《Start Over On Easy Mode (BL)》Chapter 21.2
Advertisement
Brad didn’t look convinced, but Tynan was sure that Brad wouldn’t be able to find anything that Zach didn’t want him to.
They stared each other down. Neither of them back down. The moment ended when a knock sounded on the door.
Brad was the first to look away, but Tynan didn’t think they settled the issue. Morris entered. His footsteps flattered when he noticed the man standing at the window. He caught himself. “Am I interrupting?”
“Hardly. We were waiting on you.” Brad stepped away from the window and walked up to Morris with a smile on his face.
“You must be Brad Maxwell.” Morris extended his hand.
“I take it you are Morris Keller.” The handshake was brief.
Tynan pressed the intercom and requested a new batch of refreshments. He also asked for an unopened bottle of water.
“I think that you were brought in to handle me.” Brad retook his seat.
Tynan and Morris sat side by side. “I was assigned to handle you in the first place. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that I don’t have to spend my Saturday lurking around a college campus.”
The smile in Brad’s eyes faded. “It seems that Rain was even more unsuitable than I originally assumed.”
It had nothing to do with Rain, but no one would correct the misunderstanding. This wasn’t the only sin that would be attributed to him. “What about the other pawns you have collected?”
“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
Tynan lifted his hands in surrender. “I was asking to be polite.” He kept a grin on his face.
A sweet smile tilted Brad’s lips. “Has anyone said you look killable?”
It was said in such a pleasant tone that Tynan thought he’d misheard what the man said. “You are the first to say it, but I’m sure that other people have thought it.”
“Are you both finished? I have better things to do than wait for you two to establish who is superior.” Morris finished scanning the preliminary contract. “There are no other issues. Who should I contact to hammer out the finer points?”
“You can talk to me.” Brad uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. “I can’t decide if you two have a lot of information about me or not enough.”
The conversation paused as Diane entered. Things remained tense as she served them and continued even after she left.
Brad opened a bottle of water and took a sip. “You are too calm.” He gave an amused chuckle. “I was warned not to lightly approach people in S Country. I should have paid more attention to that piece of advice.”
Morris took a sip of his coffee. “S Country has a long history.”
This entire situation was an odd mix of open conversation and words with hidden meanings. It was hard not to get whiplash when talking to Brad. He changed his demeanor on a dime and didn’t seem to have a problem with sharing.
“I will be more careful going forward. Morris, you will be dealing with me directly. I don’t think I have anyone in my employment that will be able to work well with you.”
Advertisement
Morris nodded. This was the best outcome. “How long will you be in Lor City?”
“I planned to stay longer, but the other appointment I had got canceled.”
“We could arrange a meeting if you wanted,” Tynan said. He wondered how Rain would react when he saw that Brad had abandoned him. The actor was convinced that he would be rescued.
“That won't be necessary.” Maxwell stood, buttoning his suit. “I look forward to working with both of you in the future.” He made sure to take the bottle that he drank out of with him. He also walked to the desk and took the listening devices with him.
“I will have Diane see you out of the building.” Tynan stood. They exchanged a last round of handshakes. He didn't need those devices. Zach had already traced them to the source, but he still asked about them. “Do those belong to you?”
“Does your office often get bugged?”
“Doesn’t yours? We have to routinely search the room for them.” This was the truth between his uncle and his business competitors: there was always someone willing to try and sneak in listening devices.
“No one would dare to try it now.”
Tynan had the feeling he was being threatened, but he couldn’t be sure. “You can never be too careful.”
“I would love to see someone try.”
The blood froze in Tynan’s veins as he saw the look on Brad’s face. For the first time, he didn’t doubt that this man could murder his father. His body gave off a bloody air, and his face was twisted into a cruel smirk.
Brad was out the door before Tynan could figure out what to say.
It took fifteen minutes before either of them spoke.
“They are similar. Brad, Theo, and Zach. They have a certain vibe that is alike.” Morris's eyes kept drifting to the closed door.
Tynan dropped his head into his hands. He knew about the suffering that Theo endured. He had information about what Brad was capable of. No, he resolved himself to allow Zach to explain during his own time.
“Personally, I think Zach is the most dangerous out of the three of them.” Morris didn’t notice Tynan’s reaction or the conflicting emotions drifting off his face. “He acts normal, but he watches situations and people with bored detachment. He only seems alive when you are involved.”
