Insta Empire Ep 11 - 21 | Full Movie 2024 #drama #drama2024 #dramamovies #dramafilm #Trending #Viral - video Dailymotion

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Insta Empire Ep 11 - 21

Transcript

00:00:00 Hi guys, Kevin here. Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:00:06 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

00:00:10 Kevin shook his head and smiled. He didn't know what kind of surprise was waiting for him.

00:00:16 Cook made it sound so mysterious.

00:00:19 In the meantime, he would wait around in the display area on the first floor of the West Chicago International Group's headquarters.

00:00:26 Kevin smiled and reassured Cook. "Okay, I got it, Mitch. Adriana's waiting for you. You should go see her."

00:00:33 "Okay, Kevin. Wait down here for a while. We'll go and get a surprise ready for you."

00:00:39 Cook grinned and turned to leave for the third floor.

00:00:42 Adriana's Chicago headquarters was very large. The first floor was mainly used to display the latest products.

00:00:50 Kevin spent a lot of time looking around. It was a dazzling display.

00:00:55 "Some of these products are pretty cool," he thought to himself.

00:00:59 "Hey, I thought it was Kevin." A familiar female voice startled him out of his reverie.

00:01:05 Kevin turned his head to look. The woman in front of him, wearing a tight denim skirt that hugged her curves, was Lily's friend Rachel.

00:01:13 Rachel's husband used to be a department manager in one of the branches of West Chicago International Group.

00:01:19 He was promoted the day before and was now the regional manager.

00:01:23 So Rachel wanted to use this opportunity to enjoy herself in the headquarters and buy a new set of products in the display area.

00:01:30 She certainly didn't expect to meet Kevin here. She said in a snarky tone, "Kevin, you came here by yourself?

00:01:39 Let me remind you, the things in West Chicago International Group aren't cheap. Can you afford it?

00:01:46 If you don't have enough money, you should get out fast. They'll show you the door if you can't afford it, and you'll be pretty embarrassed."

00:01:54 Kevin kept on smiling. "You don't have to worry about whether I can afford it or not.

00:01:59 By the way, it seems you still haven't called me boss since we made the bet the other day."

00:02:04 When Kevin brought that up, Rachel snapped back at him.

00:02:08 "Stop showing off. I don't know what kind of scuzzy deals you made to get that money."

00:02:13 Rachel's latest put down amused Kevin. "No matter how I did it, I did it. Are you going to go back on your word?"

00:02:22 As soon as he finished speaking, a balding man with a slight paunch walked over and spoke to Rachel.

00:02:28 "Honey, what's wrong? Who is this?"

00:02:32 It turned out that this man was Rachel's husband. Kevin silently sized him up and then looked back at Rachel.

00:02:38 "Well," he thought, "I guess opposites attract."

00:02:42 Rachel pointed at Kevin and complained. "Hubby, this guy is Lily's husband. The one who married into the Jones family.

00:02:51 He was being very rude to me and wanted me to call him 'boss.'"

00:02:56 Rachel's husband was named Cody Hunter. He had quite a reputation for his violent temper.

00:03:02 Hearing Rachel's complaint, he flew into a rage. He glared at Kevin.

00:03:07 "Who the hell are you? You want her to call you 'boss'? Who am I then? Are you my boss too?

00:03:13 How about if I toss you out on your butt?"

00:03:16 Kevin stared at the two of them in disbelief. "Well," he thought to himself, "I guess they're not so opposite after all."

00:03:23 Somehow he managed to keep his calm. "You have to know that this was your wife's idea.

00:03:29 She said that if she lost our bet, she would call me 'boss.'

00:03:34 As for me being your boss, I would never hire someone like you, not even to clean my cat's litter box."

00:03:41 This didn't help things, and Cody yelled back, "You piece of shit! How about if I teach you a lesson?"

00:03:48 Cody grabbed Kevin's collar and was about to punch him. Rachel watched with pleasure.

00:03:54 "Stop it!" A furious roar instantly stunned everyone, including Cody.

00:04:00 Cody stepped back and unclenched his fists, raising his open hands in the air like he was surrendering.

00:04:06 He looked at Cook, who was running toward him like lightning, followed by Adriana, who was right behind him.

00:04:13 Cody was stunned. "Mr. Cook! And President Wright! What a nice, uh, surprise!"

00:04:20 Cody dropped his hands and with a big smile on his face quickly went up to greet the two of them.

00:04:25 Cook glared at him and brushed his hand away. "Who the hell are you? Do you want to take a swing at me too?"

00:04:32 Cody was shaken. "No, no, no. It was this man who was looking for trouble. I was just trying to scare him.

00:04:39 You see, Mr. Cook, I just got promoted. I'm Cody Hunter, the new manager of the entire region.

00:04:45 Of course I wasn't going to hurt him. I'll get someone to kick him out right now."

00:04:49 Cody knew that Mr. Cook had a very good relationship with the company's president, Adriana.

00:04:55 Plus he knew how powerful the man was, so he had to suck up to Cook.

00:04:59 "Regional manager, is it? Adriana, I think you know what to do."

00:05:05 Cook was too tired to waste any more words with Cody. He was fine with leaving it up to Adriana.

00:05:11 Adriana couldn't believe that Kevin was almost beaten up in her company headquarters.

00:05:16 She turned to Cody and told him firmly, "I order you to go to the personnel office tomorrow and turn in your resignation.

00:05:24 Don't let me see you here again." Without giving Cody another look,

00:05:29 she walked over to Kevin with a big smile and gave him a warm handshake.

00:05:33 "Kevin, it's wonderful to finally see you again." Kevin smiled too and after a moment Adriana said,

00:05:41 "Oh, what the heck. I'm going to give you a great big hug." Kevin was thrilled to see Adriana's success.

00:05:48 "You've done so well and in such a short time. I'm so happy for you."

00:05:54 The excitement showed on Adriana's pretty face. "Kevin, this is all thanks to you.

00:05:59 All this wouldn't be here without you." She paused for a moment and continued,

00:06:04 "Come along with me. There are two more people I want you to meet."

00:06:09 Kevin was dying to know what the surprise was. He smiled and nodded. "All right, lead the way."

00:06:16 Just as the three of them were about to leave together, Cody and Rachel came to their senses and ran to catch up with them.

00:06:22 "President Wright, President Wright, I was wrong. Please give me another chance."

00:06:28 The desperation showed on Cody's face. If only he'd known that Kevin was so close to both the president of his company and Mr. Cook,

00:06:36 he would have never been so rude to him. The most important thing for him now was to keep his job.

00:06:42 Otherwise, Adriana and Mr. Cook could easily keep him from ever getting another job in Chicago after he was fired.

00:06:49 Rachel was even more shocked than her husband. She couldn't understand how Kevin, who had always been so weak and unimportant,

00:06:56 would know people as influential as Mr. Cook and Adriana. But she was smarter than her husband

00:07:02 and knew of a better way to get her husband his job back for him. She forced a smile and took Kevin by the arm.

00:07:08 She said sweetly, "Kevin, boss, this was all my fault. You can call me whatever you want,

00:07:17 but my husband finally got promoted to regional manager. I'm begging you, please say a few words for him.

00:07:24 Can you convince President Wright not to fire him?" Rachel had never thought that one day she would be asking Kevin for a favor like this.

00:07:33 Kevin glanced at her. "What did you just call me?" Rachel looked at the people around her.

00:07:39 She couldn't believe she was doing this. Finally, she blurted out, "Boss, I'm begging you, please don't let my husband lose his job, okay?"

00:07:50 Hearing this made Kevin so happy. He turned his head and gave Adriana a smile.

00:07:56 "That isn't a bad apology. Besides, it would be a lot of trouble for you to go out and find another employee on such short notice.

00:08:03 Couldn't you let him go back to his old job for a while? If he learns how to be a decent person, he can go up for promotion again."

00:08:10 Adriana naturally followed his line of thinking. "Since Mr. Williams has said so, you can continue working here, in your previous position. Take it or leave it."

00:08:21 Cody was overjoyed at this news. "I'll take it, I'll take it. Thank you, Mr. Williams. Thank you, President Wright."

00:08:29 Rachel hurried over and gave Kevin a hug. She seemed as surprised at this as he was.

00:08:35 Kevin pulled himself gently out of the hug and said, "Okay, that's enough."

00:08:40 Adriana invited Kevin to walk with her. "Come on, Kevin, let's go."

00:08:45 "Yes, let's go," added Cook.

00:08:48 The three of them left together. They didn't bother to look back at Cody and Rachel as they walked out the front door of the headquarters.

00:08:55 Cody turned toward Rachel and stared at her. He growled, "You almost made me lose my job. Why didn't you tell me who he was?"

00:09:03 After he finished speaking, he turned around and left, leaving Rachel standing there alone. She looked very embarrassed.

00:09:10 Meanwhile, Adriana, Kevin, and Cook headed to the Chartreuse Mill, the largest bar in Chicago.

00:09:17 Adriana and Cook led him into the most sumptuous private room of the bar.

00:09:22 The three of them had just sat down when two men with extremely excited expressions on their faces pushed open the door and walked in.

00:09:31 "Kevin!" Kevin lifted his head from the drink menu and looked toward the door. He couldn't believe his eyes.

00:09:38 "Gilbert! Emo! Come in here, you guys!"

00:09:42 Gilbert Rhodes and Emo Squire were comrades in arms.

00:09:46 They had served together in the Special Forces, and after they retired, they became Kevin's personal bodyguards and martial arts instructors.

00:09:54 They were extraordinary martial artists.

00:09:57 Gilbert's mother had cancer back then, and Kevin gave him over $100,000 to help with expenses for her medical care and comfort.

00:10:04 Unfortunately, she eventually passed away.

00:10:07 A while after that, Gilbert and Emo wanted to move on, so Kevin gave them money to help them out.

00:10:13 So everyone in the room had at one time or another gotten help from Kevin. They owed their success to him.

00:10:20 After Kevin's family had ostracized him, they all began to search for him. This was pretty much how they got to know each other.

00:10:27 Gilbert spoke first.

00:10:29 "Kevin! We've been looking for you for years! If only we'd thought of looking for you right here in Chicago!"

00:10:35 He sat down across from Kevin and looked at him in the eyes.

00:10:39 The tough man looked like he was about to cry from joy.

00:10:42 Kevin chuckled.

00:10:44 "It's really been too long, Gilbert. I can't believe this is your bar. You've done pretty well for yourself."

00:10:51 Gilbert smiled broadly when he heard Kevin's praise. He stroked his chin and laughed.

00:10:56 Kevin chortled and shook his head when he saw this.

00:10:59 "You're still the same as before. You're a tough man, but deep down you're like a little boy. Are you starting to blush?"

00:11:06 Everyone laughed.

00:11:08 "So, Emo, what are you up to? Are you working together?"

00:11:12 Kevin looked at his tall, handsome friend who was wearing a black casual outfit.

00:11:17 Adriana answered the question.

00:11:19 "Emo's doing very well. He runs a bodyguard company. His employees are a fine group of men and women.

00:11:26 Kevin, you can ask Emo to arrange for protection if you ever need it."

00:11:30 Emo laughed at the thought.

00:11:32 He looked very cheerful and easygoing, not at all like someone who owned a bodyguard company at all.

00:11:38 Instead, he looked more like a college student.

00:11:41 Kevin chuckled.

00:11:42 "The way things have been going lately, I may take you up on that offer."

00:11:47 After they talked and laughed for a while, Adriana stood up and left the room.

00:11:51 A few minutes later, she came back with a gift box in her hand.

00:11:55 "Kevin, we got you this gift almost a year and a half ago. We're so glad that we can finally give it to you in person.

00:12:02 We really hope you like it."

00:12:04 Taking the box from Adriana's hand, Kevin looked at his four friends and slowly opened the box.

00:12:10 As he looked inside, his eyes twinkled.

00:12:13 Everyone waited to hear what he would say.

00:12:15 Kevin was so excited.

00:12:37 He held the box carefully in his hands.

00:12:39 His eyes were glued to the beautiful antique signet ring in the box.

00:12:43 It had an ancient aura, and he couldn't take his eyes off of it.

00:12:48 Cook and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with joy.

00:12:52 As long as Kevin liked this gift, then all their effort had been worth it.

00:12:56 Adriana leaned back on the sofa and explained.

00:12:59 "It's all thanks to Gilbert and Emo.

00:13:02 They know what you like, especially your interest in antiques from the Middle Ages.

00:13:07 They thought that this was appropriate because of all that you mean to us."

00:13:11 Kevin looked at the ring for a long time before he carefully closed the box.

00:13:16 He raised his glass and said, "I'm glad to have found you again, my friends.

00:13:21 Thank you so much. Let's have a toast."

00:13:24 They stayed up and chatted well into the night.

00:13:27 Because it was so late and they were in no shape to drive home, Gilbert arranged for them to sleep in the Chartreuse Mills VIP suite.

00:13:34 This just happened to be the first time Kevin had spent a night away from home since he married Lily.

00:13:40 And when he woke up the next morning, Kevin didn't head home.

00:13:44 Instead, he went straight to his office at Williams Media.

00:13:48 After resting on the sofa in his office for a while, Kevin began wondering if he should send a message to Lily.

00:13:54 Just then, his phone rang.

00:13:56 Kevin saw that it was his mother-in-law, Dorothy.

00:13:59 He quickly sat up straight and cleared his throat to answer the phone.

00:14:03 "Hello, Mom."

00:14:04 "Kevin, I heard from Lily that you didn't come back all night. Where did you go?"

00:14:09 Dorothy's tone was very gentle, definitely more gentle than usual.

00:14:14 Kevin couldn't help but raise his eyebrow.

00:14:16 He was pretty sure she was being so nice to him because of everything that had happened at the Jones family celebration the day before.

00:14:23 "I'm okay, thanks. I went to chat with my old friend for a while.

00:14:27 Later on, it got to be too late, so I slept at his place."

00:14:31 Dorothy said,

00:14:32 "I understand. You haven't seen each other in a long time, so you must have had a lot to talk about.

00:14:39 By the way, didn't I ask you to bring your parents here for a physical?

00:14:43 It just so happens that I have nothing to do for the next couple of days. How about tomorrow?"

00:14:48 When he heard her bring the subject up again, Kevin frowned.

00:14:52 He really didn't want his parents involved in all of this.

00:14:55 Dorothy suspected that Kevin and Lily's trouble having a baby, even by in vitro fertilization, was inherited, so she wanted to get his parents tested.

00:15:05 Talk about awkward.

00:15:07 Kevin thought about it and replied,

00:15:09 "How about this? After I bring my parents here tomorrow, I'll pick up you and Lily to go and get another checkup to see what the problem is."

00:15:17 He continued,

00:15:18 "But really, Lily and I don't have any problem. I don't see the need for another physical, and I definitely don't want to drag my parents into this."

00:15:27 Dorothy was unhappy to hear this and was about to object, but Kevin didn't give her a chance.

00:15:32 "Then it's decided. Let's go and get the physical together, all of us. But I have to hang up now, Mom. I still have something to do. Talk to you later."

00:15:41 After Kevin hung up, he put down his phone and was about to rest for a while when someone knocked on his office door.

00:15:47 Miss Wilson walked in wearing a light blue professional suit and Prada shoes.

00:15:52 "Sir, Jason from the Jones family is here. He wants to sign the packaging contract for Brittany's debut with us. What do you think we should do?"

00:16:01 Kevin responded in a very serious tone,

00:16:04 "He's here pretty early. Don't worry about him right now. Please contact the Jones family directly.

00:16:11 Let them know that, since they've ignored my previous instructions, our agreement with them will be voided if they send him here again.

00:16:20 If they want to continue to work with us, then they must ensure that all corporate matters will be handled by Lily and Lily alone.

00:16:28 Otherwise, we have nothing to talk about."

00:16:31 Kevin felt a headache coming on, so he closed his eyes and sat back on the plush sofa.

00:16:36 He gently rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

00:16:39 Miss Wilson nodded.

00:16:41 "So Jason will have to wait for the Jones family to inform him to leave?"

00:16:45 "Yes."

00:16:47 Jason sat for a long time in the first floor waiting room.

00:16:50 Just as he was getting impatient and was about to go to the front desk for an update,

00:16:55 he received a call from Grandma Jones asking him to head home.

00:16:59 When he hung up the phone, Jason had a puzzled look on his face.

00:17:03 His grandmother had full confidence in him when he left this morning.

00:17:07 Why did he feel that there was something wrong with his grandmother's tone just now?

00:17:11 He looked in the direction of the elevator again.

00:17:14 After waiting for another five minutes, it was obvious that nobody was coming to show him into the CEO's office.

00:17:20 The only thing left for Jason to do was leave.

00:17:23 In the old Jones family mansion, the key players of the family were sitting in the living room trying to figure out how to handle all of this.

00:17:31 One of his uncles was wondering out loud,

00:17:34 "Why are they doing this to us? Why did they prefer Lily to Jason?

00:17:39 After all, her own company was about to close its doors until she got bailed out.

00:17:44 I think the new CEO of Williams Media is a fool and sooner or later, Williams Media will be history."

00:17:52 When Jason returned, he heard from Grandma Jones that Williams Media was threatening to cancel their partnership with them.

00:17:59 He immediately became furious.

00:18:01 He couldn't understand why they seemed to have a grudge against him.

