2025-01-05 23:21:33
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The legacy of the supreme ruler A true asset
“Good evening, sir.”After the visit to Déjà Vu, Lut and director Edward had sat down to taste if the chicken and chips prepared by the fast food was reminiscent of the name.Indeed, it was.The chicken was well prepared, and so were the chips. He wanted to taste other meals as well, but director Edward had whispered into his ears along the line that he had a meeting in a few hours.And they had left the fast food that they came to buy without making enemies, but making a friend instead.From Déjà vu, they had returned to the consortium.Lut wanted some time alone, to look over the files, to think about his plans towards the taking over of the fast food he had just visited, and how he was going to perfect the improvement and the upgrading of the place.That was until Aurora had popped out of nowhere, her brilliant smile and her polite tone making him pause whatever thinking he was doing.“Aurora. Good to see you. I was about to call you. How are you? How did the meeting go?”Aurora's
The legacy of the supreme ruler Natalie’s arrival
“We're going out tonight, we need to celebrate.”Aurora dropped the keys to her mother's old sedan on the table, then stared quizzically at her best friend who was the only soul in the entire city who had a spare key to her apartment and could slip into it when she wasn't around.“Celebrate? What for? And you should learn to call before breaking and entering, Natalie. You don't live here.”Natalie's smile was dazzling. She was the exact opposite of Aurora. Where Aurora was an organized workaholic who believed that everything had a process, and a queue couldn't be skipped, her best friend was way different.A graduate from the department of journalism in the university of Wisconsin, Natalie had probably dumped her degree after getting it because Aurora had never seen or heard of her best friend getting or maintaining a job.If Natalie wasn't on vacation, she was on a boat somewhere, in the arms of an older man or a new lover.She was promiscuous, and even though that wasn't Aurora's id
The legacy of the supreme ruler Hotel de la grande
“How was Déjà vu?”Lutenant was surprised. Even after everyone had left the company, he had stayed back to go make concrete plans considering the fast food. He was going to do everything within his power to make sure that it was going to stand out—it was his work after all, and if it indeed succeeded, that was going to be one added to his resume.After he had finished working, he took the elevator downstairs.He hadn't been expecting his father at all, and when he saw the smiling face of Mr James in a suit that smelt and spoke of luxury, he broke into a smile that was mixed with confusion and surprise.“Dad. I never expected to see you here. Last I heard, you weren't in the state. Are you back now? For good?”His father shook his head, smiling.“You never can tell, son. The life of a businessman is never static. When you want to rule the world, you definitely can't do it by staying in a single place.” His father paused, then gestured to his driver, who was dressed in the same uniform
The legacy of the supreme ruler Girl talk
The table they had chosen overlooked the bridge and river in the city. It was a nice view at night, the street lights lighting up the entire bridge and making it look like a stairway to heaven—everything on it looked so bright.“Good evening gentlemen and welcome to hotel de la grande. The menus.”The menus were already on the table, but the young man who seemed to take great pride in his mustache to the point that he hadn't trimmed it off even though it was overgrown, still came to the table and handed it over to them.“I'll take the Seared Scallops “Au Gratin”.”Everything sounded strange to Lutenant, who looked at his menu over and over again, confused and not having the slightest idea of what to order.“Lut? The lad is here to take out orders.” His father reminded him, tapping the table impatiently.Giving up, Lut dropped the menu.“I'll take whatever he has chosen, thank you.”“I can see your dilemma,” his father began after the waiter left the table, “you'll get used to it, soon
The legacy of the supreme ruler Making progress
“What's it going to take to pull down this place, Aurora?”Aurora swallowed hard.They were at the site of the fast food, and all she had wanted to do was look around, take a few notes, and then go back home where she was going to spend the rest of her day waiting for her best friend to come back from the previous day's escapade.But it seemed as though Lutenant, her boss, had other plans.All he had done was ask her questions again and again, and she didn't know how badly she was doing. Was she answering the questions correctly? Was she answering wrongly?She couldn't tell because with every answer, he kept his face straight, and then nodded.“Roughly twenty grand, sir. Actually, it depends. If we pull down everything, we stand a chance of losing the customers which have made the place what it is today. So, I'd say we do a redesign. Clean up the exterior, touch the interior, nothing that can take more than a month.”She watched Lut nod again, then stare at her.“That's right. Thing i
The legacy of the supreme ruler Uncertain futures
Aurora couldn't help but admire how firm he was becoming over it. To her, that was the only route they could take at the moment. If they also wanted things to go their way, then maybe it was time to change the strategy and tactics.“In a short while, ownership will be transferred, and they'll be working directly under us. They don't work according to our rules, and the door is open. They aren't the only workers in the city.”By the time he finished his short speech, they were already inside the fast food.They went straight to the counter, where a smiling brunette looked expectant and happy to receive and serve them.Her tag said Anna, and Aurora was quick to jump into handling the introductions. She would've allowed Lut to do it, but she wanted to show him that she could be in charge, in case there was a need for that.“Good morning, Anna, is it?”The waiter smiled, then took her outstretched hand, shaking it a little too happily.Was this the way she treated all her customers? Like