He wanted to refute, but Tynan had noticed the same thing on more than one occasion. It was better now than it was in the past. “Do you think you can manage it?” It wouldn’t be easy for Morris to work with Brad. Morris had experience with Theo, but when dealing with Theo, he knew instinctively that Theo wasn’t trying to hurt him. If he was inattentive for a moment with Brad the consequences could be dire.
“I will see how it goes with this deal before deciding. It would be good if Rain would confess what Brad wanted him for.”
Tynan also hoped to get answers from Rain, but it didn’t appear that Rain had much to offer. “He wouldn’t let Rain have that kind of information.”
Advertisement
“We can hope.” Morris also thought Rain wouldn’t have much to add. “Do you think Ron will be able to find anything?”
That was still up in the air. It would depend on what country Brad was operating in. “The bigger issue will be narrowing down what he could be interested in.” From a preliminary glance, there were a lot of opportunities that Brad could be looking to benefit from.
“It would be easier if all his pawns were actors, but I don’t think he would make such an obvious move.”
Tynan nodded. The man wouldn’t even leave an empty water bottle. Maxwell would be careful not to put all his eggs in one basket. “I will have to ask Zach to keep an eye on it.”
As if he spoke the man into being, the door opened, and Zach peaked his head into the room. “Is he gone?”
“He just left, and this is where I make myself scarce.” Morris went out the door as Zach was coming in.
Tynan couldn’t restrain himself anymore. He pulled Zach into a hug, burying his face into his neck. He felt arms come up and clutch at his back. It was clear that Zach was confused, but he didn’t break away from the hug.
It took him a moment, but he got his volatile emotions under control. He pressed a kiss to Zach’s forehead but didn’t take things further. “Were they any indicators that he would be coming to Lor City to see me?”
Zach’s eyebrows crinkled, and his expression was serious. “There was nothing. He even had a meeting with someone else in his itinerary. He even used a fake passport to travel. I have his real one flagged.”
Tynan digested that information. “I wasn't the person he was in Lor City to see. He also wasn’t here for Rain.”
“Could he be here to see your uncle?” Zach knew about the project that Brad came to discuss with Tynan. It also happened in his past life, but he didn’t know that Brad was the person behind the collaboration.
“I don’t think so.” Tynan had considered that possibility, but his uncle wasn’t in the city, and he didn’t think Brad would move without confirming where his target was.
“I can try to use traffic and security cameras to find out where he goes while he is in Lor City. I will also expand the search when it comes to the dates that he was here visiting Rain.” Zach took out his phone and typed away.
Tynan didn’t like the passive position that he kept being pushed into. “Do you think we can get anything useful from Rain?” Tynan sank into his chair behind his desk.
Zach hopped onto the edge of the desk. “No. We need to know what Rain has been up to so we can mitigate some of the damage he has done, but he wouldn’t know anything about Brad’s plans.”
A finger tapped a staccato on the hardwood of his desk. “He was testing Rain to see if he was suitable for something.”
“I would need at least five people he is grooming for the job before I can do a comparison to see what they have in common. It would be better if I had more.” Zach hopped off the table and moved behind Tynan to massage his shoulders.
“Can you track his movements in other countries?” Tynan’s head rolled back. He could feel Zach’s fingers digging into the tense muscles in his shoulder.
“I need different equipment, but it wouldn’t be a problem. Tynan, you haven't forgotten that I need to go back to Pe City, right? I have the right equipment there.”
Tynan hadn’t forgotten, but he had done his best to ignore it. It was hard spending a week away from Zach. He had trouble falling asleep when he was by himself. He didn’t want to think about a time when Zach wasn’t living with him or sharing his life.
“I will talk to Ron about arranging for you to get your Visa.” Tynan didn’t want to live without Zach, so he would have to do something to make sure it never happened.
“Aren’t you happy that S Country has a citizenship by investing program?” Zach moved his hands to massage Tynan’s neck.
Tynan accommodated him and bent his head forward. He did his best not to mw3esdzxoan. “Even if there wasn’t I would have found a way. If all else failed, I would have moved to Pe City to live with you.
Zach's fingers paused before he continued the massage. “Ehmm.”
Tynan held Zach’s hand and stopped his movements. With a tug, he maneuvered Zach until he was sitting in his lap. Zach had his head bowed and he refused to look up. “I’m not letting you go. I know that you can’t handle it when I am too sweet, but you are going to have to learn to put up with it. We are going to be together for a long time, Zach Mallory.”
Zach didn’t lift his head, but he nodded. “Your mine, Tynan Blackburn.”
Others might feel bothered by the odd possessive tone Zach spoke, but it didn’t bother Tynan.
