“Ladies and gentlemen!!!! Please have your seat! The event is about to begin!!” The M.C of the auction announced and everyone began to hurriedly take their seat in the large auction hall. Charles and Vera found a good spot amongst some other businessmen. “Charles, I hope you’re not bothered by what that man said.” Vera whispered, her eyes glimmering with pity. Charles smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to hearing such things from people like that. It hasn’t stopped me from achieving everything I’ve achieved. Besides, after the auction, he will learn to respect me.” Vera nodded. Within her, she believed that Charles was a very strong and humble man. She couldn’t imagine how much he went through in the hands of his ex-wife’s family. But he still remained humble. As everyone settled in the hall, the auction began. “Good day ladies and gentlemen. We are happy to have all of you here present for this auction. We have some breathtaking items up for sale and we can’t wait to start

Jefferson drove to the Adam’s mansion with a gloomy look on his face. He couldn’t stop thinking about his company and the possibility of bankruptcy. As he walked into the Adam mansion, everyone was already gathered in the sitting room. He scanned the looks on their faces and realized that no one was happy. Angela’s grandmother, Mrs Adam, who usually welcomed him with a smile on her face didn’t utter a word to him as he sat on one of the sofas.“Is everything ok?” He asked. “Nothing is ok.” Mrs Adam said almost immediately. “Our company is at the verge of bankruptcy. The Adam’s company is all we have to sustain this family and we cannot afford to lose it. We need your help to revive the company.” Jefferson swallowed. He didn’t know how he could tell them about his own company that was also on the verge of bankruptcy. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” Mrs Adam said when Jefferson didn’t say anything for minutes. “You promised to handle these things when you asked to marry Angela.

"What rubbish!" Angela yelled, wiping the dust on her skirt. The guards dumped them in the parking lot and warned them to never return. "How can they treat us like this? This is the worst company in the city?" Jefferson leaned against the wall, his mind heavy with disappointment and sadness. He couldn't believe that his back up plan had failed him. Dreamstone's CEO rejected him like a refuse dump on the street. "Are you going to say anything?" Angela queried, her face contorted with disgust. She was angry and at the same time ashamed. "You claimed to be good friends with the CEO, why did they kick us out? Did you lie?" "I did not lie!" Jefferson bit back. "Obviously, someone already got the contract and I'm sure the secretary didn't pass the message well to him. I will call my father and have this sorted out." Angela laughed bitterly. "Your father? The same man who couldn't come to our rescue when that secretary was embarrassing us?" "I'm sure that—""You're not sure of anything!"

“Wake him up!” Charles vaguely heard someone say but he couldn’t see anything. He was blindfolded and tied to a chair. Suddenly, the blindfold was removed and he found himself in an old, dirty room. The windows were broken, cobwebs clustered around the walls and it stank of urine. From his observation, it seemed that the thugs had taken him to an abandoned house. He glanced around the room slowly, his eyes slightly blinded by the rays of sun beaming into the room. There were about six of the thugs present and they were all glaring at him. Whoever sent them must have paid them a lot of money, he thought. “Mr. Charles, the newest millionaire in town.” The leader drawled, leaning closer to him. “Are you surprised you’re here? Are you shocked that all your money could not protect you?” He teased and the rest laughed. Charles tried to talk but his mouth was stuffed with clothes. He made a gagging sound and tried to break free but couldn’t. “That’s not going to help you.” The leader sa

Immediately after Charles left the Adam's mansion, the atmosphere within the sitting room turned cold. Mrs. Adam's patience had worn thin, and she lashed out at her son, Mark, her voice trembling with anger and disappointment."How could you wager our company for that hackathon? Do you understand the gravity of what you’ve done?!" Her words were sharp and filled with frustration. She had always been a strong believer in preserving the family business at any cost.Mark, struggling to maintain his composure, tried to explain the predicament he found himself in. "Mom, you don't understand. Charles has evidence against me. If I didn't accept the challenge, I would have ended up in jail. It's not like I wanted this."Angela, Mark's younger sister, chimed in, her voice filled with disdain for her brother's actions. "You are unbelievably foolish and reckless, Mark. Sending those thugs after Charles was a terrible idea. You're very unlucky he got away, but if you don't do everything in your p