Raymond stuck his hands into his pocket and walked away, leaving the rest of them behind. Amelia, who was already stressed, made her way to her room. Charles was about to depart when Matthew called him. “Charles.”He paused and looked over his shoulders, “Yes young master?”“That thing that Xander said… Does Raymond abuse his wife?”A long sigh escaped the butler's lips. “Some things are better left unsaid. The little I can tell you is that you should not be too trusting of anyone in this family, except your grandmother.”“And you,” he added as Charles was walking away. “If you do, please,” He replied with a shrug. Tomorrow was going to be his first official day at work, he knew that he had to start getting ready for that as well. Much to his Knowledge, Xander worked in the company as well but since his father had suspended him, Matthew felt a little relieved since it meant that he didn’t have to deal with being within the same vicinity with his cousin which meant less drama. Feel
Lola was rooted to the spot. “How are you so sure?” She responded with a hint of shock in her voice. Pauline arched an eyebrow, slightly confused. “Because I have my initials signed on the underside, plus, this was handmade, so I know it even from the look and texture.”Many thoughts started racing through her mind. How could Matthew afford this? Pauline cocked her head sideways. “What’s wrong, darling? You look troubled.”She snapped out of her trance-like state. “Oh- um… it’s nothing, I’m fine. I was just wondering about the validity of the neckpiece.”Pauline smiled, “So you’re the lucky woman everyone keeps talking about online. You really bagged an intentional man.”She felt a little flustered, “It’s a bit complicated right now… but thank you for attending to me, I really appreciate it.”A faint but polite smile formed on her face. “It’s my pleasure, did you want to get anything?” she asked. Lola shook her head, slowly backing away, “No.. I just want to see you, thank you.” Aft
Just as Xander was turning around to leave, his eyes locked with Matthew and then a scowl formed on his face. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Lola bat him to it. “We need to talk, in private.” He turned to see that she was indeed talking to Matthew, which sparked his intrigue. Matthew shifted his gaze between his cousin and Lola, deciding to abrupty avoid Xander and walk straight over to Lola. “Why? What’s wrong?”Xander looked between the both of them and walked away with a wicked smirk on his face, an idea forming in his mind. He didn’t bother to look back at them and he entered the elevator. “I said in private.”He sighed and then looked around, trying to find a secluded spot but then everywhere seemed to be occupied. He remembered that there was an abandoned conference room by the end of the hallway downstairs which was now converted to a storage room and he ushered he rtowards that direction. “So, what did you want to talk about?” he asked, closing the door behind hi
He went down on his knees as darkness clouded his vision; the pain made him scrunch his face as he tried to raise his head. Two figures were looming over him, wearing a mask. His eyes were closing, and their voice dulled into the background, reduced to distant echoes. The clanging of the baseball bat as it hit the floor met his ears. That was the weapon used to assault him. One of the figures grabbed him and tried to pull him away from his car and towards another vehicle parked just behind them. His attempt to struggle was futile, as it only earned him a hard blow to the chest, causing him to grunt in pain. The door to the minivan slid open, and they tried to shove him inside. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins when the reality of being kidnapped dawned on him. With one burst of energy, he broke free from the strong grip of the man holding him, driving his foot into the torso of the other person, destabilizing them. He swung his arm, landing a punch on his attacker. His resi
The sound of the slap resonated, echoing across the room. “You will watch your mouth young man!” the officer said in a sharp tone. Matthew stood there, his hand on his jaw, his tongue pushed against the inner part of his cheeks as it made a click sound. He raised his arms up to retaliate but all the other policemen in the office jumped on their feet, ready to gang up on Matthew. A wry smile formed on the man's lips. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, assaulting an officer is a serious crime and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to go to jail.” He had a cocky grin on his face and Matthew wanted to wipe it off with a hard slap, but then he held back, not wanting to cause trouble for Amelia or the rest of the family. From the corner of his eyes he saw Amelia walking into the station with a gray shawl hung around her shoulders and Charles standing right behind her. Her face was tight and her eyes fixed on the officer before Matthew.With quick steps, she made her way towards them. The offic
She began to hyperventilate as her eyes widened. Charles, who was sitting in the front seat, turned around to face her. “Are you alright madam?”Being one of her most trusted staff, she didn't hesitate to turn the phone screen towards him so he could have a look. Even the driver tried to peep through the review, but he couldn't make it too obvious that he was to have a look for himself. A small gasp escaped Charles lips. “Do you think it is them?”For a second, she stared out into space, imagining the worst. “Honestly, I don't know. It's hard to say, but we can't take any chances.” Her voice was low and filled with determination. By the time they got home and pulled up in front of the mansion, Matthew got down from his car. Quickly noticed the worried expression on his grandmother's face and asked. “Are you okay Grandma? Are you still thinking about what happened earlier?”“No it's okay, I'm fine. I just need you to be more careful from now henceforth, I think somebody is after us
Still on the other side, he spoke. “Martha, what are you doing in there? How did you get locked in?”Despite how hard he tried to listen, or he could pick up was the sound of her whimpering as she cried. “Hello? Martha? Are you still there?” He questioned, a small frown forming on his face. The muffled sound of her crying only continued. He backed away from the door and looked around him, there had to be a way to get her out of there. “Okay Martha, I want you to calm down. I will go get Charles and he will find the key to get you out.”“No! Don't tell any of them that we talked, they will only punish me,” she whispered with quivering lips. At this point Matthew was beyond confused, he no longer understood what was going on. “What did I tell you about snooping around and not minding your business?” The family of his uncle Raymond boomed. He looked up. “Of course you would have a hand in this, who are you holding hostage in there?” Matthew asked. “It's none of your business boy,
Charles brought the keys to the padlock and opened the door. Everyone held their breath as the door creaked, the hinges croaking as they revealed the room inside. It was a large room with a high ceiling. In its center stood a king-sized bed with various pillows sprawled over it. She was by the edge of the room, eyes widened and alert. She tried to make herself seem more minor, her body trembling with fear. Her eyes darted between all the people standing in the room. “Go away! Go away!” she yelled, backing up against the wall, trying to shrink. Matthew stepped forward, extending his hands. “It’s okay. Calm down. It’s me. I’m the one who was trying to help you outside,” he said in a soothing voice. Raymond scoffed, “You see what I’m saying, she’s crazy!” He remarked. “That is no way to refer to your wife,” Amelia cautioned him. Martha was still agitated but seemed to calm down when Matthew approached her. He lowered himself to be at eye level with her. “It’s okay. We’re not trying