The Four-Star-General Returns

Chapter 8 - Back in the Hood

Elena’s eyes were locked on the screen, tears still flooding her face. Her hands trembled as she gripped the remote.

“Why choose to reveal yourself at the Pearson-Uyors engagement?” 

“Did you crash the engagement because you want Ms Pearson back?” 

“I didn’t crash an engagement, I ended a charade,” Nate said as he finally walked out on all reporters.

Elena finally hit the power off button. She was fed up.

She remembered the day she returned the engagement ring, when Nate was helpless. She broke him even more. She ran her fingers through her hair and gave her dad one last stare.

“What have I done?” She said as she went back to her room. In her room, her phone is on the nightstand buzzing with notifications.

All headlines and news channels were about Nathan or pictures of Nathan.

The socialites group chat was the worst “Girl, you let him go!” “He didn't even look at you and he’s the man of the century” “Maybe his memory about her got wiped out” she shoves the phone aside burying her face in her palms.

She looks up at the TV in her room to see Nate and Kelvin, walking like the untouchable kings of the US and she switches it off immediately.

“Nate you came back but not for me, maybe against me,” she said as she wailed in pain.

Meanwhile, Damien had to fix his ribs in the hospital, and his father accompanied him. Reporters also went to surround the hospital for interviews but Uyors was sure to get rid of them.

He watched Nate on the TV screen in the private hospital room. “He’s vitals are stabilizing, he will be discharged soon” The doctor said and left the room after checking Damien’s vitals.

“You are not going to let him get away with this right?” Damien asked his father, his voice desperate.

“He humiliated me! Injured my soldiers, landed my son in the hospital, and scattered the one opportunity I had to take over Pearson’s company! He is a dead man” he said, backing Damien, who chuckled.

“I can't believe you ran for three years Nate, to finally die in my hands, I felt he died of starvation but when I’m done with him, he would wish to join his parents in no time,” Uyors said and left the room to make a call with his assistant major.

“Set a meeting with Mr. Pearson in an hour,” He said as he made his way to their usual meeting place.

Mr Pearson honored the invitation and they spoke over two glasses of wine in a private bar.

“How on earth did Nathan the disabled soldier build NFT?” Mr Pearson started, still surprised.

“The question is not how he started but how to break him,” Uyors said, desperately.

“Don’t you think it might be too late for that?” Pearson asked.

This question made Uyors doubt Pearson’s solidarity and loyalty. Uyors was a man with his heart at the back. He doesn't care who was on his way, terminating lives is a basic need to him and killing threats is a necessity.

“You mean, it’s okay to watch that boy that I thwarted years ago come back to insult me, threaten me, and crash our children’s engagement?” Uyors said as he threw his glass of wine on the floor and it shattered.

Pearson stuttered and said “Maybe we were wrong about him, he is different now, powerful and he rules America…”

Uyors cut Mr Pearson off “I alone rule America! And I will get rid of him immediately!” He paused, breathing furiously, and continued “We are the most honored elites in this country, if he stays alive, he might reveal more than he already did”

Pearson’s silence portrayed regret and guilt but he agreed in the long run. At least the public wouldn’t find out he had a hand in destroying Nathan if he was dead.

“Killing Nathan now wouldn't be easy to clean up because he is a public figure, he probably has a lot of associates that would take up the matter to its root.” Pearson reasoned but Uyors was fueled with anger, he was determined.

“Leave it to me, he is a dead man,” Uyors said.

He shook Uyors and they both nodded simultaneously as Pearson took one look around the bar, gulped his wine, and left.

Uyors did not regret one bit, instead, he began to suspect that Mr Pearson had developed a change of heart which could lead to betrayal.