Nathan's POVWhen the men standing outside the boardroom spotted Nathan, they all tightened up and stood straight by the door. He understood their posture, it wasn't every day that they saw the boss of the company.Nathan furrowed his brow at the one he recognized. That was one of Scott's bodyguard and he always followed Scott anywhere he went, so there was no doubt that Scott was inside the boardroom. "Are they still in there?" he questioned the bodyguard.The man nodded and pushed the door slightly open, allowing Nathan to peek inside. He didn't need anyone to tell him as the voices from inside the room reached his ears.The room's occupants were having a furious debate, as someone he doesn't know clears his throat inside the room. Nathan arched a brow, looking at Amber, " who is he?" He whispered to his assistant.Amber shook his head, " none you need to concern yourself with …" he replied.What Amber meant was that, the man was not important enough for Nathan to know who he is.
Nathan’s POV“Graciously allowed,” Scott grumbled, shaking his head as he added more cereal to his bowl.Nathan hummed in response, continuing to drink milk from the glass he was holding. They were at home, discussing about what had transpired in the boardroom earlier that day and Scott was teasing him about it.He scoffed,” I just had to have the last word… I mean, what were they expecting, that I would cower at their presence…” he mumbled.Scott shook his head, “ well, you exceeded everyone’s expectations…since when did you become so domineering “ he said, a smile dancing on his lips.Nathan glanced at his brother and rolled his eyes, “ I don’t know…” he muttered. That was actually the truth. Though he knew that his senses had been taken over by Nathaniel Hayes, but somehow, he felt that he still delivered his speech better than Nathaniel Hayes would have. Scott snorted, “ I should have expected this though. I know you’ve always remained reserved because of dad, especially when it
Nathan’s POV Was Nathaniel Hayes finally taking over his body?As much as it horrified and terrified him, he felt a sense of relief that he was finally recalling something from Nathaniel’s history. Something that connected him with people around him, with Scott.He blinked in astonishment as something wet touched his cheek. “What the hell was that?” he exclaimed, wiping his moist cheek. Scott didn’t have to respond because he already knew what his brother had done.His palm was white in color.“ shit! Did you just kissed me?” He sighed and wiped hard on his cheek. Being close to Scott was causing him to experience emotions he was unfamiliar with. Emotions he could quite name or pinpoint. One that seemed strange yet felt comfortable.For as long as he could remember, he had no family or relatives. He had grown up in so many different foster homes and orphanages that he had lost track of how many families he had lived with.Some had taken him in for the money, others out of pity and so
Elton Ross' POV Elton hit the ball with the golf stick and watched as it flew high into the sky, landing far away from where he was standing, but in a pool of water. When he heard an applause, he turned to smile at the staff that accompanied him. Of course their job was to make him happy and also make his golfing experience at the golf course worth while. Even if he had hit a bad ball, they would still cheer for him. Poor people and their inherent ability to please the rich, he thought with a scoff.They were there to make him happy, not to judge his shooting or golf abilities. He approached Nicholas, who had escorted him to the course while he changed his gloves." This one is wet, get me another" he ordered, flinging the gloves at the staff closer to him. The staff caught it and scurried away to get a new glove.He nodded at Nicholas, "How long will it take before the project is given a go ahead? Hayes Holdings needs to speed things up," Elton murmured.He had been angry when he
Elton Ross POVElton inhaled his daughter's fragrance and smiled, she obviously had been with a man who isn't the one in the golf course with him.Still holding on to her, he muttered in her ear, "Cut it off. You're being too obvious."She chuckled lightly and released him, returning to Nicholas' waiting hands. Piper had taken after both him and her mother. He reasoned that she had both his intelligence and her mother's exquisite taste. She would always pursue wealth, irrespective of who was holding it."Babe, can we go now?" she begged.Nicholas blinked, first staring up at Elton and then at Piper. Elton could see the turmoil in those eyes, not knowing who he would listen to.He had invited Nicholas to play golf so they could talk about business and other opportunities and somehow, so he could pry into what was going on at Rivers Estates. An opportunity might arise anytime, he thought."I borrowed him to talk business, Piper; wait for us." Elton murmured to his daughter. Piper moane
Nathan's POVNathan struggled to hide a yawn again, ducking his head slightly to avoid getting caught. It wouldn't look well on the CEO if he was caught yawning in a meeting, but CEO or not, he was feeling dizzy.The company's internal meeting had been going on for hours, and he would do anything to get out of there. Of course, no one, especially Scott, was taking it easy on him, given how they had almost fell for the so-called tight deal proposed by Rivers Estates.It was as if Scott was being strict on himself or trying to punish himself for disappointing the company that way. He caught Scott's brief glare that urged him to sit up properly on his seat.He sighed as he also noticed Samuel's fleeting glare at him. Samuel has been ignoring him since that day in the boardroom. He should be commended for giving up his valuable time to go through that so called tight deal again, rather than hated for it."Considering how the recent discovery has moved the start-up date for the project t
