Near Rick's Home:

I bailed out on Jasmine this morning. I should check up on what she wanted to say. I am sure it must be related to our wedding.

Rick stands near Jasmine's home. He puts forward a hand to ring a bell but the door opens before that.

"Hi, Jasmine," he says as Jasmine comes out. "Sorry I left in the morning in a hurry you wanted to say something?"

"Yeah, I had to talk about us." A smile turns up around her mouth's corner.

Rick smiles. "We can talk now."

"Actually I have to-" She gets interrupted by her phone ring. She picks it up.

"Are you here?" she asks over the phone.

"Yeah." A car horn confirms his presence.

"Okay, I'm coming." Jasmine hangs up.

"Taking revenge on me?" Rick raises his brows.

"I'm sorry Rick." She puts her hands over his shoulders. "We'll definitely talk later and I'll bring the pizzas that I've due on you."

He nods. Jasmine hugs him and gives a peck on his cheek. She parts towards the exit.

Rick looks outside in her direction. He sees a man stepping out of a Black Mercedes.

Who the hell is that?  Rick wonders and follows Jasmine with light steps. Jasmine goes in the car as Adrian opens it and bows to her.

Rick gets closer to have a good look. "You should stay in,'' Adrian calls out to her and walks closer to him. "You must be Rick."

Rick nods and forwards a hand expecting a handshake.

"I'm Adrian." He puts both his hands in his pockets. "Adrian Smith, her new boss."

"New boss?" Rick asks, puzzled.

"Yeah, I've bought The Frost Bar she used to work and also made her manager there."

Rick took a glance at him from tip to toe. A luxury car, a crisp black suit, and a stiff body language. You're wearing arrogance like pride.

"Generous man, doing out favors," Rick strikes on his ego.

"Not for all though." Adrian cracks his head to the sides. "See Rick I know you like her and all."

Rick narrows his eyes on him.

He continues. "But the thing is I like her too. And I'm kind of a man who takes what he wants no matter the cost."

"She's not a thing for sale," Rick infuriates. "And FYI we're getting married next month."

"That's not gonna happen." Adrian purses his lips out.

"Really? " Rick moves forward. He pushes him though lightly. "Watch me do it."

"You're waging a war here, Rick." Adrian pulls out his hand out of pockets.

Rick grips his fists and his whole body becomes stiff. "She would never be with a person like you."

"Let's see who wins this war," Adrain calls out smirking, and steps towards his car. "A war." He turns his head back for the last words.

Rick turns towards his building. But adrenaline halts him from moving further. "Who the hell is this guy?" Rick curses in disgust. He turns back towards the road.

The car is already gone. Rick books a cab to The Red Dragon.

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Near The Red Dragon:

Rick steps out of the cab near a red colored building. It has pictures of dragons and snakes made all over the wall. A giant metal door is in the center with a small door in the left corner. He steps in.

"Welcome," a man says from a small guard room near the gate.

Rick gets closer to the small window of the guard's room. "I'm Rick. Here to meet Chang Lee."

"Are you his student?" Guard asks.

Rick lowers his head to the sides. "An old one. I'll join again."

"The 1st floor right room is his office." Guard notes Rick's info on a register. "Take the staircase from there." He signals to a staircase on the right.

The place is dimly lit. And the walls are covered in deep red and black tattoos of dragons and snakes. Rick steps into the room.

"Look who's here. Rick Saunders in flesh and bones." A man in his 30s stands up from his seat and makes his way around the desk.

"Chang." They bump their fists.

"You haven't changed much. How much time has it been 6 years?" Lee narrows his eyes recalling.

They walk outside to get into a hall. "Hmm, I guess routine office work can do that. You on other hand have made it so big." He takes a view around the big hall that has many rooms on the sides. Open doors of some reveal boxing rings.

"Haha...I missed my favorite student though."

"Me too Sensei." Rick bows down.

"So what brings you back?"

"I guess I'm missing some thrills."

"Aha. You definitely are. So what do you wanna join? Apart from martial arts, now I've boxing too."

"How about both?"

"My man is back with a bang." He raises a hand for a high five. Rick bumps his hand.

