At the Stone's Residence.
Amelia sighed as she disembarked from the car. As much as she wanted to take over the family's business, there was nothing she dreaded more than coming back to this mansion.
The mansion held many more memories than she would have liked to have. The good ones and the bad ones too.
The mansion had no elevator, so she was forced to use the stairs. She wanted to be as quick as possible, avoiding contact and unnecessary discussions as much as possible.
She entered the mansion hurriedly, increasing her pace with every step that she took.
At this moment, Mr. Thomas, the chubby butler, ran over. “Amelia, you’re back! It's finally good to have you here after so long”
“Please Mr. Thomas, I'm not here to exchange any pleasantries. Where's my father?”
The butler’s gaze softened “This household has missed you so much, Amelia. Nothing was the same after you left.
“You're wrong Mr. Thomas, everything changed after that night. There's nothing here for me”
The butler quickly adjusted his gaze l, “Mr. Stone has been expecting your arrival. He's in his study”
Amelia climbed the stairs all the way to the study. She paused as she stood in front of the study. The man in the person of her father was one whom she needed to meet and at the same time wanted to avoid any conversation with.
“Come in. I can smell your perfume all the way from here”, a voice that she recognized to be her father's, spoke from inside.
As she entered the room, Amelia's gaze met her father's, his expression unreadable. The room was bathed in a soft radiant glow, the air was thick with the scent of books and cigar smoke.
She noticed a few changes; a new desk, a new shelf, and a painting on the wall that she recognized to be hers.
“Mr. Stone”, she said her voice cold, steady, and devoid of emotion.
His expression turned cold as he heard her style of address.
“Mr. Stone…. that's new. It seems that that aunt of yours has put ideas into your head”
“I've done as you asked, here is the marriage certificate. I want us to finalize the transfer as soon as possible. I would like to start working tomorrow”
“Always in a hurry, just like your late mother. I never did tell you what killed her, did I?”
“I don't need your explanation. I know enough. Let's not waste any more time” I said trying to keep my composure.
My mother's death was a very sensitive topic for me and I didn't like anyone talking about it at all.
Amelia's Father gestured her to the seat in the study.
“Sit”, he said with a stern expression that gave no room for objection.
Amelia's heart sank. She had wanted this meeting to be brief and business-like. Instead, she found herself being pulled to the past.
“I see you've done as I asked. Well done! Thomas will finalize the transfer of power. You can start working tomorrow”
“If I may ask, why is Edward not with you?”
“You know about Edward?”
“Haa”, he sneered. “You don't expect me not to keep tabs on my daughter. Why is he not here with you? Isn't that the customary thing to do as newlyweds?”
“You have no right to keep tabs on me. Save your energy for your other family.”
“I got married to Nathaniel Brooke, not Edward, and if that's all, I would like to leave”.
Amelia's Father paused deep in thought as he tried to remember where he had heard of that name. Realization dawning on him, his eyes widened as someone flashed in his mind.
“Nathaniel Brooke of Brooke Industry? You've really outdone yourself Amelia. That'll be all. You can go”.
She exhaled as she exited the study. Speaking with her father had been mentally draining. She hated the fact that she had to come here. But this was what she needed to do to take over the company.
Walking across the hall, she couldn't help but notice that all the pictures of her mother were gone. She was ok with it this way, as she wouldn't have to suffer while looking at it.
Getting to her room she went straight for the drawer where all her belongings were neatly kept. As she looked around the room, she found out that the room was just as how she left it.
All she needed to do now was to carry everything that was hers here. A feeling of nostalgia swept over her as the image of her mother putting her to bed cropped up in her mind.
A tear slid down her cheek as she reminisced all the good times she had in this room before that fateful night.
“This is your room, Amelia, you are always welcome here. You don't need to take all your belongings out”
Amelia turned back to see Mr. Thomas leaning against the door and dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.
Mr. Thomas may probably be the only person she would miss in this house. He had been there when she was growing up and had grown to be a part of her life that was still memorable.
“I would very much like to do the opposite, there's nothing for me in this house. I hope I don't come back here ever again”
Mr. Thomas sniffled “You've grown to be a fine young woman. I hope you end up being happy in your marital home”.
Not replying, Amelia turned to leave, her belongings in her hand. She only had a few things here. She had packed most of them when she left the house five years ago.
“Amelia”
“Yes?”
“Your father loves you, I hope you can see that before it's too late”
“Tell him to keep that love for his other family. I don't need it!”
With that, she turned around and left. Stepping out of the mansion, she turned around to take one last view. Suddenly her phone beeped and a message came in.
“Crescent Peak Villa, House 5. Make sure you get here before dawn.”
