Chapter 18: Among us -- A Trap
Danica entered her house. A servant came forward and took her purse as she upheld it.
Her mom was sitting on sofa and asked her as she approached nearer.
"Where you were last night?" she asked
"I...I..was with Nina" she lied for the first time.
"At least you should have told me beforehand, Dan" Her mom replied.
"S..sorry , I will take care of it next time" Danica says with innocent smile.
"We were worried" said a heavy voice
She looked to the right and saw her Dad standing. He was man of integrity. He was quite strict as a parent.
"S..sorry dad" she said and gave him a hug.
"Go and take a bath first" he said
"Okay" She said with a smile.
"Then let's have breakfast together" her mom added
She moved upstairs towards her room.
She takes a bath.
After fifteen minutes , Wearing a robe she steps out of the bathroom, caressing her wet hairs.
She approaches the side table and picks up the cellphone that was ringing.
It was Nina's call.
She picked up.
"Hey Danica" said Nina
"Don't talk to me" Danica said sternly
"What's wrong?" Nina asked , her eyes widened
"I called you yesterday, I thought of drinking together with you and you ---" Danica said furiously
"Ah...My cellphone's battery was dead." She said
"Sorry" Nina adds
"By the way, With whom you drank yesterday" Nina asked
"Alfred" Danica said looking away
"Oh...I see" Nina said teasingly
"Why don't you accept that guy?" Nina added
"No , Not yet" Danica replies
"Why? What's wrong ?" Nina asked curiously
"When a person gets what he wants so easily. He doesn't value and cherish that thing. Struggle is important , So that a person understands the value of the thing that he is chasing" Danica said
"Do you want your friend to be treated badly again?" She asked Nina
"No , Never" Nina said getting emotional
"I want to see how determined Alfred is to win my heart" Danica said with brooding eyes.
"Hmm"
"By the way, Paul proposed me" Nina said with a big smile on her face
"So, That jerk finally understood his feelings" Danica said
"Aye, Don't call him a jerk" Nina replied
"Tomorrow is our Product Launch Event" Danica said with smile
"I am achieving new heights of success now"
Danica added
"Let's rock then" Nina was getting excited
Danica now hung up the call.
************
**** NEXT DAY ****
*** CR COMPANY***
This time atmosphere of Company was vibrant, everyone were busy in preparation of Product Launch event which was going to take place at 6:00 PM.
Alfred gave orders to Sean to look into Product once again and see if it was alright.
Employees were excited and nervous at the same time.
Alfred enters the Danica's cabin with Sean and Mr. Lee to inform about the Progress of the event.
Danica was happy with the progress.
Meanwhile Mr. Paul arrives with Nina in the Cabin. They were holding hands as they entered.
[ So, this man finally understood his feelings for Nina Huh] Mr. Lee thought and smiled inwardly.
[ What is this now ? A new couple? How many people are engaging into relationships let me know at once ! ] Sean thought and was feeling strange.
Danica smiled and said "Happy realization Mr. Paul"
Alfred smiled and said the same.
"Why are you saying that?" Paul asked.
"You already know the reason, Come on ! don't act innocent" Mr. Lee adds
"Ahem...we both wanted to say something" Nina says with a nervous look
"You are getting married , right?" Mr. Lee said grinning
"No, not yet" She said
"Than what's the matter?" Danica asked crossing her hands against her chest and her one eyebrow up.
"A..Actually --" Paul speaks staggeringly
[ Come on say it Paul ,say it. Let's end it here] Paul thought
"I am owner of Phoenix Company. I had been hiding my real identity --" Paul said lowering his head and wincing.
[ What The Heck Is this now!!! I guess I will be dead if I get any more surprises ] Sean thinks , He was about to faint.
Before Paul could speak anything, Danica laughs . Looking at her devilish laugh -- Mr. Lee, Sean and Paul frightened.
[ This time you said right thing at wrong time , My friend. RIP . I guess you will die unmarried] Mr. Lee thought giving a emotional look.
[ Should I run away ?] Sean thought for a while.
[ God SAVE ME !!] Paul said wincing.
Nina pats Paul's shoulder.
[ I knew this day would arrive one day ] Alfred thought and drinks a glass of water.
"Am I a joke to you?" Danica said finally
"Whenever I faced a suitor, I asked you to look into their past, present and entire history. Do you think you are a special case? Do you really think I accepted you as my manager blindly ?" Danica said
"No...No way" Paul's eyes widened
"So, you knew everything about me from the start" he said with a surprised look.
" Yeah" Danica said with a witty smile
[ She is freaking smart ] Alfred smiled and thought. Now, he loved her even more.
"You fooled around and I let you take the lead" She said and smiled.
Mr. Lee sighed
Sean was speechless.
