"Fuck!" Jacob growled when he entered his office and in less than a second, he sent the laptop on his desk flying across the room.His chest heaved up and down rapidly as he tried to fathom what had just happened.He growled again and swiped his hand, sending all the papers and files on his desk filing everywhere.He went behind his table and sat down and buried his head in his hands."Dad," Damien rushed into the office. He was coming to ask his father about the outcome of the meeting but when his eyes landed on the whole mess in the office, his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. "Dad….what happened?" He dared to ask as he inched closer, even though deep down, he already knew the answer to his question.Jacob was too defeated to say anything, instead he kept his head buried in his hands and Damien thought he hadn't heard his question."Dad, talk to me," he repeated and this time, he was already standing in front of his father.Jacob finally raised up his head and the first thin
"Have a lovely rest of your day, sir," Agatha waved Theo goodbye as he left the office for the day."And you too," he replied promptly with a smile. Chase had just finished his first day as vice president but it seemed like he had worked in that position for a very long time because of the ease with which he blended in, got used to his office and got work done.On his way to the lobby, staff members bowed their heads in greeting as he passed. It was not yet announced officially that he was the vice president but everyone already knew."Thank you," Chase thanked his driver who held the door of the car open for him to enter.The driver soon got in after him and revved the engine to life while Chase relaxed in the back seat, holding his jacket tightly because even though the heater was turned on in full blast, it was the middle of winter and everywhere was freezing."Let's make a quick stop here," Chase told the driver when they got in front of one shop and the driver pulled to the side
"Young master, did something happen in the shop?" The driver asked Theo once he was seated in the warmth of the car. His young master had taken longer than expected to return and he feared something might have happened and was just about to barge into the shop before he saw his tall figure stepping out with a bouquet of white roses."Er, I bumped into someone……interesting," Chase said as he thought back to the young lady, who looked nothing older than 22. The driver was about to say something else as he looked at Chase through the rearview mirror but decided against it, instead, he kept his eyes focused on the road till they were rolling into the large gates of the Alcantra mansion."Just stop at the main front," Chase told the driver because he noticed the driver trying to turn and take the path that led to his wing directly.The driver nodded once and soon, he was shutting off the engine in front of the empress' wing."Good night, young master," the driver said with a bow as he hel
The rest of the dinner passed in a blur and soon, everyone retired to their various quarters. Chase stayed up all night studying and preparing for his press conference the next day till the break of dawn. He had only been able to get in a couple hours of sleep before it was time to prepare for breakfast and work.A quick rap on the door got him more awake and he stretched out on the bed."Yes?" He called in his deep morning voice.Denise cracked the door open and peeked inside and when she saw it was safe to enter, she opened it the rest of the way. It had been a habit for his since working in Damien's quarters because she had seen naked women sprawled out on his bed more times than she could count."Good morning, young master," she greeted."You look radiant this morning," Chase commented on her Rosy cheeks and bright eyes as compared to how dull and pale she used to look the first time he saw her.She bowed her head, letting her long hair fall and frame her face so he wouldn't see t
"Oh, I will," Chase replied with an undertone of challenge in his voice. "Here," the empress' voice broke off their mini staring contest as she placed a piece of cheesecake on his plate and he sent her the warmest smile.Benedict and Jennifer scowled at the empress' display of affection for him but didn't say anything."Ride with me," the empress said to Theo as soon as they were done eating."Mother, I think Theo should ride with me instead. I want to get to know my nephew more," Jacob countered as he stood up from his seat.The empress eyed him suspiciously and was about to protest when Theo spoke up."I would love to, Uncle," Theo said cheerily. "Great, let's go," Jacob said and patted him on the shoulder."You don't have to," the empress said, eyeing him warily."It's just a ride, grandma. I'll be fine," he assured her and grabbed his coat before walking towards the direction Jacob went.Theo wasn't dumb. He could clearly see through Jacob's schemes and he knew they were not abo
The press went into a photo frenzy as everyone tried to get a perfect shot of the empress' lost grandson.The empress' guards stepped forward to shield the empress and Theo from the eager mob and their shouts till they made it to the elevated part of the room.Once they were seated, the empress raised her hand in the air and a deathly silence fell upon the room."You're all welcome. As we all know, Gab and Gabe's….." the empress began her speech and everyone listened intently.The empress was in the middle of the long table and by her right was Jacob and by her left was Theo and next to Jacob was Damien.The discomfort on Jacob's face was very visible but he just had to wait it out.The empress spoke for a while before she opened the floor for questioning."Yes?" She pointed at a lady with blonde hair."Ma'am, how did you find your grandson, Theo Alcantra?" The lady asked and the empress answered promptly.More questions were thrown to either her or Theo and they were all answered.Th
Subconsciously, his head snapped upwards and he saw the heavy chandelier falling and with the speed of light, he was by the empress' side and in one swift motion, pushed the recliner chair away and got out too.He had pushed a little too hard because the empress was sent flying to one side of the room where she fell on her ankle.She didn't have the time to comprehend what had just happened because in the next second, the loud sound of the chandelier crashing on the floor, breaking into a million pieces echoed throughout the room.Chase didn't move. The empress didn't move. They both stayed still as they reflected on what would have happened if he hadn't moved her out of the way. Or what would have happened if she hadn't followed him into the office and he was alone, seated on that chair.As if a force had pulled him back to reality, Chase's eyes snapped to where the empress was and he was by her side in the next second and crouched down beside her."Are you okay?" He asked at the sam
"What?" Imelda whispered.The empress didn't say anything but her hard eyes and set jaw gave Imelda the confirmation she needed."What exactly happened?" She directed her question to Theo this time as she tried to wrap her head around the whole thing. She had hopped into her car as soon as she heard from Jacob's assistant that the empress was rushed to the hospital."Forget about what exactly happened. I'll get to the root of it," the empress said.Two nurses and a doctor came in and after some exercises on the affected feet, the doctor spoke up."Luckily, nothing is broken, just a little sprain. With the right medications, you'll be up and running in no time, ma'am," he informed them."Thank goodness," Imelda breathed out.The doctor administered the prescriptions and the trio were left alone in the room again."Mother," Jacob rushed in a second after the doctors left. "Theo, can you explain what happened to my mother?" He asked sternly."Can you?" Chase bit back without missing a be