Nigel slowly but steadily walked up to the center of the hall where the commotion was. Immediately Grandpa Lloyd and Grandma Esther saw him, their faces lit up with pleasant surprise. “Elder Nigel, you’re welcome!” they greeted in unison.Nigel let out a small smile on his lips. “Old friend, I heard your birthday was today and I decided to come and wish you well, and also present you with this 500 year old ginseng as a birthday gift.” he extended a small box towards Lloyd. “Who were you about to call security for?” he asked curiously. “Oh, it’s just that con artist over there…” Grandpa Lloyd pointed to Gerald. “…and that useless boy…” his hands moved to Adrian. “Con artist?” Nigel followed Grandpa Lloyd’s line of sight and when his gaze landed on Gerald, his eyes glinted with recognition. “Ah! It’s the famous gemologist, Gerald Stone!” Nigel chirped as he momentarily forgot what Lloyd had just said and approached Gerald for a handshake. “I didn’t expect to see you here! I was so imp
“B-but-” Robert and Tatiana stammered but their words were abruptly cut off by Grandpa Lloyd’s loud voice barking orders into the phone. “Security, your presence is needed to escort some unwanted guests out of here!”Within a few seconds, four security guards arrived at the scene. Robert, Tatiana and Tiffany spared Adrian a withering glare, then their heads slumped in embarrassment as they were each being led out by a security guard. “You, bastard!” Liam, who couldn't control his anger anymore, was about to lunge at Adrian when the last security guard restrained him. As he was being escorted out, he pointed a menacing finger at Adrian. “Don’t think for a second that you’ve won!” He snarled, thrashing against the security guard’s firm grip. “I would never let you win…” his voice trailed off as he was dragged out of the hall.“Good riddance.” Adrian mumbled under his breath, sporting an unreadable expression as he watched Liam go. However Liam tried to get back at him, he knew he would
The next morning, Adrian got dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, and headed for Crestwood Investment to sign and approve some contracts which included Anita’s proposal. As he rode his moped down the highway at a moderate speed, a black Porsche suddenly swerved into his lane and hit his moped from behind. The impact made him swerve abruptly and before he could regain control of the brakes, his moped collided with a curb and crashed next to a puddle of dirty water. Adrian groaned as he pulled himself up from the wet ground. The owner of the Porsche rolled down his tinted window and sneered at him. “Hey, you piece of shit!” The young man spat, his voice laced with disdain. “You’re extremely lucky my Porsche didn’t get scratched by that scrap metal of yours, or you would have been sorry. Get that thing off the road, it’s an eyesore! And you…” he eyed Adrian’s now stained clothes in disgust. “…are also an eyesore!” He rolled up his window and revved his engine, his tires spraying some
Kevin Larson, the assistant manager of Crestwood Investment was on his way out of the elevator when he heard the sound of voices coming from the reception. His forehead creased as he wondered who could be making such noise in the company so early in the morning. He made his way to the reception, his voice resonating throughout as he demanded to know what was going on. “What’s all this ruckus about?”All four pairs of eyes turned towards him as he strode towards the receptionist’s desk. Henry’s eyes lit up in familiarity. Kevin was his mother’s younger brother, and he saw his presence as an opportunity to teach Adrian a lesson. “Good morning uncle Kevin,” he began, feigning innocence. “Thank goodness you’re here. This skunk here…” he shot a finger towards Adrian. “is the cause of this ruckus. He keeps spouting gibberish from his mouth.”Evelyn also feigned innocence as she looked at Kevin’s face. “Henry’s right, Mr. Larson.” she supported. “This waste bag offended us and refused to ren
Martha ushered Adrian into her office and gestured for him to take a seat. Then, she reached into her file cabinet and produced a series of documents. “Sir, here are the contracts that require your signature of approval.” she explained, placing them on the table in front of Adrian along with a pen. Adrian scanned the names on the front page of each document, and when he saw Lilian’s name listed as a representative of Davies Designs, his face contorted into a frown. “Why is this document from Davies Designs bearing the name, Lilian Holt here?” he questioned in a sharp voice, “I thought I gave specific orders not to accept any documents from Davies Designs except the one with the name, Anita Davies.”Martha’s eyes widened in realization. “I apologize for that sir,” she mumbled apologetically.“Remove it from my sight and dispose of it in the trash.” Adrian commanded.“Certainly, sir.” Martha replied and wasted no time in grabbing the document and tossing it into the waste bin. “I'll h
The sound of Anita’s phone ringing caused a frown to etch itself on Lilian’s face. Why had Anita gotten a call at the exact moment she was expecting one from Crestwood Investment. Could it be? No way. She shook her head adamantly, willing the thought away. It was just a coincidence. She masked the worry gnawing at the back of her mind with a fake smile as she glanced expectantly at her phone.Anita, on the other hand, retrieved her phone from her bag and glanced at the Caller ID. It was an unknown number and, she hesitated a bit before answering the call.“Hello, who is this please?” she asked in a low but polite tone. “This is Timothy Burton from Crestwood Investment,” a male voice echoed through the other end of the phone. “Am I speaking with Anita Davies?”On hearing the caller was from Crestwood Investment, Anita rose up to her feet, her stance straightening unconsciously. “Yes, this is her,” she replied, her heart racing with anticipation.“Very well then. I’m pleased to announc
Adrian’s suspicions were confirmed as he saw the man’s face. It was the same arrogant guy who had slammed into his moped that morning. Landon Welsh’s expression was filled with disdain as he advanced towards Adrian and recognition flickered in his eyes when their gaze met. “I remember you.” He sneered. “You’re the loser who almost made me scratch my expensive car. I see you haven’t bothered to change your smelly clothes. Are you that poor?”“Incase you’ve forgotten,” Adrian countered, his voice firm, despite the cold anger brewing in his gut. “you’re the one who suddenly swerved into my lane and hit my moped.”“Who cares?” Landon scoffed. “No one’s going to believe the word of a nobody like you over mine. Now, be a good little loser and take that scrap…” he gestured towards Adrian’s moped dismissively. “…away from here. Before I run it over or better still, tell my security guard to trash it.”“It would be in your best interest to leave my moped alone.” Adrian warned in a low voice.
Harold Welsh rushed towards the main entrance of the Glorious Garden with a speed he didn’t know he possessed. His eyes were frantic as sweat dripped from all over his body. How would he begin to apologize to Adrian? He desperately hoped that the security guard’s stupid mistake wouldn’t cost him his job as manager.The security guard on the other hand, trembled severely, his face a shade of green as he stumbled out of the guardhouse. Landon angrily stormed towards him and slapped him across the face. “Why did you abandon the orders I gave to you?”he snarled. “What were you doing in there for so long?”The security guard’s eyes were wide with panic and shock as his gaze drifted to Adrian. The only thing he could do was to point a shaky finger towards him. “He’s…he’s…”But, he wasn’t able to finish his sentence as Harold burst out of the gates and towards them. “You stupid fool!” He barked as he lunged at the security guard, his palms connecting with the same cheek Landon had just slapp