Linda was long gone. Raymond paid her a thousand dollars for her “cheap” services and let her go. She thanked him profusely and said I was going to cover a lot for her. Good riddance, but at least, she was good in bed. And she was also without a job.
He rolled out of his king-sized bed and slipped into the bathroom. Room service got him the softest, cotton towel he had always used.
He got to the roof and waited, thinking of what to do next. He needed to be strategic to know what next to do and how to tackle with the so-called people who slapped him behind his back. He would take care of Roselle in due course. All he needed was to focus on the people who broke his nose and designed his face with bruises.
And his so-called best friend, Pete.
He searched through his contact and searched for his father’s contact—Mr. Kane. It was still like a dream hat the richest man in the city with the highest connection was his father. He needed to find out what happened to him at the forest, and why. All those, he thought, would come along the way.
His phone was still cracked at the edge and he hadn’t still changed it. He would probably order on A****n to do rather than going into the shop because he had a lot of things to take care of.
“Hello, son,” his father said into the phone. His voice was rich, filled with emotion as he spoke to his long-lost son.
“Hi, Father.” Saying “Father” was weird in his mouth. He had yearned for a connection to someone. A family member or a friend. For a long time, he had no one but a best friend that stabbed him behind his back.
“How are you doing? When are you going to come back home? I really do need to see you. It’s been a long time.” His father’s voice was rushed, expectant.
Raymond still had a vague memory of everything that happened before he was found in the forest, but he needed to treat the present, and later, he would focus on the past.
“Father, I will be back soon. I have a lot of things to handle here.” Raymond peered across his roof, enjoying the scenery.
“Typical Raymond,” his father snorted. “Why did you call?”
“I need a private investigator. There are some people I need to check out. Do you have one?”
His father chuckled. “Of course. Every rich man has one to track down their rivals and be at the top of their rivalry. I will send him a message that my son needs him and I will send you his contact. Pease come home soon, we have a lot to talk about.”
Raymond nodded. “Thank you. I will see you as soon as I finish with business.”
“No problem. Your brother is so expectant.”
Raymond’s eyes twitched, shocking hitting him square in the face. “A brother? I have one? You know what? Just forget it. We will talk more when I return.”
“Sure.”
Then, the line went dead. Few minutes later, his phone pinged with a number and a note that stated “PI”.
He didn’t hesitate to dial the number, making a mental note to order a new phone. The line rang once and when the receiver picked, the man’s raspy voice rang in his ears. “Glenn Jacobs on the line. What do you want done? I am not a hired assassin, so I don’t carry death threat plots.”
“Raymond Kane on the line. And what is that about hired assassins?”
Glenn exhaled. “Oh, that. Some people call me asking me to kill a particular person like they didn’t search ‘private investigator’ on G****e before placing a call. That’s by the way. Your father called me and said you need me. Truth is, he has been on the lookout for you since the past two years. Was one of the people who he assigned to find you, I’m glad he found you anyway. What do you want?”
“I need you to track down someone—or a group of people—for me. Can you come down to that hotel that’s secluded for the rich. I kind of have forgotten the name, but you know which I’m talking about. I want us to have a proper discussion.”
Glenn Jacobs laughed. “I also do not know the name but know what you’re talking about. Meet you in five minutes.”
Five minutes later, the landline in his room rang. He picked it up and a woman’s cheery voice rang in the background. “Mr. Kane, there is—”
“Let him in,” he cut her up. Not only was she trying to flirt with him, she was also taking up his time.
His doorbell rang and he opened the door. A man in his fortes with an awesome body—nice abs, protruding biceps, and a straight jawline—stood at the door. He looked like a weatherman as his salt and pepper hair grew down to his shoulder. He wore a pair of jeans and T-shirt, and a matching beanie. Not the PI Raymond was expecting.
“Glenn Jacobs,” he said in his New Yorker accent. “Nice to finally meet you.”
“Raymond Kane,” Raymond returned warmly. “Please come in.”
Glenn Jacobs walked into the luxurious room that had its own bar and king-sized bed, and a roof. They climbed up to the roof where the evening breeze took them over.
“Great view,” Glenn said, peering down at nature and moving cars.
