It was a cool evening at Beckerley University. The sky was painted in hues of pink and orange as the sun set behind the horizon. The air was cool and light, and there was a gentle breeze blowing, rustling through the leaves and creating a soothing sound. Kyle Hughes was resting in one of the open spaces near the university hall. He was scheduled to deliver a paid assignment to Cian, a senior colleague and a campus big guy who never really cares about his education. It’s one of the many things Kyle has had to do in order to sustain himself and pay his college fees. He was a popular figure on campus but for all of the wrong reasons. If anyone needs an errand boy, a quick fix to sort out their mess, or even a cleaner, Kyle is their go-to person. After about half an hour of rest, Kyle got up and started walking towards the university hall where he’s scheduled to meet Cian. He would deliver the assignment to Cian and go straight to the university library to meet his girlfrie
“Beth, stop!” Kyle called out. “Say something Beth,” Lewis whispered.Beth pulled back from Lewis and turned in the direction of Kyle. “Who are you?” she asked, giving Kyle a stern look. “What do you mean? It's me Kyle,” said Kyle, looking surprised. “Kyle? I see. Well I don't know you. All I know is that you're a poor boy who can't even feed himself. I heard that from a couple of girls around,” Beth said, laughing. Lewis’ approach gave her the confidence to lash out at Kyle with full firepower. She didn’t hold back one bit. “You can't even pay your bills without asking anyone for support.“ she added. Lewis’ words did not hurt Kyle much because he’s used to being talked down to and made to feel like nobody but Beth’s words pierced through Kyle’s skin like arrows. He could not believe that a lady he has been dating for 4 years could switch up on him just like that.“Beth means the world to me. I won't go down without a fight,” Kyle thought to himself. Beth, we both know Lewis
“Kyle! Kyle!!,” some voices called out from outside the room. Kyle was resting on his bed when he heard the voices. He was hesitant at first but the calls were soon followed by some knocks on the door.so he had no other option than to get out of bed. He dragged his feet to the door and his roommates Nathan and Callum appeared. Upon seeing them, Kyle’s mood was lifted and his face beamed with smiles. It was around 8pm on the clock and Kyle just wished he didn’t wake up from that sleep. The events of the last few hours replayed in his head as if they were happening all over again. The most prominent voice in his head was Beth’s. He could hear her repeat the words “You can't even pay your bills without asking anyone for support”. Beth didn’t lie, but she didn’t have to spread Kyle’s dirty linen in public. Throughout their 4-year relationship, Kyle was always at her beck and call, doing everything humanly possible to please her but it just was never enough. The only real issue
Kyle’s jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief, as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through his veins leaving him momentarily stunned. He proceeded to read the text message again, this time more carefully.“Congratulations Mr Kyle Hughes. You have been shortlisted as one of the winners of our BrooksMillions weekly lottery. Please contact the number below for more information on how to redeem your $1,000,000 reward. Cheers!”“$1,000,000? How? BrooksMillions? Where?” Kyle had many questions but there was no one to answer him. He read the text message time and again and still could not believe he was now $1,000,000 richer.For a poor boy who was still trying to get his life together, $1,000,000 is a lot of money.He wanted to call the provided number but he decided to wait until the next morning to do that as it was already late and it would be unwise to call anyone at that time of the day.“With this money I can set myself up and start afresh. I can invest into a big business
The next day, Kyle jumped out of bed at exactly 6am. He could barely sleep throughout the night. He was rich and wild thoughts wandered through his mind. He walked up to his old, shabby wardrobe, picked up a nice shirt, his best and ironed it neatly. He rushed through his morning routine and was set to head out when Callum called out to him. “Hey Kyle. Where are you rushing to this early?” “I’m sorry for not telling you about it yesterday. I called BrooksMillions’ support line yesterday and I was told to come to their head office today to sign some documents and redeem my prize,” Kyle responded. “Wow! You mean you’ll be worth $1,000,000 when next I set my eyes on you?” asked Callum. “Yes sir!” Kyle returned. Can I leave now?” he asked hurriedly. “As your lordship pleases,” Callum replied and they both said their goodbyes. Kyle brought out his phone and checked the address again. He only had a tenner and the distance was trekkable so he got off and in fifteen minutes, he arrived
Dejected, Kyle was walking on the road with strange thoughts in his heart. He just kept on walking unconsciously and was deep in thought. He walked onto the major road and two cars were fast approaching. It was a gang of kidnappers trailing their target at full speed. With their target getting away, the kidnappers started shooting sporadically to cause a distraction and slow down their target. The sound of the gunshots made Kyle snap out of his thoughts and he realized what was happening.At first, his survival instincts prompted him to run to safety but as he turned to look at the scene one more time, he saw a man in his early 70s in the car being chased down. Apparently, he was the target of the kidnappers and they were closing in on as their distraction tactic worked as they had planned. “I have to save this man,” Kyle said to himself and returned to the scene. Kyle had a solid background in self-defence training as it was one of the requirements to get into Beckerley Universi
About 24 hours later, the old man went back to the hospital to check on Kyle. “I see you have responded to treatment really well. The doctor said you will be discharged tomorrow and I would like to make a proposal,” the old man began. “What proposal? Let me hear it,” Kyle replied. The old man adjusted his seat and continued, “I would like to invite you to eat dinner at my house and if you want to, you can spend the weekend with me. You have done me a huge favour and it would be unwise of me not to appreciate that.” “You don’t have to feel indebted to me in any way, sir. Whatever I did the other day, I did it out of goodwill,” Kyle replied. “If we’re to get along together, you should learn not to say no to my proposals. I insist,” the old man stated. “Alright then, if you insist,” Kyle admitted. “But how do I get to your house? I only had a tenner left in my pocket and after the events of the other day, I can’t say for sure if I still have it,” he added. “Not to worry boy, one
