The whistling sound of water boiling from the electric kettle in the kitchen was loud enough to alert Caleb as he set about making coffee for his boss.He poured the coffee into a mug and placed it in a tray to carry to his boss' office. He's the personal assistant to the CEO of DeZ Cosmetics, Mr Hart.This is the only job he has to earn a living; thanks to his girlfriend, Mia, who helped him in getting it."Tonight, I'm going to go down on one knee and propose to her," he smiled to himself imagining the scene in his head. Then suddenly, another thought crossed his mind and he paused, "After I receive my payment which I'm going to use in getting her a befitting engagement ring."The idea pleased him and he nodded with self-satisfaction. Clad in his calico white shirt that gives a bit of colour to his dry, scaly skin, a pair of jaded black trousers and shoes the colour of his tangled dark hair, with an apron hanging down from his neck, he wiped his hands with a napkin as he stood bri
As Caleb was being pushed into the waiting van of the mobile police, he stole a glance at his boss' office window just in time to see the blinds dropping down.Someone had been standing there and watching. It was Mia. He couldn't see her eyes but he was certain she was having a really good laugh at the open humiliation meted out to him."Get into the car and don't waste any more of our time, punk!" The officer holding him yelled angrily and slapped him hard across the face.Caleb blinked hard, trying to refocus his blurred vision. From the corner of his tear-stained eye, he could see the curious stares of his former colleagues from the large glass windows of the administrative office downstairs."Former?" he thought ruefully. "Did I just lose my job for real?""Are you deaf?" The other police officer blared out, jarring his eardrum. "The hot slap must have deafened him," the one who slapped him snorted and then burst out laughing croakily.His colleague joined in.Caleb felt the ring
Chapter 3Revenge of the Abandoned BillionaireThe August Visitor 3CALEB'S POV The atmospheric air was stale.The man in the brown suit cleared his throat. "You mean he doesn't know?" he asked, glaring at Leah."Know what?" Caleb queried looking over his shoulder. The trepidation in his tone pierced through the late afternoon air. Leah lowered her face to the ground, her greyish-blue eyes covered in a plumage of dark eyelids. Her dainty hands which have seen years of hard work and menial labour began shaking from nerve ends as Caleb's puzzled look searched her face for an answer.Before she could speak, the landlord who was skulking behind them interrupted, "Who are you Mister, and what do you want with my tenants?""Your tenants?" Caleb and Leah both snapped angrily at the elderly man, turning to face him."My name is Ricardo," the visitor responded, "I am here on instruction to bring the young master to meet with his family."Caleb bolted towards the exit in a flight of fright.
Learning the Truth 4CALEB'S POVThe car drove on in silence. The revelation about his family hit Caleb harder than an electric shock. "What?" he intoned.Mateo nodded. "Is this true, Mama?"He turned to give his mother a blank stare.Leah's greyish-blue eyes had become opaque and watery. Tears streamed down her pinky cheeks and formed a puddle on her sharply edged chin, dripping in droplets onto her hands which were clasped together prayerlike."I guess your silence is an answer in itself," Caleb grumbled."You were adopted after I managed to whisk you away from being killed and hidden in an orphanage. Your foster mother here used to work as a nursing assistant there." Mateo recalled.Caleb lowered his head, the empty package of food dangled in his hand. His grandfather retrieved the pack and dumped it on the backseat.Leah made an effort to hold her son's hand but he shrugged her off. "Don't touch me.""Do you hate me now?" her voice cracked.Caleb felt sorry for his mother. "I'm so
Getting Started 5CALEB'S POV"It was going to be a long night," suspected Caleb. His grandfather had asked that they continue the discussion in his private chambers so he could lie down on the bed and rest his head on a pillow. Caleb agreed. "As I was saying," Mateo began as soon as they went inside and shut the door, "Dezani Cosmetics is one of the biggest companies in Mexico City. At least it used to be." Caleb heard him murmur that last part under his breath the moment his head hit the pillow. "It competed with some of the big brands in the cosmetic industry around the globe: from France to the United States, to Korea, and even China." "China?" Caleb sounded surprised. "Yes. Dezani Cosmetics was a famous manufacturer of ladies' lipsticks for brown skin women. We co-sponsored the Miss World beauty pageant about 22 years ago - if memory serves me well - when a black woman from West Africa won the contest." "This is too good to be true," Caleb said in pleasant delight. "Best
