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The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 126 • Caught In the Explosion.
Amelia covered her mouth with her palms as her eyes grew wide. An enormous amount of dust rose, enveloping the area.For a moment it was impossible to see anything, and people began to back away slowly. As the dust was beginning to settle, it became clear that the building had crumbled. Yet there was no sign of Matthew. She grew nauseous, her legs buckling and threatening to give away under her weight. Charles was quickly behind her and he supported her as she fell backwards, resting against his body. Tears quickly filled her eyes. “Matthew!” She screamed at the top of her voice. She had never let out a hoarse scream like this before and even Charles did not know how to react. If this woman were to suffer another loss of a loved one, he was not sure to what extent it would damage her. One of the reasons she had dedicated her whole life to finding Matthew was because there was no evidence that he was dead. She made sure that until her last breath, she would not stop looking for h
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 127 • Fighting for his Life
Lola's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her palms in shock. “He was caught in the explosion? How is he? Is he okay?” “I don't know but I think I have to go to the hospital.”Xander quickly grabbed his car keys and was about to back away when Lola spoke. “I should come with you.”He grew worried, remembering the last time that they had gone to the hospital together. “I think you should just stay here for now, grandma probably still thinks that you are Matthew's girlfriend and I don't want things to become awkward.”She nodded, understanding where he was coming from. “Just keep me updated when you get to the hospital okay?” “Of course.” He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving. He rushed into his car and got in driving straight to the hospital. As he moved down the road he turned on the radio. The presenter was already talking about the bombing of the Houston company building. Several speculations were flying about, there were some arguments that there was an
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 128 • To Make Vanessa Pay
By now it was all over the news and images of the burning and collapsed Houston office building were all over the internet and media outlets. Lola was facing back and forth in front of the TV. “Okay you need to stop moving around you're making me dizzy,” Karen complained.“This kind of thing doesn't just randomly happen, an explosion that brought down the whole building? They said they are still yet to confirm how many people have died. Karen I used to work there,” she whispered softly. “The police have started an investigation and I'm sure we will soon know what exactly happened.”Lola shook her head. “You don't need an investigator to tell you the truth in this situation. I mean we saw in those videos how each floor seems to be going off. I think whoever planted the bombs put it on several floors.”She whipped out her phone from her purse and failed Xander's number. “Hello, Xander, any news so far?” “Nothing yet. Matthew is still unconscious but the doctor says he's getting bette
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 129 • Millions on the Vessel
Amelia was in the back seat lost in thought as the car drove towards the conference center. She was thinking about the kind of speech she would deliver.Speculations were already flying left right and center, there were a lot of affected families and some people might even started to spoil the Houston name.When the car arrived at the venue, the driver got down to open the door for her. A small crowd had begun to gather and the moment they saw Amelia Houston getting down from her car they all rushed towards her, Mics and cameras pointed in her direction.The bombarded her with questions but she ignored and simply just walked in. Amelia was only going to give her press conference once and once alone. They welcomed her, parting the way as she mounted the stage. She scanned the room with her eyes, her gaze confident.“Today is a dark Day, not just for the company but even for my family. Because of this senseless act of violence lives have been lost. To the families of the victim, know t
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 130 • A Little History
The history behind the Winchesters and the Houstons was a rather complicated one. Back then, Edward Winchester and Henry Houston used to be really close friends. And so was Vanessa and Amelia before they got married to their husbands. Amelia came from the Briggs family while Vanessa came from the Carter family.Edward and Amelia were the first ones to fall in love with each other, they spent so much time together and had even gone to the same college. The four were a tight knitted friend group, almost inseparable. However Edward had to move abroad because of work, but he couldn't take Amelia with him.In order to fulfill their dreams of starting a family and pulling themselves out of an ordinary life, Edward took the opportunity to go abroad and work in the sea as a marine engineer while Amelia was to stay back and wait for him.Unfortunately during his absence, Henry and Amelia had begun to grow close. At the time Vanessa was in love with Henry so this turned her bitter.Vanessa ha
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 131 • Red Vipers
Matthew and Charles were alone in the hospital room because Xander had left to go and get some food for them. “How is Henry? is he in the house?” I ask, leaning forward.Charles cleared his throat and straightened his back. “So far they're still safe and I assume things are going to remain that way.”“Good, the moment I recover I need to go ahead and find out the truth. I have a feeling that everything that has been going wrong is linked to the truth about these red vipers.”The butler was a bit taken back “What do you mean young master?”“I just have a feeling that everything is related, the attempted kidnapping and all, it's not just random. I think there's someone behind all of this, maybe it's not just the Winchester's.”The room fell silent as Charles was deeply considering the possibility that the red vipers could have had a hand in what was going on. Suddenly the door clicked open and Xander returned holding packs of takeouts in his hand. But he wasn't alone, behind him was L
