Crushed , livre ebook

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd - Neil Bromfield

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

138 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

William Ferguson had willingly followed the footsteps of his father into the family business, accepting the challenge to continue to enhance the reputation and fortunes of the highly respected Ferguson Trading Company. The legacy was daunting - his father, Sir Charles Ferguson, a Victoria Cross winner for bravery during WW2, had returned to New Zealand after the war to, in a short time, become the Commonwealth's pre-eminent businessman, confidant to successive prime ministers and governments and most importantly, a beloved husband and father. All of these accomplishments were achieved without blemish, incident or notoriety. With such a stellar backdrop, what could possibly go so wrong that would crush William Ferguson's life?

Sujets

Thriller

Informations

Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
Date de parution	28 mai 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781528996594
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0175€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

C rushed
Neil Bromfield
Austin Macauley Publishers
2021-05-28
Crushed About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Chapter 94 Chapter 95 Chapter 96 Chapter 97 Chapter 98 Chapter 99 Chapter 100 Chapter 101 Chapter 102 Chapter 103
About the Author
Neil Bromfield is a first-time author who has drawn on his life travels and experiences to produce a novel that is quietly disturbing and full of unexpected sub-plots.
Neil, being a proud Kiwi, is delighted to bring this novel, which is centred in his hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand, to life in a most international manner.
Happily married to Cathy, the couple boasts five adult children and two grandsons. The Bromfield home constantly hosts a wide range of family, friends and associates where a great deal of world issues, sporting conundrums and endless family dramas are regularly deliberated, dissected, and debated.
Neil has thoroughly enjoyed his first foray as an author and is hoping to one day rival Lord Jeffrey Archer, but in the meantime, he hopes that you will read his book and then encourage others to do the same.
Dedication
To my long-suffering wife, Cathy (aka Lady Cath); those ‘friends’ who have incessantly and mercilessly lampooned me but into the bargain continually encouraged my seemingly futile hack effort; and lastly, our dogs Fergus and Archie, who were unwavering in their support, especially around dinner time!
It has been a blast compiling this first effort; I hope Crushed gets enough support from readers in order for me to become rich and famous so I can continue through to the wicked conclusion I have in my twisted mind!
Copyright Information ©
Neil Bromfield (2021)
The right of Neil Bromfield to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other-wise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528996587 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528996594 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2021)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Prologue
“Do it, do it, do it—JUST FUCKING DO IT!”
The satanic voice hammered at William’s consciousness as he continued to be mesmerised by the bubbling molten steel bath below him. William watched himself in third person as he gently swayed to the easy lapping motion of the deadly, seething liquid and mirthlessly laughed at the irony of the situation. William Ferguson, respected sixth-generation member of one of the province’s oldest families, a pillar of the community, philanthropist, loving husband and doting father, now reduced to being just a piece of shit.
The Fergusons had lived in the iconic Ferguson mansion located on Helmores Lane in the leafy heart of Fendalton, Christchurch’s most affluent suburb, for over 170 years and there had never been a whiff of scandal in all that time—he had had it all. Yet, the pact he was about to make now with his new best friend, Lucifer, was clearly the only option he had for restorative justice to set the family free.
William’s impending doom was an inescapable outcome of all the events of the past eight months. All the family shame, the police investigations, the disdain and contempt that his ‘friends’ and business colleagues would shortly shower on him would only be superseded by the falsity of their heartfelt platitudes and grief for their inconsolable loss at his funeral.
The hypocrisy of the bastards ‘mourning’ his passing made William involuntarily grind his teeth.
“Do it, do it, do it,” the relentless voice in his head now screamed. Entranced, William removed the pure silk tie that his adored daughter, Annabel, had recently brought him back from Thailand; in a quick, seamless action, he tossed the tie towards the cauldron below, but the flimsy tie only travelled a little way on its journey before being magically converted to ether.
Transfixed by this metamorphosis, he removed his Saville Row double-breasted jacket and was treated yet again to the foundry’s ultimate party trick; the jacket was also directly couriered to William’s next and final destination—Hell.
Seemingly helpless to prevent the pre-ordained chain of events, William detachedly watched himself mounting the barrier until he stood precariously on the ledge above the foundry. The heat was so intense that it caused the hair on his exposed arms to evaporate, and then weirdly, the flesh on his arms began to partially liquefy.
“DO IT, DO IT, DO IT—FUCK YOU!” The command now bellowed its final instruction in William’s head as he assumed a kneeling position, preparing himself to launch into oblivion. Peace beckoned; a merciful release from the horror that William Hank Ferguson, a crushed man, had had to endure, when suddenly…
Chapter 1
The Ferguson family had been in Christchurch, Canterbury, since 1840. The pioneering Ferguson family that arrived from England was of hardy stock, they knew how to trade and more importantly, turn a pound into two. That canny knowledge, coupled with a thirst for hard work and a determination to succeed, had enabled ‘The Ferguson Trading Company’ to amass a formidable fortune over generations. As fate would have it, there had always been a male heir in the Ferguson’s lineage; each generation’s father had subsequently impressed on his son the tenants of the past, the obligations for the present and mapped out goals and aspirations for the future.
Given that the Fergusons’ succession plan was known from an early age, it was absolutely no surprise to the next generation’s son as to what was expected of him. Each generation’s father would relinquish control at approximately 60 years of age after having prepared his son to accept the mantle of managing director. Typically, the son began working after school on the shop floor and steadily worked across all divisions of the business. A stipend was provided for the son to eventually attend Canterbury University where he would study engineering, law and commerce, travel, eventually returning to take over the reins as managing director.
This established protocol had worked well until World War II disrupted a number of plans. Charles Ferguson, heir apparent to The Ferguson Trading Company, was commissioned and dispatched to North Africa as an officer to combat Rommel’s Desert Rats. Charles’s fearless, uncompromising approach to warfare resulted in him volunteering to lead a raid behind enemy lines in a battle at El Alamein. Ferguson’s men used the element of surprise, accompanied by legendary Kiwi stealth to secure the post with only one casualty. The injured soldier had stepped on a mine and his left leg was shredded just below the knee. Charles had defiantly marched 250 yards out into No Man’s Land, hoisted the stricken soldier onto his broad shoulders and then carried him back to safety despite copping some shrapnel. This selfless bravery instantly made Charles Ferguson a hero at home and abroad, and he was duly awarded The Victoria Cross, the highest decoration in the Commonwealth.
Chapter 2
On completion of World War II, Charles volunteered for deployment as part of the New Zealand J Force to Japan and was quickly despatched to Yamaguchi. J Force’s first task was to search for and collect military equipment. Little was found as Yamaguchi had not presented much of a military force during the war. J Force also oversaw the repatriation of Japanese soldiers coming home from the war and Koreans being returned to their country. Charles noted in his two-year stint in Asia that the Japanese people in particular harboured no grudges; rather, they quietly accepted their defeat, quickly learnt from their mistakes, choosing instead to devote their lives to bettering the next generation. The Japanese people’s lack of bitterness or anger greatly impressed Charles.
By chance, Charles was introduced to an influential Japanese family who were striving to develop a cost-effective motor vehicle. The family had a notion that motorisation was a concept that would benefit the masses as Henry Ford had done a quarter century ago; however, in typical Japanese fashion, they sought perfection. Research and development funding in the post-war era for the Japanese people was an imposs