[Otis]
On the second day after Farrell's appointment as CEO of Haworth Incorporation, the media was all over it. Relentless praise was heaped on the thirty-two-year-old man. Finally, Father could retire in peace.
The big celebration was held on the third anniversary of his marriage to Camari. Father didn't hesitate to dig deep into his pockets to invite and entertain thousands of guests at a luxury hotel. I was the only one not invited.
I turned off the television and walked to my bedroom. After bathing in the shower room, I headed for the sink. I climbed the small ladder provided to brush my teeth and shave. After getting dressed, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. If only I could choose the shape of my body.
I looked away, unable to bear staring at myself for too long. After breakfast, I walked out of the apartment. Jasper was waiting and walked with me to the elevator. He was my driver, bodyguard, friend, and informant.
"Farrell and Bella have started their act, sir," Jasper reported when we were in the car.
"Good. You win the bet." There was a vibration on the dashboard. "That's our bet money. My debt has been fully paid."
"You sound upset," he teased. "We can bet on something else. Take your pick."
"No. In ten years of betting with you, I've always lost. I don't want to waste any more money on your silly dares," I refused.
He chuckled. "You should know your nephew better. He won't wait another year to leave Miss Gastrell. He and Bella are inseparable."
Although he was my subordinate, I didn't put any limits on our relationship. He treated me politely, but I didn't mind him being casual and joking. My life would have been monotonous had I met a rigid right hand.
"That stupid man doesn't love her," I argued. "I'm sure he loves Camari. I don't know what poison Bella has spread to make that stupid boy blind to his feelings."
"You want to bet?" Jasper looked at me through the rear-view mirror with a challenging smile. "Farrell loves Bella."
"Okay. It's the last one." I gave him a bored look. "What number are you willing to put up?"
"One million," he replied confidently.
"That's small money to me. But for you, it's your entire savings." I raised my eyebrows. "It's not that I'm patronizing you. Are you sure you want to bet that much?"
"I am. So, you'd better prepare your money to lose again." He chuckled.
Upon arriving at the office building I had painstakingly built myself, I exited the car. I waited for Jasper to park the car by standing near the elevator. After he was beside me, he pressed the button to open the elevator doors.
Bruce greeted me politely as I passed by his desk. Jasper opened the door to my office, checked inside, and then let me in. My assistant followed us in and read out our activities for the day.
"This is the report you requested, sir." Bruce placed a stack of folders in front of me.
"Good. Thank you." I picked up the top folder and examined it. "Is there any latest news from the tax specialist?"
"They will send a messenger this afternoon."
"Thank you, Bruce. You can go back to your desk." I smiled at him.
I read the report on Haworth Incorporation. My family's company had suffered many setbacks since it fell into Farrell's hands. That foolish boy was blind to business. He did as he pleased and made many haphazard decisions. He ignored complaints from shareholders.
The most painful surprise was that he didn't pay taxes regularly. My head throbbed at the figures listed that the company should have paid, but that stupid kid bribed the officials to manipulate the amount.
He had been lucky for the past three years. No one suspected his foul play. However, how long could he keep their mouths shut? Someone would discover and investigate. It could ruin the company Father worked so hard to build.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Haworth," the butler said with a concerned face. "Mr. Haworth senior is not available. He asked you not to discuss the company with him but with Young Master Haworth."
"You've said everything I've said, right? Farrell sent a fake report while I brought the original one." I held up the file I was holding.
He nodded slowly. "He trusted the CEO of Haworth Incorporation more than the CEO of a rival company," he replied reluctantly.
I took a deep breath and sighed loudly. What a stubborn man. He never wanted to listen to me just because I was born imperfect. To him, only his perfect grandson and late first son were worthy of his trust and ears.
However, he was wrong. I wasn't going to give up. I had painstakingly collected the evidence. So I wouldn't leave before giving it all to him. Discussing this with Farrell was a waste of time because this file was proof of his carelessness.
"Unfortunately, I won't go anywhere before he meets me." I walked towards the sitting room.
"Sir, please don't do this," begged the butler. "Master will scold me if you're still here."
"He won't scold you." I entered the room after Jasper opened the door.
"Sir—" he pleaded again.