“Unfortunately, yes, I am. I was held up by the security guard because, according to him, I had not paid for the meal that I had just had. Now tell me, manager, when I hold such a VIP card. Is there any need for me to pay for the dish I ate? Is the card not a license to the best services and supposed to be taken care of by the CEO of this company?”The security guard immediately trembled as he heard Amelia. He had heard of such high-profile customers before who were related to the CEO of the block chains of restaurant blockchains. He had really offended a big shot. And it was all because of his inability to use his mouth properly.“I'm sorry, ma. Forgive me for this mistake. You are right. You do not have to pay for the food according to the policy of company. I'm sorry for the embarrassment that our security might have put you through.”Amelia waved her hand. “It's alright, but unfortunately, I am already in a bad mood, and so I need retribution for what the guard has done. He needs
Thud! Ann immediately flew some tables away and coughed up blood as Amelia's fast reflexes kicked in and she gave her a flying kick. Ann was mad with anger but was also in a lot of pain. She never expected Amelia to be able to deflect her attack and even cause her such an injury. There was really a lot she didn't know about her and she could not even afford to mess with her.She knew that she was done for and knew that Amelia would probably not let her go so she tried to get up on her feet and run away but she found out that no matter how she tried to get up, she just couldn't. The fall from the kick had been so bad that she had been paralyzed in her lower back and so was not able to get up.She panicked as she tried once again to get up but she couldn't. “What have you done to me you bitch. Why can't I get up? Come and do something. I can't get up. I can't get up” She wailed as she knew that she was finished. Apart from being unemployed, she was now paralyzed. This was just too much.
Ann almost fell from her seat when she saw the photos. She never expected that Amelia was aware of the secret that she had been trying to hide for long. She instantly shivered at the thought of this, Amelia could destroy her life entirely and there was nothing she could do about it.“How did you get those pictures?”“That's not the question you should be asking. I know about everything, your plan to sabotage me. Did you really think that it could escape my notice? You truly haven't learned a thing from being around me. You ought to have learnt something and here I was thinking that you were smart. You are clearly just a dummy.”Ann clenched her teeth. She wanted nothing but to rip the photos in front of her to shreds. She had just gone out for one night of enjoyment and she was being dealt with like this. The only thing left for her was to beg. If she played it well Amelia could forgive her and even help her flush out the person.“I didn't mean to do it. I was being blackmailed by som
“Nothing. Is there anything to feel about him? He is just a business partner.”Ann sighed. It seemed that she may not be able to get anything out of her concerning that. Well, she would find out more when they have eaten to their full. Luckily for her, she had brought a drug to help her deal with the effects of the wine of course she would also try to avoid drinking much but not too little to avoid suspicion.“It seems that you are not interested in romantic relationships.”“Well, you can say that. A relationship is not just for me.”Ann sighed again. “It's a pity. With your beauty, so many men would be dying to have your hand or to be in a relationship with you if you aren't even interested in one.”Ann had never felt jealous about this but she couldn't help her thoughts today as something seemed to change in her when she decided to completely turn against Amelia.“Since you think that the waiter is dashing. Why don't you ask for his number? If it is challenging for you, I can help y
Amelia could not believe her eyes when she saw Ann. Ann was wearing the detective earrings that she had created herself. This was one of the products her company made so how could she not recognize it when she saw it on Ann? Instead of being honest with her, she decided to employ such means.This means that she had already made up her mind. Amelia was no fool. She knew that the snake wanted to gather evidence or have something to hold against her and that was why she planned to record her meeting. Amelia made up her mind to deal with her ruthlessly. The small chick had the mind to betray her and then find incriminating information on her.It was a good thing that she had never thought of including her in her other life, if not it would have been a disaster. She had hoped to help her out of her situation but she was shocked to be met with this kind of behavior. Since this was what she wanted, then she would make sure she suffered direly for the consequences that would befall her.Ameli
Amelia turned to look at him. “Oh, Vincent. He is one of the workers in my company. What's the matter?”“What are you speaking with him so informally? He even called you by your name. Since when is that a proper employer-to-employee relationship.”Amelia's face curved upwards as she gave a small chortle, “He is one of my loyal subordinates and this is how I treat them. Is there a problem with that? Don't you call your female employees by name?”“No I don't” Nathaniel answered his voice becoming frosty.“I call them by the position and role that they have been assigned to play in the company. You should do that too. Maintain a fine line between employee and friends.”“Do you maintain a fine line with your secretary Justin? I don't want to turn this into an argument but I clearly won't listen to you. I have tried this method elsewhere and it has worked perfectly so I don't see the the reason why I shouldn't use it.”“Where?”“Excuse me?”“Where have you tried this technique before? If I