Soon, the audience began to chant “Corrigan!” Cheers and applause reigned in his honor.Corrigan stood up with a proud smile and waved at them.”Thank you, everyone.”The president stood up and walked up to the sub-unit leaders.“You may now head back to your seats.”They left.The president cleared his throat loudly and continued. “Based on the rules of this exercise, I hereby pronounce Corrigan Morales, the incoming President of the Billionaire’s Club.”The crowd exploded.Nathan’s gaze was fixated on Corrigan. He watched the man smile so hard that Nathan concluded his cheeks were going to hurt.“Can you come up here please?” The president invited him.Corrigan brushed off his suit and moved to the front.The president shook hands with him. “Congratulations.”Nathan fell back on his chair with a sigh.Mr. Smith stood up and walked up to Corrigan. “Congratulations. It’s evident the people like you.”Corrigan opened his hands wide open before Mr. Smith. “I had no idea. This is a surpri
“Seems like someone is about to hit the gym,” Mike commented when he bumped into Nathan at the entrance.Nathan was dressed in his gym outfit. Hanging around his left arm was his gym bag.“I haven't worked out in a while so I felt like stretching out this morning,” Nathan replied.Mike noticed the car key Nathan was holding in his left hand.“Do you realize that there's a private quarter dedicated to gym activities in this estate?” Mike threw the question at Nathan with his eyebrows raised.Nathan broke out laughing. “Of course, I know. I'm not in the mood for a solo workout at the moment.”Mike folded his arms across his chest. “You can ask any of the guards to join you. I'm sure they'll be ready to help.”Nathan adjusted his bag and waved his hand down. “No. That's not necessary. I need some air anyway.”Mike sighed. “Fine. Just stay safe.” he
While his parents were still asleep, Nathan left the estate around 6 a.m. Dressed in blue joggers, he decided to take a walk down the street.When he got out of the house, Nathan spotted some vehicles driving toward the Alcantara estate. He had to stop to get a clear view. There was a limousine in front while behind it were three other vehicles.Nathan sighed and turned around to continue his exercise. He wasn't sure whether the cars were driving into the estate but they were driving towards its direction.Ten minutes later, Nathan was back to the estate. When he got into the house, he noticed the cars he had seen earlier parked in one of the garages.Nathan moved to the spot to inspect the vehicles. The black limousine had an Alcantara customized plate number. There were two sports cars and a Hummer Jeep parked next to it.Nathan made his way to the guest’s living room where he was hoping to meet the people that just arrived. He walked into a group of four persons chatting and laughi
Nathan reached for his phone and then placed a call to Avery. After they exchanged pleasantries, he laid down a request.“Can we hang out later during the day?”Nathan heard Avery sigh over the phone. “I’m not sure if that’s possible because I’ve got something at hand.” Responded Avery. “And what’s that if I may ask?”“I have an appointment with Phoenix Media House in less than two hours. I’ll be presenting my products for evaluation today and I look forward to a briefing on the forthcoming publicity so I’m kind of uptight.” She replied. “I see.” Nathan hummed. “What if I come and pick you up?” He offered. “Really?”“I can drive you there and still wait for you to finish your meeting. Sort of a moral support.” Nathan said. “Sounds great.”“Just let me know when you’re ready so that I can come and pick you up,” Nathan said and hung up. ****Avery took a glance at her wristwatch and adjusted her handbag. About ten minutes ago, she had placed a call to Nathan and he promised to com
“What sort of an event is that?” Avery asked Nathan. He gave his forehead a delicate scrape. “Well, it's a normal gathering and I promise you that it will be fun-filled.”“Fine. I'll see if I’m free during the day.”Nathan placed a hand on her left shoulder and looked at her straight in the face. “Take your time, my love.”She smiled and hugged him.Nathan was dying to get her on the yacht but he wasn't going to push it. They pulled away from the embrace. “How about we go shopping?” Nathan blurted. Avery raised an eyebrow.“The investment I made incurred huge profits so I'd love to take my girl shopping.” he maintained with a bright smile. Avery flipped her hair. “I feel on top of the world right now.”They broke out laughing. “So tell me, which store should we go to? I'd like to buy you some clothes.” Nathan said. “You've got any place in mind?” she turned to him. “Your wish is my command,” Nathan replied with a twinkle. Avery blushed and looked away. About thirty minutes l
In a matter of minutes, several sales personnel rallied around Kelvin, Avery, and Nathan and some of them were already volunteering to cheer the exercise.The sales manager showed up after news went viral that some group of rich men were about to engage in a shopping battle. He stood before them with a bright smile, knowing that the store was about to hit a jackpot.“My name is Samuel and permit me to facilitate this exercise.”“Fine,” Nathan replied and folded his arms across his chest. Avery turned to him with a look that said are you sure about this? Nathan simply blinked at her.“Why don’t you take us to somewhere bigger?” Kelvin spat, looking Nathan straight in the face. “I mean if I’m to engage in a shopping battle then it has to be worth it.”“That’s a great idea. There’s a unisex store in the next room. Why don’t we just go there.” Samuel said.“Of course,” Nathan replied and took the lead. Avery went after him shaking her head.“Crappy insolence!” Kelvin muttered under his br
Avery caught a glimpse of the card and turned to Nathan with a shocked expression spread across her face.“Is that what I’m thinking?” She pointed at the card with a trembling hand.Nathan smiled.Avery was able to recognize the card because only a few individuals in the city had access to it. She had stumbled on her father’s friends boasting about the gold card they had obtained from the City bank.She began to wonder. Did Mike hand over the card to Nathan? As far as she was concerned, the gold card holds not less than 50 million dollars which was way above Nathan’s league.The male cashier adjusted his tie and propelled the card toward him. He flipped the card and that was when Avery’s heart skipped a bit.On the card, the name Nathan Smith was slapped on it so there was no way that it belonged to Mike. She couldn’t be more confused. She remained transfixed to her spot and watched Nathan speak to the cashier.“You can go ahead and carry out the transaction.”When Samuel saw the card
“You’ve always wanted to know me beyond the surface Avery and you have that right so I feel that attending this event will give you the chance to know me even better.” Nathan maintained.Avery’s brows went up.Nathan reached for her hand with a smile. “My parents and all the people I care about will be at the get-together party so I’ll love it if you’ll be there especially now that we are official.”Avery couldn’t hide her smile. She had been looking forward to this moment, the chance to connect with all the people Nathan cared about and understand where he was coming from.“Just give me the time and location and I’ll be there.” She replied with a smile.Nathan pecked her several times on her palms. She broke out laughing.“I’ll take you home.” He said and started the car.Nathan then drove to Avery’s estate and pulled the car to a halt in front of her house. She hugged him tightly. Nathan wrapped his arms around her.“I’ll notify you so you can get ready.”She nodded in understanding
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