Going Shopping 6CALEB'S POV The following morning, Caleb was awoken by the smell of coffee and waffles coming from downstairs. He promptly sat up in the big mahogany bed and tried to take in his new environment for the first time. Everything happened too fast in the last two days that he barely noticed his surroundings. The bedroom wall was painted white and covered with wallpaper depicting a tropical rainforest overlapping a waterfall. The ceiling was immaculate and shaped like a cone - a contrast from the wooden roof that housed him and his mother in their old rented house. The door blinds were velvet green with golden threads draped against the edges. "I can't remember the last time I slept so well," he murmured to himself, his voice still groggy from sleep. His eyes then wandered to the steady rays of sunlight dancing against the glass window covered with a white curtain indicating it was already broad daylight. Stretching, Caleb yawned and got out of bed. He walked over to th
Another Drama 7CALEB'S POV Ricardo pulled the car to a stop in front of the biggest mall Caleb had ever seen.Inside the place was a beehive of activities. So many luxury brands were neatly arranged in different compartments: Dior, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, etc. Caleb looked about in amazement. "I will need assistance in selecting stuff," he said to Ricardo."Of course, Master."Leah was over at the female section. From the way her eyes darted about, it was obvious she too was having trouble choosing from the array of beautiful dresses and accessories on display.Caleb and Ricardo shopped for clothes, shoes, belts, and briefs. Then they moved to the male accessories section and Ricardo excused himself to quickly use the convenience. Caleb released him to go. As he turned to assess the gold wristwatches on the counter, his eyes caught a glimpse of someone familiar standing a few yards away. It was Mr Hart, his ex-boss. "Wonders shall never end." He sneered at Caleb as he
The Tables Turned 8CALEB'S POVBy the time Caleb got home from the mall, it was noon. His grandfather had already left for the office, thus he decided to take the rest of the day to relax and browse the internet about cars and bikes. He would need his personal means of transportation - something moderate which wouldn't give him away as a rich guy as yet, especially on days he might want to get to the office by himself without waiting for the entourage. He sat in the mini living room attached to his bedroom upstairs, with a glass of red wine he found in the wine bar. A few years ago while he was still job-hunting, he assisted his friend, Raj, to run an errand with his boss' scooter. And though it wasn't a motorbike, he dreamed of owning one someday. It was such a tall dream at the time. He thought of a Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Yamaha, or Suzuki brand. He was still poring the internet when his phone buzzed. "Hello, Grandpa," he answered. "Are you back from the mall?" "Yes. We cam
THE ENDCaleb went to DeZ Cosmetics the next day with some men from the ministry to reopen the place. He still remembered a few of the staff there and began to call them one by one.Mr Apollo, the company's supervisor, was the first person he called. "Hello Mr Apollo, this is Caleb. Caleb Dezani. I'm calling from DeZ Cosmetics and I am in the office right now. Do you mind reporting to work?"The man grunted in disbelief. "But the company was closed down two days ago. And you no longer work there. Last I asked, I was told you took over as the CEO of another company." Caleb laughed. "Well, that last part is true. However, the company was under dispute and has now been resolved. I have reclaimed it as the rightful CEO and want you to return to work. Please while coming, do well to call others to report to work too. I shall be waiting at the reception hall."But Mr Apollo didn't call anyone until he got to the company and found out for himself that the place was indeed reopened. It was a
THE TRUTH IS OUT It felt like a nightmare as the black police Hilux which carried Madam Rebecca drove into the ministry. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She didn't know what to expect. She was ushered into the office by the officers who brought her with specific instructions from the inspector. Meanwhile, Caleb hadn't joined them. When the inspector asked whether he was going to the ministry from the station, he replied that he wanted his grandfather to be present during the meeting. "I need to go and pick him up at home." The two men shook hands, "Well, whatever happens, do not hesitate to ring me." "Thank you so much, Inspector. I hope we shall be able to meet and have that drink soon." The man laughed. "I will count the hours till I hear from you. Good luck!" he added. Caleb drove back home and lord Diego joined him to the ministry. Abhi couldn't follow because he had already left for work. But his stepmother, Leah, insisted on being a part of it. Caleb obliged her.
