“Where’s your boss?”
“Is he expecting you?”
“Would I be here if he isn’t?”
The bodyguard looked at Jake from head to toe slowly and nodded once before stepping out of the way. He opened the front door for him and directed him to the backyard where Angus was said to be lounging beside the pool.
Jake followed the direction he was given and showed up at the poolside, however, Angus was not there.
“What kind of stupid game is that old man playing with me?” He wondered aloud. “Angus!”
There was no response. He walked closer to the pool and saw the silly old man inside.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Jake asked him. “Did you invite me here to admire your floating technique?”
Angus did not respond. His face was inside the pool and he was floating around while fully clothed.
It suddenly struck Jake as odd that an elderly man would be doing this kind of stunt. Why did he jump into the pool with all his clothes on?
“Your trial date has been set,” his lawyer informed him. “We need to start prepping right away if we’re going to make a good impression in court.” “What are my chances of winning this case?” He asked flatly. “Well…” “Give it to me straight, Ryan. What are my chances?” “To be honest, very low. The only thing we have working for us is the little gap in the technicalities of your wife’s murder. They can’t exactly prove that you fired the gun but they can’t exactly rule it out either.” “And Angus’ murder?” “He was strangled and thrown into the pool. He was a frail old man and you are a young agile man… do you get the picture?” “Yeah, but they can’t prove I strangled him. I called for help almost immediately after I spotted him. I couldn’t have killed him in 20 seconds!” “The bodyguard claimed that you were with Angus longer than that.” “Of course, he would. He probably killed his boss for Athena.” Ryan sighe
“She’s alright, boss. You have nothing to worry about.” “I’m glad to hear it. Thanks, man.” Jake was deeply grateful for the regular visits and updates from Rex who was still keeping an eye on little Victoria. It was his second month behind bars and he always looked forward to these meetings because they kept him going. Everyone in The Association continued to ignore him, even his business allies had turned their backs on him. He was completely left on his own to deal with his mess. When the guard notified Rex that his visit was over, Jake was reluctant to return to his cell. He hadn’t expected to be kept in solitary confinement for this long but it appeared that the guards were determined to break him and make him beg for mercy. “Today’s your lucky day, buddy,” said the one leading him back to the dark cell. “Why?” “Because you’ll be getting a little bit of sunshine today before you head back into your little hole. You look li
“This is messed up!” Jake snapped and banged his fist on the table angrily. “Keep it down, will ya?” Said a nearby guard. “I’m sorry, Jake, but don’t lose hope. We’ll simply appeal again,” said Ryan. “So, how many appeals do I get before my luck runs out?” “One but if we do it right, we can win and cut down your sentence or even overturn the guilty verdict.” “How many such appeals have you won before?” Ryan swallowed hard. “None,” he answered in a small voice. “Damn it! I’m doomed to spend the rest of my life here.” “If only we can find some evidence to prove your innocence… No matter how little, just anything to cast a shred of doubt on your case and we can have a retrial.” Jake sighed. He’d been right not to expect too much from Orlando and his cronies. Several weeks had passed and they were yet to find anything to help Jake’s case. He could feel himself sinking into depression but there was nothing he
“I’ve got good news for you, boss. My crew finally got something on that evil chick.”Jake quickly sat up, bumping his head on the rail of the upper bunk. “Ow!”“Sorry,” said Hutch with a chuckle.“This better be worth it, Orlando. What is it?”“Check these out,” he said and handed a large envelope to Jake.There were photos in it showing Athena getting out of exotic cars and entering a hotel. The photos seemed to have been taken on different days as her outfits and hairdo appeared different in them.She was also photographed with a man that Jake didn’t recognize. Some of the photos were fuzzy but he could make out Athena’s face in them, especially the ones where she was kissing the guy and he was getting handsy with her.“So what? She has a boyfriend. What’s that got to with me?” He asked, unimpressed.“Her boyfriend is a top
“This is James Fitch. He’s going to be your new lawyer,” Margot informed Jake during her next visit. It was five days after their secret meeting in the staff kitchen.“Hi, nice to meet you,” he greeted the sharp-looking guy.“It’s my pleasure,” said James. He was a tall, lean man who looked like a runway model instead of a lawyer.“James has never lost a case in his ten-year career,” Margot said proudly. “If there’s anyone who can do an excellent job of convincing heaven and earth of your innocence, it’s him.”James chuckled modestly. “You flatter me too much.”“It’s the truth,” she replied.“Well, I feel much better now,” Jake admitted.They got down to the nitty-gritty of their meeting and James walked Jake through the process and how his case would be presented in court. Even though they had the judge in the
“Forbes has released a new list of the wealthiest men in the world and you’re on it,” said Gregory, Jake’s PA.“I see. Which position did they put me in?”“Number 5. You’re the fifth wealthiest man in the world. I’m surprised you’re not number 1 already because you’re practically a trillionaire.”“Wipe your lips, Greg,” said Vincent, Margot’s son.Gregory scrubbed his lips with the back of his hand and then checked it. “There’s nothing there.”“Oh, really? I could have sworn I saw a track of poop on your lips from all that ass-kissing you were doing just now.”Gregory frowned. Jake didn’t find that comment funny either.“I was simply informing the boss about the accolades he’s receiving for his hard work,” said Gregory.“Well, thanks for the info. You can leave now,” said Vi
“Your bad temper will be your undoing, Jake. There are better ways to handle such situations.”“I simply did what needed to be done. I was protecting my child from your paedophile son!”“That’s what you say but it’s your word against his since he’s in no position to even speak and defend himself right now.”“There were witnesses, Margot. He even knocked out the nanny and forced his way into my daughter’s room. You should be grateful that I’m not pressing charges against him. Trust me, you don’t have enough strings to pull to get him out of jail if I report this.”“There’ll be no need for that,” Margot said calmly. “I only wish you could have reached out to me first before bashing my son brutally the way you did. He’s barely alive.”“Oh, well…”“I promise you, he’ll be on his best behaviour whe
Louisa quit her job that afternoon after her lunch with Jake. He had her driven to her hostel where she went to pack all of her things and went to stay with him at the hotel.They spent two days together before they flew to Jersey in his private jet. Louisa literally cried during the ride because it was the most iconic moment of her life.Once they arrived in the city, he rented a 3-bedroom house for her and furnished it to her taste. It became his second home because he didn’t want Louisa to live with him in his villa. He wasn’t ready to introduce her to Victoria just yet.He enrolled her in the best culinary school in the city and she thanked him all night after her first day in school. Jake felt fulfilled and he glowed with health.Athena’s case went to trial and he clinked champagne glasses with Louisa as he watched her sentencing on the news. All of her powerful friends had deserted her and she was looking like a shadow of herself a