“I can’t agree more.” Raymond toppled Glenn’s drink and passed it to him. “Back to work.”
“Yes, that,” Glenn snorted. “Who are you trying to find?”
Raymond sighed. “I don’t know a name.”
“Maybe a picture could help? Everyone is active on social media now, even sixty-year-old grandpas. So, maybe, a picture could help.”
Raymond sighed again, sipping his Whiskey. “That’s the problem. I don’t have any link to them. Am only in search of them because of how reckless and insulting they became. Let me tell you the full story.”
Glenn leaned in while Raymond narrated everything that had transpired between him and the creditors of ten thousand dollars. Ten, few minutes later, that same money was robbed.
“They are the same people,” Glenn lectured. “I’ve heard cases where creditors give out money only to come behind the debtors back to steal it.”
“Yes,” Raymond blew out.
“How can we track these people if you don’t know what they are?” Glenn grunted.
“I know what they look like. Can you sketch them out?”
“Yes.” Glenn unzipped his backpack and brought out a pencil and a notepad. “I can do that.”
Raymond remembered vaguely the features of the man that lent him the money. He remembered the lots of tattoos that designed his hands and the gold premolar of the thinner man. Glenn sketched as he described, then they came up with a full picture of two men.
Glenn turned the picture to Raymond. “Do they look like this?”
Raymond glanced at the picture, remembering a week ago when he owned nothing but his wife. He remembered wanting to please someone whose needs were not satiated. That was what led him to those two demeaning men even though the second, thin man looked like a skinny model.
“I want you to find out. They’ll pay for what they did to me.” Raymond cracked his knuckle and the steam from him fury could burn the papers into ashes.
“Okay, Mr. Kane. You re just like your father. I will do as you say.” Glenn folded the paper into four squares and dipped it into his pocket. “I’ll give you updates on what I find. I’ll send their home address to you in case you need it.”
Raymond chuckled. “That’s good.”
Glenn stood up to go, but he turned back. “Who did you say connected you to these guys?”
“Pete,” Raymond answered.
Glenn stroked his chin. “Pete has a hand in this too, I suppose.”
Raymond spoke through gritted teeth. “He’d better not because he has enough sins to pay for already.”
Glenn nodded and left the suite. Raymond took the last swig from his glass. Everything was piecing by itself. He had one thing to face: Roselle.
Then, Pete.
And he had the perfect plan for it.
He had just come up with the right plan. Raymond held the rails of the roof and thought of how he was going to handle things. Everyone deserved second chances and so did Roselle. Maybe, she hadn’t planned on divorcing him and was probably drunk. Pete may have gotten into her head.It was morning, her birthday. He took him bath and tried on one of his old clothes. He had gotten a change of wardrobe so he wasn’t going to activate it, yet. He pulled out a fading pair of tuxedo and threw on his body. He slid his old, cracking phone into his pocket and called a driver.His father sent a Lamborghini to come pick him, but he returned it and requested for a Honda Civic. So, he waited till he saw a blue car pulling up at the driveway.“Mr. Kane,” the man greeted. “Where do you want to go?”“Take me to any jewel shop you know.” Raymond said.From the driver’s face at the rearview mirror, he was stunned at how Raymond dressed regardless of his wealth. “Got a girl?” he asked.“I’m trying to win he
Chapter 8As he walked out of the ceremony, he could feel a rush of pride swelling in his chest. Finally, people knew who he was. This was only the beginning of his rise to fame, and yes the genesis of mental tormenting for Roselle. As he got into the car, he noticed people on the street taking pictures of him. He could barely believe what he was seeing. It didn't take long for the pictures to start circulating online, accompanied by captions like "Missing billionaire's son found!" and "Finally, a clue in the mystery."His ride pulled up to the hotel, and as he stepped out, he was met with the curious stares of people on the street. He could tell they were wondering why a man dressed in what some might call "rags" was walking into such a luxurious hotel. Some of the staff recognized him and gave him a warm smile, while others looked at him with suspicion. None of their stares seemed to bother him as he made his way into the elevator, where he found himself sharing the space with a m
