The Serene Resorts integrated entertainment, dining and accommodation all in one building. Ric admired the different structures as he made his way to the reception area.
"Sir, excuse me Sir!"
Ric was stopped by a few beautiful ladies when he entered the reception area.
"Do you have a reservation here Sir?" One of the ladies asked immediately as she took in Ric's appearance.
These ladies were responsible for handling the reception duty and they were used to receiving a lot of Elites.
Even though these beautiful ladies had contempt in their look, they were still polite in their speech towards Ric.
However, Ric wore very cheap and worn out clothes unlike the Rich and influential people who regularly visited.
"I didn't reserve a place here myself but a friend of mine did." Ric answered as he smiled.
At this time he observed the beautiful ladies and observed the high standards of the Serene Resorts. He finally understood why this hotel was one of the biggest luxuries in Avrilla city.
These receptionists were very fair to look upon and they all looked like billboard models. They had long legs and were neatly dressed in the same uniform.
The beautiful ladies frowned at his response. "You didn't reserve the place yourself, so do you have the reservation number?"
There was a little bit of coldness in their voices.
"Johnson, I would like to speak with Johnson." Ric knew that these ladies thought poorly of him and didn't believe he could reserve a place here but he was being honest. Benhardt had actually reserved a place here through Johnson.
The receptionists exchanged glances with each other when they heard Ric's words.
Mr Rogers?!
Did this beggarly looking man really know who Mr. Rogers was?
Was it that easy for just anyone to walk in and demand an audience with Mr. Rogers?
Finally they all concluded at this time that Ric was just a stray peasant that just wanted to experience what being rich felt like.
Often people like Ric came by posing to be rich because The Serene Resorts wasn't a place where just anybody could make a reservation. It was reserved for the top 10% of the elites in the city.
However, they had no intention to put him down. Even though at this time they despised Ric for his actions they still maintained their professional fronts and we're humble and polite.
"Sir, you have to have an appointment with Mr. Rogers before you can be granted audience by him. Please leave if you don't have an appointment with him."
At this point Ric knew that they mistook him for someone who casually strolled into the Resort just to have a look around to experience the grandeur.
He took out his phone and realized that Benhardt had not dropped Johnson's call number. He thought to call Benhardt to inform Johnson of his arrival but his phone went off after the first dial.
"Miss Rose, what's going on here? Is it possible that just anyone can walk into the Serene Resorts?"
The person that spoke was a young lady with beautiful blonde hair and a nice figure. Her face was covered in a thick layer of makeup, she wore a blue velvet dress that hugged her shape in all the right places as she accompanied a young man.
The young man looked at Ric with a contemptuous expression on his face as he smiled at the lady that spoke.
"Leo, didn't you tell me that this was the most prestigious hotel in Avrilla city, so why can someone like him be found here?" The lady asked in a coquettish manner.
Some people are just like that, they wouldn't feel like they were important if they didn't demean others.
The most senior receptionist, Rose, immediately apologized to the couple and said "Sorry Ms. Martinez, we'll deal with this immediately."
Lisa smiled triumphantly and sneered before she added " Make it quick, I have already invited some of my friends who came from abroad to attend my birthday bash later tonight so I wouldn't want them to have a wrong impression about this hotel if they saw someone like this here."
"Miss Rose, I hope you remember that My father and Mr. Rogers , your boss, are very close and familiar with each other." Leo added.
Leo, who had his dark brown hair styled backwards and wore a tailored suit, looked even more responsible and admirable when he mentioned Mr Rogers.
When Lisa heard that Leo was well acquainted with Mr Rogers she felt more comfortable, she smiled immediately because Mr Rogers was a very influential man in all of Avrilla city. In fact she was very impressed that Leo was well connected.
At the same time, all the receptionists were looking at Leo with so much admiration hoping to get his attention, as well as some other guests in the Lobby.
"Yes Mr Rockwell," Rose hurriedly replied before turning to Ric with a stern Expression on her face.
"Sir, please leave immediately. Do not cause any more disruptions on our premises or I'll be forced to call for security."
Ric had not expected her to turn on him just because of the comments the other man had made but when she did, he decided to resort to another alternative.
