Grandfather Ashley stood up and greeted everyone who was present. They were all his friends or business associates, well distinguished men who were within his rank in the business world. The dinner was strictly on invitation and no one below the top social ladder was allowed to come in. In this hall were men whom ordinary people would never have the chance to meet in their lives. Having greeted them, he officially announced his retirement and handed over the company to his grandson Jake Frederick. Jake got up from his seat and was greeted with a standing ovation. He got to the centre of the hall where his grandfather was standing and stood beside him. The only people who had seen him when he entered were the few close friends of his grandfather who were seated on the same table with him. Now, his grandfather was showing him off to the world as the new CEO of the Frederick conglomerate! Camera's clicked as Jake took his stand besides his grandfather and bowed low. He was officially the
Aidan was about stepping into his car when his phone rang. He took it out and when he saw the caller ID, he slid his hands across the screen and answered the phone call. It was one of his friends from Everest university. Springfield university and Everest university were one of the popular universities in the area and the children of rich and proud men attended the school. Aidan was one of them. He had a circle of friends whom were in the same level with him financially. The loved to show off and spend money on trending things. They also had a group chat for only the ten of them from different schools. “Hi Aidan. Have you heard the latest news?”“What's that Dan? What news?”“The new heir to Frederick conglomerate is Jake Frederick!” Dan disclosed. “Humph!! You have to be kidding me. How can that low life be the CEO? That isn't true. It's a joke, right?”“I'm not kidding. You know what, check the news blogs, check the group. The gist is everywhere!”“I'll do that now.”Aidan hung up
Jake sat in front of an large, exclusive style table, made of high quality mahogany wood. He was tapping away on the keyboard of his laptop and the air conditioner and fan buzzed in a corner. He adjusted the swivel chair in his office and stretched himself. This was his third day as the CEO of the conglomerate. “No one told me this work could be tiring too,” he muttered. His office was well befitting of a CEO of his rank. It was typically spacious and elegantly designed. It had floor to ceiling windows that offered a parabolic views of the city. The office had a mix of modern and classic furniture pieces such as a sleek conference table, plush sofas and armchairs. Decorative elements like plant vases and sculptures added a touch of elegance and personality to the space. There was a bespoke bookshelf with books neatly arranged in it. The lightening was smart and beautiful, creating a comfortable and immersive environment. On the wall hung a very beautiful photograph of the CEO, Jake
“Young master, you have an invitation for the business gathering in three days. Should I accept it?” Richard asked, bowing low before Jake. “What are these kinds of gatherings about? Is it something that requires my presence?”“Yes sir. Moreover, you are a VIP there and this meeting is for the business men and moguls in this vicinity. In the past, Sir Ashley never missed any single one of them.”Jake took a deep breath. The gathering was on a Saturday and he had planned to have a long rest that Saturday. However, since his grandfather had always attended it as the CEO of Frederick conglomerate and a special position was always arranged for him, he did not want to let them down. This was his first public appearance and he didn't want to disappoint them. Moreover, Jake wanted to get acquainted with more people in the business world since he would soon be dealing with them directly. Therefore, Jake decided to attend the gathering. “Fine. I'll be there. Let me know my schedule for today
It happened that Aidan and his group of friends also belonged to the second grade families. They joked and laughed about their recent achievements. Food was served and they continued chatting while they were eating. Evan, one of the guys from Everest university looked around and caught sight of Jake Frederick, seated with a very beautiful young woman. “Isn't that Jake? What's he doing in the area for second grade families? And he's even seated with a pretty girl! I'm sure she's from a wealthy home too!”The others turned and looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, Jake was seated with a beautiful girl! He was enjoying the privilege reserved for rich kids! What more, he was smiling and eating in the same space with them. He's a mere waiter who's job should be to be at their beck and call! “That's him. So bold of him to be seated here,” Dan added. He took some spoonfuls of his food, drank some water and stood up. “He needs a reminder that he's a poor brat, and I'll do him th
Jake hadn't seen that coming, neither did Emelda and the others seated with him. When Aidan stood up, Jake was relieved that he was going to leave with his friends, although he didn't expect it to be that easy. Unfortunately, Aidan had other plans and the next thing Jake knew was that a clear coloured liquid flowed down his face and stung his eyes. His hair and clothes were also stained with spicy food. “What? How can you do that?” Emelda said, staring at Aidan in surprise. This was bully and as far as she was concerned, it was uncalled for. They could have handled the matter in a civilized way and Jake would have to return to his post and face appropriate punishment. Although she was disappointed in Jake, she didn't expect Aidan to take such rash actions. “He deserves even worse than that!” One of the guys on the table offered his unsolicited opinion. To him, Aidan didn't even do anything to Jake. He deserved worse than that. “How can you say that? Waiter, get a towel quick!” Emel
“Mr Thane!” Dan said when he found his tongue. Mr Richard Thane was a popular man in the country as well as city and was respected by all and sundry. Everyone knew how powerful he was and so, no one wanted to be in his bad books. He could blow up a family and render them bankrupt in few seconds! Aidan was still standing in front of Jake who hadn't left his arm. Instead, Jake twisted it even more painfully.“Are you crazy? Let go! Can't you see Mr Thane here?” Aidan spat.“What's going on?” he repeated firmly, a light frown on his face. Just then, the announcement was made again for the reception of the biggest CEO in the country.“This thing is causing a nuisance and I'm only putting him in his place. He dared to sneak in here and eat our food,” Lyle explained dutifully. Mr Thane turned and looked at the supposed nuisance. Hell no! That can't be his boss dripping of food and wine! He looked like he had been dipped into a pot of soup and was a huge mess. “Young master Frederick!”
