The helicopter had been in the air for several minutes, the city gradually shrinking beneath them as it carried Ava and Jake toward the airport.
Ava sat comfortably in her seat, one arm resting against the side as she looked out through the window.
"It seems Sophia is still busy after what Luis did to her father," she said. "I thought she would have gotten over it by now."
Jake calmly peeled an apple beside her.
"Aiden stepped up for her."
Ava turned her head toward him Jake glanced at her briefly before continuing.
"So, yeah. The new company—the virtual medical industry project Uncle Peter started. The one that was shut down after the director was arrested along with several senior executives and managers for illegal human experimentation."
He handed Ava a slice of apple.
"The investigation also found that the company had been cutting safety procedures to increase profits. Luis submitted the evidence himself."
Ava accepted the apple.
"The company has been permanently suspended pending the investigation. Their assets are currently frozen, and more arrests are expected."
"Yeah, I know. That happened last week." Ava took a bite. "What about it?"
Jake continued peeling the apple.
"Luis really is a demon. He wanted to ruin Uncle Peter's life."
Ava raised an eyebrow.
"He only lost a billion. Luis didn't even make his name public, so hardly anyone knows he's the owner except for a few families who investigated."
She took another bite of the apple.
"Besides, Grandma Quinn already punished him. He's no longer allowed to attend private Quinn family gatherings. He can still attend public ones, but the family isn't supporting him anymore."
Jake nodded.
"And he was the one who sent spies after Luis's new virtual world."
Ava looked at him.
"Do you know how much Luis spent on that?"
Jake shook his head.
"He wants to turn the entire thing into a virtual city. He already got approval from the president. At this point, no matter what political position someone holds, he's planning to upgrade it to the highest possible level."Ava's expression became more interested."He even won a partnership with the person in charge of the Tech City, so they can cooperate on the project. They're bringing in the highest-level technology available."
Ava leaned back slightly.
"Everything from advanced holograms to robots imported from Averis, the city famous for entertainment, fame, and luxury."
She paused.
"Luis has already spent more than half a trillion zen on the project."
Ava clicked her tongue.
"And Uncle Peter wanted to take it from him without doing any work?"
She shook her head.
"He was lucky it was Luis he was dealing with."
A dangerous smile appeared on her face.
"If it had been me, he probably wouldn't have had a burial place."
Jake glanced at her.
"That's exactly why everyone is glad Luis handled it instead."
Ava rolled her eyes.
"I'm not that bad."
Jake gave her a flat look.
Ava smiled innocently.
"...Okay, maybe I am."
"Luis went easy on him by only making several rival companies attack all of their major projects. Three partnerships were terminated, two banks are reconsidering financing, and the shareholders are buying up more stock while the price keeps falling. That was three days ago. I haven't heard of anything since then," Ava said.
Jake burst into laughter.
He poured himself a glass of water and turned toward the helicopter window, staring at the clouds as he tried to calm himself down.
"Well, because Aiden helped Sophia's family, I don't know what deal he made with Luis, but Luis stepped back. Sophia now has ten shares, her mother has thirty, and her father has fifty. The remaining shares are divided among the few shareholders who stayed."
Jake rubbed his chin.
"The virtual medical industry project is still facing backlash, though, and your uncle has lost a lot trying to bribe his way out of this. He's probably spent around fifty billion CU dollars already, so he's going to be very dependent on your Aunt Vera during this period."
Ava leaned back, processing everything.
"So the real winner is Sophia."
A thoughtful smile appeared on her face.
"Very crafty."
She crossed her arms.
"Before this, her father had fifty shares, her mother had twenty, while Sophia only had five. The remaining twenty-five were divided among the other shareholders and so on."
Ava shook her head.
"And Uncle Peter still used her mother's shares to start that virtual medical industry project, which cost one billion CU dollars. Are you going to tell me her father couldn't afford that himself?"
Her tone became increasingly amused.
"He still used her shares because he had no interest in giving her anything. Now, with Aiden's help, she has ten percent of the legal shares."
Ava paused.
"He gave her mother another ten because her mother is her real backer, then returned her father's shares to him and made Aiden cover all the damages."
The more Ava thought about it, the more obvious the strategy became.
"By doing that, Sophia basically implanted herself into the business of the Vera family."
She tapped her finger against her arm.
"And Grandma gave her some of her mother's shares as punishment for her mother, but it ended up being a blessing for Sophia."
Jake's amusement faded into curiosity.
"What got me curious is what deal Sophia and Aiden made for him to help her like this."
This is where stop get it don't fix this I will send you the next draft and we countinue from there
Back in Velmora City
Back in Velmora City, Verdale Crest Main Street remained busy even during the afternoon.
The main road was one of the important routes through the district. At the next corner, a side street on the right led directly toward Crownside School. Once someone took that road, there was practically no need to turn again—the street continued straight toward the school's grounds.
The side street opposite it, however, led in the opposite direction called the left street.
