The Tycoon's Odyssey

Martha leaned back against the plush sofa in the green room, flipping through her shooting schedule on her tablet. She glanced up at Suri, who was sitting across from her, staring blankly out the window with a distant expression.

"Hey, Suri," Martha called, her voice tinged with excitement. "You won't believe how packed your schedule is this month. We've got ads for the new fragrance campaign on Monday and Tuesday, and then a full day of photo shoots for the fashion magazine spread on Wednesday."

Suri slowly turned her head towards Martha, nodding absentmindedly as she processed her manager's words, but her eyes remained unfocused, lost in her own thoughts.

"And Thursday," Martha continued, her enthusiasm undeterred, "You will be shooting for the designer's new collection. They're flying in from Lovelia just for this!"

As Martha described each upcoming shoot, Suri's brows furrowed slightly, her lips pursing as if wrestling with something deep in her mind. She absently toyed with a stray strand of her hair, her gaze still fixed on some distant point outside the window and then giving Martha an inexplicable look.

Martha shuddered for a moment, sensing an uncanny feeling.

"Suri?" Martha prompted gently, noticing her friend's distracted demeanor. "Are you okay? You seem a bit... somewhere else."

Suri blinked slowly, refocusing on Martha with a faint smile. "Oh, sorry, Martha. It's just... I've been thinking about something. The schedule is too packed."

Martha chuckled softly, placing her tablet on the coffee table. "Yeah, but it keeps us on our toes, that's for sure. But hey, what's on your mind?"

Suri's smile widened a fraction, a hint of warmth returning to her eyes. "Just pondering a few things."

Martha sighed softly, closing her tablet and setting it aside.

"Are you thinking about Evan right now?" she asked gently, her voice tinged with concern.

Suri's expression froze for a moment, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "Martha... what if Evan's condition is because of me? What if Richard is the one with ill intentions?"

Martha reached out, placing a reassuring hand on Suri's arm. "Suri, you've already sent people to find out about it, right? I understand your worry, but I think the chances of Richard being involved are low. It doesn't seem like the kind of enmity that would lead to something like this. Evan might just be unlucky to have been caught in an accident. Don't think too much.."

Suri nodded slowly, her mind still troubled with thoughts. "I hope you're right, Martha. It's just... everything feels so uncertain right now."

Martha squeezed Suri's arm gently. "I know, but we'll figure it out. And whatever happens, you're not alone in this. We'll get through it together."

Suri managed a faint smile, grateful for Martha's support. "Thank you, Martha. I appreciate you being here for me."

Just then, Suri's phone rang and seeing the number, she immediately picked up the call.

"What happened? Did Evan wake up?"

[Miss that's...]

Feeling uneasy about another person's voice, Suri panicked...

"What happened?"

[The two people we sent to keep an eye on him were knocked out.]

A deadly silence prevailed for a moment, but the next second, Martha's whole body shivered, seeing the deadly chill emanating from Suri.

_____

"As the CEO and co-founder of Pears, I have a great connection in politics. My hands and feet have spread further than what your puny brain can imagine."

Evan's breathing grew heavier, his nostrils flaring with rising anger.

"Why? Why do you want to kill me?" Evan's voice trembled slightly with deep anger.

At that moment, he struggled hard to control the surging emotions.

Hearing this, Steve shook his head slowly, his expression displaying one of false solemnity, while his eyes remained cold and calculating. "There is some kind of misunderstanding, Evan. I am not the one behind the accident. I don't harbour any ill intention of harming you at all."

"Are you kidding me? You already have the power to kill me, so why lie?" Evan's eyes flashed with anger.

Steve's lips curled into a crooked smile and his gaze turned greedy and sinister.

"If you don't want to kill me, then why the fuck are you here?" Evan demanded.

"That's because I need the Breach Protector."

"Breach... Breach Protector..."

"You heard correctly. I am here for the Breach Protector. As you said, it's something immensely useful that can help to form the foundation of trillion-dollar firms. How can I miss such an opportunity?" Steve's smile widened, revealing his teeth, while his eyes remained cold.

"Initially, I planned to make a deal, but fortunately for me and unfortunately for you, I heard about the accident. So I decided to strike while the iron was hot. Isn't the true essence of a businessman to seize every opportunity he spots?" Steve's gaze was calculating and predatory.

Evan's expression darkened further, his eyes turning to shards of ice. "Are you sure you can force me? If I get killed, you will surely be in trouble. Even if you have a Breach Protector, I can just sue you."

PFTTTTF!

Steve burst into laughter, his face gleaming with a twisted amusement. "Young man, did you forget the speech I just gave? Lawsuits and things like that won't work. And even if you do manage to evict me, so what? All I need to do is step down from the position and enjoy my retired life..."

An eerie smile spread across his face, his eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. "I had a hand in electing the President as I provided a large chunk of party funds, so..."

"Just give me the Breach Protector or else..." Steve's sentence was cut short when the man standing beside Evan pulled out a gun, aiming it directly at his head.

Staring at the gun's muzzle, Evan's expression remained eerily calm, a stark contrast to the danger.

As he looked at the muzzle, the familiar scene of his dreams played in his mind, and just like in those dreams, Evan remained calm.

"What if I don't?" Evan challenged.

"I will kill her also," Steve's voice was cold as he pointed the gun at Aria, a smirk playing on his lips.

Evan's eyes dimmed and he decided to come up with an excuse.

"I don't have the full source code. It's at home."

"Stop lying kid...I know you have it…Aria has already revealed everything. I have also brought your laptop," Steve shouted in anger, finding his patience wearing thin.

"Ahh!"

Evan gasped heavily and his eyes dimmed as he glanced at Aria, his gaze filled with a profound sadness. A pang of pain surged through him, but he struggled to maintain his composure.

Noticing Evan's gaze, Aria's face crumpled with distress. The weight of her betrayal was evident in Evan's eyes. She had been threatened with her parents' lives, and she knew that if Steve said this then her parents would likely be found dead by the next morning.

Despite the torment she felt, Aria wished she hadn't been forced into this position and she never thought that she had done the right thing.

Betrayal was betrayal, no matter the reason.

No matter what, at the end of the day, she had betrayed Evan's trust and failed him. The realization choked her but caught in between Evan and her parents, she could only choose her parents as they just wanted the Breach Protector, not Evan's life.

Still…

Evan could sense this betrayal deeply, and though he could guess the behind-the-scenes manipulations, he felt an overwhelming disappointment.

"Just give me the code, otherwise not only will I kill her but everyone close to her," Steve's tone was menacing, his smile unwavering, reveling in his perceived control.

Threats…

It was a word that he truly hated to the core.

Whether it was during the orphanage or when he stayed with those beastly parents, he had been threatened many times.

Those fucker always tried to engrave fear in his heart with various threats, but he never succumbed.

However, what he hated most was being blackmailed using other people's lives.

The atmosphere seemed to plunge several degrees. If eyes could kill, he might have really killed this bastard. But after taking a look at the disheveled Aria…

With a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, Evan spoke out in a voice that seemed with a heart-wrenching pain.

"Okay, I agree..."

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