"Tell me about Berger multinational company. What we are into and everything I need to know," Andrew asked Mirinda. "Berger multinational company is into the production of eighty per cent of the world matches. And we have branches in different countries around the world," Miranda answered back. "Tell me about the organisation?" Andrew asked. "The organisation is owned by our grandfather, and he shared all the assets with his two only sons when he was crowned the king of Orange County. But my dad was able to increase the Elizabethan's shares." "When did Isabella take over the control of the organisation, and why did she lose so many shares to our rival?" "Two years ago. And everything started going downhill after that." "Tell me about Grandpa?" "He is a nice old man and he adores you so much. He is the one who named you as his crown prince. I'm sure he will be here with the rest of the royal family members tomorrow." "Tell me about the other family?" "Uncle Teddy is my dad's
Andrew woke before the cock crow the following morning. After tossing on the bed for a while, he stood up and dragged his feet towards the window, drew the curtain and then peered as the sun rose over the artificial lake far off. In comparison, the Elizabethan villa made the O'Connor villa look like a kitchen, and the beauty of his home impelled him to stand in awe.After some moment at the window side, Andrew sighed and went into the bathroom, and the cold water seemed to rejuvenate his vigour. To satisfy his younger sister, Andrew put on a blue suit, golden chain, leather wristwatch, and matching golden shoes. And he looked royally as he stepped out of his section of the villa, into the long corridor, and banged on his sister's door. "Hello, Miranda. This is Andrew, open the door. The door was opened, and Miranda's head poked out of the curtain. "Good morning, Andrew. Hope you slept well," Miranda let out as she jerked the door open, gaped at her brother, nodded with contentme
Unknown to Andrew, Isabella had poured some glue on the cushion, and this made him stuck as he tried to stand up. "What's wrong with you, Andrew?" Miranda asked with a face filled with fear. "I don't know. I am glued to the cushion and can't move," Andrew answered back, tried to pull himself off his seating position, lost his balance whacked his head on the dining table, staggered and fell with a loud thud. "Oh my gosh!" Miranda screamed out. "Holy Madonna!" Jackson mumbled. Jackson and Miranda scrambled towards Andrew, jerked him up and fussed over him. "Are you okay, Andrew? Hope you aren't hurt?" Miranda asked as tears rolled down her pretty face. Jackson's eyes darted all over Andrew's body, and his face suddenly became sad when he muttered, "Your head is bruised and blood is trickling out." "Am okay, guys. Just pulled me out of this fucking chair." After several miserable efforts that made Andrew whimper with pain, he gestured to Jackson and Mirinda to wait, turned towar
"Why are you delaying me? Bring me the painting and let me be on my way," a man's voice boomed from inside the mall. "I think Joel deserved to be punished for wasting our time... We have been here for almost an hour, for heaven's sake," a female voice let out after. "That is Bush's voice, and the other voice is familiar," Miranda mumbled and quickly increased her strides. "I am very sorry, Mr Bush. I remove the painting from the shelves and hide it so that it won't be sold. But now, I don't remember where I kept it," Joel announced. "You better find it now before I lose my attitude," Bush cried out and then turned towards Andrew and Jackson as they entered inside. "Hello, Joel," Andrew let out. "What are these two losers doing here-," Bush paused his speech, removed his arm from Benny's waist and gawked at the lady at the back of Andrew and Jackson's back. "Bush!" "Miranda... What are you doing here?" "I came with my brother to buy a gift. And what are you doing here with
The Elizabethan villa was booming with the sounds of the voices of visitors when Andrew, Jackson and Mirinda walked into the balcony that leads into the general parlour. "I guess our guests have arrived," Mirinda let out. She held Andrew's hand, gestured to him to walk faster and announced, "I think we are late." On the cushion chairs in the middle of the long parlour were several richly dressed ladies and gentlemen, and all eyes turned to them as they walked inside. An old man who was dressed in purple regalia and an aristocratic look peeked at Andrew and mumbled, "This must be my grandson... Come here and hug me." His voice was steady despite his age, and he stood up, drew Andrew closer and held him in a tight embrace. Andrew bowed when he was released from his tight embrace. He looked into the smiling face of his grandfather and let out," Good afternoon, Your Highness. I am happy to meet you." "Impressive... My baby had grown into a perfect gentleman." "Thank you, your highn
