Dusk at dawn episode 14
💎💎💎 DUSK TILL DAWN 💎💎💎
BY AUTHORESS LILLY
⏰ EPISODE 14 ⏰
🌻 Sarah’s POV 🌻
“Help! Somebody help me!!” I screamed as James collapsed on me and I was barely able to hold him up
Some students rushed to me and they helped me carry James to my car and I quickly drove him to the hospital….
“How’s he doctor?” I asked immediately the doctor came out of the emergency room
“He’s fine Miss, he just lost conciousness due to too much stress but he should be fine soon” the doctor said and I heaved a sigh of relief
“Can I see him now?” I asked
“Certainly, he’s being moved to the ICU, you can meet him there” he said and I thanked him
I was going to the ICU when James phone ranged and I saw the caller ID
Rachel
🗨️ “Hello? James?”
“This is Sarah, James colleague speaking, James just fainted he was rushed to the City hospital” I said
🗨️ “Oh my God! Is he alright? How is he?” She sounded worried
“The doctor said he’ll be alright, he just needs some rest”
🗨️ “Okay, I’ll be at the City hospital immediately” she said and ended the call
I entered the ICU and James smiled at me
“Sorry for collapsing like that” he said
“Yeah, you should be sorry, you gave me such a big scare, can’t even remember the last time I was so scared in my life”
“Am sorry for scaring you”
“It’s okay, how are you feeling?” I asked
“Better as you can see, I can even go home now” he said as he tried to stand up but I held him down
“Not so fast Mr Man, the doctor said you need alot of rest or you might collapse again so you aren’t going nowhere for now” I said and he sighed
“This is torture” he grumbled and I chuckled
🌻 Micheal’s POV 🌻
I was about driving out of the school when someone stood in front of my car
Julia
“What are you doing there?” I asked as I rolled down my car window and she quickly ran to my side
“James….. He just collapsed”
“What! I asked you to get him to feel bad and dissapointed, what on Earth did you tell him that will make him loose consciousness, I just want him to suffer, I don’t want him dead!!” I yelled
“I just told him exactly what you asked me to tell him!!” Julia yelled back “And if you were so concerned about your brother then you shouldn’t have asked me to tell him all those things in the first place!”
“Am not concerned about him!”
“It’s obvious you are and in case you are curious about how he’s doing, he was taken to the city hospital, you can check up on him there” Julia said and walked away and I sighed
“An not concerned about him” I muttered and drove out of the school….
I don’t know how but I ended up driving straight to the city hospital instead of back home
“There was a patient that was just brought in, his name James Whistler, can you tell me which room he’s in?” I asked the receptionist
“What’s your relationship with the patient?” The receptionist asked and I was mute
“He’s the patient’s brother, his name is Michael Whistler” someone said and I turned back to see Rachel
“Rachel….”
“Though you portray yourself to be harsh and tough, I guess you still have a soft heart in that chest of yours” she said with a smile
“And who are you?” The receptionist asked
“His legal guardian, Rachel Wilsford”
“Okay, he’s in the ICU” the receptionist said and Rachel muttered a thanks
“Let’s go” She said to me but I just stood
“Didn’t you come to check on your brother?” She asked as she grabbed my hand and dragged me away
“Rachel stop!” I said as got to the front of the ICU
“What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t come here to check on James” I said
“Then did you come to the hospital to chill out?”
“Let go of me Rachel, if you keep holding on to me then I’ll keep wanting to make you mine” I said and she slowly let go of my hand and I sighed and turned to leave
“Give me time Michael, am working on myself and sorting out my feelings, am trying to forget those feelings I have for James and immediately am done, I will come to you” Rachel said
“Bye” I muttered and walked out of the hospital
I had peeped through the ICU door and I saw James, he seems fine and he doesn’t look dead, that’s all I wanted to know
He can’t die yet, not when am just getting started with him
🌻 James POV 🌻
“Go call the doctor Sarah, I think I can go home now, I really feel energized” I said
“Not a chance James, one more hour to go before you leave this place” Sarah said and I shook my head
“Sarah I……” My words stopped in my mouth as Rachel walked him and guilt weighed me down again
It was just last night that she ran out of my place in tears after seeing me with Julia, she ran out and I was so stupid enough not to run after her
“Rachel I…..”
