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The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 91 • Awkward Dinner
Dinner was extremely awkward as everybody ate in silence. The clinking of plates was the only thing that made up the background noise. Having Daniel and Monica on the same table with Vanessa definitely made the air tense. Selena just lowered her head and kept her eyes fixed on the food before her. She wasn't interested in any of their dramas. Monica, havingn't had enough of the awkwardness, slightly banged her hands on the table, rattling the cutlery and drawing attention to her as they all raised their heads to face her. “Okay this is ridiculous, we're supposed to be a family. We can't be having dinner like we're prison inmates or something, what's going on here?” Vanessa frowned. “Table manners Monica, I thought I raised you better.”She rolled her eyes at her mother's cheap gimmick to divert the topic of conversation. “Mother this is not the time, what happened while I was away?”Daniel's face twisted but he didn't want to talk about it, so he just set his spoon down harshly an
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 92 • Like a Puppy
She was still mute, turning her head to look outside the window. A sense of guilt began to build up within her, she didn't know whether to just go ahead and tell him the truth, or just lie. “Um- we-” she swallowed, her fingers quivering. Matthew took his eyes off the road to fix them on her. “Actually we had-” “Oh shit!” Matthew cussed under his breath, stepping on the breaks with all his might. A sharp screech met their ears as the car came to a halt, thrusting them forward. The seatbelt kept them in place. “What was that? What happened?” Lola asked, craning her neck forward to see. There was a dog on the road, it seemed to be lying down and they couldn't see it. Matthew looked over his shoulders. “Lola, are you okay?” He asked with eyes full of concern. She nodded slowly. “Y-yeah I'm good, let's check on the dog.” Workout hesitation, she unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Matthew followed suit and they both shut the door almost in synchrony, the dog was on the
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 93 • Raspberry Bubblegum
Ashley screamed loudly. "How dare you?!” She pounced forward, attacking Lola. The both of them got into a squabble for a couple of seconds, pulling and hitting each other until Lola managed to shove Ashley backwards. “The next time you lay your hands on me, I will make sure to break them,” Lola hissed, walking out the bathroom with powerful steps. The moment she returned to the table, Matthew raised his head and looked at her. “Why do you look angry? Did something happen there?” He asked, his eyes drifting between her and the entrance of the bathroom. It wasn't until he saw Ashley coming out that he understood what had happened. “I hope she didn't try to hurt you?” He was just about to get up when Lola gently reached out, grabbing his arm.“No, she didn't. Just ignore her, she can be a pain.”They continued to eat in silence and soon enough, the sound of approaching footsteps met their ears as Ashley got up holding the man she was with. She intentionally walked near their table, gi
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 94 ,• This Isn't About You, I Love Her
Matthew was too stunned to speak, a long silence stretched out between the both of them as the right continued to move. His mind was racing and at this point the scenery didn't even matter anymore. It started to feel like it was becoming hot inside their compartment. “No?” He questioned.She tore her gaze away from his. The corner of her eyes stung and she could feel the tears already forming. There was no way she could say yes to his proposal, not after what had happened between the both of them. She wasn't sure if she was angry with the version of him that had put her in harm's way or if she was feeling guilty for lying to him. “I'm sorry I can't. Remember what you asked me in the car earlier? We were not on good terms before you lost your memory, I resigned because of how badly you treated me.”His face squeezed and he felt like he just took a punch to the gut. “What? I'm sorry, let me make it up to you, please.” She shook her head. “I don't really think it's for the best if we
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 95 • A Rather Recent Development
They both turned their heads toward the sound sources, evidently worried. They charged forward to check it out without wasting another second, suspending their argument. Amelia was by the kitchen area, leaning on the kitchen island with her other hand on her chest. She heaved deep breaths. “Where did this dog come from?” she asked almost breathlessly, pointing at it. “It just came out of nowhere and scared me.” Charles came running into the scene. “My apologies. I was trying to take it out to the garden when it escaped from me.” She was still confused, raising an eyebrow. “You brought it here?” Matthew quickly stepped forward to avoid further confusion. “No, he didn’t. I was the one that brought it home.” “You want to adopt a pet? Can’t it be something else? Maybe a cat or something. They’re far more graceful,” she suggested, shuffling aside to avoid being close to the dog. Matthew quickly bent down to scoop the dog up, cradling it in his arms. “It’s a long story, grandma. Do