That night, Kyle was back in the same situation he was in some days ago, this time with a layer of experience and experience, as they say, is the best teacher. He still wasn’t 100% sure about this whole thing because the BrooksMillions stunt was still fresh in his memory. One thing was different this time though. In a way, he actually earned this money unlike BrooksMillions’ where he just received a text message without any previous effort. Also, this time, he’s had a taste of Sir Kirby’s wealth and from what he’s seen so far, this may actually be the real deal. He was put in a luxurious room, one of the best Kyle has ever been in his whole lifetime. The walls were exquisitely adorned with gold crusts and paintings from some of the world’s best artists. “Is this heaven?” Kyle asked himself. Something caught his attention somewhere in his room. It was a cellphone carefully placed on the centre table in the room. He walked up to the centre table and picked it up, checking it out lik
“You really think you can humiliate me and get away with it, eh? You must be joking,” Lewis added. The scenes from the fundraising event were still fresh in his memory. His father has always protected and defended him but for the first time ever, he was humiliated and his father coud not defend him. “How dare you go head to head with me?” Lewis thundered and slapped Kyle heavily. Kyle tried to fight back but he was overpowered by Lewis’ men.Some minutes later, Beth was brought by some of Lewis’ men. She was surprised to see Kyle tied to an old air-conditioner.“What is this good-for-nothing guy doing here? He isn’t worth our time and attention,” she said and spat on him.“I know he isn’t worth our time and attention but after what happened at the fundraising event the other day, it is only right that I show him who the boss is. I am Lewis Harrison and no one on this campus can dare to have a go at me. I will make an example of this brat,” Lewis bragged."Sounds about right," Beth sa
“What do you mean by that, please?” Kyle asked, becoming increasingly frustrated by what was going on.“I’m sorry but we couldn’t verify your identity, sir. I’m afraid you are not Ashley Barnes. Maybe Millie (the receptionist) was right afterall. You are an impostor and I will hand you over to the right authorities. People like you should not be walking freely on the streets of our beloved city,” Mr Riley answered. He brought out his phone, dialled a number and some security officers appeared in the VIP lounge.“I think I will just call my dad,” Kyle said. He picked up his phone and called Dr Barnes severally but he could not get through to him. “How did that go?” Mr Riley asked but Kyle was too ashamed to answer.Disappointed, Kyle pleaded with Mr Riley to let him leave the bank and come back later, probably with his Dad to prove that he isn’t an impostor. Just then, a thought struck him and he turned back to Mr Riley.“Can we try the identification process again?” Kyle asked.“I’m
The following morning, a new life began for Kyle Hughes, or maybe Ashley Barnes. Both names were his anyway but he preferred Kyle Hughes as it’s what he’s known all his life. Life surely wasn’t the same again but some things still have to be done and one of them is completing his first degree at Beckerley University.He had to go to the university that morning to complete some formalities so he freshened up and got ready to leave. He wanted to inform Sir Kirby or one of his parents about his movements but to his surprise, they had all converged in the main lounge as if waiting for someone.“Good morning mum, good morning dad, good morning grandpa” Kyle greeted.“Good morning boy. I hope you rested well?” Sir Kirby replied. “Yes, I did, sir. Thank you all for the warm welcome and for everything else. I’m actually heading out now and I was just coming to inform you,” Kyle said.“Heading out? Is anythng the matter?” Mrs Barnes asked, sounding a little worried.“Not at all, mum. I jus
The next day, Kyle got up as early as he possibly could. The night was short but memorable. He is really Ashley Barnes! He had people to call his family and a place to call home. He was really excited about the prospect of starting a new life, a type of life he’s always dreamed of and even more. Many hours later, after some moments of deep reflections and wide imaginations, Kyle heard a knock on the door of his room and went to attend to it. It was the personal bodyguard assigned to him the day before.“Hello sir. Your driver is here. It’s time to go home, sir” he said.“Thanks man. I’m all set too,” Kyle answered, grabbed his stuff and walked down to the car. By now Kyle was already used to seeing luxurious cars but this particular one was a new discovery. It had a custom number plate with the name BARNES boldly written on it. Its interior was even more exquisite. Kyle was completely stunned and he just couldn’t stop looking around throughout the ride down to the mansion.As they ap
Kyle finally gathered enough courage to look up and see what was left of the audience. He was surprised to see Dr Barnes sitting right before him.“Dr Barnes! You’re here. It’s so good to see you again,” Kyle remarked and proceeded to hug him.“Hello Kyle. How have you been? What are you doing here?” asked Dr Barnes.“It’s complicated, sir,” Kyle answered.“I understand things may be complicated but a shared problem is a solved problem. Grab a seat and let’s talk about it,” Dr Barnes said.“I’m sorry sir but I can’t do that. I’m here as a waiter and I won’t get paid if I’m caught slacking,” Kyle answered.“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. I will pay you four times whatever they promised to pay you,” Dr Barnes assured and got Kyle a seat.“Why are you here as a waiter? If I can remember clearly, you left the mansion with $4 million. What did you do with that? Don’t tell me you squandered $4,000,000 in 2 weeks,” Dr Barnes asked.“I deposited all the money in a savings account, sir.
