Rise Of Billionaire Bruce Ace.

Chapter Eight: the new owner.

"Jade! Jade!"

Jade and Bruce who were in the living room glanced at each other.

"I think that's my mother," Jade said in a hushed tone and Bruce frowned. He had guessed she was the one. He could still remember what she sounded like.

"You told her our house address?" Bruce asked.

Jade shook her head, signaling a no as an answer.

"Your father did?" Before taking Jade away, Mr. Fulton made sure the place he took his daughter to was ‘house worthy’.

Jade shook her head again and Bruce knitted his brows. "Was she monitoring us?"

"Typical," Jade scoffed, remembering the times she had gotten stalked by her parents. "My parents are like that. It's creepy, right?"

Bruce nodded.

"Jade! Leave that wretched man and come back home," she yelled from outside their house.

Jade frowned. "What do we do now?"

Bruce knew that Jade's mother had nothing good to say. On the other hand, she was his mother-in-law. Although she treated him badly, it'll be disrespectful of him to do the same.

"Mother has come to see how her children are faring. Of course, we should welcome her," Bruce replied and Jade gave him a worried look. She knew what her mother could do.

"She came here to drag me along with her," Jade protested.

"She can't do so without your permission. You can only go back with her if you want to."

Jade nodded and they both went to the door. Jade opened the door and as she did a glare from Lucia hit them.

"Welcome, mother-in…" Bruce's voice trailed off as Lucia glared harder at him.

"Mrs. Fulton, welcome."

Ignoring Bruce, Lucia rushed to her daughter, Jade. "You've become thinner, Jade." Lucia looked around. "Take a look at where you live now. You're living like a pauper. You're living in someone's house. What would people think of me? They'd say that my daughter got married to a pauper and they both beg for shelter. Why would you choose to stay in the den of a beggar over staying with Bryan in the Athens mansion?"

"Mom, I'm married to Bruce," Jade stated firmly. "I can't leave him."

Lucia turned to Bruce and glowered at him. She lunged at him and held the collar of his shirt. "You did this, didn't you? You want to get married to the daughter of a billionaire so you can become rich quickly, then you chose my daughter and used black magic on her. You charmed my daughter, you wretched thing."

"Mom, stop this madness," Jade lashed out and her mother only tightened her grip on Bruce's collar.

Jade tried to pull her mom away from Bruce and she rained curses on Bruce as Jade successfully pulled her away.

"Jade, we can still convince the Athens to let Bryan marry you. All you have to do is to leave that good-for-nothing man. Immediately you do, your father and I would fix your marriage with Bryan Athen."

"Mrs. Fulton, if this is what you came here to tell me, please leave," Bruce said bluntly and Lucia's eyes snapped open wide. Bruce stared at her with a straight face. She had crossed the lines. Bruce had had enough of her tantrums.

"Are you sending me away? You're nothing but a church rat and you're sending me away?"

"Mother-in-law, you literally just called this place a beggar's den. Please leave this beggar's den to your mansion," Bruce said, teasingly and Jade snickered.

Lucia became flustered. She raised her head in a bid to maintain composure. "I'm taking my daughter along with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you. I won't leave my husband and you can't make me."

"I heard of how you got rejected by Alpub Marketing Company when you applied for a job. If you were with your family instead of that pauper, it would not have happened. Come back home, get married to Bryan Athen and they will respect you."

Bruce smirked. If Jade stayed with him, she wouldn't only gain their respect. She would gain control over their lives as well. He would make sure of it.

"I'm not interested. Mother, please leave. You've apparently overstayed your welcome," Jade said sternly and Lucia scowled at her.

"Society is unfair to those without money and power. You have none now and you aren't used to this kind of life." Lucia snorted. "You'd come crawling back."

"I promise that she won't," Bruce smiled. He'd do anything within his power to give Jade whatever she wanted.

Lucia laughed in derision. "You're a dreamer."

She turned to Jade. "Your father and I would continue to keep in touch with the Athens, so we won't have to look for another suitor when you come crawling back to us."

"Believe me, there'd be no need for that," Bruce said and Lucia glowered at him.

She turned around and walked away.

"You've suddenly become so confident," Jade noted as soon as her mother walked away and Bruce smiled to himself.

"I have a feeling that things won't be as hard as we thought would be," Bruce said, smiling knowingly.

Jade smiled, not knowing what Bruce meant. She turned to leave and her phone rang out immediately.

"An unknown number?" Jade knitted her eyebrows.

Bruce smiled. "Answer it," he urged.

Jade, though hesitantly, picked up the call.

"Hello, who's this?"

Jade furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Alpub? Me? I think you've got the wrong number."

Jade frowned. "Look, Mister. I'm not interested in getting prank calls. End this call and don't call this number again."

Bruce watched Jade with a knowing look.

"You know what? I'd end this call myself," Jade said and cut the call immediately.

"Who was that?" Bruce inquired. He knew who had called and why the person called but chose to feign ignorance.

"Some dude who thinks he can prank call me," Jade answered with an annoyed look. Jade snapped her fingers. "It's probably one of those recruiters. Are they trying to mock me for getting rejected?"

"I don't think they'd dare do that," Bruce said with a smug smile. "They don't want to get fired, do they?"

Jade gave him a puzzled look. "How would they get fired?" She raised an eyebrow at Bruce. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"Your phone wasn't on speaker mode. What makes you think I was eavesdropping?" Bruce asked. After staring at him for some while, she shrugged.

Bruce watched as she walked over to the couch. She sat on it, took the remote from the table in front of her, and switched on the T. V.

Jade giggled and Bruce turned to the Television to see what had made her giggle. He raised one of his eyebrows when he saw James Walter, the owner of Alpub and a female interviewer.

"Take a look at the CEO of Alpub. I've seen him in most of the social gatherings I attend, but I'm sure he doesn't know what I look like. Some random dude thinks he can prank me by making me think that James Walter would just give me his company willingly," Jade said and Bruce smiled knowingly.

"James Walter, CEO of Alpub," the interviewer began.

"I'm no longer the CEO of Alpub. Jade Fulton is."

"Am I now hearing voices in my head?" Jade was awestruck.

"I don't think you are. I heard it too. You're now a CEO."

"We probably did not hear right because how is it possible? I've never met Mr. Walter one on one before."

"So you're saying that you are no longer the owner of Alpub. Jade Fulton, daughter of J. J. Fulton is." The interviewer inquired. Jade's interest was piqued.

"Yes," James Walter replied. Jade's mouth hung open and Bruce smirked. "Jade Fulton is the new owner of Alpub."