From Squalor To Splendor

Chapter 10

After smiling at him, Justin removed his hand from Liam's shoulder. Ready to begin the game, he slid both of his hands into his pockets.

He sighed and then walked back to his seat and sat down, crossing his leg against the other as two bodyguards stood behind him with their hands tucked behind them.

He started."Explain this riddle to me. You have the chance to keep getting contracts from my father's business if you answer the question correctly, which means you won the game. On the other hand, your company's name will be removed from the list if you fail. Are you prepared?"

"I am," Liam replied, nodding.

"Good boy," Justin remarked. He began. “ What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs at night? You can go ahead and answer.”

Liam stood speechless, trying to figure out what the riddle was all about. It was his first time hearing a riddle like this.

"Are you lost?" Justin mockingly inquired.

Liam remained silent as he continued to think about a thousand things at once.

Nobody offered to help because they knew Justin would not let them.

After thinking for a long time and not understanding what the riddle meant, Liam gave up and stopped punishing himself for thinking about something for which he would not get an answer even if he was given a week.

"Sir, I have no answer for this riddle because I have never heard of it before," Liam admitted, surprising Justin.

Justin was not surprised because Liam had no idea what it meant, but he was taken aback because Liam addressed him as "Sir."

Justin dropped his leg and then stood up. He approached Liam and stood a few inches away from him.

He chuckled and then proceeded to explain. " The riddle refers to the various stages of life: childhood, adolescence, and old age. Infants crawl on four legs, adults walk on two legs, and the elderly walk with the assistance of a cane, or "third leg." Justin smiled at Liam after saying that.

He started walking around Liam, his hands tucked behind his back.

"Liam, growth is unavoidable. Whether you accept it or not, there will come a time when you will need that third leg to walk as you age. However, this riddle is about more than just growth; it is also about what people go through daily. Just because someone appears to be poor today does not preclude him from becoming wealthy tomorrow. Life is funny in that you never know who will help you tomorrow because life is unpredictable." Justin finally stopped in front of Liam.

He gave him an evil smile and turned his head to look at Charlotte, who was standing next to him.

"Charlotte, take his company name off the list," Justin gave the order.

“Yes, boss,” Charlotte responded and quickly did what she was asked to do.

Liam was dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. His income from the Transcorp Group of Conglomerates was well known to him. Now, everything ended suddenly and abruptly in a matter of seconds.

Diana, on the other hand, was upset that her friend was being humiliated in front of others and wished she could assist, but she was having trouble doing so.

Diana made an effort to remain silent, but she could not help but beg Justin.

“Sir, for my sake, please give him a second chance. This business had been a great assistance to him. He might not say it, but I know it will be tough for him to get such a company as yours to partner with them.” Charlotte cried out.

“You didn't bother to ask me why, huh?” Justin cast a scowl her way. “ This man here was the one who snatched my girlfriend from me and still sacked me from my work for no reason. His guards beat me mercilessly for doing nothing. Do you know how that hurts, huh? Do you have any idea how I felt when I was insulted and despised? In fact, because of what he did to me, I should not have been so nice to him." Justin spoke in a hoarse voice.

He quickly moved his gaze to where Isabella was sitting.

"This lady here who I called my girlfriend, the lady who I go through a lot just to provide for her, and her mom dared to cheat on me with Liam," he said, pointing at her. "She ended our relationship without taking into account what I had done for her family."

“Wait, what?” Diana muttered and quickly asked Liam. “ Liam, is this true? How could you do that?”

He kept his head down, trying not to look at Diana, who was reprimanding him.

Given how long they have known one another, it would be difficult for any of them to remain silent in the face of sadness in the other.

Liam was assisted by Diana in forming a partnership with the Transcorp Group of Conglomerates. The young man who had expressed interest in dating her was hurting her friend, which was unfortunate to witness.

Diana, however, lost the person she would later stand by after learning that Liam and Justin were rivals.

It would be difficult for her to obey Justin, of course, since she knew that if they dated, he would not let her get closer to Liam.

“Take your fiancé and get out of my house!” Liam shuddered a little at Justin's strong words.

Isabella dropped to her knees and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Sir, please... It was a mistake. I would like to be your girlfriend again, please. I promise not to betray you again. I know I have wronged you, but please have mercy on me..." She cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“The two of you should get out of my house and never should you think of coming to me again. I hate everything about you, Isabella. I gave you my heart, but you took it to the sky, letting it slip through your fingers, fall to the ground, and shatter into a thousand pieces. What makes you think I will trust someone like you again? I would be a fool to trust you again. Now, get out of my house!” With rage, Justin spat out every word.

Every single thing that occurred was documented by the media team and made public.

The highest level of embarrassment. If it had only been seen by those present at the party, that would have been preferable, but it was seen by everyone.

Isabella persisted in begging for mercy even after she was told to leave.

Liam, on the other hand, remained silent since he knew Justin would not listen to him, not even if he begged for forgiveness. And anyway, he was not prepared to beg for pardon.

“Xander…!” Justin screamed the chief guard's name.“ don't you know your job, huh? Take these two idiots out of my present immediately!

"Yes, sir," in response, Xander hurriedly asked his colleagues to eject Liam and Isabella from the mansion.

Unfortunately, Liam came with his guards, but the security of Hemsworth's estate stopped the guards from following their boss to Mr. Hemsworth's mansion. Outside the estate gate, they were biding their time until their boss returned.

Mr. Hemsworth gave the estate security instructions not to let anyone enter the estate with his guards unless he gave the go-ahead.

The president of the nation, who occasionally visits Mr. Hemsworth, is the only person, though, who is unaffected by the guards.

Just as the guards were about to push Liam out of the house, he announced to Justin, “Money is not everything, Justin. Though you may believe you are getting back at me for what I did to you, you will come to me for assistance tomorrow. You must be aware that life is unpredictable, of course. So, you never know who might come through for you the next day. Even if you are currently the richest person on earth, you must one day ask for help from someone. Fear my return, Liam Hemsworth!”