Hugo and Collins made their way through the grand mansion, their noses assaulted by the unmistakably tang and heavy scent of booze and sweat that clung to the air.


    It was chaos in the mansion.


    Around them, men and women danced with wild abandon, their movements a mix of grace andplete chaos.


    One woman spun so fast her drink went flying, drenching an unsuspecting man who smiled back and belched ridiculously, while a group of guys attempted an impromptu conga line that ended with one of them crashing into a table.


    "This ce reeks of sweat, booze and jizz," Collins muttered, sidestepping a puddle of spilled alcohol with a grimace.


    Hugo sighed but kept walking, his focus on the private area ahead. He wanted to get this over with as fast as possible and return to the heavenly embrace of his wonderful mistress back at the room.


    Just as they neared the hallway, strange noises began to echo through the air. Feminine screams. Ridiculous sounding ones.


    "Uh... do you hear that?" Hugo asked, stopping dead in his tracks.


    Collins tilted his head. The sounds were unmistakably feminine, but oddly pitched, like someone was trying to impersonate a seagull mid battle or outscream a banshee.


    "Ahhh! Ooooooh! No, no, yeeeees!"


    Hugo’s eyebrows shot up, and an internal dialogue began racing through his mind.


    ’Why does that sound like... oh, no. It can’t be... Could Sanchez actually be—?’ Hugo pped a hand to his forehead, shaking away the thought. ’Nope. Not going there. I don’t want to know.’


    Based on the sounds that he was hearing, he didn’t have the slightest bit of enthusiasm to enter the room. But in case his mind was too dirty for his own liking and it was actually something serious, he decided that he had to go in either way.


    He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but the awkwardness was unbearable. "Why does it sound so... not right?" he muttered to himself, reluctantly moving toward the door.


    Collins smirked. "Bet you five bucks it’s Sanchez being dramatic again." Collins had only just met Sanchez today, but he already had a good grasp of Sanchez’s personality.


    Even though he was a pretty chill dude most of the time, it was no doubt that Sanchez was dramatic! Too dramatic!


    Why else would he tell a grown ass man like Hugo to wear sports bra and a thong!


    It was ridiculous every time he thought about it!


    "I wouldn’t take that bet even if you paid me," Hugo shot back.


    They reached the door, exchanged a wary nce, and pushed it open. Hugo froze at the sight before him.


    Inside, Sanchez sat propped up on avish bed, looking utterly ridiculous. One leg was wrapped in a thick bandage that was haphazardly scrawled with "GET WELL SOON."


    Bent over him was a nurse—a very attractive one, in a tight outfit that left little to the imagination—applying some kind of gel to his hips.


    Hugo instantly identified her as the nurse who he had a terrible encounter with at the hospital after taking the te unlock pills.


    His brain short circuited. ’What... am I looking at right now? This looks like a rejected scene from a bad rom. Is this real life?’


    Sanchez’s face lit up like a theatre spotlight the moment he saw Hugo, his dramatic instincts kicking in instantly.


    "Cousin! My dear cousin! I almost died!" he eximed, throwing his arms wide as though expecting a hug.


    Hugo groaned. "What are you talking about now?"


    Sanchez’s eyes widened, as if Hugo had just asked why oxygen was necessary. "I FELL FROM THE ROOF! It was catastrophic! The harem gods themselves wept at my pain!"


    Collins snorted, struggling to keep a straight face.


    Hugo folded his arms. "You’re telling me you, a grown man, climbed onto the roof of a mansion and fell. And now you’re acting like it’s the apocalypse?"


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    "The sunset was calling to me! It was divine!" Sanchez dered, clutching his chest like a tragic hero.


    "Divine?" Hugo’s voice dripped with sarcasm. "The only thing divine here is your stupidity."


    "But cousin," Sanchez wailed, "I could have died! I saw my life sh before my eyes!"


    "And whose fault is that?" Hugo snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I was busy dealing with important things, and here you are making a scene—"


    "But I’m your family!" Sanchez interrupted, tears practically glistening in his eyes. "You should care more!"


    "I care about my sanity, and you’re ruining it!"


    Before Hugo couldunch into a full rant, Sanchez’s face suddenly paled. He clutched his chest dramatically. "My heart... it’s beating so fast...!"


    Hugo’s stomach dropped. "Oh no, don’t you dare—"


    Sanchez let out a loud gasp and copsed backward onto the bed.


    "OH MY GOD, HE’S DEAD!" Hugo shouted, panic taking over.


    "WHAT?!" Collins yelled, his eyes wide as saucers.


    The nurse frantically leaned over Sanchez, ready to check his pulse, when suddenly—


    "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Sanchez bolted upright, screaming like a banshee.


    "WHAT THE HELL!" Hugo, Collins, and the nurse screamed in unison, nearly jumping out of their skins.


    Sanchez blinked at them innocently. "Why are you all yelling?"


    Hugo’s eye twitched. "Why? WHY? You just faked your death, you lunatic!"


    Sanchez waved dismissively. "Oh, stop being so dramatic. I was testing you!"


    "Testing me?" Hugo’s voice rose. "Testing me for what? Whether I’d have a heart attack before you actually die?"


    Sanchez ignored him, suddenly grabbing Hugo’s arm. "Don’t leave me, cousin! I need you!"


    "I’m leaving," Hugo said tly, already turning to the door.


    "Noooo!" Sanchez scrambled off the bed, only to copse halfway to the door with another dramatic groan.


    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Hugo sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling. "Why does this always happen to me?"


    Collins shook his head. "Because the universe has a sense of humour."


    _____


    Power stone Goal!


    50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter


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