"So what are you going to do about the party? " Estelle asked her brother as she slumped onto the chair in his office with a light exhale. Leonard looked at her in confusion, he didn't remember hearing anything about a party, and he couldn't recall reading anything relating to that in the company files, "what do you mean by that? Which party are you talking about or what are you referring to? ""What? " Estelle said in shock and sat up right, "are you really telling me that you do not know anything about the party? ""No I don't know, I mean maybe I have heard about it before or maybe I forgot or something, you know lately a lot of things have been on my mind and it would be nothing short of a miracle for me to even remember something so simple, is the party anything important? If it is not then we can as well just forget about it and find a lot more important and edifying things to do with our time..." Leonard answered casually and turned back to his laptop. "Really? I cannot belie
On the day of the dinner party or the company party a lot of things had been put in place, many different activities ranging from auctioning, to making portraits or modeling and painting, most of which were out in place for the purpose of fundraising. Many investors and clients both old and new attend the party and most of them enjoyed it, many were more interested in the spectacle and some were entranced by the food while others remained strictly formal and business minded, among those who remained business minded was one Mr Griffin, Mr Griffin was a very wealthy investor who had heard about the party from a few of his colleagues, employees and even shareholders, he was very passionate about his work and planned to be there only to meet with the head of the company and possibly solidify some form of relationship with the head of the company one way or another. Not only was he familiar with the company, but he was also familiar with a few employees in the company and also with Anton
Leonard tried to remain standing, as stoic as he could, but the pain in his heart quickly developed into jealousy and into a quick feeling of contempt towards the person Emma had brought with her to the party. "Emma, would you please come with me, I have a few questions to ask you regarding the reports you handed over to me earlier, " Leonard said, racking through his mind to find any possible reason to call her to himself and have a word with her privately. He then hurried back to his office before anyone could ask him any questions. In his mind he wondered Why he was feeling like that but he decided not to bother too much about it and tried to force down whatever feelings he had that seemed to be developing towards her. "Isn't this supposed to be a party of sorts? I mean that's what you told me, " Emma's friend asked and turned to face her with a rather confused expression on his face."I do not understand why your boss could possibly need you to attend to business or another lik
Before long there was a knock on the door, and then three successive knocks followed after. "Come in, " Leonard said, as he assumed it to be Emma who was at the door, but then he was surprised to see someone completely different walk into his office, she was the lady dressed in a peplum blue gown, he hadn't really focused much on her but he knew who she was, the lady who had really strike an impression on him and the one that Antonio had introduced him to along with her father Mr Griffin. She was Alicia, but why was she here? He asked himself inwardly, "Alicia? What are you doing here? You should be at the party enjoying yourself or is there something that you need? "Little beads of sweat began to form on his body as he thought back to what his sister had said earlier. "No actually, I am here for a different purpose entirely, " Alicia replied rather vaguely. "And what purpose is that? " Leonard asked, he was gradually feeling more and more uncomfortable and began to wonder exactly
Emma walked down from Leonard's office with a downcast expression, her mind still thinking about what she had witnessed, and she wondered if there was really anything going on between both of them, the girl whose name was Alicia and Leonard. She wasn't exactly sure why she was even concerning herself with him however, and she couldn't fathom the feeling she was having even at that moment, but she couldn't help it. "Hey, " her friend said and ran towards her when he saw her, pulling her out of her reverie and back to reality, "are you alright? ""Yes I'm fine, " Emma replied tersely, "but maybe just a little bit tired and weak. "Her friend held her gently and led her back to her vehicle, "it's probably because of how much work you've been doing since the start of the day, don't you think that perhaps you are overworking yourself even a little bit I mean you still have to go and take care of your sister's daughter Ava again when you get home. ""No it's alright, I'll be fine, " Emma