"Fine, how much does a room here cost per night? I would like to make a reservation for three nights." Ric said this because he knew that the famous Serene Resorts would definitely cost up to a few thousand dollars even if it was for the cheapest room.
He opted to pay for three nights so that he could at least reduce the cash he had at hand.
Hahahaha
Rose, the head receptionist, laughed at him and scornfully. "Who do you think you are?"
"Do you think that a reservation here costs hundreds of dollars? The smallest room here with no other benefits costs twenty thousand dollars. You don't look like you have a hundred dollars for dinner."
The receptionists were making fun of him.
He brought out his cell phone to call Benhardt but soon discovered the battery was low, he dialed the number and it rang once before his cell phone went off.
He was about to ask for a higher room with better benefits when a woman recognized him.
"Is that not the live-in ex-convict son-in-law of the Steffanina family, what is he doing here?" The woman started out.
"I was at the wedding too, that's definitely him. He has no money and he has been kicked out of the Steffanina Mansion so he definitely has no place to stay, maybe the staff of Serene Resorts would let him sleep on the lawn outside."
Hahaha some guests in the lobby were making fun of Ric because they witnessed him being humiliated and thrown out of the Steffanina Mansion a few days ago.
"I'll take the presidential suite," Ric told the head receptionist after going through the price list for the different rooms.
Rose replied, "You're so poor yet you are so arrogant, who told you I'll give you access to the presidential suite? Even if you stole the money, only people with the Gold membership card can reserve that suite."
"Yes, he's so full of himself. I can't stand the sight of him , so please ask the security guards to throw him out." Lisa, the lady from earlier remarked.
Seeing that Ric wanted to reserve the presidential suite when she and her boyfriend were only able to reserve a deluxe suite made her very uncomfortable.
Leo, the man Lisa accompanied, had decided to stay and watch how Rose, the head receptionist, handled the matter with Ric.
"If you all say he doesn't have where to sleep, then I can be generous and talk to my father to plead with Mr Rogers so he can hang around the premises and spend the night in the dog house when the dogs are released." Leo spoke very arrogantly.
Ric was upset, his family owned this place yet he was being ridiculed by this man.
Ric was so furious he threatened Leo, "If you say another word then I won't be held responsible for your hospital bills,"
"Oh my! He's even threatening the man that offered to assist him; he's so proud."
"He's shameless, he dares speak violently."
"Security, get this man out of here and make sure you give him a good beating first." Rose immediately commanded.
Ric struggled with the security guards as they hit him severally.
Amidst the commotion, A prominent figure emerged from the elevator.
Mr. Rogers!
Everyone seemed to adjust themselves while the security guards intensified their beating in the porch outside the reception to get a commendation from their boss.
Benhardt had called Johnson Rogers to go down and wait for Ric when he saw Ric's call but couldn't get through to him.
Johnson almost ignored the scene as he asked the receptionists if any Rich man had come by to look for him.
"No Sir, no one came to look for you except that pauper who wanted to cause a nuisance here." Rose was the one that replied to Johnson.
"Bring him to me," Johnson demanded and the security guards brought Ric before him.
Johnson opened his eyes wide in shock when he saw Ric.
