THE BILLIONAIRE BARITONE

Amethyst loves music and enjoys hip-hop dancing to spice up her dull and dreary life. But one evening on her way home from dance class, she hears a voice that drew her away from her route.

Caught in the act of eavesdropping, her life is about to change in a way she has never foreseen.

David didn't quite know what to do with the beautiful trespasser, but when he learned that she was injured, taking care of her was the only solution.

Little did he suspect that she was about to take care of his lonely heart in return.

CHAPTER 10

With worried faces, the managers followed David into the building as the fire alarms started screeching.

They followed him to the production floor and then outside to the loading bays where the two groups were now throwing insults at each other. The women looked scared and were clutching their purses like a lifeline.

Once they were spotted the crowd turned their ire to them. David raised his arms. The crowd quieted down.

Those arrested were put inside police vehicles with bars and armour protection.

“You remember last year during the strike of the whole textile industry I told you if anything like that would ever happen again, I would have to close down the factory.”

People were getting fidgety.

David looked around. The labour representative was missing. Typical. Now that he was in trouble, he left the people he was supposed to represent to fend for themselves. Maybe they would learn from this and stop supporting people who didn't really care about them.

“That day has come,” David continued. “The sabotage this morning destroyed the future this factory still had once and for all.”

A roar started up, and the police reinforced their position.

David held up his arms once more and waited for long minutes for the crowd to quiet down again.

As he waited, he heard a young woman say to her friend. “What now? I have a baby. Where am I going to get a job?” She started crying.

Amethyst's face appeared before him. Like her, they were people who depended on their salaries to support themselves and their families.

He never got involved at this level of his businesses, but meeting Amethyst changed all of that.

“I know this is a difficult situation that we didn't plan for—”

“What do you know? We need these jobs to feed our families!”

David nodded. “I know. If you would give me a chance to continue?”

The crowd murmured among themselves but kept looking at him.

“As I said, we didn't plan for this to happen. We have a list of everyone who have families to support and we will start with you. Single parents and single income families will be looked at first to see where we can find work for you.”

He looked around. “Where are the HR people?”

Five people raised their hands in the air.

He pointed towards them while addressing the crowd. “Okay. Make sure that they have your details on files and that your work experience record is up to date. I will have them contact other companies in the area, to start looking for opportunities for you. This might take a few days, so please be patient. Your salaries are covered until the end of the month, so there is no need to panic. Any questions?”

While he answered questions, the young woman who mentioned her baby came forward and managed to get onto the loading dock with him. Without saying anything she ran forward and hugged David.

“Thank you,” she whispered, wiping her face.

He swallowed hard as she stood back and blushed furiously. “I am sorry,” she whispered.

He reached out and took her hand. “No, I am sorry that this had happened, but we are going to try and make it better again. Okay?”

She nodded, smiling now.

He nodded to one of the women who stuck up her hand earlier. “Please start with...what's your name?”

“Cynthia,” she whispered.

“Cynthia,” he continued, making the crowd applaud.

When the questions were no longer coming, he turned to the managers still with him. “Our people got a raw deal today. Make sure you pull all your contacts and favours to help them get jobs in the area.”

He pointed a finger at them. “I want daily progress reports. Not just numbers, I want the details Who, where, when they start, their new salaries, benefits, the works. Got that?”

They all nodded.

“Good. Your futures depend on your success in helping them,” David said and pointed over his shoulder, “and helping the police sort through all the evidence they need.”

He paused for a long moment. “I have a feeling this wasn't some random labour incident.”

“Get going,” he ordered. He looked at the financial manager. “Nicole, walk me to my car.”

As they walked, they discussed the process to shut down the factory.

“I will get on it right away,” she said as he got into his car.

“Let John know if you need anything.” John Lambert was the chief financial officer of the whole group of companies.

She nodded. “I will.”

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