" Come in." Henry said when he heard a knock on the door when he was coming out of the bathroom. He wondered who that could be. Could grandfather want to speak with him this early? His door was always open because he had a little anxiety issue. The fear of enclosed spaces especially at night still plagued him." Clara, why are you awake by this time?" He inquired. She was in a robe which was tied firmly by her side, her hair was piled up on her head in a ponytail and Henry wanted to free them from their confines. Where the hell did that thought come from? He wondered. "Good morning, sir. I've been up for a while now." Clara said. She had woken up immediately the cock crowed, took a bath and headed straight to what she thought was his room. Well, with the help of a maid who was cleaning the house. Her eyes wandered down his chest and fixated on a thin trail of water rolling down his chest until they disappeared into his nether regions. It had been long since she was in the presence of
"What did you say happened here?" Henry asked the manager of the branch where the fire accident had taken place. He took the first flight that morning and landed in Venice in the next seven hours. " We don't know how it began, sir. We just saw the smoke coming from the top of the building and we tried to escape as soon as we could. "What happened to the sprinklers? What happened to the fire service in the city?" Henry demanded. They had allowed the building to be razed to the ground. He pinched the bridge of his nose, " I hope there are no casualties?" He asked not wanting to sound insensitive. " None, sir, but there were two injured people who have been rushed to the hospital immediately." That's fair, " What is their health status?" Henry inquired as he went on to check the extent of the damage. The building was covered in soot, the once magnificent building burnt to unrecognizable pieces. Henry coughed and Grin handed him a nose mask." This is a lot," Henry muttered as he cont
The receptionist was surprised when both men bolted out of the hotel like a cat on a hot tin roof and she shrugged.They made it out of the door just in time to see that the driver was put in a car and being driven off fast. Henry placed his hand on his waist as he wondered what was actually going on. Immediately, he brought out his phone from his pocket and dialed his Pop's number. Grin stopped him, " Sir, we should inform the cops of this vicinity first." He said. If they complained first, his boss could be accused of being involved in a kidnapping spree. " Oh," Henry said and searched for their emergency code. After finding it, he went on to dial their number. " Good afternoon, I want to report a case of kidnap." A brief pause, " Yes, I'm at The Hotelier. Yes. I am on my way." He said and they ordered an Uber. " Take us to the police station." Henry said and took that time to inform his grandfather about the latest development. "The hell is wrong with these people? You are not
The monitor beeped and Clara looked at the rhythm. She flew in with Mr. Quentin the moment she heard that Henry had an accident. " He'll be fine." Quentin stroked her hand after Grin narrated what happened to them. It was Henry who felt the impact the most, followed by the driver, and him."You need to rest." Grandpa Quentin said after making arrangements with the sergeant on where they would sleep. " Follow him, he will take you to your hotel." He said while pointing to one of the guards. "I would like to stay sir." she said and Quentin stared at the young lady who was lost in thoughts about her grandson. The look of worry was evident on her face and she seemed gutted. He sighed, this was love. He wanted to stay here but he figured out that his grandson would prefer her company to his. " Alright, you can stay, I'll be in the hotel down the street." He said. Clara nodded in appreciation, " Thank you, sir." She said and shot Grin a grim smile. She had only one thought. " I hope he
" He will be discharged tomorrow, we need to observe him more" The doctor told Pops. Henry scrunched his nose, "I am fine, I think I am ready to go home." He said. There was no way that he was going to stay here for another day. He was already feeling sick. "Let me go, I will come back for a check up." " I don't think that's a good idea, we still need..." The doctor stopped talking immediately when he saw the grandpa give him a sign. He smiled instead and spoke, " We will be expecting you later. Who will be coming for the drugs?" He asked and Clara shot up from her seat and bolted after him. After thirty minutes, they were finally out of the hospital and on their way to Jackson's condo. " Macy will show you to your room, please." He said and Henry nodded. A maid appeared from the kitchen and smiled, " Welcome, sir, ma'am. Please follow me." She said and they followed her. " I'll take you to your room." Jackson told Pops who nodded and followed him to the room. " You can stay as f
Clara swiveled at the voice and jealousy hit her like a bolt of lightning as Aubrey sauntered into the room and walked straight to where Henry was sitting. " I've missed you so much." She said while hugging him and even went as far as planting a kiss on his cheek. So they were already locking lips and he made me feel special.' Clara thought. She waited and saw Aubrey whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Henry ignored her as if she was a fly perched on the wall.Standing there for long could make her do what she didn't want to, so she quietly exited the room to give the lovers privacy. She unknowingly slammed the door hard and Henry finally looked at the door. " Aubrey, how are you doing today?" He asked her, he was tired of the way she was fussing over him like a baby. " Oh, I'm good, very fine. I'm sorry for what happened to you, I wish they caught those bastards." She said very concerned about him. " Sadly, they didn't. I don't want to talk about them right now." He said and t
