The determined Nathan didn’t move an inch away from the bar stand.The waitress left to attend to other customers.“Can I have a bottle of drink please?” He requested the moment the waitress got back to her station.She positioned her hands on the table. “Now you are talking. So what can I offer you?”Nathan hopped down from his stool with his gaze cast on the wine collection. “I’m pretty confused. Can you maybe suggest a drink for me?”“Well, I can give you some shots or maybe a glass of tequila.” She replied. “There’s wine too.”“I’ll like a bottle of wine. You’ve got any suggestions for me?”She hummed and turned to stare at the collection. “Let’s see what I can suggest for you.”“I’ll have the most expensive wine in your collection,” Nathan added.She turned to him with a look that says are you sure?Nathan plunged his hand inside his jacket and pulled out one of his credit cards; the plain gold card. Nathan then slapped the card on the counter.The waitress drew the card toward h
Nathan sighed. He slowly moved away from the counter and aimed for the door. “I was just about to leave,” he said and stepped out.Charles walked up to his mother and stood before her with his arms folded across his chest. “That wasn't fair, mom. You know it.”She arched a brow. “Now you are interrogating me?”Charles allowed his hands to fall. “Not really,Mom. I just want you to accept the fact that Nathan is a good person. He's not just a guest here. He's my friend and should be treated with respect. He's not a thief like you asserted.”Mrs. Wells clenched her jaw. “I don't care about your faith in him, son. This is my house and I won't tolerate any form of misconduct.”Before Charles could give a response, she dashed out.Charles sighed and traced his way to the wing of the guest rooms. He got to Nathan’s room and landed a knock on the door.Nathan opened the door halfway. He stuck his head out. “You should be sleeping by now.”“And so should you.” Charles fired back.Nathan chuckl
Immediately after Nathan and Charles got off the vehicle, Charlotte walked up to them with a bright smile.“Welcome back to school, Charles,” she said. She had just gotten off her car which was parked opposite theirs at the parking lot.Charles smiled. “I was expecting a garland around my neck. I've been away for almost two weeks.”They all laughed.“Maybe a brunch in your favorite cafeteria will suffice,” Nathan said.They moved away from the parking lot.Charlotte stood before Charles. “I'm glad the rumors weren't true. They said you were kidnapped and Nathan was behind it even though I never believed it but after I realized that you were gone for two weeks, I couldn't help but start to imagine things.” she quickly turned to Nathan. “I never believe the part where they said you kidnapped him.”Nathan grinned.“Well, I was never kidnapped in the first place,” Charles said and turned to Nathan. “It will also be foolish to think that my best buddy here will kidnap me. The students here
Dr. Lance stood before the crowd. He ran his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time and cleared his throat loudly. The meeting had begun about ten minutes ago and Alex’s spot at the high table was vacant.Dr. Lance was expected to make a comment concerning Alex as the chairman of the central committee but he was a bit nervous. Mike had promised to tackle the problem during their phone call but Dr. Lance had no idea how he was going to do it.His lips parted and just when he was about to speak, Jackon appeared in the hall with another bodyguard. They led Mike to the high table.Murmurs broke out at the sight of the Alcantara executive assistant. Dr. Lance took a step back the moment Mike reached the high table.Mild shook Dr. Lance and waved at the other members of the central committee. He then turned to face the members of the club.Mike was dressed in one of his fancy tuxedos. He was shielding his eyes with Gucci's dark spectacle and on his sides, stood Jackson and the other b
Stefano made his way to one of the chairs and sat.“Have a seat!” he presented the twin couch to Nathan and Charles.They sat together.“What can I do for you?”“Give me a moment,” Nathan said and dashed out.Charles had no idea where Nathan had gone until a few minutes later, he returned to the room with a bag he had dropped in the car trunk before they drove off.He stationed the bag before Stefano and went back to his seat.Stefano unzipped the bag and his eyes widened. Inside the bag were hundred dollar notes tied in bundles stuffed inside the bag.“This is five million dollars.”Stefano smiled and closed the bag. He tossed it to the side. “Who is your target?”Nathan chuckled. “How much do you charge per job?”Stefano fell back on his chair. “That depends.”Nathan crossed his legs. “What if I want you guys to hit a target with a rocket launcher.”Stefano swallowed.“The kind of job you did with Alex Alcantara.” Nathan spat.Stefano abruptly got off the chair. He placed his hands
Avery stared at the watch on her left wrist and adjusted the handbag hung around her left hand with a sigh. About five minutes ago, Nathan had called to inform her that he was on his way to pick her up.After his dramatic encounter with her mother the other day, Avery felt it was best if Nathan picks her up outside the house.Suddenly, a blue sports car pulled up right in front of her. Avery arched a brow. She recognized the car as Charles. When the car came to a halt, Nathan stepped out with a smile.Avery adjusted her handbag and walked up to him. They shared a quick hug.“Permit me to be a gentleman!” Nathan said and quickly rushed to open the door for Avery.She smiled and settled in front.“Should I fix your seat belt ma’am?” Nathan requested, leaning toward her.Avery giggled. “That's okay. I'll fix that myself.”He smiled and mounted the driver’s seat. After they had both fixed their seatbelts, Nathan drove away.“You have any place in mind?”“The Gutenberg Library. It runs nig
