Debra checked her watch. "His expertise is limited, so I sent him to learn from a pro. Should be done soon.""Learn?" Randy and Erica exchanged puzzled looks....At the Nichols Group headquarters, Drake glanced at his watch, antsy. "Time's up, right? The party has started.""Ten minutes to go," Juan said from behind his desk."Ten minutes? Screw this, I'm out." Drake stood up.Juan hit a buzzer, and some big guys blocked the door."Every minute you waste here, you're a minute late leaving," he said coolly. "I'm not going tonight. Got all the time in the world to wait you out."Drake gritted his teeth, frustrated.If Debra hadn't forced him into this, he'd have bailed ages ago. Back in the day, he wouldn't have taken this crap."Back when I learned such stupid lessons..." he grumbled."Forget back then," Juan interrupted, flipping through files. "Those were shady means. Nothing legit about it."Drake had no comeback.Those loopholes were the foundation of the Lowe Group. T
"Let's go," Jordan said. "There's still a ton to do. Can't leave it all to Randy and Erica to figure out."Debra shook her head. "Let them handle it while they're willing. I bet Randy ditches it in a few days.""Ditches it?" Jordan frowned.Marion chuckled, knowing Randy all too well.Randy wasn't cut out to be a businessman. With no one else in the Osborne family, he had to take over Enoch's shares and lead. But over time, he would be tired of it.In the end, it would fall to them."Let's hang out tonight," Jordan suggested. "I booked a private room. You know, after this, we'll go our separate ways."They had teamed up to fight against the Illuminati. Now it was done, they would go back to their original lives.Debra nodded. "Did you tell everyone?""Yup," Jordan said. "We've all been swamped with the Illuminati crap. Today's a rare breather for everyone."He glanced at Marion. "I invited Juan too, out of courtesy. No clue if he'll show.""He won't," Marion said flatly.De
Randy's jaw dropped. "What's all this?""Mrs. Houston said you two might get bored," Ben explained. "So, she sent over some work for you guys to handle.""What the hell?" Randy grumbled. "How could she pull such a stunt? Totally Marion's thing."And Debra had anticipated their decision and prepared these files."Chill," Erica soothed him. "Debra's finally catching a break. Let her and Marion visit their folks. We can handle this."Randy grumbled but nodded. Enoch screwed over the other families. He had to own that."When I'm done with this, I'll dump the company on them," he said. "Then I'm throwing you a wedding. Something bigger than theirs.""Love the first part," Erica teased. "But topping their wedding? Good luck.""Are you doubting my abilities?" He raised an eyebrow."Don't take it personally," she said, scratching her head. "But that wedding cost a fortune.""No sweat. I've got cash," he bragged, then faltered.Marion and Debra's wedding was grand, and it had been li
Andrew's funeral was half a month behind them. The Illuminati mess was nearly cleaned up.In his office, Randy leaned back in the chair. He rubbed his temples and sighed, "Goddamn, everyone else's old man leaves gold mines. Mine dumps a pile of crap on me.""Who are you blaming?" Erica munched on snacks from the sofa. "Enoch started the Illuminati mess. Of course, you're stuck fixing it. But hey, the rest of your family stayed clean. The Osborne Group is worth 40 billion dollars. You're rich.""40 billion. Can it cash out that much? If it could, I'd sell it, and we'd travel the world.""No way. That's the legacy of your ancestors. You can't let them down."Randy fell silent.He could fight, but finance was not his thing. He hadn't officially managed any affairs of the company. He didn't have any real power."Why don't we sell it to Debra?" he suggested. "I mean, she loves doing business. We can live on dividends.""Are you serious?" Erica challenged.He shrank back. "I was jus
William had been by Andrew's side for years, watching him pour his heart into revenge, not for himself, but for the two people he loved the most.William respected him for it."Now that you know, step up. The Potter family is full of sharp people. Don't let them outshine you," he said, patting Jordan on the shoulder. "You can do it."Jordan was quiet for a moment. "Can't tell Debra, right.""No. Anyone but her. Or I'll be in trouble.""Why? Doesn't he know she'll be heartbroken? He's okay with her hurting like this?""It's just temporary. Life and death are normal. If he's around, what about her and Marion? There is no turning back."Andrew wasn't the same guy anymore. Neither was Debra.They couldn't rewind things. It would only get awkward. Forgetting was the best call."Got it. I'll keep it under wraps.""Good. I've got stuff to do, so see you around."William bolted.Outside, a car waited. He hopped in, yanked off his wire, and tossed it to Barton up front."How was my
Jordan suddenly noticed a piece of paper in William's hand.He snatched it and found out it was a death certificate for someone who had died of tuberculosis. He immediately recalled when the doctor handed him Andrew's death notice last night.The cause matched."What is going on here? You'd better make it clear," he demanded, feeling something was off.William glanced around and made a silent gesture."Keep it down. If Mr. Andrew Potter finds out, I'm screwed.""You mean Andrew...""Shh! I don't want trouble."William flailed, making frantic hush gestures. Jordan let him go."Make it clear.""Follow me."William dragged him into an empty room."Andrew doesn't have tuberculosis.""What? Then why was he coughing all the time?""That was just anemia. He overthought everything and had a bad depression. Honestly, a lot of it was self-inflicted."He caught Jordan's glare and backtracked."I mean, he had to fight the Illuminati and couldn't stop thinking. Constant medications