Jake looked around the white room, wondering where he was. He was no longer wearing his wet clothes. Instead, he had dry, comfortable and clean clothes. Then, that man, why was he there? And what has his sleeping or waking up got to do with him?
“Young master, you are awake. I'll go and get the doctor,” the man said and dashed out before Jake could even process what he said.
“Young master? Who was he referring to as young master?”
The door opened and a handsome and well built young man, entered the room confidently, his white coat flying behind him like a cape.
“Good morning, young master. How do you do this morning?”
Jake could only stare at this man, dumbstricken. It was true that he was poor but he was abreast with the news at least. The man on white, standing before him was the most popular medical doctor in the country. His skills, efficiency and expertise was widely known. Just a session with him cost almost a million dollars and this man didn't treat ordinary people. No! He was a doctor for the high class, those who knew his worth and could afford him. Was he seeing things, or was Dr Smith really standing in front of him, touching him delicately with his glove protected hands and staring at the screen?
With a final nod, the doctor completed his examination. There was a mask of professionalism in his expression, yet, there was warmth and reverence in his eyes. In a voice dripping with compassion, he said,
“You are doing well, young master. You will be fine and will be discharged in no time.”
Dr Smith smiled again and exited the ward.
It still seemed pretty much like a dream to Jake.
“Okay, we will get up now and say goodbye to the dream world. It was nice feeling important in there,” he said to himself and made to get up from the bed.
“Take it easy, young master. Please, do go easy on yourself,” the man from earlier said. His voice drummed into Jake's eardrums, making him realise that this was no dream!
“Young master, you say?”
“Yes sir.”
The only thing Jake could think of was that Vincent Winters had brought his men to get rid of him. His life was already a mess and the last thing he wanted was to complicate it. He suddenly regretted raising his hands on the son of a wealthy family.
“I'm sorry. Please, just let me go this once. I pledge my loyalty to Master winters. I'll will never try that again, please, forgive me and let me go.”
But the man fell on his knees and cried,
“Young master, please, say no more. My boss can't find you begging me. I'll be better off as dead, please. Focus on getting better. I will never live a good life if anything happens to the young master of the Fredrick's family.”
“Are you sure that you don't have the wrong person?” Jake queried.
“Not at all, young master. I'll explain everything to you but only after you have eaten and gotten better please. Meanwhile, I'm your humble servant, Richard.”
Humble servant? He had a servant?
A thousand and one questions popped up in Jake's head but who would he ask? This man in front of him was only concerned about his getting better first.
It seemed he was cut out for a lot of surprises as a knock came on the door. Richard answered the door and was soon walking towards Jake with a packaged parcel. He placed it on the table before Jake and took out a well prepared lunch pack. He opened it and handed the cutlery to Jake.
“Breakfast, young master.”
The smell of good and nutritious food wafted into his nostrils and he fed his eyes with the glorious sight before him.
“You can eat, sir. Or do you want something else? Please, tell me what you want and I'll have it delivered here in no time.”
He should eat the food? He looked at the lunch pack and what he saw nearly made him faint. There was an inscription, Mangrove grills, on the plate. For goodness sake, Mangrove grills was the biggest restaurant in the country and only registered members were allowed to dine there. To be a registered member, one needed a black card that ranged between three and five million dollars. Only members with platinum cards could request a delivery. A platinum card was estimated around eight million dollars. But food from that restaurant, worse still, delivery was before him!
Without another word, he held his cutlery and helped himself to the sumptuous dish. After the food, he was told to rest more on the soft and cozy bed. Even the bed in the mansion where he worked the previous day was nothing compared to this one.
Dr Smith re-entered the ward some minutes later.
“Young master, do you feel pains anywhere?”
“No, I don't.”
“That's good. You will be discharged now. Don't hesitate to let me know if there's any problem,” Dr Smith said, smiling warmly.
Jake forced a smile too and nodded his head.
Jake followed Richard, gingerly out of the ward and hospital. When they got to the door, Richard pointed in a direction and said,
“This way please, young master.”
Jake looked in that direction and a gasp escaped his lips. There were about four luxury cars packed there and other men who were dressed in the same attire as Richard. When he looked in their direction, they all saluted and bowed low before him. Unable to contain his curiosity, he stopped Richard and asked,
“Pray, tell me. What is going on?”
“Young master, we are here to take you home. You are the long lost grandson of the Fredrick family and consequently the young master and heir of the family.”
