Chapter 6
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” Don’t fucking tell me you are on your way to work right now!”
Chris shook his head at the laziness of his best friend who was currently talking to him on the phone at the moment. He knew Liam must be going through the worst hangover known to man right there. The man never learns, even a sip of alcohol always makes him cry like a baby in the morning but who is the first person to buy one in the club? Of course, it’s Liam. He likes getting drunk. That’s his way of coping with his stress and past traumas. Even though the pain in the morning is not Worth it, he would still do it all over again.
” I have to earn you know. I don’t have a billionaire father” Chris replied but heard Liam groan and let out a whimper from the other side of the line. Liam Kingston is the heir to one of the richest families in the city, his grandfather founded Kingston and co and made a name across the nation. His father took over twenty years ago and he had maintained the same legacy his grandfather left but Liam? Well, Liam is Liam. Doesn’t want to take over the family business but likes partying and whoring around. He drags Chris to most of the insane parties they attended together. He was devastated when Chris got married and started avoiding places like that. So he is planning to take Chris to any club he can get his hands on before any beautiful girl snatches his friend away again.
” you are a billionaire!” Liam deadpanned.
” it has to remain that way don’t you think? Imagine waking up one morning to find millions instead of billions” Chris shuddered at the thought of it. It is really scary because the company has been on the edge of bankruptcy before he took over. The company is soaring now all because of his sweat and hard work and to watch that suddenly dwindle? It can give him a cardiac arrest.
He is doing everything in his power to give his children something to carry on proudly not the workload he inherited from his father. Imagine Liya as his successor, he smiled at the thought. Leaving his daughter in charge of the company while he goes on a vacation with Sophie.
Wait
Wait, where did that thought come from? He just got out of a failed marriage for crying out loud. Isn’t it a little bit early to be mooning over some girl he met randomly at the club? But there’s something about her that captures his fancy. He noticed she was a really quiet girl, unlike his ex-wife who like to command attention in any room she enters. This girl had never drunk alcohol even though she is twenty-one, what was she doing in high school when other kids messed around? She probably never had a boyfriend. Wait why is he thinking about all of this? But that ass, he shook his head at the thought. She had the most wonderful round ass he ever laid his eyes on and they were soft, he knew it because she moved closer to him in her sleep. His dick had responded to the action instantly. He wants more with her and more he will get.
” dude that’s not going to happen” Liam’s voice brought him back from his lewd thoughts.
“That’s why I need to work. Wait, speaking of work, I have a job for you” Chris sounded serious this time.
” What is it? I hope I won’t have to come to your office this time” Liam said with a sickly voice that would have convinced anybody that he was dying but not Chris. He knew his friend too well. Well aside from the lazy and crazy party maniacs Liam is, he is a secret investigator and he is pretty good at it but he is not interested in a government position even though it could have been really easy for him to get one. Why? He is just too lazy for them so he works as a freelancer instead working at his convenience. He had helped Chris fish out some corrupt shareholders in his companies in the past and Chris trusts him with all information about him.
” no, I just need some information about Sophie. Her background, her family, and everything about down to her favorite color”
” wait. Don’t tell you are planning on widening her already Christian” Liam mused. Chris just sighed, his friend is just like that. Turning every serious situation into a joke.
” Not yet. But I might in the future, she is nice enough”
” Not yet? She is like fifteen years younger than you. You cow! That’s pedophilia ewwww” Liam taunts but Chris just shook his head not amused but not angry either.
” fourteen years”
“What?”
” she is fourteen years younger” Chris answered not sounding cheery again. He is getting pissed now.
” potato potato”
“Will you do what I asked you? Or will I have to contact the FBI?” Chris deadpanned.
” on it sir. Okay, sir. I’ll call you back in a few minutes” Liam said before hanging up. The car stops and Chris stepped out taking long strides to the company’s main entrance. The building is huge and tall and his office is on the top floor. He entered to gold-plated VIP elevator. His personal life might be simple but his wealth is obvious in his workplace. Everything was decorated and arranged to perfection and if any of his staff manage to get anything out of place, it’s an automatic sack letter. Everyone knew Chris hated a disorganized environment and tardiness so all his staff adhere to his rules in order not to be fired on the spot.
He was feared but also respected, a man who had seen the company through the turbulent times and made it stand again all by himself certainly will not allow any outsiders to ruin everything for him.
The elevator opened with a ding and he was greeted by the warm smiles of Alex, his secretary. The old man briefed him about his schedules for the day, what deals needed to be signed, and where he was supposed to go. He entered his office and was glad to find it organized, different from how he left it the previous day. The previous day was one of his worst and the best day for him at least he got his kid and now divorced from the princess of hell she married.
” Can I have my morning coffee?” he said to Alex who muttered “Yes sir” and exit the office immediately
After signing a few papers and reviewing some projects. Liam’s call made him pause and close the file in front of him.
” Hello”
” Don’t use that tone on me, I’m not one of your clients” Chris could imagine Liam rolling his eyes while saying those words. It’s just normal for Chris to sound serious at his place of work.
“Technically you are calling me because I gave you a job so spill,” Chris replied with the same serious tone but Liam ignored it.
” Well, Sophie Harris, twenty-one years old. She came from a poor family, her father Mr Harris was a taxi driver and her late mother was a seamstress. She has a younger brother who is currently a high school student and Sophie herself is a final-year student at the local University. She is studying contemporary arts and lifestyle. Her favorite color is purple” Liam read along, Chris could hear the sound of clicks on Liam’s pc.
” What I’m about to tell might probably shock you or not” Liam suddenly paused.
” Go ahead. I want everything”
” I had to dig this with my physical informants. Sophie’s dad, Mr Harris is currently owing some local gangs a sum of Ten thousand dollars right now. Newsflash is that the man is jobless so there is no way to solve the debt. Sophie had been the breadwinner, she is studying on a student loan while working three part-time jobs.”
” wait how did her father owe so much money?” Chris asked.
” gambling I think. After losing his own money, he started borrowing from the gang. And mind you Chris this gang is dangerous. Very dangerous and disgusting, I wonder how they are not all behind bars yet. They have the records of murdering their debtors in cold blood because of a few hundred so I think your girl might be in real danger ” Liam sighed.
Chris stood up and paced around for a while still holding his phone.
“Are you listening right now?” Liam asked after the horrible moment of silence.
” wait, maybe that was why she came to the club? An avenue to look for how to pay for the money” Chris breathe out frustratingly. He could hand out the money to her as anonymous but He wants to know Sophie more. He doesn’t want her innocence to be tainted by crude people. He is not a saint but he’ll like to protect her innocence like a flower bud.
“oh, my God. So what are you going to do Chrissy? Leave her alone or be the knight in shining armor?” Liam asked.
Chris let out a deep breath, lost in thought before replying to his friend.
” find a way to pay the money anonymously”
His phone rings. The caller is unknown so he swiped left.
“Who was that?” Liam asked.
” unknown caller”
” pick the call”
Chris obeyed instantly he dropped the one he was calling Liam with and picked up the phone on loudspeaker.
” Hello Chris”