Chapter 3 DRINKING FROM THE CUP OF BETRAYAL

Chapter 3

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"You should get some rest, I'll stay right here with him and once he wakes up, I'll let you know."

"I don't feel like going home, I'll wait right here." She replied, kneading her father's hand and kissing it. Her cellphone distracted her with it's blaring tune,she rolled her eyes and swiped the green icon.

"Yeah Milan,what do you want?" She asked, moving quietly out of the room.

"You promised to come over." He said and she felt irritated and angry. How had she gotten herself entangled with Milan? She asked herself, sighing loudly.

"My father is in the hospital,I can't come over right now, bye." She ended the call and sighed. She met Milan at a club and since then the guy has been calling, texting and wanting to visit but she didn't want her father to know she went clubbing.

That night,she's lied about going to work at the office late into the night.

"Josie." She stopped,her heart in her mouth. Only two people ever called her Josie.

Her father and Carlson but Carlson died six years ago in prison in a fire accident, they'd buried him and she knew where his tombstone was. She turned and saw Jeff smiling at her.

"What did you call me?" She asked, walking over to meet him as Kendall moved away.

"Josie__ is something wrong with that?" He asked.

"Uhm no__ yeah it reminded me of someone." She replied, shaking her head.

"Wo!! Hold on,a good or bad memory?" He asked, holding her hand. "A bad one actually,one is rather not talk about." She replied and led him into the room. Kendall fisted her palm, shaking her head.

"You barely know what awaits you." She whispered and sat down, waiting for them to come out.

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"Dad? Look who came visiting, it's Jeff, Jeff Landon if you'd just open your eyes, you'll see it's really him." She said,her voice breaking.

"What's the diagnosis?" Jeff asked.

"If this goes on,he might get an operation and it's not guaranteed he'd live long enough for__"

"Quit talking negatively, he'll bounce back alive, strong and healthy.

"Thanks Jeff, you're a nice person."

"It's nothing, I need to get to the office, are you still up for the date? I could cancel an__"

"I'm up for it. Josh will be right here with him." She hurriedly said and he smiled.

"Are we leaving already?" Kendall asked the minute he walked out of the room.

"Yeah we are, he's dying."

"As it should be." Kendall said, walking behind him.

"Sometimes i feel the hatred you have for him is much worse than what i feel for them,both of them." She scoffed, turned the ignition on and turned to look at him.

"Try picturing your mother's crying face while being pregnant and a mad man hitting her till she almost lost the baby."

"It's horrible yet i was charged to court because of doing the same thing to his daughter which i never did. In our six months of being married, I never laid my hands on her,hell i thought we were in love."

"Are we reminiscing on old times just to feel the hatred flow through our veins again?" Kendall asked.

"It'll serve as a reminder. Tomorrow marks the seventh year since the fire accident,seventh year since everyone confirmed i was dead."

"Yeah,do you think she ever visited your fake tomb?" She asked.

"She never visited it, I doubt she'd visit now. Carlos never left my tombstone without a flower on it, I'll go over the the graveyard to see him, it's been years."

"What are you gonna tell him?"

"Nothing just a casual lie about visiting a family relative who was buried there, he'll buy my story."

"You really miss him, don't you?"

"I do, don't you miss your mother?" He asked.

"I do but she's no more, she's gone."

"Enough of all these, we'll just wait for the old man to open his eyes and then we'll push through with our next plan."

"Yeah. Let's go over to the company, I have a meeting to attend."

"You're meeting with the judge, ain't you?" Kendall asked as he nodded before chuckling.

"Mr Green bought him on that day he made him run a false judgement and so this judge is gonna work for me,him and all his assistants, they'll work for me while i gather enough evidences to clear Carlson Graham's name. He'll work hard but will never know what hit him."

"Morning sir" the receptionist greeted as he walked in. It was the first time they were seeing him in person. The assistant manager had been the one managing and overseeing everything before now.

"I need to meet with the workers before the meeting with the judge.

"Yeah that'll be a great idea, they don't know you." Mr Fred the assistant manager said, shaking his hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, it's an honor."

"The honor lies in your work and how far you've carried the company for five years, I'd love to see a detailed report and i don't need a secretary."

"Bu_"

"No buts Mr Fred,no buts. We don't need no secretary my assistant can handle everything." Fred nodded and walked out of the office.

"I guess it's better that way,we don't want anyone knowing our secrets any time soon."

"Yeah, besides it'll buy us some time if we're discrete about everything and anything we do."

"Try getting used to the system around here, know everyone and what they're capable of and get back to me."

"After the meeting, I'll get down to that."

*

*

After the meeting with the employees, Kendall and Jeff made their way to the extravagant office at the far right on the last floor.

"I bet he'll be so desperate to work for such a huge firm." Kendall said,her heel clicking on the tiled floor.

"Yeah hungry wolves ready to devour whoever they see as a prey."

"Let's go in and__"

"Kendall__" he called, holding her hands.

"You will not say a word in there, you'll keep quiet, it's not time to have your revenge you'll have it one day,but not today." She swallowed hard, nodding her head.

"I get it, I totally get it but it hurts Carl,it hurts."

"Do not call me Carl, I don't want any suspicion from anyone."

"Right,I'm sorry i should have gotten a hold on myself."

"Let's go in and lead that man to his doom just like he did to your father and to me, we'll make him pay the price dearly