“How are you feeling James?” She asked with a smile
“Am….. Am fine and am really sorr….”
“I’ve always told you not to stress yourself too much but you never listen to me and look where that ended, you really need some beating James” Rachel said
“Exactly what I was thinking, a hard beating” Sarah said
“Coupled with some punishments” Rachel said
“Like staying on this bed for 3 more hours” Sarah said
“Exactly” Rachel said and they both laughed
“Sorry I didn’t get your name before” Rachel said
“Sarah, am James colleague at work”
“Am Rachel, James’….. James friend” Rachel said and they shook hands
“Nice to meet you Rachel”
“Same here Sarah” Rachel said
“Are you hungry James? I brought some food” Rachel said as she brought out a food flask from her bag
“I don’t know about him but am definitely hungry” Sarah said and they both chuckled
“Eating without me?” Stefan said as he walked in
“How did you know….”
“I called him” Rachel said with a smile
“How are you doing man?” Stefan asked as he sat beside me
“Currently undergoing a punishment of staying in bed for four hours”
“All the best in carrying out your punishment” Stefan said with a mocking face
“So who’s this pretty lady here?” Stefan asked
“Sarah, James colleague”
“Am Stefan, James’ mentor” Stefan said and I looked at him
“Mentor? When did you become my mentor?”
“I’ve always being your mentor, only you didn’t notice, right Rachel?”
A smile crept to my face as I watched them talk and laugh
“So now that we have Sarah on our side, what’s the plan now James?” Stefan asked
“Are you ready to release the file that shows Whistlers Enterprises’ corruption to the public?” I asked Sarah
“My Dad was sacked and threatened cause he opposed the way things were done unfairly in the company, my Dad stole the file when he was being sacked but we didn’t use it cause we were in fear of what Mr Whistler will do to us if he ever finds out we had such an important file, am tired of living in fear everyday, am tired of seeing my father miserable so yes, I am ready to go public against that corrupt company” Sarah said and I nodded
“Stefan, start meeting secretly with the company shareholders and try to bring them to our side and Rachel, my money is still intact?”
“Not intact but it has tripled, I invested it in some companies and the gains were great, we got our money back and also a percentage of the company’s gains, so you are literally a billionaire James” she said and I smiled
“It’s almost Christmas right?” I asked and they nodded “I’d say let’s give the Whistlers Enterprises an early Christmas gift”
****** One Week later ******
It is said that you have to loose to gain, I lost Andrea and over the years that I thought I was alone, I had unknowingly gained a beautiful family of my own
They were all at my place watching the News
Stefan, Rachel and Sarah
Over the week, we’ve planned on how to take Whistlers Enterprises down, Sarah released the file that shows the company’s corruption to the press and in a few days, the company’s shares had reduced greatly and the Whistlers Enterprises was going bankrupt
“It’s on the News James, Whistlers Enterprises are holding a Shareholders meeting today, there are rumors that they may end up selling some part of their company or totally closing the company down” Rachel said
“I’ve also met with the shareholders and all of them have promised their support” Stefan said
Read – Dream chapter 60 – 61
“That’s expected, they have no choice now that their company is going bankrupt, James is their saviour” Sarah said and I smiled
“So shall this saviour bless the shareholders meeting with his presence?” I asked as I walked into the sitting room fully dressed in a black suit
“You look great” Rachel said as she stood up and kissed my cheek
“Good luck” she muttered
“Make sure you take them down James” Sarah said
“I’ll drive you there” Stefan said as he stood up
“No, I want to go alone, I’ll be back” I said and walked out
In the past week, Rachel and I have gotten closer, really closer, I don’t push her away anymore, I guess this is the way things are supposed to be
Rachel is a very lovable girl and being with her is great but I can’t deny that I still feel this void within me
I can’t deny the fact that I miss Julia though she betrayed me but I can’t bring myself to hate her, I yearn for her presence, I want to tell her that I don’t hate her, I can never hate her
Anyway, whatever the cause of the void I feel is, I just hope taking down my father’s company will fill that void
I hope….
