"How could you do this to me?!" Carol raged at her brother. "How clueless are you to lose the nine-gems royal gown! It was a precious gift!" The beauty couldn't believe that her brother had betrayed her yet again. "Do you know how much its market price is now? Five million dollars! And you pawned it away for three million? What if the owner wants it back?"Josh had brazenly entered Carol's office as if he owned the place. In a very casual tone, he had declared how he gambled away the nine-gems royal gown and took an additional loan of two million. Finally, and quite shamelessly, he had asked Carol to fish out the loan amount."Why would someone take a present back?" Josh asked stubbornly. "You don't owe them anything!""I don't know, Josh!" her sister replied with annoyance. "A celebrity artist designed the royal gown! Angela Kaufmann! She still owns the item! What if she wants it back? How will I pay her the market price of ten million? And tell me, little brother, to whom did you l
Carol's heart skipped. She had expected Courtney to diffuse the situation using her influence, but that plan failed miserably. "I see. Listen… I can arrange around half a million. Could you please loan me the remaining one and a half million dollars? I will return the amount as soon as I can."Courtney sounded apologetic. "Carol… Sweetie… What is one and a half mil between friends? I can even give you twenty million dollars!"Carol sighed in relief. "Really? That would be a great help-""However, all my money is tied up in investments," Courtney cut her off. "It will take me at least three days to arrange the amount. Can you wait till then?"Tears welled up in Carol's eyes. "I need the money by this evening… God! I don't know what to do…""Hmm… Let me think," Courtney replied thoughtfully. "There's a private bank in North Springfield called the Bank of Talmuth. They give out high-value informal loans to billionaires. Why don't you make an application there?""Oh, that sounds great!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Atelier," a voice interrupted her train of thought. Carol turned to see a tall, wide-shouldered man in an Armani suit. Even though he looked wealthy, his behavior was kind.Duncan shook her hands professionally. "I was at an important meeting. But I heard all the details from Ted and will do whatever possible to help you out."A smile formed on Carol's distressed face. "Thanks for being considerate. So… Can you loan me the amount?"Duncan nodded reassuringly. "Yes, but we'll need to discuss the terms first."The man looked around at Ted's office. "Let us move to a more secure room. It would be a problem if your competitors discovered you seek personal loans. It will be bad press for the company."Carol rubbed her forehead in embarrassment. Duncan was actually correct in his assessment of the situation. Carol had forgotten that her actions could affect the Blackwell reputation in her rush to save Josh. If word got out that she was close to bankruptcy,
"What!" Carol spat, her anger bursting like a volcano. "He's lying! I didn't even touch the lockers!""Moreover, she threatened me with pepper spray unless I let her out with the diamond…"The security guy raised his brows and turned to Carol. "Ma'am… Please hand over the diamond right now."Carol looked scandalized. What sort of nonsense was Duncan blabbering? A diamond? Theft? But she realized she had to convince the security guy of her innocence. Carol emptied the contents of her purse. She was wearing a blouse and a pencil skirt with a sweater. Therefore, the beauty explained that her clothes had no pockets. "See… There's nothing on me. The Chairman is lying!"Duncan pointed an accusing finger at Carol. "No! She stole the diamond! I saw it with my own eyes! Norman! You need to conduct a strip search!"The security guard nodded and locked the door. "Ma'am, please walk up to the wall behind you and take off your clothes. I need to carry out a cavity inspection."Carol looked as if
As Duncan touched Carol's back, she was mortified. Why was such a horrible thing happening to her? Was she really going to be stripped and raped? The young woman had saved herself for Victor for so long. Would the two monsters defile her? 'It must be a terrible nightmare!' she told herself in desperation. 'It has to be! Please, God, make it stop! Someone, please help!'Knock knock! Somebody was at the security door. Duncan stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow. He had instructed all staff to stay away from the locker room for two hours. They wouldn't dare disobey him. "Check who it is…" he ordered the guard.Norman nodded and accessed the external camera from the security door's electronic panel. On the screen, he saw a tall man in a trenchcoat standing outside, about to knock again. He looked neither like bank staff nor like a customer. "Hey, buddy!" Norman spoke into the microphone. "Whoever you are, get out of here right now! This is a restricted area! Leave now, or you'll
Duncan scoffed. "Why does it matter to you? Is she your friend? Carol is simply a body I wanted to possess. Now scram! You don't even own a home by the look of your clothes. I can't have such trash walking around in my bank.""I am Carol's ex-husband. Victor Damone."The Chairman spat on the floor. "Oh, is that so? Did you use explosives to break down the security door? You must be a criminal of some sort! I will implicate you in this robbery too! Norman! Call the cops now!""Oh, indeed, the police will arrive in no time," Victor told him, his voice unwavering. "But they will find two corpses here.""What the fuck are you spouting, you piece of trash?" Duncan barked. His attention went to Carol's top lying on the floor. In her rush to leave, she had left the piece of clothing behind. The Chairman's eyes glinted, and his nostrils flared. He will have her body one day. For the moment, he could take a whiff of her fragrance from her top.Duncan disregarded Victor and bent over to pick u
'He cares for me more than anybody else in the world,' Carol surmised. 'I hope I can meet him one day to express my gratitude. And maybe he'll go out with me… He reminds me of Victor…""Five million has been sent to your account from Talmuth Bank," Elsa said, interrupting her train of thought. "You can use it to pay off your brother's debts and any other expenditure you deem fit. However, you'll have to pay back the bank loan within two years at standard interest rates."Carol's eyes widened. "Why would Talmuth Bank give me money? Their Chairman is most likely filing false charges against me right now!"Elsa shook her head dismissively. "Don't worry about Duncan. He is gone, never to return. My client owns the bank now."In utter disbelief, Carol checked her bank balance, and indeed, five million was already credited to her account. "Thanks," she murmured."Just make sure your brother doesn't cause you more trouble."Carol nodded, curious about how Elsa knew Josh caused all of it. "Ca
Mayfair Lagoon, the grand five-star hotel, shone like a bride on her wedding day. Claire Holt had leased it to the Global Art Forum for five million dollars.Hundreds of expensive luxury cars adorned the parking lot. The red carpet had been rolled out and international paparazzi swarmed the hotel's front entrance like bees.After all, the Global Art Forum was being held in Springfield for the first time. Such a major event came to the city because it expanded rapidly over the past year, attracting tremendous investment. This growth could be attributed mainly to the Rapids Project, helmed by the Triumvirate of Springfield—Johnson, Baron, and Ribald. Even the Blackwell Conglomerate had joined the venture, along with Rose Atelier and Edward Shannon.The Global Art Forum showcased ancient, medieval, and modern art and sculpture from the leading artists of the world. Industrialists, senators, movie celebrities—top-notch people from the wealthy folds graced the event alike. The popular diva