THE TRAP“Mom!” Shouted Samantha. She was happy that Nick had left, but not when she realized her mother felt completely different.“Samantha, he deserved it”, said Thomas. “Your husband was a fool for giving you this cheap necklace, I'm gonna put it in the trash for you to save you the effort of doing it yourself”.He reached out his hand to take it, but she quickly pulled it to her chest as if it was a valuable treasure.“Never”, she replied, running her hand nervously through her hair.“It's a waste to throw it away. I'll find a pawn shop and exchange it for money”.“Make sure you get a reasonable price for it”, he said silently.He didn't dare touch the necklace again. He knew his sister's fiery temperament too well.Samantha put the necklace back down on the table and examined it closely.She knew she should take her brother's advice and just throw it away, but something about it intrigued her.She wasn't sure if it was because it was the first necklace Brian had bought her or beca
PURCHASE “Of course”, added Nick. “And also promote your company with several of my larger clients, many of whom you may have heard of”.Jeffery was no longer listening. “This man is dancing with death”, he thought. “Excuse me?” Interrupted Jeffery before Nick could continue with his smooth advertising offering.“Would you mind if I just went and made a call?”He picked up his cell phone and pointed at it.“Of course,” answered nick. “Go ahead”.Puzzled, he watched Jeffery leave the room.It seems strange to him that a man who ran his own company would leave the room in the middle of a meeting to make a call.And felt as if he was running off to tell a higher authority about what was going on and to ask for permission to continue.This man is too soft, Nick thought. “He’s Just like Brian,But at least he's running his own company, unlike Brian, who had to marry in order to get anywhere in life.Not that he cared. His main plan was to get a hold of the most powerful gangs in San Clement
SECRET“If you make me talk to him alone again, I think I'll be sick”.“Don't worry, he's got his sights set on my wife”, Brian said in the cold tone. “He will not get away with that”.He didn't care how Nick had made his fortune.What he did care about was that for as long as the man had intentions on Brian's wife, he would personally destroy him.Nick did not attempt to contact Samantha for several days, leaving her MP's at work and at home.Samantha missed traveling in his luxury car. “Do you have to pick me up for work in this rust bucket?” She asked Brian one evening, thinking about how nice it would be to drive home in Nick's car with the roof down.Brian said nothing. He pulled away from the curb and into the rush hour traffic, wondering how a fancier car would get her home any quicker in the rush hour than his car.They drove home to find Brenda waiting for them.She didn't look happy. “Brian, Well, Nick Tomlins was abroad. He made a fortune for himself”. She snapped as they sat
SNARE He looked at Samantha and saw the disappointment in her eyes.Watching her husband and mother fight was just too much for her.He decided to back down for her sake.Brenda could have her money another day and before then learned that there was more to a man than the size of his bank account.“I'm sorry”, Brenda, he said.I was impulsive.He hung his head and tried to sound sincere.“Mom”, he's apologized, " said Samantha sternly. “You will forgive him for my sake”.Brenda stared at them both. “Your apology means nothing to me”, she said. “Then Brian,You don't mean it. You can't even see what you've done wrong.Unless you can give me in cash, the equivalent value of the necklace that Nick gave Samantha, you can leave”.With that, she left the room.”Pack your bags. You wasted space.You're out”.She added as the door slammed behind her.Thomas started to laugh.”This is the last time I have to admit that you're my brother-in-law”, he said. Before he shoveled another spoonful of chili i
DISAPPOINTED She picked up her purse and keys and walked off. Thomas, Brenda and Gary stood in the kitchen and laugh.They had heard the whole exchange between Samantha and Brian and started believing that her marriage to Nick was one step closer.Brian watched her leave.Helplessly, he could do nothing else but go to work himself.He got into his car and went to find Jeffery.An hour later, Brian and Jeffery were drinking coffee in Jeffery's office.Brian told him all about Brenda's ultimatum and how convinced they were that they would evict him later that day.Jeffery laughed so hard that he spilled coffee all over his shirt.“Why did you agree to it?” He asked once his laughter had died down. “You, you know it's a trap, don't you? Your problem is that you let that old bat walk all over you”.“Don't call her an old bat”, snap Brian.“Are you talking about Samantha's mother?”Sorry, said Jeffery quickly.“But you'll still have to explain to her how you got the money”, he added.“You're
USED“Jeffery if you continue to be this flexible, you won't have any business left”, he said at one stage of showing an opportunity to advise a man he considered inferior.“But the more I help you now, the more you'll be able to help me in the future.In the past I only had intentions to stay in the national market, but with your help I might be able to break into an international market”.Nick believed him. “With my foreign contacts, it certainly will be a possibility”, he said. “Leave it to me Nick, you're a genius”.“You'll have more coffee”, said Jeffery. “Brian Bring us more coffee”. Brian walked over with a coffee pot. “Why don't you give us a down payment to show us your commitment to us?” He said.“Quiet!” said Jeffery, feigning anger.“ Don't listen to him, Nick”. You don't need to do that.Nick looked at Brian, his gaze steady.“How much did you have in mind?” He asked. Brian told him a number. It was the same amount of money Nick had spent on the necklace he gave Samantha.