That road opened into a commercial stretch filled with different stores, restaurants, cafés, boutiques, and other businesses before eventually connecting to Verdale Street.
Verdale Street was one of the city's high-end residential areas.
Many of the people living there held extremely high positions in major corporations, government institutions, and other influential organizations. Celebrities also lived along the street, their homes hidden behind tall walls, private gates, and carefully maintained landscaping.
The section of the side street leading toward Crownside School was different. That particular area was essentially controlled by the school, with its own facilities and transportation routes.
Even the high-end buses operating along that section weren't ordinary public buses. They mainly transported residents from the surrounding luxury neighborhoods, making stops at designated points before continuing toward the school district.
If someone continued straight along Verdale Street instead of turning toward the commercial area, the road would eventually lead toward the Silver Arc District.
Matthew had to drive to the left street cause Felix visited him early in the morning at the silver district core or third area cause Felix wanted to ride in Ava car that Ava gave him yesterday cause the car only two in Elysia so obviously he wants a ride in the black sport car he missed breakfast and also made Matthew Miss breakfast so they went to the left street instead.
He and Felix were busy shopping for food.
They had stopped at a small store whose entire design revolved around one thing
marshmallows though it sold variety of food and drinks.
The storefront immediately stood out from the surrounding businesses.
A giant pink-and-white marshmallow sign hung above the entrance, with the store's name written across it in rounded, playful lettering.
The windows were decorated with tiny marshmallow illustrations, smiling candy characters, pastel clouds, and little strings of warm lights.
Even the entrance looked like something out of a dessert-themed amusement park.
Inside, the store was bright and lively.
The walls were painted in soft pastel shades, with shelves arranged in curved shapes rather than ordinary straight rows. Jars filled with colorful marshmallows lined the shelves, ranging from the usual white and pink varieties to unusual flavors like strawberry milk, matcha, caramel, blueberry, chocolate, and even seasonal fruit flavors.
Some marshmallows were shaped like tiny bears, stars, flowers, clouds, hearts, and animals.
The seating area was even more ridiculous.
The chairs were designed to resemble oversized marshmallows, soft and rounded with pastel-colored cushions. Some tables looked like stacks of marshmallows, while others were shaped like little candy clouds.
A few students were already sitting around the tables, eating marshmallow desserts and chatting with their friends.
Behind the counter, workers moved between shelves and display cases, packing bags of sweets while another employee prepared freshly toasted marshmallow skewers.
The entire place smelled sweet.
Matthew stood near one of the shelves with a small shopping basket in his hand.
He wore a deep espresso-brown short-sleeved button-up shirt completely open like a light outer layer over a crisp white crew-neck T-shirt tucked neatly into his trousers.
His high-waisted, loose-fitting pleated chino trousers were a light khaki shade, falling loosely over his beige sneakers. Dark brown stripes ran along the sides of the casual low-top shoes.
A delicate silver chain rested against the white shirt, while a silver-linked metallic watch with a dark face sat neatly around his wrist.
His silver-black hair had been cut into a messy, textured fringe with piecey layers.
A baseball cap sat loosely over his head, with several slightly wavy strands escaping from beneath the brim and falling naturally around his eyes.
The relaxed outfit somehow made him look even more effortless.
Felix wasn't ugly, either.
He was the kind of beautiful that made people pause for a second too long.
His features had an androgynous, almost unreal quality to them. Everything about his face was balanced and striking enough that, at first glance, people could easily mistake him for either gender—and somehow, he looked flawless either way.
His clear green eyes stood out against his fair, smooth skin, while his soft red lips had a naturally kissable shape.
Unlike Matthew's more intimidating beauty, Felix's appearance carried something softer.
Cute.
Pretty.
Almost delicate.
Yet there was nothing weak about him.
He carried himself with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how attractive he was.
Cool, shameless, and effortlessly captivating, as though he could walk into a room wearing a curtain and somehow still become the center of attention.
At five feet ten, he was shorter than Matthew's six-foot-one frame, but standing beside him didn't make Felix look out of place.
If anything, the contrast made them look even more striking together.
Felix wore a soft cream-colored knit cardigan with slightly oversized sleeves, the front left loosely open over a pale pink T-shirt.
His high-waisted light-wash jeans fell comfortably over a pair of clean white sneakers with small pastel-green accents.
A tiny silver necklace rested against his neck, while a soft pink bracelet decorated one wrist.
His golden blond hair was styled in fluffy, slightly tousled layers that curved naturally around his face, making his green eyes stand out even more.
At the moment, however, none of that mattered to Felix.
He had both hands wrapped around Matthew's arm.
"I can't survive like this," Felix complained dramatically.
Matthew glanced down at him.
"You've been alive for seventeen years."
"That doesn't mean I can survive without financial support."
"You have money."Mattew said matter of fact
"Not enough."
"Then ask your parents."
Felix leaned closer, practically hanging off Matthew's arm.
"Matthew."
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to ask."
"I know." Matthew said rolling his eyes at Felix dramatic act .
Felix widened his eyes innocently.