The man's words rang a bell in his head. Young master of the Fredrick family? Now, he was certain that Richard had mistaken him for someone else. To the best of his knowledge, he was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. No one adopted him and when he was eighteen years old, he left the orphanage to fend for himself. It was in one of his work places that he met Bruce Kent, whom he finally married his granddaughter. He was thrown out of the house in the rainy night and ended up in an uncompleted building. How then did he suddenly become a young master?“We have been searching for you for many years but got no positive answer. When I learnt that there was a Fredrick in the Kent family, I hurried there but I was told that you left. For fear of my master, because I couldn't report to him that I lost again, I searched for you and finally found you. I'm sincerely sorry for not doing so earlier. Let's go home. The master will be waiting eagerly for you.”The door was opened for him and he g
Grandfather Ashley looked at Jake's little old phone and frowned. “Dear son, you can't be using that phone.”He opened his drawers and brought out a brand new phone which was also the latest model.“Manage this for a while please. I will ask Richard to send your phone to you in a few hours.”Jake stared at the phone, his mouth shaped an O and he couldn't even say a word. “Sir.. Grandfather, you mean, this phone, is mine?”He had only seen this phone on billboards along the streets where it was placed for advertisement. Back then, he admired it and quickly took his mind off it for he knew he would never be able to afford it. “Yes, but it's just for a moment. Your own phone will be ready before tomorrow ends.”“Thank you so much, grandfather…” he began.“Oh no! There's no need to thank me. It's all yours. And you deserve even more to compensate you for all the years you spent outside your home. That reminds me, you will be needing a lot of things. You are a Fredrick and must dress, b
This time, Jake didn't wait for the door to be opened for him. He came down himself and looked around to be sure he was at the right place. “Is there a problem, young master?” Richard asked, noticing his movements. “Is this the estate? The one I own?”“Yes, young master. All but one of the houses are occupied. The last one has been paid for but the owner is yet to move in. You can be rest assured that there are no men of questionable character here. They are all wealthy men, who are into legitimate businesses and they all pay their rents as at when due. Let's take a tour sir, do you mind?”“No, I don't. Let's go please.”Richard took him around, explaining what was necessary to him. Finally, they got to the house that Jake worked in.“This is the house, young master. A wealthy business tycoon just got this house a few days ago. The humongous beauty, superior and superb nature of this estate is known to everyone, the occupants and the public alike. That is why we take only the best,
“Good day, sir. Welcome to Becky Luxury stores,” the attendant greeted. She was recently employed and she didn't mind his poor clothes. She was eager to treat her customers well, be in their good books and earn a good commission for the clothes and jewellery she sold. Jake looked at the stunning young woman in front of him and at the store too. It screamed wealth, classy, exclusively for the wealthy! Finally, he was wealthy and could buy things from this shop now. Impressive. With the attendant as his right hand man, he selected some clothes and finally went to the jewellery section. There was this very nice and lovely masculine chain that caught his attention. The price tag on it was $12,000. He gasped when he saw the price but when he remembered that he was a rich man now, he heaved an inward sigh of relief and smiled to himself. He even owned the Becky stores for it was under his conglomerate! “Give me that,” he ordered, pointing at the chain. “Okay sir.”“That would be all. Pac
But Jake did not say anything. He only stared coldly at the manager. The man looked at the inscriptions on the card, ‘ConglomerateFredrick group of companies.’‘Young master Frederick.’The attendant was surprised at the manager's attitude but she was in for more surprises. The manager fell on his knees before Jake in front of everyone! “I'm sorry sir. I'm sorry, young master. Please, forgive my stupidity,” he begged and turning to the attendant, he half shouted,“Kneel will you? Kneel and beg!” and the attendant obeyed immediately. “I'm so sorry sir…”Vincent, Sky and all present were taken aback by the sudden change of events. Few seconds ago, they were shouting at Jake but now, they were on their knees on front of him! Jake's silence only made things worse for the poor manager. “I'm sorry, young master. We will not delay you further. I'll have them pack up everything for you sir. You can take it for free, after all, it's yours. Please, see it as a compensation from me for my m
As Jake stepped into the house, the first person to see him was Amelia, Sky's mother. “You wretched fool! What have you come here to do? Beg?” Her voice was loud enough to attract the attention of other people nearby. “I'm here to take my few belongings, mother…”“Did I hear mother? How dare you!”“I'm sorry ma.”Vincent came around at that time and Amelia turned to him. Her company has been trying for many years to get a chance to do business with a popular jewellery company owned by the Winters to no avail. She believed that if she treated him well, and he agrees to be her in law, that would be a walkover!“Hi, Vincent. I hope you are enjoying the party. Have you been served?”“Yes ma'am. And of course, I'm enjoying the party. Here's my glass of wine, I've been served,” Vincent answered. He looked up to say hello to everyone around Amelia and he sighted Jake. “Tsk! Tsk! What's this poor fool doing here? Go in and get useful. The people at the end of the room need more wine. Go an
