"Vincent Askellan?" Armand yelled.They were sitting inside Armand's car in the parking lot at D'premium branch.Aaron had arrived at work earlier than normal and he had called Vanessa and Armand to fill them in as usual."I can't believe it! Vanessa exclaimed."It all makes sense now." Armand mused. His eyes widened, pupils dilating as the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked into place. His brows furrowed, and a slow, subtle grin tugged at the corners of his lips. It was the expression of revelation, a mix of surprise and understanding, etched across his face like the first light of dawn breaking through the darkness."You know what? Things just got better." Armand said after a while."Everything ends today." Vanessa said."Everything ends today." Armand repeated in a lower tone."Here," Vanessa said, handing over the bag which contained the remaining two wristwatches to Aaron. "Take it to them and let them lead you to Vincent, text us the address immediately you can, okay?"
In a room filled with fancy people wearing elegant clothes, there stood Armand Grey, dressed in a simple attire but beaming with happiness. His paintings, the ones he had been creating for his -in-laws for years, were now on display at the art gallery. Armand was never feeling fully accepted by his in-laws. In their eyes, he didn't deserve their daughter because he was poor. However, Armand stayed because of his love for Carla. Now, the family has decided to showcase and sell his artwork. Also, he would be given his rightful share from the sale of his paintings. Soon, Armand watched as his in-laws entered the gallery. Celine Smith, his mother-in-law, Charles Smith, his father-in-law, Carl Smith, his brother in law and Ruby, his wife. Carla, Armand's wife, was the last person who walked in. Armand hurriedly approached and welcomed them. Celine nodded coldly while Charles gave him a stern look. However, Carl, dressed in an expensive Armani suit, immediately scrutinized Armand's at
Armand's eyes opened suddenly! He found himself in a small but clean room—the very place he had stayed before getting married to Carla. "What's happening?" Armand questioned aloud, his eyes scanning the room. In a hurry to make sense of the situation, he reached for his phone beside the bed. The date displayed on the screen was 30/03/2023. Armand's eyes widened in realization as he pieced together the puzzle—the voice he had heard just before Carl had hit the car he was driving, belonged to the god of time. He had died, met the god of time, and was sent back to earth to accomplish his mission. “Amazing!” Armand muttered to himself, “The Smith's have no idea what's coming for them.” The god of time had sent him back an entire year before his tragic death. On this very day, he had forfeited being the heir to the Armstrong empire in order to marry Carla. His mother had worked as a maid for the Armstrong family, and they had always been good to him, even after his mother died. The
"However," he continued, "You have two options. On one hand, you can give up Carla and take my name. Become the heir to my multi-billion-dollar empire. On the other hand, if you choose to marry Carla, you will have to forfeit my inheritance to you." Mrs. Smith, her voice firm, interjected, "Mr. Armstrong, your choices for Armand are unfair. He should be able to marry whomever he pleases without sacrificing his future." Mr. Smith joined in, "We believe this decision is based on wealth, as if you're looking down on us. Love should matter more than money." Mr. Armstrong, unfazed, retorted, "Your daughter is not good enough for this empire and Armand. You're also right, your family is beneath me." The room tensed as he continued, turning to Armand, "Son, the choice is yours. Sign these documents and become heir to my empire." "Armand, you'll choose me, right?" Carla pleaded. Armand looked at her, without a second thought, he made his way to Mr. Armstrong. With a nod, he picked up the
As Armand walked into the building, silence fell over the bustling workplace. About a month ago, during a company party, that was when Mr. Armstrong had voiced out his desire for Armand to be his heir. However, Armand had said he would accept just so he could give Carla a better life, but Mr. Armstrong had expressed his displeasure over Carla and her family, and Armand had declared that he wanted to be no part of the Armstrong empire if Carla wouldn't be by his side. “What a fool I had been.” Armand thought to himself. Ignoring their curious looks, Armand made his way to the CEO's office. However, just as he reached for the doorknob, a voice halted him. "Where do you think you're going?" Armand turned to find Aaron Armstrong, Mr. Armstrong's nephew who had been appointed CEO when he had turned it down before. As CEO, Aaron had destroyed the empire and ruined the good name Mr. Armstrong had struggled to build. Also, the empire kept facing multiple attacks from unidentifiable sourc
"We both can't work at this headquarters. Watch your back, cousin," Aaron warned before leaving abruptly. Armand muttered to himself, "You're right. You will cause too much damage if you're allowed to remain here. One of us has to go, and it definitely won't be me." … It had been a week. Armand leaned back in his chair. He had been reviewing all of Aaron's work, he couldn't say what it was yet, but he was certain that Aaron had been doing something wrong at the Armstrong headquarters and he was determined to find out what it was. When Aaron had been made CEO, the Armstrong empire had gone bankrupt, and Armand was certain that it didn't happen in a year. Aaron had been doing some illegal underground activities, and it turned full scale once he had been made CEO. Just then, a sharp knock on the door snapped him back to reality. "Come in," he called out, his eyes meeting Vanessa's. "Good evening, Mr. Armstrong," she greeted with a smile. Armand acknowledged her presence and as
Armand couldn't believe the words on the screen when he turned to look. “Breaking News: Tragedy Strikes as one of the apartments built by the Armstrong Empire collapses!” The Newscaster then appeared, and the words that came out of her mouth reminded Armand of Vanessa's words. “Injuries reported as one of the buildings which was constructed by the renowned Armstrong empire has collapsed. Many are speculating that the collapse happened as a result of the use of inferior building materials. However, we urge you all to stay tuned. There's no word from the Armstrong headquarters yet.” Armand kept staring at the screen. This was new, and none of the buildings began collapsing until months after Aaron had been made CEO before. “What will you do?” Carla asked. “I think I'll…” Armand didn't get to finish that statement because Carla's eyes narrowed with greed, and she reminded him once more why he should hate her. Disregarding the fact that many had been wounded, Carla bombarded Armand
“Don't worry, Dad, I'll make sure your empire stands.” Armand said and shut the door behind him. Mr. Armstrong stepped forward and replied, “I have confidence in you.” He then left. Armand made his way to the second conference room where he knew the directors would be. He pushed the door open and walked inside. He could sense a shift in the air. “Is there anyone else who wants to challenge my position?” He asked. His question was met with silence like a graveyard. “Good. Now we can proceed.” He said and walked to the head of the table, “Can someone explain to me what exactly happened with that building and why the media is speculating the use of inferior materials?” Aaron stepped forward, his shoulders which were raised before had dropped drastically, “I'm the one in charge of acquiring materials and I can honestly tell you that I have no idea what happened to that building.” “Where have you been buying the materials?” Armand asked. “From UBL, Ultra Buildings Limited. Your da