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 132 • Vanessa Will Regret Everything
Matthew faced his mother as soon as Serena exited the room. “There was no need to be harsh to her,” he said. Amelia looked stunned and she faced him. “Her family is the reason why you're here in the hospital and you're defending her?”“We don't have any evidence that they were actually behind the explosion, at least not yet.” “The winchesters are our sworn enemies, they have no business being around. Come on Matthew open your eyes. Do you think that they sent their daughter over to our company for no reason? They sent her as a spy, they planted her so that they could get inside information.”He took a deep breath. “Well if that's true, then why would they have the company where their daughter works bombed?” “Was she in the office when the building exploded?” Amelia watched Matthew's expression shift slightly. “Exactly,” she continued. “This was a deliberate plan I can assure you and the moment the truth about the investigations comes out, Vanessa is going to regret everything.”The
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 133 • The Anonymous Tip
The mention of an anonymous tip piqued Matthew's interest. “What did the anonymous person say?” He asked.Amelia frowned a little as she tried to recollect. “Nothing much really, just a really vague address stating that our son was in that place. So it took a while, I started to do a lot of investigation on different families that lived there. It was a long shot but we eventually found out that your medical records did not match up with that of your families, in terms of blood type. So Enzo said that you're a close fit and we should do the DNA test.”Matthew blinked in astonishment. “So you're telling me that you have been watching me from a distance the whole time?”“Something like that,” she replied. “But nothing was sure so there was no need to disrupt your life.”“How did you get the sample for the DNA test?” “It was from a drink you took at a bar, Enzo had followed you and was watching closely. When you were done with the drink, he took the cup, you were out with a friend.”He
Latest Chapter
200 • Novel Finale
Darrell was watching the news when he saw the news about Vanessa’s arrest in Los Angeles. At first he didn’t believe it but when Vanessa’s mug shot was shown on TV, he growled in anger and smashed the remote control on the ground.“What is going on?” Mrs Ferguson asked from the hallway on hearing the crashing sound.“She has been arrested and she is yet to give me my money.“ Darrell complained.“Who are you talking about?”“Vanessa Winchester. She got arrested while trying to escape for her crimes. There are multiple count charges against her.” Darrell responded and his mother walked to the living room to see for herself.“Well, to me. This is great news. She can no longer torment our family again.” Mrs Ferguson said and Darrell scoffed.“Don’t be a ridiculous mother. She didn’t pay us our money, that is even worse torment.”“Being a taxi driver was enough to get us a new TV right? Keep doing it.” She responded and walked out on him.***Ashley had returned to her previous life but sh
199 • Sightseeing
Matthew and Amelia were at the hospital’s waiting room waiting for the doctor's feedback on Xander. He had been rushed to the emergency room for immediate treatment after Raymond had shot him twice. Amelia folded her hands together trying to pray for Xander, while Matthew on the other hand was restless.Martha rushed in, with her eyes teary.“Where is my son? What happened to him?” She wailed but Matthew only pulled her into a hug, letting her cry on him. “It’s okay. Let’s all be strong for him right now. He’ll be fine, I have high hopes.” Matthew said even though he knew he was lying to himself, he just wanted to make Martha feel better because when Xander was brought in, he was in a very bad shape.“How could Raymond do this to our only child? Does he even have a heart anymore?” She lamented and Amelia took her hand in hers.“Martha, I’m sorry about my son. I apologize for everything, your life could have been better without…”“Mother, what are you saying? You are the best. Raymond
198 • Police Round Up
Xander stared into space confusedly, he didn’t want his father to go to jail but at the same time, he was tired of all the drama. He walked down the stairs looking lost. He had to go tell Hernandez and Amelia. Luckily, both of them were in the dining room having tea together. Xander walked into the dining room and Amelia instantly knew something was wrong.“Xander, are you okay?” Amelia questioned and Hernandez turned to him as well.Xander rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I am. Dad called.” He announced and Hernandez looked more interested.“What did he say to you?” Hernandez questioned.“He wants us to meet.” “Great. Let’s all go meet him. Where?” Hernandez asked again and Xander sighed. “Do you think I am happy doing this? This person in question is my father.” He said.“And he is also a criminal who killed your uncle and his wife, he also attempted to kill your grandmother..” Hernandez explained but Xander scoffed.“All this isn’t changing the fact that he stil
197 • Battle for the Phone
Vanessa spent the night in a hotel but early the next morning, she was out of there. The hotel was the wrong place for her to be. She had also found out that Richard had been arrested by the police, that jerk had a big mouth and he was probably the reason why the police were after her now, he had implicated her. She kept driving round town as everywhere looked like someone was watching her. She finally saw an alley and decided to hang around there for a while as it was close to the mall as well. She needed to go to the mall but she knew her credit card could be used to track her location. The police were already on the lookout for her everywhere, she couldn’t bring herself out even further. She stood in front of the alley, rubbing her forehead and trying to think of the next way she could go from there when suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, from the strength and the masculine strength, she knew he was a man. The man had covered her mouth with his hand so she couldn’t even s
196 • Care to Explain the Blackmail?
