Alex’s employees lowered their heads fearfully as he paced in their midst, his face icy with rage, his blood boiling. “None of you can tell me that Derek’s company or one of his engineers mysteriously had the idea to create the exact same machine I invented. That machine was created as a result of years of my own personal hardwork and research!Do you all realise the amount of time I put in it? Do you realise how much of my hardwork has gone down the drain?” He roared, startling all two hundred of them.“I’m giving the culprit twenty four hours and no less to come to my office and confess to his crimes. Maybe then and just then, I might retract all the punishments I have in store for him.”That said, he walked out to his car, followed by Martins and the rest of his men.“What are you going to do now, sir?” Martins asked.Alex rubbed his jaw absent mindedly.“I don’t know yet. I need a few hours of rest. I’ll definitely think of something by tomorrow. Take me home.”“Roger that, sir.”
The next morning, Martins and three of his men were gathered in Alex’s office while he addressed them in somber tones.“…I hope you understand the plan.”They all nodded solemnly.“Yes, young master.”Alex nodded and leaned back in his chair.“I warned him that if he went low, I wouldn’t mind going lower. Derek wanted to step on my toes so badly. I hope he’s man enough to stomach the consequences.Now, we wait…”***. Exactly eight o’ clock in the evening, Alex picked up his tab and scrolled through the business news for the night when he stumbled on a video he’d been waiting for.“… to end the news, here’s a recap of the major stories. There’s a major problem in paradise for business man, Derek Hunter, as all ten investors who bought his miracle machine are all complaining of lapses. These investors have demanded that their money be refunded instantly. Currently, Derek and his company, Hunters & Sons Technology have not released any statements in relation to the matter.The machine i
“You still haven’t discovered who it was that leaked my blueprints?” Alex asked Martins.Martins lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry, young master, but no, I haven’t.”Alex paced his office with his hands firmly clasped behind his back.“It wasn’t a ghost, was it? Have you checked the CCTV footage?”Martins looked up. “Now that I think about it, no we haven’t. I’ll bring it up right now.”Martins hurried out of the room. Just as he was leaving, Luke, one of Alex’s men, stepped in with an iPad.“Young master.” He bowed. “Can I have a minute of your time?”Alex nodded. “What is it, Luke?”“I just wanted to inform you that the Andrews went to the New York Broadcasting Station earlier today and made a lot of defamatory statements about you concerning your involvement in Dr. Blakely’s case.”Intrigued, Alex grabbed the iPad from him and played the recording. A presenter’s voice came over the speakers. “So, we received news that your son was jailed by the just inaugurated Chief Master of The
“Any news from our inside men?” Alex asked Martins the next day.“Yes, sir. I received news that Mrs. Angela is planning on hosting another radio show with Mrs. Andrew tomorrow morning.”Alex smiled.“Concerning this issue?”Martins nodded.“Yes, sir.”“Okay.” Alex heaved a sigh. “I need the phone number of her managing director immediately.”“Yes, sir.” Martins bowed. “I’ll find out right away.”He exited the office and returned several minutes later with a paper in hand.“Here’s the number you requested, young master.”“Thank you Martins.” Alex took the paper and dialled the number with his personal phone without wasting time. The managing director picked up almost immediately.“Hello?”“Hello. My name is Alexander Stephan. I…”“Wait.” The MD cut in, already sounding excited. “Is this The Alexander Stephan? The leader of the Conglomerate?”Alex nodded.“Sure is.”“Wow. Young master, to what do I owe this pleasure?”“There’s something I want you to handle for me, Mr. MD. Someone, ra
ITALY“Get the private jet ready, Martins. We’re going to Italy.”The Grand Diamond Hotel was a world famous hotel located in the heart of Rome. With its modern, luxurious facilities, It could easily boast of being one of the best hotels in Italy. The hotel’s underground luxury club was a place where Italian big dogs gathered frequently. Ranging from drug barons to Dons and masters of the illegal art world, everyone who was someone in the underground crime syndicate frequented the club. And that was exactly where Alex hoped he would meet Don Francesco Carmine.Don Carmine was rumoured to be the most successful peddler of forged art in Italy. Not only could his artworks pass for the real deal, he’d also successfully stolen valuable artworks from museums, made replicas of them and then returned the original and sold the forged duplicates for millions of dollars. He was intelligent. He was crafty. He was a thief – he was exactly the type of criminal Alex expected Derek Hunter to get
“I want the money in my account before we proceed with any plans.” Carmine blurted, waving his gun in the air like a lunatic.Alex, on the other hand, remained calm.“All I need is your account details and the money will be wired to you immediately. Martins, note down the Don’s account details and forward it to my accountant immediately.”Martin obliged. For the next tense, silent seconds, the transaction was made and they all waited for Carmine to receive the money. A few moments later, a phone’s beep pierced the stiff atmosphere. Carmine whipped out his phone and stared at it for a few seconds, unable to believe his eyes. He slowly looked up at Alex, blinking at him like he’d fallen from the sky.“You were not joking.” He murmured in disbelief. “Two hundred million dollars.”Alex shrugged.“I am a man of my word, Carmine. But the real question is, are you? It’s your turn to fulfil your half of the deal.”“I can’t believe this.” Carmine muttered as he slowly took his seat. “Two hund
