The next morning, Matthew was already at the office early in the morning, he wanted to get some work done before heading over to Crawford for his classes later today. He looked to his side, noticing Selena’s absence but he didn’t think much of it. He was still trying to sort out the files in front of him when he suddenly realized that his secretary wasn’t on the seat, which was strange to him. As if summoned by his thoughts, he caught a glimpse of her figure. She was marching straight to the entrance of his office. Without even knocking, she pushed open the door and strolled in. There was a strict expression on her face as she came to a stop in front of his desk. He straightened on his chair and raised his head. “Care to explain why you’re late?” he began, his tone slightly irritated. She rolled her eyes heavily. “One, I’m not late, you just decided to show up at work early, and two, I don’t need to explain myself to you because I quit.” She tossed her resignation papers on the ta
The rest of the morning stretched out and he couldn't focus on work as he kept thinking of Lola. All the series of messages he had sent her via text were left on delivery and she wasn't taking any of his calls. Not only did he feel deeply troubled, but he also felt like what happened was his fault. The door to his office clicked open and Elena walked in, her perfectly ironed skirt hugging her body as she neared his table. “Matthew, did you get the memo that just came in?” She asked, her voice pulling him back into reality. He shook his head slightly. “No, what was it about?” “It's about a trip to Seoul for a business meeting, it's a 3-day trip and I can't go because I have to run things here, so I was thinking you should go since you're the chairman.”He thought about it for a brief moment. “When is it?” “It’s 3 days from now, and we need to send representatives so I'll figure out one more person to add to the trip.”“Fine by me.”She was about to leave but she couldn't ignore th
Vanessa was in her car, wearing a scarf around her head with dark sun shades. Her driver moved past a lonely looking neighborhood with old looking structures and potholes on the ground.The tinted glasses of the car window concealed her identity but from the flashiness it was obvious that a rich person was going through the neighborhood. Almost everyone posed whatever they were doing to look at the car as it moved past their street. Because of how uneven the roads were, it made the ride a very bumpy one.Finally they came to a stop in front of an abandoned looking building and she slowly got down from the car. Her driver was right beside her, in a well tailored suit. She made sure to look both ways before heading into the suspicious looking building, todding her scarf around her neck. This part of the neighborhood seemed less densely populated and as such there weren't too many eyewitnesses. The driver was right behind her like a shadow as her footsteps echoed against the concrete
Under the bright afternoon sun of New York City, Matthew Donovan scooped a bowel full of water and splashed it on top of the dull sedan he was scrubbing down at the car wash.His phone suddenly buzzed loudly, vibrating inside the pocket of his jeans. Calmly, Matthew wiped his damp hands before fishing out the phone. Glancing at the screen, a smile lit up his weary face. It was his girlfriend, Ashley, and she was just what he needed to brighten up his day.He accepted the call. “Hey Ashley, what's up?”“Matty, I need $300, like right away!” Ashley had a sweet voice, but as usual, she was very direct. “I just found this gorgeous necklace, and I want to buy it before someone snatches it away.”The earlier smile on Matthew’s face quickly disappeared. He knew how much Ashley loved her jewelry, but he also didn't have that kind of money with him. “Uh… Ashley?”He could sense her frown through the call. “What is it!?”“I only have $200 on me right now. Can't it wait until—”“No, Matt! It can
Matthew was numb, his eyes were locked on Ashley but he just stood there, not knowing what to say or what to do.Her expression shifted from anger to shock, and soon she began to avoid his gaze.As he connected the dots—the underwear in his hand, her earlier furious accusations, and the look on her face now—everything fell into place for Matthew.Now, she felt like a stranger. But a stranger's betrayal wouldn't cut this deep.“Ashley,” he finally managed to say, his voice was low and trembling with emotions that were barely restrained. “You cheated on me?”Ashley’s mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find the right words. Not that Matthew would believe a word out of her mouth.“Matthew, I—” she stammered, taking a hesitant step back. “It’s not what you think, I—”“Then what is it?!” Matthew found himself almost yelling. “How can you do this to me?! I’ve given you everything I could! All these years, all the sacrifices I made... was it not enough? Was I not enough?”“Well, isn'
Matthew sat on the cold, hard bench in the police station, his head still throbbing, his ribs aching and his entire body weary from the earlier ordeal.Out of nowhere, three men in black suits had arrived and picked him up from the car wash, forcefully taking him to the police station. So there he was, handcuffed with his face low as he regretted his life.He regretted ever meeting Ashley! He regretted falling in love with her!Policemen walked about in the station, there were low voices and the clattering of keys. It was a busy day, and no one cared to listen to his pleas of innocence.“Look at you,” Darrell Ferguson, who was standing just a few feet away, sneered. He was flanked by two officers who seemed more like his personal guards than upholders of the law.“Pathetic, useless thing. You thought you could stand up to me? You, a mere car washer against the man who runs this city? You're as stupid as you're poor! You’re nothing, Matthew. Nothing but a worthless piece of trash.”Eve
“Get him cleaned up!” the chief commanded the officer. “And bring him to my office. Now.”The officer, along with another that had just arrived, scrambled to obey. They lifted Matthew and half-dragged him to the station's medical room where they hastily patched up his wounds, cleaned the blood and urine with a wet rag, then wore him old, lost and found clothes.Although he was too dazed to comprehend what was happening, Matthew had caught snippets of their nervous conversation. Who was this Harold Wellington and why had he come for him? Matthew had no friends in high places, no connections to power. It made no sense.Within minutes, he was ushered into the chief's office where a man in an expensive tailored suit stood by the window, holding a briefcase. He had dark hair, and his eyes were sharp behind his pair of glasses as he assessed Matthew.‘Who is this?’ Matthew wondered. ‘What is going on?’“You harmed him,” the man said to the police chief once he was done with his assessment.
Matthew sat on the black, plush leather seat inside an expensive Jeep that was being driven by a stern chauffeur. In his mind, he was trying to put together the events that had just happened because none of it made sense to him.Maybe one of the men had hit his head so hard and he was imagining all of this. Beside him was Harold Wellington, the powerful lawyer who for some reason had come to his rescue. Although he felt too overwhelmed to ask them, Matthew needed his questions to be answered.“Why are you helping me?” Matthew finally asked Wellington. “I don’t even know who you are.”Wellington glanced at him briefly, an assuring look on his face. “I understand how confused and overwhelmed you might be after all of this. But I assure you it will be fine, Matthew. My name is Harold Wellington. I'm your family's lawyer—your true family, the Houston family.”Matthew blinked. “Houston family? I've heard that a lot today. I don't know who they are so I don't understand what you're talking