Chapter 73 SHOWTIME
POV: PATRICK
My phone kept ringing relentlessly until I entered the company, where Heloise and her brother, Celdric, were waiting for me in the meeting room. The new assistant, with wide, lost eyes, approached me.
“Good morning, Mr. Morgan. I'm Melissa, your new assistant,” she said, stopping by my side and handing over various papers and folders. “I was instructed to give you these contracts for review.”
I kept my gaze on the glass-walled meeting room; she followed my gaze, shivering nervously.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Morgan, I couldn't prevent them from entering; they were very. insistent!” Melissa fidgeted anxiously. “Do you want me to call security?”
“Mrs. Melissa,” I said impartially, putting my hands in my pockets and staring at her, wishing my sweet yet daring Elisabeth was in her place. “Two people entered my company demanding my presence, without an appointment, and without you verifying who they are, and your first thought was to call me instead of security?”
“I... They said they were from Forbes!” she stammered.
“Did you confirm that information? Or did you just bother me so I could be an easy target for strangers?” I kept my tone cold, taking the folders from her hands. “Do us both a favor and get out of my sight!”
“Yes, sir.” Melissa left with tear-filled eyes, running straight to the elevator.
I started walking again, my body tense, wishing to swap the folders for a gun, enter the room, and finish off the damn parasites who had already caused me so much pain. I sighed, maintaining my upright and firm CEO posture, and entered the room, seeing Heloise's broad smile as she shamelessly eyed me from head to toe, biting her lips.
“We thought you wouldn't come!” Celdric teased.
“Hello, dear. You look so handsome; I see your problems haven't affected your looks at all.” Heloise winked, getting up and coming toward me. “But you seem a bit down; isn't your secretary taking good care of you?”
She ran her hands over my shoulders, massaging me with subtle squeezes. I removed her hands, putting the folders in my briefcase and taking out what was necessary for the situation.
“What do you want here?” I sat down, placing the folder on the table and maintaining my posture. “Don’t tell me you came here to cry about the sold shares.”
“You bastard.” Celdric pointed his finger, but his sister, who was sitting close by with a broad smile on her lips, restrained him.
“Of course we came here; you carried out an illegal acquisition not approved by the industry board!” She kept a professional tone. “You, better than anyone, know that my brother Forbes is not mentally fit and cannot make decisions for the entire company.”
“As you said, my dear, I am fully aware of everyone’s conditions.” I slid the papers in their direction. “Forbes was tested, and his condition was not what the family doctor claimed; it seems someone was poisoning him, causing his symptoms, and with the family history, your brother didn’t question the medical advice. Therefore, the dementia aspect was dismissed. Read the next paragraphs.”
I smiled smugly, leaning back in my chair and watching their reactions. Celdric stared at me in shock and then turned in my direction.
“This is a lie; we have his tests to prove his condition!” Throwing the table, Celdric stood up, agitated, and came toward me, pointing his finger. “You are framing this, planting false evidence and hopes for my sick brother. All this for what? To get back at my sister, whom you only knew how to hurt and blame for something she wasn’t responsible for?”
I stood up, grabbing Celdric’s finger and twisting it backward, the sound of a crack echoing in the room along with his scream of pain.
“I’ll teach you how to address a man, you spoiled brat!” I twisted his finger more, making him groan. “Your sister knows perfectly well the guilt she bears. The difference is that she doesn’t care and uses the false pain to manipulate weak minds like yours.”
“That’s enough; let him go, Patrick!” Heloise stood up, irritated. “If you want to hurt someone, you can hurt me like you always did.”
“Hmph, I never laid a finger on you. Maybe, Heloise, you should see a doctor. I believe your madness has developed into schizophrenia.” I pushed Celdric towards the door, annoyed. “I’m tired of your games!”
“Why, dear? Running out of time?” She smiled coldly. “Celdric, dear brother, go to the hospital and take care of your broken finger. Let me handle everything.”
“You can’t stay alone with this bastard!” Clutching his hand, Celdric whimpered as he spoke.
“Don’t worry, he won’t do anything to me, will you, my love?” Winking in my direction, Heloise turned to her brother. “Please take care of yourself. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Celdric’s eyes filled with tears at his sister’s beautiful performance. Stopping by the door, he stared at me.
“If you hurt her again, Patrick Morgan, our next meeting will be with you inside a coffin,” he threatened, shouting.
“For that, little Celdric, you need to be a man and have the guts to kill!” I smiled nonchalantly as I watched him walk away with firm steps. “Now that we're alone, Heloise, tell me the truth. Why are you here?”
“Still sharp, my love. I've always admired that about you.” Licking her lips, she came towards me, lifting a leg to whisper in my ear. “I missed you!”
“What happened? Did the devil kick you out because he couldn't stand you?” I pushed her away, stepping back. “I'm a busy man; just tell me what you want.”
“You always said that, even when we lost him.” I slammed the table hard. Heloise widened her eyes, falling silent.
“You can provoke me all you want, put on the scene and the show you desire, but never in your life speak of Gabriel to me.” I approached her, grabbing her elbows tightly. “Do you understand?”
“You're hurting me!” she said, scared. I squeezed harder, causing a grunt of pain. “What’s gotten into you? Okay, I understand.”
I released her forcefully, stepping away.
“Great, now tell me what you came for,” I said loudly, irritated.
“Since you covet our company so much, this merger will happen with our continued presence, my dear. In other words.” Heloise moved closer, swaying her hips, until she grabbed my tie and adjusted it. “We will be working very closely together for the next few days. Isn’t that wonderful?”