00:18:05 It was fine if they didn't agree to his proposal, but why were they demanding to see Lily instead of him?

00:18:10 Grandma Jones looked at Jason, who was flying into a rage and felt empathy for her grandson's suffering.

00:18:17 "J.J., please calm down. Your aunts and uncles are all here."

00:18:22 Jason turned and looked at them.

00:18:24 "What do you all think about this?"

00:18:27 A middle-aged man wearing an old-fashioned three-piece suit and glasses spoke first.

00:18:32 He was one of Grandma Jones' nephews.

00:18:35 "Auntie, why did the CEO of Williams Media choose Lily over Jason?

00:18:40 What kind of relationship do they have?"

00:18:42 The woman sitting beside him quickly continued,

00:18:45 "Yes, why don't we ask Lily to explain this?

00:18:49 If they really do know each other, wouldn't that make it easier for us to work with Williams Media?"

00:18:55 One of the younger members of the Jones family, a young man who usually hung out with Jason, stood up and said,

00:19:01 "As I recall, Lily said that she didn't get to see their CEO when she went to Williams Media.

00:19:06 She must have been lying to us. I don't believe it.

00:19:09 There must be something tawdry going on between them."

00:19:13 Many of them started to whisper to each other when they heard him say this.

00:19:16 One of Jason's uncles added,

00:19:18 "Yeah, maybe Lily seduced him to smooth out the deal."

00:19:23 Another piped up in her defense, "Sort of."

00:19:26 "That useless husband of hers doesn't even have a job.

00:19:30 Lily is such a strong-willed person. She has to do something to provide for her future."

00:19:35 Listening to everyone's reaction, Jason felt much better and began to smirk.

00:19:40 Grandma Jones was upset, but Lily was her granddaughter after all.

00:19:44 She saw that everyone was attacking her more and more harshly and coughed twice.

00:19:49 The room immediately fell silent.

00:19:52 "We need to make a long-term plan.

00:19:55 After all, if they want to cancel our agreement, we won't have a chance in court.

00:20:00 If that happens, we'll be the ones to suffer."

00:20:04 Grandma Jones was absolutely right.

00:20:06 Williams Media was far more powerful than they were.

00:20:10 The Jones family had to give in.

00:20:12 However, they decided that if Williams Media really wanted Jason out of the picture,

00:20:17 it would be better to find someone other than Lily to be in charge of the negotiations.

00:20:22 She had to be replaced because they just weren't sure of her relationship with the CEO.

00:20:27 So Jason's cousin, Matilda Jones, was chosen to replace Jason.

00:20:32 They all wanted her to take Lily's place and go to Williams Media the next day.

00:20:38 While this was going on, Kevin spent half a day at his office

00:20:41 and then rode home on the new electric scooter that Miss Wilson had bought for him.

00:20:46 There was no one at home, and Kevin felt that it was too quiet.

00:20:50 He tossed a snack in the microwave and relaxed a little.

00:20:53 Then he took a nap until Lily came back that evening.

00:20:56 Lily walked in, took one look at Kevin's messy hair and wrinkled clothes, and got a little ticked off.

00:21:02 "When did you get back? You didn't spend the whole day sleeping, did you?"

00:21:07 "Of course not," Kevin replied. "I came back in the afternoon.

00:21:11 By the way, did you get a call from Grandma today?"

00:21:14 Kevin stood up and got a glass of water for Lily, who was sitting on the sofa.

00:21:18 Lily looked at him strangely. "No. Why would she call me?"

00:21:23 Kevin was a little annoyed at this.

00:21:25 It seemed that Grandma Jones still wasn't taking his words to heart.

00:21:29 Still, he looked very calm on the surface.

00:21:32 "It's nothing. I was just asking."

00:21:34 Lily rolled her eyes.

00:21:36 When she thought about her family's deal with Williams Media being handed over to Jason,

00:21:41 she got really teed off.

00:21:43 "Where did you go last night?" she asked Kevin.

00:21:46 Thinking about how Kevin hadn't come home last night, Lily felt even more uneasy.

00:21:51 She had so many things she wanted to ask him yesterday, but he never came home from the banquet.

00:21:56 Kevin chuckled. "I was just chatting with an old friend.

00:22:00 It was too late and I'd had a little to drink, so I just slept there."

00:22:03 "Old friend? Was it Mr. Cook from the Whitsler Hotel?"

00:22:07 Lily put down her glass and stared at Kevin.

00:22:10 "That's right." Kevin didn't want to hide anything from her, so he decided to tell her the truth.

00:22:15 Lily was a little disappointed to hear his answer.

00:22:18 After thinking for a few seconds, she sighed.

00:22:21 Leaning back on the sofa, she declared,

00:22:23 "I don't know how you're such good friends with Mr. Cook,

00:22:26 but if you say you were chatting with him last night, then I guess I'll have to believe you."

00:22:31 But Lily really wanted to know more.

00:22:34 Hi guys, Kevin here! Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:22:40 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

00:22:44 Hi guys, Kevin here! Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:22:50 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

00:22:54 Lily was still wondering how Kevin happened to know Mr. Cook so well.

00:22:59 It just didn't make sense to her.

00:23:01 After expressing her doubts to her husband,

00:23:04 Lily paused for a moment and picked up the remote control to turn on the TV.

00:23:08 "What kind of person is Mr. Cook anyway?

00:23:13 Why would such an important man have the time to chat with you for so long?"

00:23:17 Kevin shrugged in reply.

00:23:19 He really couldn't tell her.

00:23:21 "Not yet."

00:23:22 "Go and make me some spaghetti, would you? I haven't had dinner yet."

00:23:27 Lily turned on a popular reality show and watched it while she swiped through some social media posts on her phone.

00:23:34 Kevin answered, "Sure, Lily."

00:23:37 Then he turned around and headed into the kitchen.

00:23:40 He had just put the pasta in the boiling water when Dorothy got home.

00:23:45 She saw Kevin cooking in the kitchen and she remembered what Kevin had said to her on the phone earlier in the day.

00:23:51 Her expression turned very serious.

00:23:54 "Damn it!" Dorothy groaned.

00:23:57 Seeing that Kevin hadn't responded to her,

00:23:59 Dorothy kicked off her dress shoes and stomped across the room to sit down next to Lily.

00:24:04 Lily gave her a puzzled look.

00:24:06 "What's wrong? You look like you're mad at someone."

00:24:10 Dorothy replied, "Who else could it be?

00:24:13 Someone here doesn't know how to show gratitude."

00:24:17 Dorothy motioned with her eyes towards the kitchen and Lily immediately understood.

00:24:22 Kevin had probably done something else to piss her off.

00:24:26 Lily leaned in toward her mother and whispered, "What's the matter?

00:24:30 You can tell me, Mom. I'll have a talk with him if it helps."

00:24:34 Dorothy noticed that Lily was whispering so Kevin wouldn't hear.

00:24:38 Until recently, she didn't seem to care what her husband thought.

00:24:42 But Dorothy also realized that it was thanks to Kevin that Lily's company's financial crisis had been resolved so quickly.

00:24:49 Sighing, Dorothy patted her daughter on the hand.

00:24:52 "It's because the in vitro didn't work.

00:24:55 I'm guessing that his family has some kind of genetic issue.

00:24:59 I mentioned this to him and I asked him to bring his parents in for a checkup."

00:25:03 Dorothy shot an irritated look towards the kitchen as she spoke.

00:25:07 "Kevin told me that he wanted to do a checkup along with everyone else.

00:25:11 What did he mean by that? Does he think the problem is with me?"

00:25:16 When Lily heard her mother bring up the test tube baby topic again, she got impatient.

00:25:21 "Um, Mom, can you not rush things?

00:25:25 I have so much going on right now.

00:25:28 How can I possibly think about having a baby in the middle of this train wreck?"

00:25:32 Dorothy's eyes widened.

00:25:34 "You're still not in a hurry? You've been married for over two years.

00:25:39 The in vitro's already failed three or four times and you're not in a hurry?

00:25:44 The last time your dad called, he asked me about it too.

00:25:48 If you're not in a hurry, then you can tell your dad the next time he calls.

00:25:52 I don't want to have to talk to him about it again.

00:25:55 Not until you have some good news.

00:25:58 Let's not talk about this right now."

00:26:00 As soon as Lily finished talking, Kevin walked out of the kitchen with a big platter of spaghetti and meatballs.

00:26:06 She watched Kevin put the pasta on the table and then bring out some plates and parmesan cheese.

00:26:12 Lily ignored Dorothy's sour expression and said to Kevin,

00:26:16 "You don't need to bring your parents here tomorrow. We can talk about the checkup later."

00:26:21 Hearing her daughter say this, Dorothy grunted and stood up to go to her room.

00:26:26 Kevin smiled at her.

00:26:27 "Okay, whatever you say, Lily."

00:26:30 After eating and then cleaning up, Lily lay down on the bed.

00:26:34 Kevin, who was doing some stretches on the floor, turned on his side and used his hand to support his head

00:26:39 while he stared at her beautiful side profile.

00:26:42 "Lily, if Grandma Jones calls you tomorrow and she asks you to talk about the deal with Williams Media,

00:26:48 don't agree with her right away. Just let her wait."

00:26:51 Hearing Kevin say this, Lily frowned and turned her head towards him.

00:26:55 With a puzzled expression, she said,

00:26:58 "I don't think we need to worry about that. Grandma has already handed it back to Jason.

00:27:04 Why would she ask me again?"

00:27:07 "Why do you always say such strange things?"

00:27:10 "In any case, remember, if she asks you, just don't agree right away. Promise me you'll sleep on it."

00:27:17 Kevin didn't worry about Lily's impatient tone.

00:27:20 After saying that, he went to bed and quickly fell asleep.

00:27:23 Lily reluctantly reached out to turn off the light.

00:27:27 Then she also lay down and went to sleep.

00:27:30 The next day, after Lily left for work, Kevin headed over to his office at Williams Media.

00:27:35 This was the life! Kevin really liked being a CEO.

00:27:39 Since Ms. Wilson was such an organized chief of staff,

00:27:42 all that Kevin had to do all day was drink lattes, read a little, and sign contracts.

00:27:47 Ms. Wilson knocked on the door and walked in.

00:27:50 "Mr. President, the Jones family has sent someone over to discuss their arrangement with us.

00:27:56 It's a woman named Matilda Jones."

00:27:59 Kevin thought to himself that the pink suit Ms. Wilson was wearing added a nice splash of color.

00:28:04 The contrasted with all the earth tones that surrounded him in his office.

00:28:09 Kevin took a sip of his latte and answered dryly, "Please ask her to leave."

00:28:15 Grandma Jones really was an interesting character.

00:28:18 He had clearly told her to send Lily, but instead she had sent Matilda to discuss their partnership.

00:28:24 What was that all about?

00:28:26 Like Jason, Matilda was also one of the favorites in the Jones family.

00:28:31 And she definitely wasn't used to being told no.

00:28:34 In any case, she wasn't prepared for the embarrassment of being asked to leave the Williams Media corporate offices without seeing the CEO.

00:28:43 When Matilda returned to Grandma Jones, she told her what had happened.

00:28:47 Her grandmother was really pissed off at the news, but she reluctantly agreed that it was time to call Lily.

00:28:55 Lily and Dorothy were out shopping on Michigan Avenue while all of this was going on.

00:29:00 Because her husband was coming back from an overseas trip in a couple of days, Dorothy wanted to find a nice outfit to wear to welcome him home.

00:29:08 While they were looking at Gucci's in one of the stores, Lily heard her phone ringing inside her purse.

00:29:14 She pulled it out and was surprised to see that Grandma Jones was calling.

00:29:18 She and Dorothy looked at each other for a second before Lily answered.

00:29:22 She put the call on speaker, "Hello, Grandma?"

00:29:26 On the other end, Grandma Jones sounded a little awkward.

00:29:30 "Lily, Grandma wants to ask you a small favor."

00:29:34 A favor? What kind of thing could make this usually arrogant and self-reliant woman use the word "favor"?

00:29:41 Dorothy couldn't keep from sticking her nose in.

00:29:44 "Auntie, don't be so polite. If there's anything Lily can do to help, just tell her."

00:29:50 Lily gave her mother a dirty look but kept quiet and waited for Grandma Jones to speak.

00:29:56 "It's about the partnership with Williams Media. I plan to let Lily handle it.

00:30:02 She needs to go over there again tomorrow to meet with them in person.

00:30:06 Try to get the packaging deal with their new client, Brittany Davis, as soon as possible."

00:30:12 Grandma Jones had it all planned out.

00:30:15 However, what Kevin had said the night before popped into Lily's mind.

00:30:20 Before Dorothy had a chance to speak, Lily quickly took the phone and turned around.

00:30:25 "Sorry, Grandma, since you already handed this over to Jason,

00:30:29 I feel that it's not right for you to make a sudden change in the middle of negotiations.

00:30:34 You really should let Jason take responsibility for the entire process.

00:30:38 I still have a few things left to do today. Gotta go now. Bye, Grandma."

00:30:43 Lily hung up the phone abruptly. Dorothy looked at her daughter in disbelief.

00:30:47 "What the heck are you doing? Do you know what she could do to us?"

00:30:52 Dorothy couldn't believe that Lily was willing to throw away such a golden opportunity.

00:30:58 Lily ignored her mother and walked out of the store holding her phone in one hand and her bag in the other.

00:31:04 Dorothy wanted to follow her out, but she was still trying on clothes

00:31:07 and didn't want to set off the security alarm and be accused of shoplifting.

00:31:11 She stamped her foot in frustration.

00:31:14 Lily found a bench and sat down. She thought for a while and wrote a text to Kevin.

00:31:20 Kevin had just gotten a call from his friend Cook and was planning to have lunch with him.

00:31:24 But before he put down his phone, he saw Lily's message.

00:31:28 "Grandma Jones just called. She said she wanted to let me take charge of Williams Media.

00:31:33 I turned her down. What should I do next?"

00:31:37 Kevin grinned. At least Lily was listening to him now.

00:31:41 "Don't worry. She'll call you again soon.

00:31:44 But you still shouldn't agree to anything until she offers you a good deal."

00:31:48 After hitting send, Kevin put his phone in his pocket and headed out to lunch.

00:31:53 He rode his scooter all the way to the Whistler Hotel.

00:31:57 When Lily felt her phone vibrate, she quickly checked her messages.

00:32:01 When she saw Kevin's text, she felt a lot more at ease.

00:32:05 On the other side of town, Kevin arrived at the Whistler Hotel

00:32:08 and was happy to see that Cook already had a table full of food waiting for him.

00:32:13 "Hi, Kevin. Have a seat."

00:32:16 Cook pulled out a chair for his friend and sat down next to him.

00:32:19 He nodded to one of his assistants, one of the men in dark suits who usually followed him around.

00:32:24 The man walked over to them with a covered tray.

00:32:27 Kevin smiled as Cook opened the silver lid and took out a small velvet box.

00:32:32 He was acting very mysterious.

00:32:35 After his assistant walked away, Cook quietly put the box in front of Kevin.

00:32:40 "I prepared this especially for you.

00:32:43 It's a valuable item that I've kept for almost four years now."

00:32:47 "Mitch, you've already given me a wonderful gift.

00:32:50 I just can't accept anything else."

00:32:52 Kevin politely pushed the box across the table back to Cook.

00:32:56 Cook shook his head and grinned as he pushed the box back to Kevin.

00:33:00 "This thing is useless to me. I'm in great health.

00:33:04 But you used to look pretty weak, so I tracked down this remedy just for you.

00:33:09 And I'm glad I finally have a chance to give it to you."

00:33:12 Before he was finished speaking, Cook's phone suddenly rang.

00:33:16 He answered with an abrupt "Yeah."

00:33:18 As the call went on, his expression got more and more serious.

00:33:22 After finishing the call, Cook gave Kevin an apologetic look.

00:33:26 "My friend, I'm afraid you'll have to finish this meal by yourself.

00:33:30 I have some urgent business to take care of.

00:33:33 Please accept this. Consider it an early birthday present."

00:33:37 Kevin smiled and nodded. "I got it, Mitch.

00:33:40 Now hurry up and do what you've got to do."

00:33:42 He paused and added, "Thank you for the gift."

00:33:45 "Okay. Let's get together another day when I'm not so busy."

00:33:49 Then Cook hurried out.

00:33:51 Kevin looked at the little box on the table and shook his head.

00:33:54 He picked it up and put it in his pocket.

00:33:57 "Sometimes I just can't figure that guy out," he thought.

00:34:01 Then he turned his attention to the delicious meal in front of him.

00:34:04 Since he was now eating alone, he didn't have to watch his manners.

00:34:08 After Kevin finished lunch, he checked in with his office.

00:34:12 But they didn't have any work lined up for him, so he headed home.

00:34:15 When he got there, he took a shower and put on some more casual clothes.

00:34:19 Then he pulled Cook's gift out of his pocket.

00:34:23 As soon as Kevin opened the box, a light fragrance wafted through the air.

00:34:27 As Kevin contemplated the smell, it seemed that his head was oddly clearer than before.

00:34:33 In the middle of the velvet box was a pill the size of a small marble.

00:34:38 Actually, it looked a little like a jelly bean, and the aroma definitely was coming from it.

