____________________________🌱
"The other firm is as competent as we are so we have to put in all our best. The contract worth lots of money and y'all know you'll get so many tips off it" Harold said,addressing his staffs in the meeting room.
They sat in a circle corporately dressed,Harold was seated on a high chair, facing them all.
They listened as he spoke professionally and most of the female employees gushed over him as usual.
Harold manages to avoid their gazes all the time cause they do nothing than cast seductive glances towards him.
"So i hope we all work very hard for this upcoming project" Harold said.
"We will Mr Harold" They chorused.
"Have a great day, I'll fill you in on more informations later" Harold said, dismissing them.
They all left for their offices and Harold sighed.
He loosened the top of his shirt and pulled the knot of his silver-grey tie away from his collar.
He picked the bottle of water on the table and then headed for the door.
He's still gonna drop by Harold's constructions later in the afternoon.
There's another contract there too.
He exchanged smiles with Thelma, his secretary as he walked past her.
She has been working with him for the past five years,she's one of the females he's sure of that doesn't have eyes on him.
Maybe because she's in her early forties or because she's happily married with four kids.
Aside from not having eyes on him,she has been a great secretary,so diligent. Always ready to work.
The glass door opened automatically and Harold walked into his massively furnished office.
He dropped the bottle of water on the table and then headed for the bathroom.
He rinsed his face in the sink and sighed calmly.
The water refreshed him.
He wiped his hands off a clean napkin before walking back into his office and then sat on his soft leather couch.
He opened his laptop and powered it.
It came into life and he scrolled to his files.
He clicked on it and continued working from where he stopped.
"Coffee!" Thelma announced, walking in.
Harold turned to her and salivated at the sight of the steaming coffee and hamburger.
She had made it a duty to bring that to him whenever he's working and he enjoys it so much.
"Thank you" Harold said as she placed it right in front of him.
"You're welcome" She smiled. "How's Ivory?" She added.
"She's good" Harold smiled.
"My regards to her" Thelma said.
"Alright".
*
He was still on his hamburger and coffee when the intercom buzzed.
He scowled and pressed the answering button.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"You've got a call Mr Harold" Thelma said.
"From who?" He asked.
"Tom"
'Tom?' Harold wondered.
Tom has never called him on working hours.
"Put him on" He said.
"Yes Mr Harold" Thelma said and the line went dead for a moment and then a voice said 'Hello Mr Harold'
It's truly Tom's voice.
"Tom" Harold said.
"Our car was shot at" He said.
"What!" Harold exclaimed, getting up from the couch.
His legs hit the table in the process and the whole coffee spilled but he was less concerned about that now.
His mind rose over what Tom just told him.
"I hope no one's hurt?" Harold finally asked.
"Irene... is in the hospital" Tom said.
"Oh..my God!" Harold exclaimed slamming the receiver before rushing out.
**
Harold sat in Doc Fern office, he just checked on Irene.
She's asleep.
He had left Tom and Eric at the reception, he's glad they were not hurt.
Tom just had a slight cut on his cheek where the heat of the bullet had grazed him.
"Doctor Fernado, how's her health?" Harold asked his private doctor who was seated in front of him.
He's so worried, guilty and hurt.
What if she had gotten killed?
Gosh!
That's so hard to think now.
"She's fine, the bullet didn't get to her. The shock only made her pass out" Doc Fern said and Harold sighed in complete relief.
"I hope the shock didn't get deep into her" Harold asked.
"It almost did but we controlled it already,she'll be discharged once she's awake"
"Ohh...thanks so much Fern" Harold said.
"You're welcome. How's Ivory?" Doctor Fern asked.
"She's perfectly fine, I'm glad she didn't get to witness the incidence. You know how sensitive she is" Harold said, breathing out loudly.
"Of course, it's gonna be on her mind for so long and it might affect her" Doc Fern said.
Eric and Tom walked into the office.
Of course they both looked unhappy and worried.
"Sit" Doc Fern told them, pointing to the empty chairs but Tom shook his head .
"Why? You should relax even if you refused to allow us admit you " doc Fern said.
"Really?" Harold asked.
"Yes, he refused to be admitted. He just insisted we treat his cheek and leave him alone" Doc Fern said.
Harold nods thoughtfully, he knew Tom to be that way.
"Should we involve the cops?" Tom asked.
"Of course, how else will i know who shot at my daughter's car" Harold said.
"Tell me, how did it happened? What really happened?" Harold asked.
That's the first thing he should have asked when he came rushing into the hospital but he had headed to Irene's ward instead.
"We were on our way home when i suddenly saw a man point his rifle at the car, looked like, he had been waiting for us. " Tom said while Eric contacted the cop.
Harold sighed and raked unsteady fingers through his hair .
He knows someone is after him and that means they'll hurt people close to him too.
He won't forgive himself if any of his workers get hurt or killed just because of him.
Who the hell is after his life again!
"The cops are on their way with two FBI agents" Eric said.
"Good!" Harold said.