It was an entirely different Jake that stepped out of the bathroom. Clean, fresh, powerful and handsome. No one would even believe he was untidy and dripping of food some minutes ago. His hair was well washed, neatly combed and well styled. His clothes were from the most famous designers and they fitted him as if the clothes were specifically made for him. With Richard and the guards beside him, he walked majestically to the front of the room and bowed politely. Firstly, he apologized for showing up late. “Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues and honoured guests. I want to start by apologising for showing up later than expected. Please, note that it was not a reflection of excitement or my commitment to my new role as the heir, but rather an unexpected circumstance I couldn't avoid. As I stand before you today, I'm honoured to take the reins of power for this incredible conglomerate. Most of your companies are under our conglomerate and I want to assure you that our company's
Jake was seated with his mother in his car. Luckily for him, her surgery went well and she had fully recovered now. She lived with him for sometime before Jake insisted on getting her own house. “You deserve the best, mother. Let me give you that life. You've been through a lot,” he had said. He got her a house, had it furnished and employed household servants to be at her beck and call. They had just finished his grandfather's funeral. It had taken a lot of time to convince his mother to attend his funeral. According to her, there was no need coming to the funeral of someone who wanted her dead. She said she was only coming because Jake insisted and she was coming to let him know that she survived all his evil plots and stayed alive while he died. On looking out of his car window, he saw Emelda, standing straight and looking very beautiful. “I'll be right back, mother,” he said to her. He didn't come with a driver because he insisted on driving his mum to the funeral himself. He
While his grandfather was at the hospital, Jake went back to see his mother and in order to convince her to leave with him, he explained everything to her in details. He told her his grandfather was ill and she agreed to follow him out. He sent her to a good hospital where she would receive adequate treatment. She had been through a lot. Jake personally had a driver bring his grandfather's lawyer to the hospital. After the old man woke up, he requested to see his lawyer. His health was deteriorating and he asked Jake to get his lawyer. Jake didn't waste anymore time; he asked his driver to hurry up and pick the lawyer from the firm. Jake was with his grandfather when Attorney Johnson came in. He greeted the lawyer before he left to give them privacy. When Jake re entered his grandfather's ward an hour later, the old man lay on the bed, lifeless! Jake moved closer, expecting to see a familiar smile or a weak but reassuring glance but there was none. Instead, he was met with an eer
Jake hurried to the hospital to see his grandfather and on getting there, he met the doctors who told him that they are doing their best to resuscitate the old man. “He was poisoned. He had consumed a very poisonous substance,” the doctors disclosed. “Poisonous substance? How on earth did that happen?”Jake checked the cameras in the house but there was nothing out of place. The doctors even said the poison had stayed long in his system before it started showing up. As the days went by, his grandfather's health detoriated. There wasn't any improvement and this got Jake even more worried. In as much as his grandfather had kept his mother hostage, he didn't want the man to die. His grandfather had showered him with nothing but love, care and support since the day his men found him in the rain. His mother's condition added to his worries and he was gradually loosing focus. He no longer had enough time to look out for the enemies around him. One day, Jake went to see one of his grandf
“That's a brilliant idea!” Evan agreed.“Are you sure this will work?” Lyle was skeptical about the plan. “It will work perfectly. We only need to meet the right people, play our cards well and boom, we are at the top.”“He's right Lyle. We only need to trust the process. We've been here for over two hours, putting heads together and this is by far the most brilliant and feasible idea. With this, we will all rise to power and get everything Jake took from us and even more. With this too, we will get to bankrupt him and get him back to the poor sorry ass he should be,” Dan explained and Lyle nodded. “How do we find the right person?”“That will not be a problem. I happen to know one of my father's friends who work at J and J legal firms. I'm sure he will be willing to help. We have this taken care of,” Welson answered. “We have a deal now, right?” Aidan asked. “Yes,” they answered with one voice. “Great. Let's drink to celebrate our upcoming success.”They filled their glasses and