00:34:44 Kevin remembered Cook saying that he was looking a little gaunt,

00:34:48 and he couldn't help muttering to himself,

00:34:50 "Could this pill actually make me stronger?

00:34:53 It sounds like science fiction to me.

00:34:56 Maybe Mitch has been tricked by someone."

00:34:59 Then Kevin recalled that Cook had said that the medication, whatever it was,

00:35:03 had been prepared three or four years ago.

00:35:06 He didn't know if it had expired, so he was hesitant about taking it.

00:35:11 Kevin really didn't know what to do.

00:35:13 He didn't want to disappoint his friend.

00:35:16 But was that a good reason to take a four-year-old pill?

00:35:20 On the other hand, he did find the aroma somehow relaxing and enticing.

00:35:25 Kevin finally decided to take the pill.

00:35:27 He placed it in his mouth and reached for a glass of water to help him swallow it.

00:35:32 Before Kevin could drink the water, the pill seemed to melt in his mouth,

00:35:36 and then it flowed down his throat.

00:35:38 Kevin furrowed his brow.

00:35:40 He was a little worried and began to regret what he'd just done.

00:35:43 "Hi guys, Kevin here.

00:35:44 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:35:49 Click the link in the description to install the app now."

00:35:53 "Hi guys, Kevin here.

00:35:54 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:35:59 Click the link in the description to install the app now."

00:36:03 Although Mitch was an old friend and he trusted him with his life,

00:36:07 he was concerned that maybe there was something wrong with the pill.

00:36:10 What would it do to him?

00:36:12 Would it kill him?

00:36:13 Was it FDA approved?

00:36:15 Just as Kevin was contemplating spitting the pill out,

00:36:19 he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

00:36:22 Then his whole body felt like ice.

00:36:25 It reminded him of that time one of his friends had convinced him

00:36:29 to jump into Lake Michigan with his polar bear club one cold winter day.

00:36:34 Then his eyes rolled up in his head, and he fainted.

00:36:38 When Kevin opened his eyes again, it was almost dusk.

00:36:42 "What's that horrible smell?" he said to himself.

00:36:46 The funk was almost enough to knock him out again.

00:36:49 Kevin got up off the floor and discovered that the smell seemed to come from his own body.

00:36:54 Great!

00:36:55 He ran his hand along his forearm and felt something strange.

00:36:59 His entire body was covered with some sticky yellow liquid.

00:37:03 It had soaked through his clothes entirely.

00:37:06 "Gross! What the hell is this?"

00:37:09 Kevin sprinted to the bathroom to take a shower.

00:37:12 He must have washed himself for more than half an hour.

00:37:15 Then he changed his clothes again.

00:37:18 He gave the house a quick cleaning and sprayed the air with an entire can of freshener.

00:37:23 It seemed impossible to get the stink out of the room,

00:37:26 especially the spot where he'd fainted.

00:37:28 It was stained a pale yellow, and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to get it out.

00:37:33 "If Lily or her mother come home now, they'll think I've been frying dog crap!"

00:37:38 He thought.

00:37:39 "I can't believe someone told Mitch that this would help me.

00:37:43 So far, it's given me an intense pain in my gut,

00:37:46 knocked me out,

00:37:48 it made me smell like an outhouse on a hot July day.

00:37:51 Are there any more fun side effects?"

00:37:54 Kevin kept muttering to himself as he cleaned the room furiously.

00:37:58 Just as he finished, Lily and Dorothy came home.

00:38:02 "Hi, Kevin. What have you been cooking?"

00:38:05 Dorothy put her shopping bags on the sofa and turned her head to look at Kevin,

00:38:10 who was helping Lily.

00:38:11 Kevin coughed uncontrollably a few times.

00:38:14 "I had something to do, so I haven't cooked yet.

00:38:17 Why don't we eat out tonight?"

00:38:19 Dorothy gave Kevin a funny look and said,

00:38:22 "You're home all day and you don't have a job, but you don't have time to cook?"

00:38:27 Lily found his excuse a little suspicious too.

00:38:30 Even though she thought her mother was right,

00:38:32 she wanted to give her husband the benefit of the doubt.

00:38:35 "You know, I was thinking the same thing," Lily interrupted.

00:38:39 "There's a new place on the north side. I think it's in Evanston.

00:38:43 They say it has great stuffed spinach pizza.

00:38:46 Let's head over there this evening."

00:38:48 Then she gave Kevin a subtle tug on his sleeve

00:38:51 in motion for him to go to the bedroom with her.

00:38:54 Kevin was curious to find out what Lily had to say.

00:38:58 And did she have any more news about her grandmother?

00:39:01 Kevin still hadn't gotten over his weird reaction to the pill that Cook gave him.

00:39:10 And he really wasn't in the mood to make dinner right now.

00:39:14 But he was pretty happy that Lily had stood up for him with Dorothy.

00:39:18 He followed her back to their bedroom,

00:39:20 wondering what news she might have about Grandma Jones.

00:39:23 Was Lily's grandmother finally going to put her in charge of the Williams Media contract?

00:39:28 Lily spoke first.

00:39:30 "You should have learned by now. Don't make random excuses.

00:39:34 We need your help around the house, and that includes cooking meals."

00:39:38 She took out the new clothes that she just bought one by one

00:39:42 while Kevin helped her hang them up in the closet.

00:39:44 Kevin didn't offer any more explanations.

00:39:47 He just nodded and replied, "Okay."

00:39:50 Lily was satisfied that they'd settled the matter,

00:39:53 so she brought up the latest news of her grandmother.

00:39:56 "It's Grandma Jones' birthday the day after tomorrow.

00:39:59 So you have two days to try and find something nice,

00:40:02 and nothing cheap or tacky.

00:40:04 Please don't embarrass me in front of my family again."

00:40:07 When Lily told him this,

00:40:09 Kevin remembered that he and Grandma Jones shared the same birthday.

00:40:13 But usually everybody spends so much time fawning over Grandma

00:40:16 that they forgot about him.

00:40:18 He wasn't much in the mood to celebrate.

00:40:21 Over the past two years, every time Grandma Jones had a birthday party,

00:40:25 Kevin would just make believe that the celebration was for him.

00:40:28 Kevin noticed that Lily was staring at him,

00:40:30 which made him come back to the moment.

00:40:32 He nodded in agreement.

00:40:34 "Don't worry. I'll remember it, and I'll find her something nice."

00:40:38 "Thanks," Lily replied.

00:40:40 She really wanted to ask him for some advice about the partnership with Williams Media.

00:40:45 She also wanted to handle the problem with Grandma Jones herself.

00:40:48 So she decided not to say anything, for now.

00:40:52 Grandma Jones' birthday bash was held at Shea Robin,

00:40:55 one of the finest restaurants in Chicago.

00:40:58 They rented out the whole place just for the party.

00:41:01 Kevin didn't arrive in the same car as Lily and Dorothy

00:41:04 because he was out picking up the birthday present for the family matriarch.

00:41:09 Lily sat next to her mother and saved a seat for her husband.

00:41:13 The more she thought about it, the more restless she got.

00:41:16 For the past two days, she'd asked Kevin over and over what he planned to get for her grandmother,

00:41:21 but he insisted that he wanted to keep it a secret.

00:41:24 This really worried Lily because her grandmother was hard to please,

00:41:28 and she didn't want to disappoint her.

00:41:30 When Kevin finally arrived, Lily saw that he was holding a simple gift bag like you find in a drugstore.

00:41:36 This sure ticked her off.

00:41:39 This was definitely not okay.

00:41:41 Lily wasn't looking forward to spending another embarrassing evening with her family because of Kevin's behavior.

00:41:47 She let out a heavy sigh.

00:41:49 When Kevin sat down at the table, Dorothy frowned and stared at the gift bag he was holding.

00:41:54 "You could have at least had it wrapped. I hope the gift you picked out is presentable."

00:42:00 Kevin was a little uneasy at Dorothy's response.

00:42:03 "Uh, I didn't have time to wrap it, but the wrapping isn't important.

00:42:07 It's what's in the bag that counts."

00:42:09 Kevin was tempted to let Lily and Dorothy take a peek in the bag.

00:42:13 He was sure they'd be pleasantly surprised by his choice.

00:42:16 He started to lean toward Lily offering the bag to show what was inside,

00:42:21 but she put her hand out and stopped him.

00:42:23 She wasn't interested in finding out right now.

00:42:26 Lily rolled her eyes.

00:42:28 "I don't want to know.

00:42:30 Later when everyone is giving Grandma her presents, you can take advantage of the confusion

00:42:35 and just stuff it into the pile so we're not embarrassed in front of my family.

00:42:39 Again."

00:42:41 Kevin was a little disappointed at her reaction.

00:42:44 "Alright," he said. "Whatever you say."

00:42:47 Everyone had already started to give their gifts to Grandma Jones,

00:42:51 who was seated on the dais at the front of the room.

00:42:53 In the place of honor, of course.

00:42:56 They were all secretly competing with each other to see who would give the most valuable or rare gift to Grandma Jones.

00:43:03 So far, the best presents were the beautiful diamond brooch that Matilda gave Grandma,

00:43:08 as well as the antique Victorian bus that Jason had presented to her.

00:43:12 Everyone agreed that it looked a little like Grandma when she was younger.

00:43:16 Grandma Jones took Matilda by the hand and smiled happily.

00:43:20 "You've always brought me such great joy, Matilda.

00:43:24 I'd love to keep you around here with me forever, but it's probably time for you to get married."

00:43:30 Matilda didn't know how to respond.

00:43:32 Married? She didn't even have a boyfriend.

00:43:35 "Don't worry, Grandma. I'll always be by your side."

00:43:39 Everyone who heard this was deeply moved.

00:43:42 Matilda returned to her seat, which happened to be next to Kevin's.

00:43:45 As she sat down, she heard Kevin say,

00:43:48 "Nice choice. That brooch is from Wales, mid-18th century.

00:43:52 Probably belonged to the royal family. Not bad."

00:43:56 This piqued Matilda's curiosity.

00:43:59 Many of the members of the Jones family thought Kevin was kind and dull and uninteresting.

00:44:03 Even Matilda had always looked down on Kevin, but his comment was far from dull.

00:44:08 "How did you know it was an 18th century royal brooch?" she asked him.

00:44:13 "And yes, it is from Wales. Do you know a lot about jewelry?"

00:44:17 Kevin shrugged and nodded. "Yes, I know a little. May I ask how much you spent?"

00:44:22 "About $20,000," Matilda answered candidly.

00:44:26 "I bought it from a friend of mine. At that price, she said she would just break even."

00:44:30 Kevin shook his head. "I hate to tell you this, but that brooch isn't worth much more than $15,000."

00:44:36 Matilda wasn't happy to hear that.

00:44:39 "$15,000? Are you sure? I got it from a good friend of mine."

00:44:43 Kevin lowered his voice so nobody else at the table could hear him.

00:44:47 "There are a few factors to take into account. First, you have the diamonds.

00:44:51 They're a nice size, but the cut, color, and clarity are important, too.

00:44:55 I could see from here under these lights that they're not the absolute best.

00:44:59 But the perfect diamonds cost a small fortune.

00:45:02 Then there's the provenance. The most famous royal brooches are all well-known and, once again, way over $20,000.

00:45:09 Still, it's a very nice piece of jewelry.

00:45:12 But I think your friend could have given you a lot better break on the price.

00:45:16 It doesn't sound to me like she's your best friend. Just my opinion."

00:45:20 Matilda had a puzzled look on her face as she listened to Kevin.

00:45:24 Just then, someone walked up to Grandma Jones and announced,

00:45:27 "Grandma, Bradley Smith is here!"

00:45:30 She smiled and said, "Bradley is here? What a lovely surprise! Please show him in!"

00:45:37 Kevin and the others turned around to look when they heard this.

00:45:41 They all watched Bradley Smith walk in wearing a navy blue Tom Ford suit and shiny new Oxford shoes.

00:45:47 He was holding a small gift box in his hand.

00:45:50 He'd spent his last penny on the clothes and the gift just to make a good impression on Grandma Jones.

00:45:56 He knew that he had to succeed today or he'd be ruined.

00:45:59 Bradley walked confidently up to Grandma Jones and gave her a kiss on each cheek.

00:46:04 "Happy birthday, Grandma Jones! I wish you health, wealth, and happiness.

00:46:10 I'm sorry that I'm a little late. The Dan Ryan Expressway was backed up with the construction traffic. Please forgive me."

00:46:18 Grandma Jones knew that Bradley had always been interested in Lily.

00:46:22 If only she had been able to match them up a few years ago.

00:46:25 But instead, she had married that failure Kevin.

00:46:28 "Oh, I understand. I know you have a busy schedule. It's very considerate of you to come to my party."

00:46:36 Bradley smiled and looked over toward Lily.

00:46:39 "Actually, I'm not just here for your birthday. There's something else."

00:46:43 He paused for a moment.

00:46:45 "Grandma Jones, I want to ask your blessing to marry Lily."

00:46:49 She looked Bradley in the eyes and then shifted her gaze to Lily.

00:46:53 Was she actually taking this request seriously?

00:46:56 Lily was already married to Kevin, but this didn't seem to bother the Joneses.

00:47:01 Nobody had ever really accepted Kevin into the family.

00:47:04 They even treated their hired help with more respect.

00:47:07 And that's saying a lot because they didn't treat them that well either.

00:47:11 "Bradley, you do realize that Lily is married. Doesn't that bother you?"

00:47:16 She inquired even though Grandma Jones knew what she wanted deep in her heart.

00:47:21 "Grandma, I'd like to ask Lily to be my wife. You know I've always seen you as my very own grandma. Please say yes."

00:47:29 The whole time he was saying this, Bradley was acting like Kevin wasn't even there.

00:47:34 Finally, Kevin had had enough of this.

00:47:37 He stood up from his chair and yelled, "Stop!"

00:47:40 "What the hell is wrong with you? I've been sitting right here the whole time and you're asking if you can marry my wife right in front of me?"

00:47:48 Kevin had lost it. Now it was Jason's turn to stick his nose in things.

00:47:53 "Who do you think you are? You have no right to speak here. You're not a member of the family."

00:47:58 "I may not be much, but I'm better than you, you jackass," Kevin spat back.

00:48:04 "I'll kick your ass, loser," Jason said as he rushed towards Kevin.

00:48:08 Jason had been spoiled by Grandma Jones since he was a child, so he never learned to control his temper.

00:48:14 He had countless fights when he was in school but never faced any consequences.

00:48:18 Even as an adult, working in the Jones family business, he got into a lot of fights and arguments.

00:48:25 He also got involved with some pretty tough criminals.

00:48:28 It didn't look like his family was going to be able to make Jason control himself this time either.

00:48:33 One of them commented, "Kevin's really gonna get it now."

00:48:37 Another replied, "Serves him right. Who does he think he is? He's just ruining Grandma's party."

00:48:43 "Why doesn't Kevin just keep his mouth shut?"

00:48:45 Someone else at the next table said, "That's right. What gives him the right to say anything about our affairs?"

00:48:52 Everyone was upset to see this, but nobody made a move to stop Jason.

00:48:57 They were all expecting to see Kevin get beaten up.

00:49:00 But Kevin stood his ground very calmly.

00:49:03 "What are you just standing there for? Hurry up and leave."

00:49:08 She was surprised at how worried she was for Kevin right then.

00:49:12 Things hadn't been great between them lately, but maybe they'd been together for so long that she couldn't bear to see him get the crap knocked out of him.

00:49:20 Jason threw the first punch, but Kevin stepped to the side to avoid it and caught his fist.

00:49:26 "So, you're going to get violent, are you?"

00:49:29 "Okay," Kevin said coldly.

00:49:32 Then Kevin twisted Jason's wrist with a move that his friend Emo had shown him back when he was his family bodyguard.

00:49:39 Everyone there heard a sharp pop and Jason let out a loud moan.

00:49:45 "Why have you always been such a douche to me?" Kevin said as he let Jason drop to the floor.

00:49:51 They were all shocked to see this happening, especially at Grandma's party.

00:49:56 What was happening to their pleasant little get-together?

00:49:59 They were all trying to get a grip on it.

00:50:02 Jason felt like one of his ribs might be broken.

00:50:05 He sat on the floor yelling in pain as he held his wrist.

00:50:09 Just then, Dorothy walked up to Kevin and slapped him in the face.

00:50:13 This caught Kevin off guard.

00:50:15 He staggered a little and took a step back.

00:50:18 "How dare you ruin Grandma's birthday?" Dorothy was furious.

00:50:23 "After all that we've done for you, this is how you repay us? Get out! Now!"

00:50:28 By now, Jason was slowly standing up with a little help.

00:50:32 "Oh, he's not getting off so easy. You're a dead man!"

00:50:36 Jason pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts and made a call.

00:50:40 But Kevin wasn't paying any attention to Jason.

00:50:43 He was staring blankly at Dorothy.

00:50:46 His penetrating stare made her uneasy.

00:50:49 He finally spoke.

00:50:51 "Lily and I have been married for two years.

00:50:54 Things have been hard while I tried to get back on my feet,

00:50:57 but I thought we still had a pretty good relationship."

00:51:00 He began to smile before he continued.

00:51:03 "Maybe it's my fault that everyone here looks down on you and Lily.

00:51:06 Maybe I deserve that slap. I don't know.

00:51:09 But from now on, we're even."