The legacy of the supreme ruler Deja vu tussle
Aurora had expected Gus’s reply to be something of that nature, but she had never expected the look on his face. Shock and surprise that soon transformed to confusion. “Well, you'll have to trust me on this one, Gus. We've thought about it already, and we're happy to reveal to you that your housing arrangements might have to be changed, but it's going to be footed by our company. While we work on the staff quarters, you guys will be in a different lodging, somewhere close to the fast food.” Gus shook his head fiercely. “Nope, not going to happen. We're here because we don't pay transport. Of course, we foot the utility bill, and that's just it aside from our taxes. We can't afford to live somewhere else.” Aurora scratched the back of her neck tiredly. At that moment, she found herself wondering if the passion and attachment the workers showed for the fast food wasn't attached to the fact that they didn't have to pay rent and transpor
The legacy of the supreme ruler Rounding up
Once Lutenant got to his office, he removed his coat, and opened the door wider for Aurora to enter. “Here's what you'll do, Aurora. Check the expenses we're going to incur tomorrow, and try to get back to me as soon as possible. Contact the company that does the bulldozing of buildings as well. We want to have them there as soon as the sun rises. We can't waste anymore time on this, you know.” She nodded, taking down everything she had said, and it made him wonder where she had gotten a pen and a jotter from. Had it just magically appeared in her hand? “Yes sir. Anything else?” “Tomorrow, the whole team meets here by eight o'clock before moving to the site. I believe that we're going to do excellently well on this project, Aurora.” She nodded, then scratched her neck. “You're welcome, sir. Is that all there is? I'd like to start making those calls now, sir.” Lut nodded. “Good, good. We'll see tomorrow m
Latest Chapter
A breath away
“Thank you everyone for coming once again. You've made something as common as a housewarming party a memorable one for me. I won't forget this, ever.”Aurora watched the entire mini speech with a special kind of warmth in her heart. She had never seen Natalie so happy.“One, two, three!”The crowd counted with the couple as the knife came down. There was scattered clapping, and then it was then readjusted into a beautiful round of applause.Grabbing a flute from an attendant who was walking by, Carl raised the flute.“Everyone, grab a glass please.”“Aurora? Can you help us make a toast?”Aurora had not seen that coming. Naturally shy, she raised an eyebrow and felt her skin burn under the gaze of the entirety of everyone who was in the room. However, she made her way to the front of the crowd, then raised her flute.“To a life of happiness, endless celebrations and every good thing in the world. To Natalie and Carl!”“To Natalie and Carl!”There were clinks as flute brushed flute. Sh
House warming bliss
The roar was deafening. Two pops followed, and in a minute, she was drenched with alcohol. Aurora smiled in satisfaction, enjoying the shock and surprise on her best friend's face.Carl slipped out of the crowd in a moment, holding a card that said boldly, “Welcome to our home, Natalie. I will always love you.”Natalie burst into tears on seeing the card, and immediately fell into his arms.The crowd burst into a series of cooing, and Aurora stole a flute of champagne from an attendant’s tray, chugging it down and satisfying her thirst.“When…when did you do all of this, Carl? How did you plan this?” She looked at the crowd and the decorations, her hand scratching the back of her neck in confusion.“I wouldn't have done it without the help of your best friend here, Aurora. She helped me. We did it together. You have a wonderful friend, babe. She's a keeper.”“You knew?” Natalie asked her, as she struggled to wipe the tears from her eyes.“Of course I did. Can you imagine Carl doing al
The ultimate welcome
“Whatever. I'm dirty and sweaty already. How about I just sit in the dining room and you serve me, alright? I'll take my bath later.” Natalie grinned, leaving her in the sitting room. “You know, sometimes I wonder what you would've done without me. Just look at you, tired as hell, coming home to a beautiful meal you would've paid for at a restaurant. You owe me big time.” Aurora groaned audibly. “Can you just cut the boasting part and forward to the part where I eat and say thanks? You can boast after that, okay?” Natalie's laughter was loud. Aurora dropped her hand bag in the sitting room, snatching her phone. In the dining room, she texted Carl immediately, urging him to call Natalie in a few minutes. She nearly let the phone fall from her hands when she saw her best friend enter with a tray of the food. It was one of her favourites. Lamb chops, biscuits and an apple pie next to it. There was a salad w
The squad
Boss and personal assistant left the office building, walking stride by stride. Aurora, her phone in her hand, was trying to reach Carl. He was the one who had done the arrangements, and she would've helped out if she didn't have to go down to the Fredrickson's company and help Lutenant get the contract he was gushing over so much. She waited next to her old model Benz, waiting for Carl to pick up. When he didn't answer after the first ring, she turned to Lut, who was waiting for her and shrugged. “He hasn't picked?” “Yes. Makes me wonder what is wrong with him. Who makes plans and doesn't keep to his own part of the deal? If he knows how tired I am, he'll pick up.” Lut smiled. “Call him again.” His voice was calm, the exact opposite of what hers was. Nodding, she did just as he had requested. And to her shock, Carl picked up on the first ring. “Aurora!” He called her name as if he was out of breath.
