ARMANDS POV

SALT LAKE CITY: HAMPTON INN

The gaming conference took longer than I anticipated as the plan was to have it in the morning hours of the day and then throw a cocktail party in the afternoon and this would give me a chance to sneak out of it and go back to the office where there are less people and more desk work. The enthusiastic teams from Japan and China had arrived for the launch of the new AI algorithms for the games from Armand Inc. chose to extend the conference and even proposed a five-year partnership as they were impressed by the young development team we had recruited, harnessed, and trained. The hotel was filled with security guards and the security team from Armand Inc. left no chance for anyone to mess around.

"Chairman, Senator Davis Liam, and High Court Judge William Doe arrived an hour ago. "My head of security Maximillian reported in the earpiece that I wore in my left ear as I sat in the VIP launch catching up on the emails.

"Who else has come from the foundation?" I asked through the mouthpiece as I scrolled through the reports sent through by Mark James, my younger brother and deputy president of Armand Inc., and Elise Laurie James, my adopted sister and legal advisor of Armand Inc.

"Patrick Morris, the Foundation's secretary general, Oscar Thomas, the Ambassador and PR Manager, and Whitney Gordon, the head of security," Maximilian reported.

I smirked and was intrigued at how Gregory Marks never gave up on causing trouble for me all these years. I remember when I was starting, and he insisted on buying shares to help me grow.

"Armand, you will never make it without my help" He had taunted me but years later Armand Inc. rose and became the number one company in Utah. The announcement left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he even went ahead to use Senator Davis Liam to try and suppress me. When he failed, he sought the help of High Court judge William Doe to build a case against us and the license issued for operations. But the other judges were not having it, and he lost the case. Since then, the enmity has now been in the open while I tightened the laws around me and announced that I would never stand for anyone who dared attack Armand Inc.

"Keep your eyes open and report to me in case anything happens "I stood up and left the VIP room that was on the top floor of Hampton Inn with the bodyguards hot on my heels. My steps faltered when I heard the loud sounds of someone being whipped in the room at the end of the hall. I slowed my steps as the bodyguards moved ahead to check on what was going on. I raised my hand to beckon them to move aside as I stealthily and then I peeped inside the room and the view that hit my eyes made my body freeze.

My nemesis Gregory Marks stood at the centre of the room, in a crisp suit, black gloves holding a leather strap tightly, his face held a grim of determination and hatred. The air was thick with an unspoken rage and each breath he took was filled with anger. Gregory's eyes were cold, and his mouth was drawn tight, his anger a tangible force that seemed to press against the walls of the room. The air was thick with tension, heavy and suffocating. Kneeling next to him was a young man, wearing a white shirt and black pants, whose eyes were fixed on the white tiled floor as his back was stiff and his hands were fisted at his side.

"What did I tell you about disobeying me, Eli?" Gregory growled.

I expected the young man called Eli to flush when he heard the sound of the strap being swung through the air, the leather made a sharp stinging sound and it sliced through the space between the two of them and then it reached Eli's back and I saw him flinch from the force.

.

"I'm sorry, Dad," The young man Eli spoke up and I was surprised at how steady his voice was. "I'll do better. I promise."

"You are a bastard that I allowed your mother to give birth to and that means you will be at my beck and call at all times. "The whips followed each other one by one and at the number ten, he stopped.

"I will listen to you, Dad" He responded as the red colour of blood was evident on his back.

I felt a pang of anger and then something else, something that I had not felt in years. The need to protect the man called Eli rose and I made a mental note to investigate his whereabouts.

"You think you can defy me without consequences?" Gregory's voice was low and menacing, each word a deliberate caress of intimidation.

"I never defied you, Dad. I never got the opportunity." Eli defended himself.

"You know what's at stake here, Ben. You're not just putting yourself in danger. You're putting your mother at risk too. If you think you can defy me without consequences, think again." Gregory Marks snarled at him.

The devil must have possessed me as I moved into the room and Gregory Marks turned his head toward me.

"I never pegged you for a person who turned his son for a punching bag" I drawled from the door" The reaction from the two men in the room was comical as Gregory Marks snickered while Eli Mark's sigh of relief was evident.

"Mind your own business" Gregory snapped at me but stood back and pushed the hand that was holding the strip of leather behind him.

I nodded as I responded "I can but there is a conference going on in this hotel and I doubt you would want anyone snooping in and finding out what a piece of work you are. "

Gregory Marks growled but the sound that made my body freeze was the suppressed chuckle that came from Eli. The sound went directly to my cock, and I moved into the VIP room, took a seat, slid down majestically, and crossed one leg over the other. Gregory Marks walked to the window of the VIP room cursing as he looked out of the window. Eli chose that moment to raise his head and in that mundane moment, my world was subtly, yet irrevocably, altered.

His eyes, wide and curious, sparkled with vitality as my gaze locked with his, with fascination that felt both foreign and deeply familiar. His eyes- deep, mesmerizing pools that seemed to hold an entire universe within them. They were a striking shade of blue, so vivid and intense that they felt almost otherworldly. It was as though the essence of youth, of possibilities, was reflected in those bright eyes and unrestrained laughter. For a brief, intoxicating moment, I felt as though I was peering into a mirror of what might have been, or perhaps what I had longed for but never dared to chase. Eli turned his head away sharply and his intake of breath was unmistakable.

"Go back "Gregory Marks raised his hand and dismissed Eli Marks.

Eli nodded, stood up, and turned on his heel as he walked towards the door, out of the VIP room, head lowered and I heard him curse, his voice was low, a dangerous growl, struggling to escape from between gritted teeth. Each syllable was a burst of fiery indignation, a reflection of the pain and betrayal he felt, and then disappeared in the side stairs of the hotel.

When I turned around, Gregory Marks was staring at me with piqued interest and I stood up, smirked at him, left the VIP room, and walked back to the VIP room that I had left previously as the bodyguards followed me.

"Maximilian, I need you to give me details about Eli Marks. Do it discreetly and don't let anyone find out that you are asking about him, especially that bastard Gregory" I pressed the earpiece and instructed Max.

"As you command Chairman Armand" He responded hurriedly.

"You are so fucked up Gregory Marks" I muttered in annoyance as the image of Eli's eyes remained imprinted in my brain.