Nathan tucked his phone inside his pocket and began taking strides toward the famous Phoenix pavilion. His classes for the day had just ended while Henry and Charles were left with one more class.He had sent a text message to them, requesting that they meet him at the pavilion immediately after their class.Nathan got to the pavilion, an open space, roofed and surrounded by bars where students visit to rest or hang out. He walked up to an empty round table and settled on one of the chairs. The pavilion had a series of round tables with chairs placed around them.There were just a dozen of students in the pavilion chattering while the rest were going through their phones. After seating, Nathan pulled out his phone and began going through his Instagram feeds while waiting for Charles and Henry to join him after their class.Meanwhile, Charlotte was walking past the Pavilion when she caught a glimpse of Nathan. With a smile, she began walking up to him.“Hey!” she said after reaching th
“My family might not be renowned like the Alcantara or Tyson family but we are also known in this city.” Charlotte asserted.That doesn't answer the question Nathan almost blurt out to her but he was ready to let her finish.She continued. “You see, the thing with rich people is that they identify with each other and might share a certain table but certain people will always get a bigger seat at that table and those who get these bigger seats are the likes of the Alcantara and Tyson family.”Nathan was paying keen attention.“I know about the Alcantara family though not that much. I know that they own the school mall and they seem like nice people,” Charlotte said.Nathan couldn’t be more confused. How does she know that the Alcantaras were nice people he wondered.“So don’t be surprised if I tell you that Alcantara owns the school mall. A few questions here and there was all I needed.” She said.Nathan realized that it was easy for Charlotte to find out because she comes from a wealt
Chapter 77“No. I’ll be attending the party with Greg.” Charlotte supplied. “he has told me about and have given my consent.” She added and giggled afterward. Poor Charlotte, Nathan thought. She seemed to be running all over Greg who obviously cared less about her. “Will you be attending the party?” Charlotte threw the question at Nathan. As far as she was concerned, Nathan might not be wealthy and influential but with Mike on his side, everything was possible. “I’m not sure if I’ll be attending the party,” Nathan replied. “Okay. She placed her left hand on her chest. I’m not going to miss it besides Greg told me he’s going to be there so there’s no way I’m not gracing the event.” She maintained. Speaking of Greg, Nathan sat up. Now that Charlotte had mentioned his name several times, Nathan remembered that he had scores to settle with Greg. “What are you thinking about?” Charlotte demanded after noticing the sudden change in Nathan’s countenance. He was staring into the distanc
Chapter 78Greg slapped the table and rose to his feet with rage coursing through his veins. Again, Nathan has proven to be one step ahead of him. He left the pavilion panting heavily. Charlotte was speaking with some group of girls in her corner when Greg appeared from nowhere and grabbed her by the arm. He began dragging her away from the spot. “What’s the matter with you, Greg? Why are you dragging me like that? Stop it Greg!” she lamented. Greg didn’t utter a word. He kept dragging her away from the pavilion like a bull that was being forced into an abattoir. Back in the pavilion, Nathan couldn’t hide his smile as he recalled the way his words had knocked down Greg. He turned to his right and saw Avery walking toward the pavilion. As usual, Avery was alone. Nathan decided to call her. He concluded that she might probably respond or maybe ignore him. Nevertheless, he decided to try his luck. He stood up and waved as he called out to her. “Hi, Avery!”She turned to her right
Chapter 79Nathan was alarmed by Annabel’s gestures and when he turned, their eyes met. Nathan quickly turned away, avoiding her like a plaque. Even though Annabel was surprised to see Nathan sharing the same table with Avery, she decided to use the prospect to her advantage. “Well, I can see that someone is trying all he can to mingle with the rich since he will never be rich.” Annabel spat. She was gawking at Nathan, her arms folded across her chest. Charles leaned toward Nathan and whispered into his right ear. “Let her be!”Nathan sighed. He had no intention of calling her to order. Annabel went on. “I must say that you are a smart boy Nathan. You have a way of pushing yourself into the right places. First, it was with Henry and Charles and now, you get to sit with Avery.” She broke into a laugh and began to create applause. “Bravo!”Seth, who was standing next to her was smiling. Avery dropped her napkin and groaned in frustration. “Why is Annabel creating a scene?” She ask
Chapter 80Avery was done eating and was about to pull a napkin when she received a notification on her phone. She grabbed the phone and after checking the message. She sighed and dropped her phone to the table.“My driver just texted me. He’s at the gate.”“Time to go!” Nathan hinted.She stood up. “Yes.” She turned to the boys. “Thank you guys for the lunch. I’ll forever remember the spring rolls.”“All you have to do is come here anytime you feel like getting a bite,” Henry said.“Of course!”She slipped her hand inside her trouser's pocket to pull out some cash but was quickly stopped by Charles.“Don’t bother Avery.”She hesitated. “We can go dutch!”“Not today,” Nathan said.She smiled. “Thanks once again.”“Let me walk you out.” Nathan offered and rose to his feet.“Yes, Nathan. You should walk her out.” Henry said and cleared his throat loudly.Charles turned away with a mischievous smile.“Bye, guys!” Avery waved at them and stepped out right after Nathan took the lead.Natha
Nathan arched a brow. “Wait, I have to go and see them? I thought they’ll be coming here to stay at the mansion with me.”Mike smiled. “Your parents won’t be staying in your mansion, Nathan.”Nathan was clueless.“They’ll be staying at the Alcantara estate instead.”At the mention of an estate, Nathan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait for a second uncle Mike. Are you saying there’s an Alcantara estate?”Mike chuckled and confirmed with a nod. “Yes, Nathan. Your family owns an estate and they’ll be staying there and that’s why you need to dress up because we will be going to the Alcantara estate.”The excited Nathan turned to his friends. “My family owns a goddamn estate!”They broke out laughing.Nathan couldn’t be more pleased. The thought of his family have an entire estate to themselves gladdened his heart.Soon, he was going to be with his parents. He missed them so much, especially his mother. As for his father, Nathan had dozens of questions to throw at him.“I can’t wait to see
Chapter 82“Sit tight and relax because you are in for a long ride,” Mike told Nathan.Nathan was too excited to even rest his back against the car seat. He couldn’t wait to meet his parents and since the car’s reflectors were dark, he took off the nose mask. He kept tapping his left thigh slightly till they got to the Alcantara estate.Don and his team wheeled their vehicles to the entrance while Larry followed with the G-wagon. After about forty minutes of excitement filled with anxiety, Nathan was ready to meet his parents.The ranger rovers made their way past the automatic gate and the G-wagon followed.“You need a good view,” Mike told Nathan and resolved to pull down the car reflectors.Nathan sat up and watched the estate from his position as they swerved toward it. He could see different wings housing separate mansions and the flowers were eye-catching. He could bet that a florist was maintaining the compound.The range rovers came to a halt after reaching the spacious parkin
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