Chapter 9As the car sped through the city streets, the ride was bumpy and the driver expertly weaved through the traffic. Suddenly, the car came to a stop at a traffic jam."Sir, there's a traffic jam," the driver said, looking over his shoulder at Raymond, who was deep in thought. "We might be here for a while."But Raymond didn't respond. He was lost in his own world, replaying the events of the past few weeks in his mind. He couldn't believe that Roselle had actually begged for his attention. It seemed like something out of a dream. The memory of Roselle weeping played over and over in his mind. He had never seen her so broken before. But the memory of her calling him classless was even more painful. "You're more of a shame than a husband to me," she had said. "This ring is like a handcuff to me."And now, she was blaming Pete and her parents for her actions. How could she blame anyone but herself? He knew the truth - that she had made her own choices, and they had led to this mo
Chapter 10The scorching sun was high up inside bathing the pedestrians in its harsh rays. My ride pulled up at the hospital, there I came down. I paid for a bouquet of flowers, that was the least I could do.I headed into the hospital, the cold breeze Washing me.“Am I late? ” I asked the receptionist, a warm smile plastering on my face.“6 minutes late, sir. ” she said, fixing her gaze on the laptop." But, I'll let it slide. ”" Thank you. ” I replied, rushing into the elevator.The elevator door closed, sealing me in its metallic box. I pressed the button to the third floor and the elevator ascended slowly.I stepped out of the elevator, the air was damp with the smell of antiseptics and the cloying odor of the hospital food. Nurses and doctors moved in the hallway, each busy to notice the other.I opened the door, my eyes darted round the corner of the room in search of him. The room was quite a spacious one, silence dreading in. The silence of the room was occasionally punctu
Chapter 11Of course, that was the plan. She was playing right into my trap. " I'll do whatever you wish for. Just spit it out. ” she leaned close, eagerly waiting for me to speak." I don't think you can fulfill my wish.” I replied, rolling my eyeballs." Try me, Raymond. You want money? How many millions? Spit it out, Raymond. ” she said, tears strolling down her cheek. A sly smile played on my lips. I looked into her eyes, my voice barely a whisper.I snapped my fingers and in a few seconds the driver came rushing in with some files.He kept it on the table and excused himself into the car." Sign those, will you? ” I commanded, the venom in my voice making the request look like a threat.“ What are these? ” she asked, pointing at the files. She picked it up and threw a glance at it. Her gaze captured some words, she looked at me and for a moment, she drifted from her sober mode into a puzzled state. Her facial expression said it all. “ You can't do this Raymond. At Least not to m
I was thrown into a state of confusion after I heard someone speaking behind me. I turned to the direction the voice came from, only to see a lady staring at me. Her face was pale, void of any emotion. She wore a long dark gown, her hands covered by dark gloves. One could mistake her as the grim reaper." What do you mean he's dead? And, of whom are you referring to? ” I coughed out.“ I assume you're Raymond, the bastard lost son. I'm Stacy, you're sister. ” she said, rolling her eyes and moving away from me. Her hills clicking on the floor.That was the least thing I expected— to be welcomed with cold hands.“ Don't let her bother you my dear. She has always been like that.” an old lady said, coming down from the stairs. " She misses you. She's just too proud to admit.” " Who are you, Ma'am? ” I rudely asked, " And what does she mean by he's dead? Is my father dead? ” Obviously, the whole drama left me puzzled. "Mind your manners, young man," the old lady chided gently. "I'm your
My office was quite a spacious one. The ancient golden clock is hanging and staring at me, he could hear it scream his name, begging to be released and thrown into the wild. ” How long has this been here?” Raymond asked the curvy dark lady. "Before I was employed, sir, probably 20 years ago. Beautiful, innit?” she smiled, trying to stir up a conversation.” Beautiful? Do you have a sight problem, honey? I ain't notice any beauty in this archaic building. Jeez!” He muttered, shaking his head in disgust. ” People from the nineties could brag about this, certainly not our generation. For fuck sake, this is the twenty-first century. We were meant to evolve. Contact the engineer and yes, the architect. I can't have my honor dented by this image. ” He snapped, walking out of the office.Well, if there was something to notice about Raymond's recent character, that'd be pride. He exuded pride at its utmost.He got into his car, and slammed the door, his heart racing as he pulled
