A week laterIn the courtroom, filled with a shimmering sense of hope, Leonard stood in his small wooden cubicle before the judge.Everyone present, expecting nothing but good judgment. Through the thick lenses of the judge looking down on everyone from her high seat, with a hand she picked up her gavel with one hand and struck it twice on the gavel stone.“Leonard, you are hereby acquitted and released from all your charges,” she declared with a sounding voice as light applause began to fill the room.As Leonard made his way out of the court, a whole flock of people including the press, news reporters, broadcasters, the media were outside waiting for Leonard to emerge and once they got sight of him, they all came running to him at once.Lenoard tried his best to stay composed as multiple cameras and mics were getting shoved in his face. “Leonard, look here!” One reporter said, “No, Leonard look here,” another blurted out. “So you were really accused?”The questions kept rolling and
The next dayAs Leonard looked up at the exterior of the company's building, memories started flooding in, he began feeling a sense of nostalgia.The company was a sleek and modern marvel! It appeared as a gleaming giant, its facade a vast expanse of silver-gray glass and steel that seemed to stretch up to the very sky. The entrance was marked by a bold, oversized logo in a bright, electric blue color that seemed to pulse with energy. The walls of the building appeared to be made of a shimmering glass material that reflected the surrounding light, giving it a sense of depth and dimensionality.Overall, it was one damn of a cutting-edge technological company and Leonard couldn't imagine how Antonio might have managed to ruin it.As he climbed the wide stairs leading to the entrance, he cleared his throat trying his best to ignore the nervousness he was feeling.Questions like–would he even be able to fit in? What if no one wanted him there? What if he couldn't catch up and missed ever
Sophie paced back and forth in the place she had decided to take shelter which wasn't anywhere comfortable but was some place in the slums, her past self would never once have even imagined that she would ever have a day of such humiliation, a day when she would be trying so hard to fight a losing battle against the monster that was the law. And as it was in that moment this monster was mere minutes away from finding her and choking her to death, as she pondered she recalled what Antonio had said before, both what he said about having more affluence and what he told her to do then with Emma, but it was as she thought about it that she shook her head and decided not to, she was already in hot enough soup, she didn't need to add any more fire. She really didn't know everything about Antonio or what his endgame really was, but one thing she knew that she could count on if she decided to work with him was the fact that somebody was going to have to die, it was just a matter of who, and
Leonard began to go through the accounts book and began to see a large number of errors regarding the money going in and out of the firm, at this time Antonio had been arrested so it was up to him to take over the company and oversee all that was going on within it. But what he was seeing in the books did not put him at ease at the very least, on the contrary,, it made him feel rather disturbed, what exactly had Antonio been doing for so long in the company, what had he been spending so much money on that he didn’t care about the losses it incurred so frequently?He asked himself inwardly and then with a sigh he stood up and decided to question the people who worked for Antonio starting with Alice.She was the only one he actually trusted to tell the truth about what was really going on in the company and every office, as for the others he could not exactly be certain which ones among them were still in contact with or still willing to work for Antonio. He couldn't be more angry at
Leonard frantically looked through the CCTV cameras at the venue of the wedding, his face was beaded with sweat but he somehow managed to remain calm compared to the rest of them he was the one who was calm the most. The day before which was the last day before the wedding he had spoken with Estelle so how was it that she had just gone missing on the day of her wedding? How could she have just vanished into thin air without a word of warning? It had been a couple of hours already but the family wasn’t in a hurry to let the media or the public in general know anything about all that had happened, at least not until they got the bearing back together and had figured out at least something about what was going on, could she have run away on her wedding? That didn’t seem feasible, particularly because of how happy she was during the preparation, she was truly excited to be with Silas, but at the same time, she was afraid that something would happen and perhaps as a cruel joke played on
“Hahaha, very funny" Antonio laughed hysterically, glaring over at his brother from the corner of his eyes.“And when exactly did you become a police officer that you think you have the right to tell me to freeze?” Antonio scoffed with malice in his voice.“I always knew you were dumb-witted but this is a whole new low,” he laughed again uncontrollably. “Do you think being a cop is transferable or something? Just because you’re an in-law to one?” Antonio asked sarcastically, but Leonard left Antonio's words hung in the air unanswered while giving time for the police to surround the house. "Leonard, Leonard, Leonard, " Antonio called out his name, his teeth making ‘tsk-tsk’ sounds as he shook his head in disapproval.“You amaze me sometimes, you know brother?” he continued. "Always thinking you were better than everyone else and had it all together but we both know you never did.” He said while he laughed moving towards Estelle but she pushed back from him. “Even taking our sister'
One year laterThe sun cast a golden glow over the vast, manicured gardens of the prestigious Grand Regency Hotel.A venue renowned for its grandeur and elegance. The garden, transformed into an ethereal paradise all thanks to the best wedding planner in town.It was the perfect setting for the wedding of the century between Estelle and Silas, the Controller General.Guests from all walks of life, including dignitaries, politicians, celebrities, and high-profile business moguls, filled the garden, their elegant attire creating a vibrant tapestry of colors. The air buzzed with excitement and anticipation, mingling with the scent of blooming roses, lilies, and orchids that adorned the space.A grand archway, entwined with white roses and ivy, marked the entrance to the ceremony area. As guests entered, they were greeted by the soft, melodic strains of a live orchestra, playing classical pieces that echoed through the garden.Crystal chandeliers hung from the branches of large ancient o
Ever since Leonardo had lost his job at his best friend's company where he used to work as a chauffeur, he had become a househelp in his own house. But he never complained. He was still searching for a job for the past four months and hadn't been successful with finding one. So, naturally, as the ‘jobless’ husband that he had become, Leonardo had no other option but to take care of the house while his wife, Sophie, was away for work. Today, he had deep cleaned the entire house, fixed the sink in the toilet, washed his wife's cars in the garage and made lunch. His wife's cousin, Emma, had offered to help him but he'd politely turned down her help. She was a graduating college senior who visited the house whenever she was on the weekends or on long breaks, and Leonardo hated to stress her when she should be having a rest. He was not the time who was inconsiderate of others. “Hmm. I smell something nice. What's cooking?” Sophie walked into the house, looking tired in her corporate