The FINAL NAIL The next man to interrogate him was the meanest of them. His face was cold and unfeeling."Why did you abandon your textile business?""I didn't abandon it.""Excuse me?""I did not abandon the business. I was defrauded and the business collapsed." "That means you went bankrupt after that?" He didn't answer. "Please can you speak up so the next person can take over?" "Not really. I had people who pulled resources together to loan me the capital I needed to rebuild my business." "And yet you didn't. Or did you?" Again he swallowed hard. "Okay, let me rephrase the question. As a businessman who was into textile, after you were defrauded and people loaned you money, did you rebuild your textile business?" "No." "So what did you do? "I went into partnership with someone in another line of business." "And what business was that?" "Cosmetics. I went into cosmetics." "Good. That will be all from me."By the time the rest of the members had interrogated him, El-Za
MAKING CONCESSIONEl-Zaki woke up for the third time since he was shot and realised he was in a different atmosphere.This new place smelled of drugs and drip water. "Where am I?" he asked no one in particular. A male nurse who was attached to him was sitting by a desk writing. He looked up and said, "You are in an infirmary. You were shot but now recovering." El-Zaki tried to look around and the effort made his head hurt. "Who shot me and which infirmary is this?" The nurse was instructed not to answer any questions past introducing himself and offering medical care. "I'm sorry sir but you shouldn't be concerned about that. You are responding well to treatment and your wound is drying up faster than expected. Please tell me if you feel any pain or want anything." The man stubbornly tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain on his side." Oh gosh! My rib!" he grunted. "Lie still," the nurse advised. He looked at his watch and said, "It's almost time for your midnight draught. It will
SLIPPING AWAYIt was Mr Ramirez calling back Caleb to tell him the men at the checkpoint said the truck was merely carrying items for charity.But Caleb knew better than to buy that lie. He remembered his own travel adventure with Pedro. How he had to hide at the bottom of Grandpa Carlos' truck loaded with cow refuse and feed for hours until they got to Woodward Valley from Greenville."But did they offload the entire truck to search?" he probed."I doubt that they did." "Okay. You should get to your hotel and remain inside. I just got info that the police team from yesterday may be visiting Cholula this afternoon." "Is that right?" "So I heard. Or better still, do not go to any hotel. Find somewhere else to lodge until you hear from me again." "But where else is safer than a hotel?" he asked feeling desperate. "I know a place. It's an old farmhouse occupied by an old couple. Fabian's grandparents." "Oh ho! Don't tell me this was your grand plan all along to make your friend see
DISCOVEREDIt was lunchtime and Caleb realised he was starving. All he had eaten the previous day was toasted bread and salad prepared by Hannah and Bella. Then in the afternoon, he didn't have time to eat as he spent it trying to help them settle down at the new place he got for them. Later that evening, he was called to be at Primo Palace and all he took was a bottle of the most expensive wine which he shared with Mr Ramirez. And later on in the night, he drank French wine as they talked.He felt his stomach growling in protest. Even Abhi heard it from his office and teased him. "When Madam Leah was begging you to have breakfast at home you said food was the least of your worries. Now the worms can't bear it anymore that they want to cause a volcanic eruption in your stomach." Caleb didn't know when he let out a burst of laughter. "You're crazy, man!" "I swear I've been so busy that I can't wait for all of this to be over so I can take a month-long vacation." "Sure. You will ne
SHOWING UPCaleb called the inspector of police, and he promptly answered. "To what do I owe this personal call?" he said cheerfully. "To a long-lasting friendship of mutual interests," he replied. Then he added, "I was hoping we could hang out maybe later in the day. What do you think?" "Oh, that would be wonderful. Let's make it eight o'clock this evening." "That's fine by me," Caleb consented. "What venue?" the Inspector asked. "FanFood Eatery." "I shall be there," the inspector promised and the call quickly ended. A notification dropped in Caleb's phone. He checked it was a text message. He hastily read through because he was behind the wheel. A delivery truck just turned up in the El-Zaki mansion. It has spent about 25 minutes inside the premises." The message read. Caleb immediately sensed something sinister. He pulled over and replied to the informant. "Have it followed and let me know its destination." The info made him feel a bit troubled. But he shrugged it off an
DOOMSDAY Everyone's attention was turned in the direction of the intruders. "Gentlemen, how may we help you?" the lady questioned. "It's more about how we may help you," Caleb responded. Barrister Crusoe kept his face down avoiding Hart's gaze. The director spoke next. "Yes, let's hear you out." "Good day, lady and gentlemen. My name is Caleb Dezani of Dezani Cosmetics," he introduced himself. The director narrowed his furrow, and the three men seated to the right of the lady gasped. The other three including the lady shone their eyes in disbelief. "You mean you're the CEO of Dezani Cosmetics!" "That's correct," Caleb said suppressing a grin at their dramatic expressions. The director went on. "How may we help you? I mean you already said it's you who wants to help us, so please, to what do we owe this August visit?" "Well, I was reliably informed that you were asking to see the original documents of DeZ Cosmetics." "Dez Cosmetics isn't the same as Dezani Cosmetics, am I
DETAINEDHart drove with bated breath heading to the ministry. He kept trying to reach his father to find out whether he was able to trace barrister Crusoe but his line remained unreachable.It was almost ten o'clock and his line wasn't still connecting. None of the bodyguards that went out with him had returned home last night. It was as if there was a conspiracy amongst them to abandon the mansion the moment their boss went incommunicado. Everyone was just acting strangely - including his mother. She had suddenly packed her bags after his father left the house telling him she was going on an emergency business trip but that she would call to inform him when to join her. "Where is this business conference, seminar, or whatever taking place?" "We'd be touring round different countries starting from Portugal. Then we'd move to Brazil and so on.""All within South America?" Hart had enquired. But she didn't give a definite answer. Surprisingly, not too long after she left for the ai