Finding Lotus
George couldn’t believe his ears when he received the news that Lotus had left the state. His mind was still in a state of shock. Anger filled him, it was his fault. All his. It was as if his entire world had been flipped upside down, and all plans to ever get to Lotus broke into tiny pieces. 23 How could she abandon everything she had worked for like that?
His mind swirled with thoughts of revenge. He couldn’t let Lotus get away with the effort he had put in place he needed to win Lotus’ heart and the only way was by tackling his rival. No, he needed to establish a company, a rival to Peter’s, and prove to everyone that he was not to be messed with and maybe, Lotus would find her way back to him.
Frustrated and seething with anger, George picked up his phone and dialed his head agent, John. “What do you mean Peter escaped?” George barked into the phone, his voice laced with fury.
John gulped on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry, sir. Our team was not able to eliminate him. He managed to slip away with his car.”
George slammed his hand on the desk, his frustration filling him. “You fools! I should have known better than to rely on a bunch of incompetent fools!”
Not being able to contain his anger any longer, George abruptly ended the call. He paced back and forth in his office, his mind racing with thoughts of how to destroy Peter. He needed someone to bear the brunt of his anger, someone he could use to find Lotus’s whereabouts.
His eyes narrowed as he thought of Sheila. He knew she had an agenda on her own and if he wanted to get back at her destroying Lotus then he had to bring her close.
Without wasting any time, George picked up his phone and dialed Sheila’s number. It rang for what seemed like an eternity before she finally answered, her voice dripping with annoyance. “What do you want, George? I thought we agreed not to contact each other anymore?”
George’s voice brimmed with anger as he replied, “Lotus has left the state. I don’t know where she is. You have two days to find out her location and report back to me.”
Sheila flared. “And why would I do that? Am I her sort of best friend or what?”
The sinister smile played across George’s lips. “Don’t you want to know her whereabouts to prevent your beloved Peter from contacting her?”
Sheila frowned, her face contorted with conflicting emotions. “Fine. But like I have always told you, I won’t let you bring Lotus between me and Peter.
“Sheila, you know what will happen if you don’t comply. I can make your life a living hell. Don’t test me.”
“Fine,” Sheila finally agreed. “I’ll find out where Lotus is. But you better keep your end of the bargain and don’t do anything funny ”
George smirked triumphantly. “Oh, don’t worry, Sheila. I always keep my promises. Just make sure you deliver.”
With that, George ended the call, leaving Sheila alone with her thoughts. As she sat in her car, angry and resentful. Lotus, even in her absence still managed to attract attention to herself.
Sheila made a silent vow to make sure Lotus suffers more.
——
In the worn-out bus lounge, George sat leisurely sipping on his coffee, lost in his thoughts. The bitter taste of the brew matched his unease, for he couldn’t shake the memory of her from his mind. He was determined to win her back, to have her by his side once more, but he knew that he had to be very careful and use more tactful means.
Lotus’s father stormed into the lounge, his face contorted with anger. His eyes locked onto George, his gaze filled with desperation and frustration. “George,” he called out, his voice strained, “you must have heard. Lotus is gone.. and I am just realizing now that her children are all gone as well.”
George smirked inwardly. This was his chance to finally prove his worth and win the approval of her father. If only he could get the support of her father, things would be a lot easier. He straightened himself up, trying to exude confidence. “Sir, I assure you, I will do everything in my power to find Lotus. You can count on me,” he said, his voice steady.
Lotus’s father regarded him with a mix of skepticism and hope. “You better be right, George,” he muttered, his tone laced with doubt. “You have one chance to bring her back home safely. If something happens to my daughter, you’ll have to answer to me.”
George nodded, determined to prove himself. As Lotus’s father left, he paced around his office, his palms clammy and his mind racing. He knew he had to act fast, but his thoughts were a jumbled mess. With a deep sigh, he sat down at his computer and pulled up Lotus’s contact details.
He dialed her number, hoping for a response, but all he heard was the monotonous sound of the dial tone. Frustration seeped into his voice as he muttered a curse under his breath. His fingers impatiently typed, trying different combinations of numbers, but her signal remained elusive.
He slumped back into his chair, defeated. This was not how he had planned things. things. His mind whirled with questions, doubts, and fears. How could he find Lotus without any leads? He thought he knew her back then when they were dating but it seemed she was not the same naive Lotus that he knew earlier. But where had she gone, disappearing without a trace? His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He frowned, he didn’t want to be interrupted but he had no choice.
The door creaked open, and a worried colleague peeked in. “George, are you okay?” he asked with genuine concern. “I heard you cursing earlier. Everything alright?”
George looked up at his colleague. “No, everything is not alright,” he confessed, his voice heavy with frustration. “Lotus direction hasn’t been found yet. I want her, I want her by my side. I want to show Peter that he was not winning this game.”
