Phase one of the plan is done.Now on to phase two, Clement thought, surveying the board where he mapped out his projections.Seeing as his business was doing so well, he wanted to focus all his time on the second part of the project.Bring Medley's down.That is turning out to be quite the chore, seeing as they've been the leading company, winning the highest awards for Fortune 500 companies more times than he could count.To defeat an opponent like Medley's, you have to think outside the box…or better yet, remove the box entirely.This is why Clement managed to score himself an invite to one of Medley's prestigious events.The kind that only allowed their fellow people in.The knock on his door came in at the appropriate time. Clement stopped playing with the stress ball in his hand and got to his feet.Crossing the distance to the door in four easy strides, he jerked it open to reveal the woman he had been waiting for.“Simone…” He greeted them with a smile before snatching her in
“I'm waiting.” Lily folds her arm.“I have something you might need and you definitely have something I need.” Clement widened his leg.“And this something is so important, you have to crash our party for it?”“Yes.” He took a deep breath, removing his mask. “I'm sure you know who am I by now but needless to say, I will introduce myself. My name is Clement Lambert and I have a proposition for you.”When Clement removed his mask, he saw trepidation flash through her eyes. “What do you want? You're clearly not welcome here. How did you even get in?”“Easy.” He put up his hands so as not to spook her. “I'm not going to hurt you, like I said…I just want to talk.”“Go on.” She waved a hand, giving him the go-ahead.“I'm here to broker a deal.” He placed his hands behind his back. “I'll keep quiet about what I know if you and over your shares and give me a seat amongst the board at Medley's.”A startled laugh escaped her mouth. “Is this some sort of joke?”Clement said nothing.“So why woul
“Did you hear?” Rebecca asked Sean, walking up to him as he moved towards the office.“Hear what?” He stopped at the door, trying to unlock it. Truthfully, Sean has been in a daze the past couple of days.Not only has Chloe refused to take his calls but his renovation down at the new building for his company took a little spin, further delaying the work.The only reason he could stand in front of Rebecca this morning is thanks to two pots of coffee and three hours of sleep.“An executive director was kidnapped last night.” Rebecca was eager to tell him.Sean pushed open the door, dumping his briefcase and wallet on his desk. “Why should I know about this?”“Because he's an associate of Medley's!” She says, seeming too agitated for something he didn't quite understand.“Maybe someone got mad and ‘nabbed the guy.” Sean concluded flippantly, needing another pot of coffee. Rebecca didn't say anything which was odd. Turning to look at her, he discovered she had a weird look on her face.Th
The day officially went to shit. Sean's day went from bad to worse after he tried and failed to convince his brother to tell the truth. Not less than twenty minutes later, he heard the patter of feet and raised voices. Choosing to investigate, Sean ran outside only to see Clement bring dragged off by a couple of armed men in uniform. Rebecca was standing off to the side, biting her nails nervously. “What is happening?” He asked, standing next to her. “I don't know. One minute, I was working and the next they stormed in saying he was under arrest.” “Did they say why?” She shook her head. “No.” That was all Sean needed to hear. Abandoning Rebecca at the sidelines, he jogged up to the cops searching for the one in charge. He was easy to find due to his bulk and the way people easily flocked around him. “I'm looking to talk to the man in charge.” Sean said loudly, gaining his attention. The man broke away from the rest who were forcing Clement into a patrol car. “And you are?
Sean sat with Chloe for the next hour and they talked. They laughed, they cried but mostly they sat there talking about things that they wouldn't normally open up about. It's safe to say that they were feeling raw from the events in their life. It wasn't until Sean glanced at the clock that he realized how fast time had flown past. “Come on, let me take you home.” Sean helped Chloe up, lending a hand. She accepted it and they walked hand in hand to his car. The drive to her place was thirty minutes, but Sean felt reluctant to let her go. “Will I see you again?” He turned off the engine. “Aww, is someone missing me?” She pouts, smiling up at him. “I'm serious, Chloe.” He didn't know how it happened or when it did but she had happened to integrate herself into his life. Chloe was the light in his darkness and during this dark time, she shone brightly directing him to the better part. “Soon.” She touched his arm. “I'll call or text as soon as I can. Those shifts are threateni
The look in Adams eyes was chilling. Sean nods, jerking his arm away. “She'll be safe with me, sir.”Amber was a couple of feet away from them, fiddling with her phone.“She better.” His voice was still low, bit wanting his daughter to overhear. “I don't know what kind of sick schemes you and your brother are cooking up but I'm the last person you want to cross.”With that last warning, Adam let Sean go with a friendly pat and smiling, acting like nothing happened.Sean composed before he got to her side. “What were you and my dad talking about?” Amber asked the second he was besides her, as if she was itching to get it out.“Nothing serious, just buisness stuff.”“Really? Because that seemed kinda intense.” She flashed him a look he couldn't quite decipher.Sean wondered if she heard what they were talking about and shook those thoughts out of his brain. “Your father is just worried about you.”“I know and it's stupid. It's like he doesn't realize that I'm an adult now and can do w
Sean still felt uncomfortable after that happened.Amber practically plastered herself to the edge of the car seat, her face glued to the windows even though he was sure that she wasn't paying attention to the scenery.Clearing his throat, Sean felt the need to explain himself. “Amber, I'm very sorry for what happened earlier.”She spared him a look. The first one minutes. “I told you, you don't have to apologize. It's my fault.”“Not necessarily,” Sean argued. “I acted as though I was interested and it's not your fault for interpreting it in that manner.”She slapped her forehead with her palm, her face turning red. “You trying to explain why you avoided kissing me is making this situation more mortifying than usual.”Her obvious embarrassment made him chuckle. “Oops.”Removing her hands from her face, Amber stared at him. “You're a great guy, Sean, but if I'm being honest, I don't think I'd want anything except a fling and you seem way too intense for that…so I'm guessing everything
Friendship with Amber morphed into a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.Luckily for Sean, Amber was a newbie in a population of thousands with no one to spend time with.Most of her friends are abroad and they're also schooling which equates them not always having the time to communicate.Being Amber's new best friend came with some perks.For one, he and the owner of an Italian restaurant are now very good friends with a promise of a year discount the moment Magnolia becomes active.Jackson and Mr Bloom are also heavily invested but not only that…now they've brought him into their clique where they talk business.Some of those businesses are also about Medley's.Sean was biding his time, waiting until it was the right time to strike.Meanwhile…“Yeah, I'll be right out now.” Sean narrowly swerved to avoid hitting a man who was just coming out of an office. Too distracted, he didn't pay attention just yelled a ‘Sorry’ over his shoulder and kept walking.“That'