In a couple of moments, a police cruiser drove into Stamford Luxury Suites residence and screened its brake a few miles away from the reception.
The siren kept blaring out as three hefty 6"fit tall cop men headed towards the lobby where the suspect was being held.
“Cops. This is the shameless pauper that stole our guest's $10,000, please do the needful as officers of the law,” Mr. Laurent swiftly informed the cop men whilst stylishly winking at them.
“Yes, have him arrested!” Mrs Emma, the guest, Andre, and Marcel simultaneously consented.
Raphael randomly gazed at their faces as they continually blurted out their false accusations. “No officer. They're lying against me. I stole nothing” his voice repeatedly resounded in self-defense.
“You have every right to remain silent as anything said could be used against you in a court of law,” one of the cop men recited with his right hand placed towards his armed gun.
“Take him out once at once! He's a shameless penniless thief!” All accomplices simultaneously bawled out.
“Get him handcuffed,” the other cop men instructed his colleague who firmly pushed Raphael's shoulders, drew his hands backward, and had him handcuffed.
“I'm innocent. I didn't steal any damn thing. Don't listen to them!" Raphael voiced out in boldness. He wouldn't dare back down despite the scheme against him.
He firmly stamped his feet against the well-tiled floor but the three policemen overpowered him and pushed him off to the reception entrance door.
Raphael, despite being handcuffed, leaned firmly on the entrance door to avoid being pushed further. He relentlessly held onto the door as he stared into the eyes of Andre and Marcel who betrayed him.
“Remove this penniless piece of trash from our sight. Miserable college dropout! Shameless thief! Son-in-law my ass!” Emma echoed in mockery whilst wearing a gloating demeanor in her expression.
Raphael dropped out of college unable to pay his tuition fees and other demands from higher institutions. The death of his mother seven years ago hit him deeply as no one was willing to offer a helping hand.
To survive he opted to work as a part-time room service agent six years ago that was how he met his wife; Chloe.
“It's souls like you that stain the good name of our establishment by stealing guests' properties. We've caught you today, bad news for you,” one of the cop men blurted out whilst glaring his blue almond eyes against Raphael.
More guests were ambling into the reception to get lodged and couldn't help but behold the ongoing shameful incident staring right in their faces as three cop men held Raphael strongly towards the police cruiser and shoved him at the back seat whilst he kept holding back to resist them.
Raphael for a moment presumed the cop men would conduct a thorough interrogation before opting for an arrest but none of such occurred. It pretty much seemed that the world was drastically against him on that very day.
The alleged occurrence has rapidly dirtied Raphael's image. When he thought being poor was bad news he had no idea that a disgraceful expression; "Shameless Thief" would be added to his lowly-rated portfolio.
The police cruiser drove off the residence and headed to the Mayhem police station where the policemen were temporarily situated.
“Today's my fifth anniversary, can I at least inform my wife I've been arrested?” he boldly requested, trying to reach for his phone in his pocket.
“Shut your crap you shameless thief. Shut up pauper!” one of the policemen beside him vigorously spilled out, his eyes red in anger.
“I know my rights. I know my civil rights. I don't deserve this ill-treatment from an organ sworn to protect me,” he responded fiercely, refusing to back down easily.
“We protect the lives and rights of good citizens, not thieves who disguise stealing $10,000. Very shameful!” The cop at his right-hand side mockingly divulged with his fists clenched as he spoke authoritatively.
Raphael flinched as the last words dropped in his brain. He couldn't imagine being called a thief! And coming from any officer was unbelievable!
The police cruiser alighted beside the police entrance they had noticed a certain luxurious car trailing behind since they arrested Raphael. They knew who they were and understood what they were meant to do.
“Get the hell outta the car. You got companies that want to speak with you.” The policeman beside the driver instructed him.
“Just take a good look at him with his torn-out work uniform. I don't need a soothsayer to deduce you're a thief!” one of the policemen ridiculed Raphael trying to push him off from the car.
The other two policemen joined the suit and dragged him off from the police cruiser facing the luxurious car that was trailing them.
“Who wants to have a word with me?”
