A fancy Ferrari was parked outside Derek Gudling's mansion the next day as Bryan pulled into the compound. Although his last visit hadn't been very smooth, he noticed that the guards didn't send him away or ask him to identify himself as he drove through the gates. It was obvious that somehow lord Derek knew he would come back and whenever he did, he too would be ready to talk. There was something oddly familiar about the car parked in front of the house. "I've seen this ride before," he muttered to himself as he closed his car door and walked through the threshold. The guards all bowed to him respectfully - another indication that they all now feared him from the previous day when they were punished by their master for disrespecting him. And it also told Bryan that he never got to debrief the guards again. "Where is lord Derek?" He asked softly and the guard quickly pointed him at the small bar at the side of the house. Bryan could still recall the last time that he'd been there
Bryan stood before the sternest faces he'd ever seen in a very long time. Mae, Claire's aunt as well as Juliet and Uncle Tom were all gathered in the living room. Claire sat right beside her mother who had a bitter and disappointed look on her face. She was glaring at Bryan openly like he would end up embarrassing her family again. "Are you going to keep us here all day?" One of the men that gathered, an uncle of Claire snapped. Tom looked at him with a nasty scowl on his face, "Some of us are busy and we have what to do!" He snapped. "We are waiting for grandfather Maxwell, it's not Bryan that is keeping us," Claire said as she noticed that all her relatives were ganging up on her husband. "Shut up, Claire. Who told you to speak when the older people are talking?" Freda snapped at her."She wasn't raised well. I know it is people like you who raise daughters who turn out to be a nuisance in society," Mae said and turned her nose down. "I wasn't speaking with you, Mae. You're no
Bryan left the gathering that afternoon with a sullen expression. Outside, he could see that a list of his wife's family members were already gathering to mock and taunt him but he didn't pay heed to any of them. "You should have known that your mother-in-law will want the best for her daughter," one of the nasty men said."And I'm glad for the first time that Freda didn't try to cover up your mess! This family has had enough of you!" Another woman snapped. Claire was running after Bryan as he stepped outside the building and headed to his car. "Bryan," she said loudly and he turned to her. "I'm sorry for what just happened, my mother didn't mean __" she began to explain but Bryan held a hand in front of her with a stern look. "It's obvious that your mother doesn't want us together anymore, but I don't care what she thinks, what matters is what you think," he said. "Of course I want us to be together, I would never think of anything else," she replied softly. Bryan nodded and he
Claire looked stunned as the maids bowed to her and then opened and led her into the lobby. Bryan was right behind her but he didn't say a word as she walked with her mouth open in surprise at such a royal reception. "How did they know we were coming?" She asked. Bryan simply smiled and replied softly. "You ask too many questions, darling." As they got to the lobby, two more girls bowed to her and kept addressing Bryan as the grandmaster. Stunned, she turned to Bryan and arched her brow, despite being told to stop asking questions, Claire still couldn't help but wonder why everyone treated them so respectfully. The Tesly Hotel was one of the best in the city and clearly, there was no way Claire could afford it, not with all the debt she was owing and she also believed that her husband couldn't afford it too because he had no money of his own and the little he'd arrived from the army with had been used to take care of him while he was confined. "How can we afford this?" She asked ag
Bryan strode to the scene angrily and with a cold voice growled, "What's going on here?" At once, the lady stepped back and then looked at him with a scornful expression. "Aren't you the useless husband that cannot keep your wife in check?" The strange lady asked. Bryan sneered at her, "Watch your tongue or you will regret it," he said through clenched teeth.The lady scoffed at him, "Regret it? You should be the one running out of his place before either call the security on you!" She snapped and pointed at the door like Bryan was some dog that would just cower and runoff. "What do you think you are? Managing the Tesly Hotel when someone else owns it?" Bryan sneered at her. "Yes, I'm the manager of the hotel and the likes of you aren't allowed here! Speaking of the owner, you don't even deserve to set your eyes on the CEO of the hotel," she spat mockingly. Claire got up from the bar and was still looking confused but she had quickly withdrawn into her shell as the confirmation
Morgan's eyes widened as she heard that the chief was on the phone. She looked at Bryan again and then back at Claire. She couldn't believe that a bag of them would have a connection with the CEO of the hotel and talk more about reaching out to him with such urgency. "Yes, master, right away," the guard replied stiffly and turned to Morgana with a wicked smile. "You are fired," he said. "What nonsense are you saying? Get out of here and get back to your duty post at once!" She snapped and tried to drive him away but the guard stood his ground. It had been a long time since Morgana was bullying everyone in the hotel. They all bowed to her because they didn't want to lose their jobs and she was highly connected. Now, for the first time since the man was employed, he had the opportunity to get back at her for all the wrong that she'd done to him, he planned on savoring every minute of that revenge. "What's it going to be, huh?" He asked and pulled out a thick rope from his waistband.
The road was open and dark as he rolled into the front hears of Derek Gudling. The guards outside looked at him oddly and one of them stood in front of his car. "What can we do for you, sir?" He asked with raised brows. Bryan didn't like showing up at the Gudling residence uninvited but he had no choice. His wife's mother was making his life a living hell and he had to prove to the Oscar family sooner rather than later that the documents he presented weren't fake. "It's urgent, I have to meet with Derek Gudling," he replied. The man pursed his lips at the sound of Bryan referring to the lord without his appropriate title. "You mean lord Derek Gudling?" He asked with a nasty scowl and Bryan just nodded. As much as the guard would have loved nothing more than sending him away from his sight because he didn't respect his boss enough, he could remember the events of the previous week, when the boss himself punished a few of his colleagues who had embarrassed Bryan on the porch. That wa
A few minutes later, Derek was in the backseat of the car with Bryan right beside him. He didn't say a word as his eyes focused on the road. He was dressed in a tight leather shirt and trousers. Both seemed to be bulletproof but Bryan wasn't so sure. "I'm glad you know that we might be in danger," he said and Derek raised a brow at him, "Why do you think I know that?" He asked. "Because of your dress up," Bryan replied and the old man looked down at his outfit again with a fond smile. "Ironically, my daughter bought this pair for me a few years back when she went to Spain," he replied, his eyes cast far off as if he was relishing the memory. "Don't worry, she will be fine, we will bring her back, I promise," Bryan assured him. Derek nodded but it was quite clear from the look on his face that he didn't believe in what he said. "Come on, don't tell me you've given up on your daughter already, lord Derek," Bryan said, trying to motivate him. "What do you think? It's not very easy try