Jonathan Donald showed no outside response, his face an inscrutable mask as he digested the information. An agonising silence stretched between them until eventually, he spoke. “ An emotional donation, MS. Robert. Easily, you are a woman with remarkable drive and vision.” His steely aspect bored her.” But I’ve toast. What makes you suppose I would entrust my substantial coffers into the hands of someone like yourself?” Clara’s impeccably arched brows knit together in confusion.” I am hysterical I do not understand the question.” “ Of course you don’t,” Donald said with a shake of his head.” You are Robert. A family that values plutocrat and status over all additional- indeed introductory mortal decency.“ Her blood turned to ice in her modes. Ever, some way, this man knew. He knew all about how she had ruthlessly cast Michael away like a piece of scrap after using his hard work and immolation to elevate her status. But Clara was nothing if not a consummate pantomime. Widening her eyes
Michael rushed in and donned a green shirt. He wanted to leave a good impression. Isabella was watching something on CNN. The speakers were talking about the inflation rate on the prices of goods and services in the market.Michael returned to the living room. He and Isabella discussed the cost of living crises and what the government should do. Isabella thought to herself, ‘so he heals and is intelligent too. What a good combination.’ She likes his use of words and the way he lays out his point carefully. ‘Let us stop now. Enough of politics and talk. Let us go and have some food.’Isabella laughed, dropped what she was holding on the table and walked with him to the table. The food was in bowls and plates sat in front of ach of the chairs, together with cutlery, the bottle of wine and glasses.Michael drew back her chair for her and allowed her to sit. Then he went over to his side. Opening the bowl, he dished some food for her before dishing for himself. He was telling her about t
Diana didn’t like the men that Liam had brought to the team to carry out their plan. She didn’t like that they were Asian and liked to stay only with themselves. They rarely mixed and had no known associates in the city. There was no one she could ask about them. When she had confronted Liam with this, Liam had said to trust them to carry out the task. And when she had asked him where he found them, he had kept mute and walked away.Diana realised that to do what she needs to do; she needs to have an alternate plan. It was then that her mind went to action; concocting plans for alliances and meetings. She was at Liam’s house one afternoon; she had always been in Liam’s house since the time of her release from prison, when an idea struck her to visit the police commissioner for help. She stood up and walked to the door.‘You are not supposed to leave the building.’ One of the Asian men announced.‘I am going for a stroll.’ Diana responded.‘You know that you just got out and your famil
The police commissioner shifted his legs when Diana came closer to him. They had been together for two hours now, as she tried to convince him to go with her plan.‘What you say is true.’ He said. ‘But it puts my job on the line.’‘You won’t lose your job, I assure you. I will make sure nothing happens to you but I need those records so that my next plan will go into effect without any hassles.’‘I can’t.’Diana moved closer to him. And put her right hand on his lap. He looked at her and looked at the hands on his lap, then on her again.‘Have I ever let you down before? Just trust me. Give me those records.’The police commissioner looked at her again. This time, he knew that she had him in her power. He liked the sensation he was getting from the touch.‘Before we proceed, I want something from you.’‘Anything.’He stood up and walked to his table, wrote something on a piece of paper and gave it to her.‘Come to that address whenever you are free to. You are going to spend the night
Young woman, get a hold of yourself. I am still your mother and I deserve respect from you. That which you have read from the newspaper is just a story until it is proven. And I have done nothing wrong but to care for you and your brother, so keep your judgmental attitude to yourself.’‘Mom, this is where you get it wrong. The city has decided to hire an investigator into the matter and sooner than later, you will be found out. You have to leave the city as soon as possible.’‘No I will not. There is nothing that ties me to that drug deal and the investigator will soon find out. Moreover, we can get in contact with the investigator and make sure they are on our side.’‘Mom?’ Clara exclaimed‘Don’t shout at me. That is the difference between you and me. I see opportunity where you see challenge and I take that opportunity in its stride. So, get off my phone if you have nothing else to talk to me about.’The phone line went silent and as Clara put down her phone she couldn’t believe tha
The line went off and Diana remembered that she still had a friend in donaldation. Liam was the man they needed to talk to the new director of the project and secure that slot for them. She almost clapped her hands. As she was thinking about the conversation she had with Liam and how much good he would be to their family and company, then the door to the ward opened. The nurse who was to go and find the healer for her walked.‘Oh, this is a great evening. I have searched for you all over this hospital. Thank God you are here. Where have you been?’‘I am sorry for the long silence ma’am. I have been searching for the healer but it is difficult to get him. The person who told me about him is no longer in the city. She traveled to see her mother. She heard about it from a friend who used to work in the household where the healer had done his work.’‘Don’t you know a way to contact him?’‘I am sorry I don’t know him personally. I heard his story and thought that he was around. Your daught
Liam looked at her and said in a low voice. ‘It is over.’ He willed his way out of the door and was now in the hallway. She ran after him, she didn’t care if the neighbours heard or not. She will let him go like that.‘What do you mean? How can you say it is over?’ she cried. She wanted him to see the way she felt about him, even feel her brokenness. She had a lot of questions on her mind. She wanted his reassurances; his calm, calculated voice to tell him that we can pretend to be quarrelling while continuing our affair. She held on his shoulder and when that was not enough, wrapped her hands around his chest, stopping him from moving forward. It didn’t seem to work. He managed to wrest himself out of her clutch and walked away. As she stood watching him walk away, the scene from the breakup in her last relationship flashed back to her mind. Something in her melted and tears rolled down her eyes. Then she charged at him, determined to get him to come back to her. She was bent on not