Ordinarily Rose would have left out the detail of the poor man who tried to feel rich but she felt like if she told Mr. Rogers about it then he would punish the man further and commend her for handling the situation. This would also give her admiration and confidence from the guests that filled the lobby at this time.However, when Ric was brought before Johnson, he was bleeding from his nose and mouth and he was barely able to stand from all the beating. Mr. Johnson was shocked to see who the man Rose was referring to was. Ric had a striking resemblance with his father and Johnson immediately recognized him.Johnson Rogers had diligently served Lord Maximilanno during his stay in Westmoreland county that when Johnson relocated to Avrilla city, Lord Maximilanno had put him in charge of most of his property in the city. That was how Johnson became a very Rich and influential man in Avrilla city."Excuse me Sir, Are you Mr. Ric Maximilanno?" Johnson asked Ric.Although Ric looked nothi
When the door to the Chairman suite was pushed open, about five or six beautiful ladies walked in.It was Rose and the other receptionists.At this time they were looking at Ric with a very different expression on their faces other than the contemptuous looks they had on earlier.Rose was also smiling very charmingly as she said "Mr. Maximilanno, I am very sorry for the misunderstanding earlier.""Sorry, Mr. Maximilanno!"The other beautiful ladies immediately added."What do you want? Why are you here?" Ric dried his short black hair with one of the white towels.Honestly, even though Rose and the other ladies had looked down on him earlier at the reception, he held no grudge against them save for Rose who had categorically instructed the guards to beat him up.He just didn't like that they could easily judge and mistreat someone because of their physical appearance.It was obvious that Johnson had already cautioned these beautiful ladies sternly."We are here to accompany you and wo
Ric was amazed, he did not think that Melissa hated him that much, nonetheless, he did not waste any time sulking as it was clear that she did not have any use for him anymore.Ric simply highlighted out of the car and sorted through his clothes and documents for relevant files he needed.“Excuse me. I have others to pick up and drop and you are wasting my time." The impatient driver queried Ric when he was left waiting and watching Ric bask in his demise.The driver immediately thought that Ric was a kick out that would not have the money to pay for the fare and yet Ric accrued more bills by keeping the driver waiting.“It is fine. I will just hire you for the entire day then. How much would that cost?" Ric had no interest in searching for a ride to take his belongings back to the resort so he decided to hire the driver for the whole day to carry him along.“Do you think you can afford to pay to hire me for the entire day?" The driver sized Ric and judged him by his appearance.All t
Surely Ric was going to teach the guard a lesson for daring to touch him in the first place. If none of the guards had made the first attempt at a hit then Ric would have also remained calm.The fuss outside did not in any way disturb the peace of those within or draw the attention of passerbys since the Lazeeza Resort was located at the East Hill of Vittorio street with a very secluded environment to ensure comfort and luxury.Ric easily put each of the guards in place and after he had dealt with the two that launched at him, the other two let him in out of fear for their lives."He looks so weak yet he is so strong," one of the guards remarked as Ric journeyed to the reception area through the long isle with the driver trailing behind him."Come brother, I will take you to the pharmacy nearby and inform the security inside to stop him." The security who were left unharmed immediately phoned those at the reception to inform them of Ric and purposely left out the detail of how strong
When Mr. Lombardi hit Lucio across the cheek, a lot of guests were shocked. This caught the attention of everyone sitting out on the porch because almost everyone there respected and feared him."Is it possible that this man is really a friend of Mr. Lombardi?""He must really be wealthy and influential then,""And very humble to dress so casually despite being associated with such influential people.""That lady is in trouble for spilling a drink on him," There were several side comments from different guests and some of this comments reached Mr. Lombardi's ears."Why is his soiled with a drink? Did something happen?" Mr. Lombardi asked his staff but she stared at him with wide eyes while even Lucio who had been very eloquent before remained quiet."I accidentally ---" Ric was going to cover up for her but the driver interrupted him."Mr. Ric here asked to see you but your staff here spilled a drink on him and asked him out very rudely." The driver immediately reported the story in
Ric did not intend to stay back and have a meal, however, when Mr Lombardi insisted he thought to himself that it would be disrespectful to turn him down twice in the very same day."I will appreciate that but I do not want to keep this gentleman waiting for so long. I already told him I only wanted to return your bag." Ric said.Ric was the kind of person that always put the feelings of others into consideration while making his decisions hence his response."Mr Ric surely you can just have a drink with your friend if you are not in so much of a hurry. You have already hired me for the day so why would I complain?" The driver immediately replied.The driver was not being nice to Ric, rather he wanted an opportunity to have a meal at such a high ranked resort in the city."He doesn't mind brother, after all he can also join us." Mr Lombardi further added and the driver immediately nodded in consent.The staff and guests did not have the opportunity to hear the conversation between Mr
