Henry chuckled when he saw the slight excitement in Oscar’s eyes. “You seem a little excited. It's not an exciting task because it takes a lot of vetting. Companies who do not meet up with the latest financial standard cannot just continue with us.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I find it very interesting,” Oscar spoke, the smile was like a permanent stamp on his face. His mind was already brimming with exciting ways that he would humiliate his ex-in-laws and pay them in their coin for what they did to him. “Before I forget, there is someone I need to introduce to you,” Henry spoke. “Who is that?” Henry walked towards his guard and whispered a few words into his ears. In a moment, a lovely feminine spectacle glided through the door. Her walk was a sultry invitation that beckoned the heart and soul. Her hips were swaying in a rhythm that spoke of mystery and temptation. Her eyes were like little diamonds, piercing through the heart of anyone who was trying to maintain composure. Henry turned towards the lady and spoke. “Here is my son, here is your new boss that I spoke to you about. You are very lucky to meet him. Come on, introduce yourself to him.” The lady bowed with respect. “Good evening, Mr. Oscar. My name is Layla. It is my pleasure to meet you. I hope that I will be accepted by you and have to privilege to serve you.” Oscar blinked, his mind struggling to process the unexpected courtesy. He remembered that he was the boss and needed to maintain composure in the presence of such an elegant lady. “You are welcome, Layla. I look forward to us working together.” *** It was time for the Jones League of Companies Performance Gala. It was an annual event where CEOs and employees from companies under the consortium would learn about their new stake in the company. Those who didn't meet the required standard would be thrown to the curbs. Oscar and Layla alighted a luxurious Porsche vehicle and walked gracefully towards the special entrance meant for them. Oscar and Layla seemed to be going along very well as they discussed strategies on how to improve pending projects. Layla spoke. “Sir, I think your strategy is very impressive. There are also quite a few things we could do to—” She felt a chill run down her spine as she was cut short by a snarl from behind. “What are you doing here, Oscar?” Oscar turned to look at the lady behind him and saw that it was Arabella, one of the ladies who insulted him at the Delway guest hall before he was arrested. Arabella spewed hatred, her words a barrage of abuse. “Are you not supposed to be in prison at this time? What business do you have here all dressed as if you are someone important? You have been banished from our Delway family and yet you have found another lady to scam with your poverty, isn't it?” Arabella then turned towards Layla. “Young lady, if you love yourself, you had better run away from this man. I am sure he somehow deceived you to buy this designer's suit for him just like he did to my sister. Don't allow his voodoo to work on you. He is probably a fugitive.” Layla arched her eyebrows, her rebuttal was subtle as she used her grace as a shield against the aggression. “I advise that you mind your business and focus on whether you will still have a job after this event.” Arabella’s eyebrows were raised as she felt the weight of Layla’s defiance. “I was only trying to help you but if you want to keep feeding a poor fugitive then be prepared for the consequences.” She then stormed off to tell her friends about the surprising occasion that she had just witnessed. Lady Vivian must hear about this, she reasoned. The event hall was a constellation of power as CEOs, dignitaries, and employees anticipating their fate in the new order were buzzing with whispers. The atmosphere in the room was as rich and luxurious as the food and attire of everyone. Candles flickered, casting a warm glow on the faces of everyone as they listened to the anchor of the event. The anchor dressed in a bow tie and crisped white shirt spoke. “Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, honored VIPs and respected colleagues, it is with great admiration that I welcome you all to today’s event.” Arabella made sure that she sat close to her mother, Lady Vivian. She clicked her tongue, shaking her head in mock disbelief as she recounted the latest rumor. “You wouldn't believe what I just saw outside.” Lady Vivian turned towards Arabella, her face filled with curiosity. “I just saw that poor scum, Oscar just now with a lady far ahead of his class. Did we not ensure that the rat head was arrested and thrown behind bars? Why is he here and dressed as if he was an important figure?” “I don’t know what you are talking about Arabella,” Lady Vivian whispered. “Perhaps you have mistaken him for someone else. Oscar can’t be here. There are guards littered around - they aren't foolish enough to allow someone like that in our midst. He is currently either in a police cell or prison custody trust me.” “I swear I just talked with him. He was with a lady. He didn't say a word in response but I am telling you that he is seated here somewhere.” The conversation came to a halt as the anchor’s voice boomed over the speakers. They exchanged an anxious look before their heads turned towards the stage. “—in light of this, I would like you all to stand up to your feet as you join me in welcoming our new CEO, a visionary leader who will guide us into a future of prosperity and innovation. A man who is known for his excellence and drive to perform, a man who works with a vision that propels him.” The attendees stood, their hands clapping in rhythm as they strained to hear the announcement. The anchor’s voice was much louder this time and with excitement. “I invite to the podium Mr. Oscar Jones.” What?! The attendees were thrown into a frenzy of confusion.The clapping dwindled into a feeble echo and was replaced by the attendees’ faces turning to a mask of confusion and their lips forming silent questions.Lady Vivian and Arabella couldn't believe it. Their eyes widened with shock as they stared at each other again. Their thoughts were racing in a bid to understand the mystery behind the announcement.Arabella swayed, her feet tripping over each other in confusion as she missed her seat while trying to return to a sitting position but she quickly regained her balance.“What exactly is going on here? Is this a comedy show? Why is Oscar mounting the podium? Is no one going to have anything to say about this?” Arabella turned to Lady Vivian, her voice edged with confusion.Lady Vivian’s mouth was too heavy to even bring out the words that she had in her mind if she had any. “I have no idea, I have no words right now. Maybe we should talk to one of the concierges and ask if there is a mistake somewhere.”Arabella signaled at a concierge cl
