Having a headache on a Monday morning wasn't my ideal way of starting the day. But sitting in my office, buried under piles of paperwork and documents to review, there was no escaping this lingering headache.
As I stared down at the street, three buildings below, my frustration grew.
Just one meeting with the Jaden family's lawyer, and I would have signed a contract naming King's Estates as the new owner of the Jaden's land in Wellington.
Point of correction—I would have been the owner.
Instead, he had ruined it.
Jaden's land was one of the most well-known and massive expanses of property in Agass.
As the stories go, the Jaden's had been among the first settlers in the city, purchasing vast amounts of land. For what exact purpose, I never knew. Rumors circulated for years—some claimed they intended to set up a perfume industry, others believed they wanted to build a church. And the list went on.
Yet, as time passed, the only structure that remained on that land was the grand family mansion they lived in. No church. No industry. Nothing the rumors had ever promised—just an endless stretch of untouched land.
Five years ago, my grandfather, Adam King, had proposed a collaboration with the Jaden's concerning the property. It was a prime piece of land—one that any estate owner would love to possess.
But Harris Jaden, heir to the estate at the time, turned my grandfather down, claiming he wanted to invest in agriculture and cultivate the land himself.
Three days later, he was dead.
A cardiac arrest on his way home from work.
Naturally, people whispered about the King family's involvement. Even I had questioned my grandfather about the incident, but he had denied any knowledge, genuinely surprised by the accusations.
And I believed him. I still do.
We've never resorted to such filthy tactics—and we weren't about to start now.
A month after Harris's death, a few relatives had come, but none stayed to claim the land. Why they avoided it, I'll never know.
Then came the call from the Jaden household. A change of plans—the property was officially up for sale.
Without delay, I arranged a meeting with the Jaden's, set to take place this morning.
Instead of finalizing the deal, I was met with a revelation—the very root of my anger.
Sebastian Brusten had bought the land.
Of all the people in Agass, it had to be him.
While I suffered the loss, my real concern was what he intended to do with the land. Given its massive size—and the notorious reputation of the Brusten family—I could only imagine.
The Brusten's were the very definition of tyrants disguised as businessmen. They owned luxurious bars and hotels across Ashford, but beneath their polished veneer lurked a world of shady dealings—nasty black-market business, drugs, girls, and more.
Not that my family were saints. We wielded underground influence for manpower, information, and connections. If you had the money, you'd get loyal dogs at your service.
During my grandfather's time, the five wealthiest families in Agass had united to form an underground association, running their legitimate businesses alongside their less-than-legal operations.
Since each family resided in different cities, they controlled the underground in their respective territories. The Brustens dominated Ashford, the Dellmans—clothing tycoons—controlled Wellington, the Normans—entertainment moguls—held Everstead, and the Reiners—masters of the food industry—claimed Rosemere. My grandfather, being the wealthiest among them, took control of Kingsland, standing above them all.
Despite these divisions, clashes were inevitable. Most families fought one another, using their underground power as leverage. My grandfather, feared by the heads of the clans, often stepped in to settle disputes. Some resented his interference, but none dared challenge him.
He was ruthless, and his motto was simple:
"Don't trifle with what you can't control."
In other words—don't play with fire.
Despite our family's immense influence, some clans—unable to challenge us underground—turned to the business world instead. One of those families was the second-richest in Agass—the Brusten's.
When my father ran King's Estates, Mark Brusten—Sebastian's father—had been busy expanding his hotel and bar empire.
He built bars and luxury hotels across Agass, many of which doubled as safe havens for his dirty business dealings. He had always fought against my father—competing for the same properties, blocking acquisitions, and standing in our way at every opportunity.
And now, Sebastian had followed in his father's footsteps.
Sebastian and I have never seen eye to eye for as long as I can remember. At one point, I wondered why my father or grandfather had never utilized the power of the underdogs to wipe out the Brusten family.
But I soon came to realize—using power for evil will only bring more evil karma in return.
Still, if that's the case, how long will it take for karma to catch up to Sebastian?
