“Are you ready?”
Avery turned to Derrick with a sigh. She wasn’t ready but she had no choice. Derrick had been putting all hands on deck to hang out with her and her mother won’t stop singing his praises. Lately, she was bored so she felt that dinner with him that evening won’t cost a thing.
“Yeah.” She responded and grabbed her handbag.
Derrick’s driver quickly stepped out and hurried to her side. He opened the door for her.
“Thank you!” Avery mumbled and stepped out.
Before she agreed to have dinner with Derrick that evening, Avery had insisted that he got rid of all protocols and his escort vehicle. Derrick got rid of all the formality and appeared in front of her house with only his chauffeur in his sports car.
Derrick took the lead while Avery went after him, pressing her handbag to herself. He led her to the VIP lounge where he had reserved a tabl
Cameron quickly stepped out of the car and moved to the back seat. He sat beside Salvador and then pulled out the keys to the handcuffs from his breast pocket. He slipped a key inside the hole.Salvador gave a bright smile after the cuffs fell off. “Freed at last!”Cameron sighed. “Sorry, I had to bundle you back there. I needed to make it look real you know.”Salvador waved his hand down. “Your point is noted. Just get us out of here.”Cameron made his way to the driver’s seat. He started the car and was soon taking a route that lead to the outskirts of the city.After driving for more than an hour, Cameron pulled over in front of a wine-colored penhouse. Immediately after the guards at the gate spotted his car, the doors were flung open. Cameron wheeled the car inside and drove straight to the front of the house where he pulled the car to a halt.Fredrick was at the entrance waiti
Nathan made his way to the dining, smartly dressed in coffee pants and a black tee shirt. It was a few minutes past 8 am and he was ready to hit the campus.When he arrived at the table, he met his parents chatting while sipping from their coffee mugs. The table was set with three plates of omelet, freshly baked bread, and two jugs of hot water placed beside the fruit basket.Nathan grabbed an apple and sat next to his father.“How’s our boy doing?” Mrs. Smith demanded with a warm smile.Nathan reciprocated the smile. “Better than he could ever be.”“I’m glad.”Yesterday, Mike had updated them on the state of the case, stating how Salvador as the prime suspect was taken by Cameron for further investigation. Mike also briefed them on the hoax email and the progress the sheriff had made in investigating the staff. “We will be leaving in an hour or two.&
Immediately after Nathan got to his living room, Jackson came running after him.“You’ve got a visitor boss,”Nathan turned around to face Jackson. He was expecting no one. “A visitor?”Jackson shook his head. “You will be surprised when you agree to see him. Trust me. Also, I think you should get your mask.”“Fine.”Nathan hurried to his room to get one of his masks while Jackson headed out to get the guest.Nathan returned a few minutes later and reclined on the couch. It was 3;30pm and he had just gotten off from school, tired and hungry. He planned to freshen up and then place a call to Mike to find out the state of the investigation.He was alerted by footsteps approaching the living room. When Nathan sat up and turned to look at the direction of the entrance, his eyes widened in surprise and he was forced to stand up.“Didn’t I
Nathan opened his eyes and the first thing that fluttered in his mind that morning was the thought of Avery. Deep within, he knew he had been unfair to her but that was the way he felt was best to handle their situation.He sighed and turned left. An iced watch was on the table and Nathan recollected getting that particular watch from Avery as a birthday gift. Even though they were not on the best of terms, Nathan sprung out of bed with the notion of getting her a gift.Avery had celebrated and had wished him a belated birthday so Nathan felt that it was appropriate to reciprocate the gesture. Since his classes for that morning were starting by 10 am, Nathan decided to leave the mansion quite early.By 8 am, Nathan was already done having breakfast. He grabbed his wallet with the textbook he came with the previous night. He dashed out.When he stepped out, it dawned on him that he didn’t leave a text for Larry.Nathan aimed for one of the escort Range Rovers. He had decided to give La
Avery’s eyes didn’t stop widening in surprise.“Avery is my friend and I have the chance to speak with her,” Nathan told Derrick.Avery quickly stepped out of the car while Derrick was taken aback by the response. Immediately after she got out, Nathan turned toward her.“Can you hold on for a moment? I have something for you.”“Of course.” She quickly replied and cleared her throat loudly.“What?” Screamed a pissed Derrick.Avery didn’t look at him.A few moments later, Nathan returned with the parcel he had picked out of his car.From his spot, Henry was watching the unfolding drama.Derrick clenched his jaw when Nathan pulled out the parcel behind him. Nathan then faced Avery. “Happy belated birthday, Avery. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the gift on time.”Avery swallowed the lump that had developed in her throat and was about to accept the gift when Derrick snatched it.“Who the hell do you think you are?” Derrick barked at Nathan.Avery turned to Derrick with her brows furrowing i
Nathan was about to give a response to Avery when he saw Derrick marching toward them.Avery noticed that Nathan was starting at a distance. When she looked behind her, she caught Derrick approaching the pavilion. With her left-hand palm on her forehead, Avery heaved a frustrated sigh.Derrick arrived at the pavilion with a clenched jaw. He glared at Nathan and darted his gaze back to Avery.“I’ve been looking all over the campus for you”“I’m trying to have a conversation here,” Avery replied with her face averted from him.Shouldn’t Derrick be at work? She wondered.“Well, I want us to have lunch together. I told you that I was dropping by at lunch time right?” Derrick maintained.Nathan abruptly stood up. “I was just about to leave.”Avery looked up at him with hopelessness in her eyes.“Have a good day,” Nathan told her with a reassuring smile.She turned away with a sigh.Nathan snatched his phone from the table and began taking steps away from the pavilion. While he was walking
About thirty minutes later, Cole came hurrying into the mansion with his laptop tucked underneath his left armpit. He greeted Nathan with a slight bow and settled on the stool beside Don Fernando.Nathan presented Cole to Don Fernando. “This is our tech guy, Cole. I’ve asked him to dig up some things on Salvador after Cameron said he found nothing on him.”“I must say that you have good instincts.” Don Fernando remarked and stroked his beard.Nathan turned to Cole. “What did you find?”Cole placed his laptop on his lap and quickly turned it on. They watched him punch in some keys before he stood up and moved closer to Nathan on the twin couch.“So I created a folder and compiled a list of all my findings on Salvador.” Cole began and turned the laptop toward Nathan.Jackson and Don Fernando were paying keen attention.“According to my findings, Salvador graduated from the London Business School. He exceeded his graduation year because he was charged with theft and other criminal activi
Nathan’s phone began to ring. He excused himself from Mike and quickly responded to the call. “You mean tonight?” Nathan asked. Mike stared at him with a quirked brow. Nathan lowered the phone to his chest. “Charles wants us to hang out tonight.” He whispered to Mike. From his expression, Mike deduced that Nathan was about to turn the offer down. “You need some time out.” Mike sharply replied. Nathan arched a brow. If he wouldn’t take part in the operation, he was hoping on waiting by the house. Mike gave him the look that says everything will be fine. “I’ll change and meet you guys in about an hour,” Nathan told Charles and hung up. Mike gave him a pat on the left shoulder. “Go and have fun with the boys. We will handle everything.”“I’ll be back in an hour,” Nathan said and took the staircase. Mike then walked up to Cole. “Are you ready to work tonight?”Cole gave repeated nods. “I’ve got my computer here and with this stable wifi, I’m good to go.”“I want us to strike t