“Alan,” Lesley stuttered with a deadly hitch of terror, his voice shaking with a tremble of fear.Mr. Billing flinched his eyebrows countless times again in a trial of comprehension. “Alan, who is Alan? What Alan are you talking about?” He asked, his eyes desperate for an answer.“The same Alan dad. The same Alan who used to be our errand boy,” Lesley responded, his chest heaving in a shudder of distress as he let out desperate tears. Mr. Billing’s eyes were wide open in confusion and it looked like he was stuck to the spot. He couldn't open his mouth or respond to what he had heard.“It's surprising, Dad. I know it is but it is the truth. Alan forced me to go naked on the streets - he trampled on my dignity,” Lesley continued, his voice tinged with despair.“No! No! No! Something is wrong here. When did Alan have money to hire thugs to bully someone? He can't even fend for himself if not for the little stipends he sees while working here. What exactly are you even saying? Did you se
Everyone looked at the front page of the newspaper and it read - “Alan Greyson takes charge as the leader of Greyson Consortium after being passed the mantle by his father Mr. Greyson.”The faces of everyone in the room froze in a deadly shock, their gaze stuck in disbelief. They all stared wildly in utmost amazement. Was it the same Alan who would sometimes serve them food in the kind of meetings they were having at that moment who was now the head of a consortium? This was boldly written as the headline on a newspaper so there was no doubting it. Oswald turned the newspaper to the next page and it was boldly written again - “Court unfreezes Greyson Consortium assets as banks restore billions of dollars into Greyson’s account.”Almost everyone’s mouth gaped in disbelief. They couldn't believe that Alan was a Greyson all through the years that he served as their errand boy. They kept asking themselves questions in their minds. Why did he hide his identity?Mr. Billing’s senses were h
The response brought shivers down Mr. Billing’s spine. Perhaps this was the time he had been waiting for. He wanted to see for himself if everything about Alan being rich was really true.“Put him on then,” Mr. Billing said.The employee connected his laptop to the front of the meeting hall so that everyone could see it. Mr. Billing took a comfortable seat to make sure that he was at the heart of the conversation.Rose’s heart was beating very fast. She couldn't believe that she was about to see her ex-husband in a wealthy condition. Goosebumps were growing all over her skin as she tried to cover her face from being seen when the technician put Alan on the screen.Alan’s image soon appeared on the screen after the setup was completed by the technician.Alan’s smile was bold and revealed a deadly flash of teeth, his presence radiating an aura of villainy. Mr. Billing gritted his teeth in silent displeasure as he could now see for himself the transformation of Alan. His face was now m
Each time she closed her eyes, she saw an image created in her head of Alan wearing the most beautiful suit in the world and sitting on his CEO’s office chair delivering instruction. What could have been if only she hadn't let a moment of anger eat up her mind?Rose went over to see Mr. Billing who was waiting just by the corner of the hall with a glass cup of scotch in his hand.“You were a little moody throughout the meeting today. What could be going on?” Mr. Billing asked, his brow furrowed in concern as he looked behind him to make sure no one was hovering around to hear what he was going to say.“I am good. There is no problem, Dad,” Rose responded, her expression a mask of false warmth.“Hmm, are you sure?” Mr. Billing inquired again, his nose squeezed in a silent discovery. “Is this about your brother, Lesley? He deserves to be treated harshly you know. I hope you don't have any sympathy for him.”Rose nodded her head in denial, her eyes contorted with a mask of innocence. She
Even though the marriage papers were already signed, Rose was now beginning to have very heavy doubts since she was beginning to realize that the basis for her divorce from Alan might have been a lie.Mr. Billing continued, his voice laced with seriousness and a hint of threat. “Why else do you think I approved that you get married to Mr. Lawrence? Why else do you think that I was happy that you divorced that clown Alan? Ehh, tell me?”Rose’s eyes widened with a dawn of understanding. ‘It was really only my happiness that he cared about, wasn't it? He never truly cared about me and only knew about me and my relationships because of what I was going to offer him. Rose conducted a quick question-and-answer session in her mind.‘No wonder even the cunny Lesley attempted seeking new opportunities elsewhere,’ she thought.Rose whispered in a tone of partial compliance. “What excuse would I give as the reason why I would need such a huge amount of money then?” “Now you are beginning to hav
