All This for a Watch

I was Nicole Grantham's kept man for three years. I had nothing going for me except my looks. Even her younger brother said I wouldn't last three days outside the Grantham family. I didn't care. After all, I used to head the Global Financial Order Council. Back then, I worked myself half to death, coughing up blood almost every day. Now, all I wanted was to lie around and do absolutely nothing. No job to report to, no decisions to make, and an eight-figure allowance deposited into my account every month. Who in their right mind would give up a life like that? Then twelve overseas funds joined forces to short the Grantham Group. Nicole's father was forced to resign, and both of her older sisters were sent to prison. Even Nicole, who had always seemed capable of handling anything, found herself cornered at the negotiating table and pressured to surrender all her shares. The woman sitting across from her glanced at me and smiled with undisguised contempt. "Don't worry, Miss Grantham. Once the Grantham family goes bankrupt, I can keep this kept man for you." I remained silent for a long moment. If the Grantham family really collapsed, where would I ever find another backer this generous? So, just one second before Nicole put pen to paper, I walked over, took the head seat at the negotiating table, and dialed a number I hadn't used in ten years. "Suspend all trading in the Avelian markets. Then notify the heads of those twelve funds. They have half an hour to get here and explain today's events to me on their knees," I demanded. Chapter 1 The day the Grantham Group fell apart, I was at the mall buying a watch. The saleswoman, clad in white gloves, held it out for me to inspect. It was the only piece of this season's limited edition available anywhere in the world. I did not even ask the price. I simply handed her the black card Nicole had given me. The card reader let out a sharp beep. [Payment Declined] The saleswoman's smile froze for a fraction of a second before returning to normal. "Mr. Jensen, there might be a problem with the bank's system." I stared at the screen. For the first time, the words [Insufficient Balance] flashed across it. I had carried that card for three years. I had used it to buy yachts, sports cars, and even a beachfront villa whose address I forgot the moment I finished touring it. Not once had a payment failed to go through. I pulled out my phone and called Nicole. There was no answer. Normally, whether she was in a board meeting or on a plane, my calls never rang more than three times before she picked up. I was about to call again when a sudden commotion erupted outside the store. Several reporters rushed toward the entrance of a jewelry store owned by the Grantham Group, snapping photos furiously as workers took down the sign. On the massive digital screen overhead, the Grantham Group's stock price continued to plummet. In just half an hour, nearly 2 billion dollars in market value had evaporated. The news headlines grew more alarming by the second. [Grantham Group Chairman Suspected of Financial Fraud, Formally Resigns from All Positions] [Grantham Family's Eldest and Second Daughters Taken In for Questioning Over Cross-Border Financial Case] [Twelve Funds Jointly Announce Unlimited Short-Selling Campaign Against the Grantham Group] The saleswoman quietly took the watch back. I looked at her. She immediately lowered her head, no longer daring to meet my eyes. Just minutes earlier, she had called me "Mr. Jensen" every other sentence and asked whether I wanted to see the latest custom-order cufflinks while I was there. Now, the Grantham family had barely run into trouble, and she had already decided I could no longer afford anything. The world really was that cold. With no other choice, I returned to the Grantham residence empty-handed. … The villa was in chaos. Lawyers, accountants, and company executives packed the living room. Everyone had a phone pressed to their ear, their voices growing more frantic by the second. Nicole's father, Leopold Grantham, sat in the middle of the sofa, looking as though he had aged ten years overnight. Her mother, Dorothy Briggs, had bloodshot eyes and kept asking for news about her two daughters. When Connor Grantham saw me, the anger he had bottled up all day finally found an outlet. "The Grantham family is about to go bankrupt, and you're out shopping?" His eyes fell on the shopping bag in my hand, and his face went pale with rage. "Lionel Jensen, do you even have a heart?" I sighed. "There was a watch I really liked. I couldn't buy it. The card wouldn't go through." Connor's face turned livid. For a moment, he was too furious to speak. "How did my sister ever fall for a heartless thing like you?" he grumbled. An exhausted voice came from the doorway. "Connor." Nicole walked into the living room with her suit jacket draped over one arm and her silk blouse slightly wrinkled. She must not have slept in a long time. Her eyes were bloodshot. Yet when she saw me, she still stopped and pulled me into