doing much better than your step sister."
"I want to see Nyelle now. Take me to her."
Vince knew about this but didn't say anything. He sat on one of the chairs and looked at her.
"How about your interview in the police station?"
"Ahh!! I almost forgot! I'll call Sylvan to…"
"There's no need. Upon receiving the report late last night, I ordered Sylvan to postpone your interview. It will this afternoon with me." Vince explained.
"Thanks. So, will you take me to where you're keeping her?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"NO!"
"Then to avoid your dangerous methods, I'd rather take you there myself before my subordinates kill you."
Yve swallowed her saliva in fear of what she heard but in the happiness of Vince's decision, she hugged her and whispered,
"Thank you so much."

Today is another busy day for me. Work and home are the only places I go to for the past 3 years. The end of THAT relationship ended my happy, easy-going life. But then, when I think about it, it was not his fault but mine. My friends would tell me that I need to move on. I HAVE MOVED ON. It's just I don't want any side trips anymore in my life. I have my dreams and I am working hard for it. Little did I know what the destiny has installed for me.

"Mom, I still love her. She ended the relationship without any valid reason and I didn't agree."

"But son, what if the reason is that she doesn't love you anymore? Isn't that a reason valid enough for you?"

"I have to know it this time, mom. I did try to go out on dates but still failed. I think meeting her again will help me know what is happening with me."

"I guess I have no other choice. But remember, don't let her disrupt your plans and the family's business."

"I know, mom. Steph, book my flight to the Philippines tomorrow."

"Vincent! Why are you in so much rush?!"

"Because I believe that the early bird gets the worm."



Just wait for me, Yve. I will get you back by hook or by crook.

+++
Sylvester dropped the landline receiver after speaking
with Agent Dakolo, he sat back into his seat, trying to
decide whether to attend to the Agent's request first or to
follow after Henry. He chose the latter and got up from
his seat. He picked up his phone from the table and
proceeded out of the office.
Two minutes later, he was seated in the visitor's seat
behind Henry's table. Henry wasn't paying much
attention to him but was focused on his work on the
laptop.
'Here's what I wanted to show you' Henry quickly handed
a paper to Sylvester and turned back to his laptop. 'How
was the interview? What position did she apply for?'
Henry asked.
'There was no interview' Sylvester answered without
taking a look at the paper he was handed. 'She only came
to submit her credentials in person'
'I see' Henry said in a low voice, acting less interested.
'You thought I invited her over for an interview?'
'Yes, of course. You are the Boss here and you don't need
my permission to interview anybody' Henry answered
with a slight chuckle.
'But we already agreed to work with those available and
not to take in anyone else for now. I wouldn't go against
our agreement'
Henry paused and looked up, he fastened his eyes on
Sylvester's face. 'I didn't suggest that in anyway' He said
and turned his face back to the laptop. 'Oh! You thought
that was the reason I didn't agree to see her?'
'What else could be the reason?'
'I wasn't aware of the interview before, neither do I know
the position the interview is for so I didn't think I had any
business to do with her' Henry answered, keeping a light
smile on his face.
Sylvester remained quiet for a while, staring at Henry's
face. He had thought Henry was angry but Henry's
demeanor and words have proved him wrong.
'So what do you …' Henry paused on seeing that Sylvester
had not checked the paper given to him. 'Come on, read
what's there'
Sylvester picked the paper and scanned briefly through
it. 'When did you start working on this?'
'It wasn't my work, Dayo did it' Henry replied. Dayo was
the new employee that was taken in the week before.
'It looks good but we have to find how crackable these
codes are' Sylvester commented.
'That's why I was in your office then, I wanted to check
through your history log but I've been able to check it
from here'
'So, are they crackable?'
'Yes, it's even made up of very easy combinations'
'Does that make it usable or not?'
'It's not usable. It would be easily cracked by the
opposition'
Sylvester folded the paper and dropped it on the table.
'Agent Dakolo called some minutes ago, he'll be here in
the afternoon to get a report on all that we've been doing
concerning the breach we've been experiencing'
'Okay, I've been expecting him to ask for it. I prepared a
report already and he doesn't even need to come here,
we could mail it to him' Henry said.
'I think he'll also like to get some explanations, that's why
he wants to come physically' Sylvester put in.
'No problem, we'll be ready for him'
'So what do we do now with Mr Dayo's piece?' Sylvester
asked as he got up from the chair, ready to leave for his
office.
'We'll just keep it and keep working, we need something
deeper' Henry tapped the enter key on her laptop
keyboard in a loud manner and then relaxed into his
seat, signifying that he was through with what he was
doing. He stared up at Sylvester's face. 'You know we are
trying to entrap this group, so we have to be wiser than
they are. We cannot afford to use simple keys and scripts
in tackling them, that'll be making mockery of ourselves'
'Alright then' Sylvester shrugged and turned to leave.
~~~
**Kabakawa, Batagarawa Katsina, Katsina State. **
After lodging in an hotel for two days, the team finally
moved into the rented apartment for which they had
paid the rent fee for a year. The house wasn't too
expensive but it was big enough to contain all of them. It
was already furnished to their taste before they moved
in.
They had chosen a flat with three bedrooms in the two
storey building house with a total of six flats. Theirs was
located by the left side on the middle floor. Tarasha had
carefully chosen an apartment for them in an open area
this time, it would reduce the rate of unnecessary
suspicions. But they also had to be extra careful and
watchful.
It was Monday morning and work had begun already.
Cole was seated behind a table, composing an email on
his laptop to inform the Ata's foundation of their team's
arrival into the country. Benny was in one of the rooms
where he and Cole had chosen for themselves, arranging
the new arms and ammunitions into the wardrobe. He
neatly arranged the various sizes of bullets and sealed
explosives in a section. He arranged the pistols in another
section and long guns in another. The last section was
used to store his clothes and Cole's.
Aisha was also in her room, setting the place in the order
she wanted. She hissed on seeing the little bag of clothes
which she brought to the place. Although the bag was
actually the biggest bag amongst all bags of clothes the
team had brought, she still thought it to be small. Their
kind of job would not satisfy her desire to always take
her best clothes around town.
She hissed again as she saw herself in the mirror on
bending to arrange the makeup kits placed in front of the
mirror. What did she even need the clothes for now that
her hair was gone? She looked like a man, she thought.
She gave a brief mockery laugh at herself as she rubbed
her palms on the head. She then turned back to pick a
small case which contained more makeup kits. That
wasn't for her but for the team, the team would
frequently need to change their appearances on this
operation. Another small bag was lying beside the case, it
contained camouflage materials like artificial beards,
masks, wigs and even skinlike gloves.
Benny walked into the living room after he was done with
arranging the tools, he met Cole already closing his
laptop.
'Have you finished typing the email?' He asked as he
moved to sit on the couch.
'Yes, we'll see it when we come back from the boutique'
Cole answered, standing up with his closed laptop in his
hand.
'You want us to go now?' Benny seemed not too
comfortable with the idea.
'Yes, what else should we do now?'
'Why don't you send the email now and let's see their
reply, they may probably engage you in a chat' Benny
tried to convince Cole.
'I've sent the mail to the Boss first for vetting, until she
replies us we cannot forward it to the foundation' Cole
responded with a wry look on his face. 'Dust your lazy a-s
and let's go out to get the clothes now. I'll go get Aisha.'
With that Cole walked away, leaving Benny who remained
on the seat tiredly. For Benny, it was always fun to get
new clothes but this one was different, the clothes would
have to be disposed off at the end of the operation.
~~~
**Abuja**
2pm
'You went this far?' Dakolo stared Henry in the face as he
read the report provided to him. 'Even the US CCTV
officials have not discovered up to this, nice job' he
commended cheerfully jamming his palms together.
'Thank you sir' Henry smiled.
'The only thing that looks similar in this their report is…'
Dakolo began but stopped abruptly. He bent to bring out
the report from the US CCTV from his small brief case
which was placed by the leg of the chair he was seated.
He placed the binded four pages report on Henry's table.
Sylvester was the first to pick up the report and open it.
Dakolo opened back Henry's report which was still in his
hands. He began to flip the pages until he got to the last.
'Here' he said, pointing a particular area on the page.
'This code looks similar to theirs'
Henry bent forward to look at where Dakolo was
pointing. Dakolo handed it over to him to have a better
view.
" BN 10354
' Encrypt XL
<< — t.a.r– n.e.f — >>
Run script = enter '
>>"
That was one of the most mysterious encryption code
Henry had ever come across. He had never seen the key
words anywhere else before and since he discovered the
script, he not been able to decrypt it.
Dakolo collected the report Sylvester was holding and
opened to the second page. 'Here ' he pointed another
area to for Henry to look at. The encryption script Henry
saw in the US report was similar to the one in his report.
"BN 20679
'Encrypt XL
<< — s.e.r— n.e.f — >>
Run script = enter '
>>"
'What??' Henry's lips vibrated as he fixed his eyes on the
code, looking slightly baffled. He took his eyes off to
Dakolo face. 'The assassin group is larger than we
thought, it's a worldwide organization'
Dakolo licked his lips slowly and silently as he watched
Henry fix his eyes again to the report.
'Can I…' Sylvester who was anxious to see the correlation
stretched forth his hand impatiently to collect the
reports from Henry.
'So now that we know that we are dealing with a
worldwide assassin group, we have to up our game'
Dakolo finally spoke. 'Your engineers have to be
informed about what they are dealing with. And I think
the corporation has to establish a strong connection with
the US corporation'
'Wow! I wasn't aware that there have been breaches in
the CCTV operations in the US too' Henry spoke in low
tones, relaxing his back in the seat.
'There have been' Dakolo replied him, tapping a finger on
the table as he stared into the air and inhaled. 'The breaks
always comes during the period of assassinations just like
ours'
'Hmm… Same strategies, same codes' Henry said
thoughtfully.
Dakolo stared at Henry's face for a moment. 'Henry E.G, I
need to ask you some questions' Dakolo stated after a
brief moment of silence.
Henry sat upright and adjusted himself to pay attention,
surprised at the Agent's sudden change of tone. 'What
questions sir?'
'You were kidnapped recently' Dakolo paused and stared
at Henry's face, noticing a change. It was obvious to him
that Henry wasn't comfortable with the new subject.
'Yes sir' Henry confirmed reluctantly.
'It happened after you got a job from the late Chief Jubril
Lawal?' Dakolo continued, making sure he maintained
eye contact with Henry. Henry noticed this and decided
to try as much as possible to hide his expressions, else
the Agent would extract every information from him
even if he tried to lie.
'Yes, I don't know if the job was for Chief Jubril but it was
brought to us by one of his workers' Henry answered.
'Chief Jubril sent him' Sylvester quickly put in.
Dakolo took a glance at Sylvester and fixed his eyes back
to Henry's face. 'Let's talk about your abduction first. It
lasted for less than a day. How did you escape?'
'I was told that they left us to go after they had a
disagreement amongst themselves' Henry replied.
'You were told?'
'Yes, I was knocked out. I only opened my eyes after
we've moved far away from there'
'You and your girlfriend?'
'No, but a very close lady friend'
'Well, I don't need to go into details of how you were
abducted that day. I know that you have been questioned
about that already.' Dakolo adjusted to a more
comfortable seating position and placed his chin on his
right fist. 'You mentioned during your interrogation with
the police that your suspect was Dare, Chief Jubril's son?'
'Yes' Henry confirmed with a nod.
'But you didn't mention to me that you've seen him
recently' Dakolo frowned.
'Sir, we've not really been able to discuss personal
matters since you came into town'
'That's true.' Dakolo paused and turned to Sylvester who
was already clearing his throat to announce his desire to
leave since he felt he wasn't concerned with the
questioning.
'Mr Sylvester' Dakolo called with a chuckle. 'You have to
wait, I also have some questions for you too.' Sylvester
nodded in reply and comported himself. Dakolo turned
back to Henry.
'Let's push the personal matters aside for now' Dakolo
continued with Henry. 'Did you ever think that the kidnap
could be related to the job brought by the late Chief's
PA?'
'No' Henry replied sharply after narrowing his eyes
thoughtfully.
'You don't think so?'
'Yes, I don't' Henry shook his head in negative to
emphasize. He thought again briefly. Omotara was the
suspect behind the number he was investigating, so was
it really possible that she had planned their kidnap.
'So you insist that it could have only been Dare Lawal?'
Dakolo pressed. 'Wait' he cut in before Henry could
speak. 'What was the result of your investigation?'
Henry's heartbeat increased thrice in speed. The question
he was scared of have been finally asked. Was he now
going to turn Omotara in? Knowing fully well that Agent
Dakolo would not stop until he fishes out who Alexander
Evelyn really was and probably even associate her with
the Chief's assassination which Henry believed Omotara
was innocent about.

