"Mr. Thornton?" Derek was shocked to see Alex at his doorstep very early in the morning, especially because no one, not even Isabella, knew his location.Alex had decided to treat the reason for the visit urgently because it seemed to be the final piece to defeat Santiago."We need to talk." Alex said, his hands shoved in his pockets with an unreadable expression.For a split second, Derek was taken aback by Alex's utterance as he wondered what could be the reason he wanted to converse with him."What is it about?" Derek inquisitively asked Alex."We should go in." Alex was still maintaining his expression.Derek hesitated for a moment, then grudgingly stepped aside, allowing Alex to enter. The door creaked shut behind them with a dull thud.Alex's eyes swept across the cramped, dingy room. Peeling wallpaper clung desperately to damp walls, while a sagging mattress occupied one corner.Wrinkling his nose at the musty odour, Alex let out a derisive snort. He could not fathom why a pe
"All you need to do is reveal the mission to the public." Alex told Derek."What?! I can't do that." Derek refused. He shook his head. "No, I can't."His blatant rejection despite the control Alex held over him stemmed from a deep-seated fear: if he carried out Alex's plan, Santiago would surely come after him.Alex intentionally stayed silent for some seconds with a smile plastered on his face, much to Derek's surprise."Are you sure you can't?" He scoffed. "I have a question for you...""How long until the agreement expires?" Alex asked, his tone sharp.Derek's eyes dropped to the floor, shame colouring his voice. "Five days," he mumbled.Unexpectedly, Alex let out a dry chuckle. Derek's head snapped up, meeting Alex's gaze with surprise."Five days?" Alex's voice dripped with derision. "And here, I thought you were clever just moments ago."Confusion clouded Derek's face until Alex leaned forward, his eyes boring into Derek's. "The contract, you fool. The original deadline. T
As he drove his car to meet Emily wherever he thought she might be, since she had not been answering his calls or messages, he received a call from his secretary informing him that Mr. Collins was waiting for him.A wry smile crossed his lips. "Okay. Tell him I'm on my way," he replied.Alex had called for this meeting because it was the second step in his plan to bring Santiago to his knees."I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I was dealing with something very important to pull the company out of this mess." Alex apologised to Mr. Collins as they made their way to Alex's office after they had exchanged greetings. "What was it about?" Mr. Collins inquired. Alex sucked his teeth. "It's nothing. It's not worth telling you because the result is bad news."He lied to Santiago."So, let's get straight to business," Alex announced, looking intently into Mr. Collins' eyes."Tell me, what have your fellow shareholders been plotting recently?" Alex inquired. Much to his surprise, Mr. Collin
Since Alex had achieved his goal for the day, he finally decided to visit Emily at her house, as she still refused to pick up his calls or reply to his messages.But when he got there, he didn't find her.He then strode to Amara's room to ask about Emily's whereabouts, but was surprised when another person emerged from behind the door."Who are you?" Alex arched his brows, remembering that Emily had told him Amara had no relatives and that Emily was the only person Amara was close to."You are the new tenant?" He could not believe it when the woman told him she had just rented the apartment a few weeks ago."What happened to Amara...the former tenant?" he asked the woman."How am I supposed to know?" The woman shut the door on his face, to his surprise."She definitely didn't know who I am." He muttered as he strode from there to his car. Knowing that Emily would likely be either at school or the mall—though he didn't know the mall's location—he decided to head to the school.As he d
"Why are you here?" Alex scrunched his face upon meeting his parents at home."It's high time I changed the entrance lock if you think you can come over whenever you like when I'm not a kid.""Why haven't you been picking up our calls or replying to our messages? If you did, we wouldn't be here." His father retorted."It's because I don't want to. I've been busy cleaning up the mess you caused, father." Alex blurted out."What mess?"Alex laughed in disbelief. "Really? Do you really want me to spell it out to you?""I had a busy day; please kindly take your leave." He said, calmly.As he strode to the stairs, he was halted by his father's words."Come back here, Alex! How dare you walk out on us?"Alex chuckled as he turned to face them. "Why won't I? Tell me. After you almost ruined my perfect life."The accusation hit his father like a punch to the gut, and his response choked in his throat."Alex..." His mother started softly and cautiously, defusing the tension his father had spar
Alex's mind raced as he drove aimlessly through the dimly lit streets, seeking solace in the familiar rhythms of the city. With Henry out of town, his usual confidant was unavailable, leaving him adrift in a sea of troubled thoughts. The local bar, his typical refuge in times of distress, seemed like an empty solution tonight. His problems required more than the numbing embrace of alcohol. Almost unconsciously, he found himself steering towards Emily's house, drawn by an inexplicable pull. As he parked across the street, his eyes locked on Emily's window. He sat motionless, his hands gripping the steering wheel, as a war waged in his mind. "She thinks I'm weak already, and I'm yet to convince her that I'm not," he muttered, his voice barely audible in the quiet car."Won't going to her for consolation make her think I'm vulnerable?" A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "I should head back home or anywhere else." He decided, reaching for the ignition. His hand froze midway as anot
Alex was pissed to see that his parents were still at his house. "Maybe I need to remind them that I built this mansion with my hard-earned money." He muttered as he left his bedroom after meeting them sleeping on the bed. He was annoyed that they were discomforting him with their presence in his home. He was barely getting comfortable in the visitor's room when he received a call from Emily. "Hey. I thought you would have gone back to sleep." Alex said, immediately after he had picked up the call. "No. I'm finding it hard to sleep. Have you gotten home?" She asked him. When he told her that he had, she flared up about why he couldn't call to inform her. Before replying, he beamed, knowing that she had never succeeded in masking her true feelings for him, which she thought she was. "I'm sorry. I thought you would have returned to sleep, and I didn't want to wake you again." He explained. After so many teases, she later accepted his apology and asked him if his parent
As dawn broke, Alex stirred from a peaceful slumber, his spirits unusually high. For the first time in a very long time, he had woken up on the right side of the bed. A quiet melody escaped his lips as he dressed. Today was the last day of the big game against Santiago, and he could feel it in his bones—this was the last step to finally topple their long-standing rivals before the grand finale. His parents had left before he woke up. He decided to call Emily before he left home because that day would be a hectic and interesting one. "Hope you slept well, my angel." Emily chuckled at his utterance. "It wasn't for you, but for my baby." He added, which made her roll her eyes. She let out a brief smile. "It wasn't for me, indeed." "What about you? Did you?" He asked her. "Yes. Please don't try stalking me today, just like you've been doing recently. It's creepy." He fell silent at her words, smiling as he understood her perfectly. "Just wait till I'm done wit