As the car came to a screeching halt, Jeremy jerked up from the backseat and looked at the men who stood in front of the car, blocking the road. They were gangsters, dressed in fancy clothes and with baseball bats.
The driver swore, shaking in his boots at the incident. "Oh my god!" He yelled as the door of the car was kicked open and he was being dragged out.
Jeremy sneered as he opened the car and stepped out, he looked at the men as they surrounded the taxi, each with a menacing frown on their face.
"Please don't hurt me, please I beg of you, I know nothing, is it money you want?" The driver rambled in fright.
The men parted and a largely built man stepped out of their midst. He was thicker than the rest and he had a nasty scar on his chin that must have been badly stitched. He was Rebecca's brother, the notorious Joe.
"Please, don't hurt me...I have children I...I.. I have a wife, please!" The driver begged, stumbling over his own words. "You're pathetic," Joe spat at the driver and moved him aside, "We don't want anything to do with a loser like you, get out of the way." He added and shoved the driver aside.
"We're here for this piece of shit who thinks he has all the strength in the world," Joe said, glaring at Jeremy who had not moved from his position by the car bonnet nor said a word despite their elaborate display.
"Jeremy ,right?" Joe asked and all Jeremy did was nod at him.
"You see, my sister, Rebecca called and she wasn't very happy with what you did." He said, each word bringing him a step closer to Jeremy, his fist clenched by his side and his face murderous.
"No one, and I mean no one messes with my sister and lives to tell the story." He said and took another slow and threatening step.
"You should not have laid your rotten finger on Greg either, you've made my sister very upset and you will pay for it with your life!" He snapped and grabbed a bat from the goon that was next to him.
Suddenly, Joe was distracted as he saw the driver trying to make a call. He grabbed the phone from him and tossed it on the floor, smashing it into a thousand pieces.
"What are you trying to do? Huh? Call the cops?" He asked, his left hand fisting the man's collar. The driver struggled to breathe as he shook his head wildly, pleading for mercy.
"Don't try to be smart or I'll make you suffer too." He said and sneered at him, tossing him aside once more.
The driver landed on his palms and then scrambled up, nodding as he did, threatened into silence.
Jeremy stood, immobile, he only stared at all the shows that the gangsters were putting up without moving a muscle. He knew of his abilities and he knew that he did not have to show off just to handle all of them, despite their bats.
"You have messed with the wrong family, Jeremy ,you should have known better," Joe said with a vicious sneer.
Jeremy almost laughed at his threats, he looked around and saw the amateur fighters that Joe had brought. They all looked ready to fight but none of them was ready, he could see their weak grip on the bat and their poor stance.
“You don't want to do this, walk away while you still can," Jeremy said with a smile.
Joe sneered, asking him what he could do. "You're outnumbered, Jeremy, we will kill you before even the police arrive, and believe me, this weakling of a driver cannot save you." He pointed out.
Jeremy could tell that it was pointless to argue with him, especially when he was so eager to show off.
Joe smirked at Jeremy and moved closer with the bat and waved it in his face. "I will beat you to death for messing with my sister and I'll make sure there's no part of you left for a funeral." He threatened and raised the bat at Jeremy .
Jeremy ducked skillfully and grabbed the bat, smashing it on his jaw and kicking him in the shin in a fluid motion.
Two men reacted at once but they were both too slow. Before they could make a move, Jeremy had taken them out too, each talking on the ground badly hurt.
The fourth guy came from behind and the driver yelled at Jeremy to look out, but Jeremy had already felt his presence, he turned abruptly and kicked him powerfully in the stomach. The goon doubled over and fell to the ground, unconscious.
One threw a punch from the side and before it could land, Jeremy moved away, making him lose his balance. Jeremy then shoved him down and kicked his bat away as another tried to grab it.
Jeremy stared at the gangsters all sprawled on the floor, clutching one part of the body or the other. Joe had known that Jeremy had some training in martial arts but he'd never guessed that he could take out all of his men as easily as he did, barely breaking a sweat.