a hug. "Don't listen to their nonsense." I nodded and kissed her with a smile. "Wifey, you're always the one who's good to me." Connor turned and stormed off. Nicole did not scold me. She simply pulled a new bank card from her wallet and pressed it into my hand. "This one still works." "How much is on it?" I asked. "10,000,000 dollars." I frowned. The cards she used to hand me without a second thought had always carried at least nine figures. Nicole could tell I was unimpressed. She fell silent for a moment, then brushed a few loose strands of hair from my forehead. "Make do with it for now." … That night, no one in the Grantham family ate. I sat alone in the dining room and finished all six courses the chef had prepared. At 2:00 a.m., the light in the upstairs study was still on. I went up to find Nicole, intending to ask when my old card would start working again. Just as I reached the door, I heard the lawyer speaking in a low voice. "Miss Grantham, the twelve funds have already seized control of all the Grantham Group's overseas accounts. If we can't secure funding before the market opens tomorrow, the company is finished for good." The study remained silent for a long time. Nicole finally spoke. "Liquidate all my personal assets. Also, arrange a plane." The lawyer froze for a moment. "Are you leaving?" "Not me." I opened the study door. Nicole stood behind it. Her expression faltered for a moment when she saw me. Then she placed a passport and a plane ticket in my hand. "Pack your things. Tomorrow morning, I'm sending you out of the country." Chapter 2 "Where are we going?" I asked. I flipped through the plane ticket. It was for some island nation I had never even heard of. Nicole said the climate there was pleasant and that the country had no judicial assistance treaty with the Grantham Group. I did not understand the second half of that sentence. "Is there a mall there?" The lawyer in the study gave me an odd look. Nicole answered patiently anyway, "There is." "Can I get limited editions there?" She nodded. "I'll have someone ship them over regularly." "And my monthly allowance?" Connor walked in just in time to hear that last part. He snatched the ticket from my hand and slammed it onto the floor. "Lionel, is money the only thing you understand? "My father was forced to resign. My two sisters are still locked up. My sister is about to sign over her last private account just to protect you. And you're still thinking about your allowance?" I leaned against the doorframe and said nothing. Nicole turned to him, her voice cold. "Pick it up." "Sis!" "I said pick it up." Connor clenched his jaw, but eventually bent down and picked up the ticket. He shoved it back into my hand, his voice low. "Isn't money all you've ever cared about? Take the money and go. Don't ever come back and drag my sister down again." Nicole's expression darkened. On the other hand, I did not believe the Grantham family would actually fall. I truly did not take any of this to heart. Besides, I was Nicole's kept man. The most important job of a kept man was to eat well, play well, and live comfortably. I obediently went back to my room to pack. The closet was crammed with everything Nicole had given me over the past three years. Suits, shoes, and watches filled two entire floors of shelving. I picked out a dozen or so of the most expensive watches, then emptied the safe of all its gold jewelry and packed everything into my suitcase. The moment I zipped it shut, a loud crash came from downstairs. I walked to the second-floor railing and saw several people in uniform sealing off the Grantham family's private collection room. Paintings were being taken down from the walls. The wine cellar and garage had already been sealed with tape. Dorothy tried to stop them, but Leopold caught her by the arm. "Let them take it." His voice sounded old and weary. "These things belonged to the company to begin with." When Nicole came back inside, a woman followed close behind her and handed her a document. "Miss Grantham, 8:00 p.m. tonight at Atmos Club. The representatives of the twelve funds will be waiting for you. This is the final negotiation." The woman's gaze slid past Nicole and settled on me. She looked me up and down, then smiled knowingly. "Mr. Jensen, you're here too." Nicole stepped aside, blocking her view of me. "What do you mean by that?" The woman withdrew her gaze. "No need to get tense, Miss Grantham. Our CEO, Miss Montreux, already knows how handsome the kept man you've been supporting is. If tonight's talks go smoothly, she wouldn't mind taking him off your hands." The words had barely left her mouth when Nicole slapped her across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the living room. The woman's head snapped to the side, and blood quickly welled at the corner of her lip. The living room erupted into chaos. Nicole's bodyguards rushed forward and forced the woman several steps back. She steadied herself and smiled. "Miss Grantham, and here you are, still putting on airs at a time like