I'll Teach You, Marianne.

< Clarke Entreprise >

Alan, who was still busy taking care of all the vendors who were submitting proposals to his company, did not send Anne a message at all. He was too focused on presentation after presentation by prospective vendors who want to be involved in his new project in Dubai. Even until the afternoon, he was still struggling in front of his laptop and no one dared to disturb him until finally Erick and Nicholas came,

"It's almost 3 pm, sir, you better have lunch first. Earlier your secretary in front said you haven't had lunch," Nicholas said, quietly reminded Alan to stop working.

"In a minute, I still have one more file to check," Alan answered quickly from his chair.

Nicholas took a deep breath at Alan's words, meanwhile Erick, who had been silent for a long time, then approached Alan's desk and grabbed the file his master was reading.

"Erick..."

"You'd better have lunch first, sir. The work can be done later, your health is more important than anything," Erick said without fear as he cut Alan's words.

Alan's anger immediately disappeared when he saw Erick's sharp glare, he didn't want to fight this time. That was why he chose to give in and went to the sofa to join Nicholas who was surprised by Erick's courage. Seeing Alan sat in front of him, Nicholas immediately prepared the food that had just been brought by the secretary, who had changed Alan's lunch menu 3 times. Without speaking, Alan ate the food in front of him voraciously.

"Oh yeah, you guys haven't reported me yet, how are things going at Clarke's Jewel?" Alan asked with his mouth full of food.

"Okay sir, everything is going according to the plan you have made. The jewelry craftsmen are working day and night to finish them," Nicholas answered quickly. He didn't want to be preceded by Erick, who seemed ready to talk.

"Tell them, Nick, I don't need a lot. I want perfection in every piece of jewelry, so don't think about how many pieces of jewelry to complete. But pay close attention to every detail of the jewelry," said Alan seriously.

Eric smiled. "Yes sir, I've already said that to the chief designer who oversees the jewelry-making process and that person will report every detail to me."

Nicholas and Alan looked at Erick in unison. They were both quite curious about the words that Eric just threw, especially Nicholas. His eyes flashed as he looked at Erick.

"Earlier before I went back, I had a chance to meet with one of the managers who supervised the performance of the jewelry craftsmen. I asked him to report every development from day to day to my email so I could check it," said Erick slowly, clarifying his previous remarks. 

"Good, I like it. Turns out you're smart too, Erick."

"I just did the little things my Master taught me when I first worked with him, sir," Erick answered honestly.

Alan chuckled. "Well, it seems I have to meet your master Erick, I'm curious about the person who has educated you so well like this."

Erick just smiled at Alan's words, while Nicholas increasingly disliked Erick who managed to get Alan's praise.

"Oh right, Nick, please order a bouquet of roses. I want to give it to my wife when I get home from work."

Thump

Erick's heart raced very fast when he heard Alan's words. He sure as hell did not know about the departure of Anne along with Mr. David Clarke to London. Before leaving, Alice had sent a message to him saying that she would return to London with Mr. David Clarke, along with Luis. and that Anne would be flying with Mr. David Clarke's private jet. Alice even had time to take pictures in the jet plane with a big smile right next to Anne, as they had just boarded the plane.

"Yes sir, I'll be right away..."

"Wait." Erick interrupted Nicholas' words.

Nicholas, who didn't like Erick, immediately got up and grabbed his collar. "What do you want, Maguire? Why have you been trying to get attention from Master? You are deliberately looking for an opportunity to get rid of me, aren't you?!"

"Nick..."

"Don't be mad sir, this kid is really looking for trouble with me," Nicholas said in a high pitched voice, interrupting Alan's words.

"Yeah but..."

Alan couldn't continue his words when he saw Nicholas being pulled by Erick towards the wall, instead of hitting Erick, he seemed to be whispering to Nicholas. Nicholas's eyes immediately rounded perfectly. He even screamed when he read Alice's message on Erick's cell phone.

"Is this serious?" Nicholas asked in a whisper to Erick.

"Alice can't lie, Nick, moreover you can see in the photo that Luis is pushing the big master," Erick answered in an almost inaudible voice.

Nicholas immediately covered his mouth. He couldn't speak and didn't know how to tell everything to Alan, who was currently looking at the two of them with a questioning look. Erick himself had pulled his hand from the collar of Nicholas' clothes. He also looked confused as to how to convey this important matter to his master.

"What are you guys doing?" Alan asked loudly.

Instantly, Nicholas and Erick stood up straight, both of them then faced Alan at the same time with their faces down, not daring to meet Alan's eyes.

Seeing the strange behavior of his two assistants, Alan became even more curious. He was sure there was something they were hiding. "Tell me the truth or I'll find it out myself, but if I find myself out then I'll never hire you guys again."

"Wait sir..."

"Listen, sir.."

Erick and Nicholas replied in unison to Alan's words, both of them rushed to the sofa where Alan was still sitting and looked at them both with murderous eyes without blinking.

"Tell me what you're hiding from me," Alan rebuked emphatically.

Previously, Erick and Nicholas were hostile to each other, this time they both needed each other, even behind their back they were poking each other with their index fingers, urging each other to speak first. So it looked like the two of them move in silence and it made Alan even more annoyed.

"Are you guys testing my patience?" Alan asked again, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Look, sir...."

Bang!

Alan hit the table hard as soon as Nicholas and Erick took turns telling him about Anne's whereabouts. His jaw was clenched and the muscles popped. Great anger was evident in his countenance at this moment.

"Prepare my jet! I'll drag my wife home from London. How dare she go to her old house without asking my permission, her husband," Alan said coldly with his eyes shining with anger.

"Yes sir," Nicholas answered quietly.

Erick swallowed hard. He didn't expect to see the master angry like this again after two years had passed. "But the old master, what about him sir...."

"My grandfather has other business, Erick. This is my personal issue with Anne. He can't interfere. Now you better tidy up this document and immediately follow me to the basement we go home and straight to the airport to leave for England." Alan interrupted Erick's words quickly as he got up from the sofa and walked towards the door.

"Oh God..."

To be continued