With that anger in her heart, Sky swore to deal with Jake. As far as she was concerned, he was bitting more that he could chew. In her fury, she forgot that it was a very wealthy and powerful man she was up to challenge. Sky thought of who to assist her and she recalled that Jake wasn't in Vincent Winters good books. Jake made him lose his inheritance and she was sure he would be willing to do anything to get back at Jake and make him pay for what he did. She met with him and fortunately for her, they had the same mindset. To make Jake pay! In another part of the city, Aidan and his friends were also plotting Jake's downfall. After what happened at the gathering that day, the Frederick family punished them and Jake kept his promise of adding his own too. Each time they recalled what happened, they would want to murder Jake. After that, Jake bankrupted their family companies. He started by making the stock go down slowly then he canceled their projects. Most times, it was these pro
“That woman is evil! All these problems started the very moment Logan introduced her as his wife to be. That Lara, she's yet to pay for her sins. Let her remain there.”Jake's eyes widened as he heard what his grandfather said. His father's name was Logan. Was his grandfather in any way refering to his own mother as evil? What did he mean by she should remain there? Jake recalled his grandfather's response a few months ago when he asked about his mother. Ashley had told him that she too had died and information about her wasn't necessary at that time. No doubt, there was something that he was yet to find out. Jake sneaked out as quickly as he came, he didn't want his grandfather to see him. “Goodness me. How can grandfather be this callous? What?” Jake screamed. He was in his house, going through the papers in front of him. He had someone investigate his mother and the details were before him. It wasn't very easy because Grandfather Ashley was a powerful man who knew how to cover hi
It was an entirely different Jake that stepped out of the bathroom. Clean, fresh, powerful and handsome. No one would even believe he was untidy and dripping of food some minutes ago. His hair was well washed, neatly combed and well styled. His clothes were from the most famous designers and they fitted him as if the clothes were specifically made for him. With Richard and the guards beside him, he walked majestically to the front of the room and bowed politely. Firstly, he apologized for showing up late. “Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues and honoured guests. I want to start by apologising for showing up later than expected. Please, note that it was not a reflection of excitement or my commitment to my new role as the heir, but rather an unexpected circumstance I couldn't avoid. As I stand before you today, I'm honoured to take the reins of power for this incredible conglomerate. Most of your companies are under our conglomerate and I want to assure you that our company's
“Mr Thane!” Dan said when he found his tongue. Mr Richard Thane was a popular man in the country as well as city and was respected by all and sundry. Everyone knew how powerful he was and so, no one wanted to be in his bad books. He could blow up a family and render them bankrupt in few seconds! Aidan was still standing in front of Jake who hadn't left his arm. Instead, Jake twisted it even more painfully.“Are you crazy? Let go! Can't you see Mr Thane here?” Aidan spat.“What's going on?” he repeated firmly, a light frown on his face. Just then, the announcement was made again for the reception of the biggest CEO in the country.“This thing is causing a nuisance and I'm only putting him in his place. He dared to sneak in here and eat our food,” Lyle explained dutifully. Mr Thane turned and looked at the supposed nuisance. Hell no! That can't be his boss dripping of food and wine! He looked like he had been dipped into a pot of soup and was a huge mess. “Young master Frederick!”
Jake hadn't seen that coming, neither did Emelda and the others seated with him. When Aidan stood up, Jake was relieved that he was going to leave with his friends, although he didn't expect it to be that easy. Unfortunately, Aidan had other plans and the next thing Jake knew was that a clear coloured liquid flowed down his face and stung his eyes. His hair and clothes were also stained with spicy food. “What? How can you do that?” Emelda said, staring at Aidan in surprise. This was bully and as far as she was concerned, it was uncalled for. They could have handled the matter in a civilized way and Jake would have to return to his post and face appropriate punishment. Although she was disappointed in Jake, she didn't expect Aidan to take such rash actions. “He deserves even worse than that!” One of the guys on the table offered his unsolicited opinion. To him, Aidan didn't even do anything to Jake. He deserved worse than that. “How can you say that? Waiter, get a towel quick!” Emel