The question was an important one as the term Ex convict was a major disqualifier for certain things.An Ex convict was restricted from having several jobs and the position Ric was been offered was the highest there was in the city.The Hemsworth board was known by all because they were at the Hem of affairs of everything that happened in Avrilla city. Bring Chairman of the Hemsworth board was more than a big deal not just in Avrilla city but also beyond.Ric was well acquainted with all of this."Young Master, your status as the Maximillano young master already overrides every other existing litigation against you." Johnson informed Ric and Ric was stunned."How sure are you?" Ric asked to further clarify."Young Master, you are not being offered the position of Chairman as an employee, it is your birth right and Lord Maximillano will ensure it rains in hell before another person assumes that seat." Johnson looked very serious and Ric finally understood his meaning.Your inheritance
While the fuss went on, Damon hurriedly rushed to his blue sedan that reeked of old age and poor maintenance.Damon had turned the ignition several times but the old engine seemed desperate to delay him even more. Damon flung open the car burnet and fiddled with the battery heads.He revved the engine again and it roared to life. Damon immediately reversed the vehicle out of his front porch only to find that he was blocked by a branded taxi cab."Move your vehicle, who let you in here in the first place?" Damon scolded angrily in a hurry to get to the gate and pick Ric.When the driver of the taxi wouldn't budge, Damon got down from his car and went to confront him, at the same time the man in the passenger seat also highlighted."Ric!" Damon exclaimed excitedly as he turned around the taxi to greet his friend he had not seen seen in months and was expectant to meet."Damon," Ric greeted him with less enthusiasm and accepted the embrace he h
Inside the Conover Club, Ric and two others were seen at a table. Ric sat quietly and observed the event. The Grahams had lavishly spent on the drinks and food there was more than enough to go round yet Ric was not bothered with eating anything."Will you just sit there and act like you don't want to have a taste of these luxury dishes?" Alessandro found Ric on the table where he sat and taunted him.Ric did not waste his time to look up at Alessandro, he was more concerned about the feedback from the assignment Melissa was working on."Come on, don't act all busy. We all know just how jobless you are since you can't secure a job be a of your status as Ex convict." Alessandro intentionally let out this information and just like he anticipated, the people seated on the table with Ric exchanged uncomfortable glances."Is he really an Ex convict?""The man seems to be ignoring him, he may be bluffing.""He didn't deny it, maybe it's true."The couple were not comfortable with the knowled
"What is happening here?" Camille had finally remembered he was to pick Ric at the entrance and had rushed over. Good thing he only met the end of things."Ask your guests." Frank shrugged before tossing the gun in his hand at Camille's feet."This not some shooting range, why did you bring a gun along?" Camille paled at the sight of the gun at his feet."I didn't, just borrowed it from one of them so like I said before 'Ask your guests.' Will you?" Frank lied.He never went anywhere fully armed with more than just a pistol even when he wore just a polo shirt and combat shorts.Frank wasn't exactly the careless type and he wasn't going to take chances with the young Master at all."Please no weapons allowed inside." Camille put his hands together and beckoned on them that was when he noticed the three wounded men."Oh shit!" His eyes widened in shock alarmed."Y'all already had a complete show down didn't you?" Camille looked to all of them and Frank smiled politely."I already told y
When Ric appeared at the gate of the Conover Club, he was quite mesmerized by the beauty of the infrastructure. He had expected it to look beautiful but the pictorial panoramic view he had envisaged, was nothing compared to what his eyes beheld."Excuse me Sir, please can I see your membership card?" One of the security guards interrupted his thoughts about the place."I'm sorry but I don't quite have that" Ric was naturally a polite person so it was nothing to him to respond kindly to a lowly security guard."I'm sorry Sir, but your card type is the determining factor for the entry access you are granted" the security man was not being rude since Ric had dressed up properly and looked like a rich man, however, he was only doing his job."That won't be any trouble, I'll just call my friend to come out" the Conover club was a place reserved for only the richest of richest. Some of these accesses, Johnson could give Ric to drive through preferential gates but Ric severally declined unwi