“I think I’m ready to ace this course!” Avery declared and slumped on her chair.Nathan chuckled and closed the notebooks. He passed the pen to her.They had spent the last two hours studying the topics Avery found difficult. Avery collected her items and slipped them inside her bag. She stood up with Nathan and together, they dashed out.They made their way to the spot Nathan parked the car and got in.“Is it okay if I come with you to your place?” Asked Avery after glancing at her wristwatch. “My parents will be out for a gala and won’t be home till 10 pm so I’ll be bored when I get home.”Nathan sighed. “I’m so sorry. We can’t go to my place right now because I’m currently with Charles. I’m staying in his place for the period.”“Okay…” Avery slurred. She then arched a brow. “Is there a problem?”Nathan resolved to fasten his seat belt. “There’s no problem. Charles is a bit under the weather so I’m keeping him company since he’s always indoors lately.”“I see!”“I’m sorry,” Nathan s
Charles and Nathan exchanged blank glances.“What the hell are you guys doing?” Nathan wondered out loud.Stefano suddenly appeared before them with his hands tucked inside his pocket.“On your knees!”Nathan and Charles hesitated but when the men attempted to pull the trigger, the boys fell to their knees. Stefano stood before them with his legs spread apart.“What are looking for?” he directed the question at Nathan.Nathan exhaled. “Listen Stefano. You know why I'm here. I have a job for you and I came here because I want it done so let's quit playing games and get on with this.”Stefano broke into a dry laugh. “You think you can fool me?”Nathan sighed and lowered his hands.“Just because you managed to get my name and also locate this place, you think you can fool me? I'll ask you one last time, what do you want from me?” Stefano said.“As I said, I'm here because I have a job.” Nathan maintained.Stefano walked up to one of the men and whispered in his ear. He then left the livi
Steve pulled the car to a halt in front of the airport building. Nathan turned to Avery with a smile. “You still want to do this?” He asked with his hand stretched out toward her. She took his hand into hers. “More than anything in the world. I’ve been running around for years and I never told you this but the main reason why I came back to Rockville was to make peace with your soul and then build my brand from scratch now that you’re here, I just want to spend as much time with you as possible, away from the whole chaos and drama. Just the two of us.” Nathan planted a kiss on her forehead. “Thank you so much, Avery.”She smiled. “I’m excited. It’s going to be my first time in Russia and I just can’t wait to explore the city with the love of my life.”Steve cleared his throat loudly. “Looks like I also need to find the love of my life and take her to Russia.”They laughed.Suddenly, Nathan’s phone began to ring. He heaved a deep sigh and turned to Avery. “It’s Charles.”“It’s over.”
Morgan turned to his bodyguards who had been inside the lounge with him all this while. “Call for reinforcements. We’ve been tricked.”Derrick darted Morgan’s attention toward the chip on the table. “It’s a camouflage. It’s all programming shit.” He said and began to take off his jacket. Morgan was already sweating profusely. “I must find the real Alex. I need to kill that bastard today.”“Are you even serious?” Derrick cried out. “We are in a mess. That chip proved that this whole session was recorded.” He took his head into his hands. “I should have listened to Kelvin. This was a bad idea and now, we’re doomed. I’m not even sure if we’re the only ones in this building right now.”“I reserved the whole damn building and apart from the staff, there’s no damn customer here.” Morgan retorted and threw his gun on the floor. “My backup team will be here any moment from now and we’ll get the hell out of here. As for that recording chip, I don’t care about what’s in it or who had access t
“Now that your girlfriend is safe and out of the picture, let’s talk business,” Morgan said to Nathan’s camouflage who was sitting before him and Derrick. Both men had no idea that the man sitting in front of them was a product of science programmed to function like Alexander Alcantara with a chip buried in his head. The camouflage was programmed to follow Cole’s instructions and ever since he walked into the longue, his words and actions were being directed by Coke from outside. “Why did you kill my parents?” The camouflage asked Morgan. Morgan broke into a laugh. “Seriously? Do you think I have time for this? Do you want me to respond to your stupid questions? You’re doing this to buy time right?”“Isn’t it obvious that you have me under your mercy? If you are going to take me out then at least I deserve the chance to know why you killed everyone in my family.” Nathan replied. “For my brother’s sake.” Morgan quickly replied. “You killed Corrigan, the only person in the world wh