Vincent's eyes grew bewildered at what his father just said. “But how?” he asked his father over the phone.“All our stocks and investors are pulling out. What have you done?” his father said at the verge of tears, his voice trembling.“What?” He was shocked and stared blankly at Jake who had no expression on his face. “You heard me. We are going bankrupt. All of our investors are pulling out and the consumers are leaving negative report.”“I'll call you back.” Vincent hung up the phone and slowly and steadily placed his phone back into his pocket. Still confused and oblivious he asked,“What the hell did you do to my father's company punk?” he aggressively asked, yanking Jake's suit and was about punching his face but Jake stopped him.“I wouldn't do that If I were you. You should really be humble and not so arrogant.” He blocked Vincent's fist, lowering it down. Vincent had no words as he noticed that Jake was much stronger than him.“What do you think you're doing Jake? You were h
Immediately Jake arrived home, he went straight to the living room where he met his grandfather on the call with someone. “Wait hold on, I'll call you soon,” Ashley ended the call and reverted to Jake who seemed to be in a hurry. “Wait, son. I have something to tell you,” he said and Jake stopped in his tracks. “You look a bit worried. Is anything the problem?” He asked concern laced his face as he spoke carefully. “It's nothing. Just had a bad day. That's all.” Jake shrugged off the question. “Do you have something to say?” Jake queried, taking his seat beside his Grandfather. “Oh, yes I do. So, I heard from someone not long before you walked in that there are some plottings. We don't know the persons are actually but they are evil-doers going around now seeking whom to devour. Now that you're the heir, I advise you to stay off Media, as you'll be traced and hunted down quickly.” Ashely said “But why will they be after me? I don't understand it.” “Well, I have my fai
Jake was seated with his mother in his car. Luckily for him, her surgery went well and she had fully recovered now. She lived with him for sometime before Jake insisted on getting her own house. “You deserve the best, mother. Let me give you that life. You've been through a lot,” he had said. He got her a house, had it furnished and employed household servants to be at her beck and call. They had just finished his grandfather's funeral. It had taken a lot of time to convince his mother to attend his funeral. According to her, there was no need coming to the funeral of someone who wanted her dead. She said she was only coming because Jake insisted and she was coming to let him know that she survived all his evil plots and stayed alive while he died. On looking out of his car window, he saw Emelda, standing straight and looking very beautiful. “I'll be right back, mother,” he said to her. He didn't come with a driver because he insisted on driving his mum to the funeral himself. He
While his grandfather was at the hospital, Jake went back to see his mother and in order to convince her to leave with him, he explained everything to her in details. He told her his grandfather was ill and she agreed to follow him out. He sent her to a good hospital where she would receive adequate treatment. She had been through a lot. Jake personally had a driver bring his grandfather's lawyer to the hospital. After the old man woke up, he requested to see his lawyer. His health was deteriorating and he asked Jake to get his lawyer. Jake didn't waste anymore time; he asked his driver to hurry up and pick the lawyer from the firm. Jake was with his grandfather when Attorney Johnson came in. He greeted the lawyer before he left to give them privacy. When Jake re entered his grandfather's ward an hour later, the old man lay on the bed, lifeless! Jake moved closer, expecting to see a familiar smile or a weak but reassuring glance but there was none. Instead, he was met with an eer
Jake hurried to the hospital to see his grandfather and on getting there, he met the doctors who told him that they are doing their best to resuscitate the old man. “He was poisoned. He had consumed a very poisonous substance,” the doctors disclosed. “Poisonous substance? How on earth did that happen?”Jake checked the cameras in the house but there was nothing out of place. The doctors even said the poison had stayed long in his system before it started showing up. As the days went by, his grandfather's health detoriated. There wasn't any improvement and this got Jake even more worried. In as much as his grandfather had kept his mother hostage, he didn't want the man to die. His grandfather had showered him with nothing but love, care and support since the day his men found him in the rain. His mother's condition added to his worries and he was gradually loosing focus. He no longer had enough time to look out for the enemies around him. One day, Jake went to see one of his grandf
