"You too sir." Suzan replied with a smile as she headed out. ***As the day opened up, the night surrenders to the first blush of dawn, a symphony of colors begins to paint the canvas of the sky. With each passing moment, the darkness recedes, giving way as the sun finally breaks free from the horizon, its warm embrace bathes the earth in a soft, ethereal light, awakening the world with promises of endless possibilities and new beginnings. A similitude of Ethan's new reality.The door creaks open as Suzan walked into the room. The thick Italian curtains refused to grant entrance to the rays of the sun that sought to penetrate into the room."Good morning sir." She greeted but got no reply.Walking up to the bed, she noticed he's still sleeping. Deeply for that matter."He must have been really tired." Suzan thought in her mind.Taking her eyes off him, she walked towards the curtains and pulled them open, finally releasing the rays of sun into the room.The rays illuminated the roo
Ethan waited for Paul to park the car, and when he was satisfied that the car was out of sight,he began to walk towards the extravagant building on foot.It was his choice to act this way and make everyone believe he was just a guy from the streets.After all, it would take some time getting used to this type of life. He could still remember theshock on Rebekah's face when she collected the key.Ethan scoffed. So what if he hadn't lied and told her the truth, would she have handled thetruth? Ethan shook his head. Rebekah would call him a liar unless there was evidence, andwhere would he have gotten the evidence from? The old man was probably asleep by that time.The guards would have taken it as a great opportunity to throw him out, as they have done tomany imposters. Rebekah said so herself that no one has ever been in the No. 1 Villa.No, Ethan concluded. If he had told her the truth without learning about some things, it may notend well. The guards could kill him, take th
He couldn't help but feel a bit out of place among the wealthy and well-connected guests.He tried to blend in, but he couldn't shake the feeling that all eyes were on him. Oh no! Thosefeelings were back. He began to make his way to his usual corner. The clinking of glasses andthe murmur of conversations seemed to echo in his ears, amplifying his sense of unease.Therewere overwhelming displays of wealth around him—the designer outfits, the sparkling jewelry,the air of entitlement that seemed to choke the air in the room.Ethan knew his presence here was wrong. All wrong.Just as he was about to retreat to a quiet corner, he heard a familiar voice.“Wait a minute, isn't that Ethan Anderson?”Ethan froze with his back turned to the source of the voice. He didn't dare turn.“Did you invite him?” Another person asked dryly.“Oh! It is really Ethan.” The familiar voice said in excitement. Footsteps rushed towards him.“Ethan! I'm so glad you could make it!"Summoning courage, Ethan p
Then she paused. “Ethan here was given a key to the No. 1 Villa.”“What?” Sheila nearly choked.“He stole it!” Sean concluded loudly and everyone else joined him. “He has always lied abouteverything. This is no different.”Ethan sat frozen in his seat. He had hoped for some support, some semblance of solidarity from Rebekah. But instead, she seemed content to dismiss him as a mere servant, unworthy of thesame respect and consideration afforded to the wealthy elite.“He works there as a servant.” The words came out of Rebekah's mouth like an abomination. “Iam not judging you Ethan.” She quickly added to Ethan's shock.Yeah, right. Ethan thought bitterly. He could clearly hear the judgment in her voice.“How? How did you rise to the position of a servant at the No. 1 Villa? Not even the presidentcan go there without an invitation.” Sheila snapped. She was really curious.“Actually, I earned my place there. I was helped by a powerful man…after helping him out withsomething…Look, yo
Ethan savored the last drop of the expensive wine, feeling warm as its richness trickled downhis throat and soothed his nerves. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell on the other sideof the bar, catching sight of his driver, Paul. What? His heart skipped a beat, hoping nobody elsehad noticed Paul there.With a furrowed brow, he made his way over. He had a lot of questions to ask. Ethanremembered specifically telling Paul not to be seen."Hi, Paul. Um... what are you doing here?" Ethan's voice trembled slightly as he glancedaround, checking for any prying eyes.Paul, who had noticed his nervous employer coming, feigned ignorance, pretending not torecognize Ethan. "Sir, you didn't expect me to leave you all alone..."Well, he is playing the part of ignoring me well, Ethan thought dryly. "I specifically told you not tocome here.”“You said I should keep the car out of sight.”“I meant everything! including you!” Ethan whisper-shouted as he could no longer take the calmwor
“Rise and shine, Master Ethan!” Suzan drew the curtains to the side, causing Ethan to burroweven further into his pillow.“Mmph..” Ethan grumbled, he wasn't ready to be up yet.Suzan busied herself with collecting Ethan's night snack indulgence. Feeling overwhelmed, shecalled for assistance and soon enough, Ethan's room became noisy.Ethan could no longer sleep and once he woke up, he realized it was his fault as he sleepilywatched two men clean his room judiciously. “What is going on?”Suzan raised a piece of chips. “Heric and Herin are cleaning your room.”“When did I..?” His words trailed off as bits of last night came to him. Ethan groaned. Last nighthad been quite eventful as he woke up hungry and thirsty. Somehow, he had found his way tothe fridge, opened it and stared for a few seconds. It was stocked to the brim. Ethan took thethings he could see, tore it open and munched on each of them heavily. All through this, he wasgrateful he wouldn't go out at night to look for
Ethan entered the dining room, greeted by the aroma of freshly prepared breakfast. He met theold man taking a cup of coffee. He took his seat at the far end of the dining table. It didn't takelong for the old man to notice him. His eyes crinkled with warmth as he looked up at Ethan.“Good morning, Master Ethan.” He nodded respectfully. “I trust you slept well?"Ethan returned the greeting with a polite nod, taking his seat at the table. "Yes, thank you".What's on the agenda for today?" he asked, eager to make the most of his time at the No. 1Villa. There must be a thousand things to learn today.The old man didn't disappoint. He took a moment to sip his coffee before clearing his throat, hisexpression serious yet kind.Ethan held his breath."Before you are formally introduced to the company, there are a few important things you shouldlearn." He paused as if to organize his thoughts before beginning to list the crucial lessonsEthan needed to grasp.“Well, that is what I am her
Paul took the wheel, expertly maneuvering the car out of the driveway and onto the open road.It had been a bright day, Ethan noticed, and the compliment the old man gave him was enoughto make his day. Back in school, he always came out first in everything, breeding hatred amonghis classmates. He became a target for bullies, and with no one to help him, he turned to theMafia Boss for assistance. Ethan bit the insides of his cheeks, wondering when the Mafia Bosswould come for his added interest. There was something the old man didn't know.He didn't know that a debt couldn't be settled with money.Money wasn't enough to buy his freedom, Ethan reasoned. He knew the gangsters would misshim, but not in a good way. They could barge into his new life, expecting a warm welcome, andwhen Ethan failed to provide it, they could kill him.It was that bad. Ethan concluded that to safeguard his things, he must be alert."What's on your mind?" the old man inquired.Ethan squirmed uncomforta