Shelby Vanderbilt stood still, his gaze solely focused on his son, who was staring at him with much hatred in his eyes. Shelby knew his boy always looked at him with so much love and happiness in his eyes, but everything was the opposite now."Leonid, where are you?" His mother’s voice rang through the phone's speakers.Leonid glanced at the phone and ended the call. He glanced back at his father. Shelby had no expression; it was as if he were plain. Leonid got up slowly from the bed, and the phone dropped from his hand onto the bed. His legs came into contact with the floor, and he walked towards his father. His father still stood as Leonid approached him. Leonid's teeth clenched in order to control his anger and not attack his father like a raging bull.His father opened his arms wide as Leonid approached him, ready for the hug."Aren’t you going to give your father a hug?" Shelby asked. "I have missed you so much, Phoenix."A fist went flying in the air and hit Shelby in the face b
"How was it their fault?" Leonid asked.Shelby took a deep breath. "I don’t know if you will believe me, but...""Just go straight to the point!" Leonid yelled."Okay…okay… The Harringtons were the ones who ruined me.""Harrington’s? My wife’s family?"Shelby nodded. "Yes, Amelia’s father was my best friend. He was the one who took the money and ran away; he ran out of the country, but I am sure he knows you are the child he ruined, or maybe not. But he knows my name, and it is also linked to you."Leonid's eyes widened; he could not believe what his father was saying. After all these years, he had been holding grudges and building up hatred for his father. It turns out it was not his dad’s fault at all; his dad had only wanted well for them. He felt like the stupidest person alive; he hated the person who cared for him and married into the family that ruined his own family. He wondered if Amelia knew about it too. Did she marry him because she felt guilty for what her family had done
After a long bath in the room that was given to him, Leonid was drying off his hair with a hand towel as he walked into the room. His phone was lying on the bed; he had refused to use his old line. It was a new start for him, a new life; he was never going to be the poor, broke Leonid he was. His wife was going to be worried about him, and he was sure that she was going to try to call him. He couldn’t get over the fact that his parents knew that he was the child of the man they had robbed a long time ago and still had the heart to insult him. Leonid had never expected that the people he had tried to please and win their hearts so he could be with their daughter were the cause of all his problems, and he could not help but wonder if Ethan had not known about the company belonging to the Vanderbilts. His father's name was going to be on the CEO’s board, right? Was Ethan so dumb not to notice the name Vanderbilt, or had he not met Ethan’s father? Leonid had a lot of questions to ask, bu
"Mr. Giovanni, come this way," a man in glasses told him.Leonid stepped out of the car and took a quick glance around the company premises. The first thing he noticed was the company name boldly printed at the entrance: 'VANNI CASINO CZAR.' Leonid hadn't even bothered to inquire about the nature of the company or its products; he had simply agreed to take over it like a proper gentleman. Even though his father had assured him that his account was credited and handed him a black card, he hadn't bothered to check his account balance. He was well aware that it would be substantial."It is Mr. Vanderbilt," he corrected, unfamiliar with the name they were addressing him with."Aha, Mr. Giovanni, everyone knows you here by that name," the man replied.Leonid gave him a brief nod. "Still, Mr. Vanderbilt, or nothing at all."The man nodded nervously and pointed towards the company. "Everyone is waiting for you, but I should mention that there is a woman who came with our manager, and she see
Ethan grabbed her by the hand. "Stop yelling, Amelia. We can deal with this at home, okay?""At home?! Are you kidding me? And don’t fucking touch me!" She bellowed, slapping his hand away.Matteo walked closer to her. "Mrs. Harring...""Vanderbilt." She corrected through clenched teeth."Mr. Giovanni would not like this; I think you should leave."Amelia rolled her eyes. "I am not leaving until Ethan Storm gets fired."It was then that Ethan suddenly snapped. "I have had enough of all this, Amelia; now you will have to leave.""And how are you going to make me leave?" She challenged. "Hit me? or pretend to be a good man in the presence of your co-workers?"Ethan bit his lips in anger; it was taking so much self-control not to slap Amelia right there and then. His hand clenched into a fist. He grabbed her hand again, and this time the punch he received was harder than the others."I told you not to touch me!"Ethan raised his hand to his face and wiped it; his nose was broken, with bl
"I didn’t expect you to recognize me. Leonid spoke as he walked over to Ethan and loomed over him. "How dare you lay a hand on my wife? How dare you lay a finger on Mrs. Vanderbilt, or should I say, Mrs. Giovanni?"Ethan squirmed again and tried to get up, but the pain in his wrist stopped him from doing so. He winced from the pain in his hand and dropped back to the floor. His eyes darted from the ground to Leonid’s face."Cat got your tongue?" Leonid asked. "What happened to the strong and brave Ethan who loved to pick on Leopoor?"Ethan's gaze held a look of confusion. "How is this possible? You were poor last week, and I am sure they murdered you immediately after the paper was signed. How is it possible that you were alive?"Saint kicked Ethan’s tummy again. "Shut the fuck up!""Saint, let him say whatever he wants to say; besides, he can’t win anymore." Leonid told the saint.Saint shrugged his shoulders and pulled his leg away from Ethan’s belly. Ethan scurried away, moving on
Leonid stepped out of the car as soon as it came to a halt. His bodyguards walked behind him as he walked towards the building. When he got to the elevator, someone was rushing out of it.It was Amelia, and she was glancing back at the elevator, and soon enough, anger appeared from the back door. He had used the stairs when she shut the elevator in his face.There, you young miss, don't disappear on me. I'm just a harmless bodyguard.Amelia spun around in his voice, and her head hit something hard. Leonid's chest. She inhaled his scent, and her lips curled into a smile. He really smells good; she loved the way he smells.Her head raised and she stared at his face. He smiled down at her."Running away already?"**********Leonid sat on a chair in his room. He was sitting in front of a laptop screen. Typing away on the keyboard. Amelia, on the other hand, was going through her phone, and soon enough she got bored and walked over to him."See this," Amelia said after she had stood in fro
"What If I told you my father repaid the debts, but they wanted double payments,""That's not possible." Amelia said. "Why would they do that?"His head tilted to the side. "And there was a man who ran away with the laon he and my father took together. My father didn't raise Amelia. Mr. Vanderbilt never did; he left because he had nothing to offer us. He was robbed by his best friend, making him go bankrupt."Amelia gasped. "That's awful. How could a best friend do that to his friend?Leonid ignored her question and continued. "His best friend ran away with the loan they took together to invest in a new business.""That's awful; that was why he left? Because he didn't want you both to know about it?""Exactly Elia, he left to work and pay off the debt, which he did, but we won't focus on that. I found his best friend, and I am really close to his best friend's daughter.""You know his daughter?" Amelia questioned. "You never told me you have a female friend.""You know her; I don't ha