In the Rain (Prequel to Rain Again)

Chapter Twelve: Perfect Trap

Proving to her that the day could turn even more exasperating, Braylen dropped by in the afternoon to remind her of his undying love for her. With great difficulty, she chased him away.

The next day she had an early morning appointment set with Isaac. At Downtown Diner, a decent restaurant in the heart of South Hills, he ordered a hearty breakfast—warm loaves of bread, cheese, eggs, beef ham, fruits, porridge with buttermilk, coffee for Isaac, and a nice little cup of tea for herself. She concluded she wouldn't need lunch today anymore.

"The most incredulous thing is that they threatened to sue me!" she seethed, her hands clutching tightly the now empty teacup. "I no longer wish to work in that God-forsaken place."

There was a long pause. Isaac's eyes stared at her attentively. "But you should," he said, at last, surprising her.

"What?!"

Isaac crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and sighed. "Quartz possesses a herd of secret shareholders. Howard has kept them low-key for so long until Alex."

Kate scrunched her brows. Why was he telling her all this?

"He's planning to expose them soon so that those shares could be bought out," he continued. "He will play out his last cards soon enough to ultimately sell the company."

"I don't understand," Kate threw her hands in exasperation. "He's the boss of that company. Why would he conspire to sell it?"

"It's confidential information—the company went into debt because of the pandemic situation-related loss a few years ago. A shrewd man like Alex would obviously find it easier to sell the company and invest the money somewhere else instead of working on getting it out of the mess. I pity Howard, for he would be devastated, and the incredible number of employees who would become jobless because of his irresponsible, merciless bulldozing."

"How do you know so much?" she inquired. "Besides, how does it connect to my returning to work there?"

"I've not become a businessman by throwing pebbles aimlessly, Kate. I need to keep my eyes and ears open to whispering words," he said, wiping the side of his mouth. "All I want to do is protect Howard and stop Alex from messing with the unaware employees of Quartz. I've come from that bloodline. In times of need, I believe it's my right to save its honor. I want you to bring me the file that holds those shareholders' information," he revealed finally. "I want you to bring it to me and save them. Their lives are in your hand now."

"Are you telling me to steal?" She was shocked beyond limits.

"I'm asking you to secure a precious object from stealing," he retorted, albeit with extreme patience. The man never lost his cool.

"I thought this—" her tone was taunting, and she waved a hand between them over the breakfast table. "Was about me applying for a job at Choice."

"Oh, dear, you're invited to join my company as a cashier after doing your part as the savior of Quartz."

In silence, Kate hurriedly stuffed her phone into her purse and shot up on her feet. She didn't want to go to jail anytime soon. What Isaac was planning could quickly become a recipe for absolute disaster.

However, as she was about to walk away, Isaac began, "I will give you the entire amount of loan you or your family has taken from that guy—" pausing a moment, he searched for the name. "Yes—Kirk. That's his name, isn't it? Take some time, Kate," Isaac said in a pacifying tone. Of course, he had heard everything quite clearly on the phone. "Think about it. You'll get a well-paying job. You'll be no more indebted to anyone. Also, you'll be committing a noble deed by saving many jobs and lives. Forfeit the devil, Kate, choose the right path."