"What's there to talk about?" Teddy asked, grinned and let out, "He asked me to allow Jacob to be groomed as the future king, but your mother refused. It takes us a long time before giving birth to a child, and we are not willing to let go of you." "I didn't outrightly refuse. There are lots of things to consider. And one of them is the doctor's report. He claimed I may not be able to have any more kids, which I later did," Ariana announced. "So we had no choice but to refuse his order," Teddy let out. "That's cruel, Dad. Did you even seek my opinion?" Jacob growled out. "How could I, when you are just a baby? We took the decision we thought its best for you at that moment." Grandpa cleared his throat and let out, "When Jacob was born, I begged Teddy to give the tot to me to be trained as the future king, but he refused," he paused his speech, looked grimly and resumed, "I have to wait for three more years until Andrew was born, and Elizabethan agreed to give him to me." "Fuck yo
Jackson was seen as he removed the smaller spoon in his food and exchanged it with a bigger spoon. His eyes darted around the large dining hall, fell on Isabella and then on Andrew. Without minding the horrific look on Andrew's face, Jackson picked up a large meat and was about to nip at it when Andrew whispered with an angry look. "Drop that, Jackson or this is the end of our friendship." "Shh!.. Why don't you close your eyes?" Jackson asked back in a hum. "Because I know the kind of man you are. Now return all the smaller utensils to your plate." "I won't. This spoon is too small for me." "Ahh! Isabella is watching you?" "What?" "Isabella. She is looking at you," Andrew whispered back and then begged Jackson to return the spoon and not to do anything stupid until the prayer was over. Jackson glared at Isabella's disgusted look and then moaned silently and promptly returned the smaller spoon to his meal. "Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayer. In your holy name, we worsh
The Elizabethan auditorium was brimming with elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen, and all eyes darted at Andrew as he stepped inside. A woman in blue attire hurried towards Andrew held him in a tight embrace, and then exclaimed, "This must be our crowned prince!" "Yes, Aunty Anita. He is my lost but found brother," Mirinda replied and then whispered at Andrew when Anita let go of him, "She is our mum's younger sister." "Heard the O'Connor family were treating you like shit after Brian's death." "Yes. Even before Brian's death. But it's okay now," Andrew answered back. "Aww! What about Andrea? How is she relating to you?" "Treated me like shit, just like the rest of the family... But Jackson is my son, and intend to take him away from them." "Your villa is large enough to accommodate your son," Anita announced, giggling and letting out, "My sister doesn't agree to your marriage with the O'Connor family, and I am sure you will meet someone better than her." "Thank you, Aunty
A year later, Andrew had almost forget about his estranged queen, and only the vacant position of the queen keeps Jasmine's memory fresh in his brain. During the chiefs meeting one late night, the chief chamberlain cleared his throat and muttered, “When is our kingdom having a new queen? It’s over a year since Queen Jasmine left our palace.” “The chief chamberlain just spoke my mind,” An older chief in a white regalia let out. “ As our custom demand, the throne of the queen must not be vacant more than twelve months. We must choose another queen as soon as possible.” Andrew Inhale louder and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. “I can’t just make a random woman my queen. I need to first find a woman that I like, fall in love with her and then choose her. Don’t you think this is a long process that can’t be achieved in a few months.” “We all know this, your highness,” Another chief in a blue regalia and extra large hat mumbled. “We have all think this through and decided to choose Andrea
Jasmine barged into Andrew's chamber one night and met him staring at some family photos. “You don’t bother to check on me since Andrea arrived.”Andrew offered a sardonic smile and gestured to her to come closer.“I’m so sorry. You have been acting cold and making it difficult to talk to you.”Jasmine fixed her eyes on Andrew's face as she stepped closer and stood beside him. “You know why am angry, yet you keep doing the same thing to drive me to anger... Did I do wrong by marrying you?”With an innocent smile pasted on his face, Andrew shakes his head sideways and asked, “What did I do wrong? You have been avoiding me since Andrea arrived in the Palace.”“You know what you did, Andrew. So stop acting all sweet.”“I only knew Andrea’s presence here is not agreeable to you. But as you already know, she is the mother of my heir and I can’t stop her from visiting her only son.”“Oh!” Jasmine exclaimed. “Are you shaming me because I haven’t given you a child or you just hated me?”