I got to the company and climbed down from the car
I entered, the securities wanted to stop me as I walked in but they stopped on their tracks when they saw my face, James Whistler the first son of Mr Whistler
Everyone awed and stared as I walked by, never knew I was this popular in the company
I took the elevator to the 4th floor where the shareholders meeting was being held
I took a deep breath as I stood in front of the door
I haven’t seeing my father in 12 years, am I ready to set my eyes on him again and finally face the past I’ve been preparing for 15 years?
🌻 Mr Whistler’s POV 🌻
So shall we begin the meeting, I said as I sat down
“Mr Michael isn’t here yet Sir” one of them said
“So we should wait for him?” I asked and they kept quiet “Our company is in a perilous state and I won’t tolerate any kind of negligence so we shall wait for no one and from now on, Michael is forever excluded from our shareholder meetings, he’s being irresponsible and missing such an important meeting, I can never hand my company to such a fool and I shall not condone his negligence just because he’s my son!”
I sighed and took a deep breath
“So, where are we starting from?” I asked
“Our stocks have greatly fallen the past few days, if we don’t get an investor soon, we’ll go bankrupt and our company will close down” the financial Manager said
“Impossible! There’s no way the company I’ve sacrificed so much for will go to ruin like that, I won’t hear of that, we need an investor? Then we get one” I said
“But our company is already falling into ruins Sir, no one will want to invest on a company that’s about to go bankrupt” one of them said
“There must be someone, there has to be, I cannot loose my company like this!!” I yelled
“Well Sir, there is someone that wants to invest in the company” another said and I looked at him desperately
“Who and where is he?” I asked
“I don’t know who he is Sir but he promised to be here for our shareholders meeting today”
“Then where is he? Contact him immediately, he’s our last hope!” I yelled at him and then the door suddenly opened
“Who dares to interrupt such an important meet…..” My mouth fell agape as I saw who it was
He’s so grown up and matured now, my son
“Ja…. James” I stuttered
“Good morning everyone” he greeted “My name is James Whistler and am here to invest on the Whistlers Enterprises and save you guys from being bankrupt”
“In….invest?” I stuttered and he nodded
“Yes Mr Whistler, am willing to invest 200 billion dollars on the company” he said and I broke into laughter
“This is not a child’s play James, there’s no way you have such a huge amount of money when am well aware that you are just a teacher in a small highschool, just go and wait in my office, we’ll talk when am done with the meeting”
“I see you haven’t changed Mr Whistler, here” he said as he brought out a cheque of 200 billion dollars “You still think am joking?”
“You… How….. How did you get such a huge amount of money, did you…. Don’t tell me you are now fraudster” I said
“Unlike you Mr Whistler, I don’t always result to dirty tricks to get what I want. Remember Andrea, the girl you killed 15 years ago, her father died that same day too and I got the money for their life insurance, I’ve been investing the money on different companies and growing it just to use it for this purpose, I had to use the money in a meaningful way” he said with a smirk
“So…. So you want to invest on my company?”
“Yes but on one condition, only that it won’t be your company anymore, it will be my company!” He said and I looked at him wide-eyed as my legs shivered
“What?!”
“It’s up to you and your shareholders, I save the company and I become the CEO or I go back with my money and your company goes bankrupt, your choice” James said
“Why…. Why are you doing this James? Why? You left for 15 years and this is how you return? To take the company?” I asked
“I always keep my promises Mr Whistler and I hope you haven’t forgotten the promise I made to you when I cut off my ties with you 15 years ago” he said and I tried to remember taking my mind back through memory lane
******* Flashback*******
“You killed her!” James yelled as he hit him on the chest and I slapped him
“Come back to your senses you fool! You are barking without evidence!!” I yelled
“I don’t need evidence am a witness!”
