NICKLAUS THE MASTER
Chapter 68.
Written by: Racheal Dennis
Anastasia’s pov ?
Statham enterprise…
Everyone is looking at me as I step into the building, making me wonder what’s wrong with me.
They speak in hushed voice among themselves, I ignore them.. with my head raised high, I walked tall towards the elevator.
Graham opened the door, we step in and he pressed the button taking us to Klaus’ floor.
I breathe in relief when the elevator doors closed, I inhaled deeply.
“Graham?”
“Yes, Miss Lopez!”
“Do you have any idea what happened?” I asked, referring to what Claudia showed Klaus on her phone.
Although, I kinda have an idea that it’s related to me but I still wanna confirm.
“I have no idea, but I know whatever it is, Mr Statham have it under control…he can handle it” he replied.. he sounded so confident.
“You believe Klaus so much?”
He nods.
“Yes, Mr Statham is very capable, I’m speaking from experience!”
“You’re speaking from experience?” He nods again and I frown. “What do you mean?”
The elevator doors open and we stepped out, then head towards Klaus’ office.
“I’m not just Mr Statham’s driver, I’m his bodyguard… the life I have today is all thanks to Mr Statham!”
He’s speaking so highly of Klaus, now I really wanna know what Klaus did for him.
“Before I knew Mr Statham, I always spent everyday of my life in the fighting pit… ”
“Fighting pit?” He nod. “What’s that?”
I have heard of it but don’t actually know what it is.
“It’s the most dangerous place on earth, a place where I wouldn’t wish anyone to go.. a place where you fight to the death.. a place where you have to kill your opponent to survive!”
I cringe and shudder in disgust, that place must be so disgusting.. because there’ll be dead people everyday.
“Then how did Klaus get you out?”
“Mr Statham always come to watch us fight, when he was 18 and was newly appointed as the CEO of Statham enterprise…he was always feeling frustrated because he knew nothing about the business…”
Klaus became the CEO at 18?! How did he managed to complete his schooling?!
It must have been tough for him, I can’t imagine myself at 18 and already having such a heavy burden on my shoulders.
“… he couldn’t meet his mother for guidance too because he’s allergic to women.. all he could do was read his father’s old files, which were damn confusing. So, he’d usually come to watch us fight to help himself calm down…”
I nod, we arrived at Klaus’ office, he pushed the door open and we walked in.
“…all my co-fighters have been bought or hired by different people, to either be their bodyguards or do their dirty works.. but nobody wanna buy or hire me, which up till now I don’t understand why since I’m such a good fighter… ”
I almost laugh at how boastful he is, but this is not the time to laugh.
“… so, the boss there got tired of me, he arranged different fighters and gave them different weapons to fight with me so the could kill me.. I tried my best but I’m only human.. I fought until I was exhausted and couldn’t fight any longer, just when I thought I was gonna die.. Mr Statham screamed for them to stop, he came into the pit and said he’ll buy me.. he’s very wise, he knew that’s the reason they wanted to get rid of me!”
So, had Klaus not come in, they’d have killed him?! Don’t they have respect for human life?!
“The boss said Mr Statham can’t buy me because I already lost, I must be killed.. Mr Statham didn’t agree, so, the boss told him to fight for my freedom.. he wanted to scare Mr Statham away.. after all, he was just 18 years old teenager, he can’t possibly fight those giant guys… ”
I sit on Klaus’ big chair and start imagining Klaus and two giant hovering over his 18years old form… the scene reminds me of David and Goliath!
“… Like I said, Mr Statham is a very wise man, he scanned them and realized he stood no chance against them.. so, he insisted on challenging the boss. The boss laughed and said, you small boy wanna fight with me?”
Like I said, this scent reminds me of David and Goliath…when Goliath was mocking David, now I kinda understand why aunt was dragging me to Bible class!
“He then promised to hand me to Mr Statham for free, Mr Statham agreed and got himself ready.. the bell rang and they started circling around each other, studying each other.. I never knew Mr Statham was trying to find his weak point.. then he found it, the boss was suffering from a leg injury, Mr Statham charged at him and grabbed the boss’s leg… He lift it off the ground and the boss fell down, Mr Statham twisted the leg and the boss screamed loudly in pain… ”
I winced on behalf of the boss.