This story is about a Lady Assassin who was
trained in Russia, specially skilled in the art and
carrying out the job with no fears, restraints or
apologies.
She became so powerful and was greatly feared
by several of her male counterparts, including
some of the masters who trained her. She hated
so many things, God was number one on her
hatred list.
She came down to Nigeria and was still involved
in her profession until she met someone who
was willing to help her start a new life.
But people from the past came into her life
bringing back old memories. Then she met her
match, another fierce assassin

Today, Old Master Lu was very happy. It could be said that all his gloominess from before had been swept away. Initially, he had been terrified to have taken on such a horrible form. Although he had told everyone he was an ice-cream, he had known exactly what sort of creature he looked like in his heart.
Everyone in the surroundings had been mocking him, telling him to evolve into a pile of shit...or simply a bag of fertilizer.
Truthfully speaking, in this game that didn't allow one to delete their accounts regardless of what they evolved into, he wasn't able to accept it!
After spending his time in agony for two days, he finally gathered the courage and went to ask the instructor as to what he would evolve into. In the end, when he moved nearer to the instructor, the overlord next to her already pointed at him and cried out in alarm, "Feathers, a ball of feathers!"
At that moment, his heart turned cold!
But in the end, the instructor's next sentence was that he was a phoenix seed. Upon hearing that, he suddenly felt joy as though he just struck the lottery!
Until now, he was still feeling dizzy.
(I am an awesome phoenix?)
(Wahahaha, as expected...the heavens help those who help themselves!)
(Didn't I say that I've been attracting online traffic every day with my posts for the game. Even if I didn't get any credit for it, I did still work hard, right? How can the game bear to let me evolve into shit?)
He, who was still lost in excitement and happiness, suddenly received an email from the official game station.
"Dear player [My ancestor Old Master Lu didn't Cheat]. Hello, firstly, the game's backstage staff want to thank you for your selfless promotion of the game. Through the discussion of the work team, in order to thank you for your support, we gave you a special reward, granting you the bloodline of a hidden job. You should have already received it in game. But yesterday, the game's A.I. reported that all the elf players displayed immense dissatisfaction toward you possessing a hidden job. Hence, we hope that you could write another article regarding the strategy guide about the benefits of ordinary elf jobs to placate them. As for the information needed, we have already sent it to your email. In the future, the work team will give you remuneration according to the effects of your guide. We also hope that you can continue to support our game. Thank you!"
Signing off: Xiye Game Studio, sincerely wishing you well.
After receiving the email, Old Master Lu was stunned for some time. He then shouted in excitement, "As expected!!"
After that, he read through the content of the email many times, tears flowing down his face. As expected, his hard work wasn't wasted. The game studio truly had a conscience. His ancestor must be blessing him, allowing him to acquire a hidden job.
When he thought of this, he hurriedly replied to the email.
"Hello to every boss in the gaming studio. Firstly, I am really very honored to be able to receive the recognition of the official game station. Being able to write for such a wonderful game product, it's really my, Lu Xiaowei's, glory to be able to do so. The humble me appreciates and admires the efforts of the work team very much. Such an era-crossing game yet still choosing to treat the players so well. In addition, there are no moods to purchase anything in-game at all, resulting in the loss of a source of income for the gaming studio. I'm really very impressed by the work team's far-sighted strategy and will definitely do my very best to promote the game. I'll give all my meager strength to do so, and there's no need for your side to mention anything about remuneration. Lastly, I'm very thankful for the work team to grant me a hidden job. I wholeheartedly wish for [Star Ocean] to be popular, becoming a wondrous divine work that would never die off!"
Old Master Lu glanced at the email he wrote. After looking through a few times, he then carefully hit the reply button. He didn't expect his actions to be able to gain the notice of the official game station. This was truly a huge surprise. The excited him hurriedly tactfully declined the mention of remuneration.
He didn't care about this bit of remuneration. The cafes of his Lu Clan were extremely prosperous back in the time of his ancestor. Although the business had declined a lot when it came to his generation, he still wasn't thinking much for this bit of remuneration. Comparatively, he regarded the business value of this game much more highly.
Right now, the game showed no signs of earning any income by creating an in-game store. Since this was the case, this meant it was most probably planning to go for the gift card system, a one-time fee or a monthly fee system!
What did this represent?
This represented a huge business opportunity for the players.
As for charging a fee for in-game items, those p2w players wouldn't mind mindlessly throwing money at the game station. But then the space where top-quality players could perform would become very limited. If the balance of the in-game store was not that good, there was basically no space for normal players to perform. But if this game adopted the game style of [Titan], which implemented a one-time fee, things would be different!
Everyone would be on the same starting line. In that case, players who had spent a large amount of time and energy would have the advantage. This would also be fair as top-quality players had an even larger space to perform!
Originally, he felt that he no longer had an opportunity to make his ancestor's former glory to re-appear as he missed the starting phase of [Titan]. Yet, he didn't expect that he would encounter another divine work like [Star Ocean] in his robust years, and he even received such preferential treatment. This time around, if he couldn't succeed, he would truly have wasted the bloodline of his clan!
After all, his ancestor was a man who could go head-to-head with the number one mid-laner, FAKER, of the league of legends back then and boasted of a 50% win-rate against him. So, as his descendant, how could Old Master Lu's talent be weak?
When he thought of this, Old Master Lu grew increasingly emotional. He drew in a deep breath and opened up the information that the official game station had sent to him. He was preparing to use the information and write a good article. Maybe, they would then give him some good items in-game to reward him. This was a rare-to-come by backdoor chance; hence, he had to do this well.
Moreover, his hidden job was truly too ostentatious. Humans wouldn't worry about scarcity but uneven distribution. This hidden job of his would easily arouse jealousy in others. By writing this article well, he could lower the risks for himself.
Hence, he concentrated and read through the information. This read actually caused him to tremble. The system of this game was not ordinarily huge. If it wasn't because the game's performance in the early phase was so good, he even doubted if the game system could sustain balance when so many complex jobs were introduced. Just the elf race alone had so many jobs. There was even a note in the email saying that there would be even more races to choose from for new players in the future!
The more he thought about it, the higher the anticipation he felt in his heart for the game's later phase!
----------------------------------------
On the other hand, Xiye felt a little ashamed when he saw Old Master Lu's reply which stated that he didn't want any remuneration. Using his subject's natural talent like this while giving him nothing, even scamming him that his evolution into a phoenix seed was something given by the 'game', was this idea a little too dirty?
Could he really be a black-hearted overlord?
(Mn...This is just a makeshift stratagem due to my temporarily poor finances. In the future, when this overlord struck it rich, I will definitely treat these honest and simple indigenous players kindly.)
"Ding! Hello, respected Overlord Xiye. The few high-grade jobseekers you booked have already confirmed their interview timings. Do you want to meet with them?"
This voice caused Xiye who was thinking of other things to awaken from his stupor. After that, he collected his thoughts. This should be the reply sent to him by the talent network. He hurriedly opened up the email.
He read through the content. It basically stated that the recommended high-grade instructors were willing to meet him for an interview. Xiye felt his heart shake with excitement when he saw this. He stood up and rubbed his hands. He then instructed the A.I. to help him monitor the elves' evolution. He then prepared himself and headed out for a long journey.
As long as all of these things were settled, his first batch of basic combat force would appear and his large-scale expansion plan could finally be started!


