Chapter 1

"What the hell?" Tarquin exclaimed, his jaw clenched in anger. He stood in the bedroom, staring in disbelief at the contents of the suitcase that had just been delivered to him. Inside were several women's undergarments and clothing - obviously not his own belongings.

He fumed as he tried to wrap his head around what had happened. His assistant had been sent to pick up his luggage from the airport, so how could this have happened? He wondered if his assistant had made a mistake, or if something more sinister was at play.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he picked up the phone and called his assistant. "Get up here, now," he barked, his voice cold and commanding.

There was a moment of hesitation on the other end of the line, then a stammer, "Yes, sir."

Tarquin ended the call without another word, his mind racing. Who had taken his belongings? And what were they doing with his things? He had to find out what was going on, and fast.

In the meantime, he had to figure out what to do about the missing suitcase and its contents. He couldn't imagine the owner of the other suitcase would be too thrilled to find their belongings in the hands of a complete stranger. He needed to get the situation sorted out as soon as possible.

With a sigh, Tarquin considered his options. He could call the airport authority and see if they could help track down the other suitcase, or he could try to find the owner himself. He decided to try the airport authority first, hoping they would have some record of the other suitcase and could get it back to its rightful owner.

Pacing around the room, he waited impatiently for his assistant to arrive. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

A few minutes later, John, Tarquin's assistant, burst into the room, looking flustered.

"I'm so sorry, sir," he said, his words slipping over each other. "I don't know how this happened."

Tarquin didn't respond, his anger building as he looked at the pile of clothes and underwear that had been dumped in his room. He knew John had to be responsible for this, but he wanted to hear what he had to say for himself first.

"Well?" he said, his voice tight. "What's your explanation?"

John's face in his voice.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I'll do whatever it takes to fix this," John said, his voice pleading. "I know It wouldn't be easy to find the luggage quickly but I will do whatever it takes to find it before today ends.”

Tarquin sighed, still unsure of what to do. On the one hand, he was furious that John had messed up. On the other hand, he knew it would be a hassle to find a new assistant. He needed someone efficient and reliable, and he wasn't sure how easy it would be to find someone who fit that description.

"Find my luggage within the next 12 hours. I don't want to care about how you do it; all I know is to go back to the Airport to ask for my luggage, trace it to wherever that idiot who thinks he/she can get away with it, took it to. I don't care how you do it, but make sure you provide my luggage before the eve of the day I resume or else you will get fired and sued also for the damages, am I clear?" Tarquin stated clearly to him and he heaved a sigh of relief

"Thank you, Sir. I'll sir," John said and quickly stood up, and turned to leave but before he could Tarquin stopped him.

"Take this thing out of my room, I don't want to see it. Also, tell the cook to prepare something nice, mom is coming over soon." He informed him before walking over to his closet.

"Yes Sir!" John replied and walked out of the door with the suitcase before slamming it shut lightly.

Tarquin sighed and rubbed his arching temples, being a tough Boss to your employees isn't easy, but he believed employees trample on weak Bosses which he vowed he would never be to any of his employees so he would rather hold on to the facade of being harsh and heartless, than doting and understanding.

When you are harsh, your employees will get serious with whatever you ordered them to do. Besides they would never dare to go against you but when you appear very soft and understanding, they would want to ride over you and do as they please.

Since he is paying them every month, they ought to do whatever his order is, and also follow his own rules. No one deserves to tell him what to do, Tarquin had always thought.

*

As the evening drew closer, the sound of a car pulling up to the mansion signaled the arrival of Tarquin's mother, Mrs. Caroline Jones. Tarquin made his way to the dining room to meet her, where a delicious meal had been prepared.

The events of the day had taken their toll on his appetite, and he found himself forcing himself to eat. He didn't want to worry his mother, but the thought of his missing luggage weighed heavily on his mind. Who had taken it, and why? He couldn't stop the flood of questions that kept swirling through his head.

John had spoken to the airport authorities, but they were unable to locate the missing luggage. He was promised that CCTV footage would be checked to see who had taken it, but in the meantime, he was at a loss as to what to do.