“… he begged Mr Statham to let him go and take me away, Mr Statham twisted his leg more and asked him to sign my release papers.. in a haste the boss did it and handed the papers to Mr Statham.. Mr Statham released the boss’s leg and grabbed my hand and walked out with me… He took me to the hospital and I was treated because I was having heavy internal injuries.. when I recovered, Mr Statham employed me as his driver…I thanked him endlessly but he said I shouldn’t thank him, because he’s the one that benefited most from it.. he got himself a driver and a bodyguard!”
He laughed as he said that, I guess remembering the scene is kinda funny to him.
“So, don’t worry about Mr Statham… whatever those old beard men have, Mr Statham can handle it!”
I nod, if Graham can have so much trust in Klaus, I guess I should trust him too… He’s my fiancee and I should always have faith in him.
My only prayer is, this shouldn’t affect his business.
“Miss Lopez, if you don’t mind, I’ll take my leave… I have to go wash the car!”
I nod. “Ok!”
He left quickly and I leaned back onto the chair, I closed my eyes and relax my mind.
•
•
Nicklaus’s pov ?
I walked into the conference room, the shareholders are talking among themselves.. they seem to be arguing about the video.
“Good morning, everyone!” I said as I walked towards my chair at the head.
“Good morning, Mr Statham!” They all replied.
They’re all silent and behaved now, I pulled back my chair and sit down…I know why they’re here but I pretend like I don’t know.
I looked at them cluelessly, with an eyebrow raised in feigned confusion I asked.
“Why are you all here so early in the morning.. without any notice?”
I wait for them to speak but they weren’t, it seems like they’re silently debating who’d speak first.. then Liam speak up.
“There’s a rumor going about among the media since yesterday” he said.
“Oh? What could the rumor possibly be about?” I asked.
He turned to Claudia and nod at her, she connects a flash drive to her laptop and turns on the projector…
Pictures of Anastasia appeared on the board, soon a video pop up.. the same video Claudia showed me earlier.. the rappe scene.
I balled my fist under the table, trying to hold back my anger… I can’t show them that they’re affecting me.
“Mr Statham, do you know this woman?” Liam asked.
I stared at the board a few more seconds, then turned to Liam and looked him in the eyeballs.
“Yes!” I answered.
“She’s involved in a rape case and if this video gets out it’ll be disastrous for Statham enterprise…our reputation will go down the drain!” He said.
Many of the shareholders nod in support of his words, I frown slightly.
“Video?!” I look at Liam. “I haven’t even got that video yet, how did you get it?” I asked.
It’s true, the video I saw yesterday is quite different from this one.
“Where I got the video from doesn’t matter, what matters here is our reputation… You should break up with that lady to maintain our good reputation!”
Hmph! so you’re the snitch in my company.. I see!
“Also, we noticed somethings going wrong with the finance department..”
“I believe the finance department shouldn’t be your concern, Mr Liam” I said.
He’s been the only one talking, are all these old men statues?
“Of course it’s my concern, I’m an investor and I need to make sure my investment is going well”
He looked at the others for support and they nod, old bast*rds!
“Mr Statham, as it now you don’t have a wife or a heir, it’s high time you settled down and assure us that Statham enterprise is in safe hands!”
“We were talking about the finance department just now.. why are you suddenly bringing up marriage and having a heir?” I asked.
“Because if you can solve the puzzle of marriage, then solving the finance department wouldn’t be an issue.. we’ll be rest assured!”
Am I the only one thinking he’s talking off the point?
“If that’s the case, I have a fiancee and we’ll be getting married soon!” I replied.
Liam scoffed loudly, he narrowed his eyes at me.
“A fiancee?! The one that was rapped?!” He asked.
Some of the shareholders nod in support of Liam’s words, I just remained calm as they grumbles among themselves.
“The heir of Statham enterprise can’t be born by a $lvt…”
This statement infuriated me, he’s just hit my bottom line… I banged on the table making the room fall into silence, everyone’s attention falls on me.
“This shouldn’t be an excuse to insult MY woman!” I roared at them.
“Mr Statham, we’re not insulting her, we are just trying to make you understand our suggestion…”
“And what is your suggestion?” I asked in a growl.
I see Liam gulped, his gaze move towards Claudia.
“Marry Benjamin’s daughter and get her share… or leave the CEO for someone else whose share is higher than yours!”
His words made my mind flash back to my father-in-law’s words.
flashback
“Those old fools are so outdated, they’ll never change their strategy…so, you must prepare yourself, the same strategy they used on your dad will be used on you soon!” He said.