this. If you aren't there by 8:00 p.m. tonight, your sisters' cases will go through the official transfer process. And once that happens, we won't be talking about a few years behind bars anymore." After the woman and her companion left, Nicole stood frozen in place and slowly lowered her reddened hand. Dorothy covered her mouth and burst into tears. Leopold closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging completely. Nicole turned around. By then, she had already forced the fury from her face. "Move the flight up. We leave now." She had her assistant take me to the airport while she got into another car. I sat in the back seat and watched Nicole's car disappear into the night. The assistant started the engine. "Mr. Jensen, Miss Grantham has already arranged everything for you." "What about her?" The assistant said nothing. A bad feeling rose in my chest. 'There's no way the Grantham family would really…' I met the assistant's gaze in the rearview mirror. "Turn around." "Mr. Jensen, this is Miss Grantham's order." "If you don't turn around, I'm jumping out of the car." The assistant held out for a few seconds before finally doing as I said. Chapter 3 On the top floor of Atmos Club, only one VIP room was still lit. When I pushed open the door, Nicole stood in front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window. Representatives from the twelve funds sat on both sides of a long table. They varied in age and nationality, but each had an identical black folder laid out before them. A beautiful young woman sat at the head of the table. It was Simone Montreux, the woman who had orchestrated this entire hunt and had once been Nicole's most trusted friend. Nicole's expression darkened the instant she saw me. "Who told you to come here?" "I missed you, so I came to find you," I replied. "Go back." I ignored her, walked over, and sat beside her. Nicole stared at me for a few seconds before sighing. "Stay here. Don't say anything out of line." Simone watched the two of us with open interest. "You can't even save yourself, yet you still have time to worry about your man." She raised a hand, and a lawyer immediately slid a merger agreement across the table to Nicole. "Hand over all your shares in the Grantham Group. Admit to three years of illegal business practices. "Sign it, and Mr. Grantham can retire in peace. Your two sisters can be released on bail as well." Nicole quickly flipped through the agreement. By the time she reached the final pages, her eyes had turned completely cold. "You're after more than just the Grantham Group." The agreement made that perfectly clear. The moment Nicole signed, every trust, property, and private holding under the Grantham family's name would become subject to joint recovery. Everything the Grantham family had built over generations would be swallowed whole. Simone picked up her wine glass. "Do you have any other choice? Trading in Grantham Group shares will be forcibly suspended at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. By noon, every creditor you have will be at your door. As for your two sisters..." She smiled faintly. "Whether they live or die in there depends entirely on how cooperative you choose to be." Nicole's fingers slowly tightened around the agreement. She did not sign, but Simone seemed in no hurry. Instead, her gaze shifted to me. "So this is the one you've been keeping for three years?" Twelve pairs of eyes turned toward me at once. Someone let out a soft laugh. Another made no effort to hide the contempt in their eyes. "He really is good-looking." "No wonder Miss Grantham spent so much money on him." "I heard he even got his college diploma from a school Miss Grantham donated a building to." Nicole's brows drew together. "He's mine. None of you get to comment on him." Simone swirled the wine in her glass. "Then Miss Grantham should sign first. Once the Grantham Group goes under, this kept man of yours won't be yours much longer." Nicole did not move. The bodyguards behind Simone immediately shut the VIP room's door. I frowned and instinctively covered the watch worth millions on my wrist. "Aren't we here to talk business? Why does this feel more like a robbery?" The room fell silent for a moment. Nicole closed her eyes. Then Simone burst out laughing. "Nicole, what exactly do you see in him? The Grantham family is about to be finished, and all he cares about is his watch. Is a man like that really worth three years of your money?" Nicole looked at her coldly. "That's none of your business." Simone leaned forward slightly and looked me over as though sizing up merchandise about to be auctioned off. "Mr. Jensen, Nicole won't be able to afford you much longer. Stay with her, and soon you won't even be able to afford the watch you're wearing." I looked up at her. The mockery in Simone's eyes deepened. "Behave yourself, and I'll take over keeping you. 1,000,000 dollars a month. Is that enough?" The representatives from all twelve funds burst out laughing. Nicole rose to her feet with a smile, grabbed