Zach took his time before speaking. “You have to get rid of your secretary.”
“It is good to know that I am not the only jealous one in this relationship. I have to keep her until Morris finds a suitable replacement. Other than trying to seduce me, she is very professional. She also has excellent references.”
Tynan kissed the sneer off Zach’s lips. He didn’t even mind that his imp was biting his lips instead of reciprocating the kiss. His lips would be swollen, and it would leave no doubt in anyone’s mind what they were doing.
Advertisement
The Girl Who Never Smiles | ✔️
{COMPLETED!!!}"She's just a little too scared to get close because everyone who said they'd be there, left." -Anonymous Bay Stewart is the girl who never smiles. Not even the slightest of a smile has came to her face in 7 years. She has herself guarded by building walls as high as the Empire State Building around her so that no one can get in. Issac Evans is the golden boy of Eastside High and he is known as the opposite of Bay. He is always smiling and is always optimistic. Issac has made it his personal goal to get Bay to smile more and let the beauty she has been hiding to show. When Issac and Bay collide, Bay is forced to truly acknowledge the pain and hurt that is inside of her that has caused her smile to disappear off of her face. When Issac brings his golden sun into Bay's dark world, something new is introduced into both of their lives.True LoveAnd that is what makes the girl who never smiles smile again.***"Because, Bay Stewart, you are the best thing that has ever crashed into my life, literally." -Issac Evans*******Highest Rankings:#6 in teenfiction#7 in teenromance#3 in teendrama#1 in senioryear#4 in lovestory#11 in youngadult #1 in highschoolexperience#1 in sarcasm#1 in smile#1 in Stewart#1 in goldenboy#2 in brokengirl#15 in teen#73 in completed
8 211Coming Back Home
The night she comes back from her best friend's apartment after finding out her boyfriend is married, she meets a huge man sleeping on the snow in her backyard. 23-year old Charlie Jordan doesn't know what to do. After so many calls and studying, she finds out the man—Blurin Jameson— is an ex-militant whose address got mixed up on deployment day. It takes Charlie 419 Days to realize how her heart beats faster when ever they're near or when his eyes lights up... Or how she completes his amount of ribs.
8 137Hypotheticals
In 1953 a lonely bible salesman travels down a deserted cliffside road, stopping for little, living for the same. When he stumbles upon a cozy little shack on a cliff by the sea he discovers a beautiful waitress, a handsome chef, a mysterious little town and the best Italian he's ever tasted.
8 215Eres Academy :School of The Royal and The Rich
HEIRS SERIES #1 ~Eres Academy~ Paige Bennet is a commoner. Wealth isn't in her vocabulary, nor is designer bags or large land estates, But what she does have is the brains. And that is what got her hands on the scholarship to the world's most prestigious school for the royal and the rich. Eres Academy. In a split second she was swept into a world far different from her own, a world filled with sports cars, designer dresses, cranky rich kids, and spoiled royals. But lucky for her, she knew she was smart, and she knew that a bunch of wealthy teenagers wouldn't scare her. That was before she knew that among those wealthy rich kids, there was a monster. The bully. And nothing, not even a single page on every text book she read could prepare her for that. Blake Carlisle isn't someone to be played with. He's an heir, he is rich, he is handsome, he's captain of the football team, Oh and one more thing, he is a bully. Life experiences are said to change us. Well it certainly did change him. For the worst. All his life, he's been on the top of the school's food chain. Commoners were his target, they all feared him and end up running for their lives out the school gates. This school year, he's planning to do the same. But things changes when the commoner isn't like the others. She was a fighter.And Blake wasn't gonna allow anyone to take power over him. She wanted hell, so that was what he's going to give her. But what happens when a strong world war like rivalry turns into attraction? When the target lowers her guard and the bully's heart go soft?One thing I know is that.We'll all be damned. _________________________Highest Rankings.#2 teen fiction#1 MonarchyCOMPLETED
8 62Heartstopper Smut
That's a Fanfic I guess (☞͡͡°͜ʖ͡͡°)☞⚠The characters belong to the author Alice Osman who wrote the books :Heartstopper and Solitaire, containing those characters~{Fluff, smut, chill!!!Read on your own risk!!
8 99Big girls need loving (editing)
A 17year old girl name Angel always get bully about her weight. It sucks being the fat girl..18year old Cameron jerkins is a young hustler in the streets. When these two cross paths what will happen ?****This book is not to downsize skinny girls! I'm just putting big girls in the spotlight for once.****Currently updating
8 115