Alfred looks at his black watch and says
"Product Launch Event is about to start, let's go"
The hall was wide and huge, Product to-be-launched was veiled with red silk cloth.
Media, reporters , employees and staff members all of them took their respective seats.
The atmosphere among them was hubbubed, they were chattering about product and company.
The hubbubed hall now was silent , as they heard sound of heels.
She was coming !!
Danica entered the stage with elegance and confidence,
Alfred entered after Danica, He was as always, amazing.
Nina and Paul entered together.
Sean and Mr. Lee followed and entered.
The entire team was looking cool as they stood together in line, all were beaming with confidence and excitement.
They were just about to unveil the Product but, were interrupted by a sudden noise .
Every Media person and reporter gets a notification, a message poped up at same time in their phone.
Everyone looked at one other and showed their phone to each other.
"I also received the same message.." They said to one other.
"What's going on?" Danica asked in low voice to her team.
"We are astonished too" Paul replied.
Meanwhile an employee enters the stage and whispers something in Alfred's ears.
As he heard that, his eyes widened and was shocked.
"What happened?" Danica asked curiously
"Guys, Phoenix company launched same product just ten minutes before us" Alfred said banking his hand on his head.
Everyone was shocked .
"What the hell !!" Danica exclaimed angrily.
"How can they imitate us and double cross like that" Nina said in loud voice.
Danica now looks at the Paul with fierce eyes.
"I...I have n..no idea --" Paul stutters
Now media and reporters questioned them.
"Phoenix company launched same product and they are saying you have imitated their product . Is this true???" asked a reporter.
"Please tell us !! did you imitate them?? " Asked the other.
Everyone started questioning them.
They were all standing on stage perplexed and furious.
Danica gives a hint to her guards and they now pushed the media and reporters out of the hall.
Now atmosphere was quite serious among them.
Danica's first suspect was Paul.
"I have no clue about this" Paul said.
"What should we do now?" Mr. Lee mumbled and kneeled down, and lowered his head feeling defeated.
"Its great that we didn't advertised anything about our product, else situation might have been worst" Sean says
"I trust Paul, he would never do this" Nina said.
"There is someone, If not among us ,then among those staff members or employees who leaked each and every information about our product to the Phoenix company" Alfred said , his eyebrows furrowed.
Suddenly Paul gets a call.
Everyone looked at him giving a serious stare as he took out his phone.
"Who is it?" Danica asked furiously
Paul showed his cellphone's screen .
It was written "DAD"
"Pick up !" Alfred said
"keep on the speaker mode, so that we all can hear" Sean said
Mr. Lee gets up abruptly and stands among them.
Paul answers the call.
"Haha...my son" said a heavy voice on the other side of the call
"Today is a big day, I finally took my revenge."
"Dad , what you are saying?" Paul inquired
"Years ago, Alfred's dad betrayed me in the partnership. I became homeless. I lost everything " his dad's voice now raised
"Today I took my revenge. I launched the same product and now I will --" he added
Before he could finish the sentence , Paul said
"Dad, you are wrong this time. Stop all this right now."
"Whatever !" His dad replied
"Right now you are coming home and celebrating with me. Bring your fellow companions too" His dad added and then hung up the call
There was silence among them for a while.
"Now, What's next ?" Mr. Lee breaks the silence.
"Let's go to my house" Paul said
"Yeah, we will talk there, face to face with his dad" Alfred adds
"Okay that's perfect " Nina added.
"Let's go now" Danica said
*************
Paul's Mansion
*************
The Mansion was huge and Classy.
The three black cars arrived at the gate , The guards standing there checked the cars. As they saw Paul they opened the gate.
Now these cars arrived one after the other at entrance of the house.
Danica and Alfred steps out from the first one , followed by Paul and Nina from the second. Finally, Mr. Lee and Sean from the third.
Paul leads and everyone followed.
As they entered the house, which was huge internally and yellow lights added more elegance to the royal look.
Danica removes her black sunglasses expressively.
"Woo....." she said
"Where is your Dad?" Nina asked and everyone looked at Paul .
"I don't know" he said
Now suddenly the door closed and everyone peeked back as they heard noise of closing door.
[ GULP] Mr. Lee
Now all sturdy guards wearing black T-shirt entered the hall.
Sean counted them as they entered
"There are twenty guards!!" he exclaimed with a fearful look.
"What's going on Paul?" Alfred asked
"I..I don't know" He was clueless
All this guards were holding rods and hockey. They circled around them .
Now Danica and her fellow companions circled , each one of them facing the guards.
"It's a trap" Danica said
"He called us here on a purpose" she adds
"I hate you dad, how can you do this to me?" Paul mumbled
"If this Is what his Dad wants, then let's do this" Sean said.
[ FIGHT WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN ]