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2024-05-15 20:50:47“I saw the way Joe insulted and slapped you” Jean address their boss with his name “He thinks he can command us anyhow because we work for him, You know Charles’s offer would change our lives”
“No” Dante replied “I rather sweat to make my money than push drugs” Dante replied with gritted teeth
“I knew you would say that” Jean responded, Dante has a good heart but he wondered why life was against him.
After Dante left the orphanage home, he was able to get scholarship into the university and then lost it, years later the decision of leaving their foster father’s drug business, was the wrongest because they were still at square one-poor while Charles was a billionaire.
“Be quick here, we have a lot of work preparing for the exhibition tomorrow” Jean told Dante as he left the dressing room.******
Dante Willow carefully dropped the heavy art canvas on the table as he heaved a sigh of relief to rest a bit, for the past four years that he worked at the gallery, he suddenly hated his job for the time.
“Quickly, quickly” A loud voice making orders brought him out of his thoughts, it was the manager of the art gallery, his boss, Joe-a tall and very demanding mean man that slapped Dante moments ago.
“Dante? Do you want more deduction from your pay this month?” he questioned, narrowing his eyes to Dante who was sweating profusely.
The slap that Joe dropped on Dante face still hurt, as he clenched his teeth remembering it, Joe was about Dante’s age or a year younger than him yet he didn’t mind the way he treated Dante.
“Are you still standing there and staring back at me you idiot?” the boss barked at Dante
Dante wanted to give him a piece of his mind, he waited so long for a day like this to come and it was finally here, he didn’t mind if he lost his job.
As Dante approached his boss with anger boiling inside of him, he felt a hard grip on his wrist and he turned around to see Jean
“Don’t. I know how you feel but don’t” Jean whispered to him as tried to cool Dante off his already boiling temper
“Is anything the matter?” the manager asked seeing Dante serious face and Jean holding his hands.
“Dante feels really sick and weak” Jean answered trying to cover up for Dante
“Who cares?” The manger asked smirking bitterly “You idiot came back from your lunch break late and now you want to leave work?”
“I would cover his work for him sir” Jean replied again
“I pay him don’t I?” Joe asked and Dante was tempted to ask if it was the little salary he was bragging about “This gallery has an art exhibition tomorrow, top celebrities and wealthy families are bringing in their arts today against tomorrow, I can’t afford to lose any worker now!”“Is fine, am fine. I would work the day off” Dante said shaking off the angry feeling and the urge to disrespect his boss.
“You better. The Xanros family are bringing their art in fifteen minutes time” Joe glanced at his wrist watch “Well since they are your in-laws, make sure it is secured into the safe room for the exhibition, understood?”
“Yes sir” that moment Dante felt sick for real, he swallowed a lump at the thought of all his in laws coming to the art gallery the next day.
“Now all of you get back to work immediately!” his boss shouted
****
Dante tiredly walked outside to wait for the delivery van, his wife family happen to be one of the most influential family in the country and the art piece they would be bringing to the art gallery cost millions of dollars, it is a painting passed from generation to generation and it is a significance of their heirloom.
As Dante waited outside, many vans were driving in one after the other to deliver art pieces that would be entrusted to the gallery for tomorrow’s event. His co-workers were moving the art piece inside the gallery after getting the signature on the contract signed, security guards were on standby securing the gallery because of the worth of every pieces.
The art exhibition holding the next day is said to be one of the biggest events in the country.
“What happened back there?”
Dante turned around to see Jean, he was the only person at their work place that was nice to him-in short they had each other.
“I am tired, are you not tired of being ordered around?”
“I won’t lie, I am but this is the only cleaning job with dignity we could ever get, don’t blow it now Dante” Jean whispered
“You have been saying don’t blow it for four years dude, my salary hasn’t increased, prices of things in the market are not the same as four years ago yet our salary is still same. My kids are growing too” Dante said angrily in a low tone, gritting his teeth.
“I am working on something to better our lives-is about Charles, after the exhibition tomorrow I would tell you. For now keep you cool”
“Promise?” Dante asked waiting for reassurance
“I promise” Jean said and the both of them shacked their hands and hugged at the same time like they have always done.