00:51:12 Kevin clenched his fist tightly.

00:51:14 "From now on, I'll have nothing to do with this family.

00:51:17 I've had enough of this.

00:51:19 If you want me to come back, you'll have to make Grandma Jones get down on one knee and beg me."

00:51:24 "Hi guys, Kevin here.

00:51:26 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:51:30 Click the link in the description to install the app now."

00:51:34 "Hi guys, Kevin here.

00:51:36 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

00:51:40 Click the link in the description to install the app now."

00:51:44 Then Kevin turned to walk out.

00:51:47 Lily stared at Kevin.

00:51:49 She didn't know what to think.

00:51:51 It was like he'd become a completely different person, a complete stranger to her.

00:51:55 Everyone stood there in shock silence.

00:51:58 As Kevin walked towards the door, Jason shouted,

00:52:01 "Stop him! Don't let him leave!"

00:52:03 But no one moved.

00:52:05 They all wanted Kevin to leave and for this horrible scene to be over.

00:52:09 Jason saw that no one was helping him and ran over to grab Kevin by the shoulder.

00:52:13 "Didn't you hear what I just said? You can't leave!"

00:52:17 Right then a white van stopped abruptly outside the restaurant's entrance.

00:52:22 Then multiple powerfully built men jumped out of the van,

00:52:26 holding baseball bats and armed to the teeth.

00:52:30 It looked like the party was about to get even worse.

00:52:37 Grandma Jones' birthday party had just been completely ruined by the fight between Jason and Kevin.

00:52:43 It started when Bradley asked for Grandma's blessing to marry Lily,

00:52:47 who was obviously already married to Kevin.

00:52:49 Unfortunately for Jason, Kevin kicked his butt in the fight,

00:52:52 so Jason called up a friend to help.

00:52:55 Jason was relieved to see his friend,

00:52:57 who showed up pretty quickly with a few of his toughest bodyguards.

00:53:01 "Drake! Thanks for getting here so fast!"

00:53:04 The man gave a slight nod.

00:53:06 "What's going on, Jason?"

00:53:08 He pointed at Kevin and said,

00:53:10 "Drake, this is the piece of crap I told you about!"

00:53:13 One of the Joneses recognized Jason's friend.

00:53:16 "Drake? That's one of the toughest crime lords in the city!"

00:53:20 "Wow!" someone else said.

00:53:22 "Jason sure has friends in low places.

00:53:24 Look how fast he got over here with just one phone call!"

00:53:27 Lily heard this and got scared for Kevin's safety.

00:53:30 "Kevin, run!" she shouted.

00:53:33 Lily knew that if Drake got his hands on her husband,

00:53:36 he'd end up dead, or worse.

00:53:38 But Kevin didn't budge.

00:53:40 This made Lily even more desperate to help him.

00:53:43 She stood up and started to move toward him.

00:53:45 Before she got two steps, Bradley stopped her.

00:53:48 "Lily, what are you doing?

00:53:50 Drake's a very dangerous man!"

00:53:53 Everyone was afraid to interfere because of Drake's vicious reputation.

00:53:57 Drake took a drag from his cigarette and casually threw it on the floor.

00:54:01 "Who's the bastard who did this to my buddy Jason?"

00:54:04 When Jason heard this, he walked over towards Kevin.

00:54:07 He could feel the eyes on him and knew that everyone was impressed

00:54:11 that he had such a powerful ally on his speed dial.

00:54:14 He'd be bragging about this for years.

00:54:17 But no one could imagine how Jason and Drake ever got to know each other.

00:54:21 It was simple.

00:54:23 The first time they met, Drake almost beat Jason to death in a sparring match at the gym.

00:54:28 That set the tone for their relationship.

00:54:30 Ever since then, Jason tried his best to make friends with the man.

00:54:34 He figured it was better to have him as a friend than an enemy.

00:54:37 So every month, he would give Drake a wad of cash to keep him on his good side.

00:54:42 As long as Jason kept this up, they'd still be friends.

00:54:45 "Quick, get out, Kevin!" Lily shouted.

00:54:49 But Bradley stopped her again.

00:54:51 By now, Drake was standing face to face with Kevin.

00:54:54 "So you're the one who hurt my friend," Drake snarled.

00:54:57 "You've made a huge mistake."

00:55:00 "So are you his friend or just his guard dog?" Kevin said coldly.

00:55:05 "Do you know how long it's been since someone talked to me like that?"

00:55:10 Drake put his hand on Kevin's shoulder and leaned closer.

00:55:13 "A long time."

00:55:15 Kevin didn't even flinch and replied,

00:55:18 "I don't care how anyone talks to you. This is between me and Jason."

00:55:23 Jason was happy to see this.

00:55:25 He was sure that Drake would finally get Kevin out of the way for good and things could go back to normal.

00:55:31 He knew that Drake was a man who feared nothing and no one.

00:55:35 "This is going to be good," he thought to himself.

00:55:38 "Man, you've got cojones," Drake said as he narrowed his eyes.

00:55:43 As he looked at Kevin, he got the feeling that he looked familiar,

00:55:47 but he just couldn't remember where he'd seen him before.

00:55:50 "It doesn't take cojones to know what's not a threat,"

00:55:54 Kevin replied coldly.

00:55:56 "This really got everyone's attention.

00:55:58 How could Kevin talk to such a dangerous man like this?"

00:56:02 Grandma Jones scowled but didn't say anything.

00:56:05 She wasn't used to dealing directly with people like Drake.

00:56:09 Jason clenched his fists like he wanted to take a swing at Kevin.

00:56:13 "This guy obviously hasn't heard that you just don't mess around with Drake Cook.

00:56:17 Let me teach him a lesson for you."

00:56:19 Kevin glared at Jason, then turned back to Drake.

00:56:23 "Your last name is Cook?"

00:56:25 Kevin slowly took his phone out of his pocket.

00:56:28 "Do you happen to know Mitch Cook?"

00:56:30 Drake's face froze when he heard this question.

00:56:33 He gave Kevin a puzzled look.

00:56:36 Most people didn't know just how well Drake knew Kevin's friend.

00:56:40 Kevin spoke into his phone.

00:56:42 "It's me, Mitch. I'm here with a mutual acquaintance.

00:56:45 Drake is standing right in front of me."

00:56:48 Kevin then handed his phone to the man.

00:56:51 Drake hesitated a moment and took the phone.

00:56:54 While he talked, his expression changed from anger to confusion to worry.

00:56:59 Drake hung up the phone and reached out to hand it back to Kevin.

00:57:03 As usual, the Joneses began whispering to each other,

00:57:06 trying to figure out what they had just witnessed.

00:57:08 "I can't believe my eyes."

00:57:10 "What's wrong with Drake? Who did Kevin call?"

00:57:14 Kevin looked the man dead in the eye and asked, "Are you sorry now?"

00:57:18 "Yes, Mr. Williams, I'm very sorry."

00:57:22 Drake's forehead had started to bead with sweat.

00:57:25 Of course, Kevin had just called his friend Mitch to set Drake straight.

00:57:29 The message he gave him was short and sweet.

00:57:32 If he touched a hair on Kevin's head, he would lose his own head.

00:57:36 Jason was confused.

00:57:38 "Drake, what are you waiting for?"

00:57:41 Seeing that Drake still wasn't giving Kevin a beating,

00:57:44 Jason couldn't hold back any longer.

00:57:46 He decided to take another swing at Kevin.

00:57:49 But before his fist even made contact with Kevin's face,

00:57:52 Drake grabbed Jason and threw him to the ground.

00:57:56 Then Drake picked Jason up by his tie and slapped him in the face.

00:58:00 "What kind of mess have you gotten me into?"

00:58:03 Drake kept cursing while he slapped Jason over and over.

00:58:07 "But Drake, what did I do wrong?" Jason asked, holding back the pain.

00:58:12 "You really screwed up this time." Drake spat on the floor.

00:58:16 Then he turned to the men who had come with him and gave them an order.

00:58:20 "See if you can knock a little sense into him."

00:58:23 They immediately surrounded Jason and started dragging him towards the side exit.

00:58:28 Grandma Jones was distraught at the sight of this happening to her favorite grandson.

00:58:33 She looked over at the other family members for help.

00:58:36 A few of them started to move hesitantly towards Jason.

00:58:39 They weren't really sure what they could do, but they knew they just had to obey Grandma Jones.

00:58:44 But they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Drake pull a knife out of his jacket and say,

00:58:49 "If anyone lifts a hand to help him, he'll answer to me."

00:58:53 The few young Jones men who had stepped forward immediately took a few steps back after hearing Drake's threat.

00:59:00 Talk about a rock in a hard place.

00:59:03 They didn't want to disappoint their grandmother, but they were also powerless against this man.

00:59:08 Then Drake turned back towards Kevin and spoke calmly.

00:59:12 "Mr. Williams, again, please accept my apologies."

00:59:16 Everyone was stunned to hear this.

00:59:18 When they saw Drake apologizing to Kevin, they were very confused.

00:59:22 Was this real?

00:59:24 Kevin didn't reply. He just gave Drake a deadpan stare.

00:59:28 "I'm very sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Williams."

00:59:31 Drake apologized once more.

00:59:33 "My phone, please," Kevin said.

00:59:36 Drake handed him his phone and began to speak.

00:59:39 "Sir."

00:59:40 But Kevin cut him off.

00:59:42 "Yeah, whatever."

00:59:43 Then he impatiently took his phone back, turned around, and left the restaurant.

00:59:48 When Kevin was gone, Drake let out a long breath and told his men to stop slapping Jason around.

00:59:54 Then he walked over and spoke to Jason, who was lying on the floor in a daze.

00:59:59 "Don't ever use me like that again or you'll regret it for whatever remains of your useless life."

01:00:05 Then he took his men and left.

01:00:07 When the van had driven away, the Joneses slowly walked over and surrounded Jason.

01:00:12 "Jason, are you alright?" Grandma Jones asked him.

01:00:16 Her voice was filled with concern.

01:00:18 Suddenly, one of her other grandsons rushed into the room.

01:00:22 "Grandma, Mr. Cook is pulling up outside."

01:00:25 They looked out the front window and saw two black SUVs and a Maybach limousine stop at the curb.

01:00:32 A young man in a suit quickly hopped out and opened the passenger door of the sleek limo.

01:00:37 A man in a nicely tailored Armani suit stepped out and calmly walked towards the door.

01:00:43 The Joneses were surprised and not for the first time that day.

01:00:48 "Grandma Jones is really important.

01:00:50 Even someone as powerful as Mitchell Cook has come to see her on her birthday."

01:00:54 Grandma Jones didn't know what to think at this point.

01:00:57 She had only met Cook once before at the Whitsler Hotel.

01:01:01 They didn't have any relationship to speak of.

01:01:04 She just knew him by his reputation.

01:01:06 Plus, she knew that she hadn't invited him.

01:01:09 So what did he want?

01:01:11 As he walked up to her, his bodyguard stood back at a respectful distance.

01:01:15 With a smile on his face, he inquired,

01:01:18 "Miss Jones, may I ask if Kevin is here?"

01:01:21 As soon as he said that, the crowd fell silent.

01:01:24 "I'm sorry, Mr. Cook. Kevin has already left."

01:01:28 She replied in a very embarrassed tone,

01:01:31 "Oh, well, since Kevin isn't here, I won't take much of your time.

01:01:36 I understand that today is your birthday.

01:01:38 Please accept this small gift."

01:01:40 Cook snapped his fingers and one of his bodyguards walked up and placed the gift on the table.

01:01:45 After Cook and his men left, the Joneses sat there in silence.

01:01:49 Some of them had turned pale.

01:01:51 At the moment, nobody was very happy about how the party had turned out

01:01:56 and no one was in the mood to open the box to see what the gift was.

01:02:00 They filed out and headed to their cars to return to the Jones family mansion.

01:02:05 Everyone was still thinking about what Kevin had said before he left

01:02:09 and they were very worried about what might happen next.

01:02:14 Hi guys, Kevin here.

01:02:16 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:02:21 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:02:24 Hi guys, Kevin here.

01:02:26 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:02:31 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:02:34 When the Jones family arrived home after the disastrous birthday party,

01:02:39 they sat down in the living room to try to figure out what had just happened

01:02:43 and what they should do next.

01:02:45 Lily was still in shock about the whole scene.

01:02:48 She couldn't believe what she had witnessed Kevin doing and saying.

01:02:51 Jason was still shouting,

01:02:53 complaining about his injuries and demanding that someone take him to the hospital.

01:02:57 Just then, one of the young Jones men announced from the doorway,

01:03:01 "Grandma, President Wright of West Chicago International has arrived."

01:03:05 They all looked at each other wondering what this could be about.

01:03:09 West Chicago International had a fine reputation in the Chicago area

01:03:14 and pretty much throughout the world for that matter.

01:03:17 So even President Wright was stopping by to wish Grandma a happy birthday in person?

01:03:22 Grandma Jones sure was famous.

01:03:24 However, Grandma didn't look too happy about her visitor.

01:03:27 For one thing, she didn't know President Wright.

01:03:30 In fact, she'd never even met her once.

01:03:33 Of course, Grandma didn't want to insult her guests,

01:03:36 so she sent everyone to greet her at the door.

01:03:39 "Hello, Mrs. Jones."

01:03:41 About a dozen bodyguards followed Adriana as she strode into the Jones family mansion.

01:03:47 Grandma replied sweetly,

01:03:49 "I've heard many wonderful things about you.

01:03:52 It's an honor to see you here today."

01:03:54 One of the younger Jones men commented to his cousin,

01:03:58 "So our family has connections with the West Chicago International group?

01:04:02 I never knew we had so much influence."

01:04:05 As Adriana walked into the room,

01:04:07 there was a low murmur as everyone started whispering to each other.

01:04:11 "I'm very sorry that I wasn't able to meet you at the door, President Wright,"

01:04:15 Grandma Jones said with a smile.

01:04:18 Adriana searched the room with her eyes and then shocked them all by asking,

01:04:23 "Mrs. Jones, is Kevin here today?"

01:04:26 "I'm sorry, President Wright.

01:04:28 Kevin isn't here at the moment."

01:04:30 The disappointment was visible on Grandma Jones' face.

01:04:34 "Since Kevin isn't here, I won't take up any more of your time."

01:04:38 Adriana motioned for one of her bodyguards to place a beautifully wrapped gift box on the table.

01:04:44 "This is a small token of my esteem.

01:04:46 Happy birthday."

01:04:48 After saying this, Adriana turned around and left with her entourage.

01:04:52 Jason's face fell, and he wasn't the only one in the room who looked shocked.

01:04:57 "Why were all of these rich, powerful people looking for Kevin?

01:05:01 What the hell was going on?"

01:05:03 "Someone go get Kevin and bring him back here!"

01:05:07 Grandma Jones barked at her family.

01:05:09 Lily reacted first and immediately rushed out of the room.

01:05:13 Bradley followed closely behind her.

01:05:15 Then Grandma sent the Young Jones men out of the mansion with orders to find Kevin and bring him to her.

01:05:21 They weren't to return until they'd found him.

01:05:24 Lily quickly took out her phone as she hurried toward the street.

01:05:27 As she walked, she dialed Kevin's number.

01:05:30 He answered after a couple of rings, and she asked excitedly, "Where are you?"

01:05:34 "I'm on my way home. Don't worry, Lily. I'll go and pack my things.

01:05:39 I'll be gone by the time you get home."

01:05:41 Kevin replied coldly.

01:05:43 "No, please wait for me. I'm on my way."

01:05:46 Lily practically shouted.

01:05:48 After Lily hung up the phone, she stopped a taxi that was passing by.

01:05:52 When Bradley saw her getting into a taxi, he hurried to the parking lot and jumped in his car.

01:05:57 Half an hour later, Lily arrived at home.

01:06:00 When she got out of the cab, she was surprised to see Bradley running towards her.

01:06:04 This wasn't something she wanted to deal with right now.

01:06:07 Bradley grabbed Lily's wrist and asked her,

01:06:10 "Lily, what are you doing here? Did you forget something at home?"

01:06:14 He gave her a strange look and then continued,

01:06:17 "As soon as you finish, come back with me.

01:06:19 Grandma is about to make an announcement to everyone about our marriage."

01:06:23 "Let me go," Lily struggled to say.

01:06:26 "I'm not going with you."

01:06:29 "Are you here to see Kevin?"

01:06:31 Bradley took a deep breath and his eyes burned with anger when he thought about Kevin.

01:06:36 "I have to admit that I underestimated him, but he's out of your life now.

01:06:40 And Grandma has agreed to let me marry you. Don't you see?

01:06:44 Now you can be my wife. Let the bastard go."

01:06:48 Bradley was starting to get anxious.

01:06:50 His biggest worry was that the birthday gift that he bought for Grandma was a fake.

01:06:55 Once the family had it appraised, they would figure out his true intentions

01:06:59 and his whole plan would be exposed.

01:07:02 Bradley was desperate.

01:07:04 His only way into the Jones family was through Lily.

01:07:07 After that, he planned on taking advantage of Grandma Jones' love for him.

01:07:11 Then he could use the Jones family fortune to help him make a comeback.

01:07:15 Bradley felt a little excited when he realized he would be able to kill two birds with one stone.

01:07:21 "No, I have to see Kevin one last time."

01:07:24 Lily hesitated for a moment before she continued.