The cop men created a bit of privacy when they behold Laurent and Emma walking towards Raphael, they knew they were the ones trailing them from a distance.The cop men winked at them, they clearly understood they would want to have a moment with their acclaimed son-in-law before his detention.“Newsflash? I'm certain y'all plotted all these against me,” Raphael blurted out in confidence.“How could y'all be so cold-hearted to falsely brand me a thief? Huh?” He couldn't help but inquire, veins appearing on his forehead in fury.His family in-laws smirked and tutted their lips in ridicule. “Pauper, we advised you but you were so adamant and stubborn. Now look at you. Everyone believed you're a thief,” his father-in-law unleashed his heartfelt pleasure to Raphael's predicament.“You brought all these upon your impoverished self, stay off from our lives and walk away from our daughter, but you blatantly refused to buy our candid advice all these years,” Emma aligned with her husband and m
Being Raphael's fifth anniversary he had saved up some considerable cash to purchase a warm gift for her, but he had already used that to bail himself.Would he rather sleep in prison and miss being with his wife on their fifth anniversary or bail himself and explain to her what truly transpired?He had little or no choice and the better alternative was to have himself bailed. He flagged down a cab heading toward his family-in-law's route.‘I hope she understands?’ he kept mumbling in his heart as the cab arrived in front of Laurent's residence. He calmly alighted and paid off with his last cash.Within moments he found himself at the Moreau's entrance door, he could hear one of Westlife's hit tracks blazing off from the living room. “It's already party time?” he said and squeezed the door open knowing it was hardly locked before 6 pm.Raphael's eyes glared at his family-in-law who were seated comfortably in the living room.From their gestures, it seemed like they were patiently wait
Raphael without further ado narrowed his eyes to grasp a better view of the man standing in front of him, from his stature, he could deduce he was in his early 40s, about 6"1' tall with a well-shaved goatee. ‘Young Master? What does that even mean, huh?’ The persistent questions ran across his mind whilst standing to his feet. “Please who are you? Why did you call me such? Have we met before?” he continually questioned, staring deep into his face. The strange man quickly knelt before him with his hands lifted towards him in absolute honor. “Young Master, my name is Benoit. I'm your grandfather's senior butler. I'm…” he was about to complete his words when Raphael quickly turned and ambled away from his presence. “Young Master?... Please don't depart,” He quickly mouthed as he noticed the strange outlook after he mentioned working for his grandfather. Raphael kept mute with a frowned face, his arms akimbo. Benoit still ran in front of him and knelt once again. “Are you pissed off t
Raphael had to inquire as everything was unfolding faster than he could ever imagine.Less than an hour ago he was shamelessly dumped by his ex-wife and potentially replaced by his step-brother.Here he's in front of his grandfather he hadn't seen for about seven years offering a mind-blowing sum of cash with an exalted position in his champagne production company. Like for real?“Yes, my boy. First thing tomorrow morning. I'll have you announce to the rest of the management and staff your new position.”“I've dreamt and hoped for this day when I'd make you this offer. Don't say no my boy,” Jacques Claude Gathuier politely requested as he embraced his grandson who was still engrossed in a shocking state.Raphael's demeanor is a pictorial representation of; “Excitement and disbelief” from the little his late mother told him; he knew his grandfather was a man of his word. He wasn't bluffing either with his offer.“My boy. Our Winery business has been growing. We're amongst the top 10 fi
“Good Day Ma'am. You sent for me,” a certain firm male voice with embodied shoulders, 6 '1'' fit, well-bearded responded beside the parted door. “Meet our newest Internship staff or whatever he calls himself.”“Do have him settled immediately. I wouldn't hesitate to send him back to where he's from if I find him lazing around,” The HR vehemently instructed whilst unleashing a slight glare at Raphael who seemed calculative, smirking in his heart.“I'm Pierre, the assistant logistics manager. Welcome to The Lion Winery Industries. Were among the best first 10 winery companies in France.”“Please. Kindly ignore every unsettled word you just heard from Mrs. Elise,” he politely introduced himself whilst striving to make Raphael feel a bit comfortable.Raphael parted a soft chuckle across his cheeks. That was the first genuine smile since he stepped foot into his grandfather's company.Every staff he's met has been condescending right from the receptionists on the basement floor to The HR
“Don't let me repeat myself! Why are you all standing idle and who's this funny dude?” Mrs Louise impassively mouthed, glaring her eyes against the three. “So sorry Ma'am. He's the new intern and I needed to put him through…” Celine said in a frightening state. The atmosphere without a doubt felt the blaring weight of her voice. All production staff stiffened their faces and maintained their work posture. “And so what? What's my damn business with who he is? Come on, he's just a mere intern. Your luck is that the other two junior staff are supervising the production process. I would have had you and Pierre dealt with,” she said with red in her eyes as she stormed out from the production department. Her tone was stern and cold. Celine kept an apologetic gesture. Raphael and Pierre boldly stood staring back in her face. Raphael's heart was filled with lots of scoffing as he beheld her displaying her Hollywood condescending tantrums. “Who's she?” Raphael unavoidably asked his two new
