Kris was sitting in the living room of his penthouse, nursing a small glass of scotch, when his doorbell rang.

He frowned. He hadn't told any of his family members where he currently lived, and Alden was on a date with Luisa, so who could it be?

Setting the glass on the coffee table, he got up to check the door, turning on the camera connected to the doorbell. Zeke Matthews' face appeared on the screen.noveldrama

Kris stiffened. What the hell was he doing here?

Gritting his teeth, he opened the door, and almost immediately, Zeke stormed into his penthouse without permission.

"For a supposedly smart businessman, you sure seem to lack a lot of manners, Matthews," Kris said coolly, not bothering to shut the door since he didn't plan on entertaining the man in his penthouse for long. "Do not fucking talk to me about manners!" Zeke hissed.

"What's got your panties all twisted up this evening, baby girl?" Kris asked mockingly, eyebrows raised. "How did you know where I lived? Did you stalk me?"

"Stalk you?" Zeke snorted. "As if! You're not the only one with contacts in Baltimore, Miller."

"I don't have time to waste on you, Matthews, so whatever you came to say, spit it out and get out," Kris said in a bored tone.

"Tell that friend of yours to stay away from my sister."

Kris sighed. "Aren't you tired of trying to control everything? That's your sister's decision to make, don't you think?"

"My sister is not a pawn, and I won't allow you to use her in your stupid games to get close to Thalassa!" Zeke snapped.

Kris scratched his chin, feeling the roughness of his growing stubble. "Tell me something, Matthews. Are you truly concerned about your sister being with Alden, or does it just bother you that you think I'm using her to get to Thalassa?" "Of course, I care about my sister, you idiot! Luisa wears her heart on her sleeve, and she gets hurt because of it. She thinks your friend is serious about her, and it's going to hurt her when she realizes it's not true."

Kris was ready to throw out another snarky remark, but seeing the genuine concern in Zeke's eyes, he sighed. "If it's any consolation, Alden really is into Luisa. I've never seen him so taken by a woman before." "I don't believe you!" Zeke retorted, returning to his disagreeable self.

"I don't care whether you believe me or not," Kris shot back. "Either way, it's still-"

He was interrupted by his phone ringing on the couch. He walked to pick it up, frowning when he saw that it was Alden.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a date?" Kris asked after answering the call.

"Kris, I need your help. Luisa's in trouble. She's being followed by a car." Alden's voice was grim as he spoke, and the sound of his car speeding could be heard in the background. Kris tensed. "Luisa? Where is she?"

"I'm sending you her location now," Alden replied quickly But you need to move fast,"

Kris was aiready heading for the door. At the mention of his sister's name and seeing Kris's serious expression, Zeke panicked.

"Why did you mention my sister? What's happened?"

Kris glanced at him, his face tight with concern. "Luisa was on her way to meet Alden, but she says she's being, followed."

The color drained from Zeke's face. "What? Give me the phone!"

"Alden, Zeke is with me, and he wants to talk to his sister, Kris said as he rushed out of his penthouse, pressing a button to automatically lock the door after Zeke stepped out with him.

"I'm looping her into a conference call," Alden replied. A moment later, Luisa's panicked voice filled the elevator. "Alden? I don't know what to do. There's another car that just blocked me off in front!" Luisa's voice trembled. with fear. Kris's jaw tightened. "Luisa, listen to me. Take a deep breath. You need to stay calm. Have they completely boxed you in?"

"There's a car behind me too," Luisa said, her breath hitching. "I don't think there's any way out."

Kris paused to think, then quickly asked, "Is there any space to reverse? Can you back up and make a quick turn?" Luisa glanced in her rearview mirror, her mind racing. "Maybe... there's a little room, but I don't know if I can make it." Zeke's voice cut through, firm despite his panic. "Luisa, you can do it. I know you can."

Luisa's lips trembled as two men, both dressed in black, stepped out of their cars. Then they began walking towards her car.