"Let him be." I heard Father's voice not far behind me. "Prepare some drinks for us."
"O-okay, Master," the man said politely.
Father entered the room and sat on one of the couches. His assistant stood not far from him. I sat on the chair across from him with the coffee table between us. Thankfully, he came to see me. So I didn't have to wait too long.
"This—" I put down the folder I was carrying.
"I told you, company business is Farrell's business," he snapped. He gave me a sharp look. "What do you want? Are you protesting because I chose him to be the successor? Do you think you're better than him? Is that it?"
"No, Father. You have the right to choose anyone to succeed in the family. I—" I replied.
"Then don't ever come again. I don't want to hear you complain about Farrell and his decision on Haworth Incorporation. You're not a shareholder, so you have no right to have a say.
"Besides, Haworth Inc. is not Precious Fund Corp. What does a small company owner like you know about a company as big as Haworth? Farrell has proven himself capable of leading it during his three years in the CEO position. You can't do that," he attacked mercilessly.
His words pierced my heart like a dagger. I felt a sting in my chest despite being accustomed to his harsh words since childhood. I didn't know how to filter his evil words so they would no longer hurt me.
"A company that's only been around for ten years is certainly no match for a company that's been around for fifty years," I admitted. "I'm doing this because Haworth's survival is my responsibility, too."
"You're not a Haworth!" he roared, startling me. "That name is attached to you because I made a promise to my wife. Never come again. The sight of you only disgusts me and reopens old wounds that have barely healed."
My hands trembled on my lap. I quickly held them to hide them. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm myself down. I counted to ten in my head and tried to think of something beautiful to ease my emotions.
"Sir, please take care of your emotions," his assistant advised.
"I came with good intentions. You'll be hurt if you know what's going on with your company. I'm not at fault because I've told you what I know." I stood up. "I'm leaving, but I'll be back."
Since there was nothing else I could do, I wouldn't stay. I had done all I could to save my family's company. If the person who started it didn't care, I would stop telling him about it.
"Don't ever come back," he growled. "I don't want to see your face again. Security won't open the gates for you. My only children are Arnold and Dorothy. You're nobody."
He stood up and walked towards the door. His assistant looked at me and bowed slightly before following Father. I clenched my fists once they were out of the room. If I hadn't promised, I wouldn't have called him father either.
"Where are we going, sir?" asked Jasper when we were in the car.
"Home. Ask the maid to clear the table. I have no appetite," I ordered.
I stared at the big house I had left so long ago. It was my father's pride and joy, the first testament to the successful business he built with his best friend. I learned so much from him that I could establish my own company, even without his help.
As the third child, I realized I had no chance of becoming my family's heir. Arnold, as the first son, was entitled to it. Therefore, I worked hard to support myself and eventually became the main competitor of Haworth Finance.
My father hated me even more for it. The door to reconciliation was firmly closed. Mother, who used to act as a mediator between us, couldn't persuade Father to let me attend family events. He broke off his relationship with me.
I looked at my two small hands, then at my feet. I didn't choose this body, but my father, brother, and sister hated me because of my condition. If a lot of money could change that, I was willing to work hard to improve my appearance.
"Sir, isn't that Miss Gastrell's car?" asked Jasper, breaking my reverie.
I raised my head and looked in the direction he was looking at. "Yes. That's her car." There was a sticker on the back left side of her car that made it easy for me to recognize hers. "You need to be polite to her. She's not Miss Gastrell but Mrs. Haworth."
"Farrell is divorcing her. So, I do the right thing by never calling her Mrs. Haworth." He shrugged his shoulders casually. "You just take it easy. I would never call her by her maiden name before your father."
The light turned green, and the cars at the front of the line began to move. But Camari's car was still in place. People in the same row started honking. Only then did the woman drive the car.
Jasper acted wisely by remaining patient, unlike the other drivers. That woman must have had a lot on her mind with Farrell's request. I'd be the same way if my partner suddenly asked for a divorce after three years together.
"What's that car doing?" Jasper muttered moments after the car passed the intersection.
"Why did he stop Camari's car? Pullover, Jasper," I ordered. He stopped the car behind the other vehicle.