Quentin hid his smile when he saw his grandson vibrating in anger. So, he decided to intervene a little. "Derek, I didn't know that you were around. Have you met my grandson?" He asked and Henry stared at his grandfather. What was he up to this time? He wondered. "Oh, no sir. I haven't. I'm glad to meet your acquaintance." Derek replied and Quentin stared a his grandson who was busy staring intently at the stranger. "I'll just be on my way, now." Clara interrupted the staring match and rushed towards the stairs. " You sent for me sir." She said. Henry finally removed his gaze from the man and looked at Clara. He didn't understand what he was feeling but somehow, he couldn't get her smile out of his head. Why was his manager smiling at a man she barely knew in that manner? She wondered. " Follow me." He said and turned on his heel ignoring his grandfather and Grin as he stomped upstairs in anger. Pops grinned inwardly but turned to Derek. " I'm sorry for his lack of manners. He w
Clara's moodiness stretched into dinner and she found it difficult to eat. As usual, Henry found himself asking what the problem was. "Don't you like the meal?" He asked and all eyes fell on Clara. She felt like the ground should open up and swallow her. The piercing gaze of Aubrey dug deep into her flesh. Can you just leave me alone?' She wanted to tell him off but knew that it was a bad idea. Instead, she smiled, "I love it, it's very tasty." She lied. " Okay." Sergeant Jackson shared a glance with his friend but that action didn't go unnoticed by Derek and Grin. "If you don't like the meal, you can request another one." Jackson came to the rescue. Aubrey fumed, she was the girlfriend here, but everyone was treating Clara who was an ordinary secretary specially. She coughed, " I'm sure that she wouldn't want to stress Macy, right? The poor girl's been cooking since morning." She replied. " Yes, ma'am." Clara replied politely. Can all of you just move on? She wished and as luck
A year After."What is going on?" He inquired worriedly when he saw Clara bent over a toilet seat, heaving her lungs out. Panic settled inside him and he patted her back softly. What can I get you?" He asked her and she sat on the tiles."I feel queasy." She said and before she could finish talking, she puked again inside the toilet. "Please get me a tissue." She croaked and stretched her hand backward. That was what she needed.Henry sighed softly as he wiped her mouth for her. "You need to see a doctor, this cannot be ordinary flu." He said and she rinsed her mouth."I think so too. I don't know what is happening to me but I don't feel well inside of me." Like a lightbulb, an idea flashed into his head and he stared at her with wide eyes, and she stared at him strangely." what?" "Are you pregnant?" "What?" She repeated and Henry placed a hand on her shoulders. " Have you been feeling weak? Tenderness in the boobs? Diarrhea and constant headache?" He inquired." Yeah?""I think..
The flight back to Italy was very quick, maybe it was due to the fact that they didn't have anything bothering them anymore, no need to look over their shoulder for every little matter. Henry was very elated to see the soils of Italy.It made him appreciate freedom. He never knew that he was living like a king even when he was poor but with the small taste of money and the problems that accompanied it, he was able to appreciate being free.Clara rested her head on his shoulder as she stared at the soil. It was good to go home. " How do you feel?" She inquired from him and he smiled at her."I feel good, great, even. Who would have thought that I would miss this place? There was a time I was crazy about leaving the country, now that I know better I know that I was foolish at that time. What the hell was I even thinking at that period? He wondered aloud.Clara giggled beside him, it was amazing how he was able to see things from a grander scope. "I think there are several reasons that w
Henry sank to his feet instantly and Clara rushed to hug him. She cried into his shoulders, until his clothes began to get wet. " I'm sorry,I shouldn't be doing this. I don't know what is wrong with me." She chuckled while trying to wipe the tears off her face.Henry rose slowly and held her up. It wasn't so great of an event. She was bawling her eyes out. " Hey, it's okay, I'm free now. You don't need to cry." He said, trying to pacify her and she nodded softly.She moved away so that she could allow the grandfather and son to bond comfortably. Stopping them was not the best thing that she could do because she was feeling a certain type of way. His gaze fell upon his grandfather and he didn't know when he began to weep gently. It was almost as though he was feeling weak and at the same time unable to breathe. "I'm so happy to see you son." He said and held him very close to himself. "Me too, Pops." He said and held him close. His pops had been there for him for a very long time an