“And who will believe your words over mine?” I asked “You have no way of proving you really saw me last night. Your little friend died because of you James, I told you your actions will have consequences but what did you say back then? Your happiness is worth a sea of troubles right? So why are you so broken now that the sea of troubles have arrived” I said with a smile
“You see James, the strong always preys on the weak, it’s the philosophy of the world, never disobey me again when you know you aren’t yet stronger than me!”
“I will become stronger, I will become stronger than you and I will bring you and your stupid company down, that will be my revenge!” He said as he made to leave and I stopped him
“Are you crazy?! If you leave now you’ll be like a sailor sailing into the wide ocean with no map, you will die and I can’t let you do that, you are my only heir” I said and he scoffed
“I might be sailing off without a map but I have a destination and my destination is your downfall and no Dad, am not crazy, for the first time in my life am finally thinking clearly. You took someone really precious away from me and I will do the same, I will take your company away from you too, I promise you that” I said and I wheeled my luggage out
****End of Flashback*****
I sank on the chair hopelessly as I remembered his promise
Is he really going to keep his 15 year old promise?
Will I really loose my company just because of something that happen 15 years ago?
I can’t give him the company but at the same time, I can’t let my company go bankrupt
“So what’s your choice gonna be?” James asked
“We have to accept the offer Mr Whistler” one of the shareholders said and everyone supported
“I….. I…..”
“There is no need to accept his offer” someone said and I looked up to see Michael walking in
“Michael….”
“Is any of you following the online News broadcast going on right now?” Michael asked as he took the remote and turned on the TV in the room
A live broadcast was going on and it was Sarah’s father
🖥️”My daughter made a mistake” he said on the TV “The file she came public with was forged by James Whistler, he used my daughter in trying to get some kind of revenge against his father, James Whistler. I never stole any file from Whistlers Enterprises and Mr Whistler is a very good man, he would never engage in any corrupt activity, I know this because I’ve served him for 30 years as his secretary before I finally retired and not sacked like my daughter claimed”
“This all began with Sarah going public with a file her father stole from us that supposedly shows the company’s corruption and it tarnished our image and we lost all our investors, so thanks to Julia who found Sarah’s address, I talked to Sarah’s Dad and well, after some time, he agreed to go to the media and tell everyone that everything in the file and what her daughter said was all a lie” Michael took the remote and turned off the TV
“With that” he said pointing at the TV “Our tinted image has been cleared and soon all the investors that left will come running back”
“How sure are…..” I was cut short as my secretary’s phone rang and he picked it up
“What’s it?” I asked after the call
“It’s one of our investors Sir, he wants to invest again on our company” he said and my heart lit up
“I guess this is it James” I said as I stood up “Apologise for everything you’ve done and the stunt you just tried to pull and who knows, I might just forgive you and take you back” I said with a smile
“I have nothing to apologise for Mr Whistler and this is not the end, this is just my first plan, since this didn’t succeed I can always make another plan, safeguard your company Mr Whistler, cause I won’t stop coming for it, it’s my lifelong mission” James said and turned to Michael
“We were brothers and we had a great relationship, I loved you sincerely Michael, I know I made some mistakes towards you but I’ve never stopped loving you but that is stopping today Michael, you’ve obviously chosen your side against me so I will regard you as my brother no more” he said and walked out
🌻 James POV 🌻
I tried to hold the tears in as I walked out of the room
How can everything I’ve planned just go into ruins like that?
How did this happen?
I walked out and met Julia standing right outside the door
“I should’ve known, you told Michael about my plans, I trusted you Julia!!” I yelled and she flinched
“I cared for you Julia, even after I knew you betrayed me, I couldn’t bring myself to hate you, how could you do this to me? You know how I’ve suffered, you know what I had to endure to get here, how could you ruin my 15 year old plan Julia, how could you?!!” The tears I was trying to hold back was flowing freely now and I couldn’t stop it
“James I….”
“I lose…. I can’t love you and I can’t hate you because it’s ruining my life, I just….. I need to nothing you, I need to feel nothing for you, I need to not think about you, I need to not care about you at all but I don’t know how to do that, I wish I never met you” I said and noticed Julia in tears but I couldn’t care less as I walked out…..
…….to be continued…….