Chapter 12

Attorney Stephen listened and then said, "Are you saying that you plan to step into the entertainment industry? Does your father know?"

Adam smiled confidently and replied, "Since I turned 18, my father has never objected to any of my decisions."

Stephen nodded. "Oh, I see. Alright, give me some time. I'll screen the best film production companies available for purchase according to your requirements and handle the transaction for you. You won't need to do anything."

Adam chuckled. "Haha, I knew you'd say that. I'll leave this matter to you, Attorney Stephen." With that, he began outlining his specific requests.

Their discussion lasted quite a while. Since two grown men had no reason to linger in a café after business was concluded, they exchanged farewells and left.

By the time Adam stepped out of the café, night had already fallen. Knowing that Tony would be waiting at home and having no other plans, he drove straight back.

The moment he entered his house, he realized he had made a mistake—he shouldn't have trusted Tony to come alone. A small party was in full swing at his villa, with a group of bikini-clad models and Tony, wearing only beach shorts, frolicking in the swimming pool.

Adam frowned and shot Tony a look before sidestepping a few models trying to approach him. He went straight into the living room, relieved to find it securely locked by Athena, preventing the guests from entering. Clearly, the alcohol supplies had also been arranged by Tony.

Adam rubbed his forehead. "Good job, Athena."

Athena didn't appear but chuckled. "I figured Tony would do this as soon as I received his message. Out of curiosity, I checked his location at the time and saw that he was texting you from a fashion show. So, I prepared in advance."

Adam laughed. "You really know Tony better than I do, huh?"

Athena replied matter-of-factly, "It's not that I understand him deeply—it's just that this is the sixth time he's brought women into this villa. I've marked him as a high-priority subject, so whenever he approaches the house, I track his whereabouts and activities for the day in advance."

Adam shrugged. "Let's not go overboard. That's invading his privacy. In the future, wait until he gets close and then see who he's bringing before deciding whether to intervene. After all, he's my brother."

Athena responded, "Understood." Though she was an advanced AI with a developing sense of human emotions, she still found social interactions somewhat perplexing.

At that moment, Tony strolled in, grinning with a few lipstick marks on his face. "Bro, you've gotta do something about Athena! She wouldn't let me into the living room, so I had to hold the party outside. It's so embarrassing!"

Tony had only learned about Adam's AI assistant Athena a few months ago. Naturally, he just saw her as an advanced program and had no idea she was capable of independent thought.

Adam said flatly, "I think the one who needs managing is you. Didn't I tell you before? If you want to throw a party, use another villa or book a club. I even gifted you a bar for your birthday so you wouldn't keep bringing people here."

Tony pouted. "How could those places compare to this villa? And, come on, bro, you're so stingy. I just wanted to have a little fun here. Or do you have some secret you're hiding in this house?"

Adam replied calmly, "I just don't like hosting parties at home. You know that. I hate having strangers in my space."

Tony shrugged. "Alright, alright. You're such a bore. I don't get how you earned your playboy reputation."

Adam smirked. "I own three of the top clubs in town and host a party in one of them every week. What do you think?"

Tony's jaw dropped. "You've never invited me! I'm your brother, man! You really are stingy."

Adam chuckled. "Fine, I'll invite you next time. But you get it now, right? Home is for resting, so I don't throw parties here. The only reason I've let you use the yard a few times is because you're my brother."

Tony paused for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. So, what now? Do we keep the party going?" He sounded a bit reluctant now that his brother had spoken. After all, no party was more important than family.

Adam grinned. "Why not? But we're changing locations. Let's take the girls to my bar—you'll find way more fun there."

Tony's eyes lit up. "Seriously?!"

Adam nodded. "Of course. Go tell your girls—we're spending the night at Verdant Bar!"

Tony cheered and rushed out. Moments later, the sound of excited screams erupted from the yard. Verdant Bar had recently gained a reputation in Manhattan as an exclusive, high-end venue, so a free VIP experience was an irresistible opportunity for the models—maybe they'd even meet a wealthy suitor.

After Tony left, Athena asked, "Are you going out too, Master?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah. You know Tony's basically run away from home, so I'll go talk to him tonight."

Athena acknowledged, "Understood."

Adam smiled. "Good. If anything important comes up, message me."

Athena replied with a soft chuckle, "Got it, Master."

Smiling, Adam left the living room and, accompanied by the beautiful models, headed to Verdant Bar.

---

After a night of revelry, Adam woke up the next morning with three stunning models beside him. He smirked in satisfaction, then got up, took a shower, freshened up, and left the bar. Before departing, he left instructions for the bar manager to issue VIP cards to the three women—not for unlimited access, just a 40% discount, which was still a significant perk.

The night before, he had spoken to Tony about his situation. Tony had left home because their father, Howard, had missed his graduation due to urgent business. Feeling slighted, Tony had argued with him and stormed out. Since both were prideful, neither backed down, and Tony hadn't returned home in a month. Fortunately, he had enough savings and Howard hadn't frozen his accounts, so he was living comfortably, indulging in a carefree playboy lifestyle.

After their conversation, although Tony stubbornly insisted he wouldn't go back and claimed he was "grown-up now," he agreed to visit their mother—because, in the end, she was the one suffering the most from the family feud.

But that was settled. No need to dwell on the past.

Now, Adam was sitting quietly in a café, Love & Home, typing away on his laptop. He had a habit of coming here once a week, ordering a pot of tea, and writing in a corner. This place held special memories—it was where he had met a girl who profoundly impacted his life.

Back in high school, haunted by fragmented memories and unsure of his direction, he had met her—a girl who loved writing. She often worked here, and their encounters followed a classic romance trope: first meeting, first date, first everything… all tied to this café. Sadly, she had passed away due to illness. In her memory, Adam had bought the café, turning it into a repository of his cherished moments.

Now, he was working on a screenplay based on his novel. The story itself was inspired by those inexplicable memories in his mind—a love story between a vampire, a werewolf, and a human girl. He called it Twilight. In his memories, this story had been written from a female perspective, but as a man, he naturally reworked it into a male-driven narrative, adding his own creative twists.

He didn't understand why he had these memories, but instead of fearing them, he embraced them—turning them into novels and films.

Just then, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen—a message from Athena.

It was brief: "Mage, XXXX."

A single term and a set of coordinates.

Adam immediately understood—the escaped magician had resurfaced.

***

Enjoying the Story? Unlock More with Premium Member!

Support my translations and get exclusive benefits by subscribing to Premium Member for just $7 on Patreon! As a Premium Member, you'll gain access to all my translated works and advance chapters, so you can stay ahead in the story.

Join now and help keep the translations coming!

➡️ Patreon.com/TRfak3r

Your support means the world to me—thank you!