When the lady heard what Melissa said about Ric, she was a bit Ashamed of what was being said. The lady was Aaliyah.She had been passing and had only been oppurtuned to hear what Melissa said and because the man in question was related to her as her Fiance she had paid better attention.She had observed Melissa closely from her distance and concluded that indeed she was Ric's Ex wife."He is still so useless." Melissa scoffed annoyed.Melissa had dropped the items she carried in her car before she recalled she had wanted to pick an extra item and she had to return to the store in a rush.It was on her way back inside the store that she had bumped into Aaliyah on her way out."Oh, please watch where you're going." Aaliyah said politely when someone bumped into her.Melissa was rather rude, despite just being humiliated, she could just never change. That was how she was."You should also keep your eyes open to step aside before someone crashes into you accidentally." Melissa snapped at
Melissa had her heart in her mouth when Ric remained expressionless, she feared that he would ignore Damon and keep her on her knees for longer but she was wrong.Ric was not like that, he did not intentionally hurt people or their images for self gratification or cheap glory and moreover, Damon had a right over him since he also considered Damon as his older brother.When Frank noticed Ric gave no response, Frank was ready to prolong Melissa's suffering."Oh Mel it seems you would have to-""Let it be Frank," Ric held up a hand to frank and stopped his sentence halfway.Melissa had a slight frown on her face.How could Ric talk to the man that made her tremble to her bones so casually? Melissa was puzzled but then again she thought to herself that Frank surely was in a disguise around Ric so Ric didn't know who he truly was.That was just how Melissa was, it was better for her to think that way than for her to admit to herself that Ric could have such a powerful friend that frightene
Melissa's legs felt like jelly when the words hit her ear drums. She was expected to apologize to Ric and that too on her knees."Is there a problem Melissa?" Frank was going to surely see to the end of it all.Just as the drama was taking place, Damon came back.Melissa was already on her knees before Ric but her lips were heavy, she found it difficult to apologize to Ric.It would have been easier for Melissa to render the apology to a complete stranger than for her to apologise to Ric. Even if Ric looked clean, Melissa was not willing to accept that he was worth being treated more than a street begger.Yes! She thought that lowly of him."Say the words, I don't have all day to waste here." Ordinarily Ric would have stopped Melissa and ended all the drama but this once he chose to put her in her place."You! Don't even try to act high and mighty because I'm apologizing to you." She was quick to raise her voice and scold him but she had lost her voice ever since when it came renderin
If Ric wanted to punish Melissa by sending her off without purchasing anything then he would have done so but when he saw that what she came to purchase was beneficial to him, he let it slide and awaited a more amicable way to settle the drama. "I am sorry Ma'am," the Manager of the store ran behind Melissa and pleased after she threatened to shut down the store with her father's influence. Melissa often used her father's status as soon to be Mayor to intimidate people in the city and get her bindings done. "Don't even try to beg Me, that is the staff of yours that has insulted me and most of all because I was trying to warn you against wasting your time with this man." Melissa was raising her voice and shouting that she successfully got the attention of most if not all the people that came to shop that day at the store. "What is happening here? Why is everyone shouting so much?" "I hear that the staff here are insolent and even give preference to just anyone that steps foot into
Melissa had mixed feelings about running into Ric after he had hung up on her, she wanted to lash out at him for his misconduct yet she still wanted him on her side if she was going to complete her assignment but Melissa being Melissa, she let her emotions cloud her decisions and she decided to taunt Ric instead."Tell me what a man like you is doing here. Can you afford anything here?" Melissa said to Ric who was standing side by side with Frank."What do you want Melissa?" Ric asked when she would not get out of his way."Hmmm, a very tricky question you asked but the actual person who should be answering that is you. What so you want in a store like this?" Melissa said with a coy smile on her lips.Ric was very composed in as much as he detested Melissa for all she did to him in the past, he still gave her some respect as his ex wife and stood to give her audience."What I do with my life is none of your business Melissa," Ric replied with a blank expression.Melissa took her time
Melissa was shocked at his audacity, she screamed in frustration. She needed his help navigating her way in order to get to Italy but Ric was not cooperating.Ric dropped the call and massaged his temple, Frank's idea of using Melissa and her father's influence to find the assassin was a good idea but it was going to involve Ric constantly communicating with Melissa and possibly following her to Italy as her husband to reduce any suspicions.Melissa worked with the immigration so granting access and falsely approving fake identities was going to be a walk over with Melissa on their team yet no scam will be traced to the Milano Group president at all if the foreign authorities found out.Ric picked up his phone and answered the incoming call."Ric, you have to come home early today. Where are you?" Damon questioned him immediately the call connected"Why so?" Ric was a bit lost in the sudden demand from his brother and friend."It's Gordon's birthday anniversary tomorrow and we have to