Player: I'm a worker whose monthly salary doesn’t even hit $5,000. My monthly rental already takes up half of my salary, I don’t have a girlfriend and is reprimanded by my superior every day. However, I feel very happy because there has been a new virtual game recently. In the game, I have a powerful bloodline. Not only do I have my own fleet, I even have a powerful overlord that granted me a colonized planet. Although I know this is fake, but inside there, I found the meaning of my life!
Actually...the overlord who gave him the planet really wanted to tell him that this game wasn’t fake. (You really have your own fleet and colonized planet…) but the overlord knew that he couldn’t say this. Because, once he said it, these subjects who thought of themselves as ‘players’, would definitely not be as terrifyingly hardworking as now!!


Completing an interview looked as though there was only one on-camera reporter talking in front of the camera alone and it appeared as though it could be casually carried out anywhere and anytime but in fact, it was actually a huge project that required the precise cooperation of an entire professional team to complete, particularly an interview involving patronages.
Upon hearing the urging from the other side of the phone, Julie, an experienced interviewer, turned bright right away as she increased her pace. "Henry, I suddenly have a hunch that a good fortune is befalling us…"
"Your hunch is not bad, miss. That old fellow Patin actually quietly obtained an opportunity to interview the boss behind LS through some backdoor methods. In fact, even though that Asian skinny guy who looks prematurely senile always keeps a low profile, and there's a lot of 'news hit' on him. This is a very unusually rare opportunity. Seizing it will likely make you a real anchor... "
"Archers, you have 15 — no, 14 minutes to get to the Ocean Empire Building! We'll leave now immediately!" Stimulated by the words on the phone, the female reporter who rushed into the interview car yelled at the driver excitedly and shouted at her cell phone, "Of course I understand that this opportunity is very rare! Henry, stop talking, and quickly send me the information about the interview target and interview questions."
"Ok, I'll send them to you right away! I wish you success, girl!" The last sentence resonated from the other side of the phone and the call was hung up right away. After more than ten seconds later, when Cathy, who was the assistant, was fixing Julie's makeup, a compressed email was sent to the tablet of the female reporter.
Without wasting even one minute, Julie opened the mail impatiently while allowing Cathy to continue to touch up her face with a small delicate brush.
Due to the reason that the internet network in Noah World had just recently been established, and the sudden eruption of the chaotic war had turned to get a complete copy of the information into a dream. There was not much information about the young Asian boss of LS Group.
Other than some brief legendary introductions of how he had founded the LS slaughterhouse and established the foundation of the group that had a net worth of tens of billions of dollar at the age of seventeen, and had published a joint publishing paper in the world's top academic magazines such as 'Science' and 'Natural Biology' at almost the same time, and had directly entered Stanford to study a doctorate degree in Biology, there were only a few more news articles of mixed judgments.
Swiping her finger continuously to read all the information quickly, Julie was just about to study the interview question carefully when she suddenly found that the photo in the photo report on the tablet screen had an inexplicable familiarity, prompting her to murmur, "I should have seen this photo before but I don't have any impression about it at all. How strange…"
"Do you mean the photo of the boss behind LS, Miss?" Cathy, who had just finished touching up the makeup for Julie, tilted her head and looked at the tablet curiously, "Lisheng Zhang? This name is really familiar. Oh, that's right, Riley's Asian brother's name seems to sound like this as well. And their facial features are a bit similar. Maybe he can make an impression of the LS Group's boss ten years later if he starts to take drugs."
After becoming a god, Zhang Lisheng had become healthy and young, completely unlike his often pale and skinny appearance that he used to have when he had to feed his wizard guys with his blood essence.
On top of that, Asians looked similar in the eyes of the Westerners so even though the female reporter had sharp professional observations, she could not see through the truth just based on one old news photo.
She merely laughed and told her assistant, "Don't be so mean, Cathy. Riley is your good friend."
Since the time was pretty rush, Julie did not think too much and merely swiped the tablet and began to work out the interview questions.
At the same time, the interview car galloped under the hot sunshine of New Washington A and finally arrived at the entrance of the Ocean Empire Hotel early about ten minutes later.
"We've arrived, miss. 11 minutes and 47 seconds! It's a miracle! It looks like my destiny is not to be an ordinary interview driver but an F1 driver, isn't it?" The driver with a brownish-red Mexican face of the interview car remarked proudly as he parked the car steadily.
"The reason you could make such a miracle today is because you haven't encountered any red light all the way, and there's no red light on the F1 track anyway, so you know what? Just drive your interview car with peace, Archers." Jotting down the key point of the interview speedily, Julie breathed a long sigh of relief and got out of the car. Together with her assistant, photojournalist, lighting engineer, and so on, she entered the hotel.
Unlike the hot and dry weather peculiar to the daytime of a sandy oasis city outside, the lobby of the Ocean Empire Hotel, which had a combination of natural scenery and modern civilization, was cool and humid. Unfortunately, before the female reporter and her group of followers could even catch their breath, the reception staff of the LS Group had already gone up to greet them together with a group of their NBC TV colleagues.
After studying Julie from up to down several times in a scrutinizing gaze, one of LS' receptionists, a tall and solemn-looking middle-aged African-American woman wearing an old-fashioned gray suit extended her hand and said, "You must be Miss Julie Mihr, the anchor host from NBC. I'm Lans Flittel, the Director of the Media Department at LS Group. Nice to meet you."
"Good afternoon, Madam Lans, I'm very honored to be able to work with you but before this, may you please allow me to ask about the situation of my injured colleague first?" Julie shook hands with a middle-aged woman with force and asked sincerely.
"Of course, please feel free to do so."
"Tommy, how's Luke?" The girl smiled at Lans with a thankful smile and turned her head to ask her colleague.
Upon seeing that Julie did not mention the interview when she first arrived but asking about the competitor's injuries first, the ugly expressions on the few unlucky fellows, who had encountered the accident but was safe, but whose hard work had gone down the drain, eased a little. Somebody answered in a low spirit, "He's still being rescued in the hospital but he's out of danger now."
"That's good." Julie nodded with a relieved expression and immediately entered the main topic. Turning her head, she told Lans, "Madam Lance, I've already jotted down the interview questions on the way, but I have some new ideas. Can I have some of your time to discuss this with you?"
"Miss Julie, the interview questions were concluded after three full days of meticulous discussion." Lans said with a frown. "The reason I agree to you taking over the interview is because of your relatively gentle interview style. But now that you said so, just minutes before the interview…"
"I only need three to five minutes, Madam. I just need you to listen to my opinions, please. You can disregard it if you don't agree to it after listening to it."
"Alright then." Lans raised her hand and look at her watch. "You have 5 minutes."
"Thank you, Madam. It's like this, I hope that I can ask Dr. Lisheng a few innocuous personal questions at the beginning of the interview so as to shorten the distance between him and the general audience..." Julie voiced out her opinions rather quickly. amazingly, she managed to add three questions in just a few minutes' time, causing the colleagues who thought that she was merely lucky for obtaining this opportunity to see her in a new light.
After successfully reaching a consensus with the head of the LS Group's media department, Julie eagerly turned her attention to her former partner. "Hanks, I'm ready, can we start recording the opening credit now?"
"You're really anxious, Julie. Oh, if it wasn't for the fact that this Madam Lans from the LS's media department doesn't recognize my overly spicy interview style, this opportunity should have been mine..." Hanks seemed to want to crack a magnanimous joke but the apparent sullen expression on his face showed that he was actually in a bad mood at this moment.
However, when the camera that had turned on turned towards this ace reporter, his expression immediately became professional. "Good afternoon everyone, I'm Hanks Elton. I'm currently live from the hotel lobby that has a unique sense of style of the Ocean Empire Building, the landmark building of New Washington A… In a while, my beautiful colleague Julie Mihr will meet with a legendary person… Let us ask Julie together, are you ready?"
"Aww, Hanks don't be like this. I'm starting to become nervous again being asked by you and the audience in front of the TV..,"
Under the cooperation of two experienced and natural seasoned reporters, the opening credits of two to three minutes finished recording.
After that, the reception staff of LS brought the two interview groups, that had mixed together and appeared to be parading mightily, and more than half of the program department group to the staff-only elevator.
They went straight up the hotel's executive floor on the eighty-sixth floor, crossed a long corridor covered with red cashmere carpet and soon saw a huge scanning door standing tall in front.
Behind the door was a single desk used by a girl with a supermodel figure and a pretty face; further behind were more than ten burly men in police anti-riot gear who were standing straight against the wall.
The scene before their eyes took the knowledgeable TV station staffs by surprise. Then, when they were just about to remove all metal objects from their bodies automatically, Lans suddenly chimed in, "Everyone, this is not a metal scanner. You can safely pass through it as long as you're not carrying a weapon. Of course, if anyone has the habit of carrying a gun or a dagger longer than five centimeters, you'd have to take them out and we guarantee that we'll keep them well for you. We'll return them to you when you leave."
"Please rest assured, Madam Lans, we NBC staffs don't have the habit of interviewing people with weapons." After staring at each other in surprise, Julie replied with a wry smile on behalf of all her colleagues and took the lead to walk through the scanning door with brisk footsteps. Then, she told the young girl who looked like a secretary behind the door, "Miss, I'm Julie Mihr, a reporter from NBC TV and we have an appointment to interview Dr. Lisheng."
"I'm Alice Jolie, the head of the LS Group's security department. Dr. is already waiting for you. Please follow me, Miss Julie." The girl stood up and responded with a polite smile. However, she waited until all of the TV staff members had passed through the scanner without exception before turning around to lead Julie to continue this endless journey.
They walked through another long corridor and finally came to a huge classic carved mahogany arch at the end of the corridor.
Alice gently pushed open the wooden door and walked into the office the size of half a football field, before saying softly to a back bathed in dazzling sunlight, "Dr., the NBC reporters are here now."


