Chapter five

“How dare he speak to me that way? Does he know who I am?’ Petra fumed as she paced around the room. Although it was a cool evening, she was terribly worked up. The incident with Victor back at Reggie's place has left her shaken. She had never imagined that a man would reject her as Victor did.

“I guess I’ll just teach him a lesson then. No one speaks to me in that manner and gets away with it. I will teach you a lesson, Victor Storms!” she fumed again. 

Just as her anger went overboard, the door to the living room opened. Thomas stepped into the sitting room where Petra paced around and then watched her closely. As soon as Petra saw him, she stopped walking.

“Father, you should not be walking around. You know very well what the doctor said,” she said with a sigh as she helped him get to a seat. Thomas groaned while she helped him and then sighed as soon as he sat down.

“I am not a child, Petra. I think I can take care of myself,” he retorted and she scoffed while she sat down beside him. 

“Father, perhaps you may have forgotten that you are the face of this company. If anything happens to you, we are done. So, for my sake and yours, I would like you to take your health a lot more seriously,” Petra told him but he chuckled.

“what’s funny, father? I am very serious about this. I have been living in affluence till now and I do not want to lose it,” she said to him without any regard to how the words would make him feel. Thomas just gazed at the monster he had birthed.

“is that the only reason why you want me alive? Because of money?” he asked her. She faked a laugh and held his hand but immediately, Thomas could see the deceit in her eyes.

“I want you to live because you are my father. I want to see you happy and healthy. Is that really too difficult for you to believe?” Petra asked him but Thomas gave her no response. He just gazed at the ceiling.

“so, father, what made you pass out? Was it the drugs?” she asked him and Thomas turned to her. His eyes were dead serious and he sort of scared her with that look.

“I saw a ghost, Petra. Someone that I thought had died sat in the car with me. I was overwhelmed,” he told her and she gave him a skeptical look. 

“a ghost?” she asked with sarcasm in her tone and fought back the urge to laugh. “whose ghost did you see? I know it cannot be Mother’s. She won’t let you survive if she comes to haunt you,” Petra said to him and smiled but he sighed.

“you think that this is a joke, do you not? Well, believe it or not, our empire is on the brink of collapsing and if we do not do anything about it, this wealth that you so desperately covet will be gone in the blink of an eye,” he yelled at her. Petra jumped back in fear. She had never seen her father so worked out in her life. Despite the fact that she probably believed that he was high at that moment, she just decided to ask.

“whose ghost did you see, father?” she asked him. Thomas gave Petra a deep look before he opened his shaky lips.

“it was Alan Bernard!” he told her. Petra was definitely convinced that he was losing it. “he told me that my time of reckoning had come. He is alive, Petra. I don’t know how but that brat survived. And he has had enough time to plot against us,” Thomas told her.

“if truly, he is alive, we just have to kill him again. I don’t know about you but I will not let anyone take this company away from me, not after everything that I have sacrificed to make it work,” she told him.

“you did not see the look in his eyes, Petra. He is out for blood and he will have it. I'm afraid that we may not win this fight,” Thomas groaned but Petra held his hand tighter.

“Father, I am here. Just trust me with this. I will handle it,” she told him and he nodded. 

“you will make an excellent CEO someday,” he told her.

“maybe it's time for you to retire then,” Petra replied. Thomas was about to say something when he overheard something on the television. It was breaking news. Both Petra and Thomas watched in horror as Knight Incorporated and its secrets were exposed to the entire city. 

“it is him! I swear its Alan!” Thomas groaned while more secrets were released. Apparently, the news was released by the whistle-blower.

“oh, my God!” Petra watched the news in horror. “how is this possible? How did he get a hold of that confidential information?”

“how am I supposed to know Petra? I told you he was out for blood. Do you believe me now? This will destroy our company. We are done, Petra!” Thomas groaned while Petra just gazed into nothingness. So many questions roamed through her mind as she tried to understand what was happening. But the more she thought about it, the more she fell into the abyss. Soon, her phone began to ring. They were business partners and so-called friends. They wanted to know what was happening. 

Then, Thomas’ phone rang and he quickly picked up the call. It was Phil.

“what the heck is happening, Thomas? I saw the news!” Phil asked Thomas who was fighting the urge to go insane at that moment.

“your bloody nephew happened. He leaked my secrets. He has destroyed me, Phil,” Thomas replied.

“enough of this nonsense, Thomas! I am telling you again. Alan is dead.”

“And I’m telling you that he is alive! You know what? He will come for you next anyway. I guess you will see for yourself then,” Thomas said and hung the call. He just staggered back to his seat and collapsed, again.