Sealing the deal
The executive meeting hadn't gone well, or maybe someone had brought an offer larger than the amount he had proposed. He didn't know which one it was yet. “The executive meeting didn't end too well. The highest bidder plays a huge role, Lut. I'm afraid we chose someone else.” Lutenant smiled. He looked out of the window, forgetting what he had planned to say for an instant if things didn't go his way. “Lut? Are you still there?” “Yes sir. It's alright, Mr Fredrickson. I understand you perfectly. There are other companies in the industry. We'll have to look into it.” He glanced at his father, who raised an eyebrow, still smiling despite the fact that he had heard his son's answer and knew that the deal was lost. “Come on, Lut, I'm kidding! Did you even believe that I'll sell to someone else? You've been the highest bidder so far. The rest have all come in under hundred. And even if you weren't, I would've still sold to you.
Family friction
When Richard ended the call, his hands were trembling slightly and he felt lightheaded. When had Mr Johnson entered the room? Had he been listening to the entirety of his conversation with Hal? He wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. “Having problems at work?” He nodded, not knowing what else to say. “Yes, something like that.” Mr Johnson stood up, going to the window. He looked out of it, smiling at nothing in particular. When he turned to look at Richard, Richard noticed how furrowed his eyebrows were, and how he didn't even smile one bit, even though he had been smiling earlier. The smile had seemed to disappear into thin air. Something was wrong. “What kind of problems are you having at work, son? Are you aware that you're marrying my daughter, the only child I've ever had? Do you know that, Richard?” Richard swallowed hard. He wasn't scared of Mr Johnson, no, that was far from it.
Guilt by association
“Hundred million, Mr Fredrickson. I can't go higher.” Mr Fredrickson looked at members of his executive team. They all exchanged knowing glances which Lut knew he didn't understand. But he kept calm, watching the entire proceedings with his hand holding his flute. “Why don't we both sleep over it, Lut? My team and I will take your offer into consideration. Before anything, I want you to know that I've thought about leaving this company in good hands. And there are no other guaranteed good hands in this city apart from yours.” Lutenant nodded with a smile. “I understand you perfectly, Mr Fredrickson. I do.” “Now, there are still offers coming in, and we want to sell to the highest bidder, I'm afraid. At the same time, I want my legacy to live on even if this place doesn't belong to me anymore. You're the only one who can assure that.” “Oh come on, Mr Fredrickson, you flatter us way too much.” Mr Frederickson raised
The takeover bid
“I hope you enjoyed your meal, Lutenant.” Lut nodded. At that point, he couldn't tell which kitchen was better. The consortium kitchen made good meals, but he had to admit that he had tasted one of the best pasta drenched in sauce he had ever eaten in his entire life. It was insanely good. “I did, Mr Fredrickson. I'll need a few days to decide if your kitchen is better than ours, though. But I have to admit, that pasta was amazing.” They were looking at the buildings, and Frederickson was pointing out the important parts that they needed to know. Aurora, walking next to him, held a notebook and a camera in her hand. She was taking pictures and writing at the same time. “How about you, Aurora? How was the food?” “I'm planning to ask the cooks to give me their recipe after this. That's to show you how good it was.” “Oh, good to hear. Lut, you've got a good one on your hands. Any woman who loves cooking is
Love
Truly, Mr Fredrickson and his team were waiting for them in the parking lot. Aurora had done a lot of research, and because of that, she knew how he looked. But up close, he looked shorter, even, and his smile was warm. His eyes twinkled in happiness, as if he was overjoyed that his company was being sold. “Mr Lutenant! I've been expecting you.” The two men shook hands, while Aurora watched. They were basically gauging each other through the handshake, but Aurora was comfortable with it. She knew her boss could handle it. “And who is this behind you?” “That is Aurora Spencer, my personal assistant and the woman in charge of most of my reformation success in most companies. She's very good, I tell you.” “Well, let's see how good she's going to do here. Welcome, Aurora. Lutenant, this is my team. The executives in charge of running this place. It hasn't been easy, but they've done a good job. You have to acknowledge them.”