Isabella was the one to break the reverie - suchlike study, pulling back slightly though their bodies remained a hair's breadth piecemeal. Michael incontinently mourned the loss of her nearness like a physical pang. " Did you mean what you said?" she asked in a hushed tone, her amber eyes searching for him with naked vulnerability." That you will allow me tosimply.be myself? No prospects, no judgments?" Michael felt his throat grow thick with the weight of her question- and all it represented. This remarkable woman had been manacled by the ludicrous pressures of her birthright for far too long. What she craved further than anything was the freedom to define her own identity, to make her own choices without the spectre of status and duty brewing over her every move. He traced the delicate wind of her cheekbone with one rough fingertip, authentically astounded by her quiet strength, her adaptability in the face of similar grim demands and scrutiny. " You have my solemn oath, Isabella,
As Michael West thought back on that day he noticed that night had settled in over Beaumont City. In the distance he could hear the news coverage of the Heroes' Parade playing on the television.The coverage was showing many troubling events including the arrests of Diana Roberts and Stevens the shocking moment when Liam had jumped to his death from the stadium and the overwhelming chaos that erupted after the truth came out about the Roberts family.Sitting alone in the room drinking a glass of whiskey Michael felt a profound sense of emotional distance and isolation from everything that had happened.He was very surprised when he saw Isabella standing at his door. Her shape was only partially visible because the light was dim and not very bright. They had gone through a really difficult breakup in the past and since then she had moved away to a different place.He hadn't seen her at all for many years so her sudden appearance caught him off guard. To make things even more complicated
They were in a house on the beachfront of Beaumont city. It was a little far from the beach but had fantastic view of the beach and the sea. The sun had risen early, as usual and there were few tourists on the beach.Steven was shocked and raised his hands but felt a surge of anger within him but he didn’t move. Instead he stood where he was. The other men had pulled out their guns too. Liam knew he was outnumbered to pull out his gun, so he appealed for calm.‘Please gentle men; let us be civil about his. The diamond belongs to all of us but we have bigger fish to fry and that is Michael west. Today is the day that we take his down at the Heroes’ Parade. After that, there will be more diamonds and money that our children will never know hunger for the rest of their lives. Let us embrace caution.’There was silence again before the first of the men who pulled out his gun began to laugh out loud. The rest joined him and started laughing. They raised their hands in surrender and put the
Liam returned to his drinking, taking a sip while stealing glances at the game. A moment later, he turned to his friend, he found him looking smugly at his glass of drink.“Talk to me Nel. What’s going on? If it is about the listings, we got in and that should not be a problem.”“It is not about the listing, bro. It is something else. I guess you haven’t heard.”“Heard what?” Liam was signaling the barista for another drink.“Wells is being devalued.”Liam looked at him, saw the seriousness on his face, and waved for the barista to go. Realization hit him and he mumbled.“AB listings was just a cover. The wolves have gathered and want to have a feast.”Nelson nodded and added,“Whatever you do, don’t go face to face with the execs on Wall Street. They will kill your case before you even get a chance to present it.”“What do I do then?”“Be calm, receive the buy-out offer, and look through it carefully to find a way out. It could be an ambiguity in the words or misrepresentation. That
The knock came again, it was on his door. Who would be coming to his house? He had no friends or lovers? And Isabella had stopped speaking with him. Grudgingly, he walked to the door and opened. It was Isabella. Unlatching the locks quickly, he opened wide the door and bade her to come in.‘You are welcome. I am sorry I have been engrossed in a lot of work and didn’t hear the knocking on the door. How have you been?’Michael was not sure why Isabella would suddenly appear at this door without notice. Had something happened to her father? He thought to himselfShe smiled at him and tugged a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He smiled too. They were both standing in the centre of the room, uncertain what to do. Michael suddenly remembered that he had not offered her a seat. He was being a bad host.‘I am very sorry; I should have offered you a seat. Please have a seat.’‘No, its fine. I should be headed out now and allow you to finish up on your work.’‘Not so fast. At least have a d
The officer in charge walked briskly along the corridor. Liam and Steven followed behind staunchly, confident in their steps. The officer knocked on a door. A voice responded from inside.‘Come in.’The officer opened the door and stepped aside for the two men to step inside. Then he stepped outside and closed the door. The office was sparse, except for a few standing cabinets and picture frames on the wall; one was for the president of the country and the other was of the mayor of Beaumont city. There were other picture frames that showed the commissioner receiving awards. The commissioner’s desk stood on the far end on the other side of the room, directly opposite the door. ‘Mr Liam. Good to see you again.’ the man behind the desk stood up and walked over to where Steven and Liam stood. ‘Ah commissioner, it has been a while that we have spoken or seen.’ Liam responded.‘Ah yes.’ The commissioner said. ‘to what do I owe this honour?’‘I am here to an old friend concerning a matter.
