Tom had everything he could ever want until he didn't. Coming back home meant bigger expectations he was in no way ready to fulfil. He had a secret he needed to protect with his life but his grandmother’s wish seems to get in the way of that. While trying to evade his grandmother's wish, would he finally be free from his past or drown in the guilt? Lou was a free spirit who had a smile on her face in spite of her circumstances. She loved her job and was living comfortably until she had to take care of the most obnoxious man she's ever met. Being looked down on all her life, getting involved with Tom and his obnoxious brother was like living a life she was desperately running away from. Will she survive or will they ruin her for life? Harry wanted one thing and one thing only. His grandmother’s company. He would do anything and get rid of anyone who got in his way. Turns out that someone would be his brother’s fiancé. It was time he became the devil he never knew he could be.
Chapter 1 Harry
Bang! Bang! I could still hear the sounds of the .9mm gun through the headphones. Bang! Bang! Bang! I fired off within a second while holding my breath. I considered myself a pretty decent shooter and that was thanks to the copious amount of time I spent at the shooting range. God only knows why I come here every week, it’s not like I would ever have a reason to fire the gun at someone, but I guess this range was the only place I had complete control over.
The printable target came close and showed off the shots I made. Bullseye. Pride surged through my body, there was no award for a perfect shot, but it was something to brag about, and hell if I wasn’t happy about that. I pushed more bullets into the cartridge of the gun and cocked it. A fresh printable target surfaced, and I fired off once again. Everywhere else was quiet save for the banging sounds from my gun, just how I like it. Most times I happen to be the only one at the range when I arrive but other times, I have to pay more to get my much-needed solitude. Today was one of those other times.
The shrill sound of my ringtone cut through the silence and stopped me from taking any more shots. Shit. Everyone who knows me knows not to disturb me when I’m out of the office by this time. Moving over to my phone, I looked at the caller ID, Merlin, my assistant. If this call wasn’t important, he might have to start looking for another job.
“What?” I spoke with a not-so-annoyed voice
“We have a code, blue sir”. God, I hated those, couldn’t there just be a day where guests are not complete assholes?
“How long has he been at it?” I asked rubbing my temples
“For about 30 minutes”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” I raised my voice
“It wasn’t this bad at the beginning sir. He looked like he was going to agree to compromise”
“Tell me everything. From the beginning”
I rushed to my convertible and connected my phone to the Bluetooth, Merlin’s voice boomed over the speakers as he continued to give me a rundown on what happened. This was the third cold blue this week alone, it’s like no one ever gets word of what happens to people who make a scene at my hotel. I make sure their pockets are as empty as possible with the different damage cases my lawyers send to them. It’s like people still don’t take me seriously, guess this incident would be so loud nobody would dare to look down on me again.
Tuning back into what Merlin was saying I was shocked at what I was hearing.
“He did what?!”
“He broke one of the limited-edition vases in the hallway”. A laugh rumbled in my chest. Sarah’s not going to like that, she’s going to be fuming when she hears that. Sarah Hillings, the power woman behind Hill Hotels and Resort. She was one scary-ass woman who was very meticulous about the décor in each of the branches, she had handpicked those vases herself. Personnel only she trusted touched those things. One would think they held some kind of billion-dollar secret. I was one of them, until I dispelled such thought alongside breaking said vase which put me in an even more soiled relationship with her.
Sarah has always hated me, and she never failed to remind me every time we crossed paths, it fucks with my head sometimes but now I don’t give a shit anymore. I just want to get the company out of the grips of my wretched stepsister. I’ve worked more hours than she has, and I have more results to back up my sleepless nights. I deserve it more than her.
Pulling up to the entrance of the branch in San Fransico, I park in my designated parking spot, get out of the car, and adjust my suit. I walk in like a guy ready to throw hands, if necessary, although that would give Sarah another reason to berate me, but I can’t say I hate that.
Angry shouts get louder and louder as I round the hallway that leads to the elevator.
"Where's the manager? I want to speak with the manager"
Rounding the corner, I see the face behind the voice, and I must say, I'm not impressed at all. 5"7, short hair, and a lean frame. I can already tell how much of a piece of work he has been.
"I'm going to need you to reduce your voice", I spoke loud enough for everyone in the hallway to hear me
"Who the hell are you?", shorty said stepping towards me
"Make a guess", I said not moving an inch
"I'm not speaking to another ignorant employee. I want the manager"
Stepping right into his face I said, "What is the problem?"
His face morphed in realization and quickly changed to mock confidence.
"Your employees don't know how to do their jobs"
"I will ask one last time, what is the problem"
"I want a refund", this fucker said still without answering my question
"Why?", I was so close to throwing him out for beating around once more
"First of all, I got to my room and there were no toiletries. Your lousy employees must have stolen them". His jab did not go unnoticed by me
"I demanded a free lunch as compensation for what was missing, and I was denied. Then your bartender had the guts to ask me to pay for my drinks". It was then I noticed the faint slur of his words and a few missed steps as he paced in front. This fucker was wasted and causing a scene, I was fed up already.
“So let me get this correct, your room was missing a few things and you demanded to have free drinks, am I correct?” I asked
“Well yes about the room and the drinks were supposed to be complimentary”, drunkie over here spoke quite arrogantly
“Well first off, I’d like to apologize for your missing toiletries. However, we are not required to offer free drinks as compensation.”
“So, what are you going to give me?”
“I would like to suggest a complimentary night instead in one of our finest rooms” I watched the guy’s face light up at my suggestion, he wouldn’t be so happy to hear what I had to say next.
“When you check out and get home, get ready to be sued for damages. You broke a million-dollar vase in your temper tantrum.” I watched his face fall just as fast and I walked away with a smirk on my face.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and fishing it out I saw a text. I’m home. For the first time this week, I was in a good fucking mood.