SUPREMACY It also meant that Saka Tosh tended to have strong and friendly relationships across the industry.Brian seemed to see the conclusion Jeffery was coming to.“So if Nick comes to you with a sincere offer you'll accept?” Brian ask.“Of course”, Jeffery replied before frowning. “But he just wrote you a huge check. Why would he be willing to offer me anything else?”“Just latency”, Brian replied mysteriously. As Nick returned to the parking lot, his anger mounted with each step.It was clear that Jeffery and Brian had teamed up to Trick him.He had never taken them seriously before that day and it was coming back to bite him.Buying out the company wasn't an option. He had to think of another way to get the upper hand.He decided to call Lamar Johnson the president of Ramtech.“Hey, Lamar.I'm sorry, I know that I told you that I wanted to cooperate with Saka Tosh Tech.But the other side defaulted.Let me take you out to lunch tomorrow and recommend a more reputable company.How a
EROSSo by giving him a challenge that he couldn't refuse, she assumed he could never succeed.She had found a way to kick him out without being the bad mother in other people's eyes.“Why are you being so stubborn?” Samantha asked.The fact that her husband had been willing to risk their marriage broke her heart. She suspected he finally had enough of her and her family.“If refusing to give up on you or our marriage makes me stubborn, then that's fine by me”, he retorted.Her heartbeat wildly when she understood the meaning of his words. He doesn't want a divorce, she realized happily.He only agreed to the vet because my mother forced him.Nonetheless, she knew his chances of gathering enough money on time would be a nearly impossible challenge.“Don't say things you can't back up”, she whispered.He shook his head.“Let's talk about you first.Are you really so short on money you need to borrow it from other people? Is Jeffery not paying you enough?” He asked.The company's senior execu
JELOUSYRoss shoved him aside. “You want me to give you another chance? “If I keep providing protection for you and your store, how am I going to explain that to Mr. Maxwell when he finds out? it's best for you to just shut the whole store down at this point, otherwise, next time He comes here, he's going to be offended that you're still here, and then you don't want to offend Mr. Maxwell”. He said to the manager. “I'd laugh if anyone else said that. But if it's what Ross thinks is best that would only mean I'm done for it wasn't easy to get to this point. I thought with Ross providing protection, I could do whatever I wanted. I never thought I would offend someone that even Ross is afraid of”. Ross just looked down at him, “Let me give you one last piece of advice”. He said, “try to be a good person from now on if you know what is good for you”After leaving them all, Laura was in no mood to continue their day out, so she and Brian got in the car to head home.Laura was clearly p
THE MANAGERBrian tilted his head thoughtfully “Ross? he asked.“you're not talking about Ross Gilmore, are you? the same guy I had a little chat with yesterday” he thought.“I think I left quite an impression on him”.“ you know Ross Gilmore?” the manager asked. “You could say that” the manager was surprised but then he saw Laura’s panicked expression clearly showed she had also heard of Ross or at least she knew of his reputation.“that's right,” he said “My shop is under Ross Gilmore’s protection so if you two both get down on your knees and beg for mercy I’ll consider asking for less compensation, otherwise you'll have to beg Ross for mercy” “and at this point, the compensation is the secondary”. he thought. just look how pretty that girl is, Ross, is going to be very happy when he sees her”. many people in the crowd had also heard of Ross and his reputation as a local thug they were not surprised that someone as Petty and nasty as the owner of this store had someone as vici
CHAOS Brian smiled at her but did not comment.The shop manager returned in short order with a Gray scarf draped across his arms. “Go on, Brian, Laura said. “Try it on and see what you think”.She lifted her hand, but the manager turned and held the scarf out of reach. “What?” She asked. “ Aren't you going to let us see it before we buy it?” The manager replied. “You've already seen and handled the other one.Isn't that enough?Except for the color, the two scarves are identical. Come up to the register and I'll get you checked out”.He smiled arrogantly. “They Caused the most trouble”, he thought. “They really need to put their grubby hands all over a genuine branded cashmere scarf.The rich ladies who come in here just point at what they want, pay the bill and leave without any fuss”. Laura's eyes flashed with anger. “Is that how you do business?” She asked. “If you don't try on clothing.How will you know if you like it or not?Maybe we won't like the feel of it.But we won't know until
OUTBURST Laura looked up from her plate of eggs and watched her sister confused. She glanced at Brian, who shrug. “I don't know exactly what's bothering her, but I can guess” he thought. “But I don't wanna talk to Laura about the whole situation with Brandy.That's too much to get into this morning”. “Hey, sis.Did you forget that Brian and I were going out for a fun day today? You should come along.Change your clothes. I'm gonna leave right after breakfast”. “No thanks”, Samantha replied. “I have some important things I need to get done today|”. “Is there anything more?Important than.Quality family time”.Samantha stood up. “You've got Brian, you don't need me”. She left the kitchen.And they heard her bedroom door closed a few seconds later. Gary Wandered into the kitchen, still half asleep.He looked from Laura to Brian. “Where's Samantha?” He asked. “I thought I heard her voice”. “Well, she's not here”, Laura said. “She's having a hissy fit or something”. “Come on Brian, let's