His colleague’s eyebrows shot up. “Again? That’s not good, man. What are you going to do?”
George sighed, his shoulders slumping even further. “I don’t know. But I’ll do the best I can, using every means to get what I want.”
His colleague leaned against the doorframe, contemplating George’s predicament. “Well, have you tried talking to her friends? Maybe they know something?”NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.
“Lotus doesn’t have friends.” That was something that George was proud and certain that he knew her about, she hated the notion of friends and preferred family.
“Thanks for the advice but she doesn’t have friends, Sit this one out. I’ll handle it myself.” George swirled his chair, signaling a close in the conversation.
—–
The next day.
Sheila barged into George’s office, her bold smile and an evil gleam in her eyes. She held a piece of paper in her hand, her excitement evident. Why was she so happy? She had found Lotus as George had requested and if any of the men should go back on their words, she would not hesitate to bring Lotus to the ground.
George looked up from his paperwork, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. He had not seen Sheila since he asked her to look for Lotus.
“George, I finally know where our Little Miss Lotus is,” Sheila said, masking her pride with a bored face. “I finally found Lotus’s location.”
George’s eyes widened, and he quickly pushed his chair back from his desk, eagerly standing up. “Where is she? Tell me everything,” he demanded, his voice filled with urgency.
Sheila smirked, enjoying the power she had over him. She slowly walked towards him, keeping her gaze fixed on his face. “Lotus is in New York,” she revealed, relishing the moment. “But I haven’t found out her exact location yet.”
George’s heart raced with excitement, his mind racing with ideas of how to get her back.”We have to go after her,” he said, his voice with determination.
“And you think she would jump on your arms just because she is at her downstate?” Sheila scoffed.
George brushed her words away. “I don’t care. I’ll tip for your service.”
But before George could make a move towards the door, Sheila placed a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Her expression turned serious, dark. “George, listen to me,” she cautioned, her voice low and menacing. “Lotus must not return to the states. If she does, I’ll finish her before she does what she had in mind.”
George’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll do what I fit. But I am sure as hell that I am not bringing her back to this hell hole.”
Sheila’s smile returned “Good,” she purred. “Because if you try anything funny, if you even think about betraying me, I will make sure Lotus suffers immensely.”
With her final threat hanging in the air, Sheila turned on her heel, sauntering towards the door. She didn’t need to watch George’s reaction; she knew she had him under her control. She was well learned and had information he seems about most of his dirty dealings. He was just hanging there because she didn’t have any to destroy him.
Just as she reached for the doorknob, she glanced back at him over her shoulder, a satisfied smirk playing on her lips.
“Enjoy planning, George,” she taunt, before disappearing out of the office, leaving George alone with his thoughts.
George ran a hand through his hair, contemplating on what to do. He had never felt a level of excitement and anger at the same time. Sheila was overstepping this time, thinking she had control to stop him from doing what he wants. But little did she know that he was more than she could ever imagine.
——–
Sheila gripped the steering wheel tightly as she zoomed down the highway, her knuckles turning white under how hard she grabbed the wheels. In as much as Lotus had left the state, she was still messing with the mind of the two men.
“Damn you Lotus!” She slapped the wheels. She didn’t know what to do now but she was making secret plans to get rid of her.
Arriving at her mansion, Sheila stepped out of the car . She strutted towards the entrance. Peter, who had been waiting for her, rushed over to open the door, casting an anxious glance in her direction. He had been acting like a lost puppy since Sheila had promised him to find out where Lotus was.
“Welcome back, Sheila. Did you have any trouble?” Peter asked,
“Spare me the fake formalities.” She said distastefully. “As soon as I get any lead on where your ex is I’ll let you know.”
Peter nodded grimly, leading her through the opulent hallways of the mansion until they reached her luxurious quarters. The one he had specially arranged for her. Far away from the main house.. Sheila tossed her bag onto the plush couch and sank onto the perfectly made bed. She relaxed for a moment.
Just as she was about to drift into her thoughts, her phone buzzed. Sheila reached,. her eyes widening as she saw the name displayed on the screen. It was the call she had been waiting for-the location of Natasha, Peters aunt who was currently taking care of Lotus’ children
A triumphant smirk curled Sheila’s lips as she pressed the answer button. “Hello,” she answered.
”I’ve finally located Natasha. She’s been assigned to a secluded house on the outskirts of town in New York. She is friends with her two new neighbors who just moved to New York.”
Sheila frowned. “Get me the pictures of the new neighbors.”
“Thank you for your work. Keep watching them closely, but make sure not to let them suspect anything.”
“Sure, Miss Sheila.”
ddq”Oh, Lotus. No matter where you run, I still have you tied around my fingers.”