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The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 21 • A Silent Billionaire
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 22 • Careful With Your Words
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,
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 23 • Know Your Place
“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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 24 • Ice Necklace
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 25 • With Mr. Ferguson
Matthew’s gaze is slightly confused as he looks between Ashley and Lola. After purchasing the ice neckpiece, it began stirring up a frenzy online, prompting him to want to learn more about it. He did a little research and discovered that the woman who made this piece only produced one commercially available piece. Most people knew this. It only meant that one person was wearing a fake. Vito laughed, making a few heads turn to see what was happening. “I knew it! You bought a fake!” she said. Ashley instinctively grabbed the necklace, grazing it with her fingers. Then she looked at Matthew and shook her head. “Old habits never die. You still have the habit of buying fake things, huh?” Matthew was standing there unfazed. “Why are you so obsessed with me? Both of you always make it a point to try and confront me every chance you get. If you guys ask me, I’d say you’re just in pain.”The two girls shared a look and then began laughing softly. “You must think so highly of yourself,” Vit
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 26 • WASH ME!
Matthew also noticed Xander and they locked eyes, the tension from their stares were evident.“Are you okay?” Lola asked, drawing Matthew’s attention back. He didn’t realize he had clenched his fists.“Yes, yes I am.” He responded, rubbing his forehead. “I hope you’re good too?” “Better than I’ll ever be,” A smile played around Lola’s lips.“Let’s go to our table.” Matthew said, he placed his left hand on the small of her back as he led her forward to their reserved table.Lola was too stunned to speak. Who really was this man?Xander still had his gaze fixed on Matthew and his date and after a few seconds, he finally walked into the venue with his mouth curved upwards into an evil smirk.Soon, the performances on stage began. The first performer was a comedian who wore a clown’s mask. He made so much jokes that literally everyone present were almost laughing their lungs out.He was soon called off the stage and the crowd screamed that they wanted him back.Soon, a popular musician w
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 27 • Too Late
Rumor about what had happened immediately began to fly around and soon Amelia heard of it, she hurriedly came out to find Matthew and she found him at the restroom trembling with anger and embarrassment.“Matthew, what just happened? What is this nonsense I’m hearing about you and a fake surprise?” She questioned.“Grandma, whatever you heard is correct. Someone tried to make a fool out of me and they succeeded.” He stated.“Explain further.” “Someone called me out saying there was a surprise for me, I had second thoughts about it, but I decided to go try because he sounded very convincing. I went out, unwrapped the car, only to see how dirty and smelly it was, and to crown it all up, there was a bold ‘wash me’ inscription on it.” Matthew explained, making air quotes.“Who did this?” Amelia calmly asked, she was trying to contain her anger. Who would publicly embarrass her grandson in that manner?“If i did have an idea, I wouldn’t be here.” Matthew responded.“We are going to get to
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 28 • Acting On Impulses
Matthew’s hands were clenched around the steering wheel as he drove towards Lola’s apartment. She knew that something had happened in the party but he seemed like he was in no mood to share so she didn’t push it. He pulled up by her street. “Good night Lola,” he said, his voice softening. A weak smile played on her lips. “Good night Matthew, thank you for inviting me to the banquet, it was fun to be honest,”“Oh don’t mention it, it was nothing.”She leaned forward for a kiss while he leaned in for a hug almost at the same time, creating an awkward situation, but they both ended up settling on a hug. She got down from his vehicle and waved him goodbye before entering her apartment. The moment she was inside, her roomate snatched her by the wrist and whisked her to the corner. “So, tell me, how was it?” She asked in a high pitched voice.“It was fine, the banquet was classy and fun.”Her response was met with an eye roll. “You know that’s not what I mean. How did things go between
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- 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
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
125 • More Chaos
The scene outside of the Houston office building was simply just chaos. People were running about in the street screaming for help.From a distance the sound of sirens could be heard which meant that the firefighters were on their way. Most of the staff that had managed to escape from the building gathered outside, waiting for more to troop out. As soon as Elena was spotted coming out of the building, a group of men rushed forward to receive her. She leaned on them, her lungs already filled with smoke.She kept looking back expecting Matthew to come out of the building anytime soon. By now the flames had grown much stronger and could even be seen from outside as the smoke rose to the heavens.Amelia's SUV pulled up just by the corner and she didn't waste time before getting down from the car. Her eyes surfed the crowd until they landed on Elena.“My goodness! My company!” Amelia screamed loudly, drawing attention to her.Elena dragged her feet towards Amelia. “Matthew–” she pointed
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
124 • Chaos on the Executive Floor