Joe rose angrily and rushed to the car, he opened the door and returned with a weapon.
Jeremy looked at the pistol in Joe's grip, it was pointed directly at him, his grasp was tight and his fingers were right at the trigger.
"I guess you think you're a pro at fights huh? You think you're some superman because you can take out my guys?" He sneered his grip on the gun still firm as he waved it in Joe's face.
Jeremy kept calm, he knew that he could avoid the bullet if he chose to pull the trigger. He was not afraid of the threats and he still stood, his head high and his chin up without a single plea.
"Since you're so good in a fight, let's see how you fight a bullet." He said.
Just as his fingers moved down on the trigger, the loud screeching of tires could be heard from afar. Joe jerked his head to the side.
A convoy of ten luxurious cars was coming at them at full speed. Joe started, thinking it would pass by seeing the scene on the road, but it didn't.
The cars came to a halt at the same time, making another round of screeching sound. The doors of three of the cars flung open and men dressed in all black emerged from within.
Joe looked in awe as the men stepped down, looking sophisticated and wealthy, not like the hungry gangsters he had brought.
Jeremy too stared passively as the men came down and strolled to them. They made their way and a beautiful girl stood behind them. She moved gracefully to the center of the gathering and glared at Joe.
Joe was dumbfounded, he'd never seen a woman so beautiful nor such expensive cars being owned and driven all at once, he was mute as the beautiful girl walked up to him and with a sneer, "How dare you mess with Mr. Harrison?" She asked calmly and turned to the men who now stood behind her, "Teach him a lesson." she said.
Joe was shaken as he saw the men that came down. He looked at the beautiful girl and her unsmiling face and this frightened him. Some of his men began to drop their bats in cowardice. Even if he was holding a gun, he could not have the balls to shoot it, he wondered who they were and when Jeremy had been able to reach them. They didn't look like the cops he knew in the city. "What do you want here?" He asked but even as he did, his voice broke and he ended up sounding like a scared teen. The men being him all looked ready to flee as they saw the second door open and even more men poured out. Jeremy too was amazed at the site, he could not tell what was going on even as he looked at the girl and her men. "Rebecca is my sister, she is the CEO of the Jason group, you don't want to mess with me or you will have her to contend with." He warned. The girl scoffed and moved away from him like he didn't matter, waving to her men to handle him themselves."My sister's boyfriend is Greg, h
Jeremy hissed as Rebecca went on about how she would retaliate and have him regret ever touching Joe. "You must be put in your place, Jeremy! Do you dare touch a Jason? You worthless piece of trash!" She snapped. "Your brother got what he deserved, I have nothing to say to you, goodbye, Becca," Jeremy said casually. "How dare you wave me off! You will pay for this! You wi__" Jeremy hung up promptly, he did not want Rebecca to further ruin his day any more than she had already. Turning to Ella, she sat there, gazing expectantly at him. Jeremy knew he had to help her save Woodson's family, Lord, she had trusted him before coming to find him. "Is there any trouble?" She asked as she saw his frown. Jeremy shook his head,"Not at all, she's insignificant." He replied plainly. He wanted to take his mind off Rebecca completely, "Take me to him." He said and Ella nodded eagerly. ********Ella and Jeremy arrived at the Woodson Family. The drive that usually took twenty-fo
Everyone gasped and remained frozen as his heart became even more faint. His face was becoming blue and the heart monitor was leveling off and quickly straightening out completely. Jeremy could see the fear in Ella's eyes. He knew that if he let the lord of the Woodson family die, Ella would be in big trouble. He moved the doctor aside and went to the lord's bedside. "He's just taken his medicine, you must not disturb him! Move aside, you quack!" The doctor snapped. No one could support him anymore because they saw that the lord was not improving but dying. Checking his pulse, Jeremy knew that the lord had very little time left, his pulse was weaker than he thought and his heart was almost ceasing. "The lord has been poisoned." He told the family. "What? Are you certain? How?" Clifford asked, even though he too was stunned into silence with how much the lord's health had worsened after the shot the doctor gave to him. "Don't panic," Jeremy told everyone as he dug into his poc
The doctor shook, he knew how powerful the Woodson family was and he didn't want to be on their bad list. "I'm sorry, I..it...it was a mistake, the boy was right, maybe I should have listened to him." He explained hastily. Clifford sneered, "How would that have made my difference if my father had died? You are worthless!" He snapped. The doctor remorsefully kneeled and begged that the family should forgive him, "I had no idea he was so qualified, I didn't know he could cure him." He explained. "But you said he knew nothing, you almost stopped him from helping the lord, hell, you made us try to stop him from giving that antidote to the lord." Clifford snapped, ordering him to get up from the floor. "Do not waste your breath, you will be dealt with for your carelessness!" The woman snapped. The doctor turned to Jeremy and frowned, "I had no idea you had the antidote, I thought that injection I gave him was perfect, please, I sincerely apologize." He said. Jeremy ignored him, he h
Ella was glad that Jeremy had taken the invitation, she wanted to appreciate him for how much he'd helped her company and her family. Immediately, she pulled her phone out of her designer handbag and called her secretary to set up a press conference. It was important to address the public on any misconception that would have arisen due to the Woodson family lord's illness. "Hello," Ella said to her secretary, "I need you to convene the press team right away, there will be a press conference tomorrow and after that, we will organize a business party to celebrate this win." She instructed. "I'll send out a message to all shareholders at once." The secretary replied eagerly. "Good, make sure everything is in place." She added. The secretary said she'd get right to it and then Ella hung up. Ella could not wait to get the press conference out of the way and make sure that the family and company's reputation was intact. "I'm so glad you'll show up." She said again, making Jeremy eve
Jeremy frowned at her words but she continued to stare at him with a disgusted frown. "Maybe the security men are not doing their job." She added and nudged the man by her side. The man rolled down the glass even more and looked out at Jeremy, he saw his cheap clothes and was not impressed, too stared condescendingly at him. "You're right, I don't think he is a resident of this estate." The man agreed eagerly. "What are you doing here, Jeremy? You know you don't belong in a place like this." Rebecca's friend said. Jeremy ignored her and walked in but another man from the car called out to him. "Who let you in here? Did you sneak past the securities? I'd advise you to go back or you will be in serious trouble when you're being caught." He advised. "I don't know what you are talking about, I came through the gate, and I was granted permission." Jeremy snapped. The man frowned at him and looked at his outfit again, he didn't quite remember Jeremy's face anyway, he was a salesm
The woman in the backseat laughed alongside her husband who was by her left. She was amused at the number of the buildings that Jeremy had mentioned. "Do you even realize what you're saying?" She asked with a mocking tone. Her husband laughed so hard that he could not say a word but only nodded at all the jest that his wife made of Jeremy. "I think you're a little lost and let's be honest, you aren't even a good liar. There are only 100 villas in this community, Jeremy, and the lower the number, the more expensive the house. The first Villa which you just mentioned is 100 million dollars." She pointed out, "We can't even afford the No. 1 Villa, that place was already bought by someone and even if it wasn't, you'd have to be filthy rich to buy it. We are here to visit the 95th villa, so tell me, how can you possibly afford the No. 1 villa?" She asked mockingly. "It's funny how you do not know who owns the No. 1 villa and yet you believe that it isn't mine." Jeremy pointed it out
Jeremy was honorably welcomed back to his villa. He could see the shock on the faces of the salesman and Rebecca's friend. "This is impossible." The lady said, "That man can never own the 001 villa in this estate, I think you have mistaken him for someone else." The administrator sneered at her and told her to shut up and mind her business, Jeremy was a very important person and he wouldn't like her to insult him. "Important? He is a fucking son-in-law and he has nothing!" She laughed and the others smiled too, saying that they knew Jeremy and he was a nobody. "Is that what Rebecca told you?" Jeremy snapped, already fed up with their wide mouth. The lady rolled her eyes and said that Rebecca didn't have to tell her anything, she had eyes and saw it all for herself, he was a servant to the family and everything he had was being given to him. "What do you have? I have watched that family take care of your every need, you aren't anything, you are an imposter and I'll make sure he re