BOMBSHELL!Laurent, who was almost lifting his feet to make his path towards the stage, sat back in shock. The staff rolled their eyes in uncertainty, their eyebrows raised in more confusion. Like what the heck is going on? Mrs. Emma held her husband's hands, her heart began racing in building shock. “Honey? Huh?” she hastily asked but got no response. Raphael majestically made his way towards the stage. He had been in the inner room behind the hall without anyone's knowledge. His demeanor was completely top-notch and exquisite. He didn't look anything similar to how he has been for the past six years. He painstakingly dressed up in a fashionable navy blue suit and classic white shirt with well-polished Testoni black shoes. Neatly shaved beards. He had always been good-looking; the only challenge he had was penury. Wealth was oozing from his outlook. Laurent, Emma, Marcel, and Andre all stole frightening glances at him whilst he stood beside Mr. Guillaume in an elated aura. It wa
They have never witnessed a miserable day as such. A few staff had already started recording the incident as Andre and Marcel's confessions were duly videoed as evidence of Raphael's innocence.“What they said was nothing but the truth. We were responsible for his unjust arrest. We teamed up with his ex-colleagues who were gullible enough to betray him. We also worked with the guest who visited the hotel just to accomplish one mission: indict Raphael and have him disgraced,” Mr. Laurent couldn't stare into the faces of Raphael, Mr Guillaume, and the rest of the staff as he gazed downward in profound shame. Mrs Emma held her husband as she couldn't control the rate at which her hands were profusely shaking. “We needed Raphael to divorce our daughter at all costs. We were tired of a penniless son-in-law and had to do all it took to make him lose his job and leave Chloe. We had already chosen a wealthy suitor for her and Raphael was bent on standing in our way," she explicitly expressed
“In the course of the investigation, the president of France and other ambassadors from five South American countries got involved when they learned the esteemed Grand Lord, Raphael Gauthier, was also in the contest with The Ultimate Branded Champagne.”“I’m here to announce to y'all that we've acquired implicating evidence that over the last half a decade, Alexandre Petit has continually connived with twenty high-ranked staff of the European Winery Exhibition Contest to condemn justice and fairness, which has made him the winner in consecutive occasions!”The crowd slammed their voices in anger as they booed at Alexandre Petit with disdainful tongues.“In this year's edition, he had an accomplice by the name of Lucas Moreau, months back in agreement, they attempted to assassinate Raphael Gauthier and his stepbrother, Hugo Lambert. We have all the evidence and there's no hiding and running for them.Immediately his voice echoed. Multiple police officers who had strategically positione
THREE MONTHS ON… “Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it's an honor to have y'all in attendance for over two hours at the European Winery Exhibition Contest, the world's most rated Winery contest ever to breathe!” The host exclaimed in profound esteem The crowd responded in a shriek of happiness and coherence. It was indeed an honor to be invited, and I would always go down memory lane. “This year’s edition has been for over one month and today being the final, y'all stayed till the last month when the winner would be announced!” “Today’s event commenced in four, the semi-finals, and down to two finalists: The Ultimate Branded Champagne and The Lion Winery Industries. Thank you for staying till when it mattered most!” Jubilation entrapped the distinguished guests as they shone their teeth in profound excitement. They couldn't wait to see who would go home with the esteemed prize of the decade. In great attendance were Raphael and Celine with a group of devoted supporters; t
“I don't care if I die the next minute or get arrested and pay for my crimes. As long as I divulge what has been hidden for decades, then my part has been done,” Hugo mouthed with a short gasp breath, his face gripped with sweat as he held onto his step-older brother.All along, Raphael had presumed his younger stepbrother was bluffing about having information to spill. It seemed like he had finally gotten his attention.“Really? You got any information?” his brows raised in keenness.Agathe waved at the medical personnel who sheepishly departed from the room. They had already overstayed. It's family time!“Yes, I do, dear brother…”“I know none of my words would change the past and the evil I've done to you, which led to the death of your mother, banishment, and many others, including sleeping with your ex-wife,” he spilled those hard words out. And once again, the ugly past flashed before Raphael’s face.Agathe strode towards him and patted his shoulder; she understood how painful i