Chapter 14Raymond's POVThe plane rides through the clouds, finally it lands on the run way and comes to a stop. Exhaustion washed over Me. I staggers down the stairs, the air hostess his support. The cloud was dark, the moon hung up above the horizon. Its soft rays brushing on the floor. I went into one of the rooms in the hotel and collapsed on the sofa.The cool breeze from the Ac washed me,I and I felt refreshed. I moved to the television and tuned to my favorite program. I lay there, eyes heavy, watching the television as my mind slowly drifted into slumber. I felt myself sinking into the cozy warmth of sleep, my body relaxing as my eyelids grew heavy. The television played in the background, but my mind was already drifting off to dreamland.A loud, shrill bell pierced through the silence, jolting me awake from my slumber."Who the heck is that?" I muttered, rubbing the sleep from my eyes."Sir, your ride is ready," a tiny female voice said from outside the door. "Don't you
And then suddenly a cold liquid ran down from his hair to his back as he was dancing and having a conversation with a lady he'd just met “ is she the one?! Is she the whore you left me for” roselle yelled to his face as he turned to face her anger built up instantly with no obstruction of character “ God!!! You irritate me roselle” Raymond burst out with pure range “ what you think I didn’t see you, all in Pete’s mouth?!! You slimly shameless pampered brat “How dare you call me names Raymond , you owe me for the shelter, for rescuing you when your landlord almost threw you out and even after everything you’ve taken over one of my fathers company” with all eyes on them the event host comes in to break of the quarrel but Raymond stops him midway “No let her speak pat, I wanna hear every shit she has to say” he turns and slowly walks towards her in rage “I owe you? Well as for the company first off your family wasn’t worth it so I took it off your hands, as payment for eve
Standing in the elevator dressed in Louis Vuitton L817black jeans and a vintage silk shirt barely buttoned up to his chest he adored himself in the elevator mirror and liked how he barely made enough but his chiseled body made everything look good, his intention to have all eyes on him made him excited and the fact he had his worse enemies at the event to gloat at too was something he couldn't stop thinking about, his ice earrings and necklace made everything sparkle And his hair he always had good hair but it came out extra after a haircut and everything was graced to him, glad he had good genes. In his hands were his plus ones' jewelry, he had missed it when he gave her the dress earlier and he had to make sure she had them on as it was all part of his plan to humiliate Roselle and whomever she saw fit for herself at the event, getting to her door, he felt a little nervous about knocks he hadn't grown around Powell’s unphasex about him being her boss Knocking twice on her do
Raymond gets of the plane as it lands on teterboro in NY he is long elegant in his two piece set of a shirt and shorts with snakeskin slip-ons as he makes his way to a private party he was invited to as the top invites and he definitely knew roselle would be there and whomever she decided to bring as his plus one. His plus one was no where tibbe found after a night spent in one of the lounges in Mississippi, he was only distraughted at the fact she went off with one of his expensive watches Knowing he was just not obligated to have a plus one his decision to go alone was not taken in well And as father would have it, he made him bring along his so called personal secretary to the event, why personal if she would have to follow everyone else around except her employee. But he gave no attention to her constant trailings and it also almost seemed he she was keeping her eyes on him to apprise his father of his activities which he made sure to have no foul stuffs done at this momen
“Raymond you missed the board meeting today, and there was an important decision made” his father said to him “ okayyy, so was my attention needed for this important decision?” he asked trying not to be too inquisitive “ well, your attention will be needed from now on wards Raymond, you are now chairman and part of the directing boards” “Father…” but he was cut short by his father's hands in the air. “Son I'm now old and wary, my days of directing are over I want to spend my last days living and watching you man up” “I should have been approached with questions, with an choice, father I….” he thought of the detectives words and played back on his seat trying not to say anything more. “You what Raymond? Do you know how far long you should have done this already?” “Then why wait, why not give it to your other son” he replied with a scorn smile. “Raymond you are my first heir, and I didn't just spend resources finding you…for you to hold back on your responsibility! Its
