Two days later, Anita was sorting out some documents in her office when the door swung open to reveal Lilian, her colleague, who had now been demoted to the position of her personal assistant. Anita sighed as she tried to rein in her annoyance at Lilian’s blatant disregard for common courtesy. “Lilian, you can’t just barge into my office like that. A simple knock would suffice.” Lilian scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I’ll come in as I please, so deal with it. Besides,” her eyes flashed with spite. “how else can I make you feel as frustrated as I feel for being forced to work as your personal assistant.” Anita tightly clenched her fist, her patience waned. “Lilian, that’s enough!” “Whatever,” Lilian smirked and threw a folder on Anita’s desk. “Here’s your schedule for the remainder of this week. You have a dinner meeting with Trent Howard, CEO of Howard Supplies, to discuss a potential alliance. The dinner is by 7 at the Grand Palace Hotel.” she added lazily. Anita’s forehead cr
At the same Grand Palace Hotel, Adrian was seated with Rhea Smith, the vice president of Alpha Group and David Banks, a businessman, in a different VIP lounge. His legs were crossed and he twirled his glass of wine in one hand while the other rested on the side of the couch as he listened intently to David Banks’s proposal. David Banks, an older man in his fifties, clad in a tailored suit, leaned forward with his hands entwined on the table as he discussed the benefits of his partnership with Alpha Group for the resort project. “Mr. Adrian, I hope you like my ideas for our partnership?” He asked when he was done. Adrian set his glass down on the table and met David’s gaze. “Your ideas aren’t half-bad, Mr. Banks. But don’t you think the residents in those redevelopment areas deserve more compensation? I mean, they’re been evicted from their homes on such short notice, it’s only fair if the compensation they receive is enough to pay for another apartment.” Rhea Smith, who was dres
Adrian tried to control his anger as he continued speaking to Jonah. “Also inform the manager of The Grand Palace Hotel to come to the second VIP lounge immediately!” He disconnected the call right after he said those words, and Trent frowned as he scanned Adrian’s appearance, contemplating whether to take him seriously or not. His doubts turned to fear two minutes later when he received a call on his phone. With shaky hands he picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID—it was his father. “Hello—” “Trent, you foolish brat!” His father’s angry voice sharply cut him off. “What did you do to offend the Young family?” Trent’s eyes widened as the realization that Adrian was affiliated with the Young family dawned on him and he felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine as he realized the gravity of his actions. “T-the Young family?” he stammered in incredulity. “Yes, you idiot!” Trent’s father retorted. “Our company has gone bankrupt because of you and we have nothing now! If
Adrian’s lips pressed into a firm line as he watched the way Regina’s expression morphed into shock. “Yes,” he confirmed with a nod. “Her colleague, Lilian, set her up on a business dinner with the sleazy bastard that did it.” Regina covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh my poor baby, Anita. She must have been so scared. Those people involved need to pay!” she paused a bit, her expression turning into a derisive scowl. “You let them go, didn’t you? I’m sure you were too much of a coward to punish them for their actions.” Adrian rolled his eyes. This is why he considered Regina an unreasonable person because even in a situation like this, she still found a way to blame him. “I’m not a coward, mother. I assure you that they’ve been arrested as we speak.” Regina scoffed, folding her arms. “That doesn’t mean you’re still worth anything. Perhaps, you weren’t even the one who got them arrested.” she grumbled stubbornly. “You’ve done enough for tonight.” she continued and stretched ou
Vincent Davies, Anita’s father, was being dragged towards the police station. The CEO of the gallery where he worked had framed him for forging famous artworks. He struggled against the officer’s grip, trying to defend himself but his pleas and protests fell on deaf ears. The police officer, who held his arm in an iron grip shoved him forward and he almost lost his balance. He had barely steadied himself when he heard Anita’s voice call out to him. “Dad?”His head snapped up to the direction she had called him from and a smile broke out on his face when he saw her. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the smile vanished and was replaced by a look of shame when he realized that she had witnessed the way the police officers manhandled him. He didn’t say anything as he hung his head low, unable to meet her gaze.Anita hurried towards him, surprise and confusion etched on her face. She gently touched his arm. “Dad, what’s going on? You were supposed to be on a trip. Why are you being arreste
Anita’s eyes widened at her father’s revelation. “So, they basically deceived you into forging famous artworks for them?” she repeated in a hushed whisper.Vincent nodded, a look of defeat crossing his face. “They did, but that’s not all.” he continued. “One of the buyers of the recently forged paintings happened to be a famous art collector in Wibston named Jonathan Reid. When Jonathan bought the painting, he took it to Nigel Hunter, the renowned herbalist and expert antique/art appraiser to verify its authenticity—something he always did in order to avoid being scammed. Nigel detected the irregularities with the paintings and told Jonathan that it was a fake. Jonathan then confronted the Oasis’s owner who claimed to have nothing to do with it and accused me of the crimes. It seems he had planned to frame me all along, and even forged my signature on the documents which approved the sale of the fake paintings. That’s why I got arrested. We have to find evidence that I was framed befo
In the evening of the next day, Anita was just about rounding up from work, when she received a call from the police station regarding her father’s release. She suspended the remaining work she had left and rushed to the police station. Vincent was patiently sitting in the waiting area when she arrived and her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Dad,” she exclaimed in relief and rushed to his side. “You’ve been released!” “Quiet down, you’re at a police station not a market!” The stern faced female police officer at the front desk shot Anita a warning glare. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she mumbled sheepishly before returning her attention to her father and lowering her voice. “I’m so relieved you don’t have to spend another night alone in this place.” Vincent nodded with a weak smile. “Yeah…but the case is still on, so I have to prove my innocence or I might face trial.” “Don’t worry dad, Adrian has got a plan to expose Thomas Hardy and the other person who framed you.” She assured him and
Liam had a mocking smile on his face as he approached Adrian. “This event is not for losers like you, so I suggest you save yourself from further embarrassment and leave.” “Liam,” Adrian muttered dryly. “Don’t interfere in this. It’s none of your business.” Liam snickered as a distasteful expression settled on his face. “A loser like you cannot tell me what to do, so I’ll interfere if I want to.” He leaned in closer to Adrian and gritted in a menacing sneer. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the humiliation you caused my family at Lloyd Davies' birthday party. If I didn’t have something else to handle tonight, then I’d have made you pay for what you did.” After saying this, he drifted his gaze to Bright Peters, who greeted him enthusiastically. “Mr. Muller, it’s a pleasure you’re here. My name is Bright Peters, the curator of this antique gallery. Don’t let this loser” he glared dismissively at Adrian. “…ruin your mood. Please hand me your invitation so we can verify it.” Liam let ou