They enter a room. The room has big tape in its center in a rectangle shape. Lee signals to get inside it. Rick unbuttons his cuffs and rolls them to his elbows.

Lee puts his both hands behind. "C'mon now."

Rick sprints towards him and forwards a punch on his right shoulder but he misses. He tries for left. Lee again backs his left side swiftly.

Rick puts one fist towards his stomach. Lee crouches in time thus his fist stays a few inches away. Lee gives a knee blow on Rick's face he trips and lands on the floor. "Huh? down already?"

Rick jolts up in a second. He swings his leg for a sidekick. Lee ducks. Rick greets his teeth and forwards a punch with full force on Lee's face. He moves to the side and gives a chop on Rick's chest. He stumbles backward.

"Speed and force are inversely related. You want the speed or force?" Lee asks, having his hands clasped to his chest.

"Both." Rick sprints towards him and jumps to kick him. Lee sits down swiftly. Rick flies above Lee to finally land on his knees. "Aah," he groans on hitting the floor.

"Can't have both, man!!" Lee comes and pats on his right shoulder. He forwards his hand, holding it Rick stands up.

"You need to cool down a little." Lee throws a water bottle from the table beside. Rick opens the cap and pours it in his mouth.

"It doesn't look like you came here just cause you got bored," Lee says, noticing the heat still radiating from Rick.

No. I'm here cause THE WAR IS ON. Rick reminisces his talk with Adrian. Only to feel more heat fuming under his throat. He empties the bottle.

"Well, I also missed your beatings." Rick chuckles.

Lee laughs. "You have had enough beatings for today I guess." Lee gets closer to Rick and they walk outside the room.

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At Rick's Home:

"Just in time, Son" Leyla opens the door with a smile. Rick steps in. "Get fresh fast and come we're just settling for dinner."

"I had some already, you all carry on," Rick says exhausted and heads for a shower. "He looks too tired," Leyla says to David and Ella sitting around the dinner table.

After getting fresh, Rick puts on a neck tee and pajamas. His knee still hurts so he walks slowly and falls on his bed.

Ella barges in with a big tray having 4 plates full of food in it. She stands beside the bed. "Should I put it on you?"

"What are you doing Ella?" Rick sits on his bed. "I said I'm full already." But he still makes space for the tray.

"Shut up and eat." She puts the tray and sits beside the bed taking a chair.

Rick takes a spoon of soup to his mouth but stops it there, noticing Ella taking a fork.

"What? I haven't eaten either," Ella clarifies before stuffing her mouth.

Ella observes the omnipresent sadness and silence of Rick for several minutes.

"So what happened between you and Jasmine?" Ella asks, taking her final bite.

Is she really a painter or a spy too? Rick wonders, clenching the spoon in his mouth.

"You can answer after finishing that," she says scrunching her nose.

Rick puts the spoon down. "I went to talk to her." He shrugs his shoulders. "She just bailed out on me for work."

"Just like that? She just went away?" She flattens her both hands in the air.

"She's now a manager so her boss came there to pick her up." Rick scratches his head.

"So what? ask her on the date for tomorrow." She points towards his phone on the bed.

"Yeah, I'll do that." Rick pushes the plate in front of him and leans on the bed.

"Should I talk to her?" she says fixing her eyes on his phone.

Rick glances at her face that says do it now yourself or I'll deal more aptly. "I'll text her right away."

He texts Jasmine. Dinner tomorrow night?  "Done." He puts his phone down.

The phone beeps up. He looks at it narrowing his eyes.

"She said yes? Didn't she?" Ella gets up to get a peak of his phone.

"No. It's from Matt. He says Breaking news!! you've been transferred to product division you'll be 2nd to CEO (Rick replaces Amy with CEO)."

"Wow, the groom and bride both got a promotion." She leans onto him and rubs his shoulder. "I'm very happy for you brother." She gives a peck on his cheek.

Rick stays almost frozen thinking it's good but why transfer now?

Ella takes the tray and walks towards the exit. "Thanks, Ella," Rick calls out smiling.

"FYI I'm not serving food to your room again." She chuckles and parts.

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