Hollywood Zenith

The night Samuel was leaving, he revisited the Reyes residence to mend things. He did receive a report regarding her meeting and that she showed up without showing any signs of distress.

At least she was not so mad as to forget about work. With this deal, She and Rosaline would soon embark on a journey to become media persons. With the rise of technology and his excellent media empire Samuel was sure she could quickly become a famous person online.

The rest was up to them, he did invest some capital in their company, but there were no solid restrictions on his part. It was only a tiny start-up right now, but Samuel knew with the likability of Liliana and Rosaline, they would soon grow it to a medium size business.

Samuel tried his best, but Liliana refused to see him. Seeing that he was going nowhere with her, he tried to meet Isabella, but she, too, was cooped up in the room as soon as he arrived. He tried to talk to her through the door, but she did not reply.

He apologized for his behavior and promised to meet him when she was ready. He knew it was not enough, but there was nothing else he could do about it.

Going to Liliana again, he did the same thing. He also asked her not to hold her sister accountable and took full responsibility for his mistake. He also added that if she didn\'t want to see him again, she could text him and never see his face again.

He also urged not to burn any bridges because of him. It was not the fare for anyone else to take the blame. After which, he simply left.

He also asked Sibylla to send a lengthy message to the girl group telling them about his departure to Europe and his prolonged absence from their life for a few months. He separately texted Adele informing if she still wanted to collaborate, she could tell him, and he would make some time for it.

After saying goodbye to Sibylla, he drove toward the airport, where Darren awaited him. He was going slower as his mind was preoccupied with future thoughts.

" Maybe it\'s for the best... No matter what I seem to do when it comes to girls, I tend to act like a fool-" Samuel thought and sighed.

" Are you already giving up? I thought you were better than this!" Apollo made his abrupt appearance in his mind.

" Mentor? It was about time you showed up!"

" How can I not? My precious pupil was in a dilemma. I have to guide you to the right path!" Apollo said with confidence.

" Do you have a solution then?" Samuel asked with some hope.

" Beg! Beg till the end of the world!"

" Fuck! That\'s what you call a solution! I already apologized. Now you want me to beg!" Samuel beat himself for even trusting him with a proper answer.

" You are the holder of Harem King title. These things are bound to happen. You have to manage your women better in the future." Apollo tried to lift his spirit.

" Am I running a brothel or something? That\'s it. I am applying to become a monk and leave all my earthly desires!" But it ended up backfiring in a big way.

" What the hell are you saying? After all the trouble, I went to the"

" Wait! Don\'t tell me this is your doing!?" Samuel was hearing about it for the first time. Could he even do that? He thought deities couldn\'t interfere with mortal worlds?

" I didn\'t do anything. I told you a number of times it is your fate. Have you ever considered how you found yourself in this mess? You have actively challenged your destiny regarding this thing; it\'s about time you accept it!"

" I don\'t want to! What is my destiny anyway?"

" I don\'t know, but all I know is that even this conversation we are having has already been known to the source of knowledge; it holds everything, and if it chose you for such a title, it had deemed it necessary to do it." Apollo didn\'t give any concrete answer.

" I have my own will. As I said, can I become a priest or something? That will definitely do the trick!"

" Can you? You are much too kind to be a coward. And on the topic of will, who said you don\'t have free will? The source only holds the record of everything; it doesn\'t add anything or influence it in any way. Even deities have their own fate; no one is excluded." Apollo said seriously.

" Alright."

" This would never have happened if you were using your titles properly. You have so many options regarding the Harem King title, but I don\'t know why you are actively suppressing it! Utilizing it, you would have a much better connection with your partners; they would be much more understanding." Apollo suggested.

" Really? REALLY! This stupid power would make them insane if I went all out! They would become mindless sex robots!" Samuel despised him for saying it.

" I am joking. But you have to agree you never fully explored your powers, and you always tend to conform yourself to social norms daily when we both know you are far from a normal person."I think you should take a look at

" hah... Why am I even talking to you?" Samuel gave up.

" Don\'t lose hope, kid! Now you are practically single and ready to mingle!" Apollo added.

" You keep learning these weird things, but I will tell you beforehand nothing like that will happen. I don\'t need more headache going over this."

" You say it like you have a choice. You can hide it from others, but I know that you have been suppressing your urges quite a lot these days."

Samuel stayed silent, it was hard for him to admit, but there was a fundamental shift in his mind along with his power\'s growth. Even if Samuel was like this, Apollo was not worried; someday, his pupil had to accept his future, either the hard way or going through stuff like this.

Samuel didn\'t know, but a surprise was already waiting for him when his flight reached his destination. Someone was already waiting for him, and it was all put in motion by Darren\'s simple mistake.

...

...

...

At the same time, Steve and his team underwent a different ordeal. Zero had fed them the intel, and they went after the missing children through transportation.

" Are you sure it was this port?" Steve asked Five, who accompanied them during this mission.

" Yes, master interrogated the people himself. They gave out all the information regarding their inner workings from which we could identify this private docking company was the prime suspect in our investigation."

" Okay, how are we going to do this?" Jane asked. They didn\'t know how much time they had left before the people behind it got wind of it. So they hastily put up this mission to find the remaining clues.

" Here," Five took out a high-resolution satellite image and pointed at a specific location.

" This is our main target, a medium size yacht that could fit about fifty adults or a hundred kids. The person operating the boat is the one we are looking for; we have to capture him alive at all costs, along with any of his possessions." Five explained.

" Are you taking charge of this operation?" Arthur asked.

" Yes, since my team knows most about the terrain, it\'s only natural for us to do so." Five said. Arthur was still a bit hesitant but nodded to acknowledge their position.

" My team will meet you there, and you can neutralize anyone except him." Five showed them the photo of a middle-aged man; he looked normal, but seeing him in charge of smuggling children that were far from the truth.

" Do you understand?"

""" Yes!""" Everyone acknowledged his authority.

" Now, first, Ze will park the vehicle here along with Drac. I want Cho to guard them in case of emergency." Five paused to look at their faces.

" It is a private company that mostly caters to wealthy people. So the security is tight, but I will install a remote bug on my way inside. That way, Adrian could disable the security cameras."

" Got it!" Adrian was still held up here courtesy of new developments in the case.

" Steve and Jane will go inside along with Arthur, who will guard them from the shadows. We must transport this person out of the facility under the guise of something mundane like delivering supplies for someone inside."

" Can\'t we use the water route?" Steve asked.

" No, the water is too cold, but my people can easily handle it. The same can\'t be said for you guys. We must absolutely not show our presence anywhere. Even a small boat has quite a risk of being spotted, so we must do it this way." Five elaborated.

" Okay. What\'s our cover then?"

"  Don\'t worry about that; I have arranged a perfect one for you!"