Jean approached a van that just arrived and parked in front, the middle-aged man dressed in an expensive suit came down from the van with a sun glasses covering his eyes.
“Please sign here sir” Jean said giving him a paper and a pen, the man scanned Jean from head to toe in a disgustful manner. He put his hands in his pocket and brought out his own pen, refusing to touch Jean’s own pen, then he signed the paper.
“This belongs to my Zoyaui family, anything happens to it? You would pay with your life servant boy”
Jean nodded his head obediently, then he carried the painting that was light weighted and looked inexpensive into the gallery.
Dante watched the man humiliate his brother, right there he swore under his breath that he would find a better life for the both of them.
Minutes later his in-laws van arrived escorted by other cars and entourage, Ellie his sister in-law came down from the van, she saw Dante and she immediately shouted for him to come even though he was already approaching her.
“Come here!” She shouted disregarding that by age he was by far older than her
Dante gave her the paper to sign which she did murmuring under her breath “I don’t know why my sister has to put up with a good for nothing husband like you”
He could clearly hear her but she didn’t even mind, to her Dante was a worthless brother-in-law and every chance she got she made sure she reminded him.
“That is my family most prized possession, from the nineties, painted by the popular world-renowned artist and we would show it to the world tomorrow, so the country would know that the Xanros family is powerful” Ellie spoke pompously at Dante.
Dante carried the canvas inside the art gallery while Ellie left with the entourage and the next van pulled up in front of the art gallery.
After dropping the art canvas inside the safe, he came out sighing. It was final, his In-laws would be at the art gallery tomorrow, the thought of it made him sick.
As Dante was about walking to the lobby to carry more art pieces, he heard a gunshot from outside the building, followed by multiple gunshots.
Dante’s heart raced as the exchange of bullets continued, Dante decked to find a place to hide as well as the other co-workers.
The SUV arrived with a group of dangerous looking masked armed men, dressed in all black, they matched into the building after gunning down the security men outside.
They swiftly turned off the security alarm and shot all of the security cameras hanging on the wall. They also jammed the network of the area so it was impossible for anyone to call 911 or make a call for help.
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The masked men started ransacking the art gallery, they knew what they came for and they were determined to find it.Dante took his phone out to dial the emergency number but it didn’t ring because there was no network, he put his phone back into his pocket, still hiding behind a table.“Where is the Rhinestone medal?” one of the armed men asked loudly and no one dared answer in the middle of the fear and panic. The police sirens started sounding from afar and the masked men grew more impatient, maybe the neighbors had called the police, opposite the art gallery was a bakery.“I asked for the Rhinestone medal!” he shot the air and the bullet resounded making everybody to gasp in fear, not every worker knew each of the art pieces by their name so it was no surprise when some of them didn’t know what they were asking for including Dante.The masked man dragged one of the staff by his throat as he threatened but it was clear he didn’t have the information, his face began to turn red and
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Audrey entered her car parked outside the prison “Yes, he signed the paper” she spoke over the phone “That’s my good daughter, now you have to finalized the divorce before I give you the land documents and then do the transfer of ownership to you” her father smiled to himself Then the call ended. Months ago, hours after Dante got arrested, Audrey flashed back to when she was getting ready to leave the house to drop the kids at their noon ballet school.It was her parents wedding Anniversary that day and the old man ended his party with the panic attack, and when he was fully recovered when he drank the milk Dante had instructed him he take, he still shouted on Ellie and Audrey. He sent them both on errands, Ellie to deliver the painting to north-way art gallery, Audrey to purchase his hypertension relive drugs, which she had gotten but stopped home after the rain to pick her daughters to school.A hard knock sounded on the front door, but she paid no attention because the house ke