01:07:27 "Bradley, I don't care what Grandma said. I'm not going to marry you."

01:07:32 "Why? Do you really like that bum?" Bradley roared angrily.

01:07:37 "Holy crap, Bradley. I've been married to him for three years.

01:07:42 Do you think I could have spent that much time with him if I didn't have some feelings for him?"

01:07:47 It was hard for Lily to admit it, even to herself, but she did have feelings for Kevin.

01:07:52 "No, you have to come with me right now!" Bradley roared.

01:07:57 He started to pull at her arm and Lily tried to pull herself away from him.

01:08:01 While they were struggling like this, a black car slammed on its brakes and stopped at the side of the road.

01:08:07 Dorothy quickly got out.

01:08:09 "Lily! Bradley! What are you two doing here?" Dorothy said.

01:08:13 "Why aren't you back at the mansion? Grandma's going to announce your marriage!"

01:08:18 Lily gritted her teeth and replied, "No, I'm not going back. I have to see Kevin!"

01:08:25 Bradley looked in Dorothy's eyes and then turned to Lily. He came up with an idea and forced a smile.

01:08:31 "It's still very hot outside. Why don't you and Lily get in the car and cool off?

01:08:36 Then you can talk some sense into her."

01:08:39 Inside, Dorothy smiled and said, "Lily, look at how considerate Bradley is.

01:08:44 He only wants what's best for you. That bum Kevin wouldn't think of doing something like this.

01:08:51 Lily, let's head straight back to Grandma's. Why would you want to stay with Kevin anyway?"

01:08:57 After Dorothy said this, she handed her car keys to Bradley.

01:09:01 Bradley grinned as he got into the driver's seat and locked the doors.

01:09:05 What Dorothy and Lily didn't know was that Bradley had put child locks on the car door.

01:09:10 They wouldn't be able to leave.

01:09:12 "Bradley, pull over! I want to go home to Kevin!" Lily demanded.

01:09:17 "Can't do. I told you I would do whatever it takes to make you mine.

01:09:22 And now that I have you, I'm not letting you go!" Bradley threatened.

01:09:27 Lily tried to get out of the car, but it was too late.

01:09:30 She and her mother, Dorothy, were locked inside.

01:09:33 The black car slowly drove away.

01:09:36 Kevin, who had been watching from the window, saw everything.

01:09:40 An hour later, Bradley parked outside of an ominous house

01:09:44 and brought a rope over to tie both Dorothy and Lily up before bringing them inside.

01:09:49 "Help! Someone come quickly!" Dorothy shouted,

01:09:53 but to no avail as Bradley threw them in a dark back room.

01:09:57 Hours later, Bradley returned to the room and nodded to both Lily and Dorothy

01:10:01 who were tied up on the ground and screaming for help.

01:10:05 Bradley was drying his hair with a towel as he walked into the room.

01:10:09 "You really ought to save your strength.

01:10:12 Even if you scream until you're hoarse, no one will hear you."

01:10:17 "Bradley, let us go this instant! You'll never get away with this!"

01:10:22 Dorothy was in a panic.

01:10:24 She couldn't believe that the man she thought would make the perfect son-in-law

01:10:27 would actually do something like this.

01:10:30 "Shut the hell up!" Bradley yelled angrily.

01:10:33 Then he grabbed Dorothy's hair and said,

01:10:36 "I'm ruined! After all of these years of hard work, I've got nothing left!"

01:10:41 Lily was completely stunned to hear this.

01:10:44 "What?" she said. "Didn't you buy the dream lover necklace for me?"

01:10:49 Even though Bradley had told her over the phone that it wasn't him,

01:10:52 she thought he was lying so she wouldn't worry about him.

01:10:55 After all, an authentic dream lover was really too expensive.

01:10:59 Bradley laughed at her naivety.

01:11:01 "Ha! Lily, you really don't think I'd buy you a real dream lover, do you?

01:11:06 You're not that special," Bradley added with a sneer.

01:11:10 "I was just toying with you."

01:11:13 Bradley let go of Dorothy's hair and knelt down in front of Lily.

01:11:16 He looked into her eyes. It was a cold, harsh look.

01:11:20 Then he put his hand under her chin.

01:11:22 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:11:23 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app!

01:11:28 Click the link in the description to install the app now!

01:11:31 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:11:33 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app!

01:11:38 Click the link in the description to install the app now!

01:11:41 "What's wrong with you?" Lily gasped.

01:11:45 There was venom in his voice as Bradley complained to Lily.

01:11:49 "Don't pretend you're so innocent. How many men have you been hooking up with?

01:11:54 Why else wouldn't you know who gave you the necklace?"

01:11:57 This made Lily furious.

01:11:59 "Bradley, what have you been smoking?

01:12:02 I was sure the necklace couldn't have been from Kevin, so I had no idea who else would have given it to me."

01:12:08 She really wanted to stand up and slap Bradley on the cheek, but she was still tied up.

01:12:13 So Lily spat at him.

01:12:15 Bradley's face turned bright red and his mouth twisted.

01:12:19 He raised his hand like he was going to slap her.

01:12:22 Dorothy tried to calm him down.

01:12:24 In a stern voice, she asked him,

01:12:26 "Bradley, how can you even think of hitting Lily?

01:12:29 Weren't you talking about marrying her?

01:12:32 Just let us go. We can all pretend this never happened."

01:12:36 Bradley turned and raised his hand like he was going to give Dorothy a slap.

01:12:40 "Do you think I'm a fool?" Bradley sneered.

01:12:43 "I had tried to do this the right way, but Lily just had to reject my offer.

01:12:48 So now I'm stuck with both of you."

01:12:51 He slowly stood up and took out a cigarette.

01:12:54 "Bradley, how can you do this? Let us go, do you hear me?"

01:12:59 Dorothy was so mad she was on the verge of tears.

01:13:02 He took a long drag on the cigarette.

01:13:05 "How can you be so dense? I really don't know how Kevin puts up with you."

01:13:10 Bradley flicked his cigarette ashes on Dorothy's face, making her wince.

01:13:15 Then Bradley turned his back on Dorothy and stared at Lily with a deranged look on his face.

01:13:21 He ran his hands through his hair as he sobbed.

01:13:24 "I had adored you for so long. Today I can finally get what I wanted."

01:13:29 Suddenly, the door burst open with a violent kick.

01:13:33 Bradley spun around, but when he saw that it was only Kevin standing at the door, he relaxed a bit.

01:13:39 Lily was the first to react and shouted, "Kevin, call the police!"

01:13:44 "Kevin, save me!" Dorothy added.

01:13:47 "Shut up or I'll shut your mouth for you!" Bradley said as he glared at them.

01:13:53 Kevin saw Lily with her hands tied and he became enraged.

01:13:57 In spite of everything, Lily was his wife.

01:14:00 Whatever problems they had in their relationship didn't matter now.

01:14:03 This was a matter of life and death.

01:14:06 "Bradley, you'll never get away with this. Let Lily go.

01:14:09 If you want revenge, take it out on me," Kevin said firmly.

01:14:14 But Bradley wouldn't go for it. He taunted Kevin.

01:14:17 "What can a useless piece of crap like you do to someone like me?"

01:14:21 Then he added, "I admit I was surprised to find out that you know Mitchell Cook and Adriana Wright, but so what?

01:14:28 They can't help you now."

01:14:31 "Do you really think I came alone?" Kevin asked.

01:14:35 Right then they heard sirens out in the street.

01:14:38 Bradley's expression changed from anger to fear.

01:14:42 He picked up a knife that was lying on the table and ran over to hide behind Lily and Dorothy.

01:14:47 "Kevin, you actually called the freaking police?" Bradley growled.

01:14:52 "To deal with a piece of crap like you, you're damn right," Kevin said coldly.

01:14:57 "If you release Lily now, you might get a lighter sentence."

01:15:00 Actually, Kevin had called the police as soon as he arrived in Bradley's neighborhood.

01:15:05 The problem was he had never been to Bradley's place before.

01:15:08 He had to go down the block and check the houses one by one.

01:15:11 That's what took him so long to get there.

01:15:14 Bradley waved the knife and shouted, "No way! You're lying!

01:15:18 As long as I have hostages, the police can't do a thing!"

01:15:22 "Bradley, if you want a hostage, let them go and take me."

01:15:27 Lily was floored when she heard Kevin say that, her eyes filled with tears.

01:15:32 But instead she said, "Kevin, no. Get out of here while you can."

01:15:37 But Dorothy was okay with the idea.

01:15:39 "Lily, what are you saying? If he wants to be Bradley's hostage, let him.

01:15:44 Why should we stay here?"

01:15:46 Then she shouted at Kevin, "What are you still standing there for?

01:15:50 Get over here and take our place!"

01:15:53 Bradley stared at Kevin while he figured out what to do.

01:15:56 Meanwhile, the police outside had already told the Jones family what was happening.

01:16:01 The officer in charge of the scene was a lieutenant named Emmett.

01:16:05 She was wearing the typical Chicago police uniform,

01:16:07 including the hat with the checkered band and the city flag patch,

01:16:11 the one with the four stars.

01:16:13 Grandma Jones showed up with the older members of the family,

01:16:16 the ones who made most of the big decisions.

01:16:19 "Officer Emmett, how is the situation now?"

01:16:23 The Jones family had been sitting in the great room admiring the gifts

01:16:26 that Cook and Adriana had given to Grandma.

01:16:29 They were trying to recover from the horrible fight at the restaurant

01:16:32 and hoped that maybe the day would get a little better.

01:16:35 That's when they got a call from Officer Emmett.

01:16:38 Grandma's party was definitely over for this year.

01:16:41 Emmett answered directly in typical police style.

01:16:45 "There is a man named Kevin Williams currently speaking with the kidnapper,

01:16:49 identified as one Bradley Smith.

01:16:51 We will give you an update as soon as one is available, ma'am."

01:16:54 Grandma Jones was completely overwhelmed by the situation.

01:16:58 She pressed for more information.

01:17:00 "Officer Emmett, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?

01:17:03 Bradley is a fine young man.

01:17:05 I can't believe he would do such a thing."

01:17:08 Emmett kept an eye on the house while she replied.

01:17:10 "Whether you believe it or not, that's the situation."

01:17:13 Suddenly, another officer ran up to Officer Emmett.

01:17:16 In a very serious tone, he reported to her.

01:17:19 "Ma'am, the sniper in position on the roof across the street radioed in

01:17:22 that Mr. Williams seems to be discussing something with the kidnapper.

01:17:26 It appears that they are discussing a hostage exchange."

01:17:29 "Exchange? Yes, let them make an exchange."

01:17:33 Grandma Jones blurted out.

01:17:35 Emmett definitely didn't like this idea

01:17:38 and she shook her head as she considered their options.

01:17:41 Seeing the police officer's hesitation, Grandma Jones spoke again.

01:17:44 "Officer Emmett, you might not know this,

01:17:47 but even though our family isn't well known,

01:17:50 we do have some influence in the city.

01:17:52 Dorothy and Lily are very important to us,

01:17:55 and this can't go on much longer."

01:17:58 She continued.

01:17:59 "But Mr. Williams is different.

01:18:01 He has been pretty useless to us for the past few years.

01:18:05 If he can get Lily and Dorothy back, then let him do it.

01:18:08 He can make himself useful for once in his life."

01:18:12 Officer Emmett clearly thought that this was a terrible idea.

01:18:16 She had dealt with countless families in her career,

01:18:19 but she didn't understand what Grandma was thinking.

01:18:21 No matter what she thought of Kevin, he was still a human life,

01:18:25 and it was the police's duty to protect him.

01:18:28 Meanwhile, in the house, Bradley was deep in thought.

01:18:31 Kevin smiled slightly and asked,

01:18:33 "Bradley, what are you waiting for?

01:18:35 I'm your only chance to get out of this.

01:18:38 If you let Lily and Dorothy go now, the Jones family may forgive you.

01:18:42 Don't risk losing everything and spending decades in prison.

01:18:46 I know you don't really want to hurt Lily."

01:18:49 Bradley didn't buy it.

01:18:51 "Shut up! How the hell do you know what's right for me?"

01:18:55 Kevin broke into a big grin.

01:18:57 "I know because I'm Lily's husband, not you.

01:19:01 You want her, but you can't have her."

01:19:03 When Lily heard Kevin say this, she broke into tears again.

01:19:07 Of course, she knew what Kevin was thinking.

01:19:10 She wanted to get Bradley so pissed off that he'd be willing to exchange hostages.

01:19:14 A second later, Bradley pointed his knife at Kevin.

01:19:17 "You want to be a hero and save this damsel in distress?

01:19:21 Okay, you get your wish.

01:19:23 Put your hands over your head and slowly walk over here."

01:19:27 "Not so fast," Kevin shot back.

01:19:30 "I wasn't born yesterday.

01:19:32 If I come over, what is there to keep you from changing your mind?"

01:19:35 He paused for a moment and said, "We'll count to three.

01:19:39 When we get to three, I'll walk over to you and you'll let Lily and her mom go."

01:19:43 Bradley agreed.

01:19:45 "Okay, but no tricks!"

01:19:47 At the count of three, Kevin slowly walked over.

01:19:50 As he brushed past Lily, he whispered,

01:19:52 "Lily, don't be afraid. You're safe now. Don't wait for me."

01:19:57 When Lily heard him, she trembled.

01:19:59 As she walked towards the door, she turned her head and saw Bradley grab Kevin and put the knife to his neck.

01:20:05 Kevin didn't resist at all. He just looked at Lily calmly.

01:20:08 Dorothy grabbed Lily's wrist and pulled her out of the room.

01:20:11 "Lily, let's get out of here!"

01:20:13 When they got outside the house, their family quickly surrounded them and made sure they hadn't been harmed.

01:20:19 "Little Dorothy! Lily, are you all right?"

01:20:23 Grandma Jones rushed over and gave them a hug.

01:20:26 "Grandma, we're fine," Lily replied softly.

01:20:29 "Thank goodness! Now let's go! It's too dangerous here!"

01:20:33 Grandma Jones turned around to head back to their car.

01:20:36 "But Grandma, Kevin is still inside," Lily shouted.

01:20:41 When Dorothy heard her daughter say this, she couldn't believe her ears.

01:20:44 "But honey, we're out now! Why do you still care about that good-for-nothing?"

01:20:49 Grandma Jones kept walking. When she got to Officer Emmett, she said to her,

01:20:54 "We're ready to leave now!"

01:20:56 The seasoned officer looked at her in surprise.

01:20:59 "Isn't that person inside a member of your family?"

01:21:02 "No, we have nothing to do with him," Dorothy replied coldly.

01:21:06 Ignoring Lily's resistance, she pulled her daughter by the arm and left.

01:21:10 Dorothy didn't care what would happen to Kevin.

01:21:13 But what about Lily?

01:21:15 Hi guys, Kevin here! Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:21:21 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:21:24 Hi guys, Kevin here! Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:21:31 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:21:34 Since Dorothy didn't close the door behind her when she walked out,

01:21:39 Bradley and Kevin could see them walk to safety and leave Kevin behind.

01:21:44 Inside the house, Bradley mocked his hostage.

01:21:47 "Ha! Well, Kevin, it looks like we can finally see just how much Lily's family really cares about you!"

01:21:55 "We've never really been that close," Kevin answered calmly.

01:21:59 To him, the most important thing was that Lily was safe now.

01:22:02 "Yeah, I'm sure you don't care what they think," Bradley said sarcastically.

01:22:08 But Kevin didn't care what Bradley thought, or even what the Joneses thought.

01:22:13 He decided to push things a little further and asked,

01:22:16 "Aren't you curious why Williams Media suddenly pulled its support?

01:22:20 They even withdrew all the funds that were invested in your project."

01:22:24 "How did you know that?" Bradley asked.

01:22:27 Bradley had never told anyone that he was backed by Williams Media,

01:22:31 and almost nobody knew that they'd pulled out.

01:22:34 Even Dorothy and Lily only found out when he told them about it a little while ago.

01:22:39 But how did Kevin, this nobody, know so much about his business?

01:22:44 Kevin smirked and asked him,

01:22:46 "Did someone at Williams Media tell you that you'd offended someone?

01:22:50 I'll bet you don't even know who it was."

01:22:53 "How the hell would you know?" Bradley was pissed.

01:22:56 The knife shook a little in his hand as he took this information in.

01:23:01 Meanwhile, out in the street, a police officer suddenly ran up to Officer Emmett.

01:23:06 Concern showed in his voice as he gave her the update.

01:23:09 "Ma'am, according to the observer's report,

01:23:11 the hostage just said something that seems to have really upset the suspect."

01:23:15 "Are there any further details? What are they doing now?" Emmett said.

01:23:20 She was exhausted by the whole ordeal,

01:23:22 especially trying to get cooperation from the Jones family.

01:23:26 But she was trained to keep herself together and be patient.

01:23:30 Just as she was about to give the order for the sniper to take a shot

01:23:34 as soon as he had a clear line of sight on the kidnapper,

01:23:37 another officer ran up to her.

01:23:39 With a puzzled look on his face, he reported,

01:23:42 "Ma'am, for some unknown reason,

01:23:44 the kidnapper suddenly knelt down in front of the hostage."

01:23:47 "What did you say?"

01:23:49 Officer Emmett was obviously shocked at this development.

