Jeffrey knew that there was a store not too far away from the castle. All he had to do was drag his feet to the store. He was without a phone so he would have to beg someone for theirs so that he would call Rico.He also needed to get an inhaler at the store. He knew that an inhaler cost around 25 dollars and he had his credit card in his pocket. But what he wasn’t sure of was whether the amount on his card was up to 25 dollars.He had to try his luck though and perhaps if the cashier saw his condition, whoever it was would have some pity on him and sell the inhaler without paying the full amount.At least, they wouldn’t just watch him completely go out of breath, would they?With his hands clutching his chest with a convulsion of panic, he wobbled into the store amidst people staring at him strangely. The people were wondering what was happening and some of them brought out their phones to take videos instead of helping him.He wobbled along until he got to the counter, his breath wh
“Sir, I am sorry that you had to wait for a while so that I could attend to him but I only gave him priority because he doesn’t look like someone who could survive up to the next hour. You can clearly see him wheezing in a deep need for breath.”“And what if he is wheezing in pain? Does that mean we get to be delayed?”“Sir, that is very inconsiderate of you. This man needs an inhaler and you can’t say that you are not aware of that. My professional position doesn’t allow me to get him one if not I would have got him a cheap inhaler at least just so he doesn’t collapse in this condition.”“How foolish of you to call us inconsiderate. You are very unprofessional and under normal circumstances, this should be the last day you work in this store,” the man bellowed, his eyes red in anger“Yes, you are making quite a mess of your job and that is very unprofessional,” another woman added.Some of the customers in the queue who couldn’t stand the commotion that was brewing left the queue to
There was still a dead silence before the phone hung up to Jeffrey’s utmost frustration. He gritted his teeth as his mind was racing with terror.He deleted Rico's number from the security’s phone to make sure that there was no trace before giving him back the phone. “Thanks a lot, man. I can’t thank you enough,” he said and readied his feet in preparation to leave the store.But he noticed something strange before leaving. Two men were behind him and not too far. They were wearing designer suits but their physique was a little too imposing for them to be business gurus or company owners. They looked like physical trainers even with their suits and it clicked into Rico’s mind that they could be guards.He didn’t want to make an assumption yet but a final glance at them made him see that the two men were talking to each other, a little earbud in their ears as they gave each other subtle signals.Damn! They weren’t just customers and they must have had ulterior motives, Rico thought.He
“We have to get Paul aware of this,” Sarah said. “Perhaps there could be some way that he could be of help. He is our best bet at dealing with the old witch.”“Alright, Ma’am,” Rico said.“Everything would be fine okay? Right now we just have to trust Paul and believe that he would do us a solid.”Just as they were talking, Paul walked into the company with Miriam who he had rescued at the hands of the Kazitanis.Miriam was still looking very messy so she went ahead to her office restroom to have a shower while Paul went ahead to check on how Sarah was feeling after her delivery.Paul looked so mature and handsome to Sarah as he got into the room where she was. Sarah couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had she stayed with Paul instead of listening to the pressure that the Winston’s put her in so that she could divorce him.Perhaps she would have had her actual husband with her at the point of her delivery instead of just some nurses and her brother. That wasn’t the kind
His heart weighed down when he remembered how Lord Winston trusted him with a lot of his financial records and money. Lord Winston promised a lot of things to Paul. He taught him a lot of things that he was using in his leadership. What if he were still alive? Maybe Winston Corporation wouldn’t have been so corrupted as it was.‘Well, perhaps his death paved the way for him,’ Paul reasoned in a way to console himself.His mind traced back to the present and what Marcus Winston was explaining to him.“—and did you even try pleading with Lady Winston? Perhaps all she needed was someone or a group of persons to appease her ego.”Sarah, who was feeling embarrassed to talk before suddenly and with a burst of tension spoke out. “Do you really think such a wicked woman was going to listen to any pleas? I am just unlucky to be born into the Winstons - it is a complete shame.”Sarah spoke with a quiver of emotion, her voice breaking amidst tears that were falling from her eyes. “I wish I coul
“I guess that shows how much there is a lack of integrity in every dealing with the Winstons.”Mr. Maxwell was blazing with a fury of surprise. “We agreed that my investments would be stable as long as they keep me updated on every employee's status - those who left the company, those who were sacked from the company, and those who are to face disciplinary issues.” “Were any of those sent to you?” Paul inquired.“Yes, they usually sent the memos and a monthly list of employees status but now that you mention it, I can’t help but think that I have been deceived and that the reports that they have been sending to me are all fake.”“Mr. Maxwell, I advise that you do a proper assessment of your records very well. You just might discover more things that the Winstons have hidden from you.”“This is quite terrible, Mr. Leonard,” Mr. Maxwell uttered angrily. “I have always been a top investor and is this how they treat me? They know how business-oriented I am and how I value integrity and h
The finances of Winstons Corporation were never stable and sometimes she secretly wished that hadn’t intimidated Sarah from her position as secretary. A lot of the blame was going to go her way in the event of a poor financial situation for the Winstons.“Set me up with Mr. Maxwell through a phone call conversation,” Lady Winston instructed and Janet did as she was asked.She passed the landline onto Lady Winston when the call had gone through.“Good day, Mr. Maxwell,” Lady Winston greeted.“Good day.”“Erm, sir—we have found out that there is a little issue with your investments. We have not been receiving them as we should - we want to know what has happened?”“Not much has happened, Lady Winston,” Maxwell responded, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips. “Well, except that I am no longer interested in being an investor in your company.”Lady Winston gaped with a horror of disbelief, her breath held with a deadly gasp and her face flushed in astonishment.What did she just hear?
