Grant Harrison sat comfortably on his balcony, sipping his wine and playing chess with his friend, Cole Swayer.
The evening air was calm, and the sound of clinking glasses and occasional laughter filled the atmosphere.
Just as Cole made a move on the board, Grant's phone rang, breaking the silence. He glanced at the screen, and a sly smile formed on his lips, like he had been waiting for the call. He picked up the call immediately.
"Speak Phill," Grant said, his voice low and commanding.
"The plan tanked, and now we're in trouble," the voice on the phone replied.
"What?!"
Grant's face instantly twisted with rage as he slammed the glass cup of wine he was holding onto the table. The contents spilled out, splashing onto Cole's face and staining his white shirt.
Cole jumped back, startled. "Hey, man, calm down! You don't do my laundry, so don't stain my shirt!"
Grant stood up, his eyes blazing with fury. "Fuck off, Cole!" he bellowed, before turning his attention back to the phone. "You incompetent fools! I gave you a simple task, and you couldn't even do that! Tell me why I shouldn't kill you off right now!"
The voice on the phone hesitated before responding, "Conor was killed on the spot, and she was taken away by some unknown people. I'm sorry, Sir."
"What do you mean unknown men?" Grant's voice was incredulous. "She was probably rescued! Now discard yourselves before I find you myself!"
Grant barked into the phone, his eyes blazing with fury, and aggressively hunged it up. He stood there for a moment, his chest heaving with anger, before turning to Cole.
Cole, who had been watching the exchange with interest, raised an eyebrow. "Trouble?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.
Grant's response was a menacing growl. "You have no idea."
"With your daughter, so?" Cole asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Grant's response was a curt "No." But then he hesitated, his expression softening slightly. "Yes, it's with my daughter. She keeps ruining my plans."
Cole thought for a moment, then he came closer to Grant and placed a hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and looked Grant straight in the eye.
"You know, at this moment, I think you should..." Cole paused, studying Grant's face before continuing. "I think you should leave the poor girl alone."
Grant's eyes widened in surprise, having not expected Cole to say that. He thought Cole might be offering him some idea or plan to help him achieve his schemes.
Cole smirked, seeing Grant's reaction. "Yes, Grant, leave the poor girl alone. You're doing too much right now. Let her breathe, she's your daughter, too remember? just leave her alone."
Saying that, Cole turned around and looked at the chess game they had been playing. "I'm guessing you're no longer in the mood for this, and neither am I. See you around."
With that, Cole turned around and walked away, leaving Grant to stunned.
"Cole you-" he stopped, he had other pressing matters to deal with now.
Grant was puzzled. Did Fierce lie to him? Fierce had assured him that nothing could go wrong because Deth wasn't around.
So, how could this have happened? Could Deth possibly be the one who rescued her? How was he so fast to have acted within such a short period?
He picked up his phone and called Fierce. Fierce picked up on the second ring.
"Hello, Grant. What is it? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't call me until I'm ready with the information you asked me to find," Fierce said.
Grant's tone was accusing. "You gave me wrong information. The operation wasn't successful."
Fierce's response was calm. "Wow, that's quite surprising. But seems like you've forgotten who you're dealing with here, hmm?"
Grant's anger was rising. "What are you talking about?"
Fierce continued, "I don't care, but since you've called me at this time, I think I should tell you... he came back. He had to return last minute when he found out about your latest plan."
Grant's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Fierce's tone was serious. "If you really want to deal with Deth, I think you should be very, very smart, and you should always be one step ahead."
Grant's anger turned to shock as Fierce dropped another bombshell. "And about the information you asked me to look up... plainly, they are married, Grant. Remy and Deth are married."
The line went dead as Fierce ended the call.
Grant went rigid.
*
*
*
-Somewhere at the city capital-
The private VIP lounge of Noir Dine the most luxurious restaurant in the city, was abuzz with one of the elites of the business world.
Mason Smith, Julian's father, gathered around some of his top managers, partners, and investors, as they circled around a sleek, modern table with crystal glasses and fine wines in hand.
Their glasses raised high, they cheered and toasted to their recent success.
"We did it, everyone! And it's all thanks to my able son Julian." Mason exclaimed, beaming with pride. "We've finally secured the deal of a lifetime! Our purchase of the massive land property in the Rul Town is a significant achievement for the Smith Group. The area was slated for development by the government this year and it's now a prime location for our business."
The room, had floor-to-ceiling windows and stunning city views, filled with the sound of laughter and applause as Mason continued, "With this acquisition, we'll be expanding our business empire into new territories. And with the Harrison Group as our partner and major investor, we'll be unstoppable!"
Mason's team raised their glasses again, this time to the successful partnership with the Harrison Group.
As they took a sip of their drinks, foods were served and Mason couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
Billions were involved in the purchase and the owner had been previously unwilling but he didn't know what strings Julian pulled to be able to get it. "The Apex Project is finally taking off, this deal is a key to unlocking our expansion into new territories."
The room erupted in applause once more, as Mason's team celebrated the supposed dawn of a new era for the Smith Group.
Mason's expression turned apologetic as he said noticing some curious gazes sweeping around and understanding who they were in search for.
"It's unfortunate that Grant Harrison isn't able to make it tonight. He had some urgent personal issues to attend to."
Just then, Mason's gaze swept the room, his eyes scanning the crowd for another familiar face. But Julian was nowhere to be found. Mason's brow furrowed in concern as he reached for his phone.
"He should be here by now," Mason muttered to himself, dialing Julian's number. The phone rang several times before going straight to voicemail.
Mason's frown deepened. Where was Julian?