Immediately after he said that the man closest to him rushed at Brad, his broken pipe with the pointy edge was raised in the air, ready to strike Brad but his breath was knocked out as Brad sent a punch in his guts. The pipe fell from his hand and he let out a loud painful groan as he was thrown back.The others shook their heads at him. He was the second in command to their leader and they wondered how he had let Brad defeat him that easily. With a shout, they rushed toward him one after the other but Brad expertly sent a punch up their ass or in their face that kept sending them reeling back. The men who hadn't attacked yet and the ones who had managed to get back on their feet saw that Brad might turn out to be more of a challenge than they had thought so they decided to all go at him at once.Brad's muscles bulged. He saw that only his punches would not keep them away again so he picked up the broken pipe and baseball bat that had fallen. Brad's head turned from side to side as
Claire turned her head from side to side. She had first been worrying that it was taking Brad so long to get back then she noticed that her parents were nowhere to be found amongst the guests in the room."Are you okay?" Gary followed her gaze but didn't see anything peculiar.Claire turned to Gary. She managed a smile. "I will be right back."Gary's gaze followed her for a while as she walked toward a set of tables and chairs huddled together then he shrugged and turned away.Claire's brows were creased as she walked around the room for a few seconds. "Where had they gone?" She wondered where her parents were because it was rare that on an occasion like this, they would leave without informing her, particularly since it was her birthday.She decided to check outside.On getting outside, her gaze immediately falls on her parents’ back. They were on the balcony that extended from the entranceway. She saw that Rose was also with them. She hadn't even noticed that Rose was not in the roo
Claire's eyes gleamed as she pulled away from Brad. She was filled with sheer joy as she picked the earrings from the box. "I'll put it on," she said, already putting on the earrings. "How do I look?" She held her hair to the back so that Brad would be able to see the jewelry on her. Brad took in her grin and the glow on her face. He hadn't expected that the gift would make her this happy. He had just gotten it as an afterthought. "Brad?" He shifted his gaze to her ear when he heard his name. The earring was fine and it looked okay on her, he guessed. Well, he didn't know and he didn't care. He shrugged, "I guess it's okay. It looks fine on you." Brad saw Claire's cheeks turn pink even though her smile dimmed a little. "Thank you," she muttered. She had been expecting a more grand compliment but she guessed he was still coming around with the idea that he liked her. Claire glimpsed her parents still watching them from the entranceway. She could see their expressions but she co
Gary stood upright, removed the cigarette from between his lips, and squashed it with his shoe as he smoothed his jacket.He then made his way to the small commotion ahead."You know what?" Claire furiously turned to her mom, "Rose is saying all of this because she's so green with envy that I have a man and she doesn't!"Rose drew back and laughed, "Oh please, Claire, I'd rather die a spinster and spend the rest of my life with a pauper!" She eyed Brad as she completed her sentence.Claire was infuriated and she just wished she could blurt it out that Brad was not a pauper. If only they knew his financial status, they would all bow to him. "And how w-" "Now, Claire, you shouldn't have gone this far."Claire's retort was interrupted when a deep voice reached them. They all turned to see Gary walking toward them."What are you saying?" Claire's brows were deeply creased as she looked at Gary. Claire wondered why he was even outside.Gary stopped before Claire's parents and flashed them
"Shut it right there, Claire," Claire's mother burst out sternly. "Why will you have a man like Gary and still insist on a good for nothing?!" She passed Brad a scowl."Can you not see the stark difference, Claire?" Claire's father held her shoulders tenderly and tried to speak sense into his daughter's head. "Can you not see that Gary is responsible? Have you ever caught him in a fight or the company of criminals?""Dad," Claire furiously shrugged his hands off her shoulders, "What are you insinuating? That my boyfriend is a criminal?"Claire's mother closed her eyes in frustration. When she opened them back, she shouted at Claire. "Will you stop calling him your boyfriend?!""I will not stop because he is! Brad is my boyfriend!""So you want to spend the rest of your life struggling to get your basic needs, is that what you want?" Her mother held her gaze, "Your father and I have always made sure you have everything. Now you want to leave a very suitable and successful man and go fo
Ava jerked up from her relaxed position. "What?" "You heard me right, Ava. I don't want any of my assets, liquid or fixed, saved with Trust Financial anymore." As Brad answered, Ava quickly got off the bed and walked to her work table. She turned on her laptop and quickly went through the business emails wondering if Trust Financial was going through some issues that put their customers' properties at risk. When she found nothing, she checked trending news headlines too but there was also nothing. "Ava?" Brad's voice sounded over the phone and she remembered that she was yet to respond to him. "Sorry, I'm here. I'm just checking if Trust Financial has any issues. Why are you withdrawing your assets from them?" "I don't think they have any issue, at least none that I know of. And even if they do, it's not why I want to pull out." Ava pushed away from her desk. Brad's tone was definite, not up for negotiation. She pieced together that whatever reason he had was personal. "Is every
Claire looked back at the car again. If her brief knowledge of cars wasn't failing her, she recognized the car as a Jaguar model. If she didn't know how deep Brad's pocket was, she might have been swayed but now, she just rolled her eyes. She could bet her pinky toe that the amount of only the necklace Brad got her would solidly be half the price of that car."See?" Gary was looking at the car with pride. "Very different from these junks that wretched man gave you." He fingered the teddy and shoebox in Claire's arms and she defensively pulled them away from his reach. Gary chuckled, "For real, how much is a bouquet? How much are all these things out together? It wouldn't even feed a street dog for a week. This is what you deserve, Claire. It is what befits a royalty like you."Cakure let out a frustrated breath. If only this had happened some weeks back, when she hadn't made the deal with Brad then she would have been stuck with the arrogant Brute and she wouldn't even have an idea."
Not long after Doris and Gary had settled in a seat, Claire's father joined them. As they chatted amongst themselves, some of the women in the room, young and old, kept throwing lustful gazes at Gary which further increased the size of his bloated ego.Even Doris didn't miss the glance that everyone threw at Mark. That gaze of longing, subtle jealousy as they wished that they were in her place. It made her even happier that her daughter would marry a man who is wanted and loved by all. Claire will be the talk of the time."So tell me, Gary, where are you from?" Claire's father asked. "I mean, you don't look like you're from here, and at the same time, you look like you are." Since he joined them, he had joined his wife in questioning Gary about his life and intention towards their daughter as though he was a suitor who had come for their daughter's hand in marriage.Gary chuckled and some of the girls sighed dreamily. "I'm in-between," he answered. "My mother is Russian while my fath