By the time Kevin left work, it was already late. He would have preferred nothing more than to go to his apartment at Harbour Residential area and crash in bed, but Mia had said the family wanted to see him. And more than he wished to just shut down for the day, he desperately wanted to get the meeting over with.So he instructed Jake to take him to the Perry's mansion. “Wait here," he said to Jake as he stepped out of the car. “I'll be right back.”"Okay, boss,” Jake answered, his head inclined in a slight bow.Kevin arrived when the whole of the Perry family had gathered for dinner. Since he'd heard their chatter in the dining room, he headed to the dining room.“Hi, good evening,” he greeted as he glanced around the table for an empty seat, but as usual the seats were all filled up and he was left to stand before them. But this time, instead of standing with his hands crossed behind him and his head bowed, he walked back to the wall closest to him and leaned against it, then he tu
Kevin made his way out of the house. Outside, Jake was parked out front, still waiting for him.Kevin entered the car and settled in it, glad that the ‘meeting’ with his wife's family was done and out of the way.“Take us to my apartment in the Harbour Residential area.""Yes, boss,” Jake nodded, immediately starting the car. As he drove away from the mansion and got on the highway, he heard Kevin say, “By this time tomorrow, we'd be in Landary Province.”“We, boss?" Jake quipped.“Yes, you're going to come with me.”“Okay, boss,” Jake answered, glad that he was going to be with Kevin at Landary province to protect him and work for him.“Alessia already booked our flights,” Kevin added. "You just have to be ready by tomorrow." “Noted, sir." A comfortable silence descended after that. Kevin looked forward to getting into his bed while Jake looked forward to the journey the next day.As they drove to their destination, a car suddenly pulled to a stop in front of their car, forcing Jak
Kevin uncurled his arms around the collar of the man's shirt. The man fell to the floor in a loud heap, letting out a guttural sound as he curled around himself in pain. He could barely breathe from the brunt of the fall and the beating he had just received, and his whole body ached like he had been slammed against a wall several times.He wanted to stand up to Kevin; he wanted to make his boss proud, but he couldn't move even though he wanted to. The fight happened for a very few minutes, and he already felt incapacitated. He wished he had just defied all orders and shot the bastard's brains off the first time. Everyone who disregarded his boss deserved to die.Kevin took a step back, put his hands in his pocket, and addressed the men on the floor.“Get your car off the road,” he said deadly.Without question, fear in their eyes, three of them scrambled to their feet and staggered to the car. One of them got in, started the car, and moved it from the road. Once the car was off the ro
“What about Nathan, Anthony?" Philip asked, changing the topic. “He's taking too long in that place they've crammed him into. I don't like it.” He said with a heavy heart. Then he asked the question that had been bugging him. “When will he be released?"Anthony smiled reassuringly at Philip. “You shouldn't worry about that. It's already handled. There will be a pardon on Saturday.""Tomorrow?” Philip quipped.Anthony nodded. "Yes, tomorrow." Philip regarded Anthony for a while. “Are you certain my son will be one of the ones that will get pardoned?""Definitely.” Then he chuckled good-naturedly. "It's impossible that he wouldn't be one of them. The pardon is happening only because of him.”Philip nodded slowly and smiled. “Okay, then.”“Yes, Philip. So there's no reason to fret.”“If you say so.”“I did. So just lay back and prepare to see your son tomorrow.”Philip’s joy knew no bounds just by that assurance. He couldn't wait to see his son again, to pull him into a hug and hear his
As soon as dawn broke, Howard had risen and begun to prepare for his day at work. He said his goodbye to his wife, who had also awoken while he got ready. Then he placed a kiss on Lisa's forehead as she snores away, oblivious to everything happening around her.“Have a nice resumption," Irene said as she pulled him in for a hug one more time..It was still very early in the morning when Howard parked his car on Kevin's driveway. As he stepped out of the car, pocketing his car's keys, he noticed the car that was in front of Kevin's house. He hadn't seen a car there yesterday.When he reached the door, he lightly tapped his knuckles against it. He stepped back and waited for a response. He didn't get any, so he tried again. After the second knock, he heard a feminine voice call from inside, “I'm coming,” then it was followed by soft footsteps.Then the door was pulled open. “Good morning,” he greeted, a polite smile stretching on his lips as he briefly wondered who the lady was.The l