An angry-looking man was kicking Camari's car door. Crazy! Was that man out of his mind? Didn't he know who he was challenging? If Father discovered, that man would die this very second. He wouldn't hesitate to send in the bouncers.
Seeing Jasper catch the man and send him scurrying to his car, I smiled. He wasn't as brave a man as he acted earlier. Only a coward preyed on a vulnerable woman.
"Strange man," Jasper said as he put his seatbelt back on. "He was angry that Miss Gastrell took too long to move after the green light. I couldn't believe it."
"He stopped Camari, hit her window, and kicked her car door just because he got angry at the intersection?" I asked incredulously.
"I'll look into it. His behavior is suspicious." Jasper drove the car to the apartment building.
I threw myself on the couch when I arrived at my place. Everything I did to save the company from Farrell's hands was in vain. I'd even discussed it with an officer from the tax inspectorate to find more information.
Things would only get more complicated if I left the fraud unchecked. I witnessed a friend's company collapse because of the messy tax and financial management. Officers who had never worked with him discovered the embezzlement and investigated.
The same thing could happen to Father's company. I could imagine the pain of seeing the results of one's hard work destroyed before one's eyes. Unfortunately, he didn't want to believe me.
"Good morning, sir," Jasper greeted me politely that morning.
"Good morning," I replied. I closed the door and walked to the elevator.
"Regarding the man last night, I asked a friend to find information about the car owner. Nothing was unusual about his activity throughout the day, but I found answers on his cell phone." He gave his gadget to me.
I took it and read the report on the screen. I didn't know how Jasper could hack into the messages on other people's phones, but it helped me a lot along the way. My eyes widened to read the message accompanied by the photo. The most surprising thing was the sender's name.
That weekend, I asked Jasper to take me somewhere. Work had consumed my attention for the past few months. So I hadn't had time to visit. Fortunately, all business matters were in full swing. I could relax a bit.Arriving at my destination, I marveled at the scenery around me. The place was beautiful because of various flowering plants. The cemetery was clean, and no wild plants were around the grass. I approached the cross-shaped tombstone with an angel statue on its side. Catherine Haworth was engraved on the stone.Mother died fourteen years ago after years of battling breast cancer. My life drastically changed when she passed away because a part of me died with her. I lost the only family that loved me for who I was."You shouldn't go there, sir," Jasper said as I stared at another headstone closer to my mother's grave. "That man doesn't deserve your respect.""He was my brother." I glanced at Mother's tomb for a moment, then walked over to Arnold's grave.Despite our poor relation
[Camari]I gathered all the expensive jewelry, clothes, bags, and shoes Farrell had given me over the three years we'd been married into one pile. I stored the gifts from Grandpa in another box. I didn't need all that fancy stuff anymore.The servants carried them to the rented pickup truck waiting in the front yard. I looked around me one last time. I tried to remember, but there wasn't a single intimate memory of me with Farrell in this bedroom.We lay in the same bed but never made out or discussed anything before bed or when we woke up. We used the same bathroom and closet, unfortunately, never at the same time. Why did I realize that then?"Goodbye, ma'am. Don't forget us," said the servant in charge of meeting my needs as mistress."I won't. We can meet again when you're on leave. I won't change my number. Just give me a call. We can have lunch or coffee together." I smiled at her and her partners.They looked sad to see me off. At least some people felt my presence while living
Farrell and I weren't officially divorced, but why would his grandfather want to see me? Had his grandson said nothing about our divorce? Oh, God. I was becoming more convinced that he was coming to scold me for what I'd done the night before.My heart was beating faster and faster as I got closer to Grandpa's car, which had stopped near the main entrance. I looked worriedly at his assistant as he opened the car door for me. After taking a deep breath, I got in."Camari," Grandpa greeted me as I sat beside him in the car's back seat. He hugged me tightly.That was a relief. It didn't seem like he was angry with me. "Grandpa, why did you come to my office? You could have called me to meet you at home," I said worriedly."I'm not even seventy-five years old. I'm still young and strong. Just sitting in the car to come see you won't make me sick." He let go of his embrace."Where are you taking me?" I watched the car turn left as it exited the gate of my workplace."We haven't had dinner t
