The Billionaire's Angel

Chapter 1

APRIL

In the open car park, I filled my lungs with a gulp of fresh air while I briefly basked in the breeze that soothingly blew across my face. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and the sun was up early, rising slowly over the eastern horizon. 

With a fill of the cool air that tended to calm my nerves, I felt greatly relieved, and somehow, I felt a strange kind of peace in my heart, and a sudden desire for a sweet weekend getaway came to my mind in a flash of inspiration. 

I slid into my car and briefly considered getting breakfast before returning home, but when my phone rang again, I knew I had no choice but to take a bite and freshen up.

"Hello, Mom. You called me," I said immediately her voice came in softly from the other end.

"Yeah, I called several times. How are you?"

"I'm fine mom, I was busy with my ward round," I responded tersely, in between another yawn.

"Oh, I thought you were on your way to Oriental Holdings' AGM."

"Today?" I asked stupidly, wondering how I could possibly do that in my tired state.

"Don't tell me you don't remember that. You know it's important."

Now I understand why she bugged me with so many phone calls. So, she wanted me to inherit these fruitless AGMs Dad attended all that time. Well, I just hope she understood that I don't have that much time on my hand.

"April, are you there?" Her voice jolted me, and I yawned again.

"Yes, mom, I've almost forgotten this AGM of a thing," I mumbled, hoping she understood the import of that tone.

"Is it not starting by ten o'clock?" I added.

"It is, please ensure you attend," she answered, deliberately ignoring the grumbling part.

"I'll just go home and get changed," I said.

"Bye, April, let's talk later tonight," Mom said and hung up before I could respond.

I got it. She just showed her displeasure at my use of words. I chuckled, as I dropped the phone into my bag.

My plan was to go home and get a good sleep till later in the night, but with what mom just displayed, I dare not miss the shareholders' meeting.

It was no secret that Dad had a penchant for investing in bad stocks and shares that always earned him a loss of money when they became eroded and not even worth the papers they were issued on.

Though I hoped with the quality of this invite, I was wrong about Dad this time, but certainly, it would come out the same way. So it would be the last AGM I would attend. I just didn't have the time to waste on such a tiring, oppressive meeting that I couldn't even understand. Finance and such were never of interest to me.

I retrieved the invite from my bag to check the venue of the AGM again before gunning the car to life. 

I stopped at the cozy Dan Springs coffee shop, and without difficulty, I parked my car between a few rows of cars, ensuring I moved it close to the shades of the trees that adorned the side porch of the shop, and briskly made my way into the building.

Quickly, I stuffed my mouth with a morsel of the sandwich, which I washed down with a cup of caffé latte, an espresso mixed with foamy steamed milk. I felt good, and a few minutes later, I drove out of the place and headed to my apartment.

The first place I hurried to after I stepped into my apartment was the bathroom for a quick shower. A few minutes later, I was standing before the medium-sized closet, contemplating which befitting dress to choose.

Some minutes later, I eventually settled on a red puffed-sleeve midi gown, and without wasting time on make-up, I rushed out of the house a few minutes later.

 I rode down to the venue right on time, and made it into the Oriental Hotels and Resorts' vast reception hall, and soon found my way into the large conference hall, thanks to the cheerful receptionist.

Flashing the invite in the face of the security, I took a brisk walk into the hall and suddenly found myself walking into an entirely different setting. I had thought it was just the normal general meeting, but the setting was that of a luncheon, like that of conglomerates I had seen in movies. 

Stepping quietly around, I found an empty seat at a table just around the corner, and wasting no time, I sank into it with a nod across to others at the table who were either carried away by the speech, or just being snobs. As the thunderous clapping subsided, the old man talking at the center of the stage resumed his speech.

"Now," he paused again for two seconds before continuing, "Ladies and gentlemen, our amiable shareholders, at this moment I wish to announce my resignation from the management of this company as the CEO." 

He paused again, though it seemed like he was bidding his time, but to any experienced, observant medical doctor, it wasn't difficult to tell the old man was speaking with labored breath. I stretched my neck to take a good look at the man. He was still handsome, and though he looked agile, I knew his health wasn't too. It was that obvious.

"In fact, I would be holding forth as the President for the next two years, before the next CEO, who would be elected and ratified today by the members of the board and the voting shareholders, would also assume the position." 

The silent hall became its polar opposite, then, with a coughing beep, the hall fell silent again, and I knew he had to be a wealthy and powerful man.

"Without wasting your time, ladies and gentlemen, I hereby wish to present to you, for your ratification, my heir, my successor, who would be handling and managing the affairs of our group, our companies, and our conglomerate, The Oriental Holdings. " 

He paused again, his eyes darting across the hall. I smiled, and at the same time, was amused at the energy, the vigor, and the power the old man weighed. Scanning through the magazine-like pamphlets on the table before me, the name, Dr. Abe S. Kyles, rang well in the United States and, indeed, it was a household name in Florida. 

Somehow, I was elated that I came, as that was the first time I would see him physically. In fact, just sitting across the hall from him practically gladdened my heart. With another short-breath cough, he resumed. 

"Here, my esteemed shareholders, I present to you, the next President and CEO, Rowan H. Kyles."

The thunderous applause that sounded through the hall resonated as a tall young man, stunningly handsome with an athletic build and well-styled light auburn blond hair, stood at full length on the rostrum, beaming with smiles. He was what I would refer to as eye-catching. He was indeed an eye-candy.

With some rounds of murmurs, voting, or I should rather call it ratification, was smoothly and swiftly conducted without any problems. Still maintaining his standing position, another good-looking middle-aged man appeared beside him, shook hands with him before opening a hardcover file with a corporate logo I had seen across the hall embossed on its back.

"With your permission, I wish to announce that twenty of the twenty-five voting members of the shareholders here have voted for the appointment of Mr. Rowan H. Kyles, as the next CEO of Oriental Holdings, upon ratification of the general assembly here, on the occasion of this 55th AGM."

The ecstatic look on his face was a reflection of the audience, as everyone dutifully chuckled. A few minutes after the raising of his hands, the hall was finally overwhelmed with total silence.

"Now is the ratification for the election of our CEO, the esteemed, brilliant, and handsome IT guru, Mr. Rowan H. Kyles. Ladies and gentlemen, " he introduced him again as he pointed at the guy beside him, and the whole hall applauded him.

After the noise died down, the guy took hold of the microphone and started, "Esteem directors, and shareholders, ladies and gentlemen, I am most honored to stand before you on the occasion of this..."

Suddenly, and in a flash, the sound of gunshots took over the hall.

My heart almost jumped out of my mouth, and instantly I hid myself under the table, and in a split second, the target, who was the newly appointed President, went down with a thud, and uproar filled the hall that instant.

Oh, my God!

Chapter 2

April

During the turmoil that engulfed the hall, everyone scampered around, and echoes of noise resonated everywhere. The big men in the industry that were expected to be strong and bold to deal with the situation were the worst hit. They were more scared, despite their parade of security guards.

The men were just as scared as every other woman in the hall. I felt the urge to laugh, but the situation wasn't one to laugh about. I was afraid too.

Looking around the hall while still under the table, my eyes fell on the newly appointed CEO, sprawled on the floor fighting for his life. No one attended to him because we were all focused on getting out safely, but my doctor's instinct kicked in, and I scrambled out of my hiding place and raced to the CEO. Just then, I heard the sound of a police siren.

"Mister, please hold your breath. I've got you," I said as he tried to move. I gently turned him over to check the extent