For the greater good of his power and what it believes in, Hugo Lambert should be saved by his older stepbrother despite the pains he has inflicted. GrandLord Raphael Gauthier, in a state of pain and anger, understood that and had to do the needful.‘Hugo you've fought so hard against death. Time to come back to us,’ GrandLord Raphael Gauthier communioned with the deteriorated state of Hugo Lambert.He believed he could hear his words. One of the containers had a well-prepared honey with herbal ointment in it as his inner power whispered what he should do.Agathe Lambert muttered a thousand prayers in her heart as her hands shook in fear. She might not be a great fan of Hugo from inception but she wouldn't want him dead either. The medical personnel stood in disorientation as they beheld the unprecedented movie being played before their eyes.GrandLord Raphael Gauthier signaled Agathe Lambert, who assisted in slightly opening Hugo's mouth to enable him to pour the herbal medicine insi
Agathe Lambert was struck in a state of slight confusion and vibrantness. She quickly strode towards where Hugo Lambert had laid for over a week as his health deteriorated. The medical renowned doctors followed behind to witness what would unfold sooner.It wasn't a pretense that the medical experts had little or no hope of what the GrandLord could do differently. They engaged in indistinct communication amongst themselves while their faces were etched with doubts, disbelief, and slight confusion.Grand Lord Raphael Gauthier stood face to face before his stepbrother. He exhaled deeply with his eyes intentionally closed while he trailed his oil-soaked right finger on his chest towards his abdomen back to his chest and throat.Agathe Lambert instantly wondered what Raphael's right finger was doing on Hugo's chest. She somewhat feared that he might want to avenge what happened to his late mother. The medical personnel maintained their indistinct conversations with their heads and eye gou
She knew GrandLord Raphael Gauthier was quite an intentional human and wouldn't mouth those unexpected words if he didn't mean them. Nonetheless, she couldn't control how astonished she seemed.For a moment she gave up on GrandLord Raphael Gauthier ever believing her about Hugo Lambert or what he had to tell him. She believed the past ugly incident would cloud his judgment on believing her.“The more time we waste the less chance he has to survive the poison,” GrandLord Raphael Gauthier quickly spoke out.He promptly offered Agathe Lambert his right hand as an aid to lift herself off the ground. He went ahead and offered her a white handkerchief to wipe off her tears while she made efforts to stand.The driver had his mouth slightly opened at how he thought he'd soon head back to the mansion or the office. However, his boss had other plans for the day.“Why the sudden change of heart? I could swear you would have zoomed off without looking back,” Agathe Lambert hinted as her eyes popp
He tutted his lips even more in disagreement and displeasure with his lips curved in disbelief and contempt. He shook his head more often while anticipating what Agathe Lambert would say next.She wasn't making any single sense with her words about Hugo Lambert's poisoned state and his request to speak with him. Agathe Lambert temporarily went speechless while glancing at him and other gatekeepers who could grasp the building conversations.“Drop this trick to get me to heal him 'cause that's not happening. He caused the death of my mother. You wasted your time in making me come over,” GrandLord Raphael Gauthier blurted out while taking a step backward.He felt there were no more words left unsaid with his younger step-sister and got to head back to the mansion or, better still, see how Pierre was handling business in his absence.It was better than being at the wrong time at the wrongest time. Driving from the mansion on Agathe Lambert's request seemed like a waste of time.“Good day
“Several medical professionals have conducted several diagnoses, but he's none responsive to their treatments,” Agathe Lambert, after a few moments, uttered more words to establish clarity.She had anticipated to bark at her immediately when she uttered the last words or even an immediate response which he didn't. Hence, she had to delve back to words that would build stamina to whatever his thought organs were entertaining.GrandLord Raphael Gauthier intentionally kept mute and steadily set his sight on her believing she got more words unspilled. His eyebrows were raised more with his two hands placed across his waist while trying to make sense of where Agathe Lambert was driving.“Hugo?” he somewhat mouthed with his eyes blinking. “Poisoned?” His last words followed with a question. “By who?” GrandLord Raphael Gauthier promptly inquired with a somewhat calmer tone. “When?” he went further in striding towards the path of questions.Questions engrossed in inquiries which was all Grand
GrandLord Raphael Gauthier hastily mouthed with his eyebrows raised in building annoyance. He kept his sight steadily on Agathe Lambert striving to make meaning to her last statement. He knew she wasn't joking but needed a form of clarity in her speech.Agathe Lambert vividly remembered all that transpired between Grandlord Raphael Gauthier and Hugo and should be the last person to make such statements when the GrandLord is concerned.Agathe Lambert was somewhat confused about what to respond with as her gaze quickly dropped off. She reactively took two steps backward in perplexed thoughts. GrandLord Raphael Gauthier was swift enough to understand his younger step-sister's last action. He positioned his hand in an akimbo posture while still glaring at her.“I left my mansion for Hugo? That betrayer? You're kidding huh?” GrandLord Raphael Gauthier mouthed once more but his voice heightened this time.Still maintaining his body posture, he took one step forward in search of a response f