+25 Bonus
She trailed off, her expression falling. The playful energy drained out of her, replaced by genuine anxiety.
“What if I’m not good enough?” Sophia said quietly, setting down her bowl. “What if my proposal is boring or unoriginal or just… not impressive enough? He probably gets hundreds of these. Why would he choose mine?”
Adrian leaned forward, his voice gentle. “Because your technology is exceptional. Because you’ve built something innovative that solves real problems. Because you’re brilliant, Sophia, even if you don’t always see it.”
Sophia looked up at him, her eyes glistening slightly. “You really think so?”
“I know so.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the only sound the quiet hum of Sophia’s laptop.
Then Sophia grabbed her bowl again and resumed eating, her spirits clearly lifted. “Okay. Okay, I can do this. I just need to focus, organize my thoughts, and…” She stopped mid–bite. “Oh god, the technical specifications section is a disaster. I need to completely rewrite it.”
She set down the bowl and pulled her laptop closer, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
Adrian watched her work, that same warm feeling settling in his chest. She was so focused, so determined, completely unaware that the man she was trying so desperately to impress was sitting three feet away from her, watching her eat noodles with sauce on her chin.
“Sophia,” Adrian said after a few minutes.
“Hmm?” She didn’t look up from her screen.
“You have sauce on your face.”
Sophia’s hand flew to her chin, wiping at it. “Where?”
“Other side.”
She wiped the other side, missing it completely.
Adrian reached across the table with his napkin and gently cleaned the sauce from her face himself.
Sophia froze, her eyes going wide. A blush crept across her cheeks.
“There,” Adrian said, sitting back. “Better.”
“Thanks,” Sophia managed, her voice coming out slightly strangled.
They stared at each other for a beat too long. Then Sophia cleared her throat and returned her attention to her laptop with exaggerated focus.
But Adrian noticed the small smile playing at her lips as she typed.
And he found himself smiling too.
4/6
Broken Men
+25 Bonus
Broken Men
Alexander sat hunched over the bar, drinking his third cheap beer of the evening.
The place smelled like stale cigarettes and desperation. It has sticky floors, dim lighting, it was the kind of bar where nobody asked questions and everyone minded their own business.
It was the only place Alexander could afford anymore.
He stared at the remaining bills in his wallet. Eighty–seven yuan. That’s all he had left to his name. Eighty- seven yuan and a pile of debts he’d never be able to pay.
Three months ago, he’d been a vice president. He’d had an office with a view, an assistant, a salary that let him live comfortably and pretend to be more successful than he really was.
Now he had nothing.
The bartender…:a middle–aged woman with tired eyes..:refilled his beer without asking. Alexander nodded his thanks and took a long drink.
His phone sat on the bar beside him, screen dark. He’d stopped checking it weeks ago. There were no calls anymore. No messages. Just automated notifications from debt collectors and a few texts from his landlord threatening eviction.
Alexander had applied to forty–three jobs in the past two months. Forty–three.
Not a single callback. Not even a rejection email.
At first, he thought it was bad luck. The economy, timing, whatever. But then he’d started hearing whispers. His name was blacklisted. Flagged in every employment database. Companies wouldn’t touch him.
Someone extremely powerful had made sure of that.
Alexander took another drink, his hand shaking slightly. He knew who was responsible. Had to be Adrian. That quiet, unremarkable bastard who’d somehow ruined Alexander’s entire life.
But that was impossible. Adrian was nobody. Just Victoria’s pathetic ex–husband who’d mooched off her for three years.
Except… Adrian was with Sophia now. Sophia Laurent, who’d somehow rebuilt her entire company from bankruptcy to billions in a matter of months.
Things didn’t add up.
Alexander drained his beer and dropped a few bills on the counter. The bartender swept them up without comment.
He stumbled out into the night, the alcohol making his steps unsteady. The street was dark and mostly empty. A few cars passed, headlights cutting through the darkness.
Alexander walked aimlessly, not really caring where he was going. Home was a tiny studio apartment in a bad part of town, barely bigger than a closet. Nothing worth going back to.
A car engine revved behind him.
oken Men
+25 Bonus
Alexander didn’t bother looking. He just kept walking, lost in his miserable thoughts.
The engine got louder. Closer.
At the last second, Alexander’s instincts kicked in. He turned and saw headlights barreling straight at him.
“Shit!” He threw himself sideways.
The car swerved at the last moment, tires screeching. It stopped just meters away, with the engine still running.
Alexander picked himself up from the pavement, his hands scraped and bloody from the fall. Rage surged through him..:hot and immediate and overwhelming.
“Are you fucking insane?” he screamed at the car. “You almost killed me!”
The driver’s door opened.
“You could’ve killed me, you piece of..:” Alexander’s voice died in his throat.
Derek Laurent stepped out of the car.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They just stared at each other in the dim streetlight.
Derek was dressed well. Not expensive exactly, but clean and put–together. Like someone who still had their life intact.
“Alexander?” Derek’s voice was shocked. “Is that you?”
Alexander became suddenly, painfully aware of how he must look. Unshaven for days. Wearing the same wrinkled shirt he’d had on for three days straight. Smelling like cheap beer and failure.
“Derek.” Alexander’s voice came out hoarse.
Derek walked closer, his expression shifting from shock to something like horror. “What happened to you? You look…”
“Like shit?” Alexander laughed bitterly. “Yeah. I’m aware.”
“I heard you lost your job, but I didn’t realize…” Derek trailed off, clearly not knowing what to say.
“Didn’t realize I’d be living on the street?” Alexander’s laugh turned darker. “Yeah. Me neither. Turns out when you get blacklisted, employment options become limited.”
Derek frowned. “Blacklisted? By who?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Alexander swayed slightly, still drunk. “Though I have my suspicions.”
Derek studied him for a long moment, then sighed. “Get in the car.”
“What?”
“Get in the car, Alexander. You look like you’re about to pass out. Come back to my place. We’ll talk.”
Alexander wanted to refuse. Wanted to tell Derek to fuck off and leave him alone with his misery. But pride was a luxury he couldn’t afford anymore.
Broken Men
He got in the car,
Derek’s apartment was modest but clean. A one–bedroom in a decent neighborhood, furnished with simple but functional pieces. Nothing fancy, but a hell of a lot better than Alexander’s current situation.
Derek pointed to the couch. “Sit. I’ll make coffee.”
Alexander collapsed onto the sofa, his body suddenly feeling impossibly heavy. The adrenaline from almost getting hit was wearing off, leaving him exhausted and empty.
Derek returned a few minutes later with two mugs of coffee. He handed one to Alexander and sat in the armchair across from him.
“So,” Derek said. “Tell me what happened.”
Alexander took a sip of coffee. It was hot and bitter and exactly what he needed.
“I lost my job three months ago,” he started. “Got fired. They said it was for misconduct..:embezzlement, harassment, falsified records. All bullshit.”
Derek raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt.
“After that, everything just… collapsed. My bank accounts got frozen. My apartment lease was terminated. My lawyer dropped me.” Alexander’s hands tightened around the mug. “And then I started applying for new jobs. Everywhere. Anything. But nobody would hire me.”
“Why not?”
“Because someone blacklisted me. Put my name in every employment database with flags that make me untouchable.” Alexander’s voice was bitter. “I can’t get hired anywhere. Not just in this city..:anywhere in the world apparently. I’m completely fucking ruined.”
Derek leaned back in his chair, processing this. “And you think someone did this deliberately? Made it happen?”
“I know they did.” Alexander met Derek’s eyes. “I just don’t know who. Or how I angered such a powerful person.”
