Minus x Plus= Minus

After heading out, Daniel was pleasantly surprised by the sudden turn of events. But then, this can't be put as an excuse to avoid the family dinner. So, he ordered his chauffeur to drive to the Adley Family Mansion.

30 minutes later

The car stopped at the gate. Years before, his father & that woman used to invite the whole city for their anniversary. His father never did this when his mother was alive! But now, they only invite the closest friends & relatives. He took a deep breath and went in. As soon as Eddie saw him, she dragged him to the dinning table, "Bro, dinner's about to start, you're joining us. No excuses."

He nodded warmly but soon his expression turned sour when that woman approached him. She was clinging to his father's side. Shameless! Daniel cursed internally.

"Dear, everyone has been waiting for you to join us. Don't back off now", the woman called out in a sweet voice.

"Yes, Daniel. You heard your Mom. Do as she says", his father commanded sternly.

"Ah, don't be so hard", the woman coaxed his father. No she had casted a hypnotic spell on him that had not been broken for years. Practically a witch! A vixen! Daniel viciously gritted his teeth but he silently followed behind them.

At the dinner, he did some occasional chats & didn't avoid people much like before. Eddie registered this change in him. When the dinner was over, he excused himself & went out to the balcony for a breather. To be honest, the atmosphere at the dinner suffocated him. He lit up a cigarette & released few rings out of it. Then, someone tapped him at his shoulder. He turned around to see a handsome face standing in front of him. Daniel smiled, "Long time no see."

"Yeah, How're you doing?", His long time best friend, Jake, hugged him.

"Just fine", his gaze settled on the family of three. Jake followed his gaze & said, "Why don't you tell your sister the truth? It's already been so many years."

"I can't. I don't want to ruin the good image she has of her mother. Moreover, she'll be hurt. I can't blame her."

"Hmm...I see."

"I found her."

"Huh? You did? That's great! But her recent scandal..."

"About the scandal...we both know that she wrote everything herself" , Daniel said with a gloomy face.

"I know but, she's someone who breaks down easily."

"Not anymore. She used to be like that."

"Anything you know? Who did it?"

"Rose", Daniel added with a straight face.

"Huh? Isn't she her best friend?"

"Namesake."

"I see. Dan, I shall take my leave now."

"Bye", Daniel replied without looking at him.

"Bye."

---

Brigand Mansion

Rose was wracking her brain to come up with some lyrics when her phone bombarded with messages & alerts. She was annoyed. But, nevertheless she checked her phone. What she saw, made her eyes pop out of her sockets. Was her luck not on her side? Firstly, she was blackmailed to pay 8 million. Secondly, Alice was prompted to breach her contract. And the compensation? It was paid by her on money.

Minus x Plus = Minus

Someone again hacked into her account & very shamelessly posted a long text. It said, "Very sorry dear guys, but BLISS will officially retreat for a while. I'm not sure if we can come back. But R.I.P to our BLISS. Thanks for your continuous support."

The comments that followed were hilarious. The top comment said, "Our honest Rose did justice to BLISS. They finally took their retreating backs. R.I.P BLISS. May your souls rest in peace."

The word 'honest' was filled with mockery & disdain. Looks like an anti-fan in disguise. Many even opted for memes out of these. Very soon, her phone was bombarded with calls from various media outlets. But worrywart Jenny just rushed to her mansion. "Rose!", she yelled furiously, " What's the meaning of all this? Have you gone berserk? You announced your retreat? Just like that?"

Rose was cursing her deep down in her heart, but she kept a straight face. Did Jenny forget that their website was already hacked a few days back?

"Answer me!!", Jenny yelled again.

"Did you forget that our website was already hacked a few days back?", Rose yelled back.

"That...that...", Jenny stammered, "but I already customized it."

"Then say, the hacker is a professional one."

---

Alice was busy enjoying the comments online. She nearly rolled off her bed as she laughed, clutching her stomach. 🤣

But, this didn't stop her thoughts from running back to what happened at her meeting-turned-date. Or more of a professional date. She blushed immensely at the thoughts. As a result she had a hard time falling asleep. She kept on tossing & turning in bed as the scenes kept playing in her mind. Finally she sat up & let out a deep sigh. What kind of silly feeling is this? It doesn't even let you sleep at night.

Just then her phone rang & "Dan❤" appeared on her screen. She especially added the heart so that she won't mistake him for someone else. Oh! How could he compare to someone else? She answered it immediately.

"Hello!"

"Can't sleep?", came his seductive voice.

"Uh huh!"

"Shall I coax you?"

"How?"

"Open the door."

"Huh?"

She rushed to the door & opened it to find Daniel outside her apartment. He was still in the same tuxedo. She blinked to check if she was dreaming.

"Am I dreaming?" , she called out softly.

"No you aren't", he said, pulling her in for a hug.

---

Jake entered his Villa but didn't switch on the lights. He sat down heavily on the sofa & was in a daze. He came back after so many years only to find out that Rose cheated on her best friend. Back then, he studied so hard just to court her & be worthy enough for her. Maybe his eyesight was too bad. He thought of the wrong person as someone perfect.