Chapter 55 Defending Angela
Susan and Eva celebrated their success of landing Diamond Corporation's first scandal with drinks in hand. They clicked glasses and laughed heartily.
Back at the programme, the whole interview had turned chaotic. While Angela and Don engaged in a heated argument over what Angela had done, the host was doing everything to stop the images from displaying on the screen. The next thing they showed on the screen that threw everyone out of their seat was a text message between Angela and someone. The person was angry because Angela didn't give him the role after getting him to go to bed with her.
Bryce's car drove into the company's garage. He was so angry that all his hair was standing on end.
"Go to the place of the interview and find a way to get Angela out of the place. Take her home and lock her up in the room," Bryce ordered.
"Yes, sir," Martin acknowledged, and Bryce got out of the car.
Martin left to pick up Angela while Bryce went upstairs using the elevator. When he got to his office, his father, Devon Moore, was already there waiting for him.
"Bryce, can you explain to me what is happening?" Devon questioned angrily.
"Dad, you didn't have to come here. I was going to take care of everything. We are not making headlines," Bryce replied and strode into the office.
"That is not the answer to my question," Devon barked.
"It is a mistake, and I am handling it," Bryce replied, not ready to give Angela up even though everyone saw what Angela did.
"What do you think of me?" Devon questioned. "A fool?" he growled. "I will not allow you to destroy the company I suffered to build. I want that secretary's appointment terminated from the company and the banned list. Ensure no company in the city employs her," he instructed.
"Dad, that is too harsh. It was a mistake, and I am handling it," Bryce defended.
Bryce knew something was up. In his heart, he believed Angela would not do this. Again, if Angela was using drugs, he would have seen her, caught her or seen something. He asked her to stay home so he could do his investigation, even though he was angry with her. He wanted to find out who was doing that to her, but Angela was too stubborn to listen to him.
"A mistake, you say? You terminate the appointment of Susan and Eva for some petty mistakes, and you want to keep the one who caused a scandal?" Devon asked.
"Dad, the two cases are incomparable. Susan and Eva's mistake almost caused a life. This is a scandal. If well handled can even be a stepping stone to another level of greatness. If we clear our name, this becomes a new level of publicity for the company," Bryce explained.
"New level of publicity. Bryce, are you fucking this secretary?" Devon questioned angrily.
"No," Bryce denied, his eyes unwavering. "You know me, I go all out to protect my best employees," he added.
"Bryce, fix this and get that secretary out of the company," Devon said and walked out of the office, slamming the door on his way out.
Bryce picked up his phone and called Britney.
"Hello Britney, tonight's premiere is cancelled. Get me the list of all the media present and get the other media platforms that are broadcasting the live interview," Bryce said.
"Yes, Mr President," Britney acknowledged, and the call ended.
Bryce made a call to the top news agency. He waited for the man to answer.
"Good evening, this is Bryce Moore," Bryce greeted.
"Ah, Mr Moore, good evening. It's a pleasure to hear from you. What can I do for you this evening?" came the voice of Edward.
"I am sure you may have gotten wind of the messy interview that was being broadcast live with representatives from my company and Don Entertainment," Bryce said.
"Yes, I did see that. That was very bad," Edward said.
"I need you to ensure the news is taken off all media platforms. I don't want the news making headlines tomorrow," Bryce said.
"Sure, anything for you, Mr Moore. I will get my best team on it. They will monitor all the media and TV channels 24/7 for the next two weeks to ensure this news does not pop up anywhere," Edward assured Bryce.
"Thank you," Bryce acknowledged and ended the call.
He stayed in the office till 11 p.m. and put everything under control. He sent an email to Britney to prepare for a press conference to clear the air. He left the office with his other driver, Marcus, together with the other guard for his apartment.
At Bryce's apartment, Bryce got out of the car and headed for the front door. He went upstairs and found Martin standing guard at the door. He unlocked the door, and Angela was lying on the floor motionless again.
"Get the doctor," Bryce instructed Martin, and he called the doctor on his phone.
Bryce carried Angela from the floor to the bed. She had wounded herself again.
"What is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?" Bryce whispered, staring at Angela's sleeping face.
The doctor arrived and attended to Angela.
"Mr Moore, she is exhibiting the same signs from yesterday. I am positive it is the drug again. She claims she is not doing drugs. Per chance, do you know if she ate or drank anything outside?" the doctor asked.
"I don't know, but I am sure she may have. She didn't eat before leaving home," Bryce replied.
"Okay. I would run the labs on her blood and confirm if it is still the drug. I gave her something that would help clear the drug from her system. She would wake up in an hour and throw up multiple times. Keep some water by her side to keep her hydrated, " the doctor said and packed his stuff, leaving the room.
After the doctor had left, Bryce called Bernard.
"Hello Bernard, I know it is late, but tomorrow I need you to get me all the CCTV coverage of everything that happened in the office today," Bryce instructed.
"Yes, please," Bernard acknowledged, and Bryce ended the call.
He turned to look at Angela, and he frowned. His heart told him she was being framed, but his mind told him he didn't know her and she could be hiding something. He called Josephine and asked her to stay with Angela for the night.
Bryce left the room for the guest room. The doctor sent the results of the test to him. It was past midnight, and he couldn't sleep. Bryce quickly checked the results, and it did show she had cocaine in her bloodstream. He sighed, lying on the bed, hoping to find something he could use to defend her. In his heart, he was very positive she was innocent, but his mind says something else. He was hoping the CCTV cameras would reveal something that would change his mind to align with his heart.
At a club downtown, Eva was seductively dressed, sitting in front of a man whose eyes scanned her flirtatiously.
"Like what you see?" Eva asked.
"I do. Now I wonder if you will go home with me tonight," the man said and leaned forward. "Let's see if I would like what I would feel," he whispered into Eva's ears and Eva made a disgusting face, but when the man pulled back, she quickly smiled.
The man was not bad-looking, but he was old. He was rich but old. Eva left the club as the man's escort headed for the estate. She had already informed Susan that she was going into the estate with the man.
Ten minutes past midnight, Eva arrived at the estate with the man, and he took her to his apartment and his bedroom.
"Why don't you take a shower first?" Eva said after allowing the man to kiss her for a while.
"Sure, buttercup. Don't go anywhere," the man said and walked into the bathroom.
Eva quickly pulled out the medication from her bag and put a few drops into the man's glass. She sat on the bed and stared at the door, waiting for the man to return to the bedroom.