Vespera and Dominic took the elevator to the VIP floor. The whole way there, Demir strolled through the hospital as if on a casual walk in the park—holding a bouquet of chrysanthemums. His unbothered air drew more than a few startled and horrified looks. Vespera noticed several nurses eyeing the flowers as if they wanted to intervene; they were probably dying to snatch them away. But why didn’t they? Probably because his presence was simply too intimidating. Or maybe they thought the dark suit matched the black-wrapped bouquet. Either way, no one stopped them. They made it to the hospital room without a hitch.
Vespera finally laid eyes on the “highly respected elder.” It was Jordan. He had gauze wrapped around his head, a cast on his leg, and bruises all over his face. Most notably, two massive black-and-purple circles around his eyes made him look ridiculous; any trace of his calculated, polished, real estate mogul persona was gone. Vespera had to fight the urge to laugh.
The moment Jordan saw Dominic walk in, his face darkened several shades. Then he spotted the flowers, and it got even worse. Dominic walked over, set the bouquet beside the bed, carefully adjusted it, and looked down at him with a bright, innocent smile. “Mr. Aldridge, how’re you feeling? Hanging in there?”
“Hmph,” Jordan gave a cold snort in his mind, not bothering to respond to this “fake little bastard.” Dominic leaned in, studying his face like it was a piece of abstract art. “Mr. Olson didn’t hold back, huh? How’d he end up turning you into a panda?”
Jordan said nothing. He was so angry, he could feel his arteries clogging. In his head, he was raging, “Cut the act, you little brat! You set me up! You scheming, backstabbing bastard!” But outwardly, he forced a straight face and said, “Mr. Reid, I think we’re even now.”
“Even? What do you mean?” Dominic looked genuinely puzzled. “Mr. Aldridge, you gave me a gift last time. I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Not returning the favor just didn’t sit right with me. So I took my time picking something for you—something thoughtful and personal. This is how we show mutual respect.”
Jordan was so furious that his lungs were about to explode, and his stomach felt like it was cramping. He was afraid that after all these external injuries, he’d end up with an internal one too—from sheer rage. “Alright, you can go now. I need to rest,” Jordan said, waving him off.
Dominic’s smile brightened. “Since you need rest, Mr. Aldridge, I won’t stay. Once you’re all healed up, I’ll personally throw a party and make sure you have the time of your life. Oh, and by the way, that photoshoot of yours turned out pretty well. I was worried someone with bad intentions might leak it, so I went ahead and bought the rights. Don’t worry, Mrs. Aldridge won’t be seeing it.”
Jordan looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Dominic, my boy, those photos are no use to you,” he said. “Just give them back, alright?”
Dominic’s smile remained charming. “Rest well, Mr. Aldridge. I won’t bother you any longer.” With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Vespera followed. Behind them, Jordan’s furious yelling echoed down the hallway.
Quiet in the corridor, Vespera asked curiously, “What exactly happened to Jordan?”
Dominic explained, “He had his eye on a certain actress and had been trying to sleep with her for a while. Problem was, she already had a sugar daddy. A serious one. Still, Mr. Aldridge was head over heels, practically lovesick. I couldn’t just stand by and watch him suffer.”
Vespera nodded, catching on. “So you helped him make it happen.”
Dominic tapped her nose. “Smart. A few days ago, a director was trying to pull together some investors. I recommended Mr. Aldridge. When he heard that the actress would be there, he was thrilled. That night, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, he couldn’t wait and ran straight to her hotel room, stripped down, and tried to force himself on her. But guess what? Her sugar daddy showed up at just the right time. And well, that’s how he ended up like that.”
“So not only did Mr. Aldridge fail to get the girl, he got the crap beaten out of him. Rough.” She feigned sympathy.
“No big deal. His lovesickness didn’t get cured, but hey, he walked away with a full nude photo set and even helped fund the film industry.”
Jordan’s nude photoshoot… Vespera shuddered. She felt like she might throw up yesterday’s lunch. Sure, Jordan got beaten up badly, but he knew he was in the wrong. And at the end of the day, business is business.