Immediately after everyone left the room, Cassie knew it was all over for her company. She was weak and decided to fall slumped in her chair, the emptiness of the boardroom pressing down on her like a heavy weight.
“What the fuck am I going to tell Dad? How am I going to explain that I couldn't even keep the workers together and they all just fucked off like that?” Tears stained her face, but she wiped them away furiously, refusing to wallow in self-pity. “Oh yes!” She quickly got an idea, a very nice idea to try and scam someone else into investing in her company. She searched and Reached for her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and stopped on a name she hadn’t called in a long time: Mr. Denzel, a man from a company her father had once wanted to partner with. “Denzel is some stupid fool and he should be very easy to convince into spending his money on this project.” She was even more confident because Denzel had made several attempts to befriend her and have sex with her in the past. She knew he would definitely have a weak spot for her. She pressed the call button and waited as the phone rang. When the call connected, she put on a tone that was most pleasant and seductive at the same time. “Hello, Mr. Denzel. It’s Cassie Salvator.” There was a brief pause before his curt reply. “Cassie. What do you want?” That man wasn't ready for a call from Cassie, he wasn't pleased to hear her voice. But Cassie forced a laugh, trying to sound casual. “Oh, it’s nothing major. I was just calling because I know my company is a great opportunity for someone like you to invest in. Salvator Construction has always been a promising business, and I think now is the perfect time for us to collaborate.” On the other end, Denzel chuckled, but it wasn’t warm. It was sharp and filled with mockery. “Promising, you say?” Cassie’s smile washed away. “Yes, very promising. My father built a strong foundation for this company, and I’ve been working hard to keep it growing.” “Growing my foot!” Denzel’s tone turned icy. “Cut the crap, Cassie.” He wasn't even in the mood for Cassie’s games, he'd moved on from wanting to befriend her a long time ago. “If you invest in our company, you'll have so much to gain from it” “Cassie I said cut the fucking Crap! Everyone knows your company is collapsing. Workers are leaving in droves, and your reputation—along with your father’s—is in the gutter.” “Shit!” Cassie’s mouth went dry, she wasn't expecting him to go that hard on her. But she forced herself to respond. “That’s not true. We’ve had a few setbacks, sure, but we’re bouncing back.” Denzel scoffed. “Bouncing back? Don’t insult my intelligence. I know the truth. I know Bruce Gusman was the backbone of your company, and I know what you and your father did to him. You framed him, and ever since he left, everything has gone to hell. So, no, Cassie. I’m not interested in partnering with liars, cheats, or manipulators like you or your father.” And now Cassie’s temper had fired up. “How dare you talk to me like that? You don’t even know me!” “Oh, I know enough,” Denzel shot back. “And I’ll tell you this: no one with half a brain will ever trust you again. Goodbye, Cassie.” Before he could end the call, Cassie shouted, “Go to hell Denzel!” “and you go to hell too, but not the same hell I'm going to cos mine is the good hell. “Screw you!” She cut the line herself, her hands trembling with rage. Cassie looked around and realized that the rain was still pouring. “I need to leave this place” She said before storming out of the building, the cold droplets soaking her as she ran to her car. Slamming the door shut, she sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel as her mind raced with anger and frustration “Screw you all!” she didn't even know who she was angry at. She didn't know where to go. She thought about going to Jason, her new boyfriend’s house. “Home or Jason’s?” she muttered to herself. Her house felt too lonely, and the thought of sitting there in silence was unbearable. She decided her boyfriend’s place was the better option. Jason would at least comfort her and he'd definitely keep her warm in that very cold weather. He always did. Cassie drove through the rain-soaked streets, her headlights cutting through the darkness. When she arrived at Jason’s house, the neighborhood was quiet, the only sounds coming from the rain tapping against the pavement. She parked her car and noticed a light on in Jason’s living room. “His light is on.” Her eyes narrowed as she saw two silhouettes through the window—a man and a woman. They were close, their movements intimate, as if they were kissing. “What the fuck is going on there? Is Jason in there with another lady?” Cassie’s heart sank. Her chest was already tightened with anger and she felt completely betrayed already. “No,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “No, Jason wouldn’t cheat on me” she refused to believe. But deep down, she knew something was wrong. Fueled by rage, Cassie rushed to the door, she didn't know where she got the power to kick it and it went wide open. “Jason!” she yelled, her voice echoing through the house. “Oh my God!” Jason jumped back from the woman on the couch, scrambling to cover himself. “Shit!” Both of them were naked, their clothes scattered on the floor and two used condoms right there staring at everyone. Cassie’s eyes darted to the woman, and her stomach dropped when she recognized her. “Oh my God!” She couldn't believe it. It was Rikkie, her best friend who was sleeping with her boyfriend.“Jesus Christ!” Cassie exclaimed, her voice trembling with disbelief and rage. It was hard to believe that her best friend Rikkie would be the one person who sneaks to sleep with her boyfriend. She took a step backward. Her anger was obvious and her hands clenched into fists as Jason and Rikkie tried to cover their naked bodies. Jason awkwardly reached for his jeans, fumbling in panic, while Rikkie snatched a blanket and wrapped it tightly around her boobs. “Cheaters! Both of you!” Cassie’s eyes darted between the two of them, her expression was just a complete storm of fury. Her voice cut through the tension like a knife. “What the hell is this Jason? Are you kidding me?” Jason stammered, he knew there was no explanation, but he had to give it a try. “Cassie, I can explain—” “Explain what?” she snapped, stepping closer. “The room smells of your fucking, there's two used condoms on the floor, both with your damn cum inside, and you want to explain shit to me?” Cassie’s hand flew