Nathan stretched his hand toward Avery and held her hand tightly. “You’ll be fine.” He mumbled to her lovingly. She nodded repeatedly.Derrick clenched his jaw and looked away while his bowels continued to heat up with rage. “You’re lying,” Morgan replied. “I gave you ten minutes to come here and according to my guards, you came alone so how did you get to rally troops and station them here?”Nathan chuckled. “I didn’t bring any troops from home. If you and your partner were smart enough, you’d know that this is the Grandiose Hotel and the Grandiose Hotel belongs to the Alcantaras.”Derrick and Morgan exchanged glances. “Shit!” Derrick cussed and rubbed his hair repeatedly. “It didn’t cross my mind.”Morgan frowned. “All I had to was give the manager a phone call before coming in. I told him that if four minutes pass by and Avery does not come walking through the door, he should tell the restaurant security squad to start firing.” Nathan said. Suddenly, Derrick snatched Morgan’s g
The waitresses returned carrying food trays. They graciously placed it on the table. Morgan reached for the plate of steak and began to devour it like a hungry lion. Avery kept staring at her plate of pasta and meatballs. “Are you okay?” Derrick demanded. “Yeah.” She replied and looked up. “Don’t eat that.” Nathan’s voice came through the chip. She heaved a deep sigh because that was exactly what was on her mind. What if the food was poisoned? She kept thinking. Nathan continued speaking to her. “Leave your bag there and get up. Act normal and tell them you need to use the restroom then you head out.”“I think I need to pee,” Avery announced. Morgan stopped eating and dropped his plate immediately. “But you just got here?”“Yeah.” Derrick agreed with a nod. Avery faked a smile and quickly stood up. “I think I had a lot of water earlier and now, I need to pee. I’ll be back soon.” She said. She was about to turn around when Morgan spoke. “Excuse me?” Avery turned around lookin
“You look as gorgeous as ever,” Nathan commented while Avery was tracing her way down the staircase. It was time to meet Derrick. He had already dropped the location and had called a while ago to say that he was on his way. Avery was wearing a short black floral dress with black sandals to match. Nathan had insisted that she apply makeup so that Derrick doesn’t sense her insecurity. “Are you sure about this?” Avery asked when she reached Nathan. Nathan took her face into his hands. “You’ll be fine. I promise you with my life.”She smiled. “If you say so.”“Remember, act normal and do as he says. Okay?”“Got it,” Avery replied and walked away. By the time she arrived at the restaurant, Derrick was already inside because he had texted her about three minutes ago that he had arrived. On her part, Avery had convinced him that their meeting was a secret because Nathan was not going to approve. She had taken a cab to get there. When Avery walked into the building, she was stunned by i
“Welcome, bro. What can I offer you?” Nathan demanded the moment Kelvin walked into his living room. Kelvin marched in and didn’t even look at the couch Nathan was presenting to him. “I don’t think I can sit.”“You look restless. What’s the matter?”Kelvin sighed and faced Nathan. “It’s Derrick. He had been in my place for the past three days and he’s been looking like shit.”“Did you ask you to come here and convince Avery to go back to me?” Nathan asked. He then raised an index finger. “Listen, tell Derrick that if I see him close to my woman, I’ll kill him so he should leave her alone.”“That’s not why I’m here.” Kelvin sharply replied. “Last night, he went on a rampage and drank several bottles of my wine and when I walked into him in my living room, he was half conscious and he said some things.”Nathan abruptly stood up. “What did he say?”“You and I both know that it’ll be difficult for a man like Derrick to change.” Said Kelvin. “It’s not like I’m condemning him.” He quickly
“He’s coming out shortly,” Daniel reported and sat with the rest of the team. That morning, Morgan’s allies stormed his mansion to talk about the tragic events that were unfolding. It was no news that his biggest warehouse was burnt to ashes. That evening, another one was looted and by midnight, Morgan got information that his security guards were attacked on their way back from the club and 6 perished while two were in a coma. Morgan made his way down the staircase, carrying the weight of his problems. However, he was sober and didn’t display any angry reaction. Perhaps, he was too beaten by the incidents that he had lost his will to react. His Allies looked upon him as he made his way toward them. The group consisted of his friends and partners who had helped him execute shady deals in the past. After he sat, Daniel stood up and cleared his throat loudly. “There is no denying that we all know who is behind the constant attacks. Without mincing words, I’d like to inform you all t
It was Saturday morning and during the weekends, Morgan plays tennis with Daniel, his assistant. Daniel is no fan of table tennis and barely knows how to hold the bat but every Saturday and Sunday morning, he shows up dressed in shorts with his gears just to impress Morgan. Also, Morgan knew that his assistant was bad in the sport so it gave him an edge to defeat him completely all the time. This morning, Daniel was already seated by the court in Morgan’s house and was waiting for his boss to show up. Morgan had just stepped out of his room and was on his way toward the living room before heading out to your court when his phone began to ring. He frowned and didn’t pick up the call. Even though he was a workaholic, he had made it clear to his workers that none of them would disturb him with work matters except if it was an emergency. The call persisted and the warning bells in Morgan’s head began to ring. What if this particular call was a case of emergency?The call was coming fr