The crowd was frozen. All the guests stared at Blakely with stunned expressions. Meanwhile, Blakely lifted her chin, her eyes shining with pride.“Are you all surprised?” She asked, her voice as soft as silk. “Oh, don’t be. Our engagement was done hush hush. My fiancé is so in love with me that he couldn't even wait to organise a proper engagement party.”The women whispered amongst themselves, their voices laced with jealousy.“I can’t believe he’s taken.” One of the guests muttered sadly, “and I had my eyes on him. He’s so handsome.”“Ugh, forget the fact that they’re engaged and just take a look at her.” Meredith, Hunter Technlogy’s receptionist sneered. “What exactly does she have that we don’t? She’s not even that pretty and she has absolutely zero class. Alex made a terrible choice.”Her friends nodded in agreement. The truth was, both women were well aware of the fact that Blakely outshined them in both the beauty and sophistication department. They were just bitter that Alex
“Dang, it’s too bright…” Blakely moaned as she slowly blinked her eyes open. A sharp, bright light pierced through her lashes, almost blinding her. Disoriented, she tried to sit up but pain exploded in her already pounding skull and she fell against the hard chair with a grunt of pain.“It hurts.” She groaned, a single tear slipping down the corners of her eyes. “Everything hurts.”Her entire body felt like she’d just been panel beaten with a pestle. From the roots of her hair to her aching feet, she was completely in pain.“Where am I?” She whispered to herself, trying to remember what had happened. After five seconds of trying hard, she still couldn’t remember a thing. As she made to sit up, a deep, booming baritone filled the room.“Pumpkin pie, I can see you’re awake.”Blakely’s eyes flew open immediately. Her heart pounded wildly against her ribcage and her pulse thrummed with fear.“That voice…” she whispered. “I know that voice.”In the silence of the room, the echoing sound
SIX MONTHS LATER:“Do you, Alexander Stephan, take Camilla to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health until death do you part?”Alex’s heart was filled with happiness as he replied confidently;“Yes, I do.”The priest turned to Camila and asked her the same question. She nodded eagerly as she responded;“Yes. Yes, I do.”“I now declare you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”Camilla was glowing with happiness as Alex wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in for a soft, slow kiss while the audience cheered them on.When he finally drew backwards, he placed his forehead against hers and whispered;“I’m so happy that I finally get to marry the love of my life.”She nodded, her eyes brimming with happy tears. “Let’s be together forever.”“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Stephan!!” The priest announced.The screams and cheers got louder as the priest raised both their hands to the crowd. The past few months
The moment Blakely left the conference centre, Camilla watched in confusion as Alex started making a series of calls.“Yes, she just left. Get the security detail ready. I hope our bodyguards at the mansion are already on stand-by. Get someone to follow her. We’ll give her thirty minutes max before the operation begins…”When he finally ended all his calls and turned to her, Camilla was way beyond confused. “What’s going on, Alex? You sound like you’re preparing for war.”“More like preparing to catch a snake.” He replied as he lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.Camilla frowned. “Snake? What snake?”Alex smiled. “Listen carefully. It’s about Blakely…”***Exactly thirty minutes later, Alex received a call from Peter, his chief-of-security.“Sir, they’re about to resume their operations. Should we strike?”“No. Wait for me. I’ll be there in five minutes.”“Akex, let me come with you.” Camilla begged for the umpteenth time. Alex leaned forward and pressed a kiss aga
ONE YEAR LATER…So far, Alex had completely frustrated every single one of Blakely’s plan to get him to sign any documents. He read every single document that was brought to him thoroughly before he signed them. He’d also tripled and quadrupled his security, equipping them with modern weapons to enable them to face any kind of threats.There was simply zero space for Blakely and her boyfriend to carry out their devious plans and today, he was finally ready to expose her for who she really was. Alex had left unfinished business in New York when he travelled to Spain and today was the day he finally wrapped it all up. Today the competition between Hunters Technology and Alexander Group was finally coming to an end. Exactly eight months ago, Romanov, one of the members of the Las Vegas Conglomerate had brought a competition to his doorstep. Several companies in New York City were to compete against the Xanders Group of Companies, now known as the Alexander Group of companies. The
