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The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 37 • Actionable Solutions
Her stomach dropped, and she inched backward. The door gently clicked open, revealing Raymond's towering form occupying the doorframe. Her breathing became uneasy, and she tore her gaze away from him and cast it on the ground. His lips twitched into a small smile. “My darling wife, I hope your recovery will be quicker now,” he said, retrieving a plastic bottle from his pocket. It contained some capsules. As he advanced towards her, he grabbed the jug on the nightstand, bringing it closer to her mouth. “You can’t forget to take your drugs. You don’t want to have a relapse now, do you?” He cocked his head to the side, grabbing her chin gently but firmly. She reluctantly opened her mouth and forced the pill in, washing it down with the water from the jug.She swallowed and pulled her mouth away from the rim of the glass jug with a sharp breath. “Good girl,” he said in a low tone, setting the jug down. Her hands were tight, and her body language screamed in repulsion. He got up and pat
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 38 • A Friend Or A Boss?
Elena straightened her back, meeting his glare with an equally defiant one. “What are you angry about? Is it because your plan to humiliate me in front of the board failed?” Raymond didn’t bother to respond; he just walked away. Naturally, Matthew grew inquisitive, and as they returned to their offices, he asked Elena about what Raymond had said. “What was my uncle talking about earlier when he said don’t forget why you’re CEO?” His voice was laced with curiosity. Just when it seemed he was uncovering the dynamics of the Houston family, there always seemed to be a new layer to uncover. “I’m not sure I should tell you this, but let’s discuss it in my office,” she responded. While inside her office, he shut the door behind him to ensure nobody could overhear their conversation. She moved over to her chair and plopped down, throwing her back against the backrest. Silence stretched out between them, and the expression on her face was that of someone reminiscing. “I have been working f
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 39 • No Coincidence
His hands were wrapped around the steering wheel as he sped down the road, his eyes fixed ahead. As he drove, he kept wondering what the matter was. Finally, the view of the mansion was within the frame of the windscreen. He pulled up in the compound's parking lot and then alighted from his car. Charles, standing by the door, welcomed him with a slight bow. “What’s going on?” he asked the butler, looking at him and then into the foyer. “I believe you should go in and find out for yourself, young master.” He walked into the hallway, gentle steps guiding him toward the dining table. It was evident that he was a bit late, as everyone was already seated. Their heads turned to face him. At the edge of the dining table, Martha was seated beside Raymond, looking petrified as usual. There was particular alertness in her eyes and in the way that she carried herself that made it clear she was suffering from severe anxiety. Amelia harrumphed, “Welcome, Matthew. Have a seat.” Her voice was sh
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 40 • Vanessa vs Amelia
Vanessa was a short woman who had a similar body frame with Amelia. Her face was still vibrant and her silver hair added to her fierce look. She wore a gray knee length dress with slingback heels that completed the entire look. What others would have believed to have been a forced look seemed to irritate Amelia the more as she stared on.Vanessa descended the steps slowly approached Amelia, a sly smile sat across her lips as she greeted Amelia once more, “how the years have gone by,” she chided, her hands folded before her and stared Amelia down.“They've certainly not done those wrinkles justice,” she sneered, her expression remaining the same as though she hadn't just commented on Amelia's looks.Amelia scoffed, “all those years of botox barely paid off,” she retorted while she wondered what exactly had brought them back to the country, and more importantly, New York City.Vanessa held back, pinching at her fingers at the backhanded insult she had just received, but there was nothi
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 41 • Fluoxetine
His fingers grazed the name on the label of the drug, "Fluoxetine." As he was putting it down, the door clicked open behind him and he froze. “You seem to want to spend more time with my own mother than I do,” Xander said.He quickly set the bottle of the drugs down and then spun around. “She’s my aunt, is she not? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with me wanting to see her, especially since she’s been here all this while and you barely made efforts to relate with her.”Something about what he said pushed Xander to the wall, making him lunge forward and grab Matthew’s collar tightly, the sudden movement startled Martha and she crouched by the corner, covering her face with her hands and cowering in fear. “Don’t you ever in your life assume things you know nothing about,” he warned through gritted teeth, moving his face closer to Matthew’s and leaving no room for personal space. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed how Martha was trembling. “Xader stop, you’re scaring her,” h
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 42 • Matthew Vermont or Houston?
Lola’s face twisted into a frown,the betrayal evident in her features. She knew Matthew from his poor days, there was no way that all of a sudden he could afford a black card. To even own one of these, there had to be a minimum balance of at least several hundred thousands in the bank account.That wasn’t the part that confused him the most, it was the fact that it had his name on it, and instead of it reading Matthew Bremont, it read Matthew Houston. She couldn't believe her eyes. The card was still clutched within her grip as she stepped forward, shoving it against his chest. “Who are you?” she asked in a low voice.She began to question everything she knew about Matthew, was he ever poor? Was he just lying about his identity the whole time? Several thoughts began flashing in her mind. He moved forward, attempting to grab her hands but softly but she took an equivalent step back. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, I just didn’t know how to bring it up,” he said truthfully. At first h
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 43 • Kiss
Matthew clutched the flowers he was holding so tightly as he looked at Xander walking into Lola’s house. He wanted to leave but he was also rooted to the spot. Her eyes met his and they were locked in a long staring contest while Matthew was completely oblivious as he had his back turned to the street.Lola was about to open her mouth to speak but Matthew backed away and disappeared into a nearby alleyway, retracing his steps to where his car was parked. He tossed the small bouquet he was holding into a large metallic trash can before entering his car. “What's wrong?” Xander asked, following her eyes to see what she was looking at, but he was too late as Matthew had already left that spot. She shook her head. “Oh it’s nothing, I just thought I saw something.”He didn’t quite believe her so he leaned forward, his expensive cologne wafting into her nostrils. “Are you sure? If I’m making you feel uncomfortable in your house you can just say it, I’ll be fine standing outside,” he offere
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 44 • You Should Leave
Lola’s brain did not immediately process what was going on until she felt Xander’s fingers going up towards her hair. “Um,” she mumbled,pulling away from the kiss. Her face was red with embarrassment and anger. Xander leaned towards her in an attempt to initiate another kiss but Lola immediately stood up. “I..” she stuttered. “Come on.” Xander probed and Lola cleared her throat. “Th…that wasn’t supposed to happen.” She said, “I thought you wanted it.” Xander responded and Lola looked away. “Alright, I’m sorry. I just got carried away. Let’s just keep watching the movie. I’ll try my best to stare at the television this time.” He flirtatiously remarked, flashing a smile at her. “No.” Lola immediately said, causing Xander to lift a brow. “No? You want me staring at you?” He questioned in feigned ignorance. Without saying a word, Lola picked up the remote and switched off the television then she folded her hands, glaring at him. Xander glanced at the blank television screen th
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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