A young man from the Miaowei Tribe brought up by his strict father, suddenly turned into Rank 1 Wizard on the day he was orphaned. He then obtained the ability to control giant worms. 
Soon after, he found his mother who was in a faraway foreign land by accident. From a small mountain village, he managed to jump into the amazing arena that was a global metropolis.
Thus far, we have a young man who inherited the legacy of mastering ancient demons from an ancient country. 
From Western civilization to other worlds, a fascinating saga is born.

➿
17 Hours Before..



River Kennedi enters the relative calm of his small, shared Apartment Complex. A rundown space, with second hand Furniture and displays of amateur art. A place kept spotless, except for the litter of completed, half finished and discarded paintings and drawings. The only case of disarray, against the washed out, but immaculate decor. 

River whisked his Raven black hair, away from his face. Squinting his emerald green eyes, against the burning haze of oil paint and acetone. He kicked off his old converse Sneakers, shaking off his knapsack--discarding it on the floor beside his shoes. He yawned marginally, feeling his body grow fatigued as his clothes rustled. His baggy Denims and Pullover Hoodie, a size to big for his petite frame. 

His face was contrite with weariness, and his legs ached from working a twelve hour shift. Something he was accustomed to, yet still found the side effects to be entirely bothersome. 

A loud clang in the Kitchen echoed throughout the Apartment. Capturing River's attention as he shimmied out of his grey Pullover, dropping it on the old, cloth Couch. 

"Shit!" The voice of his Roommate followed shortly after, making River chuckle lightly as he walked towards the Kitchen. 

James Bordeaux, the Roommate,  was standing over a spilled bucket of Canvas paint. A gruff frown on his subtly handsome features. His dirty blond hair caught up in a messy ponytail, and his blue eyes scowling at the predicament he faced. 

The paint had splattered all over the low, wooden cupboards--forming a puddle on the tiled floors. It's bright tint leaving speckles of red across the small, old doors. 

"That's gonna be a little hard to remove," River said, jolting James out of his terrified trance. 

"River! Goddammit, you scared the crap out of me!" James exclaimed frowning--his British accent as deep and attractive, as his magazine worthy face.

"You'll get over it, once you get that mess cleaned up. We can barely afford to pay for this place as it is and I'm pretty sure Ms. Corrigan won't appreciate your splatter art all over her Kitchen Cupboards." River mused and James mocked his smile. 

"Ha ha, you're a bloody comedian." James deadpanned, entirely annoyed. 

"And you're a bloody mess." River faked a British accent, causing James's bushy eyebrows to scrunch up in confusion. 

"Are you going to help me or not?" James asked, his ocean blue eyes pleading. 

River scoffed lightly, knowing well that he needed rest for the next day to come. Another five hours at the Burger Joint, and the next few hours of daylight searching for a new Job. 

"Nope." River said, walking towards the Refrigerator. The only decent piece of electrical appliance in the small, stuffy Apartment. 

"I hate you," James griped out and River grinned. 

"I'll live with myself." River said, removing a bottle of spring water. "Besides, I need to rest. I have a long day ahead tomorrow. You know I'd have helped, if I wasn't so sleepy." 

"This is why you should have chosen Art as a Major, yah bloody wanker." James implored, watching River down the bottle of Water in just one go. 

"I don't think your Professors would appreciate my stick figures, and smearing of paint with my tiny and not so manly fingers. Enigmatic my ass." River scowled with a thoughtful glance at James who rolled his eyes. 

"Fine I'll do it my damned self, meanie." James sassed and River smiled, nudging James as he passed him. Careful not to step into the paint, that would have surely stuck to his feet for days. 

"Where's Cassie?" River asked, noticing that James' character of a Girlfriend wasn't around. "She's usually strolling around half dressed, speaking crazy and screaming at you." River grinned at James. 

"Watch it, Mr. I can't get a Boyfriend because I'm too busy with my Business Degree." James mocked in a freakishly squeaky voice, and River frowned at the inaccuracy of it. 

"Hey, I don't sound like that! And I sure as hell don't have time to be coddled and fondled by a man." River challenged, but James simply scoffed. 

"And I presume fondling yourself while you think I'm sleeping is better?" James grimaced at River, who's cheeks tinted in abysmal embarrassment. 