Come to think of it, the reason I was unable to acquire the land before Sebastian was because I had been away in Rosemere for business. The meeting had been fixed for this morning—who knew my delay would buy Sebastian just enough time to ruin my plans?
How rumors fly.
My demanding schedule had been a challenge ever since I took over from my father. I had considered hiring a secretary to serve as my personal assistant, but the women who applied were more interested in me than the job, while the men were only after the money, lacking any real experience in the role.
It had been exhausting—constantly dealing with incompetent staff, hiring, firing, and repeating the cycle. Eventually, I decided to take charge of the hiring process myself. I drafted the exact requirements I needed for a secretary and personal assistant—this way, I could filter out the trash before they had a chance to clutter my workspace.
The thought of the whole secretary employment ordeal reminded me of the earlier applicant, Lily. Despite the throbbing headache, I couldn't help but chuckle. She was the one person who had ever talked back to me without hesitation—and I liked that.
A knock came at the door, followed by Mary, a green file in hand.
"Here's the file you requested, sir," she said, handing me the folder.
"And the recommendation letter?" I asked, flipping it open.
"Added it to the file as per your request," Mary replied, pointing to the document in my hands.
The contents of the file weren't much—just a résumé, application, and recommendation letter clipped together. Lily's name was boldly written at the top.
Apart from hers, there was one other document—a résumé for Dan Cooker, who had also applied for the role.
Scanning through both résumés again, I was impressed by both candidates. Not only were they graduates from respected schools, but they also had valuable experience from their time in university.
"How did they perform on the aptitude test?" I asked, my eyes still skimming their résumés, searching for something unique.
"Based on the results, Dan Cooker scored a total of 97%, while Lily Morgan scored 96%," Mary stated, adjusting her glasses.
A one-percent difference.
"For the oral test, Lily scored 40 out of 50, while Dan scored 35 out of 50," she added.
Impressive results.
I closed the file and set it on my desk. "How about the others?" I asked, looking up at Mary. I noticed her flinch slightly at my unexpected glance.
"They didn't pass the first stage," she replied.
I had structured the aptitude test so that the passing score had to be 70% or higher—if they couldn't meet or exceed that, there was no point in hiring them.
Nodding in approval, I returned my attention to the file. Both candidates were sharp, capable, and promising—the idea of letting one go unsettled me.
Mary was still standing, awaiting my decision.
She was my administrative manager—formerly in charge of hiring before I stepped in. A tall, slender woman in her late twenties, with brown hair, matching brown eyes, and full lips. She had joined King's Estate a year after I took over from my father and had proven herself to be a diligent worker.
"What do you think about these two?" I asked, pointing to the file on my desk.
"Which candidate do you believe would be the best hire?"
She seemed startled by my question but quickly composed herself.
"Dan Cooker seems promising—I believe he would handle the tasks well," she replied.
Just as I expected.
Even though Mary was an efficient worker, she was still a single woman with eyes for me—just like every other lady I had encountered, whether in business or social settings. Apart from the administrative tasks that required direct communication with me, our interactions were limited. So far, she was the only female employee close to me—and hiring a secretary would mean bringing in someone even closer than she already was.
It was only natural for her to favor hiring a man, ensuring she remained the only woman with direct access to me—perhaps with the hope that I might eventually fall for her.
Why she believed she was my type baffles me.
"Send them both an employment letter," I ordered.
Mary's eyes widened in shock. "But sir, we only have one spot available for the role," she replied.
"Then let's make it two," I said, earning her an even more confused expression.
"Send them both an employment letter. Dan as secretary and Lily as my personal assistant. Make sure they resume on Monday," I continued, handing her the file. She still looked stunned by my decision.
Mission failed, I guess.
She accepted the file, a small frown of concern etching onto her face. "Will that be all, sir?" she asked, preparing to leave.
"Yes," I replied. "One more thing—handle their onboarding. I want them to get up to speed first thing next week."
I rose from my seat, grabbing my jacket.
This headache was unbearable, but at least one more thing was settled.
Now, I needed to rest and figure out what the hell Sebastian wanted with Jaden's land.