The receptionist, pale and speechless, took a step back. “Mrs. Cloud... I... I didn’t know...”"She even called me a lunatic and called the police on me,” Nathan added, making Vanessa even more furious.Vanessa’s eyes widened, her face darkening with fury. “You what?”“I—” The receptionist stammered before swallowing hard. She knew she had made a very grave mistake. “I didn’t know, Mrs. Cloud. I thought... he’s wearing a cleaner’s uniform, and he... he said he was Lord Cloud, but I...”Vanessa’s face twisted in disbelief and anger. “You thought?” she repeated, her voice rising. “Is that what I pay you for? "My husband came here, and you didn’t even bother to check with me? You just assumed he was some lunatic because of what he was wearing?”The receptionist opened and closed her mouth, unable to find the words to defend herself. She could not come up with anything.“I... I didn’t mean...”“You dare to disrespect my husband? You even had the audacity to call him a lunatic and call th
The police officers stood back, watching. “Is there anything else you’d like us to do, Mrs. Cloud?”Vanessa shook her head, her eyes still locked on the receptionist being dragged out. “No, Officer. You can go.”Nathan stood silently beside her, his arms still crossed, watching as the receptionist was dragged out of the lobby. Her cries echoed through the room, but neither Nathan nor Vanessa flinched. At that moment he was not really angry but filled with satisfactionHe had warned her, he had given her multiple chances to back down. She she still chose to challenge him, just like everyone who dared to challenge him, she was paying the price.As the doors swung closed behind the doctors and the sobbing receptionist, the lobby became quiet. Vanessa then turned to Nathan. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that, Nathan,” she said, placing her hand round his arm. Nathan’s eyes softened as he looked at her. “It’s alright, dear. You don't need to apologize on her behalf."Vanessa nodded, h
Nathan's expression turned even colder as he left Vanessa’s office. Darius had crossed the line too many times, and now, it was time to end the game once and for all. The moment the elevator doors slid shut, he pulled out his phone and dialed James’s number, his ever-loyal butler and right-hand man."James," Nathan said. "Get the men ready. We're paying Darius a visit."James immediately understood what his boss was saying; he knew very well what it meant that they would be paying Darius a visit. It meant only one thing: Darius was a dead man."Alright, Lord Cloud, I'll get the men ready," James replied promptly before Nathan hung up the call. Nathan's jaw clenched as he hung up, his hands tightening into fists. Darius had dared to steal from him, dared to meddle in their lives once more. This was the last time, and Nathan was going to make sure of it.Back at Cloud Mansion, the air was filled with tension. Nathan strode into the expansive garage, where James was already making su
Darius's eyes were fixed on the helicopter ahead. As the blades rotated, he knew it was his only chance of survival.“GO! NOW!” Darius yelled, nearly tripping over his own feet in his desperation.The pilot nodded, his trembling hands already moving to prepare for takeoff.Darius threw himself into the back seat of the helicopter, slamming the door shut. The engine roared, and the chopper slowly began to lift off the ground.Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Nathan’s men were closing in. Darius’s guards, despite their numbers, were either down or trying to escape.“Sir!” One of Nathan’s men came running up, panting. “He’s at the helipad. The helicopter is taking off!”Nathan’s jaw clenched as anger coursed through his veins. “Shoot it down,” he ordered.Without hesitation, he informed the rest of Nathan's men.On the helipad, just as the helicopter began to rise above the mansion’s roof, several of Nathan’s men burst out from the mansion with their rifles aimed at the sky.They opened fi
The message repeated once more before the speaker went silent.The news left Hastings and Edward in a very suffocating atmosphere. Hastings looked like he might collapse. His face was totally drained of color, and his eyes were wide with fear. “Sh*t! We’re doomed,” he whispered, his entire body trembling.“Get it together!” Edward barked, rising from his seat. “It’s just a meeting. Nothing more. If Nathan really knew what we did, he would have had us arrested by now.”“But after what he did to Darius...” Hastings began.“Exactly,” Edward cut him off. “After what he did to Darius, you think we’d still be alive if he knew? No. This meeting is just like the others. We just need to make sure Darius doesn’t open his mouth. That’s it.”Hastings nodded weakly, still visibly shaken, but he couldn't help but admit that Edward was right. If Nathan had found out about their involvement, he wouldn’t bother with meetings. He’d come for them just like he came for Darius.Edward straightened his ti
The room remained heavy with silence as Lord Cloud sat at the head of the table. His mere presence exuded an aura of power and authority so intense that no one even dared to speak.All around the conference room, employees began to shift uncomfortably in their seats, and sweat was even forming on some of their foreheads.Each one of them began to replay every decision, every minor slip-up in their minds, wondering if they had done anything to incur Lord Cloud's wrath. Some glanced nervously at their colleagues, while others bowed their heads, too afraid to meet Nathan's intense gaze.Hastings was visibly shaking, his shirt already soaked in sweat. His mind was racing, and his heart pounded against his chest like a hammer. Does he know? The question replayed in his mind endlessly. He could feel the cold, piercing stare of Nathan boring through him. Sylvester, too, was breaking under the pressure; he had pulled out of the plan with Darius, but what if backing out was not enough to a
Nathan stood over Edward, Hastings, and Sylvester like an executioner, his face cold and devoid of emotion.The entire room was silent, save for the groans of the men who were brutally hit.His cold gaze swept across the conference room, locking eyes with every employee, one by one. They were too afraid to even blink under his intense gaze.Nathan finally spoke, his voice low and commanding, making the entire room tremble. "I disguised myself as a cleaner for weeks," he began. "To observe. To see how things were really being run in my company."He let his words sink in, taking a slow sip of whiskey before placing the glass back on the table. “What I witnessed… disappointed me.”The employees could feel the judgment in his words. Each of them began to remember their interactions with the 'cleaner' they had so easily ignored. The man they had disrespected, bullied, and overlooked was none other than Lord Cloud himself.Nathan continued, "I saw people who thought they were better than ot
The three executives—Edward, Hastings, and Sylvester, who were to be bartered to even speak, lay there waiting for the judgment of the Lord.Of course, Nathan had not forgotten about them. He turned his gaze to his trusted men. “Take them. Lock them up, along with their families, until they vomit every dime they stole.”His voice was ice-cold, devoid of any hesitation or pity.The same Lord Cloud that had given Grace and her son an opportunity of a lifetime had now condemned the executives and their entire families.The employees watched in fear as the security team moved swiftly, gathering Edward, Hastings, and Sylvester. Their faces were pale, drained of color, as they were dragged out of the room like criminals."I want every last cent returned," Nathan continued, his voice echoing off the walls.As the executives were dragged away, the employees exchanged nervous glances.Nathan's men followed their orders to the letter; they found each of their family members and locked them all