“Open the wine and fill the glasses,” Lewis said to Kyle who was lost in thought and did not realize what was going on. Lewis saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike. He filled the glasses with wine and emptied them on Kyle’s head, jerking him back to reality.“Why did you do that?” Beth shouted and the attention of the entire hall was drawn to the scene. “Keep quiet. He wasn’t concentrating so I brought him back,” Lewis anwered unapologetically.“I’m sorry sir,” Kyle apologized and went to clean himself up. He felt offended but he wasn’t going to let Lewis get on his nerves because he knows Lewis has a history of getting on people’s nerves and playing the victim afterwards.The event continued as if nothing happened and everyone continued to have a good time.Kyle came back into the hall but was re-assigned to another wing to avoid a repeat of what happened. He caught wind of Beth walking towards the restroom and he went after her. A part of him still loved her so he thought he
“Ding, dong,” the doorbell rang and Sir Kirby got up to attend to it. It was Kate, one of his special attendants.“How may I help you, Kate?” Sir Kirby asked.“Someone is here to see you sir. He said he’s Dr Frappart from Evercare hospital,” Kate answered.“Dr Frappart?” Sir Kirby asked. “Please lead him to the main lounge and make him comfortable. I’ll join him there in a couple of minutes.”“Alright sir,” Kate replied and turned to do as she was instructed.After some minutes of waiting, Sir Kirby joined the doctor in the main lounge and they got talking.“Hello doctor,” Sir Kirby started.“Good day Sir. I apologize for disturbing your peace by this time of the day. There’s an issue that needs serious attention and that’s why I decided to come here myself to get it sorted,” said Dr Frappart.“I hope there’s no problem?” asked Sir Kirby.“Not at all sir. I’m here because of DNA tests that were conducted in our hospital some days back,” Dr Frappart replied.“Oh that? What’s the issue?”
Back in his room, Kyle kept thinking about the way things have turned out. Mrs Donovan (his nanny) was the human he trusted the most because she raised him since he was a kid until he left for the university. He didn’t know anything about his parents other than the ghastly accident story Mrs Donovan told him multiple times whenever he asked but it was all still very confusing for him. Mrs Donovan couldn’t have lied to him, could she? She also gave him an old picture of his parents and Dr and Mrs Barnes don’t look anything like them. “How is this even possible?” he thought to himself multiple times. After all was said and done, he fell asleep in his river of thoughts. The next day, Kyle was woken up by the repeating doorbell sound. One of the attendants was at the door. “Good morning Mr Kyle. Sir Kirby said to tell you to please get ready and join him in the dining hall. Breakfast is ready,” he said. “Good morning sir. Got it! I’ll join him soon,” Kyle replied and went back insid
That night, Kyle was back in the same situation he was in some days ago, this time with a layer of experience and experience, as they say, is the best teacher. He still wasn’t 100% sure about this whole thing because the BrooksMillions stunt was still fresh in his memory. One thing was different this time though. In a way, he actually earned this money unlike BrooksMillions’ where he just received a text message without any previous effort. Also, this time, he’s had a taste of Sir Kirby’s wealth and from what he’s seen so far, this may actually be the real deal. He was put in a luxurious room, one of the best Kyle has ever been in his whole lifetime. The walls were exquisitely adorned with gold crusts and paintings from some of the world’s best artists. “Is this heaven?” Kyle asked himself. Something caught his attention somewhere in his room. It was a cellphone carefully placed on the centre table in the room. He walked up to the centre table and picked it up, checking it out lik