"Dammit those old, squeaky ass beds," River cursed under his breath. James only smirked at River's rant, but he instantly realized he was allowing the paint to dry. 

"At least you're man enough to admit it," James gibed, roaming through drawers for something to clean the mess with. 

"Shut your Pie-hole, and clean that paint up, Mr. Bordeaux." River retorted, throwing the empty, water bottle at James' head. 

"You bloody wanker!" James screamed as River sped-walked away. 

River loved the banter between him and James. It was the one thing he looked forward to, after a long day of rude customers and a nagging Boss. He however felt the urge to tell James that he had been fired, but he also hoped that the high paying internship that he had been contacted about, would be granted before he had to. 

It had been days since he submitted his resume. He thought of it almost every hour, which led to him being distracted. It also roused up a sudden confidence in him. A confidence that made River talk back at his Boss, Mr. Bash. Who then proceeded to fire him. He thought if only he had kept his mouth shut--then again. River was tired of being spat on, walked over and screamed at by a man whom was much shorter than him. A man who in James's most colorful opinion, was an Arsemonger.

•

River entered the cramped interior of his Bedroom. A rectangular space, with mismatched wooden, metal, and plastic furniture. He hurriedly stepping out of his Denims, grimacing at the sudden coldness--seeping through his pores. Caused by the stone floor, that was the same bland, cream color as the papered walls. Murky and as boring as River thought himself. A trait he hated, yet lived with because of his past. 

He discarded the Blue Denims atop his bed, yawning and covering his mouth. 

River huffed heavily as he fell backwards into the Bed--in his boxers and an old but favored Band Shirt. Frowning as the loud squeaking resonated throughout the entire Bedroom. He gazed up at the lightbulb in the ceiling, his facial expression neutral. 

He quickly fished his phone from his left pocket. Sliding the cracked screen across, hoping to find something interesting. He then decided to check his emails, a small twinge of hope, inspiriting within him. That hope burst into nauseating nervousness, as he saw the brand new email in his inbox. 

Titled; Black and Co. Application. 

He swiftly flew up, in a sitting position. His heart palpitating so loud, he could hear it beating as if within his eardrums. With a fidgeting thumb, he opened the email. But his mobile data seemed to be slowed down, as it usually did when his megabytes ran dry. 

So he waited ten seconds, but nothing. 

Another ten seconds, then his patience ran dry--yet still there was nothing. 

He opted to wait another ten, but he gave up after just three seconds, the moment he remembered his Laptop. The only thing in the Apartment, that was connected to the Neighbor's Wifi. 

"Crappy phone!" River cursed under his breath, dropping the cellphone on the Bed. 

He then rose to his feet, hurriedly striding towards his cluttered Computer Desk. Where his HP laptop sat, halfway opened. He hastily opened it up, narrowing his gaze as the screen lit up. Within seconds, he entered his password and smiled. For the screen was already on the email tab. 

He paused for a second, even more agitated than before. His head felt swollen, and he feared if he water any longer. 

His brain would explode. 

River squeezed his eyes shut, clicking the mouse once. He let out a dry huff of air, slowly opening one eye. 


From: Grace Keller, CFO. Black & Co. 
Received 12:55 pm. 
Subject: Re:Application.

After reading that first line, both of River's eyes opened. Peering at the screen, with squinty yet eager eyes. 

Hello Mr. Kennedi, 

           This reply is in regards to the Internship Application that you have submitted. I have to say I'm quite pleased with your Resume, and I look forward to you attending a scheduled Interview. 


An excited scream erupted from River's lips, but both his hands swiftly covered his mouth to stop himself. River looked around, to see if James was nearby--unable to contain his excitement. He soon squeaked almost inaudibly, continuing the email. 


I have taken the liberty of setting up an interview on the nearest date possible. I hope that you will be able to attend on such short notice. I am aware that you have been recommended, by a well known Professor at Lockwood University here in New York. 

However, I wasn't able to review your Application until earlier today, but it is to my understanding that it had been sent to us a week ago. 

My apologies for the wait, and I sincerely do hope that the chosen date of the Interview is convenient to your daily schedule. 

See below. 

January 21, 2016. 3:00pm. 

Looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Kennedi!

〰

River's eyes widened as he read the date out loud. He was finally rudely interrupted by James--bounding into the Room. A bottle of Jergens Lotion, clutched in his hands--almost defensively. 

"Umm," River grunted and James's frightened expression, changed to one of relief. 

"Thank heavens! I thought someone attacked you!" James said, clutching his chest with genuine concern written in his eyes. 

River however, glanced from James, to the bottle of Lotion in his hands. "So you came to my rescue with a bottle of Lotion." It was more of a statement than a question, and James frowned at the revelation. 

"Uhh, yes?" 

"What were you going to do?" River asked and James's left eyebrow rose in limpid puzzlement. "Moisturize them to death?" River queried, and James's gaze flattened. 

"Has this bloody thing ever been in your eyes?" James asked, walking into the Room. 

"No, it hasn't." River said, sounding a little bit concerned. 

"Oh, well." James dropped the bottle of Lotion on River's bed as he plopped down lazily. "The least you could do is say, 'thank you James, for coming to save me. What a true knight in shining armor you are." James recited, almost too dramatically and River groaned in angst. 

"Thank you James, for coming to my rescue with a bottle of Lotion, obviously almost empty due to your rigorous amounts of masturbation." River mused and James cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "Your beds are squeaky too." River smirked at James's horrified look. "But as you can see, I'm fine. Just excited." 

"That's what that girly scream was?" James asked, befuddled and River face-palmed himself roughly. 

"No, you moron, well, kind of!" River seemed confused, and James seemed even more baffled. "I'm excited because I got the Internship." River deadpanned finally and James scowled. 

"The Black & Co.?" He asked and River glared at him incredulously. 

"No, for Men.com." River muttered, "Yes! For Black & Co., twit!" River snapped and James glared at him, but it soon turned into a broad smile. 

"Now way!" James exclaimed excitedly and River grinned proudly. 

"Yes, way!" 

"I knew you would get it, babe!" James said confidently and River blushed, a big grin on his lips that hurt from smiling a bit too much. 

"The interview's tomorrow!" River said, rising from his seat and sitting down beside James. 

"Uhh, tomorrow, tomorrow?"James's smile faded, worrying River immensely. 

"Yes tomorrow," River answered, his smile fading a little as he saw the look on James's face. "Aren't you excited?" River asked with a pout and James sighed heavily. 

"I am, I am but-," he paused and River frowned marginally. "You have to go see your Mum tomorrow. You know that visits to that God- forsaken place is complicated enough as it is." 

River scowled as he pondered the outcome of not going to see his Mother. 

He considered not going, but the Hospital only allowed visits twice per week in that Ward. So River had a decision to make, and it was enough to down his spirits. 

"Ugh, you're right." River said, falling back on the Bed. 

James followed suit, and they both gazed up at the ceiling. River was lost in thought, and James opted to remain quiet. To give River time to think about his options, and come up with a solution to his problem.

"Do you think she'll wake up?" River asked and James shrugged. "What if she does and I'm not there?" He queried, but James didn't have the answers he sought after. 

"I don't know, babe." James sighed, his worry for his Best Friend, obvious and genuine. "This Internship is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If your Mother does wake up from her Coma, I'm sure she'll understand why you weren't there." James advised and River gritted his teeth, considering James' words deeply. 

"The Interview is at 3:00, and visiting hours starts at 2:30pm." River acknowledged, and James nodded. 

"Go see your Mother, if even for ten minutes then go to your interview. Your Mother lived her life, despite how terribly it turned out. Don't let anything stop you from living yours," James said as he rose from the Bed, nudging River's cheeks in the process. 

"Ok," River pursed his lips, rising up to a sitting position. 

"I'm going to make us some Pasta, and you can tell me all about this new internship." James grinned and River blushed lightly, smiling up at James. 

"Ok," River nodded and James rose an eyebrow at him. "Babe," River let out exasperated, and James pointed a finger at him--clearly pleased. 

River watched in angst as James exited the room--his feet pattering against the floor lightly. He then turned to his Laptop--a slight grimace masking his features. 


〰


Soundtrack - Remember I Told You by Nick Jonas ft. Anne Marie and Mike Posner

Highest Rank | #1 in the LOVEWINS category | Book FOUR of the Color Of Love Series. 

