“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
“That’s none of your business.” Nathan fired back at the lady. He read the name tag on her left pocket. Her name was Maria Cole.“Can I get a means of identification?” She asked and flipped her hair.Nathan sighed and reached for his wallet from the gym bag he was holding. He pulled out his student ID card and slapped it on the table before her.She grabbed the card and after roving her eyes around it, she flung it back at Nathan. “I want something substantial and it seems like your card expired last month.”Nathan looked up to her but her gaze was averted from me. With her lips curled in irritation, she kept looking away.Nathan then pulled out his national ID card and presented it to her. “There you go. Now can you make the deposit?”She turned to Nathan with disgust in her eyes and didn’t take the ID card he was presenting. “Listen, you need to present something better for your evaluation.”“And what’s better than a national ID?”She crossed her legs and opened her palms wide open
“Is everything set?” Mike demanded when he stepped out of the living room.He had assigned Don, Jackson, and the other head bodyguards to arrange a standard convoy. While Mr. and Mrs. Smith with some of the members of the family will be leaving the Estate, Nathan will be picked up at his mansion.“Yes sir,” Jackson replied and moved away, giving Mike a clear view of the fleet of cars by the gate.Mike gave a satisfactory nod.There were a dozen vehicles aligned with fully armed men inside. Mike had requested that all the vehicles leaving for the Yatch party should be bulletproof.He inspected the convoy and then went to Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s chamber.A few moments later, the Alcantaras stepped out. While Mr. and Mrs. Smith took the limousine, some of the family members settled for the Land Cruiser and other exotic cars.When Mike gave the signal, the first escort vehicle took the lead while the rest followed. In about a minute, the streets were blown by a unique siren emanating from th
“Have you seen Nathan? I was supposed to meet him here.” Avery told Charles. “He’ll come around,” Charles responded with a nervous smile. He then pointed at an arched corner by the right where seats were aligned. “Let’s go have our seats. I think the event is about to kick off.”Avery sighed and went after Charles. She couldn’t stop roving her eyes around the yacht in search of Nathan. They got to the settling spot and Charles helped her to get seated around one of the comfy chairs. Soon, the seats were occupied by people ranging from kids, young men, and elderly men and women whom Avery had never met. She leaned toward Charles and was about to register her confusion when Mike suddenly appeared before the crowd. Avery sighed in relief. At least, there was another person she was familiar with on board. Mike flashed a quick smile and adjusted his black silk tie. Looking down at the small crowd, he cleared his throat loudly and began. “It is with delight and honor that I welcome yo
“Fine. I’ll let you be.” Nathan told Avery with his hands lifted. He sighed and stepped out of the restroom. Avery turned around and threw her head on the wooden door. Nathan then made his way to the table his parents were occupying. Mr. Smith was at a corner, speaking to some of the guests. When Nathan sat, his mother studied the gloomy expression spread across his face. “What’s the matter, son?” She demanded with her hand placed on Nathan’s right shoulder.He turned to her with a defeated sigh. “You know I invited Avery to the party right?”Mrs. Smith sat up. “Poor girl must be pissed at you for keeping this whole thing a secret from her.”Nathan slapped his forehead. “I don’t know what to do right now. She’s so mad at me and wants to be alone?”Mrs. Smith roved her eyes around the yacht. “You want me to talk to her?”Nathan sighed. “If that will help then why not?”“I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Smith said and stood up. “She’s at the restroom.”Mrs. Smith nodded and walked away. A
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