The Return Of Zade Delamonte: The Humiliated Son-in-law

Arrested

By the time Zade arrived at his workplace to take the new set of orders, he was shocked to see a police vehicle.

He couldn't help but wonder why there were officers at the Company.

As soon as he got in, his boss signaled the Officers and they grabbed Zade suddenly.

"Why are you cuffing me? What did I do?" He asked, disbelief laced through his voice.

The officers were more interested in cuffing him than answering his questions.

He was going to call them out for cuffing him without telling him his offence when his boss, Philips, walked over to him, eyes coated with accusation. 

"The nerve of you to ask that. My strongbox is missing and all evidence points to you. You came to my company begging for a job with no qualifications and I offered you one out of the goodness of my heart. What did you do in return? You had the audacity to steal from me!" Phillips accused. 

"Strongbox? I have nothing to do with the disappearance of your strongbox. I'm only a dispatch rider. I have no business with your office or whenever you kept them," Zade explained calmly.

It was true that Philips helped him when he came begging for a job.

He couldn't present any of his degrees at that time because they would automatically expose his identity as a Delamonte.

"And how did you figure it was in my office?" Philips asked suspiciously, earning an eye roll from Zade.

"And you claim you didn't steal it but the CCTV says otherwise. You were the last person to get into my building!"

"Because I needed a place to sleep. It was late and I had nowhere else to go. Did your footage capture me taking your box out of the building or going into your office?" Zade asked. 

"You've got some nerve to lie even with evidence present," Philip growled, ignoring his questions.

"I did not take it, dammit. I slept in the storage room!" Zade bawled but Phillips flared up and asked the Officers to take him away and torture him until he said the truth. 

A small crowd began to gather, taking pictures as the Officers led him away.

As they shoved him into the car and headed for the station, Zade couldn't help but wonder how his life turned upside down in a space of forty-eight hours. 

First, it was divorce papers, then his wife cheating on him and now an arrest?

Roselia's earlier pleas about Ryan replayed in his mind.

He couldn't help but wonder if Ryan had anything to do with the missing box.

Did the man stoop that low to frame him for theft just because of a punch?

He didn't put it past Ryan to do that anyway.

Arrogant men like Ryan Myers would stoop to any level to get what they want.

Meanwhile, Philips returned to his office to meet his guest. 

"How did it go?" The visitor asked.

"For what it's worth, he would be making friends with the inmates soon. By the time the Officers torture him, he will give in to pressure and admit the crime then we will demand him to pay every dime back or remain in jail," Philips answered and the man chuckled.

"Impressive. If this works as planned, I will triple the amount I gave you earlier," The man responded, triggering the greed within Philips.

"We might even invest in your company," he added.

Philips eyes bulged on hearing that.

Investment from Pixton Corp would be a dream come through.

His small company was struggling with finances and investors were pulling out.

If Pixton took the initiative to invest, it would pull other investors in.

"Thank you, so much, sir. We will not disappoint you, I promise. Zade Harper will be duely punished for stepping on your toes."

"Better."

*****

Roselia arrived at her company in a sour mood.

Zade's rejection hit her harder than she anticipated. 

Her worries about Zade faded when she entered the building.

She couldn't help but notice how tense the workers seemed.

Their cautious stares burned holes in her skin, but the minute she turned to look, they pretended to be super busy with their work.  

Roselia tried not to pay much mind to it. Instead, she resumed her position as a manager.

It was something she always longed for, but now, she just felt numb.

"Oh my goodness! Has anyone seen the news?" A loud voice exclaimed from outside her office. Roselia listened with keen interest.

"Her husband was arrested by the police this morning. Can you believe that?"

Roselia frowned deeply. She had a feeling she knew who they were talking about. 

"Poor guy! He couldn't find a better woman to get married to, it had to be the one who left without second thoughts for the CEO's son."

"I heard she's planning to get married to him as well. A very desperate woman, I tell you. I bet she got her boyfriend to give her all the promotions she got."

"I can only imagine how betrayed the poor man feels. He is just unlucky."

Roselia paled out immediately.

They were talking about her! If that was the case then it only meant a thing.

A gasp escaped her lips.

She fished out her phone from her bag and checked the latest news.

Her heart stopped when she saw Zade in cuffs.

As she read further, she discovered he was arrested because of theft.

Roselia shook her head, refusing to believe a word. Zade would never steal from anyone. She could vouch for him with her life.

It had to be a set-up. 

Her mind drifted back to Ryan.

Could it be…?

She smacked her temple with a sigh. Until it was confirmed, she couldn't accuse Ryan. 

She dialed his number but her calls went to voicemail every time until she gave up.

She badly wanted to help Zade out of that situation, but she couldn't do anything without Ryan's help. 

The man might not even be pleased with her eagerness to rescue her ex.

Her phone rang and she hurriedly picked it up, hoping it was Ryan.

Her chest fell with disappointment when she saw the CEO's number, her son-to-be father-in-law.

"Hello sir," she greeted.

"Hello, Roselia. I don't have much time so I'll make it plain and simple. I need you to gather the rest of the employees to welcome the new CEO of Pixton Corp," he broke the news.

"What?" She gasped. "How? Why?"

"It means I will no longer be the CEO of Pixton Corp. It came as a shock to us as well when P-TEX disclosed their intention and made an offer we couldn't refuse. From now, onwards, the company is solely theirs," he answered.

"P-TEX as in the consortium?" Roselia gasped.

"Yes! This is why I need to gather the employees to welcome the new management. Please inform them to be on their best behavior. We will not be held responsible if any of you gets fired," Mr. Myers added.

"Okay, sir," she managed to say and the line went dead. 

She couldn't believe her ears. P-TEX bought off Pixton Corp out of the blue? 

She could already feel it in her guts that the new management would change everything.