“Unbelievable!” Archer muttered under his breath, “Oliver Austin?” “What are you doing here? Are you alright?” Archer gazed at him quizzically, his eyes flitting from side to side, scanning his features as he processed the unexpected surprise.Oliver looked drastically different from his usual self, he was pale and unkempt like a bad dollar note who’d seen better days.Out of pity, Archer extended a hand of help. Oliver slapped his hand away, leaving Archer perplexed.“You don’t deserve any of these good things happening to you,” Oliver spat, his gaze steely like a snake’s. Archer taken aback by the unexpected outburst took a step backward, tilting his head in dismay. “You surely didn’t come all the way from wherever you live, just to tell me that, did you?”Oliver recovered his stance, his lips tightened in a fit of rage.“My family, my sister, we are suffering and it is because of you!” He roared angrily.A soft smile played on Archer’s face as the situation became clearer. “So
Archer blinked, his eyes stinging against the natural bright light flooding the room. The sight of the IV drip stand was a clear sign that he was in a hospital ward. The last thing he recalled was being carried away in a stretcher, the last person he saw was Mr Dunni Freeman reassuring him that he had everything in control. Celestine wasn’t by his side then, the last thing he said to him was “Someone needs to end the party.”Archer turned weakly on his bed, scanning the room. His eyes fell on a figure on the couch, sitting with their head in their hand. “Celestine?” He called weakly. Instantly, Celestine sprang from his seat, rushing to his side with a mix of relief and concern evident in his movement.“You’re awake?! Thank goodness!” He cried.Archer let out a soft sigh, grateful for his friend for staying by his side. “How long have I been passed out?”“Eighteen hours,” Mariah replied, shifting Archer’s attention to the second presence in the room.He instantly noticed Mariah’s
Tangie paced the corners of her room, her steps slow and uncertain. The room echoed with soft flops of her feet against the marble floor.The morning news blared in the distance, announcing her resignation from the Auditorial Office of The Sullivan’s Distribution Company.Her grandfather had made good the threat of firing her if she didn’t sign the divorce document within the week.Tired of pacing, Tangie sank to the bed, burying her face in her hands. The news about her wasn’t the reason why she was crying. It was the fact that there was no update on Archer’s health. For the last few hours, they fervently included whether he was awake or not on their extra news package. “Why didn’t they do it today?!” She fumed, “Is he still unconscious?”Tangie glanced at her screen for the umpteenth time, there was no new message from Mariah either.Suddenly, faint footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the door, stirring Tangie to action. She swiftly turned off the TV, before racing back to bed.
The hospital room was suffocatingly silent, the only sound breaking the silence was the beeping sound of a heart monitor across. The sterile white walls around him suddenly seemed enlarged, creating room for vivid images of his imagination.For all that regards information, Archer expected some level of accuracy. But everything on the news seemed to have been cut down and processed to put him in a bad light. In reality, he was the victim. His wife was a victim of Maverick’s kidnap, and she was currently in recovery, but it seemed like the news had completely forgotten about all of that, only deciding to focus on ‘Who he is? How qualified is he to be the President?’Archer sighed softly, despite his doctor’s advice that he needed at least a week’s worth of rest, he couldn’t afford to stay out of action. He suspected that if he rested for a week, he would return to work with more than enough issues to deal with. So on the third day, when his ribs no longer hurt when he turned, nor wh
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the quiet parking lot.The scent of disinfectant and whatnot filled the air as Archer and Celestine sat in the car arguing.“Well, I can’t let you go there alone.”“Why? I’m not a child.” Archer interjected,“You may not be very conversant with the theme but this is how friendship works, I’m coming!” Celestine returned, his voice firm and unwavering.Archer exhaled softly before repositioning himself, “alright,” he nodded, his frustrations expressed in the frowns on his forehead.“You have been riding on my last nerves, Mr Celestine Devant. You’re always nagging about one thing or the other. It is not as easy as you think to just watch people get hurt. I can’t protect you,”“Archer, may I call you that? I’m not asking you to protect me. I’m just asking for you to allow me look out for you. I can’t do much but a second pair of eyes is not a completely bad idea.”Celestine’s words lingered in his mind, softening his pent-
Maverick’s words tugged on his chest like a heavyweight, stirring second thoughts about his plans. Celestine shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting from Archer to Maverick.“You’re saying you’re scared of him, he’s dangerous. Thank you, but that’s not an identity.” Archer replied, his voice firm and commanding.Maverick leaned back in his chair, the corners of his lips lifted in a half smile. “You think you’re untouchable, President Williams, but you’re not. Big Dot is rather a big hole that will swallow until it gets what it wants. Keep your precious little wife out of the way”Archer rose to his feet, glancing at Celestine.“We’re done, here,” he declared.Maverick chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Goodbye President Williams, you can hand in the tape right there at the counter,” As Archer stepped out into the hallway, the fluorescent lights of the police station stung his eyes, and squinted them close, stumbling a few feet back.“That’s it!” Celestine
It was the first time Tangie broke the unwritten rules of the family. She had always been the quiet, obedient one. Her grandfather and Mother insisted that her ex-convict husband was to blame for Tangie’s stubbornness, when really Archer had no clue that his wife had become feisty and impudent.Since her short-lived conversation with Archer, Tangie found herself in cheerful spirits. Despite the fact that it wasn’t ideal to use a servant’s phone to call her husband, the result of the impulsive action was all that mattered to her. Mornings in the Sullivan’s home was now Tangie’s most anticipated moments. The one time the household gathered for a meal before dispersing to their different works.As usual, just as the morning sun casted its glow on the walls of her beige color room, Tangie twirled around, facing the source of the sunlight.She wondered what he was doing. Usually, he was an early bird, she wondered if he could sleep at all in the night. He had once confessed to her that
Just as instructed, Celestine had delivered the signed divorce documents to the Sullivans. In the core of him, Celestine knew that Archer didn’t really want to divorce her but his determination was instigated by Maverick’s words. And in reality, Tangie had been most vulnerable since the attacks on him began. Still, Celestine believed he owed her an explanation. The shareholders meeting as announced to be held on Friday by 3 pm had begun about thirty minutes ago.Perhaps their lateness was for Celestine to recover from his hangover from last night, or maybe it was for Archer to fully recover from his conversation with the lady from last night.Racing through the streets of Utah, just like Celestine’s thoughts in his mind, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, nervously awaiting Archer’s reaction to his shenanigans with the ladies. But he said nothing, his relentless taps on his keyboard the only sound between them.As he cornered into the parking lot of Sterling Groups, Cele