01:23:52 She quickly walked to the vantage point across the street from the house

01:23:56 and took a pair of binoculars from one of the SWAT team members.

01:24:00 She definitely saw Bradley kneeling in front of Kevin.

01:24:03 Then Bradley threw his knife on the floor.

01:24:06 "What the hell is going on?" Emmett couldn't help but ask.

01:24:10 Nobody could have predicted this outcome.

01:24:13 It was the first time that any of them had ever seen a kidnapper kneel in front of their hostage.

01:24:18 Of course, none of them could possibly know

01:24:21 that Kevin had just revealed his true identity to Bradley.

01:24:25 At first, Bradley didn't believe it.

01:24:27 He thought that Kevin was just a bum.

01:24:29 How could he be related to the family that owned Williams Media?

01:24:33 But when Kevin took out his phone and showed Bradley his bank balance,

01:24:37 he believed him.

01:24:39 Bradley was overwhelmed.

01:24:41 It was like his whole world had turned upside down.

01:24:44 He would never have believed that the person Williams Media said he had offended was Kevin,

01:24:50 the most useless person he knew, or so he thought.

01:24:54 Sobbing uncontrollably, Bradley hugged Kevin's leg and said,

01:24:58 "Please, sir, I beg you to let me go. This was all my fault."

01:25:03 Kevin thought for a moment.

01:25:05 "Bradley, as long as you sincerely admit your mistake, I can let you go.

01:25:11 But don't forget that you broke in the law.

01:25:13 Even if I forgive you, all those police out in the street won't be so generous."

01:25:18 "That's fine with me, Mr. Williams. After all, nobody really got hurt," Bradley blubbered.

01:25:25 To him, Kevin was much more terrifying than the police waiting for him outside.

01:25:30 As long as Kevin was serious about letting him go,

01:25:33 then maybe he could return to his former life after he got out of prison.

01:25:37 At least he'd have a chance.

01:25:39 Kevin said firmly, "All right, you can go outside and surrender.

01:25:43 After you get out of prison, if I never see your face again, then I won't press charges."

01:25:49 What did Kevin care what happened to Bradley now?

01:25:52 Then Kevin pushed him aside and walked out of the front door.

01:25:56 With a curious expression on her face, Emmett walked up to Kevin and asked, "Are you hurt, sir?"

01:26:02 "Thank you for your concern. I'm fine," Kevin shrugged his shoulders.

01:26:06 "If there's nothing more, I think I'd like to leave."

01:26:09 Emmett would have liked nothing better after this strange event, but there was always paperwork to do.

01:26:15 "I'd like you to go back to the station with us first to make a statement. Do you have time right now?"

01:26:20 "I'm sorry," he replied, "but I still have some things to do, so it isn't convenient for me at the moment."

01:26:26 "All right, then. Please give me your phone number.

01:26:29 I'll contact you if we need any further information for this case."

01:26:33 As Emmett sent this, she took out her phone and opened her contact list.

01:26:37 Just as Emmett was about to say something else, Bradley was brought out of his house by a group of officers in bulletproof vests.

01:26:45 He was in handcuffs and tried his best to avoid having his face filmed by the news crews that had set up in his neighbor's yard.

01:26:53 Kevin turned around and walked away. He had already made up his mind to never go back to the Jones family.

01:27:00 He would buy a place closer to his office.

01:27:03 Suddenly, a line of limousines pulled up along the curb.

01:27:07 Cook quickly got out of the lead car and gave Kevin a warm handshake and a pat on the shoulder.

01:27:12 "Kevin, I've been looking for you for hours. Are you all right?"

01:27:16 "Let's get out of here and I'll tell you all about it," Kevin said as he followed Cook to his limo.

01:27:21 Emmett watched all of this and took a mental note.

01:27:24 Of course, she knew what kind of person Mitchell Cook was.

01:27:28 Even the chief of police had to be polite to him.

01:27:31 But Cook practically gave Kevin a hug.

01:27:34 "Just who is this Kevin Williams, anyway?" Emmett wondered.

01:27:38 A little while later, Cook was in his office at the Whitsler Hotel.

01:27:42 Drake was standing contritely in front of Kevin.

01:27:46 You could see beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead.

01:27:50 Cook spoke first.

01:27:52 "I hope you can forgive me, Mr. Williams. It's my fault that Drake offended you."

01:27:57 Then he walked over to Drake and gave him a patronizing pat on the cheek.

01:28:01 "What do you have to say for yourself, Drake?"

01:28:04 "I had no idea who you were, Mr. Williams, but I do now.

01:28:08 Please let me go. I'll do anything you want to make it up to you."

01:28:11 Drake was actually trembling with fear.

01:28:14 Kevin thought for a moment and then realized that Drake could be of some use to him.

01:28:18 "Sure, I'll let you go. But I'll just ask for one thing in return.

01:28:22 You're going to keep an eye on Jason Jones for me from now on."

01:28:26 "Thank you, sir."

01:28:28 Drake was grateful, but Kevin didn't say anything more to him.

01:28:31 He didn't even bother to look at him.

01:28:33 Then Kevin looked at Cook and said,

01:28:35 "Thanks for setting up this little get-together.

01:28:38 I have something to take care of, so I can't hang around.

01:28:41 Give me a call so we can finish that lunch that got interrupted."

01:28:45 A couple of days later, Kevin went to a real estate agent down by The Loop in downtown Chicago.

01:28:51 With his sleeve, he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

01:28:54 It was a hot day and he couldn't feel any breeze from the lake to help cool him off.

01:28:59 "Damn, it took me two hours to get here."

01:29:02 Kevin muttered to himself as he walked into the reception area.

01:29:06 "Hello, sir. Is there anything I can help you with?"

01:29:09 A staff member asked as she walked up to greet him.

01:29:12 Kevin scratched his chin and said hesitantly,

01:29:15 "Um, I'm looking for a condo."

01:29:18 "I'm sorry, but we're on a break right now.

01:29:21 The listings are over here in this corner.

01:29:23 Feel free to take a look."

01:29:25 As usual, Kevin had dressed down, so he didn't look like he could afford much of anything.

01:29:30 They sized him up and decided not to waste any time with him.

01:29:34 After all, the lowest price condo they had available was a studio for about $300,000.

01:29:40 There's no way this guy could afford even that.

01:29:44 "On a break?" Kevin thought to himself.

01:29:47 "Then why even let him in the door?"

01:29:49 The agent repeated, "I'm sorry, sir. We're really on a break right now.

01:29:54 Our lowest offering is $300,000.

01:29:57 If there's nothing else we can do for you, please show yourself out."

01:30:01 She really wasn't interested in helping him at all, was she?

01:30:04 The agent had already made up her mind that Kevin was probably working on the construction site down the street.

01:30:10 He just came in to look around and enjoy the air conditioning.

01:30:14 At least that's what she assumed.

01:30:16 At that moment, two people walked up.

01:30:19 Kevin was startled to see them and it showed on their face.

01:30:22 "Kevin, what are you doing here?" Lily asked.

01:30:26 She sounded a little embarrassed.

01:30:28 Kevin didn't answer her question.

01:30:30 He just looked at the man standing next to her.

01:30:33 "What's this?" Kevin thought to himself.

01:30:35 "I've only been gone for two days and you can't wait to start looking for a new husband?"

01:30:40 The man with Lily suddenly blurted out,

01:30:43 "Lily, what did you just say? This is Kevin? That useless ex-husband of yours?"

01:30:50 This was Grant Butcher, the perfect son-in-law Dorothy had just found for Lily.

01:30:56 When the real estate agent saw Garrett, she immediately walked up to him with a flattering smile.

01:31:01 "Why, Mr. Butcher, what brings you in today?"

01:31:04 The enthusiasm she showed was the exact opposite of the indifference and impatience she had just shown when speaking to Kevin.

01:31:14 "I just took my fiancé to take a look at the home you recommended.

01:31:18 Please go back to what you were doing. We'll just browse some more listings," Garrett said with a smile.

01:31:24 The agent thanked him and smiled.

01:31:26 Then she turned around and said to Kevin,

01:31:28 "Why are you still here? Please leave or I'll ask security to show you out."

01:31:34 But Kevin didn't pay any attention to her.

01:31:36 He just kept staring at Lily.

01:31:38 "Kevin, please understand. It's my mother."

01:31:42 As Lily's voice trailed off, she turned her head away.

01:31:45 "Oh, now I understand."

01:31:48 Kevin was relieved to find out that this was Dorothy's idea, not Lily's.

01:31:53 Then Garrett turned to speak to the agent.

01:31:56 "How can you let someone like this in here? He's smelling up the place."

01:32:00 "I'm very sorry, Mr. Butcher. I already asked him to leave, but he just won't listen to me."

01:32:06 The agent was getting more and more irritated at Kevin.

01:32:09 Because of him, she had just been scolded by her manager.

01:32:13 Just as she was about to call the security guards to make Kevin leave,

01:32:17 Garrett reached out to stop her.

01:32:19 Then Garrett had a thought.

01:32:21 He could use Kevin to show Lily how successful he was.

01:32:25 That was sure to raise him up a notch or two in her eyes.

01:32:28 "You're Kevin Williams, aren't you? Aunt Dorothy told me about your situation.

01:32:33 You and Lily were married for about three years, weren't you?"

01:32:37 Garrett didn't care if he pushed some of Kevin's buttons.

01:32:40 He wanted to look assertive.

01:32:42 "What business is it of yours? She's still my wife." Kevin answered.

01:32:47 He was pretty ticked off at this nonsense.

01:32:49 "You've really got some nerve." Garrett shot back.

01:32:53 "Aunt Dorothy told me that she would let Lily divorce you as soon as possible.

01:32:57 So from now on, please don't interfere in her life. I'll take good care of her."

01:33:02 Kevin shook his head.

01:33:04 What the heck was this? He and Lily hadn't even gotten a divorce yet.

01:33:09 "What did she say to you?" Garrett turned around and asked the agent.

01:33:13 "He said he wanted to buy a condo," she answered.

01:33:17 Then she gave Kevin a sour look.

01:33:19 "Buy a condo?" Garrett laughed.

01:33:22 "I hate to tell you this, but we sell high-end real estate here.

01:33:26 Do you think you'd even qualify for a mortgage?"

01:33:29 "Well, I don't think that's really up to you," Kevin retorted.

01:33:33 "Are you in charge here?"

01:33:35 "Yes," Garrett said as he straightened his tie.

01:33:38 "I'm the manager."

01:33:40 "That's nice." Kevin took a good look at Garrett and pulled his phone out of his pocket to make a call.

01:33:46 Just then, Rachel suddenly walked up to them.

01:33:49 "Why, Lily, what are you doing here?"

01:33:53 "Rachel, what a coincidence."

01:33:55 However, Lily was in a pretty bad mood and she wasn't up for any small talk, even with Rachel.

01:34:01 "I came here."

01:34:02 Rachel didn't even finish what she was saying when she saw Kevin making a call on his phone.

01:34:07 Her expression immediately changed.

01:34:10 "Kevin, how you doing, boss?"

01:34:13 Kevin gave Rachel a slight nod and turned his back on the group to continue his call.

01:34:19 "Lily, who's this?" Garrett asked.

01:34:22 "This is my best friend, Rachel," Lily replied faintly.

01:34:25 Rachel added as she smiled and held on to Lily's arm.

01:34:29 "We're like sisters."

01:34:31 Garrett seemed to understand now.

01:34:33 "So you're Lily's sister. I'm the manager. You're here to tour the property, right?"

01:34:39 Garrett smiled and reached out to shake her hand.

01:34:42 "I'm Lily's boyfriend. Aunt Dorothy introduced us to each other.

01:34:46 Since we'll be married soon, I guess I'll be your brother-in-law from now on.

01:34:50 Take a look around. There's a place here that you like. I can give you a family discount."

01:34:55 Garrett made sure that he looked over at Kevin proudly like he was saying,

01:35:00 "See? You don't stand a chance against me."

01:35:04 He wasn't ready for Rachel's response, though.

01:35:07 She shouted at him,

01:35:09 "Who do you think you are? You don't deserve someone as nice as Lily.

01:35:13 And my only brother-in-law is Kevin. Who the hell are you?"

01:35:18 In shock over her best friend's sudden shift,

01:35:21 Lily wondered what had changed Rachel's opinion of Kevin.

01:35:26 Hi guys, Kevin here.

01:35:28 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:35:33 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:35:36 Hi guys, Kevin here.

01:35:38 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:35:43 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:35:46 When Rachel finished speaking, she looked over at Kevin and saw that he had just finished his call.

01:35:53 Garrett objected to Rachel's put-downs and snapped back at her.

01:35:56 "What do you know? Listen, I'm Lily's new boyfriend and Aunt Dorothy wants us to get married.

01:36:02 So what do you say to that?"

01:36:04 "Do you think you deserve her?" Rachel turned and put her hand on Lily's arm.

01:36:09 "Lily, how can you even be with a schmuck like this?"

01:36:13 Rachel felt helpless. She never expected Lily to actually abandon Kevin.

01:36:19 Then she thought to herself, "Maybe she still doesn't know who Kevin really is."

01:36:24 Lily looked directly at Kevin and narrowed her eyes.

01:36:27 "My mother arranged it all. She still couldn't say no to her family."

01:36:32 Hearing this, Rachel instantly understood and shook her head helplessly.

01:36:36 Garrett didn't like Rachel's reaction at all.

01:36:39 "Lily, your friend seems to have already made up her mind about me. What have I done wrong?"

01:36:44 By then, Kevin had finished his call and walked back over to them.

01:36:49 He stared intently at Garrett.

01:36:51 But before Kevin could say anything, Garrett spoke again.

01:36:55 "What are you still standing here for? This isn't a grocery store.

01:36:59 Not everyone can just walk in here off the street."

01:37:02 "Well, what if I want to buy one of your properties?" Kevin asked nonchalantly.

01:37:07 "With what?" Garrett asked. "Did Lily give you some of her money?"

01:37:12 Kevin almost laughed out loud when he heard that.

01:37:15 Why would he ask Lily for money?

01:37:17 Lily interrupted them and spoke up to Garrett.

01:37:20 "You have no idea what you're talking about. No, Kevin didn't ask me for any money."

01:37:25 Kevin snickered a little and said, "I don't really like you, Garrett.

01:37:30 But your company does have some good properties.

01:37:33 You know, I think I'll buy the best one of your listings." Kevin continued.

01:37:37 "Since you're the manager here, you can probably answer this.

01:37:41 Which one is the best?"

01:37:43 "Wow, Aunt Dorothy said you're worthless, but you sure are good at bragging," Garrett said.

01:37:49 He walked to a model on a table by the front window.

01:37:52 Pointing at the beautiful tower, he said, "This is the Corwin Tower.

01:37:57 You've probably seen it going up a few blocks from here.

01:38:00 The penthouse is available for anyone who can afford the price tag.

01:38:04 Eight million dollars."

01:38:06 Garrett turned around and gave Kevin a pretentious look and asked him,

01:38:10 "Can you afford it?"

01:38:12 Kevin saw that Rachel was about to say something and he put his finger to his lips

01:38:16 to ask her to be quiet.

01:38:18 "That's what I thought," Garrett said.

01:38:21 "This would be a good time for you to leave."

01:38:24 Kevin didn't say anything. He just smiled.

01:38:27 "Who said I can't afford it?" he replied.

01:38:31 "Didn't you hear what I said? The penthouse costs eight million,"

01:38:35 Garrett said in a very snotty tone.

01:38:38 Kevin ignored him. He just took out a black card from his wallet

01:38:42 and looked at the rude agent who had greeted him when he walked in.

01:38:45 Then he walked over and handed it to a different agent,

01:38:48 the one who was standing near the reception desk.

01:38:51 "Wait." Garrett stopped her as she was about to go into the back room

01:38:55 and swipe the card.

01:38:57 "Isn't this your first day of work? That's not the proper procedure."

01:39:02 That's when the agent realized that Kevin's card didn't even have a name on it.

01:39:07 "I guess the only way to find out if my card is good is to swipe it,"

01:39:11 Kevin said confidently.

01:39:13 Just then, Garrett's phone rang.

01:39:15 When he saw the caller ID, he quickly stepped away and answered the call.

01:39:20 Kevin spoke calmly to the agent who was still holding onto his card,

01:39:24 unsure of what to do next.

01:39:26 "It looks like your manager is on the phone. Go ahead and swipe my card,"

01:39:31 he smiled and added, "for the full amount."

01:39:34 "Yes, sir. Please wait a moment."

01:39:37 She didn't actually believe that Kevin had that much money on his card,

01:39:40 but she thought she would give it a try anyway.

01:39:43 "Where did you get that black card?" Lily asked him.

01:39:47 Lily knew about this type of card from work.

01:39:50 Her boss had negotiated with the CEO from an international corporation

01:39:54 who used it for major expenses.

01:39:56 She decided to look into it and found out as much information as she could.

01:40:01 It was even more exclusive than the Sapphire Bank card. Way more.

01:40:06 So when Kevin took out the card, she recognized it at a glance.

01:40:10 The agent returned after a couple of minutes. She was incredibly excited.

01:40:14 "Sir, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

01:40:17 "Is the transaction complete?" Kevin asked as he reached out to take his card back.

01:40:22 "Yes, sir," she said with a huge smile.

