The CEO's Rose Chapter 103: Disaster

Mark’s POV

Mark was a grown man.

Not only that, he was a successful banker in his own right. Soone who did not have to depend on his rich parents in order to survive. But for so reason a lot of people seed to forget that banking was his actual occupation. Most of them were of the belief that Mark was actually Ryan Terrell’s babysitter.

Sure, more often than not, if his best friend could not be reached, then Mark would either know where he was, or could make a fairly accurate guess. But that did not an that it was his job to be looking after Ryan. That entire day a lot of people, from the ones that Ryan often did business with to his own employees had been bothering Mark.

Just because he was too friendly to ignore a call, that did not give them the right to abuse his patience. But they had been doing it for hours now, and the banker felt ready to snap. No one seed to get that and they kept calling and calling.

Everybody wanting to know where Ryan was, what was up with him, what was going on. At first, Mark had simply brushed them off with the usual...

’I am sure he is very busy. Once he has done his latest project, he will reach out,’ But when the calls had kept coming, he had decided to get in contact with his friend, going as far as to call Ryan on his personal number. A number that only Mark and a few other people had. He had fully expected to receive an answer.

But when his own calls had gone to voicemail, the banker had begun to worry that sothing had to be wrong with his friend. The never-ending calls had not helped lessen his worry at all. Now that his work day was finally over, Mark was making his way to his friend’s penthouse.

He hoped that whatever he found there, it would not be too horrible. Most likely Ryan had been having so fun with Vivian Rose, and the two of them had gotten carried away, losing the majority of the day as a result.

It was disgusting to even think about. But that possibility was way better than all of the other outcos that all sohow seed to end with Ryan dead in a ditch sowhere.

***

The mont that Mark let himself into Ryan’s place, all hopes that his best friend had been AWOL from the world because he had been holed up with Vivian Rose instantly vanished.

The place was a ss. It looked almost as though a bomb had gone off in there. If there was one thing about Ryan, his friend did not like making too much of a ss.

So for the place to be in the state that it was in was very worrying. There was a half empty bottle of alcohol on the couches, there were other empty bottles on the floor. So of them shattered, the furniture had been moved around, there was clothing strewn all over the place, and there was even a vacuum sealed container of peeled grapes half covered in what looked to be sand. Had Ryan been holding a burial for them?

What in the world had happened?

Making his way through all of the ss, careful not to ruin his expensive shoes. Mark silently began searching for his friend.

The way he saw it, there were only two reasons that would explain the state of Ryan’s penthouse. Either he’d had an epic party the night before, or there had been an attack. But if there had been a party he would have known and would have probably been first on the invite list.

So most likely his friend had been attacked.

But that one also did not make much sense. He had passed by the security downstairs. None of them had seed particularly worried. Could it be? Had his friend been attacked by a top-level assassin, sobody who had sohow managed to sneak into the building, disable all of the security and then attack Ryan.

Phone in hand, ready to call either the police or an ambulance. Mark finally gave into temptation and called out.

"Ryan? Ryan are you there? If you are alive, call out. In fact, even if you are dead, call out," He finished the last part with a little hysterical giggle. Doing his best to push down the panic trying to bubble up.

Just as he was about to give in and call the authorities. There ca a groan from behind the kitchen island. Rushing over,

Mark stepped over the disaster zone that was the living room. Not at all liking the way that the glass crunched beneath his shoes. Shaking off the disgust, he walked around the island and sure enough his friend was laying on the other side.

***

Crouching down next to the fallen man. Mark reached out and felt for his friend’s pulse. It was not weak and thready.

In fact, it was very strong. Had Ryan simply fallen and been unable to get up. Moving his hand higher, he tapped his friend on the cheek lightly. Only stopping when bloodshot blue eyes snapped open and glared at him.

"Oh, thank goodness. I actually thought that you were dying there for a mont. Why is the place such a ss and why on earth are you on the floor?"

"Ugh," Ryan said instead of giving an intelligent answer and Mark instantly leaned back. All of his questions answered.

"You sll like a brewery," He told his friend, fanning his hand in front of his face in an effort to disperse the sll. But now that it had reached his nostrils, there was no getting rid of it, ( at least he now knew where the alcohol in the shattered bottles had gone).

"Did you seriously blow off everyone just because you wanted to get drunk Ryan? That is very irresponsible. What would Vivian think?" During most of his rant, Ryan had not seed to be paying attention at all. But the mont that Mark ntioned Vivian Rose, the man’s entire face darkened.

But just as quickly as the darkness was there, it was gone, replaced by a sadness that Mark had never seen on his friend before.

Oh.

"What is it? What is wrong?" He asked. Pushing himself up, Ryan got to his feet and Mark straightened as well.

Still giving Mark a sad look, Ryan shrugged.

"Whether I am to get drunk for the next ten years and just spend my money wildly. Vivian Rose will not care. She does not care about anything that has to do with . That is why she ended things between us,"

What?