After making sure that the Guerreros’ vacated all the properties that belonged to him, it was finally time for Alex to depart for Spain.Camila still refused to see him and despite his insistence, she claimed that she never wanted to see him again. Despite the fact that he’d achieved his goals, his shoulders hung with disappointment and his eyes were downcast as he boarded the private jet that would take him to New York… away from Camila.Ten minutes later, while he was waiting for take off, his phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID revealed that it was Tony. His detective. “Hello, Tony.”“Hello, sir. I hear you’ll be returning today.”Alex frowned. Only few people knew that information because he wanted to keep his return as under the radar as possible. Few people being him and Tariq.“How did you know that?”“I’m a private Investigstor, sir. How else would I know?”“Have you been watching me?”“For your own safety, yes.”Alex sat up immediately. His interest was piqued.“Wha
Tariq’s words settled around the room like dust on a dark, gloomy night.No one said anything for the next few seconds. The room was as quiet as a graveyard… until Mendez broke the silence.“What’s your evidence that you’re really Alexander’s son? You could just be a scam trying to get money from us.”Tariq tried to argue but Alex hurriedly cut in;“There’s no need to enagage them in a fruitless argument when we can just show them prove.”He lifted a finger and one of his guards, Peter, came forward with a briefcase. He retrieved a few papers from the briefcase and handed them to Alex who in turn gave the papers to Mendez.“In case you’re wondering, that’s the DNA test result. It was conducted by Alexander himself before he passed as evidence that I’m really his biological grandson. If you check the date, that test was conducted almost twenty four years ago. Do you believe me now?”Mendez ran his eyes through the papers, his heartbeat tripling with shock. “It can’t be. It can’t fuck
Suddenly, the television which hung in the conference room came on, displaying footage from the CCTV cameras outside. Everyone turned in its direction and watched in surprise as several tinted, bullet proof cars drove into the premises.“Mr. Alvaro, those cars do not belong to you, do they?”Hugo shook his head. “They don’t. All the cars we came with are already safely parked in the garage. I don’t know who these people are.”Mendez swung into action immediately. He picked up his phone and called the security personnel downstairs.“Seal the building. Nobody comes in and no one goes out. It appears that we have a new set of visitors and I have no idea who they are.”When he was done with the phone call, Mendez put down his phone and forced a smile.“I’m sure everything is perfectly fine. Maybe they missed their way.” He turned to Camila.“Weren’t you about to sign the documents? What are you waiting for?”Camila picked up the pen but once again, they were interrupted by the sounds of
After waiting for another fifteen and staring at the door longingly, Camila finally accepted the fact that Alex just wasn’t going to show up. He’d abandoned her. Her heart was breaking into pieces deep within her chest but she’d already vowed not to shed another tear for a man.She glanced at her Rolex, her eyes widening in shock when she saw how much time had gone.“Shit! It’s already two minutes to ten o’clock?”All her sorrows forgotten, she hurriedly slipped on the shoes she’d abandoned and made her way towards the conference room.Thankfully, when she finally made it, the Alvaro’s hadn’t arrived yet. Mrs. Maria’s lips curled in a frown when she saw her.“Oh, thank God you’re here. Where were you and what were you doing?”Camila lowered her head.“I’m sorry, aunt.”Mrs. Maria gave her narrow-eyed, suspicious look.“What the heck happened to your make-up? Were you crying?”Alarmed, Camila’s head snapped upwards.“Crying? No, of course not.”“Then why is your makeup looking all sm
Alex was standing at the balcony of his new apartment when his phone suddenly rang. He fished it out if his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Tariq.He pressed the phone against his ear. “Tariq.”“Alex.” He sounded upset. “What is this I hear about speeding up the plan?”“Oh. I guess Alejo called you.”“Start explaining yourself, boy.”“Everything he told you is true. I asked him to invite the Guerreros to sign the documents tomorrow. What’s the use of waiting till next week when we could just get everything done this week?”Tariq sighed.“Don’t you think you’re going too fast? What if Maria or Mendez gets suspicious and decide to investigate?”“There will be no such investigations, Tariq. Calm down. In fact, Maria had been requesting that Alejo fix this meeting since two weeks ago. Calling them right now will not be suspicious at all.”Tariq calmed down a notch. “Okay, then.I hope so. What’s the plan?”Alex was alone in his house, but he lowered his voice cautiously like someone
Alex was speechless. He stared at Camila, momentarily conflicted.“Isn’t this what you wanted?” He asked calmly. “You asked me to stay out of your personal life. You asked me not to pry… and that’s exactly what I’m doing. What’s the problem?”Camila heaved a sigh, leaned back against her seat and shut her eyes for the next few seconds. When she opened them, she looked spent… exhausted.“I miss you.” She whispered. “I miss you so much, David. I really wish I didn’t have to marry Hugo but I have no choice. What should I do? Help me.”More tears slithered down her smooth cheeks and Alex’s self control nearly snapped. He dropped his cleaning supplies and came closer, pausing just beside her table.“If you need my help, you’re gonna have to tell me what’s going on. Everything.”She blinked at him. “Won’t you hug me first? Won’t you comfort me?”Alex nearly leapt forward and wrapped her in his arms but he physically forced himself to stay put.“The fact that I’ve decided to help you doesn’t