Filed To Story: Returning to Her Not-So-Poor Family
Key corporate employees from all over the place, who knew where they’d be for the festivities.
Her dad’s friends and her mom’s, including her brothers and their partners, and even people close to her.
. Any one of them could be on Erik’s radar.
“The holidays are coming up, and there’ll be more visitors than ever, especially with mom and dad going public about your identity. Lots of people will want to meet you, and you’ll probably attend some high-profile events to get the word out. It’s going to give Erik plenty of opportunities. It’s hard to cover all the angles, but I’m going to assign more security to keep Reflections Villa safe and to accompany you on trips. Most importantly, we need to catch Erik in the next few days.”
As soon as Romeo finished, his phone began to vibrate. His private jet was equipped with internet and phone connectivity.
He slid his finger across the screen to answer. After a short conversation, he turned to Mirabella, “The assailants from the hotel have been identified. They’re from another organization that’s been in cahoots with Doom. You think their goal was to take you out. Could it be that Erik is part of this group? Maybe they tried to finish what Martha couldn’t?”
“It’s possible,” Mirabella didn’t dismiss the idea.
If Erik and Martha were involved with different factions, working for different masters, with multiple powers offering them protection.Then it was likely they’d belong to different organizations.
“I’ve got people checking if the past incidents are linked to this group. If there’s a connection, everything starts to make sense, including Erik’s identity.”
Romeo glanced outside at the sky, “You’ve only slept for three hours. Try to get some more rest. Leave these matters to me.”
“I want to call Jack,” Mirabella said, a hint of concern in her voice about the safety of Reflections Villa.
Romeo handed her his phone. She dialed, and before the ring could sound twice, Jack picked up immediately, “Mr. McMillian? Are you asking about Boss’ whereabouts? I’m not sure where she has gone.”
Mirabella curled the corner of her lip into a sly smile, “That would be me.”
“Boss, why is it you? How come you’ve got Mr. McMillian’s phone?” Jack’s voice quivered with fear, “I haven’t spilled anything in the last couple of days. I swear, I didn’t mention a peep about your whereabouts in Belloria.”
Mirabella could sense his desperate will to survive and said with interest, “Oh. is that so?”
“Absolutely.” Jack’s voice grew even more nervous at Hans’s tone, “I remember now, before you went off to Belloria, Mr. McMillian insisted on having a dinner with the guys. Everyone was going, and it just would’ve been rude for me to skip. Mr. McMillian might have thought I was too big for my britches, like I didn’t respect him.”
Her interest piqued further, Mirabella prodded, “So you went?”
“Yeah. but I didn’t ask for the gift card and the car keys. Mr. McMillian said it was a little something for the holidays. He made it clear that family should take it, and refusing would be a slap in his face. I figured, you and Mr. McMillian are practically family. It’s not right to snub your own kin, right? Plus, Jones and Tom all took it too.”
Jack was quick to drag everyone else into it.
“Mr. McMillian also mentioned that, should there be any danger, that sports car could outrun anyone with its speed and even activate bulletproof mode. He said it was to ensure we could protect you better.”
“So everyone took one?” Mirabella was oblivious to this development, “And the gift card?”
“The gift card was a New Year’s bonus for the crew, not just us few. Everyone on the payroll, even those abroad or on missions—Mr. McMillian prepared one for them, asked us to pass them on. He saidthat loyalty like ours, following you through thick and thin, deserves recognition, so.”
“How much did you take?” Mirabella’s tone was as sharp as if she were ready to sever their hands.
Jack was terrified, stuttering, “It was a blank check. we could fill in any amount.”
A blank check? Any amount?
At this revelation, Mirabella shot Romeo a glance—pretty generous, huh?
Fearing boss’ wrath, Jack hurriedly explained, “We were all brought up by you; we wouldn’t go filling in crazy numbers. We all agreed on an amount—just filled in two hundred bucks.”
“So you’re saying you’ve got a conscience after all?”
She wasn’t about to let them fleece her fiancé.
Jack grew more frightened by Mirabella’s tone, “Boss, listen to me, I’m not making excuses—I mean, let me explain.”
“What else?”
“That’s it.”
“Just that? That’s all?”
“Oh, I just remembered something else.” Jack’s tone suggested he knew he was in deep trouble and promptly came clean, not daring to hide any longer.
“And last Christmas, Mr. McMillian gave each of us a supermarket gift card worth a thousand bucks.
We could use it at any McMillian Corporation-owned supermarket. everyone took one. If I hadn’t, it would’ve been taken as an insult.””So you were put out by it, then?”
“You bet, I agonized over it for ages before I finally accepted.” Jack shivered as he tried to affirm his loyalty to Mirabella, “Boss, even though we’ve accepted quite a bit from Mr. McMillian, we are yours in life and in spirit. We would never betray you. Anything that shouldn’t be disclosed, we haven’t breathed a word.”
Mirabella deliberately left him hanging without a response.
