Chapter 37

Aiden's Point of view

'Ms. Hilson is not capable of such a thing. Her job has nothing to do with the accounts of the company, so how can she launder money?' I spoke with nothing but rage in my voice.

'Mr. Morgan we are all aware that you are the executive director of this company but I'm afraid you are out-numbered. We have all come to the agreement that she did it. The accounts prove that. There is no need to continue to defend Ms. Hilsons name' Mr. Douglas spoke who was the chairperson for the meeting.

'There must be a mistake somewhere. There must be something that proves Ava's innocence. I know she isn't capable of this heinous crime'

'You can do as you wish Mr. Morgan but the decision has already been made' Mr. Douglas spoke once again.

I excused myself from the room and made my way to my office. As I was about to go into my office, I heard noises coming from Ava's office.

She must be in there packing her things from the office.

I turned my body around about to knock on her door but stopped myself in the process.

I'm probably the last person she would want to see right now.

I turned back around and unlocked my office door. I quickly closed the door after me not wanting to be disturbed. Letting out a sign I made my way towards my desk.

I picked up the phone to call and instruct the security department to send a security officer to assist Ava. I also made sure to call a taxi for when she was finished packing her things.

'Knock knock'

'Come in' I said with every strength that I could muster up.

'Mr. Morgan sorry to bother you and I don't mean to be nosey, but it seems to me that Ava has been removed from the office as ins she will no longer be working for this company is that correct?'

'Who told you about that information, Susan?'

'I..I saw Ava crying and she looked to be coming out of the board meeting room' Susan explained nervously trying to choose her words correctly.

I narrowed my eyes 'so you concluded that her crying and leaving the board room was possibly because she got fired'

'Well... I am not sure, but I was concerned so I decided to come to you about it. Since Ava wasn't going to speak to me' Susan exclaimed as she scratched her arm with her right hand.

'Susan I would advise you to go back to your job this instant'

'Sir'

'Susan, you have people to attend to'

'Okay sir' she said as she hurried out of my office.

Something does not add up. There is something going on and I'm going to get to the bottom of it.

Trying to get to the bottom of it I picked up my phone and called the reception number.

'Susan, I need Maxwell's contact information'

'Okay sir I'll forward it to you' Susan voice was breaking through the phone with every word that she spoke.

I cut the line and continued to hold the phone in my hand waiting for Susan to send the information over. Once she did, I called the number.

'Hello' the familiar voice spoke through the phone.

'Maxwell, this is Mr. Morgan from Morgan Ltd'

I spoke

'Yes Mr. Morgan I am so glad you reached out to me. I have been looking forward to your call. I was starting to believe you were not going to get in touch. I'm so happy to know that is not the case'

'Yes, Maxwell I am calling to give you to invite you to my office for a meeting this afternoon. Let's say three pm'

'Mr. Morgan yes thank you very much. I will ensure that I make it. In fact I will organize my portfolio again to ensure it is up to your standards' his enthusiasm could be heard through the phone.

'That would be great see you before three'

'Yes sir, thank you again'

'No problem'

I placed the phone back on the table and continued to look through the files that I was already behind on.

No matter how hard I tried to concentrate I could not get myself to focus. Money laundering? In what universe would Ava be capable of committing such a crime.

Ava would never, not the Ava that I have had the pleasure of knowing this past couple of months. It's a shame this is what it has come to.

I am starting to believe someone somewhere most be behind this whole thing, orchestrating her destruction.

Lest I not forget that an article claimed to have an inside source close to Ava. I am still yet to find out who that inside source is. I have been making a few calls here and there once I read that statement, but I have not been taking this case as serious as I should be.

Perhaps finding out who this so-called inside source is would be the foundation of finding out what is truly going on.

I have my suspension on Susan, she has been acting rather strange lately. Before Ava had become my personal assistance Susan simply kept to herself.

She worked as a receptionist and did her job. There were a few occasions when I had to inform her of a task her completion of work, she did not do in the company's standard but other than that she kept to herself.

After Ava was hired months ago at this point, I noticed the change in behavior from Susan. It was as if she so desperately wanted to be seen and valued in the company.

She was always assisting Ava and volunteering for whatever that was not in her job description. At first her behavior did not strike me as problematic until I started slowly noticing there was a pattern.

I believe Maxwell may know more about what is going on than he lets on. If Susan is close with him as Ava claims, then I will need to know what he isn't disclosing.

He could be the one to confirm whether or not Susan is up to something and if she is, her motive could very much be driven by jealousy. The question is, would Susan be able to orchestra this on her own?

