Is this destiny?

Christopher had many days to think about the current situation, and confirmed that Marcus was not working with Jeff.

Christopher wonders: how is it possible that Jeff defended from all the attacks flawlessly?

He knows that Jeff has ways to get the information which others find impossible to obtain. Considering how close Jeff and Aiden are, it is reasonable to believe that Aiden helped his brother. But even if Jeff knew every step Marcus planned and had Aiden\'s support, it would take a lot of resources to repel all those attacks like they never happened. Marcus assured Christopher that forces under Jeff\'s command will not be enough to prevent most of the attacks, so... what happened? Of course, Christopher does not know about everything that Marcus planned, but the fact that not a single incident leaked is a sign how formidable Jeff is.

Ah, now Christopher knows that it was a major mistake to mess with Jeff. If he thought clearly then, he would either continue as a struggling artwork and antique dealer or would give up and return to his family business. Unfortunately, neither of those two is an option now.

He does not dare to go out, and even if he does, both his gallery manager and secretary told him that all of his potential customers canceled their upcoming meetings. His business is done. And he can\'t go home either, because that crashed as well. He was stupid enough to think that he can go against Jeffrey White and come out as a victor.

Christopher called number of his contacts, to see if they are willing to help him out, only to realize that they are not his friends. He didn\'t expect much from many of them, but even Vincent, Russel and Jasper refused to help him.

"You realize that you turned on one of us, right? Where did you find the guts to ask me to help you out? Friends? What friends? I am well aware that if I was your ticket to get benefits from Marcus instead of Jeff, you would not think twice before betraying me.", Vincent sneered before hanging up the call.

"I thought you are calling to apologize, or to tell me that it\'s a misunderstanding, or that you were drunk and made a mistake, but this… I can\'t wrap my head around the fact how shameless you are.", was Russel\'s response.

Jasper laughed at Christopher\'s predicament. "Do you know what is ironic? You just asked me to help you on an account that we are friends and you are in this trouble because you backstabbed a friend."

Christopher can\'t believe that after all that talk about friendship and sticking together, the powerful six… no one wants to help him out. Hmph! They are probably all afraid of Jeff.

He called Bradley more than once and when it finally connected, an unfamiliar voice told him that Bradley is in jail, awaiting his trial for murder... and now Christopher is scared. But that is now.

At that time, he was thinking about his business and how to grow. In his mind, rich collectors were coming in flocks and praising the selection of artwork that Christopher has, fighting to give the highest price and make him the go-to person for anyone who is interested in high-end art. He even imagined his parents admitting their mistake for doubting his capability and forcing him into family business.

Marcus swore that he has everything figured out and a lot of allies who will help to topple Jeff and… all of those were failures.

The doorbell rang, startling Christopher out of his thoughts. He checked the time and confirmed that it\'s a food delivery. It always arrives at this time.

Christopher opened the door and thought that he is seeing things. Why does this delivery guy look like Jeffrey White? Must be due to stress combined with lack of sleep because there is no way that Jeff will work as a delivery guy.

Christopher realized that something is wrong when two men dashed inside and dragged him all the way to the living room.

He watched in horror as Jeff walked toward him and sat on the sofa chair with his legs slightly parted. Jeff leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and his dark eyes looked like gates of Hell, ready to suck him into the realm of eternal suffering.

"Hello, Christopher…", Jeff\'s icy voice greeted him. "I hear that you are calling people and asking them to help you out. I must say that I am disappointed that you didn\'t call me. I thought that we are friends… but I realize now that from the two of us, I was the only one living in an illusion that there is a friendship between us."

"Jeff, I… I…", Christopher stuttered. He was not sure what to say, but he knew that if he keeps quiet, it can\'t be good.

"You what?"

"It was Marcus! He forced me!", Christopher screamed frantically.

"Forced you to do what?"

"He said that if I don\'t help him out, he will ruin my business."

Jeff\'s expression showed that he is not amused. "Christopher, when you saw those paintings in the gallery, you should know that I am aware of the deal you made with my Uncle. Don\'t insult me with lies."

Christopher struggled to breathe. Jeff knows, and he knew when they met for dinner! Why did he let him go? Why didn\'t he do anything then? "Why are you here?"

"I want to ask you one thing: was it worth it?"

Christopher lowered his head, ashamed to look at Jeff.

Jeff stood up.

"ANSWER ME!", Jeff\'s furious voice boomed inside the apartment. "Are you happy with the deal you got? Was turning your back on me so that you can run your little joke of a business, worth it?"

Jeff snorted. "The sad thing is that if you came to me for help... I would help you."

Christopher looked at Jeff and his chin shook. He regretted his decision, but there is nothing he can say or do to fix what happened.

Jeff made a small gesture with his hand. At the same time, four men came from the shadows and grabbed Christopher\'s arms and legs.

Christopher widened his eyes in horror when he realized that they are carrying him toward the balcony. This is seventeenth floor, there is no way he will survive a fall from this height!

"Jeff, Jeff!", Christopher screamed. "Come on! Nothing happened, right? My family is bankrupt. Isn\'t that enough? Even if we succeeded, it\'s just money!"

Jeff halted his steps and turned to Christopher.

"Just money?!", Jeff squeezed through his teeth. "What do you think would happen to me, my wife, my unborn children, my parents, or my brother if Marcus succeeded? Do you think that he would take my money and leave it at that? How can he take my money if I am alive and unwilling to give it away? And when I am gone, the one to get everything is my wife! Even if we give him all our assets, he would not leave us be because of the fear that we will come seeking revenge. He would wipe out my immediate family until he is the next in line to legally take JUST MONEY! And when he is done with my family, do you think that Marcus would collaborate with everyone who is loyal to the rightful successor to the White family, or would he clean up the ranks? Do you know how many people would be impacted? It is just the money, for you."

"OK. OK.", Christopher scrambled to pacify Jeff. "Sorry! I\'m sorry! I didn\'t know, OK?"

"The only thing you didn\'t know is that Marcus will fail so miserably. Do you know why he failed? Do you know why I am the strongest Master ever? Because I am not alone. You saw at our last dinner what people who support me get. We all prosper together because I don\'t forget who is by my side when it counts. Also, I don\'t forget my enemies either." Jeff narrowed his eyes at Christopher. "One twig can be easily broken, but when you put them in a bundle, it\'s a different story. Unfortunately for you, you are that one lonely twig who tried to defeat a bundle."

Christopher remembered how Russel got a deal with that bank from France and Vincent got a deed for his family\'s property. And he got a remote control for lights which revealed how Jeff is aware that he is traitor.

Jeff\'s expression hardened. "You wanted to be famous. For the sake of our history, I will help you with that."

Jeff gestured to four people who held Christopher. They carried him to the balcony and flung him over the railing.

The sound of Christopher\'s screams lasted for few seconds before it disappeared into the noise of the city.

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