Jack continued with a brotherly fervor, “Look, I’m just sayin’, God forbid, if you guys ever have a spat after the wedding, or if that Mr. McMillian ever dares to give you a hard time, we will be ready to roll up our sleeves and throw down. No mercy. You’ll always be our boss. We’ve always got your back.”
“He heard you,” Mirabella interjected, her tone light and teasing. “He’s not looking too pleased right now.”
Jack’s heart skipped a beat. “Hey, boss, what’s that? You’re breaking up. I’ll give you a ring later.”
“Oh, call this number next time. My phone’s busted.”
Jack’s despair deepened.
“Your phone? That thing’s as tough as a brick, cutting-edge like a stealth jet, and it’s broken? How?”
He suspected his boss was pulling his leg, just trying to get him to call Romeo, but the thought made him nervous. He was scared to make that call.
“Even the toughest brick, if it falls from the eighteenth floor, is bound to shatter, let alone survive an explosion.”
“That bad, huh?”
Just a few hours earlier, Mirabella had used Romeo’s phone to ask him to send extra guys to keep Reflections Villa secure, not letting any bad guys take advantage. She hadn’t mentioned what she and Horace had actually gone through.
At this point, Jack felt a twinge of jealousy that Horace had been through thick and thin with the boss, and his voice took on a slightly sour tone.”Why’d you bring that dunce Horace back? What about me?”
“You can hang with Romeo,” Mirabella said coolly. “You’re all family anyway, doesn’t make a difference who you’re with.”
“Don’t do me like that,” Jack pleaded, “I was just kiddin’ around. How can I be family with him? You and me, we’re blood, man. Boss, do you really trust that goofball Horace to get things done? He’s got that dopey, adorable look when he smiles, nowhere near as reliable as me.”
“I think his dopey, adorable look is quite endearing, and besides, he’s got good instincts in a pinch.”
“That still doesn’t beat me!”
“In a year or two, when Mr. McMillian sets you up with someone, I’ll need someone by my side if you leave.”
“Come on. Even if Mr. McMillian introduces me to a knockout, a real diamond, I wouldn’t take it. I’m with you for life, boss. Don’t kick me to the curb, man. I’ll even return all the gifts Mr. McMillian’s given me.”
Mirabella finally chuckled at his dramatics, “Alright, enough. I called to ask about Reflections Villa.
Everything okay there?”
“It’s all good! But we were too late, Erik slipped away! It’s below zero out here, and me and the boys are freezing our butts off standing guard.”
“Have people take turns. You don’t need to be out there 24/7.”
“It’s almost holiday time, some of the guys have gone home, we’re short-staffed.” Jack was quick to show his devotion, “But not me. I’m an orphan. I’m available 365 days a year, not like some people.”
“Enough with the guilt-tripping,” Mirabella cut in. “That’s it. I’m hanging up now.”Jack heard the call end with a beep and was surprised his boss hadn’t given him a hard time. Was Mirabella giving him a pass on accepting Mr. McMillian’s gifts? Mirabella still had a soft spot for them.
After all, Mr. McMillian was the richest man in the world. The little they accepted from him didn’t even amount to a day’s interest in his bank account.
Bank employees had approached Mirabella, marveling that a stash of ten million in the bank could yield an annual interest of over three hundred thousand dollars.
But Mirabella couldn’t keep her cash idle; she poured most of it into research and shared a fair chunk with her crew as a perk.
After ending the call, Mirabella handed the phone back to Romeo with a playful smirk, “Someone trying to buy me off?”
“It’s more of a reward,” Romeo was quick to correct her, “The guys have been through thick and thin with you. They deserve a little something.”
“Think I don’t spoil them enough?”
“Of course not,” Romeo’s survival instincts kicked in, “I just hate to see you spend. Save your earnings for yourself. Let me cover the expenses. I need to earn more for a better life for you.”
Mirabella couldn’t help but chuckle, and they shared a warm, knowing smile.
At Reflections Villa, Louisa woke up and headed to the living room. The coffee table was brand new, no shattered glass on the floor, and the tear-streaked figure was gone. Everything was spick and span, the help had even placed fresh flowers around, and a subtle floral scent lingered in the air.
Everything seemed perfect, yet Louisa felt an emptiness inside, a sense of time having moved on without her.
Kenneth came downstairs too, his mood as somber as hers.
“I talked with Bard for a long time last night, took some meds, and somehow fell into a deep sleep. I wasn’t there for you, and that’s on me.”Although Kenneth was heartbroken and furious, he prioritized comforting his wife, wrapping his arms around her, “We thought having two daughters would liven up the place. Now that one has shown her true colors, it’s better she’s gone. Let’s just say we fed a thankless dog.”
Louisa nodded, her spirits low.
“Our folks will be here soon. Let’s get ready to welcome them.”
“Alright.”
As Louisa was about to follow him, a servant appeared, quivering with fear.