01:40:25 "You are now the new owner of the top two floors of the Corwin Tower.

01:40:29 This is my first day, so I'm sure someone else will go over the paperwork with you."

01:40:34 She was new to the company, but one thing she did know

01:40:37 was she would be getting an enormous commission.

01:40:41 "What did you just say?" The rude agent,

01:40:43 the one who had met Kevin earlier at the door, was shocked.

01:40:47 "Ms. Moore, this gentleman has just bought the Corwin Tower penthouse,

01:40:51 and he paid in full," she explained to her trainer.

01:40:55 The young woman could barely contain her excitement.

01:40:58 "Can I get a two percent commission?"

01:41:01 Kevin looked at her name tag.

01:41:03 "Well, Lisa, it looks like you earned $160,000 today."

01:41:08 Garrett finished his call and walked back to them.

01:41:11 "You still haven't left?" he asked Kevin.

01:41:14 Kevin just grinned.

01:41:16 Garrett, in his smug way, told him,

01:41:18 "If you can buy the Corwin Tower penthouse, I will personally kiss your ass."

01:41:23 "Are you sure you want to make that bet?"

01:41:26 "Remember, there are a lot of witnesses here," Kevin replied.

01:41:30 "Yes, that's what I said."

01:41:32 Garrett straightened up and lifted his chin in a very snooty way.

01:41:36 Rachel started to laugh hysterically.

01:41:39 By now there was a fairly large group of employees and customers watching.

01:41:43 They'd been drawn in by the argument between Kevin and Garrett,

01:41:46 and they didn't want to miss the show.

01:41:49 "But Mr. Butcher, this gentleman has already bought the Corwin Tower penthouse,"

01:41:53 Lisa told him.

01:41:54 "What did you say?"

01:41:56 Garrett spun around and looked at her.

01:41:58 "It's not a mistake, sir. This gentleman just brought the property.

01:42:01 His credit was good," she replied meekly.

01:42:04 Garrett's jaw dropped.

01:42:07 "Will that be the left cheek or the right?" Kevin inquired politely.

01:42:12 "Never. Not for someone like you," Garrett exploded.

01:42:16 The people in the crowd began to whisper, and some of them were even giggling.

01:42:20 "Are you sure?" Kevin asked him.

01:42:23 "Nope, and there's not a thing you can do about it," Garrett replied.

01:42:27 "How dare you talk to me like this. I'm not afraid of you.

01:42:30 I work for the Williams Corporation."

01:42:33 "Wow, I'm really impressed," Kevin said in an obviously sarcastic tone.

01:42:39 But the onlookers were definitely impressed.

01:42:42 They started talking about how important the Williams Corporation was

01:42:46 and how they were building all the high-end real estate in the area.

01:42:50 Rachel, who had already seen the extent of Kevin's influence,

01:42:53 couldn't believe what she was hearing.

01:42:56 "Yes," he said in a very matter-of-fact way.

01:42:59 "I'm very high up in the organization.

01:43:01 A good-for-nothing like you wouldn't even be able to get through our company's gate."

01:43:05 Just then, everyone turned to see a distinguished-looking middle-aged man

01:43:10 rush through the front door and race up to Garrett, saying,

01:43:14 "You are no longer an employee of the Williams Corporation.

01:43:18 Please turn in your access badge."

01:43:20 "Director Turner, what are you doing here?"

01:43:23 Garrett didn't understand why one of the Williams directors was in his office.

01:43:28 "It's a good thing I came down here. I wouldn't know how you treat our customers."

01:43:32 After saying this, Turner pulled Garrett's name badge off his suit jacket.

01:43:37 Then he walked up to Kevin.

01:43:39 Lily, who thought that Turner was about to turn his wrath on Kevin,

01:43:43 stepped between them and said,

01:43:45 "Director Turner, please don't misunderstand.

01:43:48 Kevin didn't deliberately cause any trouble here."

01:43:51 Turner knew that Kevin liked to keep a low profile.

01:43:54 When he noticed that his CEO was giving him a look that said,

01:43:57 "Don't tell them who I am,"

01:44:00 he smiled kindly at Lily and told her,

01:44:02 "Ma'am, that's not my intention at all.

01:44:05 As a matter of fact, I want to apologize to this gentleman."

01:44:09 The crowd, especially the employees,

01:44:12 realized that Turner was one of the Williams executives.

01:44:15 Lily nodded, even though she was still so confused by the whole situation.

01:44:20 Turner approached Kevin very politely and said,

01:44:23 "Sir, I'm really sorry that Mr. Butcher was put in a position of authority at our company.

01:44:29 He was obviously very unprofessional toward you.

01:44:32 Please accept our apologies."

01:44:34 On the way over to the office,

01:44:36 Turner had gotten a call from Ms. Wilson, Kevin's chief of staff.

01:44:40 She explained the situation and also sent the video surveillance from the office's security system,

01:44:46 and he watched it on his phone.

01:44:48 It was damning evidence.

01:44:51 "I accept your apology, Mr. Turner,

01:44:54 but if you don't fire this man in the future,"

01:44:57 Kevin didn't finish his sentence.

01:44:59 "Of course, sir."

01:45:01 Turner understood right away what Kevin meant.

01:45:03 He turned around to face Garrett and then pointed at the door,

01:45:07 "Please leave."

01:45:09 "Director Turner, please, you can't fire me.

01:45:12 Vice President Ambrose is my uncle.

01:45:14 Let me call him."

01:45:16 Garrett pulled out his phone and called his uncle.

01:45:19 "Uncle Ed, help!

01:45:20 Director Turner said he wants to fire me."

01:45:23 Garrett shouted into his phone.

01:45:26 "Don't panic, Garrett.

01:45:27 Where are you?

01:45:28 I'll be right there."

01:45:30 Everyone could hear Mr. Ambrose's deep voice coming from the earpiece.

01:45:35 Turner snatched the phone from Garrett's hand and told him,

01:45:38 "We're in the Corwin Tower sales office.

01:45:40 When you get here, we'll all be in Mr. Butcher's office."

01:45:44 Then he hung up the phone.

01:45:46 Turner looked at Kevin and said,

01:45:48 "Sir, I hate to trouble you, but could you please come with me to the office?"

01:45:52 He continued to explain,

01:45:54 "The vice president is a reasonable man.

01:45:57 As long as you explain to him what happened,

01:45:59 I think he'll understand the situation."

01:46:02 Although Turner was an important manager in the company,

01:46:05 his position was only slightly higher than Garrett's.

01:46:08 He had to be careful not to provoke someone like Vice President Ambrose.

01:46:13 "Edward Ambrose?" Kevin asked.

01:46:16 "That's him." Turner nodded.

01:46:19 Kevin looked over at Lily and then walked towards the elevator with Turner and Garrett.

01:46:23 "Rachel, do you think something will happen to Kevin?" Lily asked nervously.

01:46:28 "Don't worry.

01:46:29 Kevin will be fine." Rachel patted Lily's back to comfort her.

01:46:34 Rachel wasn't worried about Kevin at all.

01:46:37 However, Kevin had already told her his secret.

01:46:40 And she didn't dare to tell Lily his true identity,

01:46:43 not just because she had given her word,

01:46:45 but because she didn't want her husband to lose his job.

01:46:48 The elevator stopped on the 14th floor where Garrett's office was located.

01:46:53 "Director Turner, I advise you to leave before my uncle arrives.

01:46:58 You're only a regional manager and there's no need for you to lose your job over this."

01:47:03 Garrett sat back in his chair and put his feet on the desk.

01:47:06 "Garrett, do you really think your uncle can save you this time?"

01:47:10 Turner said as he shook his head.

01:47:12 "I sure do.

01:47:14 My uncle is the Vice President of the company.

01:47:16 He can easily fire you.

01:47:18 If you want my advice, you shouldn't help this nobody.

01:47:22 Remember, my uncle also has the power to promote you."

01:47:26 "Does Edward Ambrose really have so much authority in Williams Media?" Kevin asked.

01:47:32 Garrett was surprised.

01:47:34 "Do you know my uncle?" Kevin ignored his question.

01:47:37 "It seems like the company isn't as well organized as I thought," Kevin said to himself.

01:47:43 "I really don't know what Lily sees in you," Garrett sneered.

01:47:48 "I don't care what you think.

01:47:50 And don't forget, she's still my wife," Kevin said.

01:47:53 "And one more thing, you don't get to call Lily by her name."

01:47:58 "You're nobody. You couldn't hold a candle to me."

01:48:02 Garrett's expression showed his disdain.

01:48:05 "That's enough, Garrett," Turner snapped.

01:48:08 "Director Turner, my uncle will be here soon."

01:48:11 He said this confidently without even looking at him.

01:48:14 When his uncle arrived, he planned to have him make Turner apologize.

01:48:18 "How dare you fire me, especially in front of my employees.

01:48:22 You won't get away with this," Garrett thought to himself.

01:48:26 A few minutes later, the office door opened forcefully.

01:48:29 In a deep, arrogant voice, Garrett's uncle, Ambrose, snarled,

01:48:33 "Mark Turner, how dare you fire one of my employees!"

01:48:36 Hi guys, Kevin here.

01:48:38 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:48:43 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:48:46 Hi guys, Kevin here.

01:48:48 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:48:53 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:48:56 Lily was still upset that Jason had stolen the credit for her success with Williams Media.

01:49:02 And he did it right in front of the whole family at the celebration banquet.

01:49:06 Jason continued to chip away at Lily's accomplishment, telling Grandma Jones,

01:49:11 "For the sake of the family, no matter how much I suffer, I'm willing to carry on the struggle.

01:49:17 I heard that Williams Media signed a new client named Brittany Davis just a few days ago.

01:49:22 I want to fight for it.

01:49:24 Tomorrow, I'll help us negotiate the packaging contract for this new client.

01:49:28 What do you think?"

01:49:30 Since the Jones family had already established a basic partnership with Williams Media,

01:49:35 the packaging deal for a new client would definitely be very easy to negotiate.

01:49:40 Jason knew that now he had a real opportunity.

01:49:44 As long as he got Brittany's packaging deal,

01:49:46 his grandmother would definitely give him all the credit for the family's success.

01:49:51 Grandma Jones was very satisfied to see him working so hard.

01:49:55 "JJ, you are indeed the most responsible one here.

01:49:59 You're an asset to our family and to our company.

01:50:02 I'll leave it all up to you.

01:50:04 You're going to do a great job."

01:50:07 After hearing Grandma Jones' words, Lily felt very uneasy.

01:50:11 She and Dorothy looked at each other, and her mother could only lightly pat her hand under the table.

01:50:17 Why the heck did Grandma Jones like Jason so much?

01:50:20 Now that she had made up her mind to leave this matter up to him, what else could they do?

01:50:25 Tonight's banquet originally belonged to Lily, but not anymore.

01:50:29 Jason had snatched Lily's credit with a few words, and now he was the star of the show.

01:50:34 Although Lily felt torn up inside, she didn't show it.

01:50:38 After all, she knew she wasn't Grandma Jones' favorite in the family.

01:50:42 Jason grabbed the opportunity to look generous.

01:50:45 "Today it's my treat.

01:50:47 Even drink all that you want.

01:50:49 I'm paying."

01:50:50 He waved his wallet at the head waiter.

01:50:52 Jason sat down and waved at the waiter again.

01:50:55 "Waiter, go and get a bottle of your best wine for every table.

01:50:59 I want the best and most expensive wine you have.

01:51:02 Hurry up."

01:51:03 The waiter was about to show him the wine list, but when he heard him say that,

01:51:07 he nodded and went to get the wine from the cellar.

01:51:10 After all the wine was served, Jason raised his glass and stood up happily.

01:51:14 "Let's have a toast.

01:51:16 Let's celebrate the signing of our new client contract with Williams Media tomorrow.

01:51:21 Eat up.

01:51:22 Drink up.

01:51:23 Let's party all night."

01:51:25 Everyone stood up and raised their glasses to toast Jason.

01:51:29 After all, his status in the family had just gone up a notch or two.

01:51:33 When the banquet was coming to an end, Jason was unable to stand upright.

01:51:38 His eyes were blurry as he called for the waiter to come over.

01:51:42 He then pulled the card from his wallet and said, "Use my card to pay the bill."

01:51:47 "That's a Luxe Bank Sapphire card."

01:51:50 Someone recognized Jason's credit card and immediately cried out in surprise.

01:51:55 Those who were close to him couldn't help but widen their eyes

01:51:58 when they saw the ultra-high-end card in his hand.

01:52:01 The Luxe Bank card wasn't something that just anyone could get.

01:52:06 The most basic card, the silver card, had a limit of $25,000.

01:52:10 A gold card went up to $50,000,

01:52:13 and the Sapphire card that Jason took out had a limit of $100,000.

01:52:18 Jason's personal wealth was about $6 million,

01:52:22 but that didn't reflect how much cash he had on hand.

01:52:25 So it took Jason nearly three years to save up enough to get this exclusive card.

01:52:30 He'd only had it for two days.

01:52:33 Jason looked over at Phoebe, who was seated next to him,

01:52:36 and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

01:52:38 This was such a good opportunity to show off in front of Miss Anderson.

01:52:42 Naturally, he couldn't resist.

01:52:45 When Phoebe saw Jason's Luxe Bank Sapphire card,

01:52:49 she couldn't help but look at him differently.

01:52:51 Although she was a rising star in the Anderson family,

01:52:54 she only had around $2 million in the bank.

01:52:57 That's why she had the Luxe Bank gold card,

01:53:00 which was one grade lower than Jason's.

01:53:03 Although she had previously said that she could double the price

01:53:06 to buy her own dream lover necklace,

01:53:08 she was secretly going to ask her father to pay for it.

01:53:12 Feeling Phoebe's gaze on him, Jason felt even more excited.

01:53:16 He sat up straight.

01:53:18 "You can do whatever you want. I'll pay for everyone here tonight.

01:53:21 However, that table isn't included."

01:53:24 The table he pointed at was the one where Kevin was sitting.

01:53:27 Because Kevin hadn't been fully accepted by the Jones family,

01:53:31 very few people were willing to sit at the same table as him.

01:53:34 The people who did choose to sit with him

01:53:36 weren't as wealthy or popular as the rest of the guests.

01:53:39 Jason simply didn't care if he offended them.

01:53:42 He continued to push Kevin's buttons.

01:53:45 "Kevin, do you have any money?

01:53:48 Don't tell me you can't even afford to pay

01:53:50 and you still need to beg money from your wife."

01:53:53 Jason stood up unsteadily, staggering to Kevin's side

01:53:56 and patted him on the shoulder.

01:53:58 Kevin smiled and didn't say anything.

01:54:00 Jason pulled his hand away with a look of contempt in his eyes

01:54:04 and turned to look at Phoebe.

01:54:06 "Miss Anderson, you like the Dream Lover, don't you?

01:54:10 I have a lot of friends and connections.

01:54:12 Don't worry, I will definitely help you buy it."

01:54:16 Phoebe nodded her head slightly in response to the spectacle.

01:54:20 There was still no smile on her stoic yet elegant face.

01:54:24 "Thank you for the kind offer, Mr. Jones," she replied.

01:54:29 Jason was about to say something else,

01:54:31 but at that moment, the waiter who had taken his Sapphire card

01:54:34 to pay the bill walked quickly over to him.

01:54:37 "Mr. Jones, I'm very sorry,

01:54:39 the limit on this card isn't high enough to pay for tonight's bill."

01:54:43 "Are you kidding me?

01:54:45 This card has a $100,000 limit

01:54:47 and you're telling me it's not enough for tonight's meal?"

01:54:50 Jason looked at the waiter in disbelief.

01:54:53 He reached out to grab the man's collar,

01:54:55 but he was stopped by the people around him at his table.

01:54:58 After all, this was the Whitsler Hotel.

01:55:01 Jason was a little drunk,

01:55:03 but most of the people were still very sober.

01:55:06 This was not the time or place to cause trouble.

01:55:09 The waiter took a step back and looked at Jason

01:55:11 with an odd mix of horror and surprise in his eyes.

01:55:14 "I'm sorry, but I forgot to tell you.

01:55:17 Mr. Jones, you've spent over $110,000 tonight."

01:55:21 That sobered Jason up right away.

01:55:24 "One hundred and ten thousand dollars?

01:55:27 What were they eating? Gold?"

01:55:30 "You're a thief! Get your manager here right now!"

01:55:34 Kevin watched the whole scene without saying a word

01:55:37 and finally he couldn't help laughing.

01:55:40 Jason was really a dope.

01:55:42 He pretended to be an uber-rich person all day.

01:55:45 Then he made a mess of the whole evening.

01:55:48 It started when he asked the waiter

01:55:50 to serve him a bottle of the hotel's best wine for each table.

01:55:54 Others may not have seen it coming,

01:55:56 but Kevin knew right away it would be a problem.

01:55:58 The hotel served them one of the top wines in the world,

01:56:01 a Grand Cru from Burgundy in France.

01:56:04 The retail price of this wine was as high as $5,000 per bottle.

01:56:09 Not a wise decision on Jason's part.

01:56:12 Seeing him reacting like this,

01:56:14 the waiter was in no good mood to argue with him.

01:56:17 He turned around and called the hotel manager over.

01:56:20 When the hotel manager arrived at his table,

01:56:23 Jason stepped up to him angrily and asked loudly,

01:56:26 "This is how you do business?