In the pursuit of happiness, River Kennedi inherits a new life through sheer luck, or quite possibly his own potential. His secrets, his vulnerabilities, and the very best of him, is brought out when Sebastian Black walks into his life. Bringing with him, just enough baggage and just enough of the real and genuine him to make his own place in River's heart. 

| CAUTION | - This story contains sexual relations between two MEN. If you aren't a fan of LGBT Stories, then Color Me Black ISN'T for you. 

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Copyrighted Material. (Proof of Copyright- https://static.copyrighted.com/images/seal.gif )

Connor Jackson. These two words make every girl go crazy, screaming and begging for a chance to meet him. He's the world's most popular pop star, and has finally made it to where he can headline his own tour. 
Katelyn Jackson. Nobody has ever heard of her, unless you're in the soccer business. She's a lean, mean machine on the soccer field; she knows how to get the job done. And she also happens to be the younger sister to the great Connor Jackson.
So when everything seems to be falling in place for her soccer dream, it's just in time for her parents to break the news to her. She's going on tour with Connor. No matter how much she begs, cries, and pleads, her parents won't bend, and she finds herself forced to travel the United States with her pop star brother, leaving her soccer dream behind.
But when she gets to meet the lead singer, Zach Matthews, of one of her brother's opening acts things don't seem so bad anymore...

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the office today?" For the last time, Jade asked the man who just entered her room.
Marcus hated the idea that Jade would be paying for her hospital bills so he insisted to pay for it instead. They even had a little quarrel before Jade agreed to let him shoulder her bills.
"This is my responsibility as your husband! Or are you telling me that I am incapable of taking good care of my wife?"
Jade was speechless. What's wrong with the man? Why does he keep on involving their marital status every time this day? It's not like him and Jade was a little bit confuse.
What is this? A sudden change of heart? Hmm…
"I want to take a break for this day. I'm sure tomorrow would be a busy day."
"If that's what you want then sure. Let's take a break for now. But can we visit Jackie before we head home?" Her eyes were pleading.
Marcus heaved a sigh of defeat. "10 minutes."
"30." Jade bargained.
"15." Marcus raised his brow sarcastically.
"25."
"20."
"Call!" Jade grinned playfully as they both trek the hallway to where Jackie's mom was.
Eh? She furrowed her brows. This is not the room she took for Jackie's mom.
"Why did you take me here? This is not Mrs. Long's room. It's on the other side." 
Marcus smirked as he opened the VIP room. He entered and motioned the woman to follow him at once.
"Mr. Hanes!" Jackie stood up as soon as she saw her boss. "M-miss Jade…" She greeted them both. "Please come in. I'm sorry I couldn't come to see you a while ago. How are you feeling now?" Jackie asked the lady who sat on the chair beside her mother's bedside. Marcus, on the other hand, sat on the couch at the living room.
"I'm fine. Thank you." Jade smiled at her. "But how did you know?"
"Mr. Hanes told me. I didn't know you two were married." Jackie grinned teasing the woman. 
"He told you?" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yes, he did. He visited us while you were lying unconscious." The young lady sat opposite the woman. "Thank you miss Jade. I don't deserve the favor you are giving me and to my family but I will surely repay your goodness in the future."
They talked a little more before Jade bid her goodbye.
"Do you want to have dinner outside?" Jade suggested as soon as she entered Marcus' car.
"Dinner outside? Are you tired of cooking for me?"
Jade pouted in annoyance. "I just want to treat you to a good restaurant. Besides, you might be getting tired of eating the dishes I prepare."
"I love it. I prefer the foods that you cook rather than the foods outside."
Jade's heart skipped a beat. 
He loved her cooking? She giggled within her. But what's wrong with Marcus? He's been acting strange today. Why does he keep on complimenting her? Not that she doesn't like it but it's just a bit… weird.
���But if you don't want then we can find a restaurant to your liking. I don't want t-----"
"Let's just head home." She grinned sweetly. "If my husband loves my dishes then it's my pleasure to cook for you then."
Marcus smirked. "I would love that."
MEANWHILE… 
Barry was watching the latest news that was sweeping the whole country at the moment. The KSAN company versus the Enchanteur Chemicals. He doesn't know who copied who but the situation right now gave him an idea on how to get closer to his son.
If the management didn't change yet, then the KSAN's CEO should still be that nasty old man. 
"Ah, guess it's time to meet an old friend." He sneered in contempt. "I told you old man, you'll be needing my help in the future and looked like the time has come." He chuckled evilly.
"Look like the heavens are helping me with my plans." He added before he brought out his phone and dialed a number. 
"I need your help." He voiced as soon as the man answered the phone on the other line.
"What is it this time?"
"The CEO of the KSAN company… Can you help meet him this week?"
"I bet you watched the latest news. But I don't see any connection on your plans with you meeting that arrogant old man.
"I need him. I told you I have to work on something for the meantime and I need that old man. He could be the fastest way."
"Well, if that's what you want then I will schedule an appointment with him within this week."
"Thank you." Barry uttered before he dropped the call.
Everything is falling into place and everything is falling according to his plans. Therefore, Barry stood up and picked up his jacket and went to his favorite pub. Hope it was still the same despites how many years had passed.
********************
"I'm sorry madam chairwoman but I cannot contact Mr. Marcus right now. His phone was turned off." Sonny reported back. 
As soon as she watched the latest news at the television, her house phone as well as her email address kept getting swarmed by different news anchor asking for an exclusive interview about the issue. 
"Dang it! What is that child doing right now in times of such crisis?" She was beyond mad. 
After a few minutes of calming her nerves, she remembered Jade. So she dialed the woman's number and luckily, it went through.
"Thank God someone finally answered my call!" The old woman yelped as soon as Jade answered. "Do you know where Marcus is right now? Where is he and what is he doing? He's not answering any of my calls and----"
"Grandma, I will call you once we get home." Marcus snatched the phone from Jade's hand when he heard her grandmother's voice. Jade was not on loudspeaker but Marcus can still hear the old woman's voice. She was too loud to his liking.
"I told you to turn off your phone, didn't I?" Marcus admonished the woman.
"I'm sorry. I worried that grandmother must be worried sick. She couldn't contact you since you turned off you phone that's why---"
"I have my reasons why I turned off my phone. And that old woman has a lot of ways to check me out so she should be the last person you should worry about."
"Ehm." The woman nodded obediently.
They were still on the road when the rain suddenly poured out. 
"Why does it has to rain at a time like this?" Marcus muttered annoyingly since they were stuck with the traffic. 
'You need to live so you can bring the truth into light…'
An image suddenly popped out before Jade's eyes. Papa!? She exclaimed.


What if the price of her marriage with the man she loves means losing her birthright? Will she be able to thrive in an environment created through lies and stealing some precious lives?

Jade is an orphan who married the handsome heir, Marcus Yoseph Hanes. Though it was just a marriage of convenience, Jade decided to fight for her marriage life. She could have succeeded but in order to save the man she loves, her life becomes the sacrifice.

It was too late when he realized his true feelings towards the woman. Marcus fell in love without knowing when and how it started. But what’s the use of it now? it’s too late to tell her the words she’s been dying to hear. If he can only turn the pages backwards!

But the heavens seem to have heard the cries of their young hearts. Few years later, the same face that haunts the man’s dream almost every night appeared right before him. She may have the same face with different name but Marcus knew it was his wife! 

Can the forgotten romance they once had paves way for two hearts to reunite? 
With past secrets revealed, could love be enough to fight for what their hearts truly desires?

#Love or Birthright

EXCERPT:

“I’m sick and tired of this damn contract!” Jade stormed in his office and tore the marriage contract before her husband. She was so upset and she doesn’t care about the consequences of her action anymore. “I demand a revision of this agreement. I don’t care if you are still head over heels over your ex-girlfriend but the fact that we are married, you must also consider my feelings towards you! You want to flirt with her, fine! do it! But not in front of me, not if I am around. Do it once more and I will surely pull her hair and drag her out of the office!” She was shivering in anger.

She’s done. She’s done dealing with all the shitty craps! It’s time for her to speak up and fight for her right.

“I don’t care what kind of relationship you once had but now that we’re married, I won’t just stand on the side and watch. And this damn contract?” She threw the pieces of paper in his face. “It’s all ripped and ineffective starting right now! So for this next five months, tell your ex that she is not allowed inside this office starting NOW!” she blurted and just like a child, she stomped out his office.

He was left dumbfounded. He never expected such an attitude from the meek woman he once knew. Was she really his wife? Wasn’t she always gentle and soft spoken? Guess he doesn’t totally know her. 

His lip curved to form a smile before he let out a crisp laugh. “Revision of contract? I’ve been planning to do that anyway.” He smirked mischievously.