I sighed with relief after scanning my card on the attendance machine near the entrance to my office. That was close. I didn't want my perfect attendance record ruined by my carelessness today. I was hoping to be named employee of the month.My boss had arrived, but he wasn't angry when I entered his office. I read his schedule for today, and he nodded slowly. I was grateful he didn't ask to cancel or reschedule any appointments. That was the most challenging task.I was an executive secretary but only focused on administrative matters. The CEO of this company had an assistant who was his right-hand man and went with him wherever he went. Therefore, my working hours were the same as the other employees. I didn't accompany my boss to meet his colleagues."Wow, look at this!" Emily squealed. She brought her phone closer to us. "Bella's full name is Mirabella Thompson. How could we not know this?""Mirabella Thompson?" Jasmine brought her head closer to the screen. "Isn't her full name Be
[Otis]There are many invitations addressed to the CEO of Precious Fund. Should I pick one and attend? People didn't know who I was. Maybe they wouldn't care about my presence, but I could practice being brave in public.Besides, Jasper would never be far from me. His presence could give me a bit of confidence. I didn't have to worry about anyone hurting me. He would protect me from them. That was it. That was a good start. I couldn't rely on my absent mother forever.There was a knock on the door, and I invited him in. Jasper entered with a bag of food. We had lunch together."Their divorce will take two months at most," Jasper reported. "Do you think Farrell and Bella will wait that long to formalize their relationship?""I'm suspicious of Father for keeping quiet and doing nothing to prevent it," I muttered. "Why would he urge Farrell to marry Camari if he didn't have a plan to see their relationship through to the end?""Farrell is a cunning man. He could have manipulated their agr
Many things happened in the past that I didn't want to recall. That woman was one of them. The person who I thought was my life, soul, and everything wasn't sincere in her love for me.She knew I wouldn't believe her just like that. Yet she was so persistent in approaching me. She didn't give up until I fell in love and accepted her to be my lover. I was on cloud nine when I discovered she was only playing with me.She betraying me with the person closest to me wasn't her biggest mistake. Her thinking I deserved to be toyed with was a crime I couldn't forgive. I was a human with a heart who could be devastated when all his dreams and hopes were shattered.Dorothy knew how humiliated I felt by that woman's actions. How dare she open up old wounds I didn't even remember anymore. I should have refused her invitation. She would never be kind to me."I take my leave." I stood up. "You said you wanted to eat with me. If you want to insult me, forty years is enough.""You know why God gave yo
[Camari]I walked out of my boss's office feeling uneasy. Everything felt like a dream. I looked back at the desk and chair I had used for the last three years. I would have never been able to return to this place.I was grateful that my boss's assistant took me via the executive elevator. I didn't have to use the employee lift. So I didn't meet any of my coworkers. Only the security and receptionist in the lobby saw me walking towards the exit.With the dignity I had left, I walked upright. I was innocent. Why would I be embarrassed by other employees' suspicious stares? Arriving at the car, I let my tears fall. I didn't know what was wrong with my life. Why didn't I stop being afflicted with misfortune?My phone vibrated, and I sobbed even more. Oh, my God. Could that be another bad news? I frowned when reading Grandpa's assistant's name on the screen. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm myself down."Hello, Niccolo." I managed to greet him in a cheerful voice."Miss G
Farrell sarcastically smiled while holding an envelope in his hand. Mrs. Haworth and Dorothy walked quickly after him. What was so urgent that he was shouting in a place that needed quiet?He haughtily grunted as he stood in front of me. "Here!" He suddenly placed the large envelope on my chest.Unprepared for that action, I took a step back. "What the—""We're officially divorced!" he continued, cutting off my sentence. "So, don't ever come to see my family again, including my grandpa. Do you understand!?" He pressed the envelope against my chest with his forefinger before groaning in pain."Touch Miss Gastrell once more, and I'll break your finger that hurt her," Jasper threatened. He grasped Farrell's forefinger tightly."Let me go, you fool!" scolded Farrell.The man complied as he saw his two bodyguards approaching. "Come along, Miss. We'd better get going before he opens his foul mouth again.""What did you say!?" protested Farrell."Farrell, enough," his mother said from behind