There was chaos all over the executive floor as people began to hurriedly get up from their seats. Elena rushed out of her office, leaning by the door frame for support as the floor was still vibrating. “What the hell just happened?!” Before Matthew could even have the time to think, another explosion set off, knocking everybody to the ground. “There is a bomb in the building!” A masculine voice screamed. At this point it was everyone for themselves. People try to scamper to their feet and rush down the stairs. The room seemed like it had tilted and they were already cracked on the wall. Some of the ceiling lights had popped out from their fittings and were dangling loosely. Matthew rushed over to assist Elena, just as they were trying to make their way towards the stairs another explosion rocked the building, throwing them to the floor. The explosions didn't stop, in fact it seemed like they kept coming in waves. A final huge blow sounded, making segments of the wall break. M
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
123 • The New Secretary
Earlier in the day When Matthew woke up in the morning he began his usual routine freshening up in the bathroom and brushing before coming out. Sandra was already in the sitting room, arms wrapped around her doll. He didn't know what to say to the girl as it was obvious that she was too angry with her father. “Where is Henry?” He asked, buttoning up his shirt. She slowly looked up at him. “He's in the room.” “I'm going to work but I'm going to put somebody in charge of watching you guys, I'll be back pretty soon and then we can discuss removing you people to a safe house.”She simply nodded and didn't say anything in response. Matthew made his way to the kitchen area and brought out a box of cereals so he could have something to eat before getting to work. “If you're hungry you're allowed to take something from the fridge, take whatever you want. You can also order food from reception and I will handle the bills when I come back.”“Thank you.” He made sure to eat in a hurry as
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
122 • Vanessa's Taunts
Present day Now with all made sense to Matthew, everything that he had experienced growing up was beginning to add up. Sabrina was by the corner listening to her father as he retold the events. She looked angry but mostly disappointed. Her father was deeply involved with trafficking children. “So what about those other kids that you didn't rescue?” Sabrina asked in a soft voice. Henry cast his gaze on the floor because he couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. “I don't know what happened to them, I have no idea what fate befell them.”She shook her head slowly, this was not the father that she knew and loved nor was he the man that she grew up with. The thing was that after Henry gave up his life of crime, he used the remaining 3 million to establish himself and start a family. Unfortunately, Sabrina's mother passed away during childbirth and since then he had been single raising Sabrina on his own. “I can't believe you did that,” she whispered and then ran off to the guest room
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
121 • Flashback
Twenty years agoThe black SUV pulled up in front of the warehouse. Henry was seated among some of the other henchmen drinking some liquor.He noticed that the men that came down from the car were holding a baby. “A new one just came in, put him in the back with the rest of the kids,” one of the men who was heavily tattooed instructed Henry. Henry was the one in charge of the traffic kids. He collected the baby, looking down at him. “Where was this one from?” He asked. The guy looked around before responding. “It's the Houston baby. Gerald Houston's son.”Henry was so shocked that his eyes widened. “I don't understand, did you just manage to kidnap the son of the most powerful family in the country?”“Yes and for a good reward, we were contracted for a lot of money, 50 million.”Henry was never used to hearing or handling figures like this despite being a drug dealer. “Who wanted to kidnap this baby? Do they want to demand ransom?”“From all indications I think they want him dead, b
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
120 • Kidnap Contract
It was already late in the night when they arrived at his condo unit. The receptionist greeted Matthew with a smile as he walked past her into the elevator. Sabrina clutched the small bag which she had packed, she looked nervous which was understandable giving the situation of things.She wasn't even provided a proper explanation, she was just asked to pack some valuable things and leave the house immediately. When they got to the entrance of his apartment and he opened the door, the sound of his puppy barking immediately met their ears. Sabrina and her father entered his condo unit and they couldn't help but be amazed by how luxurious the place looked. Sabrina immediately took a liking to the puppy and she picked it up. “Your room is just by the corner after the main bedroom, it's safe here and you can stay for a while before you think of a permanent solution.”Charles drew him aside to the corner, whispering into his ears. “ Do you think it is a good idea to allow these people t
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
119 • Demanding Answers
The street was a bit lonely perhaps due to the fact that it was late in the night. Matthews' car came to a stop and he engaged the hand brakes with a soft click. Charles leaned forward. “This should be the house,” he said, pointing at a white house in the distance. They get down from the car and shut the door behind them.It was a quiet neighborhood and the sound of crickets echoing was the constant background noise. When they got to the front door, Matthew extended his arms and knocked softly. At first there was no response but when he knocked again, a figure from inside began to move about. “Who's there? it's quite late at night.”“We would like to speak with Henry,” Matthew replied. A young woman opened the door, she looked no older than seventeen. “ Do you want to speak with Henry? My dad?” she asked.From behind her a masculine voice sounded. “ Honey, who's by the door?”She looked over her shoulders. “There are two men here and they say they want to speak with you.”Henry came