***NOTE: Not a Reincarnation story..?

October 2028
Keeley stared at the email in front of her in utter shock. While waiting to hear back about her proposal to begin human trials she had been helping Erica with her research on gene therapy and blindness. She checked her work email account on a whim while waiting for the centrifuge to finish running and now…
"Yes!" she shrieked, jumping up and down as she broke out of her daze.
Not only had she been approved, more than three dozen people had already signed up to participate in the clinical trials. She had expected less than ten; this was completely insane!
"Let me guess, you got approved," Erica said with a smile.
"Thirty-nine people signed up, Erica! Thirty. Nine. For the very first clinical trial! When Mason started his clinical trials on humans last year he only got eight volunteers in the first trial. Once that succeeded, he got about twenty. Why on earth did so many people sign up right away?"
"Probably because of that article about you that came out on the Association for Women in Science website last year. It mentioned all the success you had so far and that you had just finished the monkey trials," she pointed out. 
Erica was probably right. Keeley had gotten a lot of attention from that article. She had shared her brother's story when the interviewer asked her about her commitment to cystic fibrosis research. The interview had actually teared up listening to her.
Especially when she asked how Keeley handled the work/life balance and asked about her children. The interviewer nearly bawled when she found out she named her oldest son after her deceased brother. Was that really something to cry over?
As awkward as it had been being interviewed—she hadn't dealt with anything like that since being outed as Aaron's wife all those years ago—Keeley was glad she did it. Science had long been a field dominated by men and little girls interested in the field needed more female role models.
The first time a teenage girl recognized her on the street and asked for her autograph had been both confusing and gratifying. The girl's mother had been terribly apologetic, not knowing why her daughter was asking such a thing of a stranger on the street.
"Even if she is an actress you like, you can't just bother people like that Veronica! I'm so sorry."
"Mom, she's not an actress! This is Doctor Keeley Hale, the featured scientist on the AWIS website from last month." Veronica's eyes shone excitedly. "Did you really get your PhD when you were only twenty-five? Your research is amazing!"
"Thank you," Keeley said, startled by the praise. "I did."
Veronica turned to her mom excitedly. "See? I told you! She was pregnant too and still finished strong. Doctor Hale, you're the coolest! I want to be a geneticist just like you!"
That entire experience still made Keeley smile when she thought about it. That girl had been so earnest. When she told Aaron about it he laughed and said, "See? I'll be known as nothing more than Doctor Keeley Hale's husband in no time."
As much as she appreciated keeping a low profile, she infinitely preferred being recognized for her own accomplishments rather than simply for being Aaron Hale's wife. Veronica was the first but she wasn't the last.
Keeley actually had fan pages, mostly made up of teenage girls, on multiple social media sites. Her follower count on Instagram rose exponentially after that interview too.
"I think you're right," she told Erica.
Immediately she began scrambling around trying to figure out where to start. There was so much she needed to do!
First of all, she needed to set up meetings with each of the clinical trial participants. They had to sign waivers acknowledging any potential side effects and she had to explain the process to them. On top of that, she needed complete medical backgrounds and blood samples from each one.
"If you'll excuse me, I have thirty-nine phone calls to make," Keeley said before stepping out to find a secluded place to call.
Actually, she had forty. She needed to call Aaron first to tell him the good news. This wasn't the sort of thing that could be shared over text.
She called him but it went straight to voicemail. He was probably in a meeting. She didn't see the point in leaving a message since she knew he would call her back the moment he saw she had called.
Instead, she turned to her list of volunteers' names and began calling them one by one to set up consultation appointments. She made it through four calls before Aaron got back to her.
"Sorry sweetheart, I was meeting with a potential investor. What's up?"
Keeley figured it would be something like that. If it were with one of his subordinates he would have answered anyway. He had done it before.
"Thirty-nine people signed up for my first clinical trial! I broke the DOMA record!" she said gleefully, unable to stop herself from bouncing up and down. She got more excited the more she thought about it.
Aaron was definitely smiling; she could tell. "That's amazing! We definitely have to celebrate tonight. Where do you want to go?"
"Could we go to that teppanyaki place I like? I'm in the mood to watch people play with fire. I'll see if my dad is free too. He'll be thrilled."
 Keeley chuckled as she thought of his reaction. Robert Hall had been very, very proud of his daughter throughout the entire research process. Now that she was this close to actually curing someone he might burst from pride.
"Sounds good to me. I'll make a reservation at six for seven people just in case."
"Awesome. I better go; I have thirty-five more phone calls to make. I just wanted to tell you the good news," she admitted.
"I'm glad you did. I'm so proud of you, Keeley. You're so close to achieving your dream!" Aaron said with obvious affection in his voice.
No matter how many times she heard that loving tone it always got to her. The warm and fuzzy feeling inside of her intensified. He really was such a wonderful, supportive husband. Nobody cared about her research more than Aaron did.
"Thanks, honey. I'll see you after work, alright? Love you."
"Love you too."
The call disconnected and Keeley smiled to herself. Right now she felt like the luckiest person in the whole world. She really hoped nothing went too terribly wrong with the clinical trials.
She knew her research was solid but different people reacted differently to the same treatment. Side effects were her biggest concern at this point. Unless they were able to be controlled, her treatment would never be approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a viable cure.


Keeley, a simple plain Jane, hits the jackpot.  [No, she did not win the lottery!]  At least that's what she thinks when she marries the most eligible bachelor in New York City: Aaron, a wealthy cold-hearted heartthrob and Tycoon. 

She wants to show the world that she deserves her position and bends over  backward to fit into his world.

One beautiful day, Aaron hands her a document asking her to sign.  A divorce paper...

"She's pregnant, and I need to take responsibility."

That is the last thing that keeps on playing in her mind before she takes her last breath.

Keeley dies, a 'hit and run'. [End of story.  Not!]

For some unexplainable reason, she wakes up as her younger self.  A young high school girl, around the time when she first meets her cheating husband.

Remembering her life with Aaron before she died, she makes a promise to herself that she will do everything in her power to avoid him at all costs.

Will she be able to keep her promise when Aaron has his own plans as well, specifically for her?  Or will she repeat history and fall for him once more...

Why not journey with me and find out the truth behind their story.

