CHAPTER 28- HER NEW ERA

THREE YEARS LATER

HAMILTON MANOR.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

7:00AM

"Rise And Fucking Shine!"

That was the sound of Allison's voice spreading open the curtains to Karl's bedroom. The heiress to Hamilton Jewels was dressed in a matching black designer suit and trousers that morning. With her long red hair tied behind her and a few expensive jewels adoring her ears, neck and waist in form of a silver belt. Miss  Hamilton was not one to be caught under dressed, no matter how casual the occasion was.

"Will you let me sleep?"

He groaned, shielding his eyes from the sunlight.

"You can sleep all you want when you're dead."

Allison said casually as she walked towards the bed, the sound of her heels clanking on the floors.

"But for now get your ass in gear Karl." She added, frowning.

"Ouch!"

Karl let out a lazy smile as He sat up, holding the mattress to his abdomen.

"Why aren't you getting up from b....?" Her voice trailed off in a gasp. "Are you undressed?"

Karl chuckled. "Allison..."

"You didn't let someone else in here did you?" She asked again, looking around, suspiciously.

"No I didn't and I'm not undressed. You're getting delusional."

"That's a relief. It would be a pleasure kicking you out of the game."

"Loosen up Ally, you might get wrinkles at such a young age."

"What did you say?" She asked, arms crossed and upset. "Was that an insult?"

"Don't mind me. I see you're all dressed up." He said, taking notice of her outfit.

"Yes my aunt wants us downstairs in ten minutes."

Karl sighed. "After all we did yesterday."

"You should be grateful she let you use our guest room. She never mixes business with family affairs." Allison said.

"Trust you to always defend her."

"I always will."

"After this ordeal, whatever it is, I just hope I get to have a year long vacation."

"I'll consider telling her that."

"Thank you."

"Just get ready to be presented your very last salary before you go."

"Screw it! I knew there was no way you'd be that generous."

"Downstairs. Ten minutes Karl, ten minutes." She said, turning around and walking out of the room.

Karl let out a tired cuss as He watched the strict slender figure disappear from sight.

Karl arrived downstairs, a few minutes later. He was a gunman for the company. At times, business might get dirty and therefore, the need for defenses may arise and He was also hired as a sort of bodyguard for Allison in the office although, he kept his duty very low key that people didn't know. He was met with a somber expression from her aunt, Vera.

"Good morning, Allison, Karl. I'm afraid we have a serious situation on our hands." She said. Allison's instincts immediately kicked in.

"What is it, Aunt Vera?" She asked, worried.

"Come with me."

Allison's instincts immediately kicked in. She could sense the gravity of the situation and felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. "What is it, Aunt Vera? What's going on?"

Vera led them to the conference room, where a stack of papers and financial reports lay on the table. The room was dimly lit, the only sound the soft hum of the air conditioning. Allison's eyes scanned the documents, her mind racing with possibilities. The usually poised and confident Vera looked troubled, her eyes lined with worry and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"We've suffered a significant loss in the last quarter," Vera explained, her voice steady but laced with emotion. "Our profits are down by nearly 20%, and our market share is dwindling. We're losing clients, and our reputation is taking a hit."

Karl's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed in concentration. "What's causing this? Is it just market fluctuations or something more sinister?"

Vera's expression turned grim, her eyes flashing with determination. "It's our main competitor, Valor Jewels. They've been aggressively undercutting us, poaching our clients, and sabotaging our reputation. They're playing dirty, and we need to take action, and fast."

Allison's mind raced with strategies, her thoughts whirling with possibilities. She knew that Valor was a ruthless competitor, but she had never imagined they would stoop to such levels.

"We can't let them get away with this," Allison said, her voice firm and resolute. "We need to target them, either make a truce or... sabotage them. Beat them at their own game.

Vera's eyes sparkled with determination, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"I was thinking the same thing, Allison. We need to protect Hamilton Jewels at all costs. We can't let them destroy everything we've built."

Karl nodded, his eyes locked onto Vera's. "I'll start digging into Valor's operations, see if we can find any weaknesses to exploit. Maybe we can find a way to turn the tables on them."

Allison's eyes locked onto her aunt's, a plan forming in her mind.

"And I'll reach out to my contacts, see if we can negotiate a truce or... otherwise. Maybe we can find a way to neutralize them without resorting to sabotage."

Vera's expression turned steely, her jaw set in determination.

"Do whatever it takes, Allison. We can't afford to lose this battle. Hamilton Jewels is our legacy, and we need to protect it at all costs."

"I've never failed you and it won't start now. We'll get through this Auntie, trust me"

"You know I do sweetheart."

With a shared determination, the three of them set to work, ready to take on their competitor and secure the future of Hamilton Jewels as always. This was a call to action, the game was on, and only time would tell if they would emerge victorious.

The Hamilton Mansion was home to Allison and her aunt Vera. Who was also her foster mother now. They had moved to California a few months after their time in Italy. Three whole years of bliss with the company growing bigger under Allison's supervision only for the awful news earlier today.

"Urgh" Allison sighed, irritatedly. So far she had made no progress. She could on my hope Karl had better news than her.

"Miss Hamilton, welcome back." There was a house-servant at the door.

"Thank you Celia, is my aunt asleep?"

"She retired a few minutes ago."

"That's good." Allison was relieved. It would be shameful not being able to account for anything after a whole day. Just then her phone rang-  Karl.

"Please tell me you have good news."

"What would you do without me?" He asked, smiling.

"So you do have good news. That's a relief! Let me hear it."

"These people really don't play nice. You should see the crap they put about us on the internet."

"I don't even wanna look at it."

"Well I did find something useful today."