STILL IN LOVE“I'm glad to hear it”, said Brian. “If you'll excuse me”.With that, he walked over to the backstage door. He was determined to see Brandy, and Ross had held him up long enough.He could hear the sound of television through her door, it sounded like a cartoon and you could hear her laughing loudly at it. He Knocked several times before she heard him. “Come in, She shouted once she finally heard his knocking. “Ohh, it's you. Hello”.She walked over and gave him a huge bear hug.She squeezed him so hard he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said eventually. “Are you trying to kill me?” It took him a moment or two to disentangle himself from her grip.“You never change, do you?” He said, his words full of affection.He always spoke to her with the affection of an older brother talking to his favorite sister. Annoyed, Brandy pounded him on the chest.Always hoped that Brandy would stay as innocent as a child, but that was never going to be the case.Uncle Sam had already to
BRIANAs he realized that Brian had seen right through him, anger began to take over.He had a powerful urge to kill him.The slower and more painful death, the better.However, that was something that would have to wait.Murdering Brandy Hall's friend in a busy bar wouldn't win him any popularity contests. It was a plan he would have to save for another day. “Don't be so quick to criticize me”, he said. “You may have gotten away with it this evening, but I will get my revenge on you soon”.“I wouldn't be so sure about that”, said Brian.“But I can be sure”, said Ross, a smile starting to appear on his face. “I have a Big Brother and plenty of friends to help me.Next time you might not find the bartender quite so helpful”.“You're going to hide behind your Big Brother?” Asked Brian. “Why is he someone special?”The door to the bar opened.A man walked in.Ross smiled. his Big Brother had just walked in and his timing couldn't have been better.The man saw Ross and walked over.Ross began to s
THROW HIM OUTRoss was surprised that the bartender knew him, but he certainly wasn't complaining.He knew they had backup when it came to making Brian's life even more miserable than he had hoped. “He's the scruffy man over there”, he said, pointing to Brian's back. “He's trying to go backstage to see Brandy, which surely is a serious offense.My advice is that you have him evicted immediately”. “Well, we could always ask Brandy what she thinks”, said the bartender. “After all, she's the star performer.It's only fair that she should decide if she wants a visitor”.Ross was not impressed it wasn't the answer he had wanted to hear. “However”, continued the bartender, winking at Ross. “If she doesn't want any company, young Rossier gets to decide what to do with the unwanted visitor”.Everyone in the room held their breath, listening very carefully. “What's the punishment?” Ross asked one.Ross smiled. He made a choking gesture to the crowd, much to their delight.A huge cheer went up, sig
CODY’S BAR“Don't worry, maybe Brian will come with me”, said Lynn.Samantha looked at her. “Since when have they had such a good relationship?” She thought.But she didn't bother to ask Laura directly.“What's happening tomorrow?” She asked instead.“I thought you were busy”, said Laura. “But seeing as you're asking, it's a social event organized by the college. I thought you might have wanted to come with me”.She sighed.“If you're busy, I'll ask Brian. he won't mind coming with me. he'll make sure I'm OK”.It's sorted Laura, Take Brian”. Being her brother-in-law, she could go out with him without arousing suspicion.Samantha looked at her suspiciously, not convinced that Brian could keep her sister safe.In her mind, it was almost funny.Much more importantly, she was sure they were keeping something from her.Pretending that nothing was worrying her, she decided to go too, despite the pressures of her job. “I think I'll come too”, she said. “It'll be good to have a break from work”.Sh
UNEXPECTED His friends started to laugh mercilessly.By that time, Samantha was in earshot.When she heard laughter, she relaxed, thinking they had already resolved their differences and made-up.Deciding not to get involved, she stayed out of sight around the corner and listen.Has she gone around the corner, she would have realized that she had gotten it drastically wrong. Brian and Ross were staring at each other. Neither had any intention of backing down.Ross threw his cigarette butts on the ground and stepped on it. “I've had enough of your nonsense. It's time I taught you a lesson.Lesson”. Brian repeated questioningly. “A student?,I don't need to be taught a lesson.I think you've got it the wrong way around”. With that, he stepped forward and landed a blow in Ross' stomach”.Ross doubled up, completely taken aback by the punch.As he struggled to catch his breath, he couldn't believe such an unassuming looking man could be so strong. Started to feel nauseated and his vision st