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 96 • Job Hunting
Vito stood there with her purse clutched beside her, her expression shifted the moment she noticed him. She blinked a few times. “Matthew? W- what are you doing here?”“I should be asking you the same question Vito, what are you doing here?” Of all the places he would think of running into her, it certainly wasn’t here. He knew Ashley and her friends so well, there was no way Vito could afford a place like this on her own.“I just moved in, I’m your neighbor… how about you?” “You can drop the act, I’m sure that Ashley must have told you about my true identity by now.”Vito swallowed, straightening her back. “Well, I’m happy for you. At least now you’re no longer a bum.”“Don’t you dare speak to the young master in such a disrespectful manner!” he barked, startling Vito. Matthew raised his hand in the air, indicating that he paused. “Let her be. She has never been one to watch her mouth. Vito, leave my house.” He said, then banged the door shut on her face. The puppy barked due to th
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 97 • Unknown Sender
Lola could feel the bile rise to her throat as she held the picture up, she had to let go of it and look away. “Jesus christ,” she whispered in a low tone, moving away from the table. She turned to Karen who was already on the verge of tears. “Karen what is this?” she asked softly, voice filled with concern. Karen couldn’t look her in the eyes, so she fixed her eyes on the ground. She didn’t even realize when tears began streaming profusely from her face. “This can not be happening to me,” she muttered to herself, running her fingers through her thin hair. “Tell me what’s going on,” Lola pressed on, moving closer. She grabbed Karen by the arms to hold her still, “look at me, what’s wrong.”Karen was still quivering, her eyes already puffy and red. She moved away to go sit down on the couch, propping her palms against her knees. Her lips parted as she attempted to speak but she couldn’t say a word. “I’ll get you water,” Lola quickly suggested and then rushed to the kitchen area, sh
The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire 98 • Test Results
Matthew just came down from the car, shutting the door behind him before making his way into the faculty building. It didn’t take long before he reached the entrance and he ran into Mr Anthony. “Would you look at Mr Houston himself,” he said mockingly. Anthony was standing in the way so he couldn’t walk past him. “What do you want?” Matthew asked, already sounding irritated. “Nothing, I just hate liars, just look you’re no longer with the car that you came with the other day, I’m sure you borrowed it and that’s why, now you have gone to borrow another one, how long would you continue to pretend like this?”Matthew rolled his eyes, “I got into an accident with my Ferrari so I’m using the Mercedes now. If you don’t have anything better to say to me, I would like to be on my way to class.”“Cheap pretender,” Anthony muttered before walking away. Matthew was going to let it slide and just ignore, but then he paused, clenching his fists by his sides. “Let’s make a deal Mr Anthony, If
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- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
130 • A Little History
The history behind the Winchesters and the Houstons was a rather complicated one. Back then, Edward Winchester and Henry Houston used to be really close friends. And so was Vanessa and Amelia before they got married to their husbands. Amelia came from the Briggs family while Vanessa came from the Carter family.Edward and Amelia were the first ones to fall in love with each other, they spent so much time together and had even gone to the same college. The four were a tight knitted friend group, almost inseparable. However Edward had to move abroad because of work, but he couldn't take Amelia with him.In order to fulfill their dreams of starting a family and pulling themselves out of an ordinary life, Edward took the opportunity to go abroad and work in the sea as a marine engineer while Amelia was to stay back and wait for him.Unfortunately during his absence, Henry and Amelia had begun to grow close. At the time Vanessa was in love with Henry so this turned her bitter.Vanessa ha
- The Inheritor Of The Houston Empire
129 • Millions on the Vessel
Amelia was in the back seat lost in thought as the car drove towards the conference center. She was thinking about the kind of speech she would deliver.Speculations were already flying left right and center, there were a lot of affected families and some people might even started to spoil the Houston name.When the car arrived at the venue, the driver got down to open the door for her. A small crowd had begun to gather and the moment they saw Amelia Houston getting down from her car they all rushed towards her, Mics and cameras pointed in her direction.The bombarded her with questions but she ignored and simply just walked in. Amelia was only going to give her press conference once and once alone. They welcomed her, parting the way as she mounted the stage. She scanned the room with her eyes, her gaze confident.“Today is a dark Day, not just for the company but even for my family. Because of this senseless act of violence lives have been lost. To the families of the victim, know t
- 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