a fistful of Simone's long hair, and slammed her onto the table. The next second, all four bodyguards drew their weapons. Four cold muzzles pointed straight at Nicole. Chapter 4 Simone didn't struggle. "Think this through before you do anything. If something happens to me, the Grantham family won't have a single person left who can sign that agreement." Nicole stared at her. At last, little by little, she loosened her grip. The smile vanished completely from Simone's face, and her expression turned cold. "Miss Grantham, my patience has limits. You will sign this agreement tonight, whether you want to or not." She placed a pen in front of Nicole. "As for him, I don't mind if you let me have my fun with him." Nicole pulled me behind her. "Dream on." Simone glanced at her watch. "Half an hour until midnight. If the agreement isn't signed by then, the remaining 4 billion in the Grantham Group's overseas accounts will be forcibly liquidated. "Miss Grantham, take your time deciding." Nicole did not look at her again. She turned to me and gripped my shoulders, lowering her voice. "Whatever happens next, don't be afraid. Felix Collins is waiting for you in the underground garage. The moment that door opens, you go with him. Immediately." I looked at her. "Is the Grantham family out of money?" Nicole paused. "Yes." "But I want to keep spending yours." The last trace of light in her eyes seemed to dim. She fell silent for a moment, then answered gently anyway, "All right. I'll find a way to earn more." The VIP room's door suddenly burst open. Connor stumbled inside, his hair disheveled, his face pale, and his breathing ragged. "Nicole, you can't sign it. The lawyer just sent word. The moment this agreement takes effect, every asset under our names will be seized." He grabbed Nicole's hand. "Our sisters got word out too. They'd rather sit in prison than have you hand over the Grantham family." Nicole said nothing. Simone spoke coldly. "Mr. Grantham, have you still not figured out where things stand? You people are in no position to negotiate terms." Connor turned and saw me. Fury exploded in his eyes. He grabbed my wrist and shoved me toward the door. "Get out of here. Now. Take the money my sister gave you and get as far away as possible." I did not move. Connor clenched his jaw, his voice cracking with an urgency he could no longer hide. "Lionel, aren't you the one who's terrified of hardship? The Grantham family is finished. My sister can't protect you anymore. "Simone doesn't actually want you. She wants to use you to humiliate my sister. Go now, while you still can." Simone raised a hand. "Who said he could leave?" Two bodyguards stepped forward and blocked the door. Nicole pulled both Connor and me behind her. "I'll sign." She picked up the pen from the table. "But you let them go first." Simone smiled. "Too late for that. A moment ago, the Grantham Group was the price for letting him go. Now the Grantham Group belongs to me. Both of them stay." Nicole's eyes turned cold in an instant. The bodyguards behind Simone stepped forward in unison, the black muzzles of their guns hovering only inches away. The representatives from all twelve funds watched with detached expressions, as though they had already divided the Grantham Group's assets among themselves. A blonde woman among them looked me over. "Don't worry, Miss Grantham. Once the Grantham family goes under, we can take over the expense of keeping this little kept man for you. As for your brother, we'll make sure he eats and dresses well too." A low ripple of laughter swept through the room. Connor's entire body went rigid with fury, but he still stepped in front of me, shielding me from the leering looks directed my way. "None of you gets to humiliate a member of the Grantham family." I watched his back, then looked at Nicole. Simone tapped the table. "Ten minutes left." Nicole pulled the cap from the pen. Connor gripped her hand tightly and shook his head, his face ashen. At that moment, a call from Leopold came through. Nicole put it on speaker. A long silence followed on the other end before a single weary, aged sigh broke through. "Sign it. Keep them safe first." Nicole closed her eyes. The pen descended toward the agreement. "Wait," I said quietly. Everyone turned toward me as I stepped out from behind Connor and walked straight to the head of the table. Nicole frowned. "Lionel, don't do this." I ignored her. The logos of all twelve funds were laid out across the table. I looked over each one carefully, making sure I had not missed a single name. Then I pulled an old phone from my pocket, one that had been switched off for years, and dialed a number. The line rang once before someone answered. I looked down at the merger agreement in front of me and spoke calmly. "Suspend all trading in the Avelian markets." Then I raised my eyes and swept my gaze across the twelve representatives. "Also, notify the heads of all twelve funds. They have half an hour to come here, get down on their knees, and explain themselves to me."