She headed into the garage and then to her car and drove out checking her map almost every moment to make sure that she didn’t miss her way.She finally got to Fort Avenue and the location that pointed out the address looked like a small office. It was one of Paul’s warehouses but it was later turned into an office for official purposes.She got into the office room and it had a deadly air of strangeness, its lighting a surreal of shadows. The air was filled with scents of flowers as she glanced around, her face contorted with confusion.She thought of heading back to the door. Perhaps she had missed the address. Things were looking a little too strange.She soon heard the sound of a door flung open. She didn’t know there was a door there. A young lady in her late twenties walked out of the door, her posture very sleek and curvaceous as she walked elegantly toward Lady Winston.“Have a seat, Ma’am,” the lady said, pointing toward the direction where she should sit.Lady Winston turne
Paul who was darting from side to side in confusion soon saw a figure in front of him. His ropes were cut off a lightning speed as he was escorted out of the hall by a figure.Paul gasped in shock when he saw the figure that had come to protect him.“Dane Michaelson?!” Paul gasped in surprise. “Is this you? What are you doing?”Dane Michaelson was Paul’s long-term friend and high schoolmate who had always been like a guardian angel to him. He always protected Paul from bullies when he was in high school and even had a young age, Dane Michaelson had impressive fighting skills that he used to defeat anyone who came across him to defy him or any of his friends. Paul learned a few fighting skills from Dane but their friendship was put to a halt when Dane had to travel far away for a scholarship. He promised that he was going to be back though and that he would always keep an eye on him.“I told you that I would be back for you, didn't I?” Dane spoke in a hurried tone, his words coming o
He didn’t want Grandpa Leonard to suffer more than he already had and he was feeling as though he should have done more to protect Grandpa Leonard.Grandpa Leonard was also tied with bonds to the wheelchair and his face was set in a mask of grim determination as he endured the agony, his eyes narrowed with focus against the torrent of pain.“I am the head of the Imperial Society Syndicate, not him,” Pail spoke, trying to defend Grandpa Leonard.“Son, do not worry about me. This is not the time to speak of vain things,” Grandpa Leonard spoke sternly as if to tell Paul not to worry about him.The Red Witch erupted in a burst of laughter that echoed through the hall, her expression twisted into a malicious smile as she took pleasure in her evil deeds. It brought her so much joy to see Paul and Grandpa Leonard sit side-by-side and have their faces contorted with grief.Her smile curved into a malicious grin as she turned towards Paul. “Long time, no see Paul Leonard. Don’t tell me that yo
Paul could hear their voices and it was mixed with laughter and merriment. The stench of alcohol filled the place and Paul was wondering if it was the same person that was tied to a chair that everyone was celebrating about.But there was something else that caught Paul’s interest. He kept hearing them call out a Red Witch. He had heard the word more than twice already since his eyes fluttered open and from the conversation that his ears were able to pick, it seemed as if the Red Witch wasn’t just an ordinary person.It could be one of their leaders, he thought. Or could it be the person that was assigned to kill him and render whatever punishment they had against him?Paul was suddenly shocked when he received a huge flow of water attacking him on his face. He spluttered and shuddered as his body shook violently, expelling the water from his lungs. His throat was constructed painfully as he tried to draw breath. He shook his face repeatedly so that the water could fall off his face a
Sarah couldn’t help but defend herself. She wasn’t just going to keep quiet and allow things to happen to her. She had to speak up and defend herself, she thought.“I brought the antidote that is now the reason why you are alive. I suffered a lot and risked a lot to get the antidote. I had an agreement with Janet, Frank, and Thomas but they haven’t told me anything,” Sarah stammered in panic, her words tumbling out rapidly as she tried to explain herself. “I don’t deserve this treatment and I don’t understand why you have to force me here as if I shouldn’t be one of the partakers of the good things of Winston Corporation. If you knew what I did to get the antidote for you, you probably wouldn’t be treating me this way. What else do I have to do to prove that I deserve my previous position back.”Janet retorted. “Liar! Liar! You cannot get your previous position back. You are a rotten piece of dirt!l Janet retorted.”Janet was always upset by the fact that Sarah was desperate to get h
