RICHARD'S POVThe air was thick with tension as Alex and I faced off, the crowd's anticipation palpable. I could hear the murmurs of the onlookers, the whispered bets and the rustle of excitement. Alex smirked, his confidence evident. I could see why; he was a formidable opponent, and the club members clearly favored him. "Ready to lose, Richard?" Alex taunted, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Let's see who loses," I shot back, trying to mask my nerves with bravado. The referee called for us to begin. We began, and immediately, Alex took the upper hand. Alexander lunged first, his attack was sudden but predictable. I parried easily, our foils clashing with a sharp clang. His movements were swift, precise, leaving little room for me to counter. The crowd erupted in cheers for him and boos for me, their support a wave crashing against my resolve. "Come on, Richard! Don't make it so easy for him!" someone shouted, followed by mocking laughter. I gritted my teeth, focusing on Ale
RICHARD'S POVThe sun had already dipped down the horizon by the time I parked my car and walked towards the grocery store. I was really looking forward to getting home and putting my feet up after an exhausting day at the office. It had been a grueling day at work, filled with back-to-back meetings and endless paperwork. But now, as the automatic doors of the grocery store whooshed open and I stepped inside, my thoughts were on simpler things—like whether to buy whole grain or multi grain bread.My bodyguards, Tony and Marcus had just left to run a quick errand for me. They've been quite helpful ever since they were assigned to me by the government, as part of privileges that come with my new political office. The momentary freedom felt like a breath of fresh air.I was just about to grab a carton of milk when I heard a voice that I hadn’t heard in years. “Richard? Is that really you?” The voice was unmistakable: Debra. The last time I saw her, I was delivering clothes to her doorst
RICHARD'S POVDebra, sensing the tension, clung to my arm again, as if trying to stake her claim. I could feel my anger boiling beneath the surface. It took all my restraint not to lash out right then and there. Instead, I forced a tight-lipped smile in response, masking the seething resentment churning within me.Jenny's eyes flicked to Debra and then back to me, a flicker of hurt and confusion crossing her face. “Well, enjoy your dinner,” she said, her tone a bit colder than before. “Alex and I need to finish our shopping.”Alex's smirk widened, and he wrapped an arm around Jenny's shoulders. "Come on, Jen. We should get going.”As they walked away, I couldn't help but watch them, my heart aching with every step they took. Jenny looked back once, her eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before she turned away, leaving me standing there with Debra's arm still wrapped around mine.Once Jenny and Alex had left, I turned to Debra, my patience wearing thin. "You need to leave me alone, D
RICHARD'S POV I could barely focus on anything with all the distraction from the ongoing tension with Jenny. It consumed me so completely that I didn’t notice my stepbrothers, Jonathan and William creeping into my life like shadows. It wasn’t until I got the call from the hotel’s accounting department that I realized just how deep they had sunk their claws into me. They had been visiting the hotel, racking up a debt of over a million dollars. “A million dollars?” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I stared at the spreadsheet on my laptop. The numbers seemed to mock me, each one a slap in the face. “Yes, sir. They’ve been staying in our penthouse suite for months now, charging everything to the room,” the accountant explained, her voice nervous. She probably expected me to explode. But I didn’t. Not yet, anyway. I knew what I had to do. I had to confront them. And I had to do it now. The drive to their company was a blur, my mind racing with anger and disbelief. How could
RICHARD'S POV Steve fumbled with the files on his desk, his hands shaking. I leaned against the doorway, trying to keep my temper in check. This project was everything to me and seeing it sabotaged by some careless engineer was a bitter pill to swallow. He pulled out a binder and handed it to me. “Here, this has all the information.”I stretched my hand, but he recoiled his arm, withholding the documents.“You really think you can't trust me, Richard? After all my services? You think I'm using substandard materials?” Steve's eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on me, his lips curling into a sneer. “Do you realize what you are implying?”I took a deep breath, my eyes fixed on the engineer, as he tried to twist my words. "It's not about trust, Steve. I'm not implying anything, I just need to see the report. It's standard procedure." His face flushed red with anger. "Standard procedure? Don't give me that crap. This unnecessary suspicion of yours is becoming tiresome. You're questioni
RICHARD'S POVFinally, after a long day, I settled down with a glass of whiskey right after dinner, allowing the warmth of the amber liquid to soothe my weary soul. Sleep was calling me like an old friend, and my mind was already drifting towards the comfort of my bed when the soft chime of an incoming email interrupted my tranquility. With a sigh, I picked up my phone, expecting another boring work-related message. But as I opened the email, my heart skipped a beat. "Richard, m33t @ Rusty Nail. L8r than expctd. Urgent." The email was cryptic but clear enough. My contact, the engineer, was waiting for me at Rusty Nail, the bar where I had asked him to meet. I glanced at the time—it was already 10:30 PM. That was hours past the scheduled time, but something in the tone of the message made me uneasy. With a sense of urgency, I threw on a jacket. There was no time to waste.“Bernard!” I called out to my driver, my voice betraying the urgency I felt. “We need to head out. Now.”Bernard,
RICHARD'S POVThe morning sun barely kissed the horizon when I started my day. I sat at my office desk, the mountain of evidence Steve had handed over spread out before me. Each document, photo, and note was a piece of a puzzle that painted Vincent Armitage as more than just a shrewd businessman. He was a blackmailer, a man who thrived on others' miseries. As I sifted through the damning evidence, a wave of determination washed over me. I had to stop him. But first, I needed to understand every detail, every nuance of Steve’s plight. The office was quiet, the hum of the air conditioner the only sound breaking the silence. My mind raced with thoughts of what lay ahead, about how deep Vincent's influence might go. I had to stay focused, yet a gnawing feeling in my gut told me this was going to be more complicated than I anticipated. Just then, Jenny, my PA and confidante, walked into the room with her usual grace. Her eyes, always sharp, caught my troubled expression. “Richard, you lo
RICHARD'S POVThe moment I woke up, the Ultra Billionaire System pinged in my head, delivering today’s challenge: spend $10 million in 24 hours to receive a special skill. Easy enough. The first thing that came to mind was to buy a new car. My favorite one exploded recently—long story. Plus, I needed something flashy to signify that I was still in the game.“Let's get to the dealership,” I said, trying to sound confident.My lead bodyguard, Mark, nodded. “Yes, sir.”My bodyguards and I hopped into the black SUV. I felt paranoid, like eyes were everywhere. In the car, I kept looking over my shoulder. I scanned the streets, convinced someone was following us.The city passed by in a blur, but my mind was racing. I couldn't stop thinking about Vincent Armitage. He’d been blackmailing Steve, my top engineer, and now Steve's dead. Was he behind my car exploding? The thought made my blood boil.“Boss, the car dealership is ready for you,” one of my bodyguards informed me as we pulled up.I