***Mr. Greyson and Alan both got into the former’s abode after a brief misunderstanding between them.Mr. Greyson finally realized that he had to be very open with Alan if there was to be a proper relationship between them. If he shunned him each time he asked questions, he might also lose the only family he has.“Would you like coffee or tea,” Mr. Greyson asked, his face gleaming with a welcoming smile.“Come on, you don't have to worry about doing that,” Alan responded.“You come to my abode, I serve you myself. So better talk,” Mr. Greyson said.“Alright, I will take tea,” Alan said, his face set in resignation.Mr. Greyson poured tea from a big jar into two cups, bringing them over to Alan as they sat opposite each other.Alan’s face was leveled with a weight of expectation. He was eager to know more about what had been bothering Mr. Greyson. He already knew that he was under chemotherapy for his cancer and that was already more than enough for Alan to think about. Not like he c
Mr. Greyson put a finger in the air in remembrance of something. “Look, I have her picture somewhere here,” He reached for his drawer and checked between the stacks of papers one by one for where he had hidden the picture.“Yes, here. Take a look at this. This is what Fayette Badur looks like now,” Mr Greyson said. “It's a recent picture that my scouts were luckily able to take when she was at the airport.”Alan’s concentration deepened with a high intensity as he analyzed the picture very well. The image crackled with a flicker of thickness but her expression in the picture was softened. She didn't exactly look like a bad person in the photo not to talk of a terrorist. She had a bleak smile on her face as she had a cell phone to her ear making a call. She was wearing a clean black Abaya that flowed with a deadly cascade of black. Her jewelry was sparkling with a touch of class. Her rimmed eyes were piercing and with a wonderful intensity of beauty.“I know what you might be thinkin
CHAPTER 26***Rose Billing returned to her husband, Mr. Lawrence’s residential suite. Mr. Lawrence owned a five-star hotel suite that had many rooms and a few floors. Everything about the hotel was tinged with modern designs and decorations - it was Mr. Lawrence’s comfort place.Rose couldn't help but think about the answer that Mr. Billing gave to her when she asked him to tell her the truth about the video recording that was made which made her divorce Alan.She couldn't help but curse herself in her mind. How naive was she to listen to Mr. Billing and Lesley when they were showing her the video proof that Alan stole the pendant?She should have been more critical especially when she knew that they never liked Alan in the first place, she reasoned.They got what they wanted and now she was left to regret divorcing the man she cared about and being stuck with Mr. Lawrence.Mr. Lawrence was a controlling man who always believed that his way of doing things was always right. He never
He was in a hurry to get things done quickly because he knew that it was going to be only a matter of time before the guards would discover that the public service system had been hacked.“When you get on the other side of the purple fence, just hang in there until we come to get you okay?”Jackson’s hands were large and measured, his touch gentle as he took Brody’s hands into his own.“Come on, I will show you the way and then you will complete the move,” Jackson’s voice was soft, his voice sincere as he was careful not to scare the boy with too much haste even though he was in a hurry and rightfully so.They crept until they got to the entrance which was just a few meters away from where they were. Jackson’s eyes were alert as he watched to see that there was no guard close to them that would impede their move.They hid behind the cars, creeping through the shadows with their eyes narrowed with a tense intent to get as far away from view as possible.Jackson then reached a point whe
“Come on, let’s go. We can't just sit here and do nothing after all. We have to do something.”With a grim determination, the guards all filed out of the lobby one after the other, their footsteps resounding through the empty hallways.The tension was palpable in the air as their weapons glinted in the harsh fluorescent light.Their bodies were taut with adrenaline as they headed towards their destination.Alan’s face glimmered with a relieved twinkle of gratitude the moment he saw that the guards had all gone.He then whispered to Jackson. “Hey, Jackson. Call Fred now and tell him to his way to the purple fence area. That’s the easiest route out of here. Tell him to get there as quickly as possible. That’s where Brody would have to go meet him.”Brody was confused, his face darting left and right as he was trying to understand what Alan was saying.Where was he saying that he was going to go? Since when did the plan become that he was going to go somewhere?Alan crouched down, his fa
“No one, I believe. You see what I am saying. What if they already got past this place and they are already heading outside.”“Think about it, I don’t think they would want to escape through the outside. Look at the way that they came in. We didn’t even know. None of us knew until they got to the top floor and killed two guards.”“It’s obvious they are trained so we have to think along the line of the fact that they are more than prepared for this.”“They probably outlined every step of the way before they came.”“Not probably, man. They did, it’s quite obvious.”“I guess it’s a draw right now. Mr. Lawrence already has one of them while they have gotten Brody.”“We must get back Brody, man. That’s the instruction. Mr. Lawrence has ordered a closure of all entry points right now and it is already in process. Everything must be on lockdown until Brody is found.”“We can’t afford to fool around.”“What if they are holed up in one of the offices? We should search each room systematically.