Sarah’s voice was breaking because she wondered what she said that was wrong. “Y-e-s.”“What?!” Arianna fumed. “What exactly are you still doing at the inner chamber? You have already made the mistake of giving them the antidote but what business do you still have there?”“I just think that maybe they would—-” Sarah’s voice was breaking with tension.Arianna spoke over her in a loud frothing. “You think what exactly? What exactly do you think? Are you still delusional enough to think that Lady Winston would give you the requests that you asked for?”Arianna’s tone was insistent and her expression furious as she rendered a warning. “What exactly are you still there for when they have already shown you the writing on the wall? Oh my goodness!”“You had better start running away from there because if the history of your family’s wickedness is anything to go by, then it won’t be long until they arrest you and even do much worse to you than they wanted to do before. Do you think Lady Winst
Arianna’s voice was tinged with a hint of unease as she tried to communicate her fears. “Doctor Lopez? Wait, don’t tell me that you tried to get the antidote from him to help Lady Winston.”Sarah bit her lips again because she didn’t know how to answer the question. “That’s exactly what I did,” she finally spoke out.“My goodness!” Arianna spoke out loud, her voice ringing with a loud echo from the phone as she conveyed her disappointment. “I thought that Paul already gave you a new and improved job. What happened that would make you go back to the same mess that you were coming from.”“I just couldn’t find it comfortable there. I couldn’t stop thinking about Winston Corporation. I thought that I felt at home at Winston Corporation,” Sarah attempted to justify herself, her voice faltering because she realized the fault in her argument.“Can you even listen to yourself?” Arianna seethed, her voice rising with a cold anger and tinged with disappointment. “You are somehow trying to justi
“Do you really think that I will listen to her deceits? She has seen that Paul can do no good for her and now she wants to return to where she made a life. Oh, how foolish does she think we would be.”“In any case, I am glad that she came right into our hands because now she will get the punishment that she escaped narrowly before. Who would have thought that she would come right under our nose so easily for us to dismantle her.”Janet's cheek flushed with happiness as she smiled brightly, her eyes shining with excitement.Of course, neither she nor her brothers had the intention of fulfilling the pact that they had with Sarah. They were all trying to get the antidote and now that Lady Winston was back in a healthy condition, they could do away with Sarah. In fact, Frank and Thomas especially were expecting Lady Winston not to suspend the punishment that she had earlier placed on her.“Come to think of it. Where is she now? Where did she go? “ Lady Winston asked. They all turned the
She recalled that she had forgotten the gun that Arianna gave to her in Doctor Lopez’s office. That gun was the evidence that was going to stand against her if Doctor Lopez died. Her mind started reeling with desperate thoughts. What if she had committed murder all for nothing? Was she going to lose on both ends? How long was she going to keep foolishly trusting her family to back her up and then proving that they were always going to stab her in the back?An investigation was going to be carried out into what happened with Doctor Lopez, she reasoned. They were going to trace it to her and tell Paul about it. She couldn't imagine how disgusted Paul was going to feel to learn that she had betrayed him even much more intentionally this time.The inner chamber had high ceilings adorned with intricate carvings. The walls were lined with tapestries and brilliant decorations conveying a sense of power and prestige. Frank and Thomas led Lady Winston until she reclined on a sumptuous chair
Lady Winston soon spoke, her words drowned with fatigue and her speech slow and deliberate as she feigned an extra bit of tiredness. “Hello everyone. I appreciate that you have all come here to witness this moment. I appreciate all those whose prayers and thoughts have been with me.”“But as you can see, I am recovering from a very delicate condition that would require that I have a long rest so I will be accompanied by my family - Frank, Thomas, Estevan, and Janet who I am sure must have been working day and night to ensure that I am back to normalcy.”The employees all erupted in applause, their faces contorted with nervousness as they gradually returned to their duty posts.Sarah’s expression was glazed, her eyes unfocused and her mouth hanging slightly open as she stared blankly, her features slack with confusion. Her haze was disoriented as she stared back and forth, her expression clouded with confusion and uncertainty. The applause was like a torment to her because it was cons