If one is driven by jealous who knows what they are capable of.

I looked at the clock that hung above my door. The clock read two forty-seven which meant that Maxwell should be arriving at the office any minute from now.

Time had flied so quick; I spent an enormous amount of time trying to collect my thoughts that I had completely abandoned the work in front. Going through files and documents is already difficult as it is so catching up with what I have missed is about to get a lot more difficult.

Suddenly a knock on the door brought me out of my trance. I invited the person I thought was at the door in. when the door swung open, I was not surprised to see Maxwell with his big portfolio with him.

He struggled slightly to fit what he carried in his hand through the door but luckily, he was able to. Once he got inside a security officer who I am assuming showed him to my office, closed the door behind.

'Mr. Morgan I am so honored to be here right now. I had waited for years to be able to have this opportunity, now I am one step closer to making that a dream' Maxwell said immediately. He had not settled down into my office before voicing out how grateful he is.

'Maxwell, it is nice to see you were able to make it. Please have a seat' I exclaimed standing up from my seat and reaching across the table to shake his hand.

Once we shook hands I returned to my seat while he placed his portfolio on the floor leaning against his chair.

'Maxwell I am about to have a cup of coffee and a few sandwiches; would you care for some. We can discuss our potential partnership while we have something to eat' I suggested in an attempt to make him feel relaxed.

'Of course, sir thank you for the offer' Maxwell exclaimed. I can already sense that he feels somewhat comfortable already. This may be easier than I thought.

I picked up the phone once more to give Susan a call. She picked on the second ring. I informed her of what I wanted to her to do and I even went as far as to ask Maxwell what his preferences were.

'So, Maxwell, how long have you been a business owner' I asked implied that I am interested in his business.

'For about five years sir' he answered.

'Is there anyone else working for you, since you told me the other day you run your own business, I am assuming you are the sole owner meaning no one else is in partnership with you. Is the correct?'

'Yes, sir that is correct. There is no other owner except me, and I have no one working within my business. I do everything myself' Maxwell confirmed what I already knew.

'Prefect'

There was a knock on the door, upon my invite Susan opened the door. She walked over to the table and placed the tray of tea and sandwiches on the table.

'Thank you, Susan'

She stood as if waiting for me to say something to her. Once she realized I wasn't going to say anything just, yet she asked 'is there anything else I can do for you sir'

'Susan that will be all for now, thank you' I spoke while looking up at her.

'Okay sir' she said before making her way out of my office.

What I did notice was Maxwell and Susan held eye contact for a considerable amount of time. It was as if they were communicating in some way or am overthinking.

Perhaps my suspicion was making me see things or read into things that truly isn't there.

'Maxwell feel free' I exclaimed motioning to the tray of food in front of the both of us.

'Alright sir' he proceeded to pour himself some tea from one of the pots on the tray. He then picked up a sandwich takes a bite and places it on one of the saucers available. He continues to make his tea by adding sugar and milk.

I proceeded to speak on why I brought him here today 'Maxwell, the company will be launching a new range of products soon. As you know we will be needing photographers. The team in charge of this project have already chosen a few photographers for the job but I would like to also give you a chance'

'That is wonderful sir, it would be a dream to be apart of your already great empire'

'You will be paid for the pictures that you take, if your work is picked you will then get an additional amount. Even if you are not picked you will be compensated for the work that you have done. Does that sound like something you would be interested in doing?' I asked knowing it was an offer he would not refuse easily.

'That sounds great sir. In fact, it is truly an amazing offer. When will I start?' he asked I could see the eagerness in his eyes and how hungry he truly was to accept the offer.

'You can begin as early as tomorrow. The team are in their finishing stages, so it is vital for your work to be ready quickly. It may mean you have to be in the office often'

'Before I can allow you to accept the offer, I do have to see some of your work and I see you came prepared since you have your portfolio with you' I said nodding towards his portfolio that was placed on the floor beside him.

'Yes sir' he dropped his sandwich ready to pick his portfolio from where it was, but I stopped him before he could retrieve it.

'That can be done after we are finished eating. For now, I can discuss more about the terms and conditions of our partnership'

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Heyy everyone, I was too busy yesterday to upload this chapter but here it is now. I hope you enjoyed it. I guess Aiden has a plan and is suspicious of those around him. Do you think he is cancelled, or can he redeem himself? Aiden also has his eye on Maxwell. What do you guys think? Is Maxwell a good way to find out what is truly going on? Let me know what you think. Thank you so much for reading this book so far. I appreciate every single one of your support. You guys keep me going with this book. Stay blessed, talk to you in the next chapter.