"Please sponsor me."
"No."
"Just a little."
"No."
"You're rich."
"That's not an argument."
Felix sighed dramatically and tightened his grip around Matthew's arm.
"You're heartless."
Matthew calmly pulled his arm free.
"You're shameless."
"Thank you." Felix said with a pout
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"I accepted it anyway."
In front of them, the workers were already preparing their order acting like they can't see this but their heart where screaming like fan girl already making many scenes in their head.
The first takeaway was a decorative box containing eight sandwiches.
The sandwiches had been sliced diagonally into neat, uniform triangles, each piece made from three thin slices of soft white bread with every crust carefully removed.
Between the pillowy white layers were two distinct fillings. Dark reddish-purple jam created a vivid contrast against the bread, while a thin ribbon of bright yellow cheddar cheese sat precisely in the center, flanked by the jam.
Tiny blue edible flower petals had been scattered lightly across the exposed white surfaces, giving the sandwiches an almost absurdly cute appearance.
The eight pieces were divided into two decorative takeaway boxes, four sandwiches in each.
The boxes themselves were pastel-colored with little marshmallow characters printed across the lids, their cheeks decorated with tiny pink hearts.
Matthew had bought all eight because he already knew six people would eventually eat them.
V wasn't around, leaving the remaining five.
And Felix had already decided that V's portion belonged to him.
Naturally.
The second order was chicken cordon bleu.
The workers arranged the dish into two teddy-bear-shaped takeaway plates, with eight thick slices placed neatly inside each one.
The chicken breast had been rolled and sliced into uniform rounds, each piece revealing a tight spiral of contrasting layers
The outer crust was deep golden and heavily textured with crisp breadcrumbs, speckled with tiny green herbs. Beneath it was a thick layer of tender white chicken.
At the center, pale-pink cured ham wrapped tightly around a generous layer of melted pale-yellow cheese.
The cheese was still glossy and slightly melted, spilling from some of the edges.
The slices overlapped one another like shingles, creating a neat row inside each adorable teddy-bear-shaped container.
Those were for Philip and Derek.
The third dish was anything but cute.
A mountain of spicy mala crawfish filled a wide, shallow takeaway platter.
Dozens of whole crawfish were piled on top of one another, their curved tails tucked inward, jointed legs tangled together, and prominent claws sticking out at different angles.
A shallow pool of shimmering red chili oil covered the bottom of the container and coated the seafood.
The cooked shells were an intense scarlet red, darkening into deep burgundy around the folds and crevices where the spice-heavy sauce clung to them.
Thousands of tiny ivory sesame seeds dotted the glossy shells, while translucent rings of sliced onions and garlic were buried between the crawfish.
The entire dish glistened beneath the store's lights.
Even the takeaway container matched the theme.
It was shaped like a giant crab, with the crawfish piled neatly inside its shell-like body and two decorative claws forming handles on either side.
That order was for Felix and Rick.
Felix stared at it.
"Mine."
Matthew looked at him.
"Yours and Rick's."
"I know."
"Then why did you say mine?"
"Because I was establishing ownership early."
Matthew ignored him.
The final meal consisted of three carefully plated portions of rice and fried chicken.
Each serving came on a wide, dark plate.
A perfectly smooth dome of white rice sat at the center, surrounded by a neat circular crown of golden-brown fried chicken pieces arranged like petals around a flower.
The chicken had a deeply irregular, craggy texture and was lightly coated in a glossy dark sauce.
At the peak of each rice dome sat a small cluster of dark-brown fried shallots topped with a tiny green mint sprig.
Two translucent cucumber slices rested against the upper-left side of the rice, accompanied by a wedge of glossy red tomato and a ruffled sprig of curly parsley.
The three plates were packed separately for Matthew, Jay, and Kai.
Then came the drinks.
Four tall glasses of iced peach tea were prepared, each filled with golden-orange tea, clear ice cubes, and a thin peach slice pressed against the inside of the glass so the fruit remained clearly visible.
The remaining three drinks were exclusive creations from the marshmallow store.
The first was a Cloudmallow Cream Soda—a pale blue sparkling drink topped with a fluffy white marshmallow cloud, tiny pastel sugar pearls, and a strawberry candy straw.
The second was a Strawberry Marshmallow Fizz, a soft pink carbonated drink layered with strawberry syrup and creamy foam, topped with miniature toasted marshmallows.
The third was a Matcha Snowmallow Latte, a smooth pale-green matcha drink crowned with cold vanilla foam, crushed white marshmallow pieces, and a tiny edible flower.
The workers carefully arranged all the food and drinks into their respective decorative takeaway bags.
Felix watched the final bag being sealed.
Then he looked at Matthew.
"Can you pay?"
Matthew stared at him.
Felix smiled sweetly.
"Please?"
Matthew sighed and reached for his wallet.
Felix immediately smiled wider and hooked his arm around Matthew's again.
"See? This is why you're my favorite."
"I don't remember agreeing to that."
"You don't have to."