On the morning of the first working day of the following week, Alicia walked into the compound with a smile on her face and walked up the stairs to Leonard's office. She had put on her best attire and had gotten there as early as she could. "Come in, " Leonard said to her when she knocked and greeted her warmly with a smile as she walked into the room, "Alicia, I am glad to see you today, you look ready to work. ""Thank you sir, I want you to know that I take this very seriously and I intend to put in my very best into any work you wish to assign to me, " Alicia replied solemnly. "That's good, because I am going to be frank with you, I have got a lot of work for you to do today, but don't be alarmed it's just how it is, as a newbie there's a lot you need to learn regarding the job regardless of how long you wish to continue the work, even if you are only going to be working here till the end of the year or less there are things every intern must know, " Leonard replied, "I believe
Three Days later, Leonard walked into the office with a swagger in his step and he headed straight into his building. He sighed immediately as he pushed the door open because he was about to launch into the business world. He had been so consumed by work that he had barely had time to rest. He contemplated taking a nap before anyone walked in. That should be enough to make him feel rejuvenated and ready for the day. Alicia pushed the door open just as he was about to rest his head on the table and he sighed softly. Oh, wow, this was an issue on its own. " Good morning, sir." She greeted him with smiles adorning her face. Leonard groaned softly as headache assaulted him and he was almost tempted to tell her to leave but the enthusiasm on her face made him stop. He nodded in response, "morning, Alicia. How's everything going?" He replied. Alicia noticed that his usual cheerfulness was absent and decided to be wise about it. "Why don't I come back later sir? I'll just be in my off
"Oh, I'm sorry sir. I'll just come back later." Emma replied and shut the door gently before marching straight to her seat. This was ridiculous. Had he suddenly forgotten her so soon? Was that how people behaved? Well she had finally been scared, maybe now she would finally become sensible? An ecstatic Estelle approached her brother's office when she heard that the financial issues had been resolved, all thanks to the infamous Alicia.She had passed before returning to Emma's desk when she noticed that the lady didn't greet her which was quite unusual.She tapped Emma's desk making her jump in fright. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, Miss Estelle." Estelle stared at Emma carefully. Her eyes were a bit watery, her cheeks puffy not from overfeeding but...had she been crying? She wondered. Was something wrong with Ava? If something was wrong, Leonard wouldn't be here, so it couldn't be that. She concluded."Are you okay?" Emma nodded sharply, "Yes, I am. I am okay just that someth
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
“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'
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
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
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
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
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
Estelle adjusted herself on the seat provided before Leonard, sitting upright so she could get a clear view of her brother's face through the security glass partition.“What do you mean by that Leonard? You don't want to work for the company anymore when you come out?” Estelle asks, trying to clarify.Leonard noded, “Just as I said Estelle, I don't think going back to that company is what I want to do.”“Don't think like that Leo,” she started in a convincing voice. “I mean, the company's faith depends on you. Speaking of which, it has already run down significantly, although we haven't run into any debt. What I'm saying is if you leave now, it will be in total shambles.”Leonard looked away for a moment sighing and if he thought Estelle would give up so easily then he was mistaken.“I honestly don't understand how Antonio is running that company, people literally loved you Leonard! In fact it was those same people who advocated for you to be released after all the evidence came out a
In the boardroomThe atmosphere in the boardroom was thick with anticipation. Silas, a commanding presence with an air of authority, stood at the head of the table, his eyes scanning the faces of the gathered board members.“Thank you all for coming,” Silas began, his voice steady and firm. “Today, we address the matter of the DNA test results.”He looked over at the corner where the police officers he was here with today stood. And with a flicker of his wrist, one police officer came forward, handing him over a brown envelope.Silas took the brown envelope, bringing out the documents within, lifting it up in the air so everyone present in the boardroom could see so there'd be no chances of anyone accusing him that he'd slip anything in.“May a neutral person come forward?” Silas announced and a junior officer appeared before him from the crowd. He hands the documents over to him. “Distribute them.” With that the junior officer nodded, beginning from the first person, he went one aft