01:56:28 You're nothing but a thief!

01:56:30 I'm going to file a complaint with the State Liquor Control Commission.

01:56:34 I have friends downtown."

01:56:36 The hotel manager smiled and said calmly,

01:56:39 "Mr. Jones, you said that I should serve you our best wine.

01:56:44 That's what I did.

01:56:46 Because you needed 20 bottles for the entire room,

01:56:49 we gave you our best price.

01:56:51 You actually saved almost $18,000.

01:56:54 Your complaint will be thrown out by the Commission."

01:56:58 "You bastard!

01:57:00 If this wine is so rare,

01:57:01 how come you're able to sell more than 20 bottles at a time?

01:57:04 Who are you trying to fool?

01:57:06 You're making a big mistake!"

01:57:09 Jason reached out to grab the hotel manager's lapels.

01:57:12 Just then, an extremely calm voice came from the entrance of the banquet hall.

01:57:17 "What seems to be the problem here?"

01:57:20 Everyone looked over and saw a man in an Armani suit walking towards Jason.

01:57:26 Behind him was a group of burly-looking men in black suits.

01:57:30 As soon as Grandma Jones saw the man in the Armani suit,

01:57:33 she quickly stood up and walked up to him.

01:57:36 "Mr. Cook, I'm very sorry about this misunderstanding.

01:57:40 My grandson sometimes drinks a little too much and makes bad decisions.

01:57:45 I'm sure that we can find another way to settle this."

01:57:49 After she said that, she offered her hand to the hotel owner as gesture of goodwill.

01:57:54 When everyone saw how much respect Grandma Jones was showing toward the man,

01:57:58 they realized Jason put them in a bad position.

01:58:01 Mitchell Cook wasn't just the owner of the Whitsler Hotel.

01:58:04 He was also well-known as one of the most influential men in Chicago.

01:58:09 Definitely a big shot you didn't want to mess with.

01:58:13 When he saw Mr. Cook, Jason sobered up completely.

01:58:16 But now he was covered in a layer of cold sweat.

01:58:19 His hands trembling, he quickly let go of the hotel manager's suit.

01:58:23 He even reached out to help smooth the wrinkles on his lapels.

01:58:27 The hotel manager snorted.

01:58:29 His boss had appeared and he felt even more confident.

01:58:33 He said to Jason sarcastically,

01:58:35 "Your Jones family is pretty famous in Chicago.

01:58:39 Since you asked for the best wine, how could you refuse to pay?"

01:58:43 Jason didn't have the time to wipe the beads of sweat that kept flowing down his face.

01:58:48 He snapped his finger and said,

01:58:50 "I won't go back on my word. We'll pay for it."

01:58:53 As he spoke, he gave a pleading look towards his grandmother.

01:58:57 He couldn't possibly scrape together $400,000 this evening.

01:59:02 He unconsciously took a step towards Grandma Jones

01:59:05 like he was going to use her to shield him from Mitchell Cook.

01:59:08 Grandma Jones sighed and forced a smile at Mr. Cook.

01:59:12 "It was our fault for what happened tonight.

01:59:15 Mr. Cook, please don't hold it against us.

01:59:17 And don't worry, we'll get you the money right away."

01:59:21 After saying that, she turned to the Jones family members who were in the banquet hall.

01:59:25 "We can't let J.J. pay all the expenses tonight.

01:59:29 Each of you should contribute $5,000.

01:59:32 The rest of the money will be paid by J.J. and me."

01:59:36 Everyone nodded in agreement.

01:59:38 They had no choice but they wanted to look like they were okay with it.

01:59:42 However, two of them couldn't hide their concern

01:59:45 and wore very embarrassed expressions on their faces.

01:59:48 Lily and Dorothy.

01:59:50 It would be pretty tough for them to come up with $5,000 for this meal.

01:59:54 What was really unfair was that they'd barely touched the wine.

01:59:58 The $4 million that Kevin gave Lily had already been used for her emergency expenses,

02:00:04 so they didn't have any extra money left over.

02:00:07 Jason, who had learned nothing from all of this, asked her,

02:00:10 "Lily, why are you looking so upset?

02:00:13 Don't tell me you can't even come up with $5,000.

02:00:16 Don't you want to pitch in?"

02:00:18 Lily saw that everyone was looking at her because of Jason's insulting remarks.

02:00:23 She tried to control her breathing and calm down.

02:00:26 "We have $5,000." Kevin suddenly interrupted Lily.

02:00:31 His back was facing Jason, Mr. Cook, and the others, so they hadn't noticed him yet.

02:00:36 The moment Mitchell Cook heard Kevin's voice, his expression changed dramatically.

02:00:41 "May I ask who you are?" Mr. Cook queried with a very slight quiver in his usually calm voice.

02:00:48 The others probably didn't pick up on it, but Kevin could.

02:00:52 He shook his head in grint.

02:00:54 Jason saw that Mr. Cook had suddenly taken an interest in Kevin.

02:00:58 He thought that Kevin's actions had somehow offended the man.

02:01:02 He tried to protect himself by addressing the boss.

02:01:05 "Mr. Cook, please don't be angry.

02:01:08 This man isn't even a true member of our family.

02:01:10 He married into it.

02:01:12 If you don't like him, do whatever you want.

02:01:14 Just don't take it out on the rest of us."

02:01:16 "Get lost," Mr. Cook glared at Jason as he gestured for him to get out of the way.

02:01:22 Kevin stood up, turned around, and looked calmly at Mr. Cook.

02:01:26 An expression of pure joy and excitement instantly appeared on the man's face.

02:01:32 He hadn't seen Kevin in seven years, and he certainly hadn't expected to see him at the Whistler Hotel today.

02:01:39 "Long time no see," Kevin said as he greeted his old friend with a smile.

02:01:44 His expression was relaxed and natural.

02:01:47 He completely ignored the stunned members of the Jones family.

02:01:51 Mr. Cook quickly walked over and gave Kevin a warm hug.

02:01:54 He looked absolutely thrilled to see him.

02:01:57 "It's really you. I can't believe it.

02:02:00 How are you doing, boss?"

02:02:02 "Hi guys, Kevin here.

02:02:04 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

02:02:09 Click the link in the description to install the app now."

02:02:12 "Hi guys, Kevin here.

02:02:14 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

02:02:19 Click the link in the description to install the app now."

02:02:22 The Jones family was still trying to straighten out the mess that Jason had put them in with the exorbitant bill for the banquet.

02:02:29 When the hotel owner, Mr. Mitchell Cook, showed up, he welcomed Kevin like an old friend and called him "boss."

02:02:35 "Boss?"

02:02:37 Everyone was stunned.

02:02:39 Kevin was Mr. Cook's boss?

02:02:41 The manager of the hotel, who had been working for Mitchell Cook for many years, stood there with his mouth open wide in amazement.

02:02:49 He looked at Mr. Cook, who had uncharacteristically lost his composure, and he just couldn't believe it.

02:02:55 Was this still the boss who was actually so calm, cool, and collected in front of them?

02:03:01 "I'm not your boss anymore, Mr. Cook. Just call me Kevin."

02:03:05 When Mr. Cook straightened his back and offered his hand for a more professional greeting, Kevin quickly pulled him back and whispered something in his ear.

02:03:13 "Life is strange. When Mitchell Cook first walked into the room, Kevin actually saw him, but he wasn't sure what to do.

02:03:20 That's why he turned around.

02:03:22 To give you some background, when he was a teenager, Kevin saved Mitchell Cook's life.

02:03:28 At the time, Cook was running with a bunch of petty criminals.

02:03:31 He had a tough reputation, but after a while, he naturally ended up with a few enemies.

02:03:36 Cook had been set up by some of these thugs, and they'd beaten him half to death.

02:03:41 If Kevin, who usually traveled with a couple of his family bodyguards, hadn't shown up by chance, Cook would have died.

02:03:48 And he wouldn't currently be the owner of the Whistler Hotel.

02:03:52 Here's how that happened.

02:03:54 Some time later, Cook wanted to start a business, but he didn't have enough money.

02:03:59 It was Kevin who provided him with almost $100,000, no strings attached, to get his business off the ground.

02:04:06 Kevin was shocked to see how his friend Mitch, as he called him, had been able to meet with such great success after just six or seven years.

02:04:14 After Cook got the money from Kevin, he cut all his ties with the area, mainly to get away from his enemies and have a clean start.

02:04:22 He went to Chicago alone and started from scratch.

02:04:25 Finally, he built the enormous and very luxurious Whistler Hotel in Chicago.

02:04:30 Cook really wanted to track Kevin down to thank him, but he was worried that he would bring trouble to Kevin and his family.

02:04:36 Then, about three years ago, he had finally cleaned up his reputation so he could get in touch with the Williams family, so he could reconnect with Kevin.

02:04:45 That's when he found out that Kevin had been kicked out of his own family.

02:04:49 It wasn't at all what he had expected to hear.

02:04:52 He assigned a few of his employees to search for Kevin, but they were unable to find any trace of him, either online or in the rough parts of town.

02:05:00 And now, here they were finally seeing each other in person after all these years.

02:05:06 Cook thought about everything Kevin had done for him and said, "It's hard to change an old habit, boss. Um, Kevin?"

02:05:14 You could hear everyone heave a sigh of relief.

02:05:17 After all, it didn't sound right for such a powerful man to call Kevin "boss."

02:05:22 Still, everyone was wondering how Kevin and Mr. Cook knew each other.

02:05:26 Kevin asked his friend, "If you could just ask the waiter to add my table's bill to the $5,000, I can give you my card to pay."

02:05:34 With a big smile, Mr. Cook shook his head and replied, "Your money's no good here. Put your card away."

02:05:41 He was going to give Kevin his meal for free.

02:05:44 Then he told the hotel manager that Kevin's meals would all be free in the future.

02:05:49 Kevin stared at him for a moment and opened his mouth to speak.

02:05:52 But Cook immediately understood and quickly changed his offer.

02:05:56 "How about if I give you a discount? A 50% discount?"

02:06:00 He turned to the hotel manager and said, "Please go add up Mr. Williams' bill and bring it back to me."

02:06:06 The hotel manager quickly nodded. "Right away, sir."

02:06:10 Grandma Jones and Jason were shocked to hear that the owner of the hotel actually wanted to give Kevin a 50% discount.

02:06:17 This was unheard of.

02:06:19 Realizing that the rest of the bill still hadn't been paid, Grandma smiled and walked forward.

02:06:25 "Mr. Cook, I didn't know that you're friends with our Kevin. Since we're paying this bill together, may we have a discount too?"

02:06:34 He looked at Grandma Jones with a smirk and replied calmly,

02:06:38 "Didn't that guy just say that Kevin has nothing to do with your family? I'm sorry, but your bills should be paid separately."

02:06:48 Grandma Jones' face froze. She knew that Cook wouldn't give them the same discount.

02:06:54 Kevin took a look at the bill. After the discount, it was about $2,500.

02:06:59 Jason watched this in disbelief.

02:07:02 "Ha! $2,500? Kevin, you were just bragging. I'd like to see how you could even pay that much."

02:07:09 But Jason was livid. How could Mr. Cook give Kevin a 50% discount but not do the same for him?

02:07:16 Meanwhile, Lily and Dorothy were very concerned. They really hoped he could cover the bill.

02:07:22 Kevin looked at Jason, who was sneering as he waited to see this all play out.

02:07:26 He took his wallet out of his pocket, pulled out a bank card, and handed it to the hotel manager.

02:07:31 "Just a moment, sir." The hotel manager slid the card into his portable reader.

02:07:36 When Jason saw Kevin's bank card, he continued to taunt him.

02:07:40 "A deadbeat who doesn't even have a LuxBank card should be careful how much he spends."

02:07:46 One of the others there added, "Yeah, I'll bet the hotel manager will tell him that his card wouldn't swipe."

02:07:52 Another one commented, "Kevin really is a jackass. So what if he knows Mr. Cook?

02:07:58 He doesn't have enough money to pay the bill. I don't think he'll get out of this mess."

02:08:03 Listening to what they were all saying about Kevin, Cook turned and gave them an impatient, cold stare.

02:08:09 He really wanted to go over and shut Jason's mouth for him.

02:08:13 When Jason saw how Cook was looking at him, his face instantly turned pale.

02:08:17 His voice trailed off and he sat in awkward silence.

02:08:21 The rest of the Joneses clammed up too.

02:08:24 Lily stared nervously at the hotel manager, afraid that Kevin's card would be rejected for lack of funds.

02:08:30 Finally, the hotel manager spoke up.

02:08:33 "All right, Mr. Williams, the transaction went through. Here's your card."

02:08:37 He politely returned the card to Kevin, who nodded his thanks and put the card back into his wallet.

02:08:42 "What? The transaction went through? How was this possible?"

02:08:47 Everyone was confused.

02:08:49 Lily tugged on Kevin's sleeve and leaned into his ear.

02:08:53 "Where did you get so much money from?"

02:08:56 "Don't worry, Lily. I just hope you enjoyed the banquet," Kevin said with a big grin.

02:09:02 Lily didn't press the issue. Now she really didn't know what to think.

02:09:06 Kevin thought for a second and said to her quietly,

02:09:09 "I have something I need to do later. You and Dorothy can go home first. You don't have to wait for me. Drive carefully."

02:09:16 Lily looked over at Mr. Cook and then she looked at Kevin. She nodded and then left with her mother.

02:09:22 After the rest of the Jones family had finally paid the bill, they took off one by one.

02:09:27 Kevin got a ride with Cook, but he didn't go straight home.

02:09:31 "Boss, have you been in Chicago for the past three years?"

02:09:35 Cook was driving while Kevin sat in the back seat.

02:09:38 Looking at the view outside the window, Kevin responded,

02:09:42 "Yeah, about two and a half years. What about you? Have you been in Chicago all this time?"

02:09:47 Cook laughed. "That's right. When you told me it would be easier to get a fresh start if I moved, it sounded like a good idea.

02:09:55 A friend of mine was living in Chicago, so I decided to come here.

02:09:59 It was tough at first, but I've done okay. I hope you're not disappointed."

02:10:03 "You've done an amazing job. I never imagined you were the owner of the Whitsler Hotel. I was right to believe in you.

02:10:11 Also, I told you not to call me 'boss'. Just call me Kevin. We know each other too well."

02:10:17 Kevin looked at Cook, who was still excited. He just smiled and shook his head.

02:10:22 Cook kept his eyes on the road. "All right, and you just call me whatever you want."

02:10:28 Seeing that they'd been driving for a while, Kevin asked casually, "By the way, where are you taking me?"

02:10:34 "Do you remember Adriana Wright? A couple of years ago, I accidentally found out that she was also looking for you, so I met with her.

02:10:43 She founded the West Chicago International Group. I just told her about meeting you in my hotel, and she was really happy about it.

02:10:50 We talked it over and decided to surprise you."

02:10:53 Cook turned around and gave Kevin a mischievous smile.

02:10:57 Kevin raised his eyebrow. "Adriana Wright? What a nice surprise to hear that she was doing well too."

02:11:04 Kevin met Adriana when he lost his briefcase in a wine store. She was working in the shop and noticed that he'd left it behind.

02:11:12 When she went outside with the briefcase, Kevin had just gotten into his car and left.

02:11:17 Adriana ran after him for three blocks to try to catch up with him.

02:11:21 When Kevin finally remembered that he'd forgotten his briefcase, he made a U-turn and saw her standing there out of breath, but holding his briefcase in her hand.

02:11:30 Kevin found out that Adriana wanted to start her own business, so he formed a partnership with her.

02:11:36 He also fronted her $100,000 just like he'd done for Cook.

02:11:40 He didn't really expect Adriana to be so sharp at running a business.

02:11:45 What he was sure of was that she was honest and hardworking.

02:11:49 After all, she had chased him for three blocks to return his briefcase.

02:11:54 In just a few short years, she actually built the West Chicago International Group.

02:11:59 After a few more minutes of driving, Kevin and Cook stopped at an enormous office complex in the West suburbs.

02:12:06 They got out of the car together and walked into the headquarters of the West Chicago International Group,

02:12:12 which was tastefully designed in a blend of modern glass and Greek architecture.

02:12:17 After walking into the main hall, they were greeted by one of Adriana's administrative assistants.

02:12:23 "Mr. Cook, the president is waiting for you on the third floor.

02:12:27 Do you want me to accompany this gentleman and show him the displays on the first floor?"

02:12:32 It was a very kind offer, but Cook just shook his head no and answered,

02:12:36 "No need. Mr. Williams can take a look around by himself.

02:12:40 It will make him a little uncomfortable if you follow him."

02:12:44 Kevin quickly agreed, "Yes, you don't need to follow me. I'll go and take a look for myself.

02:12:50 You guys can go and do what you want."

02:12:52 "Kevin, you can visit the place as you wish. These things in the hall are new products that have just been released.

02:12:58 You can take some back for your wife if you want. She should like that."

02:13:02 Cook pointed at the various skin care products and makeup on the display stands.

02:13:07 Kevin thought to himself, "What the heck is this big..."

02:13:10 Hi guys, Kevin here! Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

02:13:17 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

Insta Empire Ep 11 - 21 | Full Movie 2024 #drama #drama2024 #dramamovies #dramafilm #Trending #Viral

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