‘Like a key, for example? So the person who did this just walked in here?’
‘I’d advise you to change the locks, sir,’ the officer nodded.
When the policemen left, Brandon suspected the older man’s son.
The next day, Mr Greaves’ secretary arrived early. She took Brandon shopping and got him cleaned up at the barber’s and then drove him to the company. In the office that had once belonged to Mr Greaves, Brandon was about to go through the files on the computer when the doors swung open.
‘You must be Brandon!’ A middle-aged man in a dark suit walked into the office. ‘I’m Christopher, one of Mr Greaves’ former business partners, and I’m here to save you a whole bunch of trouble.’
‘Excuse me?’ asked Brandon.
Christopher explained that he was doing sales for one of Mr Greaves’ “specific” businesses. Brandon quickly realised that this was something illegal. He refused to continue, but Christopher didn’t care.
‘Listen up, you moron! Greaves owed me two million dollars for handling the illegal side of his business! Now you’re responsible for that,’ he growled. ‘And if you don’t pay up, I’m going to go to the police and tell them everything. Moreover, as the owner of the company, you will be responsible for all losses. So I’ll be expecting my $2 million by Saturday.’
‘What, that’s extortion! You’re not kidding!’ objected Brandon.
‘Yes, it is. And in case you think I’m not serious…’ Christopher threw back his jacket and put his hand on the butt of the pistol that hung in a holster at his side. ‘…Rest assured, if you cross me, Brandon, I will make you disappear.’
Brandon said nothing and agreed to Christopher’s demands. But he wondered if Christopher was deceiving him. So Brandon looked for any hint of this illicit side of the business.
By the evening of that day, after reviewing the data from all the other departments, Brandon was sure Christopher was lying. But then he noticed a filing cabinet hidden in the corner of the room. Brandon opened it with the keys he had found earlier on his desk. And the first thing he noticed was an old-fashioned file cabinet tucked into a drawer.
Inside it was an account book with entries written in some kind of shorthand, and Brandon realised that Christopher wasn’t lying. In desperation, he opened the drawer to find a few bottles of scotch on hand, but found nothing but a photograph.
It showed Mr Greaves standing with…a young boy. Brandon’s eyes bulged with horror as he realised how much they looked alike. It was Christopher, Mr Greaves’ son!
Everything began to make sense to Brandon. He couldn’t believe that someone as kind as Mr Greaves could be involved in an illegal business. So Christopher was probably using his own shady dealings to blackmail him, Brandon reasoned.
With luck and a terrible twist that threatened to ruin everything, it was all happening too fast. Fortunately, Brandon was not unfamiliar with the whirlwinds of the business world.
That Saturday, Brandon met Christopher in the underground car park, but with a counter offer.
‘I have to keep my word to your old man,’ Brandon said, ’so I’ll give you 49 per cent of the company and I’ll keep the other 51 per cent. That’ll be enough for you to live luxuriously, right? And I’ll reserve the right to run the company as your father wanted.’
But Christopher refused. ‘I’m not stupid, I deserve all this, not some petty little thing! We’ll talk when you come to your senses!’ – He hissed and walked away.
Brandon returned to the office. He decided to pay Christopher his two million dollars and be done with it, but found the company’s money tied up in assets or diverted to monthly expenses. Brandon was helpless.
Dejected, he returned home where another trouble awaited him. Opening the front door, he found his children’s babysitter tied to a chair and gagged.
‘He’s taken the children! He asked me to tell you that this should be a wake-up call to you!’ – she shouted as he released her and Brandon realised who she was talking about.
Brandon called Christopher and agreed to hand over the company, begging him not to hurt the kids. They decided to meet at noon. But Brandon also called the police, and within half an hour he was sitting down with an FBI agent.
‘Just follow my instructions and we’ll get your children back…’ Agent Bates assured him.
That afternoon Christopher was relaxing by the pool of the hotel he had rented. He had locked Brandon’s children in a wardrobe and fired all the hotel staff except the manager, whom he paid well.
‘Excuse me, sir,’ the manager interrupted him. ‘You have a parcel.’
Checking the envelope, Christopher grinned. He made his way to his room and signed the papers he found in the envelope. The company was finally his! He then released Brandon’s children. ‘I’m sure ragamuffins like you can find your way around. Now get out of here!’
Christopher finished packing. Suddenly he heard a click behind him. Although the sound was quiet, Christopher immediately recognised it as the gun’s safety selector.
‘FBI! Put your hands in the air! You’re under arrest.’
Meanwhile, Brandon was cradling children on the pavement. Thanks to Agent Bates’ idea to put a tracker in the paperwork, Christopher was caught.
Brandon took the kids home, ready to make things right. And when the FBI Fraud Squad showed up with a warrant, he handed the agents the evidence – copies of company documents and a ledger he’d found in his office – knowing he wouldn’t have a penny left by the time the investigation was over. But he would be free.
‘Daddy, are we really going to leave our house…only after Mummy dies?’ asked Kelly.
Brandon dropped to one knee and hugged his children.
‘Look, you four, we’re going to be okay. Do you want to know why?’
The kids looked at him seriously and nodded.
‘It’s because the most precious thing we have is right here in my arms. As long as we stick together, we will always be rich in the most important thing – love.’
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