I nod, he walked towards a cupboard, he opened it and rampaged through it a few moments…then came back to me.
“I know Benjamin must be secretly buying shares now…I have also been buying shares all these years. Your father’s shares were higher than Benjamin’s, your father had 75% shares and Benjamin just had 50% shares… ”
He handed some files to me, it’s a file containing shareholders and how many shares they hold.
“Because I gave your father 20% from my shares, I only had 20% left.. but after buying shares all these years, my shares is now 61% which I’ll allocate to you as your wedding gift after you and Nina get married”
“61%? Wouldn’t that make my shares more than 100%?” I asked.
“Yes! But you’ll only need 25% from that 61%, the remaining 36% will be shared between Nina and my grandson…that is, you and Nina’s son!” He said.
I nod.
“Benjamin will want to play some tricks, don’t be like your father, don’t argue with them…just agree to their terms, act like a fool… I’ll come up with a plan to get you out of their mess…I have a plan, just trust me!”
end_of_flashback
I smirked, these old fools, they think they’re smart…well, let’s play this game and see how it turns out.
“And whose shares is higher than mine?” I asked.
My eyes settled on Liam as I asked this question, cause I know he’s the one… Benjamin is using him.
“Mr Liam, he’s got 83%!” Mr Raine said.
Just 83%?! I thought Benjamin would have gotten up to 100% already…foolish old cock!
“I know you wouldn’t want to leave the CEO for me…so your only choice now is to marry Benjamin’s daughter!” Liam said.
I sighed deeply and pretends like I’m deeply in thought, I frown deeply…my gaze meets with Claudia and she smiled at me.
“Fine! I’ll marry her!” I said.
Claudia breaks into a smile, then I saw her exchange looks with Liam.
“You’ve just made a very wise choice, Mr Statham!” Liam said.
I simply looked at him like the fool he is, soon, very soon I’ll put him behind bars!
“Then let’s pick a day for your engagement….”
“There’ll be no need for engagement!” I cut him off.
He frown slightly and exchange looks with Claudia, I pretend like I didn’t see their little eye contact.
“Since Claudia and I already know each other from childhood..we should just go straight to the point…”
They all looked at me with anxiousness, they’re waiting for what I wanna say.
“… let’s just pick a day for our wedding, we shouldn’t waste any more time!”
Liam and Claudia breaks into a smile, the other shareholders also smile at my suggestion.
“That’s good, very good…so, when is the wedding gonna take place?” Liam asked.
“Why not make it next week, we have a lot to do…I want it to be the grandest wedding in all of America!” I said and locked gaze with Claudia…I winked at her and she blushed.
Such a silly goose, if only she knows she’s not safe.
“That’s nice, in that case, congratulations Mr Statham!” Liam congratulate me.
The other shareholders also joined him in congratulating me and Claudia… I’ve had enough of their noise.
I got up and adjust my suit. “If this is all, then the meeting is dismissed!” I said.
They all got up and head out, now it’s just Claudia and I…she rushed towards me with a flirtatious smile.
But she halts as I passed her a glare.
“Since you choose the wedding date in a haste, how about you come home with me to inform my mom and grandma?”
I raised an eyebrow at her, can someone tell her she’s getting excited for nothing?
“We should also tell your mom, the time is short we have a lot of things to do before the wedding…”
“You can tell them about it, I’m busy and I can’t come with you!” I cut off her ranting.
“Yeah, you’re right, you’re always busy…well, I’ll go on your behalf then”
I shake my head and walked towards the door, she rushed after me.
“Do you think our wedding will be the most…”
I stopped walking. “Shut up!!” I yelled at her. “I agree to this wedding doesn’t mean I have some kind of affection for you… it’s best you don’t cross your boundaries until the wedding!”
“But I….”
I walked away before she could finish her words.
•
•
Anastasia’s pov ?
The door pushed open and Klaus walked in, he rubbed his forehead gently…I got up from his chair and walked towards him.
“Klaus, how was the meeting? How did it go?” I asked.
I helped him to his chair, then walked towards the fridge in his office and takes out a chilled sprite and hands it to him.
He opened it and take a few gulps…he burped softly.
“Everything is fine” he said.
“But Claudia looked so panicked, it seems the issue was very serious”
He shakes his head, he takes my hand and pulls me into his lap.
“Don’t mind those old hags, there were making a big deal out of nothing”
He look so calm, like it was really nothing for great concern…I sighed and rest my head on his chest.
