But Jake did not say anything. He only stared coldly at the manager. The man looked at the inscriptions on the card,
‘Conglomerate
Fredrick 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 misconduct, young master. Forgive…”
“Enough! Now, bring the right machine for this card. I will pay, I don't want your free gifts. You are lucky I'm in a good mood, else, I would have walked you out of this mall in no time. And as for everyone…” he said and turned around. In the speed of lightening, everyone suddenly became busy, no one was staring again. When they saw what happened and realised he was a big fry, they all turned away, to avoid being in a rich man's bad books. It was only Sky and Vincent who had the courage to look on but Jake ignored them completely. He would get a chance to deal with them personally very soon. The manager didn't send the attendant. Instead, he stood up on his own and ran to bring the VIP machine for platinum cards.
“Here sir. I apologize for my earlier…” he began but Jake cut his short.
“You talk too much. Do your job. One more word, and you will be out there job hunting! And if you provoke me further, I'll make sure no company employs you in the whole of this country!”
The manager fell on his knees again and bowed before Jake but he didn't dare to utter a word. When the process was done, the machine made a noise, indicating a successful transaction. Jake stuck his card safely inside his pocket and walked away proudly. Everyone stared at him in awe, wondering who he was. He bought goods worth $650,000, paid for it with a VIP card although he was wearing poor clothes. Who was he that even the manager bowed at his feet?
Jake left the store feeling light hearted. He called his servant, Richard and asked him to send a driver over. A car was there to pick him up and off he went. He spent the rest of the day reading files related to his new position.
The following day dawned brightly. Jake got up from his comfortable bed, had a good bath in the jacuzzi and stepped out smelling very fresh and feeling highly refreshed. Still on his mission to get back at everyone while maintaining a low profile, he put on his poor clothes and left the house. This particular outfit was his most expensive cloth back then. He took a cab to the Kent Mansion.
“Miserable son in law. I thought you've left this house for good? What are you doing here again?” the gateman taunted as he entered inside the gates. Jake spared him no glance but continued walking in.
“Have you no shame? You walk into a house where everyone drives big cars expect you. You don't even have a bicycle to boast of. You are pathetic. Well, it's good you are here because they will be needing more hands in the kitchen, go and do your job.”
Even the gateman of the Kent family wasn't left out in mocking Jake. He was accorded more respect than their son in law!
Jake noticed the cars parked in the compound. It was only 11:00 am and there were so many cars and people in the house. Is there a party? He took out his phone and asked his servant to find out. He texted him back in few seconds. The family was celebrating their recent business success and had invited friends and well wishers from among the top businesses too. Jake nodded and went into the house. This would be a very good chance to deal with his mean in-laws. He would put them in their place before their visitors and make them know that he, Jake, was back and in full glory to pay back!
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 spat out the food that was in his mouth, choking on the remaining, he grabbed water and gulped down.“You want what?” He asked as if he had just heard an absurd thing. “You seem surprised.” Ashley responded.“Well, I am. I just got out of a tight marriage. I'm not planning on entering one, not after the trauma I went through in the hands of that woman,” he said“Look, I understand your reasons but that wouldn't stop you from getting married. I'm growing old and I want great grandchildren.” Ashely said, trying to talk sense into his grandson, but Jake was adamant.“I need time to heal, probably like four years…” he exaggerated“Is that after I die? Come on now son. All I'm saying is, you're the next in line for inheritance, sure, but you still need a successor because they're people after us,” he explained cautiously.“You keep saying that but I don't see anybody coming. And even if they do, we're rich and ward them off with a single snap of the fingers,” Jake gestured his finger
The waiter tried to free his hands but all his struggle was futile as Jake was way stronger than him. “Let go of my arms,” the waiter whined but Jake only pressed tightly against his wrist.“This is your last warning..” he said in a low growl close to the waiter's ear, momentarily, the waiter felt goosebumps running through his body. The waiter nodded his head like an agama lizard and Jake let go of his arms.As the waiter retreated his wrist, it was already bright red and arched like crazy.“I'm sorry,” he bowed and apologized before walking away, embarrassed. Jake sat back in his seat and continued eating the food the waiter had brought. He ate as if nothing had happened even though there were lots of eyes on him.“You're tough,” a female voice said beside him. He never realized the lady beside him up until now…“Pardon?”“That was brave or should I say stupid. You know they're people here who can send you right to jail if you disrupt their gathering,” she spoke freely, sipping a g
“What are you here for? Have you come to see if you will be offered a job? Or eat the leftovers?” she spat. She was still angry with him for humiliating her boyfriend, Vincent in front of everyone the last time. However, she had confidence in one thing. Vincent had assured her that he only needed two days to sort things out and put Jake in his lowly place again. “Any of the above can serve,” Jake retorted and made to walk past her but she blocked his way. He observed her discreetly and he could see how much she had invested in coming for this occasion. She was flamboyantly dressed and everything she was wearing was costly. He almost felt intimidated but he recalled that her wealth was nothing compared to his. “So, why are you leaving so soon? Are you scared that I'm here to give you the punishment you deserve?” “I thought you were smarter than this. Kindly move out of my way. I have more jobs to handle,” Jake answered. When he said that, Sky burst into a loud laughter. She thought
After Jake left the ceremony, he took a public transport to his grandfather's house and walked the remaining distance where public transport wasn't allowed to drive in. He made a mental note to move into his own house in no time. He lay on his huge comfortable bed, eating an apple with a huge and content smile on his face. It was at this time that his phone rang. He sprang up immediately and wanted to answer the call before reality hit him that he was no longer the Jake of old. Back then, he didn't waste any time to answer his phone calls because they were all errand calls that he didn't dare miss or delay. He slid his hands over the screen and an angry voice boomed.“Hey you! You have two minutes to be at Donald's restaurant. Now is your opportunity to get your job back. Two minutes or you will be dead!” the manager finished and cut the call. The response of the other person didn't matter to him. The manager had said he had two minutes to be there. Well, jokes on him for he was goi
There was a momentary silence before everyone burst into laughter. “Pay for the shirt?”“Has this poor boy lost his mind?”“Oh! He's tired of living.”“I need to watch this drama. Let's take a video. Gosh!”When it was Sky's turn to speak, she said,“Pay for what? You should be grateful I helped you get rid of your dirty rags. Now, my hands hurt. Get your silly ass down and apologize to me for earlier. And I might forgive you!”The onlookers took it up again. “The young Miss of the Kent family is so nice. She just offered to forgive this man. He's so lucky.”“I love her already! She has a magnanimous heart. She should just throw him into prison for his misconducts. Now, he knows his place and has lost his tongue.”“Thirty seconds more,” Jake said coldly. “He still has the nerves! Jake? Are you mad? Where's the manager of this hotel? How can this happen? This is an insult at its peak. Oh no!” Sky wailed. The young man from earlier who was watching the scene and eager to be Sky's fr
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