CHAPTER 008

“Dog!!!! Freaking dog! How dare you slap me?” Steve was startled, the unexpected slap caused chills to rush down his bloodstream. He froze on the floor where the weight of the slap landed him while massaging his cheeks vigorously.

He had never imagined an ordinary pauper would have the temerity to lay a finger on him, talk more give him a dirty slap in his own space for that matter. Ashley supported him up while wiping dust off his designer's pants.

Although he was the one who opted for the slap to humiliate Ken, unfortunately, the tables turned and he got slapped instead. It was indeed humiliating to be slapped in front of his fiancée and staff. With shame and rage burning through his eyes, he quickly yelled,

“Security! Security! Get this bastard arrested at once.” He barked pointing in Ken's direction, he wondered what gave Ken the confidence to humiliate him in his abode. 

That was an elevated kind of confidence if I may say. Although Ken was always highly charismatic even when he had nothing, so it wasn’t entirely shocking.

“If I were you I would just run away, for your sake and the sake of our son,” Ashley whispered to Ken. But Ken's demeanor remained unreadable till the security guard approached him. 

Just as they were about to cuff him, Ken’s butler and some of his private security stormed the store. Ken had already pre-informed them when Steve was blabbing on the ground, so he remained calm like a king and watched how everything unfolded.

“Emperor Greg!” They all bowed ninety degrees with one arm behind their back. “Who did you say accused you of stealing, my Lord?” The butler asked respectfully. Ken used his eyes to show them the manager, his name fully written on the crest attached to his jacket, which made it easier for them to deal with him.

“He ruined the shopping spree for me and my bloodline!”Ken stated.

On the other hand, Steve and the manager burst into uncontrollable laughter, wondering what kind of Chinese action movie was going on in the shopping mall.

“Nice acting though, who are these puffed funny-looking wrestlers you called to your defense?” Steve scoffed. “If you like, summon the champions from WWE, it won’t stop me from dealing with your sorry ass.” Steve mocked, his eyes still red from laughter and pain from the slap.

RING!!!

There was an absolute trail of silence when the manager's phone suddenly rang, he stared with uncertainty in his eyes as he picked up the phone. After some seconds, his eyes dropped and the look on his face suddenly changed.

His legs trembled from weakness,a large clog on his throat as he struggled to breathe. He immediately fell to his knees and bowed his head to the floor as he started wailing.

“Forgive me, sir! Pardon me! I’m only doing my job.” He cried, holding tightly to Ken’s foot refusing to let go.

Steve ogled in disbelief wondering why his employee was kneeling before a commoner. Even if he were to kneel before anyone, it should be him and not Ken.

“You fool! Why are you kneeling before the thief? Who called you? This is my company and only I have the right to dismiss my workers, if you don’t get up at once you will lose your job!” Steve commanded, his chest pumping up and down in anger and bruised ego.

“Sir, I can’t stand up.” He sobbed, still kneeling before Ken. “It was your father who had called me, he said I’m fired!” The manager stated.

“What? My father? Impossible!”

“He said I accused a superior and a potential partner of stealing, who else did I accuse of theft if not this nobleman standing before us here?” He cried bitterly, tears and mucus flooded his face.

Ken was startled, but he didn’t show it. He never knew he possessed such powers and it was indeed getting very interesting. Making him smile with elevated ego.

“Ohh you finally agreed you accused me of stealing. You insulted me in front of my little son, you’re doomed.” Ken stated calmly, dragging his foot from his grip as he ordered his security to push him out of the mall.

“Please sir, don’t take me away! I have a pregnant wife and seven kids…..”

His voice declined while Ken's private security dragged him out of the shopping mall, with Steve’s security looking powerless but stern.

“Who the hell do you think you are to chase an employee of mine out of my shopping mall?” Steve stated angrily, his tone cracky with a bruised ego.

"Find out from tor father." Ken replied sarcastically. Following a mocking laughter.

“Your shopping mall, you say? Was that the lie you told your gold digger fiancée before she broke out of her home to be with you?” Ken turned to Ashley. “I honestly thought you were smart, you got fooled by an overgrown daddy’s puppet.” He mocked.

“I’m my father's only son, this company is mine as much as it’s my dad's.” Steve defended while picking up his phone that was already ringing from his pocket.

“Hello, father! I was about to call you. Why on earth would you sack my manager without consulting me first?” Steve asked, his hands trembling in anger as he held onto the phone.

“Apologize to the Emperor you offended, it’s for the company’s good. Failure to do that, we might just lose everything.” His dad responded from the other end of the line, his voice cold as ice.

"Emperor? I can't see any here!"

“I would rather suck toes than apologize to this pauper! I would never and he doesn’t have the power to do anything. I’m not scared of him.” Steve retorted, clenching his jaw in anger and a touch of disbelief.

“Hold on a sec son, I just got a mail.” 

The silence was very loud as Steve waited for his father to come back to the line, he wished all this revelation was a movie so he could still exert superiority over Ken.

“Bad news son,” He paused and took a deep breath. “You’re fired, I’m sorry, it’s a command from the superior. I just got the memo.”

Steve’s eyes widened in shock. “Fired? But Dad we own the company, how am I fired?” Steve asked, fear beginning to well up in his countenance.

“I own the highest share of 40%, but the other shareholders just sold their shares of 60% to the Emperor, so he has the highest share and is the owner of the shopping mall as we speak. They sent a memo to get you out of your position in the company as soon as possible.” His father revealed.

Steve immediately hung up the call, his eyes red and teary. He didn’t know where to begin. Ken acted calm even though he was also shocked, his heart was filled with merriment and joy, and he had never been more excited about karma in his whole life.

However, Ashley swallowed painfully while she watched in disbelief, her countenance immediately changed, and she wondered if she had made the greatest mistake of her life by divorcing her ex-husband.

“What the hell is going on with Ken, is he really rich? Or is he playing a huge prank on us? If It was a prank, why did Steve’s dad fire the manager after a phone call was made? No way!” Ashley kept muttering to herself in furrowed brows as she suddenly became restless.

She quickly poked Steve on his shirt signaling him to start pleading, but the ego in Steve made it quite difficult to beg after saying so many derogatory words to Ken.

“Emm….” Steve cleared his throat, his lips quivering tremendously. “Look man, I’m sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me.” He flared his nose, unable to maintain eye contact.

“Is that how you beg for your job back? I guess you aren’t serious.” Ken turned to one of his security, “Get my bloodline from the reception.” He commanded and turned back to Steve.

“Before I consider you, you would lick the feet of the one you ruined his day, my son! You would kneel and lick his foot, after which you bow to him a hundred times before I might even consider you.” Ken stated, an evil smirk playing on his lips.

“What?!” Steve’s pupils dilated.