Williams got into his own office with several newspapers. He was in a very good mood.
"Good morning, Mr. Williams." His secretary greeted him the moment she saw him.
"Good morning, Jenny." Williams smiled nicely and then said, "Go to Mr. Frey and tell him to come to my office."
"I was about to tell you that Mr. Frey is waiting in your office. He came in very early this morning," Jenny said.
"It seems like someone was even more excited than me." Shaking his head with a smile on his face, he stepped into his office.
Frey had been waiting for quite a while. He stood up when he saw Williams. He was about to speak when Williams threw the newspapers at him.
"Good job! We won four medals in one day. This is the best results we've ever gotten. Almost all of the media is talking about this. You as the COO must have done quite a lot of work behind the scenes," Williams said with compliment.
"I have been in contact with the media. The front pages of newspapers had already been decided when I talked to them and had them changed. Of course, we paid for it. I promised them that we will print some advertisements in their newspaper," Frey said.
"It's worth it. The dosing scandal inflicted us with a lot of negative attention. We really needed some good news to boost our public image," Williams said, nodding.
Frey continued, "Mr. Williams, I think we should hit the iron while it's hot and increase our publicity. I hope I can get some more funding."
"We have quite a big budget this year, right? The dosing scandal has cost us a big sum of PR expenses. We have been trying to cut the expenses recently so you need to give me a good reason," Williams said, frowning.
"Yes. We do have a bigger publicity budget this year due to the Olympics. I assure you, it is absolutely worth it to increase the budget. We did very well in the Olympics, and this will get us more sponsors. We can get twice the amount we spend now from sponsors," Frey said.
Williams nodded. Weighing the pros and cons of the whole thing, he did not speak.
Frey continued, "Mr. Williams, our track and field team has won 11 gold medals so far this Olympics. This is more than we won in the last Olympics, yet it is now only the fifth day of this one. Besides the marathon in the last day, we have four days left to get even more gold. We can win at least 15 gold medals even according to conservative estimates. With a little luck, we may even win 20 gold medals!"
"The national team of this year will be historic. This is a heaven-sent chance for us to expand our influence! We can wipe off the negative influence caused by the dosing scandal and gain more recognition from the public. It would be such a pity to miss this opportunity and we may never have a chance like this again."
Williams was finally convinced. He nodded, saying, "You are right. It is a rare opportunity, I agree with you. I'll try to persuade the board to increase the budget."
"I also want to go to Europe. So I need some PR expenses," Frey said.
"What is your plan?" Williams asked.
"I want to meet the officers of the Laureus World Sports Academy," Frey said.
"You want to lobby them?" Williams understood immediately what Frey was going to do.
Frey nodded. "The Team of the Year award should be ours. I want to see if Alwyn or Alexander can get the Comeback of the Year award. Each of them has gotten a gold medal in the Olympics, which makes them both successful comebacks."
"About Laureus, I heard some rumors that they will have three more awards this year: Action Sportsperson, Sporting Inspiration, and Coach of the Year," Williams said, unconcernedly.
Frey hesitated as he was not so sure about what Williams was trying to say. He then asked, "Mr. Williams, you mean, you want me to persuade them to give the Coach of the Year award to Dai Li?"
Williams nodded, "We hired him because we wanted him to be our scapegoat, but he saved us. Don't you think we should thank him?"
"We should," Frey lied. The Williams he knew was a person who didn't care about repaying his benefactors.
"You didn't follow," Williams said, with an expression showing full seriousness, "I want to show our faith to Dai Li through this. He has shown us sufficient coaching and leadership abilities. He has earned it. Now you see my point?"
"I got it. I'll try to persuade them and get Dai Li nominated for the award," Frey nodded immediately.
If Dai Li hadn't been as good as he was, he would've been used as a scapegoat.
Dai Li had been an excellent coach and had helped the U.S. team recover from a scandal, so they should recognize his excellence.
Dai Li had become valuable for the U.S. Track and Field Association. Dai Li proved that his coaching and leadership abilities were better than other coach's.
Only the best earns the respect of others. It is human instinct to please the more powerful ones.
…
Winning 4 gold medals in a single day was great encouragement for the U.S. track and field team. The gold medals for the man's high jump and 110 meter hurdles especially inspired the athletes because they hadn't been supposed to win them.
Up to now, the US team had won 11 gold medals. In the last Olympics, they won in total 10 gold medals. The Olympic Games was just halfway through and they had already won more gold medals than they had in the last Olympics. In all likelihood they were going to get more medals as well. A better overall result this was already secured'.
On the sixth day of the Olympic track and field games, there were some parts of the men's decathlon. There was only one final match scheduled - the men's 3000 meter steeplechase.
The men's 3000 meter steeplechase was an extremely demanding event. In terms of energy consumption, it was more or less the same as the 5000 meter run. Furthermore, the runners had to jump every few steps to stride over the obstacles, which negatively affected the rhythm of the athletes.
The difficulty of this game showed in the results. Of the 15 runners, only ten finished the run. The tenth runner was 40 seconds later than the first one.
The "king of obstacle race," Hengelo from Kenya, won the championship. He dominated this event. Dai Li had detected him once and found that he had a S+ level. If everything went smoothly, no one could challenge him in the next five years.
The athlete from the U.S. team won the silver medal of the 3000-meter steeplechase. Dai Li was satisfied with this as the gold medal was unlikely with Hengelo in the game. Silver was the best result that the U.S. team could hope to get.
There were no events in the afternoon. Dai Li, however, was busy with the interview with the Sports channel of the Central TV.
…
"Coach Li, it is said that you aren't an American. So, you are the first non-American head coach in the history of the US track and field team?" the reporter chose to start the interview with this question.
"No. I don't have American citizenship and I don't intend to apply for it. I do have a green card, as I mainly work in U.S. and it is much more convenient for my work and my life," Dai Li answered.
"The U.S. track and field team was thought to be the weakest it has ever been this year. Now, you have gotten very good results. How did you achieve this?" The reporter began to ask the important questions.
Dai Li thought for a while, and then said, "The team did have some problems before I was appointed at a kind of difficult moment. The first thing I did when I began my work was change the normal rules for athlete selection. They used to select the athletes for the Olympics according to their scores in the qualifiers. I, however, didn't choose that way…"
Dai Li went on without interruption. He didn't mention anything about the training nor did he give a comment on any athlete. He only told her some non-essential things.
Dai Li was not so silly as to reveal any secret, such as the weakness of the athletes and the corresponding training he had prescribed for them. Dai Li would never make such a stupid error.
Dai Li's answer was not valuable, but the reporter thought it was sophisticated
"Coach Li, as the head coach of the US track and field team, what do you think of the Chinese track and field team? What suggestions do you have for the Chinese track and field team?" The reporter asked another question that was of some significance.
"The development of sports team is a long term endeavor, the success of which requires the efforts of several generations. It needs a long term plan and just a few pieces of advice are not be enough to improve the ability of a nation," Dai Li answered, smiling.
"Coach Li, I have an irrelevant question. Are you interested in coming back to China to be a coach on, our national team?" the reporter asked.
"Actually, I used to be a coach on our national team. For me, going back to the national team was like going back home. I surely am willing to go back if I have the opportunity. However good it feels to be abroad, it is never as good as being home," Dai Li said with a sigh.
"I have noticed that. You stayed quite a long time at the training camp of the national team when you were in China and went to the Asian Games with the national team." The reporter then asked, "Why didn't you stay in the national team after that?"
"My position was actually in the Sports Bureau of the Hanbei Province and I was temporarily transferred to the training camp of the national team, which was quite common. When the Asian Games ended, I had the opportunity to get a job on the national track and field team. As chance would have it, I came across Coach Zhizhong Gu, who recruited me onto the national pingpong team as a fitness coach. The national pingpong team was composed of the top athletes in the world. As a coach, I wanted to coach the best athletes; so I went to the national pingpong team. It was the national team, right? It just wasn't the national track and field team. It was the same for me as long as I was serving my country," Dai Li said.
"According to your resume, you went to Dingtian Football Club after you left the national pingpong team. Why did you leave the national pingpong team? Did the Dingtian football club headhunt you with higher pay? Everyone knows that Dingtian football club is always willing to spend huge money on excellent talent," the reporter said.
"About that." Dai Li hesitated but finally said, "I didn't want to leave the national pingpong team at that time. After the strike, I was transferred from the team to an intangible cultural heritage application committee for Taijiquan as a committee member. I am a coach and I don't know anything about intangible cultural heritage applications. So, I quit the job. There was a friend of mine who recommended me go to Dingtian football club. I went there to be a fitness coach."
"Intangible cultural heritage application committee for Taijiquan? It was a promotion-like demotion? It seems you were shelved," the reporter said in a joking tone. This was quite unprofessional, or seemed like some careless mistake.
Dai Li, however, believed that the reporter setting him up.
The reporters for the Olympic Games are really hard to deal with, Dai Li thought to himself.
However, Dai Li was not the ignorant young lad anymore. He would not say tell the truth although he had really been demoted and shelved.
"I am only a sports coach. I don't know about anything but leading and training my team." Dai Li shrugged his shoulders, "For me, it is good enough to do the things I'm good at. For example, I am leading a team in the Olympic games. This is what I am competent at."
The reporter was a little disappointed that Dai Li didn't answer her question on the "shelving" but she didn't show it. Retaining her professional smile, she asked another question.
"Coach Li, I heard that you are running a fitness training center in the U.S. Could you tell us something about it?" she asked.
"Sure. I prepared some documents for you to reference." Dai Li took a pile of files from his assistant and then said, "Ms. Liu, I can email you the information if you give me your email address. Now, I will tell you something about my training center. Oh, this is not advertising, right?"
"Coach Li, you are so humorous. This is an exclusive interview to learn about what it's like for you to be the head coach. This is a necessary part of this interview," the reporter said with a even bigger smile.
"OK then. I know it is not allowed to utter the words like the best, or the number 1 in a commercial, or you'll be fined by the industry and commerce bureau. Since this is not a commercial, I'll be honest and tell the truth: my fitness training center is definitely the best of its kind in the whole world."
A glittering of admiration brightened up the reporter's eyes. At that moment, Dai Li seemed to be shining with confidence.


How could a poor graduate student without any background or connections become successful? With a coaching system? An upgrade? This is not a computer game, but real life we’re talking about!
 
This will be a fantasy based on reality. Dai Li will fight back against all those who would mock and humiliate him with his astonishing and awe-inspiring training skills. From a nobody he’ll try to become the most illustrious coach in the sports world, so join him in proving to everyone who’s the real master here!

follow up thank you email after interview

Thank You

This Time You Are Mine

Tarasha

I have a bunch of players on Earth

The Great Worm Lich

Color Me Black.

Along For the Ride

Forgotten Romance: Take Me Back To You

Run, Girl (If You Can)

Almighty Coach

People search follow up thank you email after interview also like: