Chapter 108: The Threat

MR JONES

As I stepped out of the less privileged home, a warm smile spread across my face as I waved goodbye to the grateful families. The sound of cameras clicking and reporters chatting filled the air as the press swarmed around me, blocking my path to the car.

"Can you tell us about your plans for the community, Mr. Jones?" one of the reporters asked, shoving a microphone in my direction.

"What's the extent of Novartis' involvement in this project?" another journalist chimed in.

Thompson and his colleagues, my security detail for Novartis, swiftly moved in to create a barrier between me and the throng of reporters. They expertly navigate me through the crowd, clearing a path for me to reach my car.

As they pushed through the sea of journalists, one of the reporters called out to me, but Thompson blocked him. My expression remained calm and composed. I nodded to Thompson, who opened the door, allowing me to slip inside.

"Good job, Thompson," I said, settling into the back seat. "I think we've got enough attention for one day."

"Yes, sir," Thompson replied, closing the door behind me. "We'll get you to your next appointment safely."

The driver sped away, leaving the chaos behind. I let out a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. I pulled out my phone and began to review my messages when suddenly, it rang.

I glanced at the screen, my eyes narrowing as I saw the name Gideon Wildheart flash on the display. I answered the call, my tone firm and soft.

"What do you want, Gideon?" I asked, my voice low yet menacing.

"I want you to back out of your company's involvement with the community, Mr. Jones," Gideon's voice sneered on the other end of the line. "If you don't, you'll lose someone dear to you. You have 48 hours to reconsider."

The threat hung in the air, and I knew this was no mere threat. He meant every word.

My grip on the phone tightened. I didn't take kindly to threats.

"If you touch anyone in my family, you'll regret it, Gideon," I warned, my voice dripping with menace. "I'll make sure you pay for your actions. You're not the first person to try to intimidate me, and you won't be the last. But I always come out on top."

Gideon chuckled on the other end of the line. "You think you're above everyone else, don't you, Mr. Jones? You think you can just waltz in here and start throwing your money around, buying people's loyalty and affection. But you're wrong. You don't know what I'm capable of."

"I'm shaking in my boots, Gideon," I said dryly. "But let me make one thing clear: my family is off-limits. You touch them, and you'll be dealing with me directly. And trust me, you don't want that."

"In my book, Gideon," I said dryly. "But let me make one thing clear: my family is off-limits, especially my daughter. You touch them, and you'll be dealing with me directly.

And this time around, don't think it will be as easy as how your brother got me locked up and declared my death publicly. And trust me, you don't want that."

The line went dead, and my eyes locked onto the phone, my mind already racing with strategies to counter Gideon. But I also needed assistance from every other person I knew who could help me.

"Everything okay, sir?" Thompson asked, noticing the tension in my voice.

"It's fine, Thompson," I replied, my eyes still fixed on the phone. "Just a little problem that needs to be taken care of. See if you can dig up some information on Gideon. I want to know what we're dealing with here."

"Yes, sir," Thompson said, pulling out his own phone to start making calls.

As we drove through the city, my mind was already racing with possibilities on what to do to Gideon and what I could use to make sure he fell into my trap. I had to protect Juliet, August, and the rest. I think I need to call Mark.

As I headed onto my phone, I was trying to dial Mark's number. I was scrolling down, finding his name among all my contacts. Unscrolling to the third contact, my eyes met and gazed directly at Mark. When I was about to click on his name, another call came in, and it was the same Gideon calling me back.

"Oh, I thought you ended the call at your hand," I said. "See, let me tell you one thing: if you call me three times, four times a day, I will not submit to your lame threats again. And I will never fall into your trap."

I threatened back with my voice laced with confidence. I wanted to make sure that I knew I was ready for anything he managed to do to me.

Then, all of a sudden, he sparked back at me. "Oh, what do you think? Who do you think you are? I will gladly end your life. And let me tell you one thing: the diamond you have, I forgot to tell you that's why I called you back.” He threatened loudly.

If you don't submit the diamond and take your legs out of my company, then you will not be locked up. Your body will be barely six feet under the ground."

I threatened, and my voice was echoing at the receiving end as he was speaking to me. He was threatening me continuously.

"Or do you think you can do anything at this stage? Then I guess you've forgotten when your brother tried to kill me or Juliet. He ended up being six feet under."

I tried to speak in a way that would scare him away, but I think he had hurried me. He thought he was mine to never submit to any of my threats.