The legal battle was tougher than Andrew had imagined. But at last, Jackson was given the option of parole only after five years and a commendable behavior. Though it wasn't exactly what Andrew wanted. Yet still, he was glad that he was able to reduce his punishment. A year later, Andrew was attending to some political guests when he was informed of Ajay's arrival in his palace. "Take him to my private chamber. I will be with him in a few hours." He quickly dismissed his guests and rushed to attend to his childhood friend. "What brought you to my palace at this time of the night? I thought you had gone to Arkansas City for the Yuletide holiday." "Yes, I just came back some hours ago," A smile appeared on Ajay's face as he muttered," Andrea is back at the O'Connor's villa." "Oh! Why doesn't she come to me?" "She can't. She knows that you are happily married and she won't like to be a distraction to you or your wife." "Married, yes. But not happily… Do you have her new mobile n
Jacob was found dead in his room the following morning. As expected, Jackson was arrested for the murder of Teddy. During the interrogation, he refused to mention Andrew's name and insisted it was an accident. Nevertheless, he was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Though Andrew was happy that he had avenged his father's and grandfather's death, he felt sad that Jackson ended the scapegoat. But because of the sensitivity of the case, he had no choice but to sit and watch the law take its full course. A few days after Jackson's judgment, Andrew was seen gazing absent-mindedly into the sky when he heard some footsteps behind him. He turned and a smile appeared on his face at the sight of the unexpected guests. "Hi, Simpson.""My king!"Andrew stepped closer and held Simpson in a tight embrace. He then picked up his daughter, hugged her and then ruffled Jimmy and Tommy's hair and mumbled, "You guys are growing fast," He turned towards Simpson
Andrew was right. Bad news travels faster than its counterparts. His rumour of death had reached his enemies even before Jackson arrived. Sevreachedmen were seen in a jovial mood as Jackson stepped inside a splashy large room with a blinding light. "Welcome, Jackson. We have heard of the usurper's death, and we realized this is your handwork," Jacob announced as he held Jackson in a tight bear hug. "Now that he is dead, let's see how he wants to wear the crown.""It's my pleasure to serve you, people," Jackson mumbled as he offered his hand for a shake. And he was aware of the poisoned pin as it pricked Jacob's palm. Jacob also feels a light sting and his eyes immediately gawk at the ring on Jackson's finger. "Where is the poisoned ring?" Jacob asked as he released the breath he had been holding. Seeing a different ring on Jackson's finger brought immediate relief to him. "Here… Here it is," Jackson said as he dipped his hand into the pocket of his suit and brought out the deadly
Though Andrew didn't believe Jasmine's explanation. Nevertheless, he decided to let the sleeping dog lie. Yet still, this seemed to bring a bigger hole in their imperfect relationship. And the two of them live like cat and mouse for months. A year later, Andrew was still wondering why he ended up with Jasmine when he was informed of a guest awaiting him. Thinking maybe it was Andrea, he immediately asked if it was a man or a woman, and disappointment could be seen on his face when he was told it was a man. "I can't see him tonight. Take him to the guest quarters until I'm free to attend to him.""Yes, Your Highness. Though he claimed that it was very urgent and begged for your immediate attention.""What is his name?""Ajay O'Connor. He seemed to know you from your days at Arkansas City.""Send him in," Andrew mumbled. He wonders what Ajay wants with him and his curiosity makes him restless until Ajay arrives. The young man was a shadow of himself. His once smooth and shining ski
After their first night together, Andrew and Jasmine seemed inseparable. Though their relationship can be termed one-sided, Jasmine appeared to be happy and satisfied, and it looked like Andrew had at last forgotten his lost love. Since the royal chief won't stop disturbing him from getting married, Andrew has no choice but to propose to the excited Jasmine who immediately agrees. In truth, when the desirable is not available, the available becomes the desirable. Six months later, the pair decided to tie the knot. Their marriage was the talk of the town, and a week was declared a public holiday to celebrate the important occasions. During the royal banquet, Andrew was seated among his family and friends in a deep conversation when he noticed a silhouette of a woman who resembled Andrea. "Excuse me, please," Andrew muttered, standing up from his throne and hurried towards the outgoing lady. He ignored all the well-wishers who called out to wish him a happy married life and smiled
The sun was already glaring in the sky when Andrew woke up. After having a light meal, he decided to visit his ladies, at least for courtesy's sake. They came from far and near, and sending them home without attending to them seemed very insulting. They were put separately in different rooms, and Andrew knocked on the first door and stepped inside.A tall and shapely lady with a beautiful face stood up from the bed and walked towards him. "Good morning, my lord. I have been waiting for you since yesterday and I am glad that you finally come to visit me."The lady hugged him seductively and dragged him towards the bed in the middle of the room. But Andrew gently removed his hand and then motioned to the lady to sit down, while he sat beside her. "What is your name?""Janet, my lord.""And your profession?" "I'm a barrister and I'm working with a private company." Janet placed her palm on Andrew's chin to caress him, but Andrew held her hand, frowned and shook his head. "Take it eas
Three months later. Andrew was seen walking to and fro in his palace, and the grimace on his face showed his state of mind. His body shivered, and his eyes were cloudy. A red line shows around his eyes and a patch appears on his forehead. After yawning twice, he suddenly whirled towards the men at his back and asked, "Are you telling me she had grown wings and disappeared from the surface of the earth? I have spent millions of dollars to look for her, sent people from one end of the earth to the other side, and the result is always negative." "I'm sorry, my lord," A tall man with a large scar in between his eyes answered back. " I guess she didn't want to be found and had been evading us." "We heard she was in Orlando, and we immediately flew down there. But she must have heard of our arrival and disappeared before we reached her hideout." Andrew's frown deepened as he stared at the men on his front. "Why am I unfortunate to be surrounded by letdown people? I want a result and no