“ so how long have you worked for my father?” Raymond asked in a way to make her comfortable seeing she still has a guard up. “Long enough now, I was one of the search teams that looked for you when you were missing” she said putting the glass now and threw a glimpse around the room. “Have a seat…..” “Powell” she added “ yes Powell have a seat” “ thank you sir I'm fine stand……” “ sit down powelll, you just love arguing don't you” Raymond said with a smirk, an amused smirk. She sat down lowly in “thank you” she said. “ so tell me how is my father being treating you?” “ he has being good to me, very good sir” “Okay and my stepmom and her son?” he went on “ I can't say much about those two” “ Of course, you don't work for them, and they are not exactly pleasing people to be around” Raymond said letting out a short giggle “How did you know that?” Powell asked surprisingly With her eyes slightly opened. “ well I have flashbacks of my memories, of the life I h
“ she is sure beautiful but a pain in my ass” Raymond thought as he watched Powell from his ray-ban dark shades. His phone rang again for the second time “God dammit why is she buzzing my phone” he thought Just as he was stepping into the company building His eyes caught a small group of men hanging around a shop close by and he recognized one of them. “hey you, go pick those men up and put them in jail, I’ll deal with them later” he ordered to guards behind him and walked off. He got to the meeting room and found the detective and a well dressed man discussing over some documents. “Hello sir, this is the lawyer one of the best in town,” the detective said as he stood up to exchange handshakes with Raymond. “Welcome and thank you for accepting my case” Raymond said expending his hands for a handshake to the lawyer. “ the pleasure is mine, call me Paul” the lawyer said before sitting down. Powell stood at the far end of the room and watch closely observing the discussion and
He made to turn towards the exit when he heard it again “ Raymond…. Is that you?, hold on Raymond”. Attempting to leave her bed with the stripes still in her veins but the nurses were quick to hold her down. “Raymond listen to me,please I beg you I didn’t mean to treat you the way I did these past years” “Please Raymond my love please don’t leave me please don’t go“ roselle kept pleading . “I understand but it’s far past the time to plead, I just came to make sure you were alright” he said with his back to her. “Turning to the nurses “please from now on call her family for any reason I won’t be available for her welfare anymore“ he said with a stern look And walked out. Roselle’s voice was breaking of the distance as he made his way out of the hospital to the road, it had stopped raining Memories of them together when happiness was still amongst them rushed in like the flood but so did the pain and humiliation he suffered from the afterward, blocking of everything he
“ I lost my Job. ” He said, his face grim and voice cold. I looked at the soaked and muddy figure standing in the doorway and couldn't help but burst out laughing. The detective glared at me, clearly annoyed. "I'm sorry," I said, trying to stifle my laughter. "It's just...you look like you just went swimming in a swamp." The detective rolled his eyes and hissed under his breath. "What's the matter?" I asked after my laughter finally subsided. "Before we talk, why don't you clean yourself up in the bathroom?" I told him, gesturing toward the adjoining room. "I don't want you tracking mud all over my room, and my staff has worked so hard to keep this place clean." "I don't have time for that," the detective said gruffly. "I'm afraid I won't listen to you until you've cleaned up," his sight made it hard for me to listen, putting on my best stern face. "It's for your good." The detective sighed and grudgingly made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and let the hot wat
Chapter 15His face was pale, void of every emotion. He paced back and front, biting his lips. How could he do that? Was he blind? Can't he drive properly? If Roselle loses her life, then the game has ended. All Raymond's revenge plan will be dashed on a stone just because of a single mistake. “ Sir, I think you should calm down. Don't panic, the doctors are on it. ” the receptionist said. Her voice, calm.“ I suggest you mind your business. You're distracting me from my thoughts. ” Raymond fired. His voice was hoarse.Nurses were seen, rushing into Roselle's room. Their faces were grim with a twinge of worry.The air was thick with tension as Raymond anticipated news about Roselle. His heart was pounding as he paced around. He could feel his hand sweating. Not just his hand, his forehead. He couldn't feel the cool breeze coming down from the Ac. Everywhere felt hot and uncomfortable at the same time. He sighted a nurse going into Roselle's room with a syringe." Hello, how's she? ”