"So, you think you can threaten me as I'm threatening you? Then let's see who has the better hand at the end of the day."

"Let me give you a hint of what I can do," he said. "I know where you stay, and I know who saved your heart. Dana Rose saved you, and my brother's wife, Claire.

And I'm not going to give up on avenging my brother's death, even though he's my adopted brother. I'll never forget what you did to him when he tried to be your friend."

He tried to be my friend, I sparked back at him. "Oh, I think you don't know any of your history classes. While you were supposed to be in class, you were busy playing with your cock."

I had been listening angrily. "Oh, you think you have the best idea about everything, right?"

"I see you've gained confidence since you escaped the last trap," he threatened. "But let me tell you, you will not escape mine."

His voice was deep and menacing, sending a chill down my spine. As I responded to him, I wanted to make sure that I heard everything he had in mind.

If you want to find your enemy, you need to keep your enemy closer to you before you can know what your enemy is planning to do. If I overlooked him now, he might do something beyond what I could defend.

The least he could do was kidnap my daughter, and I didn't think that would be easy since I'd gained power and the people who believed I was dead now believed I was alive after all. They could see me physically.

I responded to him harshly. "I think you should send a wave of listening to your brain, Jones. Like I said earlier, you're not my type when it comes to dealing with men like you.

And I think when it's time for me to have a session with you, I will not stop. That time, you will be begging me, but I will never listen to your pleas. That will be the last thing you ever do."

"Just make sure you pack your bags lightly, for you will not be living with it," he threatened. "You're continuing to threaten me with life while you're busy killing innocent people and wanting me to back down.

You have enough money to leave the poor people alone. You're killing those who are struggling to feed their families while you're enriching your pocket by killing their lives gradually."

"Why are you polluting the stream if you know you have enough money?" I spoke sternly, explaining things in detail to him. "Leave them alone."

I knew the atrocities he was committing, so I was trying to choose my words carefully. When he noticed that, he stopped speaking with me, and I think at the receiving end, he was trying to hang up the call while parting with someone in the background.

"Get lost," he said to someone in the background. "I need you to find those shooters."

I heard him muttering in the background, and immediately he noticed he hadn't hung up the call. He quickly pressed the red button, which ended the call on the peeping tone.

After ending the call, Thompson turned back to me again with a suspicious gaze fixed directly on my eyes. "Boss, I think you're alright this time again?" he asked.

I gave a fixed smile back at him. "Don't worry, Thompson. Just do what I ask you to do. Find every piece of information about Wildheart, and I'm certain you'll get something that I need to nail him down. His threat doesn't get anywhere with me."

"What I know for sure is that he's going down, and this time, I will never submit to their threats and I will never trust anyone who will bring me down like they did the first time."

"Yes, boss," Thompson replied. "I will do everything in my capacity to find out about Gideon. I know I've heard the name from somewhere apart from the company, but I have friends who will gladly give me information about him. And once I have that, I will make sure that I convey the information to you directly."

"Thank you, Thompson," I said in a low tone. "I will really appreciate that."

Wildheart had continued to speed away from different kinds of offices and houses on the streets of London. The joy that I felt in my heart that I had just helped the less privileged had been overshadowed by the fear that had washed all over my face when Gideon called me.

I couldn't control my emotions again as I kept listening and reeling from what he was saying to me. This wasn't what I expected from him; this was out of range. I needed to call Mark and inform him of everything that had just happened without hesitation.

I picked up my phone beside me and dialed Mark's number. This time, there was no call disrupting my call with Mark. He received my call immediately.

"Mr. Jones, hello," Mark said at the receiving end, his voice soft and firm like a person in a busy schedule.

"I know you're busy, Mark, but I need to inform you of something," I said.

"Wildheart just called me, and he threatened to take and do anything to make sure that everybody ended up six feet under. And I'm warning you now: you need to protect Juliet and August. You need to make sure she's always with you every time and every day."

I warned continuously, making sure that Mark overheard everything I was saying. "What did he say? Do you have any clue about where he is now?"

Mark's voice was laced with suspicion and anxiousness, anxiety getting the better of him at the receiving end. "Calm down, Mark," I said.

"I'm trying to get every detail that I need to make sure that we get him into custody. But he's not an easy man to get away with. We need to make it strategic, something that will work out for both of us."

"Okay, Mr. Jones," Mark replied. "I will make sure to inform Juliet and August, and she will not be working alone from henceforth."

We ended the call, but my mind was still not at peace, knowing fully well that anything could happen to Juliet.