Chapter 4: Find Out All About Her

Xavier

“I have told you several times that in this business there are no friends. You have to be very careful about who you let into your space.” My father scolded me on the phone.

“I understand your point, father, but I have told you countless times not to worry about Adrian. And like I’ll always tell you, Adrian is my friend and brother.” I said.

"Brother, from where? Because I am sure he didn’t come out of my loins.” My father said, and I had to roll my eyes. My father could be a little bit dramatic at times.

“You know too well that I meant he is like a brother to me,"'I said.

There was silence for a while, and I felt like dropping the call already but decided to let him say all he had to say.

“You know what is best for you, and I will never try to dictate your life in any way. I hope you find out what happened to the containers quickly, and although I still don’t trust your friend, I hope for his own sake he is really a genuine friend.” He said.

“Don’t worry about Adrian, Father; he is a loyal friend, but even if he betrays me in the long run, I’ll treat him how I treat betrayals, so you have nothing to worry about,” I said, and we talked for a while before I dropped the call.

I stood up from my desk and strolled out of the study towards the living room, where I met Adrian, seated.

“Hey man, you wasted a bit of time in there.” He said, stretching his hands for a handshake.

“I was on the phone with my father,” I replied, collecting the handshake.

“The suspect has been caught and is currently tied up in the dark room. The boys have also given him the beating of his life, but they haven’t been able to get any information from him.” He said.

I took a stick of cigarettes and lit it up before smoking it. I drew the smoke and puffed it out before replying to him. “Follow me; I doubt they have given him the beating of his life because if they really had, he would have told me what I need to know by now.”

We got to the dark room, and I could hear the cries and grunts of the man from inside the room. I entered inside, and the boys immediately paused with the torture when they saw me.

"Welcome, boss,” they greeted in unison.

I ignored them and walked over to the guy who was tied to the chair like an animal.

"Boss, please forgive me. I promise I have no idea what happened to the containers. I just did my job as you requested; I didn’t steal from you, nor did I tamper with the containers.” He pleaded.

I took a drag and puffed the smoke on his face before speaking up. “I never make mistakes; I always make sure to do my double checks so I don’t end up hurting an innocent person. You are only here because you are guilty. Now tell me what I need to know.”

"Please, master, I didn’t do..." He tried to lie, and I used the clip in my hands to pull out one of his fingers, making him scream in pain. He couldn’t believe his eyes and looked terrified upon seeing the blood.

I was about to pull a second finger when he shouted, “I’ll speak up, please; don’t remove another finger, please.” He said clearly, in pain.

I looked at him and laughed a little. Can you imagine that he couldn’t even take a little pain yet had the guts to steal from me?

“It was Lucious; he threatened to kill my wife and son if I refused to do his bidding; that was why I did it. Please spare my life. I promise I didn’t mean to betray you, master. I was just trying to protect my family.” He pleaded.

“Trying to protect your family at the expense of my business? How many times have I told you guys that if anyone ever tries to blackmail or threaten you, you should report it to me with our secret code?” I said and discarded the cigarette.

“So where is my container now?” I asked in a cold tone.

“It’s in Lucious' warehouse.” He replied, trembling.

I signaled the guys, and they knew what to do. I stood up and left the room immediately.

“Lucious was really playing with fire by trying to steal from me. Teach him what it means to mess with me and recover my goods.” I said to one of my trusted allies.

“Yes boss.” He replied and left the house immediately.

I headed to my room to take a cool shower, and my mind wandered off to the girl I met yesterday. I remembered the shock on her face when she saw me and how she was drooling over me shamelessly like she could eat me any minute, and it made me laugh. I really do have that effect on women.

I remembered the shock on her face when I rudely asked her what she was doing there and how she punched me after, hurting her arm in the process.

I guess she doesn’t really know who I am, because if she did, she never would have acted that way, not to mention hitting my car glass with a stone.

She was a crazy girl, and for some weird reason, I felt intrigued by her. I wanted to see more of that craziness, and she looked really beautiful and sexy too, just like the type of girl I’d like to settle down with, only that she looked really innocent.

I tried to push her to the back of my mind and just take a shower, but it was almost impossible as she was stuck in my head.

“For fuck sake, Xavier, get over it; you’ve seen more women in this lifetime.” I scolded myself.

Indeed, I have seen so many women, but could any compare to her? She looked so beautiful, and her skin was so perfect too. I came out of the bathroom, dried my body, and decided I was going to look for her.

I called Adrian, and in a few minutes, he was already in my room.

“What was so urgent that you couldn’t wait to get out of your robe?” He teased, and I just glared at him.

“Remember the girl who threw a stone that broke my car glass yesterday?” I asked, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, what about her? I was even surprised that you let her go so easily yesterday. Do you want me to look for her so you can have her punished, or do you want me to schedule a meeting with her so she could come please you?” He asked with a knowing look.

“It’s not any of that, Adrian. Just look for her for me. I want to know her name, her parents, the reason she was there at the club yesterday, and her house; that shouldn’t be hard at all for you, I presume.” I asked.

“Not at all; just give me 30 minutes to an hour, and I will be back with the information you seek.” He said before leaving the room.

I went about my business, and true to his words, in about 40 minutes he was back in my room.

"Okay, go on.” I urged him as he took his seat. I was a bit impatient.

“Her name is Jade Williams, and she’s 23. She lives with her dad on Hiton’s Street downtown and was at the club to see her friend Layla, who works for the club.”

“And now to the part you’ll love the most. Her father is William Cornell.” He said with a smile on his face.

“Which William Cornell?” I asked, trying to remember.

“The same William Cornell who stole from you, the one you deemed the money irrelevant and decided to let go.” He replied, and I nodded with a smile before sending him out.

“My dear Jade, so your father had the guts to steal from me, huh? I guess I am going to pay your house a courtesy visit soon.” I thought to myself with a smile on my face.