“That's a brilliant idea!” Evan agreed.“Are you sure this will work?” Lyle was skeptical about the plan. “It will work perfectly. We only need to meet the right people, play our cards well and boom, we are at the top.”“He's right Lyle. We only need to trust the process. We've been here for over two hours, putting heads together and this is by far the most brilliant and feasible idea. With this, we will all rise to power and get everything Jake took from us and even more. With this too, we will get to bankrupt him and get him back to the poor sorry ass he should be,” Dan explained and Lyle nodded. “How do we find the right person?”“That will not be a problem. I happen to know one of my father's friends who work at J and J legal firms. I'm sure he will be willing to help. We have this taken care of,” Welson answered. “We have a deal now, right?” Aidan asked. “Yes,” they answered with one voice. “Great. Let's drink to celebrate our upcoming success.”They filled their glasses and
With that anger in her heart, Sky swore to deal with Jake. As far as she was concerned, he was bitting more that he could chew. In her fury, she forgot that it was a very wealthy and powerful man she was up to challenge. Sky thought of who to assist her and she recalled that Jake wasn't in Vincent Winters good books. Jake made him lose his inheritance and she was sure he would be willing to do anything to get back at Jake and make him pay for what he did. She met with him and fortunately for her, they had the same mindset. To make Jake pay! In another part of the city, Aidan and his friends were also plotting Jake's downfall. After what happened at the gathering that day, the Frederick family punished them and Jake kept his promise of adding his own too. Each time they recalled what happened, they would want to murder Jake. After that, Jake bankrupted their family companies. He started by making the stock go down slowly then he canceled their projects. Most times, it was these pro
“That woman is evil! All these problems started the very moment Logan introduced her as his wife to be. That Lara, she's yet to pay for her sins. Let her remain there.”Jake's eyes widened as he heard what his grandfather said. His father's name was Logan. Was his grandfather in any way refering to his own mother as evil? What did he mean by she should remain there? Jake recalled his grandfather's response a few months ago when he asked about his mother. Ashley had told him that she too had died and information about her wasn't necessary at that time. No doubt, there was something that he was yet to find out. Jake sneaked out as quickly as he came, he didn't want his grandfather to see him. “Goodness me. How can grandfather be this callous? What?” Jake screamed. He was in his house, going through the papers in front of him. He had someone investigate his mother and the details were before him. It wasn't very easy because Grandfather Ashley was a powerful man who knew how to cover hi
It was an entirely different Jake that stepped out of the bathroom. Clean, fresh, powerful and handsome. No one would even believe he was untidy and dripping of food some minutes ago. His hair was well washed, neatly combed and well styled. His clothes were from the most famous designers and they fitted him as if the clothes were specifically made for him. With Richard and the guards beside him, he walked majestically to the front of the room and bowed politely. Firstly, he apologized for showing up late. “Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues and honoured guests. I want to start by apologising for showing up later than expected. Please, note that it was not a reflection of excitement or my commitment to my new role as the heir, but rather an unexpected circumstance I couldn't avoid. As I stand before you today, I'm honoured to take the reins of power for this incredible conglomerate. Most of your companies are under our conglomerate and I want to assure you that our company's
“Mr Thane!” Dan said when he found his tongue. Mr Richard Thane was a popular man in the country as well as city and was respected by all and sundry. Everyone knew how powerful he was and so, no one wanted to be in his bad books. He could blow up a family and render them bankrupt in few seconds! Aidan was still standing in front of Jake who hadn't left his arm. Instead, Jake twisted it even more painfully.“Are you crazy? Let go! Can't you see Mr Thane here?” Aidan spat.“What's going on?” he repeated firmly, a light frown on his face. Just then, the announcement was made again for the reception of the biggest CEO in the country.“This thing is causing a nuisance and I'm only putting him in his place. He dared to sneak in here and eat our food,” Lyle explained dutifully. Mr Thane turned and looked at the supposed nuisance. Hell no! That can't be his boss dripping of food and wine! He looked like he had been dipped into a pot of soup and was a huge mess. “Young master Frederick!”
Jake hadn't seen that coming, neither did Emelda and the others seated with him. When Aidan stood up, Jake was relieved that he was going to leave with his friends, although he didn't expect it to be that easy. Unfortunately, Aidan had other plans and the next thing Jake knew was that a clear coloured liquid flowed down his face and stung his eyes. His hair and clothes were also stained with spicy food. “What? How can you do that?” Emelda said, staring at Aidan in surprise. This was bully and as far as she was concerned, it was uncalled for. They could have handled the matter in a civilized way and Jake would have to return to his post and face appropriate punishment. Although she was disappointed in Jake, she didn't expect Aidan to take such rash actions. “He deserves even worse than that!” One of the guys on the table offered his unsolicited opinion. To him, Aidan didn't even do anything to Jake. He deserved worse than that. “How can you say that? Waiter, get a towel quick!” Emel