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Attorney Bryan’s ego was wounded by the unexpected defeat. Dante walked out of the court room a freeman after severing time in prison for seven months. As he walked to the car park with Attorney Yara beside him, reporters ran to him with microphones and cameras to hear him speak. “Mr. Dante how does it feel to be declared innocent by the law?” “Would you say is obstruction of justice by the prosecutors” Yara quickly grabbed Dante’s hand without any hesitation and led him to her Mercedes, she opened the door for Dante, he swiftly entered, the reporters followed behind them with flashing camera and microphones towards the car. “Mr. Dante tell the public your side of the story” Yara shut the car door cutting off the questions, she immediately walked to the driver seat, started the engine and zoomed off leaving the reporters. Inside the car, Dante was still surprised of his freedom, he had longed for months to finally be at his home. “Thank you, attorney Yara" “It’s the law, the i
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When Geraldine opened the file what she saw made her gasps in surprise, she was so horrified by the sight out of reflex, Dante immediately shut the laptop close. It was a camera footage of people preparing sealing drugs, it looked more like a factory, before she could see more Dante slammed the laptop shut “Thanks for your help” Dante shuffled to his feet shocked as well with the content he just saw “Was that a movie or real life?” Geraldine asked looking into space “Go home kid, you have played your part” “Those girls are my about my age, I have more part to play if you are working on bringing those people down” “You think is easy huh?” Dante scoffed, if not that he knew ghost personally it would have been hard to know who he was “You saved my life and now I owe you mine, I can do anything in my capacity to protect you” Geraldine spoke with a knowing eyes “The last person who told me he got my back is six feet under” Dante shouted “And you know what? He is the owner o
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Mr Uriel Xanros knew right there he had caught Dante, asking him to be the family chauffeur was a way to keep Dante at their mercy until he finally paid off the money of the missing heirloom art piece, which seem to be impossible seeing that Dante was nothing but a poor man.“Don’t think about it much, I am offering you an opportunity that nobody would” Mr Uriel pressed on “I would give you a response” Dante replied standing to his feet“If you say so then” Mr Uriel shrugged as if he had given up. Dante took his daughter again into his arms to kiss her goodbye“Good bye Bella”“Daddy when would you come back home?” The little girl asked in a mumble which only made Mr Uriel arch an eyebrow in the “You see?” Fashion which Dante ignored.Did the little girl mean the house that was blown to ashes or his in-laws house, she was too young to understand divorce and separation, maybe someday she would get it.“Very soon baby” he whispered to her ears, he dropped her back to the chair“See y
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Dante could count on his finger the number of time that Mr Uriel Xanros was nice enough to call him his son-in-law. He couldn't even recall the times he was addressed as his son-inlaw. This time was particularly strange because of the crime Dante had been accused of, the painting was a fortune that Mr Uriel would be deeply touched each passing day that it was found yet.,The call with Mr Uriel ended and Dante walked to Gina who was still in pain for her slice open finger, just then, Dante dragged the tape forcefully from her mouth.“Aaah” she shouted loudly at the pain“Where were we?”“I have told you all I know” Gina replied with an eyes filled with tears and pains Dante was sorry for the way he treated her, it was because of her stubborn head that is to blame. “No you haven’t. Tell me more about Joe” Dante took a chair and sat opposite her waiting to hear all she had to say.“After the robbery, Joe took some art pieces to auction them abroad, those are the art pieces that are mi
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“Do I look like the police who arrested you? Or the judge who passed the sentence?” Gina asked, her voice alone made Dante’s blood boil so much that he wanted to just pull the trigger at her skull.Gina shot daggers at Dante, she didn’t know what was going on in his mind if in fact she did, she would be begging for her life instead of blabbing “Look at you, poor with nothing to offer, dare show up in my house to threaten me?” Gina laughed scornfully “With a toy gun?” Her laugher resounded again in the room and Dante let her finish, she was getting it all wrong, she didn’t know he was the one in control there “Well go on, kill yourself and end your miserable life, I would just watch”“Should I use the rope or the gun would be better to kill myself?” Dante asked with a smirk “As long as you are dead, nobody gives a shit about you Dante Willow. You are depressed why come to my house to kill your self?”“That is because you are part of the reason I am depressed”“What are you talking ab
