Jonathan's heart sank as his wife's voice echoed through the spacious living room. She stood in front of him, her lips curling into a mocking smile as she reminded him once again.
"Don't forget, Jonathan, the land and the house are in my name. A little pre-marriage gift from you, remember? You built this house for me with your own hands." She laughed in a mocking manner. Each word she spoke felt like a dagger twisted into his heart. He had poured his sweat, blood, and love into constructing this home, believing it would be their sanctuary. Now, the very walls that once symbolised their shared dreams seemed to mock him. The thought of his wife living there with her lover was almost too much to bear. It wasn't just about the property; it was about the betrayal, the loss of everything he had worked so hard for. Jonathan laughed so much that tears gathered in his eyes. The lawyer who had already settled himself on the sofa urged him to sign the divorce agreement quickly. "Let's get this over with, Mr. Jonathan. The sooner you sign, the sooner you can move on. There is nothing you can do to win this." Jonathan sighed, he picked up the document and scanned through the agreement with a heavy heart. His eyes seemed blurred until his eyes landed on the last clause. His heart shook as he read it, he felt as if he was seeing something else, so he read it over and over again. "What the hell is this?" He roared in anger. The clause had stated that the full custody of their daughter would be granted to his wife and furthermore, he was obligated to pay the sum of $10,000 child support monthly. "Impossible, I'm not going to let my daughter anywhere near her. I'm keeping my daughter. I'm never letting Sarah raise my child, not after what she did!" Jonathan spat angrily. Williams the lawyer shook his head and said flatly, "You have to, your daughter here will do better in her mother's custody and you can't win this because you have no experience in raising a child due to a few reasons, one of them is your financial status." "But with your daughter in her custody, this will push you to work harder to deliver on the monthly child support payment. So you see, this will do you more good and trust me if you wish to fight it, you would lose out! This is the best you can do right now and when she becomes of age, she can decide where she wants to go." He ended his words firmly. A wave of anger surged through him. He had always been the more responsible parent, the one who prioritised their child's well being above all else. His wife had become a stranger, someone more interested in her own pleasures than in nurturing their family and the lawyer was giving him a bullshit excuse using his financial status. He felt more sad because he didn't have enough funds to hire a lawyer and fight this case. All of the money he got, he channelled into the well being of his family including borrowing loans. The part that enraged him the most was the child support. All he could think of was his wife squandering the money he would suffer to make to buy extravagant gifts and go on luxurious trips with her lover. He was not reconciled to that. That was the biggest insult ever. Jonathan went on to say, “How could you suggest I leave my daughter in the care of a cheating mother? That would mar her thinking as a child. I'm afraid she would be raised wrongly. I know you are her lawyer, but put yourself in my shoes, you are a man too." “I understand your plight sir, but what's your evidence that my client here cheated?" The lawyer asked and Sarah snickered in response. Jonathan rushed to get the doctor's report. “This is solid evidence that she cheated," he remarked, giving the attorney the white sheet. William looked at the paper shortly. “Not strong enough for evidence. This would fall apart in court." Jonathan's mouth fell open. “You don't have to worry too much, Mr. Gray. The shared properties with your wife would go to you immediately the divorce is sealed. Just sign the divorce papers, that's the best you can do in this situation." the lawyer, William advised in a comforting tone. All this while, Sarah stared into thin air, looking undaunted with a look of indifference. Jonathan slammed the agreement down on the table, his face flushed with fury. "This is outrageous! She can't have full custody of our daughter. She's not fit to be a mother! And ten thousand dollars a month? That's not child support; it's an infidelity fund! It's a day time fucking scam." Sarah, however, saw their daughter being in her custody as her long term meal ticket, a means to live comfortably without having to work for the rest of her life. This was only possible as long as she had custody and substantial child support coming in. Her eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a smirk. "Oh, Jon, don't be so dramatic. This is about what's best for our daughter. Would you deny our daughter the best for your own selfish reasons? Who better to raise her than her mother." "Best for our daughter?" Jonathan barked, unable to contain his anger. "She deserves a stable home, not a mother who puts her lover before her child and you don't deserve to be her mother. I won't sign this. Never." The argument escalated, their voices rising. In the midst of their heated exchange, they heard a small, frightened voice from the hallway. Their daughter stood there, wide eyed and clutching the expensive Barbie doll that Sarah's alleged lover had given her. Seeing that alone hurt Jonathan so much inside. "Mommy? Why are you yelling?" Hazel asked.CHAPTER FIVEThe atmosphere in the living room was tensed up as Jonathan stood across his wife and Williams, the lawyer. Hazel's appearance had halted the argument.Jonathan looked at his daughter, small and innocent. He knew discussing about divorce in front of his daughter could have an emotional impact on her and hurt her. He was unwilling to do that. So he took a deep breath and reached out to his daughter. He opened his arms, ready to comfort her with a hug but before he could move, she looked at him, then looked at Williams the lawyer and finally her gaze settled on her mother.There was a moment of hesitation on Hazel's face, but then, to Jonathan's surprise, his daughter ran towards the lawyer, wrapping her small arms around his legs. "Daddy!" she cried out, her voice filled with joy. Hazel remembered this uncle who often came to her house, he would buy her many toys and her mother told her to call him "Daddy". She also didn't forget he got her the expensive Barbie doll for h