Nathan's POV" I think we need to start looking at moving on with this project without Rivers Estates in it…" Nathan said.There was stillness in the room since no one dared to speak after he had spoken. It was so quiet that they could hear the sound of a pin of it dropped.Nathan could tell from the way Samuel opened and closed his mouth that Samuel was eager to talk and counter what he had said, but of everything that Samuel was not, it was a foolish man. He was also a sensible man and he knew when to talk and when to hold his peace. Samuel also knew when something was a lost cause.Scott exhaled after a while as he placed his hands on the table and stared at Nathan. "I'm guessing that decision is final," he said.Nathan arched his brow. "Yes," he murmured, only Scott would have the courage to argue with him on that decision, but he knew his brother would not. Scott would support whatever decision that he made.Scott nodded and relaxed in his seat. "What's next?" he mumbled.The ne
Nathan's POVCoffee.As Nathan walked into the surprisingly packed canteen, all he could think of was coffee. He seriously needed some caffeine in his system at the moment to help him deal with the frustrated meeting they just had. Closing the distance between the door and where people were ordering in a few seconds, He came up to the counter, standing behind someone who was in front." …Two cups please with an extra dose of sugar" the person in front of him muttered.Nathan arched a brow. If the person was ordering extra sugar, they probably must need something sweet to bright up their day. He looked around at the crowded hall, watching people walk in a leave. It felt surreal that he was their boss and even the stares directed at him, made him feel awakard. He wasn't used to their stares.The queue for coffee stretched down to the other end. It was lunchtime, so the canteen was understandably crowded, but he didn't expect to see so many people queuing for coffee. Nathan was clearl
Lucas's POVLucas heard familiar voices all around him, but his brain couldn't figure out who was speaking. They had tried to be as quiet as they possibly could, but was failing miserably.He tried to open his eyes, but they seemed to have a mind of their own and were taking their sweet time to do so.His interest piqued as he overheard someone speak. "He's awake! His eyes are shaking. Shouldn't we call the doctor…"Who's awake? Lucas thought. It had to be him that they were referring to. He was lying down on a warm bed too.He attempted to move his body, and while it was impossible at first since his body felt heavy like a log of wood, he was able to finally shift his hand.The folks in the room were conversing quicker and moving around, judging by their heavy footfall. He was now curious about what was going on around him.Lucas tried again to open his eyes, and this time he was successful, but he had to close them again, almost immediately, when blinding light entered his eyes."C'
Nathan's POVNathan shifted his sitting position so that he was half lying down on the plush couch as he watched Elton Ross being carried out of the court and down the stairs.The reporters waiting for an interview outside the court rushed towards him and tried to get near the man despite the officers holding Elton on both sides attempting to stop them."What can you say about the final verdict?!" Someone shouted, prompting more questions from other reporters." Did you plead guilty or not guilty! Are you responsible for the death of your son in-law?!"" What do you have to say about your daughter's murder!"Nathan sighed. Shaking his head. Elton Ross had this coming for him for a very long time. He watched the man lower his head in shame. He rolled his eyes and switched to another channel, but they were still reporting the same story about billionaire CEO, Elton Ross ordering the murder of his son-in-law, Lucas, and how he had pleaded guilty to the other four counts laid against him
Elton's POVTo others, Piper was just another person who succumbed to the cruel grasp of death. The notion of being responsible for his daughter's death occurred to Elton, but he took a deep breath and buried it.'Now was not the time to deal with trivial matters, Elton'. He reminded himself mentally."Thank you, doctor. How is she?" He asked, alluding to Margaret.The doctor exhaled and shook his head. "She's not well. Her body is frail, and she is deficient in some nutrients, which we are currently injecting into her. I assume she took your daughter's death the hard way," he stated.Elton sighed. "You might say that." He mumbled. He admitted that he should have taken her to the hospital sooner, but assumed she could handle the loss and grief on her own.Margaret has experienced loss before. She lost her parents at a young age. So this shouldn't have taken a toll on her especially when she wasn't close to Piper, but perhaps, the bond between mother and daughter was too hard to ignore
