FROM ASHES TO BILLIONS.

Chapter 5: A Slap In The Face.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Ryan hissed, almost forgetting that he was in a public place.

“What does it look like I'm doing? You called for the president, so here am I. Allow me to give my speech,” Adrian replied calmly.

Ryan blinked once in surprise, then twice in anger. His eyes shifted to the audience and he could see their inquisitive eyes. He swallowed nervously, feeling like a fool.

His hands curled beside him as horror spread over his face. What the hell was happening? No, he scoffed. This had to be a joke.

“I'm going to give you two seconds to get yourself down from this stage, you delusional fool. You want to ruin my event, don't you?” Ryan said, but his voice came out weaker than expected.

“I won't entertain any insulting words from you, Mr Ryan. Learn to address me properly since it is obvious we're not on the same level,” Adrian scolded, but Ryan could hear the mockery in his words. It was enough to piss him off.

“Security!” Ryan yelled. “Throw this worthless fellow out of my event!”

Murmurs circulated across the room at Ryan's choice of words.

“What's going on, Mr. Ryan!” Somebody shouted from the crowd as the armed security rushed forward. “Why is the president being treated in such a shabby manner?!”

“Did you call us here to mock us? What is all this joke?!” Another person yelled.

Ryan's breathing was fast and furious as he glared at Adrian. His eyes were filled with so much fury that if he didn't hold himself, he would be ready to pounce on him the next second.

Bringing out his mobile phone, he waved it at the guests with a forced smile. “I apologize for any misunderstanding. Rest assured, it will be sorted out soon.” Slowly, his eyes shifted to Adrian. “This man here is an imposter, not the president of Nilean Group as he claims to be. In reality, he's a filthy beggar and a criminal who just broke out of jail,”

“What…?!”

“An imposter? How?”

“I'm going to prove it,” Ryan smiled sinisterly and proceeded to dial a number on his mobile phone. He put the call on loudspeaker. “I'm calling the real president of Nilean Group to inform him of a bastard who's trying to steal his identity. That way, everybody would understand why I insist on throwing him out,”

The hall went dead silent as the phone rang, each beep increasing the suspense in Ryan's chest. When the line connected, Ryan hurried to speak. “President Milan, there's somebody…”

“Not only did you disrespect me by toying with my name, you also dared to disrespect my grandson? Calling security to throw him out, are you for real? Is that how mannerless you are?” Milan interrupted, his anger palpable.

“I pitied you by accepting your invitation, and this is how you repay me?!” He continued after a pause. “Starting today, I'm withdrawing all affiliations and business contracts with your company. I refuse to have any commercial and financial dealings with you any longer as it is obvious you don't have a proper sense of reasoning. Our contracts ends this evening and I'll gladly let the press know,”

“But…wait…” Ryan stuttered, but the line ended before he could complete his statement.

Heated murmur filled the hall and Ryan swallowed past the lump in his throat. Never has he been humiliated like this in his 30 years of existence. Slowly, he lifted his head to face the people, but consumed by shame, he brought it down, wishing that the floor would open up and swallow him.

“See? Like they say, patience is a virtue. Now, you've succeeded in making yourself a national fool,” Adrian chuckled, causing him to shudder and feel cold all of a sudden.

“What the fuck are you playing at? How are you connected to the president?!” Ryan whispered fiercely, swallowing past the urge to choke this jerk to death.

“Oh, you're suddenly interested in my life story? That's weird,” Adrian laughed. “You should focus on offering an explanation to your cussing guests. Gosh, they're screaming at you right now and I can't stand it!” He winked. “You'll be all over the internet if you don't make an attempt to pacify their anger. Tick, tock…”

Ryan felt his entire body vibrate in anger. The fury rolling off him was like an impending storm. Dangerous. Furious, but Adrian was not bothered, instead, he took the mic with a calm smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this party is over. Thank y'all for coming. I appreciate your presence, but you can leave now,”

Ryan froze.

The guests began to leave, sensing the animosity between Ryan and Adrian. Soon, only Layla remained with a stunned expression. She had tried stopping the guests, but they had all walked out on her.

“What did you do that for?” Ryan said as calmly as he could.

“Why? You're pissed? You can't handle a heartbreak?” Adrian replied.

“You son of a bitch!” Layla screamed in tears and made to slap Adrian, but her hands were stopped in the air by Felix who sent her a hard glare.

She scoffed. “What stupid connections do you have with the president?! I refuse to believe he's your grandfather!”

Adrian let his eyes travel over her and he couldn't help but chuckle. She looked like a pretty mess. Her hair was now disheveled and scattered across her face like an insane brat. She was having a nervous breakdown. Did he care? No, not in the slightest.

The pain she was feeling now was nothing compared to how he felt when she had thrown him in jail.

Now that he was back, he would be the nemesis in their lives.

Seeing that she was cornered, Layla threw herself on the floor in front of Felix while grabbing his shirt. “I…I don't know what connections you have with this man, but he's not what you think he is…Adrian is a criminal who escaped from jail. You can't be on his side, please…”

Felix frowned at the display, then shifted away from her in disgust. “Who accused him of paying thugs to beat you up? Who called the police on him? Tell me, who did?”

Layla stuttered as a constricting sound arrested her vocal pipe. She could not answer the question, no matter how much she willed herself to. How did Felix know about that day? Did Adrian spit out everything like an attention seeking puppy?

Wait…was it Felix who had bailed him out of jail?

But how? How did they even know each other?

The questions plagued her brain with no answer. Standing up, she grabbed Adrian by the collar. “You'd pay for this, Adrian. I'll send you back to jail, you idiot. You'll regret what you just did,”

“We're no longer married, sweetheart, so your threats won't work on me. Now, hands off,”

His sharp tone produced a jerking effect in Layla's muscles and she shifted from him, taking a step back. What was this feeling that was squeezing her chest so hard that she couldn't breathe? Was it…fear?

“Let's get out of here, Felix,” Adrian said, leveling the embarrassed couples one hard glare before walking away.

Ryan stilled.

What in the hell just happened?