The court room went silent and Henry stared at the man who just came to lie without a tangible reason. His eyes rested on him and he tried to figure out where he knew him from to no avail . It was as though the man had harbored grievances against him and sought the perfect time to unleash his vengeance. He was stupefied." I take objection to that statement. If there's CCTV footage, produce it so that we can all watch it." Henry's lawyer said and he stared at the wicked man who was standing before him. it was obvious that he was just trying to ruin Henry's life."I came with proof if that's what you are asking for." He said confidently and Henry was pissed beyond measure. He didn't know this man from Adam but he was hell bent on tarnishing his image. " Lets have it." The judge called again and it was given to him. The assistant slotted it in and connected it to the projector and they all watched the scene."Pause it there." The judge said and adjusted his glasses." A hush fell ove
After spending a great deal of time trying to make sure that there was no need to continue staying in the hospital, they went to court. Pops pulled some strings on some of his old people who knew what was going on, he was probably thinking about what would have happened if he didn't have such a strong backbone. He didn't even want to imagine it because it would be so brutal. Anyway, it was going to be great if he could actually do without the court order Alas, there was no one above the law. He stood before the judge at the supreme court with his lawyer in front of him. The complainant also stood at the opposite dock. It was a woman, she was claiming that her husband was killed."Mr. Henry, What do you have to say concerning the defendant's claim?" Henry looked at the judge and the sobbing woman. As much as he pitied her, he couldn't help but feel that she was doing a tad bit too much. "I didn't kill her husband, my honor. It was out of self defense. He tried to kill me, whoever has
*******Chapter 187Clara didn't wait for him to finish his sentence before placing a hand over her mouth, this was not the news that she wanted to hear. It was heartbreaking and at the same time she had to maintain a good front because Pops was in the room, staring at her. "That's great to hear. I thought that he was actually harmed. It's good to hear that he's well. Thank you Caine." She mustered a fake smile and Caine stared at his phone as if there was an alien living in it. Wasn't she the person who was angry a few minutes ago that things were hidden away from her? Yet she was telling him thank you. "Good. I'll talk to you later." He said and she nodded before hanging up abruptly and turned to see Pops staring at her. He wasn't talking at the moment but his eyes spoke volumes. He was probably thinking about what was happening to his grandson."Pops, what would you like to eat?" She asked him as she moved closer to his bed to stroke his hands.He shook his head slightly and she
Chapter 186George agreed without arguing one bit as he was drooped at the end of the road, he didn't waste any more time in making sure that there was anything holding him back as he bundled down the pavement and flagged down a cab. He was sure that they would take him to his doorstep. All he needed was to take a bath first then right after he could now start thinking about other things but for now, he would have preferred just staying away and waiting till there was nothing else to do. "That man is scarred. I don't think we should have let him go just like that. We know that he needed the money. He was just acting so that it didn't seem that way." Fred spoke from the rearview mirror.Caine nodded in agreement. He had other plans for the man but from experience he had known better than to allow anyone to come close to the family because it could be very frustrating if the person didn't know what was going on. It was more of a preservation. No one wanted to be involved with people th
Chapter 185Caine and Fred came bursting through the door. " Everyone raise your hands above your heads." Caine ordered as he and Fred came bursting into the living room.Everyone stared at them as if they were aliens speaking gibberish. "Who is he?" Liam asked as his eyes casually strolled from the intruders to Henry.Henry sighed and balled his fists which were already losing sensitivity due to the excessive amount of blood. "Don't go all macho on him. You can call him my brother from another mother, he's been there even from the beginning of this issue." Liam's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared at the man in front of him. He couldn't remember where he knew him from but from the way he was behaving he knew that he was someone of great importance.Caine glanced at Fred before his eyes swung toward Liam and Ryan. This was somewhat a complicated issue because if it was left to him, he would have locked this man up. But with the situation at hand. It sounded unwise because this ma
Chapter 184Henry didn't waste time in locating the person who fired the shots. It was no one but Jess and he was shocked to his bone that she could even attempt to save them."I love you baby!" Liam jumped up immediately and pulled the trigger at Ryan causing him to stumble and almost hit the ground.George, sensing potential freedom, rose from his position and bundled towards Ryan who was rubbing his sore legs. It was a double bullet. He didn't wait till he recovered before falling atop him. Ryan was utterly shocked when he saw that the tables had turned. "Get off me, you oaf." He grunted from beneath George and tried to shake him off but found it hard to do that so he bit him.George, who was stubborn, persisted in making sure that he didn't leave.Henry also joined the party by knocking the gun out of his hands. Ryan was pretty helpless at this point, he bit George on the hand again, this time almost removing the chunk of flesh that surrounded his hand but George made sure that h