Elton's POVElton Ross stood still, staring at the lifeless body in the ironically beautiful casket. He couldn't believe it had been almost two weeks since he received the news that shocked him to his core. His only daughter had been shot dead by none other than a henchman he had hired.The plan had been simple: shoot once to scare Nathaniel Hayes. But the plan, which had been simple, had grown so complex the moment the henchman had decided that killing Nathaniel Hayes instead would scare the man, and that had brought Elton the most regret.He could still see Piper's smile in his sleep, her smirk, and deep calculative frown, when things didn't go her way, which she had inherited from him. Her seductive stare as she was about to ensnare a man in her fingers.He always woke up dreaming about her and the dreams always ended with that disappointing stare from his daughter. He had killed her.How could he forget her nagging? She had gone to him a few days before her death to protest abou
Nathan's POVHayden laughed and said, "It's funny how you guys could do things that even the police force wouldn't think of." He said, nodding to August.August rolled his eyes but stayed silent. He had the sensation that the man moved mostly in the dark and kept hidden unless it was essential to reveal himself, which explained his location behind the door.Leslie scoffed. "If you want to survive in a large family like ours, you have to learn to do things on your own. After nearly three hours, they left in different directions. I have a feeling they might not even know the members," he remarked."They fucking wore masks inside the house and blindfolds inside the car while leaving. I was only able to catch a glimpse because the compound was surrounded by a huge wall…" August revealed from where he was half hidden."Give me a coordinate, and I'll get satellite footage of the building and its surroundings. Except, they are hidden underground." Chris murmured.While Chris was talking, Myl
Nathan's POVEveryone huddled together in the living room. Nathan was sitting on the couch, while Scott sat on the armrest, half leaning against him."How are you?" Hayden questioned him.Nathan frowned. He last saw the man months ago. If Hayden needed to notify them of something, he would always call, or Scott would go down to the station. This was the first time he had seen the detective in a long time, and the way that Hayden was acting gave him the impression that he had conclusive evidence and was only waiting for their agreement to proceed with his plans."I'm fine." He responded. "You were shot at, and Scott said you've been asleep for two days; don't you think it's best you get checked out at the hospital to be sure you're in great shape?" the police officer inquired.Nathan arched his brow; he hadn't considered it before, and now that detective Hayden had mentioned it, he wondered why he hadn't woke up in the hospital instead, especially given Scott's overprotective and cau
Nathan's POV“So, is this a visit or what?” he inquired, smiling. He didn’t want them to notice how tense he was. Too many Hayes in one house was enough for one person to notice something unusual about him and begin connecting the dots.It wouldn’t be long before they discovered that he wasn’t the real Nathaniel Hayes.Noah narrowed his eyes at him, then shifted his focus to his brother, Nolan. Nolan was the one who spoke first.“You were shot, Nathaniel. I didn’t expect you to forget that.” Nathan blinked. He remembered the experience vividly. He remembered nearly avoiding the gunshot because he had shifted slightly, but he didn’t see how this solved the question of why they were all there.August sighed and approached him, laying an arm over his shoulders. “Someone made the mistake of attempting to kill you, Nathaniel. You didn’t expect us to fold our hands and keep them out of it, right? And no,” he replied, shaking his head. “It became our business the moment someone pointed a
Nathan's POV“So what do we do if they are everywhere, dad?” the child said. The man stated, “We fight for what we have.”If the child was Nathaniel, and he had called the man dad, then it was clear that the man had to be Oleander Hayes, Nathaniel’s father. This was his first time hearing the man’s voice. Why did it have to be now? He wondered. Now that he felt Nathaniel’s consciousness gradually leaving him. He wasn’t sure if he was going to wake up as Nathaniel Hayes again or if he was going to return back to his body as Lucas.Nathan stepped up to the lamp, hoping it would give him an indication as to what was going on in the room. But when he looked closer, it had no switch. The lamp was turned on without a switch.Weird, he thought. How could a lamp be on without a control switch.“ Fight?” the child; Nathaniel asked. “ can’t we do something else, like run?” The question attracted Nathan’s attention. His first instinct when there was trouble had been to run, but Oleander had
Nathan’s POV The drive home was calm in the car, but the country was not silent that night. He was calm but his mind was running in circles, wondering what had just happened.One minute, he had been talking to Piper, the next, the gunshots went off and he was collapsing on the floor with Piper’s blood around him.He gazed down at his now blood stained sleeves and gasped in shock. He quickly pulled off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt when a hand stopped him.He tried to bat the had off, but the person held on strong. “ Let me help you Nathaniel!” Amber muttered.He sighed, calming down when he recognized Amber’s voice and allowed Amber to help him. Amber unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it out of his body, dropping it together with the jacket on the front seat. They remained quiet after that.Nathan with his eyes closed, leaning on the seat and Amber making and answering calls. He didn’t feel his phone vibrate, so he assumed that Amber was the one with his phone and wa