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The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 29 • Pauline's Art Shop
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 30 • An Interesting Lady
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 31 • A Condo Close To Crawford University
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 32 • Handy For The Police
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 Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 33 • Police Complaint
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 34 • Hostage In The Houston Manor
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
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 35 • Like A Caged Animal
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,
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 36 • Swoop In Like Superman
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
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- 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
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
