Anderson didn’t know what to say in response, everyone in the city knew how reputable and successful the Houston family company was. “How on earth did you manage to land a job there so quickly?” he pressed on, eager for details.“I’ll tell you all about it later because it’s actually a long story, but right now I need to go home and get some rest,” he replied, deflecting the topic. The wing-like doors of the car opened slowly and Matthew turned to face Lola. “Since I invited you as my plus one to the banquet, I think it’s only fair that I get you a gift, a diamond necklace would be perfect, I think it suits your skin tone.”Lola’s eyes widened as she forced a polite smile, “Oh my-” she felt speechless. She never really thought that Matthew was being serious inside about his intentions to invite her to the banquet, she had thought that he only said that to get back at Vito for all the horrible things she’d said to him. “- I don’t even know what to say, I thought you were just kidding b
Matthew was confused by the statement and a small frown formed on his face. “What do you mean?” he questioned, trying to understand the clerk.“It’s store policy sir, this is the most expensive piece we have in this store and I would have to ask my manager first for permission before I can bring it out, but in the meantime I can show you other neck pieces I’m allowed to bring out.”He shook his head. “There’s no need, that’s the one that caught my attention, just go ahead and ask your manager for permission to bring it out.”The clerk nodded diligently. “Right away sir, I’ll be back with you shortly,” he muttered and then moved behind the counter, opening the door to an inner room. Matthew folded his arms against his chest and stood there, looking at the other collections of items in the store. He noticed that his grandmother wore bracelets a lot, maybe he would come here one of these days to buy a bracelet for her.“Madam, there is a man outside, he wants to buy the ice necklace,” th
She was shocked to the bone, how could it be? She swallowed the bile that rose to her throat, rubbing her sweaty palms against her skirt.“Do you now believe that I can afford the necklace?” he asked gleefully.“I- I’m sorry- I didn’t know that- I- “ she started stuttering, after all that she had said, she didn’t know how to start defending herself.Charles furrowed his brows. “Is there a problem here, master?” he asked.“This lady here insulted me publicly, she said I couldn’t even afford a meal for myself. Then when I handed my card over to her to pay for the necklace, she refused to take it and she threw it on the ground. That’s why I had to ask you to come with cash instead.”The room started spinning and Kate felt like she was about to throw up, despite the air conditioning, she still felt hot.“How dare you disrespect the Houston family? And even throw the black card on the floor?” Charles spoke.Kate gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as her heart kept thrashing against
A small smile formed on his lips, “they have no clue that I'm the one in the clip, and I intend to keep it that way. I don't want too much social attention.”Charles took a quick bow. “I understand that young master.”He shut the door as Charles left and then walked back to his nightstand, grabbing the necklace. He wondered if Lola would like it.That night, she had dropped her contact information on his phone so he decided to send her a message; a good night greeting along with a request to have a meet up in a popular coffee shop in town.His message was delivered instantly, signifying that she was online. He went to have his evening bath, as he was stepping out of the bathroom, his phone buzzed on the nightstand.Lola had replied to his message and she agreed to meet up with him the following afternoon at the coffee shop.He read the message with a smirk, Charles had returned with a knock on the door, interrupting his moment. “Dinner is ready, your grandmother requests your presence
Lola blinked a few times, confused by her roommate's sudden outburst, she hadn’t even fully gotten into the apartment yet. “What are you talking about?” she asked, eyebrows arched. “Haven’t you seen what has been trending online? There’s this video of a man at La bourge, paying for his purchase in cash, and according to insider information, the ice diamond necklace was the only unit that was sold in the store that day, so according to most social media users, he bought the necklace for a woman.” Lola’s head was already spinning from listening to all this information at once. “What makes you so sure that it’s the same necklace? Maybe the one he got is different.” “Do you know this man you went out with that well? What if he was a silent billionaire and you didn’t know?” “That’s ridiculous Rosaline, it’s Matthew and I know him well enough to know that he’s not a billionaire, he used to be a car washer just a couple of days ago.” Her enthusiasm was dampened, but then it was qui
Mallory kept her head lowered; she didn’t know what to say. The senior staff quickly disregarded Matthew. “There are plenty of fine suits to pick from in the store. I’m sure you will find something you love, but Mr. Xander Houston is an old-time customer, and here, we prioritize client relationships.”Even though he was angry, Matthew’s face was unreadable; he tried not to show it. “I selected that suit from upstairs and asked the sales attendant to pack it for me downstairs, and he saw them packaging my order and decided that he wanted it for himself, even though you know that it’s wrong.”The senior staff looked away, scrunching his face. “Please, let’s not prolong this issue. It’s not like you can't afford the suit anyway. I’m sure Mallory didn’t tell you the price. Only people like Mr. Houston can afford such.”Charles, standing by the corner, cleared his throat. “You might want to be very careful with your words.”“I apologize if I said anything to offend Mr. Houton,” he replied,
“Yes it’s true,” Matthew declared in a monotonous voice. “But he has been antagonizing me ever since the very first day that we met, and then today at the store, he intentionally picked the same suit I picked earlier and had asked the sales girl to pack. He refused to let it go and tried to collaborate with the store manager to cheat me.”Amelia's expression loosened, and she turned to face Xander. He quickly grew defensive. “He’s lying! He punched me because I refused to let go of the suit that I rightfully picked.”Their grandmother began massaging her temples. “That’s enough for you two,” she began. “I don’t even know who to believe,” she muttered her breath.Charles stepped forward. “I’m afraid young master Xander is lying,” he said with a straight face, consequences be damned. Raymond and his son were both thrown back by the butler's remark. “How dare you accuse my son of lying? Who the hell do you think you are?”“Enough, you will not speak to Charles like that, not if I can he
He parked his car across the street and got down, reaching her front door with a small rose. He knocked and then waited for a moment. Inside, the sound of his knocking startles Lola, who isn’t done fixing her makeup. She smeared her lipstick against her lips and rushed out of the bathroom, snatching the purse on the table before getting to the door. When she opened it, she saw him standing outside, and Rose extended to her. She smiled at the gesture as he gently grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her palms. “Shall we?” he asked in a deep voice. She nodded, and they interlocked hands as he led her towards his car. The black tube dress she was wearing clung to her like a second skin, following the contours of her body. It had a lace-up open back, revealing her smooth skin. Her hair was curled up, and the light makeup she had sharpened her best features, making them pop out. She mesmerized Matthew with how gracefully she moved towards his car. He opened the door for her, being a