Bradley trembled with fear, his mouth hanging open in shock as he tried to understand what had happened.How did his private text messages appear on the projector screen for the world to see? What in the name of a nightmare was he witnessing? No! This couldn't be real, he reasoned. Those were the most secret things and there was no way anyone else could know about them. He had to be in some sort of afterlife situation for this to be happening. His phone had a special and permanent lock that was even different from the other passworded phones. Did someone hack into his phone? Even if someone did, wouldn’t they have to come close to him for that to happen? Wouldn’t they have to steal his phone at least for a moment for it to happen?Bradley couldn’t recall losing his phone for a long time. He was always with his phone and even when he wanted to sleep, he would usually keep it very close to himself.He never took risks with his gadgets because he knew that some scary secrets were conta
Charlotte let out a piercing shriek, her hands flying to her face as if to shield herself from the unbearable reality that she was surrounded with. She started pulling off from the delusion that she had so proudly worn like the high mistress of clowns.“Here are a few graphic proofs to show that the same Bradley Stevens we all know is a member of a drug trafficking organization,” Oscar’s tone was resonating with authority, his hands dipped into his pocket as he waited for the projector screen to pop up with the next line of evidence.The pictures on the projector screen showed a clear link between Bradley and the organ trafficking ring.Everyone in the hall held their breaths as the pictures on the screen showed Bradley talking with people who were known to be organ traffickers and had been wanted by the police for a long time.The next line of images showed Bradley handing over huge sums of money to strange-looking people. One of the images even showed a glass case where something th
Bradley instead of stepping back moved further forward, his eyes filled with a hidden desire to play smart. He quickly used his body to block their view before shoving one of the officers, knocking him off balance in an instant.Bradley then found an open space to run into, taking the opportunity to run towards the glass door. He then smashed through it with ease before sprinting out of the hall and into the streets.Oscar was just about to get to Bradley when he stormed out of the hall.“Get him!” Oscar yelled at the top of his voice.The officers took off after Bradley, their boots pounding against the ground in a relentless pursuit. The other officers who couldn't pursue after Bradley had their radios crackling with updates and commands as they sought to remain in strategic positions to intercept Bradley.Bradley sprinted across the terrain, his lungs burning with effort as he pushed his body to its limit. He couldn't afford to get himself caught because it would expose the organ
***Meanwhile, Oscar instead of following the other officer in pursuing after Bradley stayed back to reaccess situations.“What are we going to do about this situation?” Oscar’s personal assistant, Layla asked as they headed back into the hall.Oscar’s mind was brimming with ideas as he sought the best option to apprehend Bradley. He knew that Bradley’s first point of call was going to be his organ trafficking cult and that only meant that he would be hiding somewhere waiting for them to come and pick him up.If his cult members come to pick him up, it would be much more difficult to find either him or members of his organ trafficking group. He paused for a bit as if he was in a deep thought and then he hissed. “What's that sir?” Layla asked, noticing that her boss was disturbed about something.“Oh, that? Apologies, it's just that I think I know where Bradley might be or at least where he would be heading.”Layla’s eyes bulged open in surprise. “How do you know that, Sir?”She then
He started to wonder if the person who was supposed to pick him up at the rooftop terrace was still there. If he was still there, then perhaps there was a chance that he was not alone should he get into a fight with Oscar.Oscar, with his gun pointed with pinpoint precision, moved his feet slowly and surely as if he were encircling Bradley. His face was contorted with a smirk as he relished the chance of humiliating Bradley.“Nothing brings me more joy than the fact that everyone now knows who you really are,” Oscar spoke, his voice laced with disdain. “You can no longer hide behind that mask of innocence anymore.”Bradley’s chest heaved with each breath the moment Oscar said those words. He knew they were true and that he was ruined. He was no longer going to operate his company effectively anymore unless he was able to magically get the accusations off his neck. That was definitely going to be a gigantic task with all the terrible images of evidence that had been piled up against h
Bradley’s eyes darted around the alley, his gaze searching for something even though he wasn't quite sure what he was searching for. Maybe an escape but he also knew that it would be impossible to escape from Bradley’s presence at that moment - not when he had a gun being pointed at his head.Bradley concluded that there was no escape for him so he hesitantly lowered himself to the ground, his submission a bitter pill.Oscar’s face was gleaming with a smirk of satisfaction. “Now, your hands behind your back.”Oscar wanted to get Bradley back into custody like a mere thief just as he deserved. Oscar’s hands moved with precision as the sound of the cuffs clinking hung in the air. “You want to know how I was able to find you here? Well, it’s the same flash drive.”“Oh! And just in case the other members of your blackmail and organ trafficking group decide that they are going to come to steal the flash drive away from my possession, you might want to tell them that I have copies of ever
Oscar’s movements were swift as he ducked for cover, taking shelter behind a dumpster. The roar of gunfire echoed in the alley and it was clear to Oscar that the shooter was on the top floor - perhaps on the sky deck.Oscar dragged his captive along with him so that he wouldn't think of escaping even though he was probably too weak to actively conjure a successful escape.Bradley, even though he was very weak and almost lifeless could hear the gunshot sounds. He knew that it was coming from the member of his organ trafficking group who was sent to come and pick him up. He wished that whoever it was, he kept shooting until he found the damned Oscar and kill him. Oscar’s fingers rested slightly on the trigger of his gun, his breath steady as he prepared to unleash a hail of bullets at the sky deck. He was waiting for the perfect time and knew that the shooter would have to reload after firing his bullets.Oscar baited the shooter into releasing another round of bullets.Pow! Pow! Pow