"IS HE DEAD?!" Rick asked. "Is he dead?" "Shut up, Rick." Jeff snapped. "Why didn't he say anything?" Jon asked no one in particular. He tried to sit Paxton up. "He probably didn't feel it. The adrenaline." Stefan said from the limo. "We need to try and stop the bleeding," Jeff said. "Bring him in, we'll call for a doctor," Stefan said. Jon looked at him warily, "I thought you wanted him out of your car, now there's a possibility of blood stains on your plush seats." "Don't be a hard ass, Jonathan," Stefan replied. "Your friend's life is at stake." He's right. Jon nodded stiffly. "Let's carry him in." With the joint effort of Rick and Jeff, they carried Paxton into a seat at the back. Paxton groaned as they dropped him. "He's awake, don't let him fall asleep. Keep him talking." Stefan said, whipping out his phone and dialling a number. "Paxton. Paxton." Jon slapped his friend's face hard. "Hey, wake up. Wake up." "Stay with me, man," Rick yelled. Jon and Jeff turned and l
JON COULD NOT believe his eyes as he stared at the woman he thought he would never see again. Then slowly, she looked up and directly at Jon. He gave a small smile and was about to wave, a man came to stand by her side, he put his hand on her waist and she stiffened at his touch. "You know her?" Stefen prodded his son. "Um, No… I mean, Yes. Who are you talking about?" Jon feigned like he did not know who his father was talking about. "You know who I'm talking about." Stefan said, "You were staring pretty hard." Jon sighed. "Okay, I met her once. The night I met Vincent for the first time. I helped her at, um, a bad time." "And since then?" "She left in a hurry but she left me with her contact card. But I've not thought of giving her a call." "Why not?" Stefan asked. Jon shrugged. "I don't know. She seems out of my league." "What?!" "You know, I was almost arrested for being seen with her," Jon confessed. Stefan chuckled. "Are you being serious?" "Yeah." Jon muttered, "She
"GOOD JOB, SON," Stefan said, patting Jon discreetly on his back. "I did well?" Jon asked. He could not believe it. "You did very good." Stefan said, "This little show would keep them buzzing for a long while… and you've made yourself a personal enemy." He gestured with his head to where Maxim Ivanov sat stiffly, staring daggers at where they sat. "Damn." Jon said, staring back at him, "That look is pure hatred." "Yeah. Now, we have to leave." Stefan said, "Our financial staff will handle the payment. Let's move." He stood up, brushing away an imaginative speck from his suit's arm. Jon followed his father's movement, buttoning up his jacket as he stood, they walked outside to where their limousine and media were waiting. "Wait for your prize. I'll be in the car." Stefan said, walking out. Jon could hear the sound of shutters snapping as the journalists took as many pictures as they could. Jon stood near the door, waiting for 'the dejected lad' to be brought to him. Then he saw
"MAN, THAT SHIT is ugly." Paxton groaned from his bed. "That's art, Paxton Sullivan," Jeff said. "Well, art is ugly," Paxton said. Making all of them laugh. Jon had come to the penthouse a few hours ago, finalizing the plan he had against Maxim in his head. He was so deep in thought that he had forgotten about his friends whom he had left here earlier that night. As soon as he remembered them, he pulled the sculpture to the west wing where his friends were with Paxton. Paxton was awake so they all had their say on the sculpture. Jeff has said, "It depicts a lot. The sculptor is talented."Rick had said, "It looks weird. Weird and creepy." And Paxton had said, "Man, that shit is ugly." The 'dejected lad' sculpture sat in the middle of the room, reflecting light on its shiny black surface. "How much did you say you got it again?" Rick asked Jon, who stood at the doorway with a hand in his pocket. "250 million dollars." He answered nonchalantly. The amount sent Paxton into a cou
THE FLIGHT TO New Jersey was uneventful. Maybe a little boring perhaps. They got to the family mansion in New Jersey and they were blown away by the size of the mansion. It was also a lot busier than the penthouse. As soon as they arrived, their luggage was taken and carried into the house. "You all will take the 3rd floor." Stefan said, "Use the elevator." "There's an elevator?" Rick asked. Stefan nodded as they walked in. "We'll eat breakfast in an hour." They nodded in reply and walked in the direction of the elevator. "Can you believe this?" Rick whispered in excitement. "I actually can't," Jon replied, looking around in awe. "It is… it is… wonderful. Justin wonderful." "Come on. We don't want to be late for breakfast." Jeff hurried them into the elevator and pressed the button for the 3rd floor. Their floor was expensively furnished. "My God!" Rick breathed, he ran his hands over the furniture and glassware. "Damn!" "Clean up." Jeff said, "You don't want to keep them w
JON WAS STUNNED for a moment after what Poppy said before he dashed to the kitchen to get a cup of water. When he got to the dining, Poppy had gone limp on the floor, her head was cradled on Jeff's thighs. "I think she's dying!" Jeff panicked. "Oh, God! Oh, God!" Rick yelled. "Put the water in her mouth." Jon looked at his father, who looked on like nothing was happening. Vincent sat calmly too, quietly sipping on his coffee. Maureen, who was being accused of poisoning, folded her arms at the door.Jon knelt beside Jeff and opened Poppy's mouth, tilting the cup a bit so water flowed out. Just as the water touched her lips, she gasped and leapt from Jeff's thighs. "Ah!" Rick bolted from the room. She giggled. "That was good, wasn't it?" Maureen made the sign of the cross – touching her forehead, then right and left shoulder – herself before she left the room with a slight frown on her face. Jeff and Jon, who were still kneeling on the floor, lost at what just happened as Popp
CHAPTER 21The sound of a V8 engine roared in the night. The tire splashed a small puddle of water. "Oi, Hugo. Open the fucking gate, eh?" Igor yelled at his gateman. The small Latino man hurried out of a small shack near the gate and pushed open the gate in a fidgety manner."Why do you still keep that man?" Maxim asked as the car sped through the gate. "He is so incompetent." Maxim turned Igor gave a hearty laugh, "Hugo? He is indispensable." Maxim snorted in reply but did not say anything. The car rumbled in a throaty growl as it sped down a dark thin road. "Where are you taking me?" Maxim asked, looking as they sped past small depleted buildings on each side of the road. "A surprise, Synok," Igor said, calling Maxim a childhood pet name. "Don't call me that." Maxim snapped, "I'm not 5 years old any more. I'm not a child." "Ah, but you'll always be a child to me… Synok" Igor laughed aloud. "Ha-ha. Very funny, uncle." Maxim said sarcastically. He placed his elbow on the wi
MAXIM STOOD AND paced around the small room nervously, his hair stood in disarray from constant ruffling with his fingers. His uncle Igor stood, resting on the wall, smoking his cigar and blowing it in circles. "That's it." Maxim said, "I'm done here. I'm out." "Out?" Igor asked, "What do you mean by out?" "Exactly how it sounds uncle." Maxim replied, heading for the door, "I'm out of here." "Wait wait," Igor dropped his cigar and stubbed it out with the toe of his shoe. "You're not a quitter!" "I'm not quitting anything. I never agreed to this." Maxim snapped. "True. That's fair enough." Igor said he put his hand in his pocket, "But then, what is your next plan, eh?" "I don't know." Maxim shrugged, "I might go to Houston to see Dad. He must have heard the news…" "And what do you think he will tell you?" Igor cut Maxim short, "Eh? Go on, answer me." Maxim looked down and refused to meet his uncle's eyes. "He will tell you that such is how the billionaire business world is,"