Not long after, Kevin walked out of the room, donned in a simple checkered shirt and suit pants. He did the last button of his shirt as he stood behind the seat that Jake and Howard had both moved to as they played a game on the game console. “Okay, guys. I'm done,” he said, interrupting their conversation.Howard and Jake immediately hopped on their feet, ready to leave whenever Kevin was.“We're ready, boss," Howard spoke on behalf of both of them.“Okay then,” he headed toward the dining area that Cindy was currently filling up with the breakfast she made. “Let's have breakfast, then we'll get going.”"Okay, boss,” they chorused and followed him to the table.As the three men savoured their breakfast, a comforting blend of tofu, melted cheese, and the smoky hint of bacon, Cindy brought a table of water for each of them, as Kevin always instructed her to serve every meal with a bottle of water, whether it was needed or not.“Thank you, Cindy,” Kevin said a few minutes later as all o
The agent came as fast as Lionel had assured Kevin.He was a man of average height with a serious expression, one that slowly eased up into small smiles whenever conversations began.As directed by the man, Jake drove from one place to another, from one location to another. They would drop by at each of the buildings that were available, and Kevin would look at the place and see if it was suitable for what he had in mind, if it matched his requirements.“And this place, it is the most sought-after area here in the Landary province,” the man who was showing them around began when they walked into another building yet again.Kevin took one look at the deserted area and knew he wasn't going to like the place. It didn't look deserted like how estates were always quiet; it looked abandoned, almost like the inhabitants of the area were tired of doing life. But he said nothing as he listened to the man and inspected the building while briefly wondering if he really meant it when he said it w
Lionel nodded. “That's right. You will really need a place. And I think it should be bought with Lord Phoenix's name.” Then he added immediately, “Except that it won't make sense if you have access to the building all by yourself.”"I was about to point that out to you,” Kevin said. “If it happens like that, before you know what's happening, words will spread about an ordinary man having access to such a house, and the people behind the paperwork will also start to talk since we'd have bought the apartment under Lord Phoenix…” Kevin trailed off.“And they would begin to suspect you to be the Lord Phoenix,” Lionel completed.“And then, boom! Just like that, our cover would blow off.”Lionel laughed at his boss’s theatrics. “And then they'd begin to make moves and plans on how to get you again."“Yeah," Kevin murmured back.As the room grew silent again, Lionel, reaching for a cranberry in the bowl of fruits set beside the wine bottle and munching on the juicy fruit, pondered Lionel's s
“Okay. I was just thinking a better school would do her good," Howard said.Kevin shook his head. “No, there'll be no need for that. It's like when you have a slight headache and you decide to go for a scan when all you need is a pain reliever. I'm not saying bullying is a mild offense. It isn't. But the school is a good one. The flaw they had was not seriously tackling the issue with the bullies…” and the principal's foolishness to favor the kids of sponsors, but he didn't tell that to Howard. "And I've taken care of it. So, there's no need to worry, Howard. Put your mind at rest and continue to play your role as her father. Lisa will be fine and you'll be too."Howard looked up at Kevin and nodded. “Thank you so much, boss. I really appreciate this."Kevin shook his head. "It's nothing, really. I did it for Lisa. Every victim of bullies deserves to be freed.”"Thank you,” Howard said one last time."Yeah," Kevin said absentmindedly as he remembered to let him know that… “Your accoun
Lisa lingered at the door to her classroom. She turned back the way she had come,gazing down the shirt hallway.Maybe I should go back to uncle Kevin and plead with him to follow me in, she thought.She knew that Kevin had done something to them, their apology was a testament of that, but… there was this fear that they've instilled in her. She barely ever showed it, but their presence fill her with dread. When they had walked out of the basketball court, she had grown rigid with fear until she remembered that the principal was by her side and Kevin wasn't far away.“Don't worry, Lisa,” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You’ve got this. You can do this. Uncle Kevin has warned them off, there's nothing to be scared about anymore.”After the quick pep talk, she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders like her mom always teaches her to, and walked into the class.She passed a quick greeting to the teacher and walked to her seat, avoiding to look in her ex-bullies’ direction.