Amelia received a call from Matthew that afternoon which was a little weird as he rarely called her.“Hi darling.” She started.“Grandma, where are you?” Matthew asked and Amelia was a little confused.“I’m at home. Why do you ask? Did something happen?” She questioned.“As a matter of fact, yes. You have to come to the station right now. There is something you need to know and oh, please let Charles know that Ashley has been found.” Matthew said and before Amelia could ask any further question, he ended the call.Amelia didn’t know what all that fuss meant but she was certain it wasn’t a joke as Matthew wouldn’t invite her to the police station for nothing but why the police station? She hurriedly dressed up and In about thirty minutes, she was at the station.She went straight to Hernandez's office to see Matthew there as well. “I came as soon as I got your call. What is going on?” She asked, her gaze darting from Hernandez to Matthew and back to Hernandez again.“Hello, Mrs Houst
195 • I Quit
Lola was at her office sorting and signing some documents when her office mate rushed into the office giggling excitedly. All of them turned to her with questioning expressions.“Are you being chased by a clown?” Lola asked sarcastically.“No! You won’t believe it!” She shrieked.“Believe what? Say it already, stop leaving us in suspense.” Another girl chipped in.“I just saw….” She was explaining when the door was pushed open and Xander walked in with a bouquet of roses and a hamper. All the girls gasped and the first girl couldn’t stop giggling as she had seen him already. Xander got to Lola’s table and placed the bouquet and the hamper on it. Lola didn’t bother looking at him, she just went on with what she was doing; sorting the documents, signing on them and placing them in their rightful positions on the shelf. The other staff waited for everything to unfold. Lola hadn’t told them anything but they all knew that she and Xander were having a fight. “Lola, please stop doing thi
194 • Clear her Head
Vanessa lay on the bed in one of the guest rooms of the house. She had refused to share a bed with Edward after she had found out about Vito. Next to the bed was a small luggage she had prepared to go on a vacation as a way of letting off steam but before that she had to make sure Edward leaves the mansion as it rightfully belonged to her. She was watching the ceiling with reddened eyes from crying. She wasn’t just crying from Edwards cheating but the fact that she never thought it would hurt her that way. She could never say he wasn’t cheating but getting the girl pregnant? That was the height of it.The sound of the door opening dragged her out of her thoughts. She turned to see who it was and it was Monica.“Hi mum.” Monica started as she sat on the edge of the bed, and took Vanessa’s right hand in hers.“ Have you had any sleep yet?” She asked and Vanessa shook her head in negation.“You should get some sleep mum, you are…” Monica’s foot hit the luggage at the side of the bed and
193 • Unconscious on the Floor
Matthew now has eye bags underneath his eyes as he had been having sleepless nights trying to get new leads on Ashley. He hadn’t heard anything from Hernandez and he had no idea if Ashley was still alive or if she was dead or if she was still in the country. As early as 7am that morning, he had gone to the station again.Hernandez had driven in some minutes later to see Matthew’s car already there.“You know, I might soon begin to think you are actually a staff here who has refused to reveal the information to the rest of us because why the hell are you showing up earlier than all of us?” Hernandez joked and Matthew laughed.“Very funny, Chief. But you are right, I am beginning to think so myself too. But the truth is I just can’t have peace of mind until Ashley is found and everything is resolved. She got into this mess because of me. After everything is resolved, I might reveal my true identity to you all as one of the secret staff.” Matthew responded.“True. Ashley’s safety is para
192 • Sex Workers and Punching Bags
Ashley was trembling with anger. She sat in her part of the bedroom enraged, Gwen had helped her treat the cut on her face. It was a very deep cut and had taken about ten minutes to stop the bleeding. Gwen was in her own part of the bedroom watching Ashley.“You’ve got to calm down. When Richard has a bad day, he tends to take it out on us, I have a scar on my left arm from one of those times he….”“Is this supposed to help me right now? Look Gwen, I know you take a lot of shit here, but I, Ashley does not take shit. I will make sure I get myself out of here and Richard goes to jail. I don’t know about you, but I can’t and I won’t spend another night here. The worst that could happen is that I would die. He can’t keep treating anyone like this, we can’t be his sex workers and punching bags.” Ashley fumed.“Yeah, you’re right but do we really have a choice?” Gwen asked and Ashley stood up and headed towards the door.“Sometimes, we do not need to have choices, we make use of whatever w