“I thought something bad happened!”
“Don’t stress yourself over nothing” he said.
I nod and we stayed in a comfortable silence.. until my phone rings, I reach for it on the table and saw aunt’s name flashing on the screen.
“It’s aunt” I said to Klaus.
“Answer it, I’ll just sign some files”
I nod and wanted to get up from his lap, but he held me back..I frown at him.
“Can you sign your files with me on your lap?”
“Yes, now sit properly!” He pushed my head back on his chest.
My phone’s still ringing, I answer it quickly.
“Hello, aunt, good morning” I greet her.
“Anna, darling, how are you doing?” She asked.
“I’m fine, aunt, how is Denzel?”
“He’s fine…oh, is the apartment ready? Denzel and I are leaving the hospital today”
“Yes, I’ll come over and take you to the apartment”
“Ok…I should start packing up now!”
“Alright, aunt, take care” I said and wait for her to hang up.
If I hang up first, she’ll scold me for being rude…such a righteous woman!
“What did aunt said?” Klaus asked.
“She was just asking about the apartment.. luckily I’ve already found one, well, Tilda found it”
He scoffed.
“I don’t understand why you won’t let aunt stay in one of my mansions or penthouses…you don’t like it when I do things for you” he grumbled.
I pinched his cheeks softly and smile.
“You’ve already done enough for us by paying Denzel’s hospital bills…I shouldn’t ask for more, I can’t be greedy now..right?”
“Well, I want you to be greedy.. greedily ask me to do things for you”
I shake my head and got up, I search for Matilda’s number on my phone and text her to meet me in a restaurant outside.. LA city hospital.
She knows the way to the apartment, since she found it.
“Klaus, aunt is getting ready to leave the hospital.. I wanna go meet her”
He paused and dropped his pen, he got up.
“Ok, I’ll drop you off” he said.
“No, I’ll take a taxi, you have work to do here… don’t abandon your work for me”
He cup my face in his hands and rubs his nose against mine.
“You come first, work can wait!”
“Of course, I should be your priority.. but I’ll be fine on my own”
“I know you’ll be fine, I… ”
“If you’re worried, you can tell Graham to drop me off”
He stared at me a few minutes, sighed and nod reluctantly… He reached for his phone and dialed Graham’s number.
“My wife is coming down, drop her off at the hospital” he said.
My wife! It sounds nice coming from his mouth…I blush.
“He’ll be here soon!” He said to me.
I nod. “Why do you always refer to me as your wife…we aren’t married yet”
“Hmph! You’ve already being my wife since the day you were born…married or not, you’re my wife!”
Just then the door open and Graham walked.
“Mr Statham, Miss Lopez!”
Klaus leans forward and kissed my lips, he picked my bag and handed it to me.
“Call me when you get there” he said.
“I will”
“Please, don’t forget to call me this time…also, please pick my calls too”
I smiled.
“I’ll never make the same mistake twice!”
He nod and pats my head. “Good girl”
I turned to Graham. “Let’s go!”
I kssed Klaus good bye and head out with Graham trailing behind me.
•
•
Authoress’ pov ?
Immediately Anastasia left Nicklaus’s office, his phone rang..he reached for it and realized it’s Mr Lopez calling.
He quickly answered it.
“Good morning, dad!”
“Son, good morning…did those old fools come to create a scene today as we expected?” He asked.
Nicklaus walked back to his chair and sat down..he leaned on his table.
“Yes, they said I should marry Benjamin’s daughter to get her shares or leave the CEO for someone else!”
“What was your response?”
“I agreed to marry her”
“You did well, all you have to do is follow my plan…also, now Nina is gonna be in danger!”
Nicklaus frowned deeply upon hearing about Nina gonna be in danger.
“Why would she be in danger?” He asked.
“I know you already agreed to marry Benjamin’s daughter, but Benjamin is not gonna feel secure… he’ll want to get Nina out of the way to make sure you really get married to his daughter!”
Listening carefully to these words, Nicklaus realized Mr Lopez is right.
“I want you to do something for me”
“What should I do?” Nicklaus asked.
“This is gonna be difficult for you, but it’s the only way to keep both you and Nina safe..so, you must do it…….”
Nicklaus’s eyes grew wide in horror as he listened to Mr Lopez…his phone falls off his hand onto the table.
“No!” He shake his head in denial.
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