"Tarq, are you okay?" Mrs. Caroline asked, concerned by the lack of conversation at the dinner table. She watched as her son picked at his food, his expression unexplainable. "You've hardly said a word all evening. Is something bothering you?"

Tarquin forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Just a bit tired, that's all."

Mrs. Caroline studied her son's face for a moment, unconvinced. "You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?"

Tarquin sighed. "I know, Mom. It's just... complicated." He trailed off, not sure how to explain the situation.

"Is this about the company? Don't you want to take over the company?" Mrs. Caroline pressed. 

“Mom, the problem is my luggage is missing. It was exchanged at the airport,” Tarquin announced.

"Oh, It's not the company." Mrs. Caroline asked, a look of confusion on her face. "Wait! What do you mean, your luggage is missing?"

Tarquin explained how he'd arrived at the airport, ready to head home after months abroad, only to discover that the suitcase waiting for him was not his own. He'd spoken to several officials, but no one could tell him where his luggage had gone or how it had been switched.

"That's terrible, Tarq," Mrs. Caroline said, shaking her head. "I can't believe the airport could make such a mistake… but you can always rebut everything in the luggage, it shouldn't be a reason for you to be worried,” Mrs Caroline assured.

"Had it been that was the case I'd have been relieved Mom, but that isn't the case at. All the company documents are in the luggage. I mean the company's documents which Dad handed over to me which will prove that the company should be rightfully handed over to me are in the suitcase I came back home with which had been lost," Tarquin explained and his mom instantly dropped her cutlery.

"But...but that's impossible," Mrs. Caroline said, looking shocked. "Your father trusted you with those documents, and now they're gone? That's a disaster!" She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "And you say the airport is going to look for them? That's not good enough. Those documents are the key to everything!"

Tarquin nodded. "I know, Mom. And I know how important they are. But I don't know what else to do. I'm just hoping that the airport will find them and that everything will be okay."

"We have to do something, Tarq," Mrs. Caroline said, her mind racing. "We can't just sit here and wait for the airport to maybe, possibly find those documents. What if they're never found? What if they're gone for good? We need to take action."

“Don't worry Mom, the airport authorities had always swung into action, they would find it soon,” Tarquin assured.

"But what if the luggage isn't found?" Mrs. Caroline asked, her voice trembling with concern. "What if it's truly lost, and all those important documents with it? I know your father trusted you with the documents, and it's not your fault, but what if it's too late to fix this?"

Tarquin tried to muster a reassuring smile. "Mom, I know you're worried, and I am too. But we have to stay positive. I'm sure the airport will find the bag, and everything will be fine. And if they don't... well, we'll deal with that if it happens. But right now, let's focus on staying positive and hoping for the best."

His mother took a deep breath, calming herself. "You're right, Tarq. And you know I'll always support you, no matter what. Even if the documents are lost, I know you're capable of more than just taking over your father's company. You're so much more than that."

"Right!" Mrs Caroline suddenly uttered which made his fork pause.

"Have you been informed yet?" She asked and looked at him directly in the face.

"Informed of what?" He asked her in confusion.

"That it was your father's last wish that you get married before the company is fully handed over to you," she announced which sent chills down Tarquin's spine.

"Marriage? What the hell!" He dropped his cutlery and stood up immediately.

"I'm full," He announced and turned to leave the dining room.

"Tarq, come here, let's talk about this," His mom pleaded softly but he refused to listen and continued walking away.

Tarquin ran his hand through his hair as he continued walking away.

Why will his mom raise a marriage topic? He wasn't going to get married yet, he didn't even have marriage on his agenda when he could get whosoever he wanted and enjoy himself to the core without being held back by a bondage called marriage, he thought.

He always saw Marriage as a bondage where you aren't allowed to live your life and make decisions. His mother's experience is enough to make him dislike Marriage so much.

"It is a bondage which he doesn't deserve to live in," He had always reminded himself whenever the thought of getting married someday came up in his mind.

"Come over, Christy. I will be needing your services tonight," Tarquin said over the phone to one of his numerous popular city chicks who always came around to warm his bed whenever he was in the country and needed her.