A Different Side
1093 Words
Chapter Five: A different Side
After the emotional exchange with his parents, Cruz stayed quiet as the tears kept pouring from his eyes. His mind went back to a different time in his life when his reality was not as complicated as it had become.
His life had never been ordinary, but there was a time when he still carried his real identity and was not isolated from family.
He was completely lost in his thoughts at the time the chopper landed on a private airstrip at the Vernadian international Airport. The airport was the hub for international travels in the Tulzar region.
From the chopper, he marched with the two men on suit towards a private jet preparing for takeoff.
On the jet was an emblem and an inscription: ARCHER. His destination was a 16-hour flight to a different continent.
As they approached the plane, a half dozen men, each of equal heights of about 6ft5 in blazers suit and with communication devices in their ears stood on a double file formation. Three men on either side facing each other stood at the foot of the boarding stairs.
They bowed briefly and briskly as Cruz walked through the formation. He nodded at the men before ascending the stairs.
Soon he was seated in a private section of the plane and the jet hit the runway.
The moment they attained cruise altitude, one of the men with a communication device brought a suitcase to him and popped the box open.
The box opened to a screen at the top lid and some control gears at the base. It turned out it was a sophisticated computer device built like a suitcase.
The bearer of the suitcase straightened and left the private section. Cruz entered a password on a prompt and the screen came on. A video showing the aerial view of a location displayed on the screen. It was a real-time footage.
Cruz picked a headset device from a slot in the box and placed it over his ears. He touched a button on the mouth piece that extended from the headset and spoke a code word.
"Arrow Fixer Apache, Over!"
A voice engaged. "Calvary Execute, Over!"
"Confirm mission status" Cruz instructed.
"Drone in place, awaiting order, sir!" The voice responded.
"Any friendlies on ground?" Cruz continued.
"Last batch just exfiled 15 minutes ago. Destination Haven."
"lock in and execute." Cruz directed.
On the screen, the image showed a local focus frame locked into a target and few seconds later a wild explosion inflamed the location.
"Good Job." Cruz appraised.
"Thank you sir, it was an honor working under your command. The voice responded.
"I'll brief Optimus in a bit. Cruz said and removed the headset. He closed his eyes and sighed with a satisfactory grin on his face.
He watched the images on the screen for a few more seconds before closing the suitcase.
The jet had entered a new course and was cruising at an altitude of 42,953 ft above sea level.
——
Back at the Bill's mansion, Lesley checked herself out in front of the mirror.
She was wearing an exquisite black gown. The fabric terminated just above her knees enough to give any spectator a faint glimpse of her thighs.
She had let her hair down as the curls settled perfectly on her shoulders and part of her cleavage. She was a beautiful brunette.
She smeared on a lipstick and pressed her lips together to get a balanced effect.
She was satisfied with her look as she displayed a pretty smile.
Mayor Philip Armstrong, his wife—Penelope and their first son; Gerald, would be arriving in about thirty minutes time.
The Pipers had spared no resources in giving their home a facelift with amazing decorations, some vintage paintings and scented flowers as they prepared to host their VIP guest.
Mayor Philip was from old money with his parents having a strong political heritage. His grandfather; a senator, and his father; a former governor of the state of Tulzar, with Cadbury being one of its counties.
Bill and Phillip had attended the same college and were part of the institution's hockey team, reason they became good buddies.
After college, Bill being from a middle-class family who were thriving to reach the upper echelon of that class, could not keep pace with Philip.
Phillip meanwhile was from the revered upper class and had the world at his oyster. So quite naturally, the duo lost contact with each other over the years.
Bill could only read about Philip and his family's exploits on tabloids.
But now, those dark days were behind him. Thanks to the angel investor that intervened and funded his company while still allowing him retain the CEO position, even though just on paper.
Bill was allowed to run the company without any interference from the investor. And he was allowed to manage the profits on his own terms. The gesture was an absurd one that he had termed a miracle.
He was sure someone was deliberately helping him from the shadows. Whatever the case was, he was grateful.
The last few years had seen Bill ascend in status. Bill Logistics was now worth a huge hundred and fifty million dollars in assets.
A package delivery company he had started with a loan of about five hundred thousand dollars. He had struggled to keep it afloat for about a decade before fate suddenly smiled on him and now the business had grown Into one of the biggest import and export businesses in Tulzar.
Bill had indeed prospered. And with that leap, he started getting in the circles of important people.
It didn't take long before his paths crossed with Philip's again and connections were re-established.
——
The time was 7:45 pm and the living room of the Bill's mansion was buzzing with cheerful laughters and cacklings.
The Armstrongs had been very warmly welcomed and the two families were having a good gist about the cutthroat business clime of the city and how the nightlife provided a great contrast to the hassles.
All the while they talked, Gerald kept stealing lustful glances at Lesley. His eyes stayed on her cleavage most of the time. His throat was beginning to hurt from the number of times he had swallowed saliva.
They were sat beside each other on the Versace couch adjacent to the sofas that Margaret and Bill were seated, so the proximity gave him premium view.
Lesley was a bit uncomfortable with the randy stares but she feigned indifference.
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