Outside, the music was so deafening it could trigger a heart attack.


    Inside the room, it was eerily silent.


    In the dim light, Jareth was dressed in a sleek ck suit, his silk shirt unbuttoned revealing a silver n*e that moved with his steady breathing. His long legs were casually crossed under his trousers, a ss of red wine in his hand.


    A drop of red wine trickled down the corner of his mouth. Hezily wiped it away. His demeanor rxed but his gaze cold and unweing.


    In the room, a line of Jareth’s men stood in the shadows


    Jareth finished his wine and snapped his fingers.


    The crowd of b*dyguards dispersed, revealing a man tied up and beaten to a pulp on the floor.


    “Mr. Jareth. I was wrong. The man’s speech was slurred, his teeth shattered, his words apanied by drool and blood.


    “Your blood’s staining my carpet


    Jareth looked at the man with visible disgust, “Do you have any idea how expensive this carpet is? Even if I sold all your organs, you wouldn’t be able topensate for it.”


    “Mr. Jareth?”


    The man crawled towards Jareth, only to be kicked away.


    “Mr. Jareth, I’ve been loyal to you for years. I just made a mistake. It was Gary who threatened me! But he didn’t ask me to do anything just to report on your movements”


    Gary was Jareth’s uncle


    When Jareth was seven, his father died in a ne crash, leaving them in a difficult situation. Fortunately, his father had transferred all his shares and assets to them beforehand, preventing others from taking advantage of their vulnerability.


    Now, the Fairhaven Group was under Barry’s control. Even though Jareth was the eldest grandson of the Fairhaven family, the position that should have been his father’s was taken by his uncle.


    Over time, it became clear that his uncle, who had cried the most at his father’s funeral, was deceitful and cunning. He pretended to take care of them, but was actually plotting against Jareth all along.


    This was something his frail mother, Mrs. Jareth, and naive sister, Edith, didn’t know.


    As the head of the family, Jareth bore all the pressure, never confiding even in his best friend, Thaddeus.


    “You sure know how to plead,” Jareth said, “Do you think I’ll show you leniency because you’ve been with me for so long?”


    He let go of his wine ss and it shattered on the floor, his icy gaze making the room feel even colder.


    The man kept knocking his head on the plush carpeted floor, begging for mercy.


    “You betraying me isn’t a big deal. Any sessful man is bound to have a few traitors. But where you went wrong was not sticking to your betrayal. You should’ve stuck to your lie. Then maybe, just maybe, you could’ve lived a bit longer.”


    In another corner of the VIP booth, a ludicrous scene was unfolding


    Edith had connected all the cameras in the Sapphire Nights Club to arge screen in their booth, the view following Mari for their amusement.


    The girl was like a deer lost in the woods, panicked and helpless.


    Edith and her friendsughed heartily, finding the whole spectacle incredibly amusing.


    “She’s just as clueless as she was in middle school!” Edithughed, pointing at the screen, “Has she stopped growing or what?”


    Mari, on the other hand, was frantically searching for her stuffed bear, getting pushed and pulled by drunken patrons, harsh words thrown at her when she managed to dodge their advances.


    The whole groupughed, enjoying every moment of it. They found it more entertaining than anyedy show.


    Edith, stillughing, turned to one of her friends, “Glynnis, where did you hide her teddy bear?”


    Glynnis leaned in and whispered something in Edith’s ear, causing her to burst outughing even more.


    “Brilliant! She’ll never find it!


    Mari, oblivious to the mockery, was desperately searching for her bear, rummaging under tables and chairs, enduring countless kicks and bruises in the process.


    Suddenly, the club lights changed.


    Paper confetti floated down from the ceiling, covering the dance floor.


    The crowd cheered, moving to the rhythm of the music, lost in their revelry


    “My teddy, where’s my teddy”


    Mah was single-mindedly searching for her toy, oblivious to the chaos around her.


    All of a sudden, her sweat and tear-streaked face collided with a warm “wall”


    1*?—-


    The impact was so strong that it made her see stars, her nose ached and tingled, and the tears brimming in her eyes sshed out. Tm sorry”


    Mari hung her head low, wanting to flee, but the “wall” moved and blocked her way.


    I’m sorry I really am!”


    “Mari?”


    Her heart pounded wildly as she covered her little nose and slowly lifted her doe-like eyes.


    What she saw were Jareth’s eyes, slightly hazy, thick, and profound.


    “I’m not dreaming, am I? It’s really you!”


    The next second, Jareth paused, threw his arms wide open, and wrapped Mari in his embrace. His left arm cinched her waist, his right hand rested on her nape, protecting her against his chest.


    After all, the dance floor was chaotic, and these adrenaline-fueled guys could get reckless and inadvertently hurt her.


    Mari’s heart beat like a panicked deer. Her trembling hands rested on Jareth’s shirt.


    She wanted to push him away, but after a night of aimless wandering, she finally found sce. She just wanted to hide in his arms for a while, even if it was only for a second or two.


    She shouldn’t be doing this. She shouldn’t.


    He was a good guy. But he was Edith’s brother.


    People on the dance floor were surprised and amazed to see Jareth himself. His appearance was like a God descending from the heavens, eliciting gasps of surprise.


    That face made countless men weep and women scream.


    His attractive eyes were famously captivating, soul-stirring, and seductive in all of Elmsworth!


    At that moment, those enchanting eyes were fixated on the girl in his arms.


    The glitz and mour, the hustle and bustle, seemed to be cut off from them. Their eyes only held each other.


    “You came to a ce like this, alone?” Jareth asked in a voice only they could hear.


    Mari nodded, and then shook her head.


    “What happened? Tell me “His eyes darkened for a moment, but his voice was gentle.


    1 lost my teddy bear.”


    Mari didn’t want to say it at first, but his question made her unable to hold back her grievances. Tears poured down her cheeks.


    “Jareth, my teddy bear is gone. It was a gift from my sister-inw, my favorite teddy bear.”


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