SWNOVELS Chapter 22
22 LET IT BE FAKE
“Where were you?” William snapped at Daniel, plastering a fake smile on his face when one of their investors passed by him. “I was going to introduce you to Mr. Yire, but now he’s been whisked away to meet Solorante.”
The deep frown on Daniel’s face further deepened as he rubbed his temples. “I was trying to talk to Anna,” he said, “but she r- left before I could ask her-”
“Since when did Anna get into our industry?” William questioned, his lips pressed together in a thin line. It had taken him twenty years before he could get an invite to attend the party they were at, but Anna who wasn’t in their industry was given access.
“That’s what I was trying to find out,” Daniel said, his tone dripping with bitterness. “She mentioned it was Davis who brought her here, which means he must have gotten her an invitation or perhaps he brought her here,”
“Either way, this is unfair-“William trembled with fury, “-unethical! Even as my son, you weren’t allowed to join us till you proved yourself worthy but she was let in just like that. Since when did Peterson start doing favours?” he lamented bitterly, realizing his standing compared to David and his hatred for both Anna and Davis doubled.
Daniel flashed a smile to someone passing them. “Let’s forget that, Dad, and focus on the party. We need to use this opportunity to get me further acquainted with the big names that are here tonight.”
Nodding, William stood straight and forced a smile, “I can’t let that Davis get further than he already has,” he said before adding, “And you had better hasten with finding out everything you can about him from Anna. How’s that going?”
Daniel cleared his throat, “It’s going okay. Although I haven’t found out anything important, I’m certain she still has feelings for me and with the right push, she’ll give in and run back to me. Then we can find out whatever it is we want to.”
“I hope it is going well,” William said. “And don’t neglect Renee just because of your task. She’s carrying the heir of the Monroes in her and nothing must happen to the child in her.”
Daniel nodded, “Yes, Dad. I understand.” His lips curved up into a smile as his Dad turned to speak with someone. He was so grateful to Rence for her pregnancy. Because of it, his rank in the family had shot up exponentially.
“All I have to do now is find a way to win Anna back,” he muttered, his brow creasing with worry. After she ran from him, he wondered if it was possible to win her back.
I hope I haven’t completely lost her to Davis.
“Sir. Henry,” he said, walking toward a man with a champagne glass in hand.
AAA
It had been an hour and Daniel still hadn’t seen Anna come back into the party. “Did she get lost or
22 LET IT BE FAKE
get into trouble?” he muttered with concern.
“Peterson!” He heard William say and turned back to see them talking.
Williams glanced at him, and with his eyes, signalled for him to join them. It was Daniel’s first time Getting an invite to the party and so William wanted to familiarize him with everyone that was
somebody, which is all of them at the party.
“Peterson, this is my son, Daniel,” William beamed, a proud smile on his face as he gave Daniel a light tap on his back. “Thank you for inviting him this year.”
Peterson smiled at Daniel. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Daniel-” he turned to Williams, “-and you don’t have to thank me for anything. He isn’t here because I just let him, he’s here because he earned it. You see, a lot of people have been calling him the upgraded version of you.”
Williams let out a loud bellow, patting Daniel on the back even harder. “Well, isn’t that amazing?” Not being able to resist his curiosity, he asked, “Speaking of which, I saw that Mr Solorante came along with a lady. I know everyone in this industry, but I’ve never heard of her or even seen her, so who’s she for you to have invited her?” he inquired softly.
“Oh, you mean Anna Solorante?” Peterson chuckled as William nodded in affirmation. “As to what she does, I don’t know about that. I only met her tonight through her husband, Mr. Davis Solorante who brought her along with him. Unfortunately, I wasn’t opportuned to discuss with her.”
Williams wanted to ask why he let someone like her in, but he decided against it and focused on discussing important matters.
Suddenly, the hall became incredibly noisy as whispers flew from one end of the room to the other, and the focus of their stares was Williams and Daniel, who were engrossed in their discussion with Peterson.
“Mr. Peterson!” His assistant called out to him as he raced towards him. “Mr. Williams, Mr. Daniel, I apologize for my interruption, but I need to speak with Mr. Peterson.”
“What is it, Jake?” Peterson asked as they both stepped aside. Noticing the hall was not as silent or calm as it usually was, he asked, “What is happening? Why’s everyone noisy?”
Jake handed him the tablet he was holding, “You should see this for sure.”
“A FAKE PREGNANCY? WHAT ELSE ARE THE MONROES LYING ABOUT?” was the headline on the article Jake showed to Peterson.
“There’s a recording circulating online about Renee Monroe, Mr. Daniel’s wife lying about her pregnancy to the media. The public is infuriated by it and it’s terrible. Although I don’t think her husband or father–in–law knows about it,” Jake said.
Mr. Peterson shook his head, a pitiful look on his face. “Thank you for informing me, Jake. You may leave now,” he said, feeling pity for Daniel and Williams,
The internet wasn’t friendly and although they weren’t the ones who lied to the public, their association with her would cause them to take some of the heat as well.
22 LET IT BE FAKE
He went back to them.
“Excuse me, Mr. Peterson,” Williams said, a tone of urgency in his volce, “Thank you so much for inviting us to this party, but we’ll have to take our leave now.”
Peterson glanced at Daniel to see a pale look on his face and let out a sigh. “Thank you for showing up and I hope to see you next year.
“Thank you,” William said as they exchanged a handshake.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Peterson,” Daniel said as they exchanged a handshake, although his mind looked like it was miles away.
“Likewise,” Peterson said and they hurried out of the hall, making the whispers in the room intensify.
“Where to, sir? Home or Office?” Their chauffeur asked.
“Home,” William said through gritted teeth. “And be as fast as you possibly can.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dad, I-“Daniel started.
“You what?” William snapped, all the anger he had been trying to keep bottled up spilling. “Why didn’t you confirm her pregnancy when she told you about it?” he questioned.
“I trusted her,” he said in a bitter tone, before quickly adding, “This could all be a lie, Dad. Several people want to take us down and it’s not as though things like this can’t be faked nowadays.”
“How could you be so foolish as to believe her when she said she was pregnant? What trust are you talking about?” Williams yelled, before exhaling deeply. “We’ll know whether or not she’s lying when we get home.”
Daniel nodded, looking out the window as he desperately hoped it was fake news, but he knew… I had seen the signs, but I ignored them all and chose to trust her.
Regardless, he hoped it was fake.