Greed

Feeling fulfilled with one of her many missions accomplished, Jasmine couldn't be happier. She walked into Tyler's room with an air of… Fulfillment.

He looked up warily, already imagining the state she would have put Laura in. "Madam…"

"You're going nowhere until I ensure my crushes will never get reformed." Sudden worry flashed in his eyes at her ruthlessness. "Never ever." She assured like that would make things better.

Tyler couldn't help shuddering. Never in his life had he met someone as determined, someone as menacing, and from the endless tales he had heard about Jasmine Reign, he had tried his best to keep away from her, knowing how well, as a Lawyer, she was feared, and yet no one could lift a finger against her. But Laura… Laura had foolishly put herself on the line, for what? To break a record? To seem powerful? Or what? 

He couldn't help himself from being sorry for being a part of her down-fall, but Jasmine Reign always won without even trying.

"Now tell me something else… Who's the Father of her Kids? And what kind of life did she even live to get pumped-up at 14?" She asked unfeelingly, a tinge of laughter in her voice as Tyler tried not to tug at his hair.

She couldn't say she didn't know all these already! She couldn't! She must have found out one way or the other, but was still trying to extract information from him. For what purpose?!

"Her Parents were pretty comfortable, right? So, she couldn't possibly have done it to help them out. What you say, Tyler?" 

He just stared for a while, blinking pitifully. "What else do you want to know, Madam? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't let her stay peacefully another moment once you got the information you needed, what else do you want?"

Her expression turned steelier than he thought it would ever get as her fluid movements lead her elegantly to the window, over-looking places that seemed like tiny insects from so high up. "Who doesn't want more than he has? Everyone thinks contentment is the order of the day, but no," she turned to him then, her eyes cold and calm and calculating and… "you want out of here because you're not 'content' with the place you're in, just like I'm not content with the information you have given."

He looked down at his hands, the truth hitting him. She couldn't have given a better example. He 'did' want more than he already had by requesting her to let go. So, in the face of such strong a defense, he had no right to judge her.

Tyler raised his head to meet her eyes, feeling a little smile tug at the corners of his lips for the first time in seemingly forever. "Why didn't you choose to read Law? It would have been magnificent for you."

"The World would be a boring place if every single body got what they wanted, Tyler."

"You wanted to be a Lawyer?"

"No. I wanted to 'rule'."

Tyler stared. She was ruling already. The Business World for instance, she ruled over all activities there. What else did she want to rule then?

"I guess greed comes in different levels."

"That they certainly do."

And a greedy person did anything within reach to get that thing he craved… Ranging on the 'level' of desperation. But, he knew Jasmine was anything but desperate. She had things to do other than haunt down Laura Lorins, to whom she accorded no kind of feeling at all. Laura had nothing to give compared to Jasmine, but when someone so high and mighty finally takes notice of something he never did before, Tyler knew the probability of letting go was a little less than 0.

Thus, in keeping his mouth shut, did it mean she would stop pestering him? He knew she had tricks up her sleeve to display when she thought it was worth it, but what were those? He wasn't sure, except that it was something which would make him speak in pain. She exuded that kind of personality; an aura that spoke volumes of lies and truths at intervals they were needed to her advantage, yet Tyler was not sure which were the lies… And which were the truths.

Plus he didn't even have an idea what was going on in the outside World… How Laura would be after getting thrown from the peak. That surely hurt the most. He just couldn't stay still when he knew he was going to say something nevertheless, come what may.

"It's one of these chronic diseases that turn people into things they have no idea about," her voice drew him back to the present, "and makes them do thing's' they don't want to even before they know it, don't you…"

"We have been Married for over 6 years now. Laura and I."

Jasmine blinked. She had not expected less by the way. For people who were just Lawyer and Client, they seemed too secretive to just want to be secret. Laura Lorins was a very loud person… She just didn't do secrets.

Jasmine offered him one of her most charming smiles, steadying herself on the window pane.

"Tell me all about it."

-----

"What do you intend to get on not finishing those papers, Briana? Getting thrown out? The Boss Lady is going to finish you, she's given enough warning already."

"Christine, don't bother about it. Can you not see she has been too busy to notice me?"

"Well, she's a good multi-tasker."

"I know. But haven't you heard the stuff about putting your mind to something and forgetting even the World existed?"

Christine turned to Abigail. "I… Don't think I have."

"Me neither."

"Good, cause it's not a real something."

"Then what were you trying to get at?" Abigail asked as she gave the Waiter their Orders. "What has been going on? You know you guys are up there, and we're, well… Down the floor." 

"Seriously." She chuckled with Christine and Briana only rolled her eyes.

"It's not about being up anywhere. Everyone in the whole wide world has heard what hit Lorins."

Abigail's eyes suddenly widened as she remembered the hottest news in Town. "Oh, my God, Briana! That Boss of yours can find anything hidden under the Sun!"

"It's been less than a Month, but she just… Squashed the girl like a bug."

"Squashed the what, Christine?" Abigail tipped up a brow at her. "She's an after 1, what are you saying?"

"It's after 2 actually. But you'd never guess she's got something out of her Womb." Briana laughed, watching Abigail dig a spoon in the soup. 

"She doesn't even look like it in anyway, Gods! Reminds me of that fairy-tale, 7 at 1 blow. And Abigail, stop stirring that, it's going to get cold." 

"Don't tell me what to do with my… Oh," she said all of a sudden, amusement bursting in her eyes as she looked on ahead, "what do we have here?"

Briana and Christine turned to the huge TV on the wall behind them. No wonder everyone's attention was drawn to behind them so intently, the Eatery had turned rowdy.

Briana's eyes narrowed at the Head-lines.

'Famous Actor, Laura Lorins, said to be Married to her B-Class Lawyer, Tyler Rylan.'