Jonathan had never felt such a potent mix of shock and rage. Upon hearing the news, his vision darkened, and his knees threatened to give way. Williams' arrogant expression only ignited his fury. In a moment of anger, Jonathan stepped forward, punching Williams to the ground, as he clasped his neck and tightened his grip around it. William gasped and tried to grab Jonathan's hands off, but Jonathan's strength, born of sheer wrath, overpowered him. Just when it seemed like Jonathan might snuff the life out of Williams, a sharp pain exploded at the back of his head. His wife, Sarah shattered a flower vase against his head, causing his grip to slacken as he fell to the side, dazed. Williams gasped for air, as he looked at Jonathan with fear. He had just escaped a life and death moment.It did not take long for the police to arrive and they quickly handcuffed Jonathan. His wife accused him of internationally harming Williams and nearly committing murder. Of course, this was expected
Jonathan was taken aback and surprised to see the old man. He recognized the old man instantly—Butler Solomon, the head steward of the Powerful Gray family from the capital. Memories flooded back of a time when he was the young master of the Gray family, living a life of privilege and expectation.After greeting Jonathan, Butler Solomon's eyes scanned the room, his expression one of barely concealed displeasure. He moved with a dignified grace, each step echoing in the hushed station. His displeased expression made the police chief as beads of sweat started forming on the police chief's brow, hastily speaking, his voice shaky with nervousness. "We are already done, we will release him now."If the police chief knew Jonathan had such connections, he would never have kept Jonathan here. It was better to offend Williams than to offend Jonathan who had such powerful connections."Let's go," Butler Solomon said simply, his tone brooking no argument as he led Jonathan outside the cell.Outs
Jonathan's father gestured to the doctors to step out. Once they did, they shut the door behind them. The room was still as silence eroded it like a virus.Jonathan sat across from his father but said nothing. His father looked at him with a soft and gentle expression. This was something he had never seen before.Jonathan's father took a deep breath, his voice trembled as he spoke."Son!" He paused and continued after taking another deep breath, "I have made many mistakes in my life. I haven't been a good father to you. I've been distant and harsh. I'm sorry for everything. I want you to know, I have always loved you. I'm sorry I'm saying this now."Jonathan felt a lump form in his throat. He was overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions. He had longed to hear these words. Hearing them being spoken now untied a knot that had been in his heart for so long.Silence engulfed the room again. After a short while, Jonathan spoke up, "I forgive you, Dad. I never heard it against you. I just want
Jonathan's father asking him this really surprised him. Three years ago, it had been a warm evening when Jonathan had last seen Precious. She had stood on the balcony of her family’s residence , her delicate frame silhouetted against the fading light, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and sorrow. Precious was a real epitome of beauty, she was smart and intelligent and she had been his fiancée, chosen not just by the will of their families but by the undeniable current of fate. Jonathan and Precious had grown up together, they shared the same elite circle, wealth, tradition and expectation. When it was time to fulfil that expectation, Jonathan chose a rebellious path and ran away. He ran away not just from Previous but from the life whom he saw as a cage. He wanted to make his own choices. Of course, he found what he wanted, a life of freedom, passion and a life lived on his own terms. However, deep within him, guilt ate him up. He had left Precious to bear the brunt of their enga
Just at that moment, Jonathan remembered who she was. No wonder, she felt familiar. The woman was a former colleague known at the office for her striking beauty. Despite the fact that she kept a low profile, she had a soft voice and was well mannered which made her very popular.Though they had both worked in the same company for years, Jonathan and her had never been close. He had always maintained a respectful distance from women being mindful of his marriage. His ex wife was harsh so he made it a point to avoid being close to any female colleague. Another thing that made him make such a decision was the love he had for her as such he wouldn't want to do anything to make her sad or angry.However, today was different. He didn't need to keep his distance from other women and he couldn't also just leave his former colleague who was in trouble. He was not a saint but he also had a heart. Without hesitation, Jonathan got closer and threw his foot forward striking the man's side, sendi
The manager’s words had barely left his mouth when Jonathan stepped forward and delivered a stinging slap across his face. The sharp slap echoed in the office, silencing the manager and leaving him stunned. The security guards, witnessing the audacity of the act, tensed up, ready to spring into action. But before they could make a move, Jonathan fixed them with a cold, piercing glare making them shudder. His eyes, hard as steel, communicated a silent but unmistakable threat—any attempt to intervene would be met with severe consequences.The security guards hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances, unsure whether to risk confronting this formidable figure. This was the first time someone had dared act arrogantly in Blue Net Group and also made them feel a little fear.Jonathan didn't pay attention to any of them and reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Calmly, he dialed a number, bringing the phone to his ear with an air of complete confidence.“Get him on the line,” Jona
The sudden switch of events made everyone present stunned as they all tried to comprehend what was happening. “What's going on?” The directors whispered amongst themselves as they kept their gaze fixed on Daniel and Jonathan. “That's enough now.” Jonathan said, holding Daniel’s shoulder as he made him stand upright. “I’m sorry about what happened, please let this slide.” He bowed his head again. This time around, the directors had no choice but to follow suit though they were still clueless.“Isn't he Jonathan?” Maria whispered to another colleague standing next to her. “Yeah. But… I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.” Tracy whispered back. Shutting her eyes, she placed her fingers on both sides of her head and then began to massage it, trying to calm herself. A few seconds later, she snapped her eyes open only to see Jonathan still in his former position. “I'm not dreaming. It's indeed Jonathan.” She mumbled, her gaze not leaving him for a second. They weren't the onl