The room was as brooding and intimidating as the men who sat in it. It was so large that the walls could almost not be seen from the entrance. The cold air blasted from the air conditioning unit and there was no single furniture in the room except the mahogany table and six chairs that surrounded it. It was Jeremy's first time appearing before the council and he was dressed for the occasion. His white suit was immaculate and he'd had his show made the previous day. He was dressed like the heir he was as he stepped into the room. Sinclair smiled at him from across the room where he sat with the rest of the council but the smile was so slight that someone else couldn't have noticed it.Jeremy wasn't the only one standing before the council. Gilbert was likewise dressed in a white suit - making Jeremy regret picking the color - and his mother, Hilda was dressed in a tight purple dress that hugged her bodice like a second skin and extended to the floor like a wide wave, covering most of
Jeremy was shaking on the spot as he stared at the face of lord Kingston. He'd seen the man only a few times in real life as a child. When his father had taken him to meet with him once and a while. His memories were a little shaky but he knew that the lord was a handsome man who was aging finely. But even if he had never seen the lord before, he would still be able to recognize him. Right there on the makeshift hospital bed was lord Kingston with tubes sticking out of him in all the wrong places. His face was peacefully calm and his nod remained still on the bed. After the first shock wore off, Jeremy became alert again and quickly rushed to check his vitals. Even without grabbing his wrist, he could tell that the lord was still alive because the heart monitor on the wall was still ticking strongly. Jeremy however still checked his pulse and heartbeat manually, just in case the monitor was faulty. He looked around the room and could see different cabinets and drawers, they were al
The next day, Jeremy arrived at a tool shop very early in the morning, he was dressed in a form-fitting spandex and a pair of sunglasses, his feet tucked into a sturdy boot and his fingers gloved. "I'll have a chisel, a hammer, and a six-meter rope," he said to the girl at the counter who looked at him skeptically. "Are you working on something?" She asked and swallowed nervously. "You could say that," he replied and he could see the girl's eyes widen. "Don't worry, I'm not a psychopath," he said and she sighed but then he added, "I think," as he swiped his card, paid for everything he'd just bought, and backed it into his trunk. He was driving a nude-colored truck with tires larger than the regular, his backseat was filled with everything he needed to take down a door and even a wall if he needed to.Jeremy had spent the past night trying to make sense of what he had just seen the previous evening. It shouldn't have been anything worthy of note that Eugene went to the drug store a
The sound of the rain falling on the roof of his car sort of calmed him. Jeremy sighed as he cuddled a hot styrofoam cup of coffee on his lap and listened to the weather report on the radio. It was morning and the weather had surprised him as it did everyone else in the city. The day had started pretty sunny and then the clouds were out and soon, it was raining cats and dogs. "Climate change," Jeremy muttered as he listened to the reporter go on and on about the unpredictable state of the weather for the past few days. But if Jeremy was to be entirely honest, he'd seen a few clouds gathering the previous evening and it was a little chill too. Turning down the volume of the radio, he pulled on his raincoat from the backseat over himself and grabbed a towel from the glove compartment. He didn't have an umbrella on him because he wasn't exactly expecting the downpour. Opening the door, Jeremy raced to the porch of the restaurant and huddled with the crowd there. His eyes scanned throu