“Do you notice that Bruce looks very shy?” The boardroom buzzed with quiet murmurs as Jonathan stood at the head of the table, he adjusted his suit as he looked at everyone seated, commanding the attention of the entire room. Bruce sat to his right, with his expression very calm but tinged with curiosity. It was still new for him, being seated in very official environments like that. Deep down he wanted to be home already taking cereals. Jonathan had been waiting for a perfect moment to make an announcement and the moment finally came. Jonathan cleared his throat, and the room fell silent. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here today. This meeting isn’t just about business as usual. I have a very special announcement to make.” “I hope he doesn't want to get married again.” The workers exchanged glances and their interest piqued. Jonathan turned to his brother with a proud smile before continuing. “As many of you already know, Bruce is not just my brother, he’s family
“The best looking places are not always where we feel Comfortable.” Bruce said as he looked around the room with classic walls and very formal guests. He turned to his left and saw a lady smiling at him. It was obvious she was just forcing a smile and she could also tell that Bruce wasn't falling for that wack fake smile “Y'all don't like me in this family, so just stop pretending already.” He mumbled and turned away in disgust. The grand dining room of the Salvator estate was not just intimidating, it had become the worst place for Bruce to be at any time of the day. The Salvator family were his in-laws but he never loved spending time with them, “A bunch of arrogant creatures” he'd always call them. The room was filled with the sounds of low murmurs, laughter, and the clinking of glasses. Despite the splendor around him, Bruce couldn't wait to “get the fuck outta here.”He was already feeling out of place. “I don't belong here.” And It wasn’t the first time he felt this way. He t
“What the hell is going on here?” the voice of Bruce echoed through the walls. And Cassie immediately got off the man she was humping, adjusting her dress quickly as though it'll make Bruce forget what he just saw. “So this is what you've been doing? Huh? After everything I've done for you and your family, this is how you repay me? By sleeping with other men?” Bruce had always known she was doing something like this, but he didn't have evidence. “What have you done for my family?” Cassie snapped. “You did nothing for us. But we are the ones who helped you Bruce!” She added, while trying to zip up her gown from the back. “You said you helped me? You must be outta your mind!”“You're the fool who's outta your mind!” She raised her voice even more. Cassie’s friend also turned to Bruce, telling him “Oh yeah you're the dumb fool that I know in this family.”“Shut up you dirty whore! You know nothing but to sleep with men all around, not caring if they are married or not. And now you've
The smell of those prison walls was familiar. Bruce had definitely perceived that before. The walls smelt of betrayal! “Fuck! Here we go again. Thrown in prison just like my father who did nothing wrong.”Bruce couldn't believe Cassie and her father would do such a thing to him. He'd always known they really didn't love or care for him, but he didn't know their hearts were filled with so much evil, so much darkness that they would frame him up, send him to prison just to get rid of him. “I swear to God I'm gonna make them pay for everything they've done to me!” It was already one week since Bruce had been in prison and he found himself trying so hard to hold in his tears as he remembered the day Cassie walked in to see him behind bars, but only to present the divorce papers for him to sign. “Sign the damn papers you stupid thief! I can't be a wife to someone who steals money from my father's company.”“First of all, I'm not a thief and you know that y'all just framed me for this. S
It was already two years after serving his term and Bruce smiled casually as he shook hands with the police officer during his final hours in that God forsaken place “Mr Bruce Ortiz, you're now a free man. Try not to live a life of crime when you go out there.”“I can't even say I'm a changed man because I never was a bad man in the first place. I've spent two years in jail for a crime I never even committed.” As soon as Bruce took a step outside, the air immediately felt different. “This doesn't smell like that prison walls no more. This? This smells like freedom.” He couldn't help but crack a smile. Just when he was about to clean the dust on his shoulder, his phone buzzed in his pocket with a new message “I guess it's that Bitch Cassie tryna mock me. She must have heard I'm outta prison.” He reached for his phone in his back pocket but was puzzled with a message from a new number “and who might this be?” He clicked on the message with a curious finger “and what do they want from
Neighbors heard the gunshots and they immediately knew something was wrong. Rosa was a female Italian neighbor who lived with her dog after the death of her husband. Bruce was her favourite neighbour and she couldn't believe the shots came from his side of the big compound. She rushed to open the window, trying hard to see if she could spot someone in Bruce's house. “Is Bruce back from prison? Who the hell is in his house and why are they shooting?” She didn't know Bruce was back already. “Oh my God I gotta call 911” She rushed to get her phone and dialed a number. The shooter was cold and confident. “Rest in peace you big fool.” The assassin said to Bruce's body before kissing his pistol. “The problem with y'all is that you're all infected with a main character syndrome. You think this is some movie and you tryna be some kinda hero. All you had to do was beg me, and I might have let you live.” He said putting his pistol back where he'd removed it. He took out his phone from the bac
Two weeks after the incident, Bruce was discharged from the hospital. “I'm truly glad you survived this.” Jonathan Gusman said, taking a spoonful of rice into his mouth. They were having dinner at his house where Bruce had been living for a while after being discharged from the hospital. Jonathan insisted that “ Hey Bruce, you gotta stay at my house for a while now cos your home ain't safe. Who knows when the assassin might come again looking for you after knowing you survived the attack.”“Thank you so much for everything Mr. Jonathan.” Bruce smiled carefully as though too much of it would break his weak ribs. He still didn't know why Jonathan picked interest in him. Why he was nice to him despite having no connection with him. It was all so strange, and the super rich Jonathan Gusman was yet to tell him the business proposal he wanted to make on that day Bruce got shot. “How are you feeling now?” Jonathan asked. “I'm all good I think.”“Can you kick a soccer ball?”“Aha ha… I can