Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Tiana watched the video, her face first twisting in jealousy and disgust before she suddenly fell into deep thought.

Jerry hesitated before asking, "Mrs. Rhodes, this video could seriously impact the Rhodes family's reputation. Should we have someone take it down?"

Tiana immediately waved her hand. "No need! Send out a company-wide notice under my name—every single one of Rhodes Corporation's 500 employees is required to share and repost this video at least once."

Jerry looked at her in shock. "What?"

Tiana smirked. "Don't you see? This video couldn't have come at a better time. It's the perfect distraction to bury all the bad press the company was getting before. Now, this is all the public will talk about."

...

Meanwhile, at Bane's mansion, Michael was undergoing treatment to detox his system.

Bane said, "Mr. Rhodes, your body is fine. You just have some lingering effects from a strong aphrodisiac, which left you overheated and exhausted. You'll be back to normal in a couple of days."

He gestured for Michael to put his pants back on.

Michael gritted his teeth. "It's not just that-I have a splitting headache too. What's causing that?"

Bane answered, "That's from a heavy blow to the head. Think-did someone beat the hell out of you recently?"

Michael's mind instantly flashed back to Shiloh's veiled face, and his expression twisted in rage. "That bitch!"

The last thing he remembered was getting slapped by Shiloh so hard he blacked out. When he woke up, he had already been moved to Bane's place. What happened in between was a complete mystery. All he knew was that he had woken up feeling feverish, unbearably restless, and with a pounding headache.

Just then, his phone buzzed with a new message. Michael glanced at it and frowned. "Why the hell is someone sending me a video? Boring."

A second message popped up from another contact-this time, with a comment.

[Michael, congrats! You're an internet sensation now. I downloaded your masterpiece and saved it for future viewing. Gonna enjoy it every now and then!]

Michael's annoyance spiked. The message was from a guy in his social circle- one notorious for his disturbing, degenerate taste in videos.

Michael always found his content repulsive. He mumbled, "My masterpiece? What the hell is he talking about?"

Confused, Michael clicked on the video, determined to see what kind of trash he had been sent. The screen lit up, and instantly, a horrifying scene unfolded before his eyes.

A hairy-chested, hairy-legged man was on screen, dressed in nothing but a skimpy lace lingerie set. He was caressing himself, moaning in exaggerated pleasure, his body twisting and convulsing in ways that were both suggestive and absolutely disgusting.

"Fuck! I knew it! What a goddamn pervert, a freak! Whoever the hell this is, if I

ever find him, I'll beat him to death!"noveldrama

Michael exploded in fury, his

stomach twisting in revulsion. The

sight of a man acting so

shamelessly made him sick to his core worse than if he had been force-fed garbage.

Bane, hearing the commotion, casually glanced at the screen. Then, his whole body stiffened.

He paled as he slowly turned back to Michael. "Uh... Mr. Rhodes... that guy in the video... isn't that you? Why the hell are you cussing yourself out?"

Michael's blood ran cold, and his pulse pounded in his ears. A creeping, horrifying realization clawed its way into his brain.

He thought there was something familiar about the man in the video. He had dismissed it at first, thinking he had seen this freak somewhere

before but could poor €

where. As he took another look, pure terror crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

Michael let out a bloodcurdling scream and hurled his phone across the room.

"No! That's not me! It can't be me! Who did this? Who the fuck did this to me? I can't remember anything! How did this happen?! Why's this happening?"

His cries were so gut-wrenching, so full of sheer devastation, echoing throughout Bane's mansion.