Hilda wasn't going to take chances with the new lady in town talking about Kingston like she knew him more than anyone else. Despite Gilbert and Eugene's warnings, she decided to take that risk and try to meet up with Cynthia once again. At first, Cynthia blatantly refused but after a second phone call and agreeing to go over to the spa again, she finally gave in. Hilda had to shift grounds and agree to meet in public since Cynthia was skeptical about coming to the estate. Dressed in a pair of black trousers and a chiffon top, Hilda moved into the spa and took a seat closest to the pool. It was a different crowd from the one she'd seen the last time at the spat. But they were very similar in many ways, rich, uppity, and lazy women who knew nothing about making a penny but a lot about how to spend it. Hilda could not help but feel a wave of jealousy wash over her as she waited in the spa. Cynthia using the place twice in a row was a sign that she visited there often. It was not a c
The three men looked at each other in silence. What Fred had said made no sense at all, there was no singular way of knowing who the true heir of the Kingston inheritance was or what the illegitimate child should look like. "This sounds like utter bullshit and I mean no offense, Fred," Jeremy said. Maybe it was his cravings for Chinese food or that he was just hungry, or maybe it was the irritation from the previous day's meeting with Cynthia and Tricia. He wasn't certain exactly why but he could tell he had no patience for crap. "No offense taken, Jeremy, but it is rather sad that you can't see what's right before your face," Fred said and shook his head, sipping his black coffee that had just arrived at the table. "So you came all the way here to find me and speak to me in parables?" Jeremy asked, he was about to call him jobless but then he did not want to offend Fred. "That's a thoughtful thing to do, thanks," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Fred laughed at his sarca
The smell of coffee and freshly baked loaves was thick in the air. Sinclair grabbed his mug and it warmed his fingertips as he blew on the surface of the brown liquid. "All that sugar isn't so good for a man your age," Jeremy reminded him as he drank his latte. “You need to live a little, Jeremy," Sinclair replied with a smug smile. Jeremy rolled his eyes and grabbed his cup of espresso. He did not order the pancake-like the lawyer did because he didn't have an appetite for anything other than Chinese soup. Sinclair was allergic to Chinese food and so he had turned down the offer to meet at the exquisite Chinese restaurant downtown. But even with his allergy, Sinclair sometimes indulged in the nice dish. He was an embodiment of a strong and resilient man. Earlier that day, Jeremy could still remember walking into him making a phone call with a client that he was representing for a murder case. It was a surprise how Sinclair bounced back right on his feet after such a tragic incide
Cynthia was placed under the heat of the midday sun, her eyes flicking at her watch now and then. She was a little anxious to meet the anonymous caller who had asked to see her. She was well aware that she'd stirred up a little talk in town with her sudden emergence, but she was basking in it. "How long are they going to keep us here for? We've been waiting for forever," Tricia, who was in the back of the car, snapped. Cynthia rolled her eyes at her daughter and replied, "We came here earlier than we were supposed to, in fact, technically it's just not time for the meetup yet," she stated. Tricia groaned and muttered something under her breath about rich people and their nasty habits. "You'll have to quit saying that, Tee," Cynthia warned her but she retorted defensively that it was the truth. "But I'm right, mum, rich people don't care about anyone but themselves, and right now, we're trying to get into their world, it's gonna be frustrating," she groaned again. Cynthia leveled
It felt good to see the Sinclair firm standing strong again after the unfortunate incident that ruined the entire place. As Jeremy drove in, he couldn't help but marvel at the sight.The building was towering, the signpost proud at the entrance and the grass had been replaced with synthetic grass carpets that looked way healthier than the original thing. Jeremy couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of plastic. At the parking lot, he could see Sinclair's car on the left side as he stepped out and shut his door, locking the car behind him. The lobby was redesigned a little but he could still see some semblance of the old firm in the renovations. In the elevator, he looked at his watch, it was a few minutes after noon and he was happy to have arrived on time. His mission at the bank proved abortive. Benedict had not been kidding when he said that he was risking his life and entire career just by getting copies of the records. Jeremy was barely allowed into the accountant's office and