Michael returned to the living room. He and Isabella discussed the cost of living crises and what the government should do. Isabella thought to herself, ‘so he heals and is intelligent too. What a good combination.’ She likes his use of words and the way he lays out his point carefully. ‘Let us stop now. Enough of politics and talk. Let us go and have some food.’Isabella laughed, dropped what she was holding on the table and walked with him to the table. The food was in bowls and plates sat in front of ach of the chairs, together with cutlery, the bottle of wine and glasses.Michael drew back her chair for her and allowed her to sit. Then he went over to his side. Opening the bowl, he dished some food for her before dishing for himself. He was telling her about the food and the process it takes to make it. She looked interested and asked questions too. Then they started to eat. The view from the penthouse was breathtaking, covering most of the city. She asked him about his backgroun
Cynthia went out as Michael continued reading the newspaper. Thirty seconds later, the door to the office opened and someone walked in. Michael puts down his newspaper and stands. He has met Mr. Samuel before, when he was set up to be killed by Liam and Clara. This man had come to his aid and saved. Liam and Clara thought that they had killed him but Mr. Samuel came to the ditch, picked him up and sent him to the hospital. ‘Thank you for having me at this odd hour. I know it is past work time and I had to come at this time so that no one will notice my presence here.’‘It is fine my Samuel. Thank you for coming. I also want to thank you for the other time, for saving my life.’‘You and I have been acquainted before. And I thank you that at this time, you have decided to come to my rescue once again.’‘Well, it is a small world. You can be my helper tomorrow.’‘Yea. You are correct.’‘So, donaldation is going through quite a lot but there is nothing that cannot be salvaged. I intend t
Two men walked into a bar and sat down. They ordered drinks and when the waiter had brought them, began to sip their drinks. Intermittently, they would look at their wristwatches and then at the door. Michael was in his office waiting for Abraham and to hear from Luke his Henchman. Abraham was not coming, so he called Luke to come into his office.‘I want to do something. Abraham is not here but I want you to look into the possibility of acquiring more assets into Roberts.’‘But sir, we have tried that and it is not going our way. I know a way we can get to the Roberts family and hit them where they will feel it the most.’Michael adjusted his body. ‘Tell me about it.’‘I am aware of some dealing the Roberts are doing with Amelia’s father, the girl who claims to have your child and sent videos and pictures on the day of the wedding, leading to the calling off of the wedding.’‘Yea, I remember her.’‘I heard from the underground that they were involved in some drug dealings and traffic
Michael walked to his car, parked outside the gate by the curb. The guards would not allow him drive in, maybe as a way of Mr. Donald showing that he was not pleased with him, he didn’t know. However, he didn’t care; all he had on his mind was to get donaldation back on track of being the biggest company and employer in all of Beaumont. He got in his car and drove off into the night. He drove to donaldation headquarters and then to the airport. He has a meeting with Mr. Pearson. Cynthia went to get the report while Michael settles for the meeting. His phone vibrated and it was a text from clara. It read.‘I know you have been busy lately, but please have dinner with me, at the four season hotel. Bills on me.’ He looked at it and laughed. Clara decided to text him today. Something must be up. This lady must be joking, he thought.Isabella watched Michael giving his speech on TV. Their romance had ended a month ago but it seemed like yesterday when she met him and fell in love with hi