Fault
“Boss Drew, Mr. Victor Panganiban, the owner of the Italian Club wants to meet you,” said Sarah, Drew’s assistant, from the intercom.
He had suppressed Victor these past few days, and he was certain that the man was struggling to survive after causing significant damage to the Walton Group. Because of the fire’s extensive damage, he violated the leasing agreement, particularly those that dealt with the establishment’s safety. Even if Victor sells his other two restaurants, it won’t be enough to pay off his debt to him. In a memo, he informed his team that Victor’s case was his. Everyone was perplexed, and Victor learned of the situation.
“Let him in.”
He placed the document that he was reviewing on one side. After a while, the door opened.
“Please come in,” he heard Sarah say. She led his visitor inside his office before leaving to allow them a bit of privacy.
“Mr. Walton…” When Victor came into his line of vision, he immediately stopped, and his eyes grew wide. “Y-you-”
“What is it, Mr. Panganiban?” Drew asked, with no emotion.
“I saw you with Lily at the restaurant! You are Mr. Walton?”
He leaned back in his swivel chair and asked, “Yes, but that has nothing to do with your contract with the Walton Group. What do you need from me?”
It was evident that Victor had lost hope as he gulped and shamelessly responded, “I need your permission to continue operating my restaurant business in the two malls owned by the Walton Group so that I can pay the damages I have to compensate your company for.”
“Mr. Panganiban, if you were in my position, would I permit you to continue operating your business when you violated the mall’s safety standards? You were using a gas range that started the fire, and Walton Group would be the one to address the issue if someone was around at the time of the accident.”
“I didn’t realize there was a gas range inside the restaurant, but it won’t happen again!” Victor pleaded.
“That is not a concern of mine.”
Victor’s jaw hardened. “Is this because of Lily?”
Drew sneered. He wanted to be upset at that point. “Don’t casually mention my wife’s name!”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
“Wife? Lily married you?” Victor remarked with narrowed eyes. “Then she is to blame. That b*tch!”
Drew stood up and approached the fvcker. “Watch your tongue! You might have forgotten that the woman you referred to as a “b*tch” is my wife! She is Walton! He called his assistant while his eyes were throwing daggers. “Sarah!”
His assistant went inside. “Boss?”
“Tell my lawyer that we are terminating Mr. Panganiban’s leasing agreement with us. See you in court, Mr. Panganiban!”
Victor’s eyes grew wide. He took hold of him, grabbing his suit. “No! You can’t do this, Mr. Walton! It’s not my fault! It was Lily! You can’t trust her words; she’s a slut who slept with men and even fvcked with her stepbrother.”
Drew punched Victor in the cheek out of a rage. The man collapsed on the ground. He attempted to rush at him after becoming enraged. However, he kicked him in the chest, sending him back to the ground. Victor held his chest and scowled.
Sarah gasped as she stood in the doorway, witnessing the fight. “Boss?”
“Fvck you and your wife!” Victor screamed violently.
Drew’s eyes narrowed. “This is my warning. Don’t use up my patience.”
“Mr. Panganiban, you better leave the office!” ordered Sarah. Two guards approached Victor to take him out. Angrily getting to his feet, the man went outside.
Drew, attempting to calm himself down, stated, “You heard nothing, Sarah. The same goes for everyone outside. You know what will happen if they spread rumors about my wife.”
“Yes, Boss. I personally will discipline our staff,” she replied.
Drew returned to his broad table. His rage persisted even after that. Where did Victor get his audacity to blame his problems on Lily?
After being together for more than a month, his connection with his wife was getting better. They had a wonderful time together last night. The sex he had that evening was the best he had ever had. Maybe it’s because a thin invisible tie connected them. They did it as husband and wife and not just because they were obligated to do it.
Just thinking about it makes his cock hard. “Oh, Lily. What am I going to do with you?”
***
At their customary hangout spot, Keith’s house, one of their friends, Victor asked Kenneth to come to learn more about his circumstances.
Victor yelled at Kenneth, confronting him, “You didn’t tell us she was married!”
Kenneth inhaled a cigarette puff. “Does it matter? Lily will always belong to me. Drew Walton doesn’t matter a crap to me. She’ll come back at some point. When she returns, you can give her a lesson.”
Still unable to accept it, Victor shook his head. “No, bro! I strongly suspect that he had something to do with the restaurant explosion and the subsequent escape of my head chef from the South branch. Lily does this!”
Kenneth got up from the sofa with no emotion. “If that’s what you believe, why don’t you confront Lily?”
“Are you allowing me to do that?”
Kenneth let out a shoulder shrug. “As long as Lily is aware of her position.”
“That b*tch!”
Kenneth walked out of the hangout spot and entered his car. It had been a month since he had last seen Lily, and he had been missing her presence, and her cries, which were like music to his ears. Lily was his, as his friends were aware. She may be their plaything, but she belongs to him.
From the glove box of his car, he pulled out a photograph of her.
“It’s your fault, Lily. Everything is your fault. And never forget that you are mine.”
As he approached Lily’s new house, his eyes grew narrower. The gate was high and tall, and he couldn’t see anything as he parked his car outside Drew’s house. He didn’t know what was going on inside. One day he’d be able to get in, and whether or not Lily wanted it, he would drag her out of there.
***
The day came when Drew had to leave for another country. He left a strong and tall man who would be with Lily at home.
Drew introduced him as Orion and said, “I don’t have anyone else I can trust with you besides him. He was my bodyguard in the past.”
With the person Drew had just introduced, Lily was not yet at ease. He would be the only person staying in that house with her. She was, of course, terrified and anxious. His figure is larger than Drew’s. He has a squared-off jawline and a strong, intimidating aura, making her feel uncomfortable.
“Uhm…” Lily tightened her fist. Even though she fears Orion, perhaps Drew won’t just leave her in his care if he lacks trust in him.
“Don’t be afraid of him, Lily; I trust him, and I’d rather you be with him than leave you here alone. He can also assist you with what you’re working on at this home.”
“Okay.” A few sets of home appliances that she ordered online will arrive. She intended Drew’s homecoming to be a surprise. If the man could help her, that would be fine, she thought.
She received a forehead kiss from Drew. “I must be on this business trip. I’ll take you with me next time.”
Lily experienced some guilt. Has she grown to be a hassle for Drew? She doesn’t want to appear overly dependent just because she fears being alone. Her husband does not need to postpone his trip overseas because of her.
Though she wasn’t sure, she muttered, “You don’t have to worry about me. I’d make sure to trust him.”
She considered those who lived in her former house as her family, yet they could still push her on the edge. How could she put her faith in others?
“You know what to do, Orion. Call me if you find something unusual.”
“Yes, Drew!”
Drew guided her toward the waiting vehicle while holding her waist. He patted Lily’s head like a child. “I’ll make sure to squeeze my schedule, so expect me back shortly.”
Despite the presence of the bodyguard, he had appointed and his driver, he reached for her lips.
“I’m going…” Drew announced before turning away and getting into his car. For a few moments, Lily stood there watching his car drive away.
After he left, her feelings began to warm. Drew would travel frequently on business trips, and she should prepare for this situation.
Before she went inside, she didn’t know there was a black car parked nearby, and it saw everything between her and Drew.
It also left after Orion closed the gate.