CHAPTER FIVE
The 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 her birthday. Jonathan's mind shook. If he clearly didn't understand what was happening, then he was a fool to begin with. It was obvious the lawyer, Williams, was the mother's friend who visited their home, the Rich Daddy that Hazel had talked about. No one could feel how much pain he was in right now. Petrified, Jonathan felt a cold wave of realisation wash over him. The lawyer, standing there with a smug and arrogant expression, was not just a lawyer in profession but he had a profession of stealing people's wives; he was his wife's lover. Anger surged within Jonathan, as he clenched his fists, making crackling noises and was ready to punch him. Williams, sensing his intention, spoke calmly, "You should know, a man with a tendency for violence has no chance of winning custody. So go on, punch me, I will gladly take it." He chuckled at the end of his words . Jonathan was angry but he knew the lawyer was right. Withholding his punch, he turned to face his wife, the anger displayed fully on his face as he said, "Do you really think you deserve to raise her? As a mother, you instil bad ideas in your daughter's head. Your kind of lifestyle is also meant to corrupt her. You don't deserve to be raised, in fact you are unfit to be a mother." His wife, Sarah gave a mocking laugh and said with scorn, "Even if I want to leave her for you, do you think she would choose you? Pathetic!" Jonathan turned to face his daughter, all the anger that was shown on his face disappeared as he looked at his daughter with a soft, tender and hopeful gaze. He gently asked, "Sweetheart, don't you want to live with Daddy? We can go skating and have fun whenever you want." However, the response he received was like a dagger that pierced deep in his heart. Hazel shook her head as she said without any hint of hesitation, "I want to stay with mommy and rich daddy." Her words cut deep into him as it left him shocked and in deep pains. His wife had not only betrayed him but had also turned their daughter against him. Jonathan stared at his daughter, his vision blurring with tears gathering within his tears, however, he did not cry. He felt like the living room was closing in on him, every piece of furniture a witness to his crumbling world. He saw his daughter as the light of his life but at this moment, she was slipping away from him, influenced by the very people he hated. His wife who betrayed him and the smug lawyer. He wanted to reach out, to explain things and make her understand, but the innocence in her eyes had been tainted with confusion and manipulation. He had nothing left again once Hazel was gone. Hazel was his reason to keep living and fighting. The only thoughts that kept flowing through his mind were back when things were different, when everyone was happy. The times where he put his daughter to sleep by reading her bedtime stories, when they danced together, made jokes and laughed together. Those happy memories. Jonatham turned to his daughter, his heart shattering. “Sweetheart, please, don’t you remember all the good times we had? Remember last year when I took you to that park and we played all sorts of games. When we went camping, remember how I taught you to catch fishes and you were so happy catching your first fish. Don’t you want to stay daddy?” His daughter’s eyes, once so full of love and trust, now looked at him with confusion. “Mommy says I have to stay with Rich Daddy,” she said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. There was no resistance or hesitation. Jonathan trembled as he looked at his wife, "Why? Why did you do this? Even as far as turning my daughter against me. Are you this heartless? Sarah didn't care what he said but rather looked at him with a mocking gaze. "So what if I'm heartless, she didn't choose you." Of course, Jonathan knew that but the reason she didn't choose him was because of his wife. "She's my daughter and you know how much I love her. You can live but do you really have to take her away?" Jonathan pleaded, his voice breaking Sarah was not moved but simply said in a dismissive tone, "She’s better off with us, with me and her rich daddy.” Jonathan trembled, despair taking over him. At that moment, the lawyer, Williams stepped forward with documents in his hand, "You need to sign the agreement." He said without any hint of emotion or sympathy. Jonathan, who was mentally breaking down, ignored him. His mind was already shattered. Williams continued, "One thing you should know, the judge is my aunt so whether you sign it or not, it won't matter but in this case, you are bound to be the loser anyway." After pausing for a moment, Williams leaned closer to Jonathan and said in a quiet voice with a mocking tone underneath, "By the way, your daughter that you really love isn't yours. I'm her real and biological father.”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
Picking up the file, Daniel scanned the content for a while before returning his gaze to Jonathan who was drumming his fingers against the table. “Williams Logan?” He asked with a raised brow. “Yes, you sound like…” “I don't have an opposition to your instruction.” Daniel pushed his hand forward with a little laugh. He was nervous and no matter how much he tried to calm himself, he failed woefully at it. Another thing, he didn't want to get on the bad side of Jonathan for whatsoever reason. “I didn't mean to say that.” Jonathan's voice was calm. “With your reaction, I thought you know a few things about him and would like to share with me.” Scratching his head, he replied, “I don't know him personally. The only idea I have about him is, he is a lawyer.” “Then find out more about him.” Winking at him, he said, “Don't focus on the good parts only, find out flaws too, just like…” He didn't have to finish speaking before Daniel knew who he was referring to. “I need to check in wit