“Wow,” Kevin exclaimed. "That's great!” Vivian beamed."Which company is that?" Kevin asked.“Glikkle enterprise."The name Amy mentioned immediately rang a bell. Though not as big as the Mekin company, Glikkle enterprise was one of the big businesses right now."What a great way to begin the day.” Kevin smiled. “See that we're not doomed like Mr Ross, the manager of the Mekin company equivalent to the CEO of any other company, thought we'd be."Amy and Vivian laughed lightly. “We're not, boss.” Amy said, a smile plastered on her lips. “No one can stop the Print Odd from growing."“Now, that's the zeal. Let no one intimidate you just because the company is a start up.”“Yes, boss,” they chorused, insanely glad that they had a man like Kevin as their boss."So boss, when will you be free so I can book the appointment?”Kevin ruminated on her question for a while. “Tomorrow, by 12, will be fine."“Alright, boss. I'll go get started now."Kevin nodded as Amy walked out. He handed over
Kevin ended the call with Gideon. He was about to pull back on the road when his phone rang again.With his hands still on the steering wheel, he glanced back at the phone. The moment he saw the caller's ID, one of his hands fell from the wheel as he picked up his phone and answered the call.“Hello, boss, good morning.”"Lionel, good morning.”"I called to ask if you've heard from the guy, boss.”"Gideon? The one you suggested to handle the company in my absence, right?”"Yes, boss. We've talked, and I have actually given him a go-ahead. In fact, he has arrived in Landary province. He's in the country right now.”"Yes, I know that. I've heard from him. I actually just finished talking to him.”“Okay, then.”“Yeah, everything's alright. We've discussed a bit. He seems like a good guy. And I can see he's very interested in the role he'll be handling. That's a good start.”"Yes, boss. Once I told him, he accepted in a heartbeat.”Kevin chuckled lightly. "I'm not surprised.”“By the way,
“People need to learn to drive properly,” Kevin muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he slowed down and allowed a motorcycle to speed past the front of his car. If he had been driving as recklessly as the boy and kept up with his speed without being cautious, he'd have hit the ignorant boy. As he marched on the accelerator and returned to his initial average speed, his gaze followed the young boy on the motorcycle who had sped ahead. Kevin began to contemplate if he should go after the boy and reprimand him for his speed. He was on a packed highway; he should move with some sense and not just speed ahead because he feels adrenaline pumping through his body because he's on a power bike. Before Kevin could make up his mind, his attention was drawn from the motorcycle that was rapidly disappearing in the distance ahead; his phone rang out.With his gaze now on the road, he reached for his phone on the dashboard. He switched his attention between the road and his phone. Ashe c
“So that's all about the premises,” Jake said as they stepped out of the storeroom behind the Print Odd building. “As time goes on, you'll get used to the ins and outs of the building.""Thank you,” Howard said to Jake, grateful for the detailed tour. The Print Odd building was quite bigger than it looked. If Jake hadn't shown him around, he was sure to get lost someday.“So now, let's head up so I can introduce you to the two second most important people after the boss.”“Okay,” Howard said, then he added, guessing. "That would be the manager and…" He trailed off, and Jake didn't hesitate to fill in.“And his secretary. They basically run this place since the boss is always busy."Howard nodded as they made their way inside the main building. Jake first walked them toward Vivian's cubicle. And as luck would have it, as they approached, he saw that Amy was right there with her, hunched over Vivian's desk, both of their gazes glued to the system as she pointed at the desktop's screen,
Just as Kevin took a step in the direction of the parking lot, he came to an abrupt halt as a thought hit him. He turned around and walked back into the school building.He was headed for the principal's office, but then made a detour when he saw the principal in the hallway. He appeared to be in a serious conversation with someone as they walked farther down the hallway.“Principal,” he called to stop him since he was walking as he spoke with the man.The principal instantly stood straighter, immediately recognising the voice he had just come to know about half an hour ago. It was forever etched in his memory. He turned around and saw him walking toward him. “Mr. Kevin,” he smiled as he began to walk toward him, determined to reach him before he took more than three strides. He reached him just after Kevin took his second stride.“You came back," he said when he stopped before him. Did he return to accept the invitation to the end-of-the-year party? He wondered before Kevin could
“The right thing to do is to apologise to the person that you all offended. Who do you think is madder at you than I am right now?"Their eyes widened the same instant that one of them gasped, “Lisa!”At that moment, they all scrambled to their feet and raced one another outside the court, each wanting to be the first to apologise to Lisa.Kevin smiled as he watched them troop out of the door. He began to walk to the door so he could join them outside, turning the lights off on his way out.Outside, the kids were already in front of Lisa, apologising to her.Lisa and the principal gaped at them, wondering what Kevin had done to them.They even had smiles on their faces! Lisa squinted her eyes at them to see if their smiles were the evil ones they always gave her in class or the forced ones they flashed at her whenever there was a teacher around. But it wasn't! She couldn't believe her eyes; her bullies were genuinely smiling at her.The principal also looked at them, shocked but glad.
“Lord Phoenix," Lionel's voice filled the space. “Is there anything you need me to do for you?" Kevin smirked as he pointed his left index finger to his phone that he held in his right hand, "Do you hear that?"“What? Sorry, Lord Phoenix. I didn't get that.”Kevin took in the kids' reactions, their bugged eyes and open mouths. The girl who had her arms stubbornly crossed across her chest as she proved to be a badass just a few minutes ago now had her hands by her side, clutching her gown as she shivered with fear. She was the one that looked the most scared. It was true that the loudest was usually always the dumbest.Kevin scoffed, shaking his head.“Lionel,” Kevin finally acknowledged him. “Yes, boss?""I'd call you later,” Kevin told him, then he hung up.All of the kids shook with fear as they gaped at Kevin. They couldn't believe they were in the presence of the lord Phoenix.The lead girl and the tall boy who had both seemed the boldest and most fearless were the ones who trem