"Spit it out then."

"There'll be plenty of time for that but first; are you ready for a mask party Miss Hamilton?"

"What?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Miss Hamilton. Shall we?"

That was Karl's voice, offering her a hand as He led her to the black Porsche that night. Karl might be jovial a few times but ninety percent of the time, He could be very professional and dedicated to his job.

The driver and Karl was in the front seat, leaving just Allison at the back.

The quality of Allison's straight black dress that evening was impeccable and red carpet worthy. She was wearing a bright red lipstick and her hair was left to fall across her shoulders. The fragrance of her expensive perfume mixed with the air conditioner and filled the car.

"Did you come with a mask?" He asked after a few minutes drive.

"Yes I did, it's in my bag." Allison replied.

"Miss Hamilton, did you really have to?" Karl asked, noticing her choice of outfit. "We should be aiming to blend in not stand out like a lamp in the dark." He added.

"Don't act like this isn't the least of designers in my wardrobe." Allison returned, sounding stiff. "Are you sure about what you said?"

"Yes Miss Hamilton, the Valors are holding a party in honor to the number of sales they had made in the past few weeks."

"Sales made by rubbing dirt all over my good name." She said, upset, her fingers clenched.

"No doubt the owners should be seated at the special VIP lounge. That's where we'll target them and hopefully, they'll fall into our trap."

"So we have a plan?"

Karl nodded. "We do."

Allison let out a sigh calming her nerves. This was going to be easy. Afterall, she had never let her aunt down before and it wasn't going to happen. This was about her business and nothing could afford being done wrong. However, her mind flashed back to a few minutes ago inside her bedroom.

"I see you're all dressed, Miss Hamilton."

"Yes Celia, I have a party to attend." Allison said, curtly, putting on her heels.

"And if Madam Vera asks?"

"Not to worry, I should be back before dawn."

"Alright Miss. Anyways..."

"What is it?"

Celia brought out a big flower bouquet- Roses. Allison stared at the exquisite work of art. However her expression was more stern than appreciative.

"I assume that's for me?" She asked, frowning as she got up and walked to the maid.

"Yes Miss Hamilton."

Allison took the bouquet and glared at the bright red flowers.

"Who is it, this time? She asked, tiredly.

"He introduced himself as Mr Gregory"

"Humph!" Allison scoffed. "Never heard of that name before." Secret admirer perhaps? She read out the card, attached to the side.

The only shade of red that best describes your hair. "ROSES"

Allison let out a sigh. "Throw them out!" She said, coldly.

Celia gasped, shocked.

"But Miss Hamilton"

"Yes?" She frowned.

"These must be so expensive."

"I don't care!"

"You can't keep rejecting your suitors Miss."

"Well since you care so much about the plastic..." She said, referring to the flowers. "Then keep them!"

"Miss Hamilton...I couldn't possibly accept them. They're yours." Celia objected.

Realizing that the woman wouldn't budge, Allison smiled pretentiously and took the flowers to her bedside.

"You can leave now Celia."

With a bow, the maid left the room.

Allison took one look at the bouquet and tossed it into the fireplace.

"That's much better."  She thought, contented.

Their car came to a halt and they were outside, just a few feet away from the event hall. People could be seen walking into the building.

"Fake IDs?" Allison raised a surprise eye brow at the card in his hand.

"Don't worry I've made sure it's a hundred percent fool proof. So just show it to the  bouncer and move on ahead."

She only nodded. Trust Karl to always be efficient even at dying moments. Just as He had said, they had both passed the security checkpoint like a breeze and here they were inside the dim lit hall, with lights of dark blue and neon red.

As they entered the grand room, Allison's eyes scanned the place, taking in the sea of masked faces. The air was thick with the scent of perfume and the soft hum of conversation. Karl's presence was a reassuring comfort, his eyes constantly scanning the room for potential threats. They blended in seamlessly with the other guests, all of whom were hiding behind their own masks. Here no one could tell who was the other.

Allison adjusted her mask, a delicate silver filigree that sparkled in the light. As they mingled, Allison's ears were tuned to the whispers and murmurs around her. She was searching for any mention of the Valors' involvement in the sabotage. Karl, meanwhile, was keeping a watchful eye on the room, his gaze never straying far from Allison's side. After a few minutes they both decided to take a seat on a lounge.

"Any moment from now..." She heard him say.

"It's getting late." She said, impatiently glancing at her watch.

"Aww Cinderella's got a bedtime?"

Allison rolled her eyes. "This better go well."

The music soon died down and then, just as the clock struck midnight, Allison spotted him – Valor, the host, resplendent in a golden mask and a suit of black and gold. She felt a surge of determination and nodded to Karl, who immediately understood.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I welcome you all to the fifteen anniversary of Valor Jewels." He said, smiling. His speech was followed by a clapping ovation. He went on and on boasting about how the company was fast growing and soon to be at the top. Once He was down from the stage, Karl followed closely behind.

"Excuse me sir."

"Yes young man?"

"Mr Valor is it?"

"Indeed."

"I'm a huge fan of your work sir. I sincerely wish you good luck in all your endeavors."

"Thank you. Do well to enjoy to party."

"I will." Karl shared a brief hug with the unsuspecting victim before leaving to join Allison.

"You're back?"

"Yes now let's go." He said, pulling her hand behind him.

"Where are we going...what the hell happened?" She asked, whipping her hand away.

"I placed a tracker on him. We should be able to see and hear every private briefing against Hamilton Jewels from the comfort of our phones."

"And then we upload the evidence."

"Yes. A taste of their own medicine."

"That's a relief. Smart!"

"Any time Miss Hamilton."