Mr. Lawrence then moved his eyes closer to Della’s face to get a clearer view of what was going on.“Wait, what? You look familiar,” Mr. Lawrence’s eyes narrowed, his gaze piercing into Della with the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey.His expression was hardened as a cruel smile spread across his face.“You look awfully and strangely familiar I must say,” Mr. Lawrence remarked again.He wasn’t sure of whether to keep up with his suspicion or to ignore it. He was sure that there was something about her that was too strange to ignore.It dawned on him that the person that she traced her face to was actually that of Rose Billing, the same woman that he murdered.He paused once more and spoke. “I know who you are, don’t I?”Della’s lips curled very slightly by the side as if she was trying to give Mr. Lawrence the clue that he needed.And Mr. Lawrence picked up the clue. He was shocked by the resemblance that Della had with Rose and even though he tried to ignore it as nothing b
“You are Brody, aren’t you?” Alan asked.The boy nodded in affirmation. Jackson’s grip on Brody’s hands loosened and Brody’s shoulders were relaxed gradually even though he knew subconsciously that there were most likely going to be some problems lying ahead.“I know you,” Brody spoke to Alan. “I saw you the other day when Mr. Lawrence killed Rose. You are Rose’s husband right?”Alan paused as if he was in a deep emotional thought before he then nodded.“Yes, I was.”It was a moment of reflection for both Alan and Brody as they both seemed to have missed Rose.Brody didn’t get to spend much time with Rose but it was obvious that the little time that he had spent with her was more than enough for him to miss her for a lifetime possibly.“And Della, the lady who texted on the phone. Are you her partner? Do you work with her? Where is she?” Brody asked.He was in a hurry to receive answers to his questions because he was still a little bit scared.“She is going to be with us soon, Brody
The air seemed to thicken with tension, the silence broken only by the faint click of gun safeties being engaged.Alan then whispered into his radio, hoping that he was going to connect with Della. “Della, are you there? We are about to open fire on the guards who want to lock Brody in the basement. We are going to need backup, over.”That was all Alan needed to say and he believed that he had said enough already.They moved a few more steps with deadly precision, their footsteps soft and stealthy as they crept closer to the guards. They saw as the guards were shoving and dragging Brody and this time, they were going to lock him into the basement.They were no longer interrogating him about the phone because there were bigger issues to deal with.But Alan and Jackson thought that it was time to raise a response.The guards burst the basement door open and were prepared to shove Brody into a dark room but there was a sudden startling noise of gunfire.Pow! Pow!Boom!The hail of bulle
Alan was just a few feet away hiding behind one of the pillars. The moment she saw the harsh slap that was performed against the boy, he gritted his teeth in frustration as he became provoked to cause a disruption.Why would they treat such a young boy like that? He had to hold and keep himself in check so that they would stay according to plan.But considering the way he was feeling, he wished that he could just start a gunfire right away. He began to rethink whether it was best to engage the guards with gunfire right away or if they should wait a while until Brody got locked in the basement and they would try to open it up.Just as he was still having a deliberation in his mind, the guards continued with their harsh treatment toward the boy.“Yeah, right, we are not stupid,” Guard two spoke. “Look at the faces of all of us standing here.”Brody’s face was still facing the ground as he was dealing with the harsh effect of the assault but he felt a hand shove his head back up so that
Alan and Jackson froze in place, his breath caught in his throat as he clung himself to the wall. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard the guards’ footsteps growing closer.Time seemed to be very slow as the guards drew nearer, their footsteps echoing off the walls of the hallway but Alan gripped his weapon tightly just in case the situation was going to demand it.But as they got closer, two other guards joined them. They now seemed to be five and they were discussing.Alan and Jackson were picking up on their conversations.“The boss said to keep him in the basement.”“There are many ways that the boss can get the boy on his side. After all, he is his son. I don’t see why there should be an issue between them.”“The boy is a cool guy to me.”“This isn’t about whether he is a cool guy or not. We should listen to what the boss says.”“Come on, this is not to say that I wouldn’t listen to what he says. I am only telling you as a colleague that there is no need for being so harsh
Fred was ready to go for it all. “If you need our main ID badge, my colleague can go them now. She will get mine too but I was hoping you would already know the company we are coming from. We already have a contract here.”The guard who was talking balderdash earlier scurried into the conversation. “But I haven’t seen you guys before. Especially the bright-skinned darling we have here. I would have known if I had seen her before.”Fred responded. “Well, we are not always the same and I am sure you already know that. Today, it is our shift to come to complete the repairs and as we said, we are actually running out of time.”“My colleague can quickly go and get the ID badges if that is what is delaying us from entry.”Fred was speaking with the hope that the guard was going to shrug off the situation and ask Della not to worry.But he needed to show that he wasn’t hiding something and the only way that he could do that effectively was to pretend as if everything was going fine and as ex