"None of you should spill what happened to Ivory or anyone" Harold said and Eric and Tom nodded.
"Im sure you have other patients to attend to, we'll be at the reception" Harold said, rising to his feet.
"You should stay here, you know you're a public figure. I won't want you causing hullabaloo in the hospital" Doc Fern laughed.
"Eric get my sunglass and face cap from my car" Harold said and Eric left quickly.
*
"Tell the cops to hold on. We have to get home before discussing" Harold said to Tom who came to inform him that the cops were around.
"Okay Mr Harold" Tom said and walked outside.
Harold was seated in the reception disguised in his face cap and sunglass.
His head was bent and he had told his bodyguards to stay outside.
He's so worried even after knowing she's fine.
He can't just wait for her to be awake so she can tell him she's truly fine.
He have to be super at alert now.
Especially with Ivory,if things get worst then she'll be homeschooling .
"She's awake" Harold heard and glanced up.
Doc Fern was smiling in front of him.
"Really?" Harold rose to his feet.
"Yeah, come with me" Doc Fern said.
___🍂
"Do you recognize the shooter?" An FBI agent asked Tom.
"Damn well! I'd recognize him anywhere" Tom said.
They were now at home and he was discussing with the cops outside.
He was filling them in on the incidence.
Other workers looked on curiously, not knowing what was going on.
Harold walked out, he's changed into house wear.
He had watched Irene sleep in her room before coming to join the cops.
She's still weak and Fern said all she needs is rest.
Harold is so glad she's fine, he had almost hugged her when he saw her awake.
"How is it going?" Harold asked approaching them.
"We sent the bullet to the lab already" A cop said.
"We'll check out the CCTV footage of the street which the incidence happened and we'll get back to you Mr Harold" an FBI agent said.
"Okay, thanks so much" Harold said.
___🍂
Damien sat in class, completely lost.
What happened yesterday kept replaying in his head.
*Flashback*
"So would you like to come with me now?" The man repeated and Damien nodded.
He followed the man with his heart beating fast.
"What had happened to Irene?" He thought fearfully.
"Did something happened?" Damien asked but the man didn't respond.
He was almost forced to go back but this is about his sister..
His sister!
The only one he loves most in the world .
The creepy man turned into a street and Damien followed.
Is he doing the right thing?
Following a stranger cause he mentioned his sister?
And he hadn't even mentioned Irene's name.
Damien suddenly stopped walking and the man noticed that immediately.
He turned to him.
"Why did you stop?" The man asked.
"What's my sister's name?" Damien said, prepared to run if he mentions the wrong name.
"Irene Noris working as a nanny for Harold Marshall daughter " The man said.
It's really his sister!
"Can we go now?" The man asked.
"What happened to her?" Damien asked but again the man ignored him and he had no choice but to keep following him.
*
He was surprised he was taken to Ethan Weston building.
This will be the first time she'll be seeing him face to face.
"But he doesn't look nice" Damien noticed.
"I offered your sister to sponsor your education and pay for your mum's surgery bills but she refused" Ethan Weston said, toying with his glass cup of wine.
"So?" Damien asked.
"She chose that nanny job over my great offer" Ethan said and even if Damien was just seeing him for the first time,he can see that cruel look on his face.
"Why did you gave her the offer out of the blue?" Damien asked.
The bodyguards surrounding them was almost choking him.
"Cause i want her to leave Marshall's house" Ethan puffed out smoke from his cigarette.
"Why?" Damien asked.
"Quit the foolish questions boy and have your drink" Ethan said.
"I'm fine, why did you want me here? " He asked.
"To convince your sister of course, i found out you guys are quite close" Ethan grinned.
"Well, i can't" Damien said.
"What do you mean you can't? Just convince her to leave that job and you'll get something in return too" Ethan winked.
" I can't convince Irene cause she can't be forced to do what she doesn't want to" Damien said.
"Really?" Ethan's face grew angry.
"Yes" Damien said.
"That means you can't convince her!"
"Yes"
"Then you should accept the fact that she'll be in danger starting from now!" Ethan threatened and Damien looked lost..
*
He had cried on his way home knowing he caused all these.
If only he hadn't forced her to accept the nanny job,then she won't be involved in this.
It's quite obvious there's a feud between Harold and Ethan.
Ethan had looked like a desperate person.
He can do anything.
He had sent Damien out of his house and he had to start trekking.
Knowing Irene is in danger really made him sick.
He caused it all .
She had never wanted to go for that nanny job.
~End of flashback~
"Damien, you haven't answered the question i posed to you" Mrs Maxine, the English teacher said.
"Huh?" Damien asked.
"Did she just asked him something?" He wondered until one of the girls crushing on him whispered the answer to him.
___🍂
"After what happened today, i realised that just one bodyguard is not enough, you guys safety matters a lot. Another bodyguard will be joining you Tom" Harold said.
He was in the living room with Irene,Tom and Eric while Alex and one other bodyguard stood behind him.
"Alex, you'll be the one to join Tom" Harold announced.