Oliver felt his legs weaken as he staggered back. The stranger was Gerald Blackburn, the acting CEO of Lionheart Group, the largest multi-faceted company in the entire country, and he was also the same man who sent Oliver to prison.
Oliver did not recognize him back then, but he saw a newspaper about Gerald that day after he was released. Why would Elina betray him like this?
"Honey, who is this tramp? Is he bothering you?"
Gerald frowned and slowly slid his hand around Elina's tiny waist. The way she giggled to his touch made Oliver groan. "Get your hands off her!" the young man spat. He punched the gate with a clang, drawing Gerald’s attention. The billionaire took a closer look at him. "Oliver? Is that you? Man, you look terrible. Didn't they feed you in prison?" Elina laughed in response. That broke Oliver's heart to pieces."Oliver, Gerald was the ex-boyfriend I told you about. He has his flaws but he's rich and perfect for someone like me. I didn't ask you to defend me. You acted all on your own and that was stupid of you," Elina told him.
“Why did you choose him over me?”
"Well…You were just a commoner whose life I decided to take pity on. You know who my father is, Oliver. You know I can do anything I want to do, toy with whomever I choose."She stepped closer to the gate with the bodyguard keeping the umbrella over her head."You fell so deeply and I almost pitied you. You were even willing to go to prison for me. Aren't you so stupid? A little seduction was all it took, and there you were, jumping into prison like the pauper you are."She laughed at his face and returned to Gerald's arms."You were fun while it lasted. Disgusting, but fun. I guess I should send you off with something. So, name your price. How much do you want? How much are you even worth? Because judging by your status, it's honestly not much."Elina laughed again. Oliver gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He could not believe he had been the fool all this time. He had hoped for something that was not conceivable, and he had paid the price.Oliver’s pain exploded. “I’ll expose you both! You’ll pay for this!”"Callum, get this trash out of here. He is stinking up the place." Gerald ordered. The guard nodded and signaled to the other bodyguards.Together, they proceeded to open the gate and quickly punched Oliver in the face afterward. Oliver staggered back. Another punch sent him to the ground. Elina whispered something into Callum's ears and he nodded. He approached Oliver and shoved a hundred-dollar bill into his bloody mouth. “Here, have some alms.”The gate snapped shut afterward, and Oliver was all alone in the rain. He groaned and tried to stand up, but crashed down in weakness. He had never expected something like that would happen to him. He was a fool for believing in love. Oliver coughed out the one hundred dollar bill and looked at it. Was that how much he was worth to her? He sacrificed everything for her but in the end, he was just a pawn in a sick game.Oliver managed to pull himself together and stood up. He took a final look at Elina's mansion, sighed, and slowly walked away.The rain poured heavily on him but he was no longer concerned. It washed off the bloodstains from his face. His broken nose hurt like hell. The streets were empty, and the pounding rain was upsetting. Oliver looked around for shelter to contemplate on what to do next. He was jobless and penniless. Everything was left when he went to prison. Love makes you do stupid things, and Oliver was especially stupid.The young man took another turn. He noticed an SUV had been following him for a while since he left Elina's mansion.What was going on? Why was he being followed? He quickly dashed into an alley to hide, but when he looked around, he realized that he had made a fatal mistake.It was a dark alley, and a severe-looking tramp stood there, smoking. On seeing a hundred-dollar bill in Oliver's hand, he pounced on the young man.Oliver was pinned to the ground. The stranger whipped out a knife to threaten him."Please..." Oliver begged, dropping the hundred dollar bill. "I don't have any more money." However, the thief was manic and intent on stabbing him.Oliver was too weak to struggle. He gave up all efforts to struggle, and let it happen. It would all be over soon. However, a bang sounded right beside the thief. Was it a gunshot? The miscreant jumped to his feet with a cry and ran away.Oliver was equally struck with panic. He struggled to his feet to see a couple of men in suits carrying guns. What the hell was going on? On instinct, the young man raised his hands. "Please don't kill me!""Are you hurt, young master?" one of them asked politely.Oliver looked closer and immediately recognized the speaker as Marv, one of the inmates from prison. He always lingered around Oliver and often protected him from harm. Why was he there and why was he calling him 'young Master?'Fear and confusion filled Oliver's face."I know you have a lot of questions,” Marv said with a reassuring tone. There is someone who would like to meet you first. Let me take you to her."Oliver followed them as they led him toward the luxurious SUV. As soon as they were close enough, the glass rolled down on the passenger's side.A sophisticated woman was sitting in the car. She had dimples and dreadlocks. "Oliver Lionheart,” she said with grace. “True heir to the Lionheart Group. We have been waiting for you."Oliver could not believe his ears. He scoffed when he heard the words. The true heir to the mighty Lionheart Group? Perhaps there was some misunderstanding, or maybe Callum had hit him too hard and he died!Oliver was silent while the SUV drove through the streets in the rain. It was possible the guards and the sophisticated woman might have mistaken him for someone else. They’d cast him away once they realized the truth.But could he really be the heir to a fortune? Oliver scoffed, thinking shouldn't flatter himself. He had always been an orphan, rejected by society.Oliver looked at the woman who had introduced herself as Maria. She was dressed in a frilly black dress and draped a pricey fur coat around her shoulders. Her hair was in dreadlocks like the other men at the front of the car. She was in her early forties but was quite athletic and well-toned for her age.And, she wore no smile on her face."You must have a lot of questions right now. Perhaps you are wondering why we came for you and where we are taking you to. But do not worry, young master, all of your questions will be answered soon."She said to him and forced a smile. Her smile was even more menacing than her frown and
Mia Stone shielded her face with her palms as her boss threw away yet another batch of stories she had written. The stories flew everywhere, and the papers scattered on the ground. She quickly bent to pick them up. The Crows Broadcasting Company where she worked was stressing her out!"I have warned you about this story, Mia. Why do you intend to become obstinate? Your story is not credible." Her boss yelled at her."Sir, if you would just hear me out. I am certain that Grey Pharmaceuticals is up to something terrible. They have been involved in illicit things in the past and they keep doing it because there is no one to stop them. I am sure that this is the story that people would want to read. If only you would give it a chance." Mia said, and her boss scoffed."Do you even know how you sound now, Mia? Deranged. Grey's Pharmaceutical is one of the pioneers of philanthropy in the city. They have been helping people. Do you want to pick a fight against a company that good? They are fuc
There was a sudden hush in the air as Oliver stepped into the D&M Cars dealership. He slowly walked further inside, with Marv trailing behind him.Oliver was dressed in a black Brioni suit, with a Patek Phillipe Calamander wristwatch to match. His shoes were pure leather and were easily the most expensive pair in the building.The black mask he took from his grandfather's room was in his pocket. He had felt inclined to leave with it.Unlike Oliver who was enjoying the glances people threw at him, Marv was not so comfortable with the peering eyes. "You did say D&M Cars dealership sells the best cars in the city, didn't you?" Oliver asked Marv as he dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out a black card. 'lionheart' was inscribed on the card."They have a reputation boss." Marv calmly replied. Oliver nodded afterward. The black card was a gift from his grandfather. It contained one billion dollars for shopping. Oliver wanted to get a car that suited his taste. Sure, his grandf
"What the hell just happened? What did I just witness?"Elina asked in shock as she paced around the room. Gerald had driven her home. She was visibly shaken, and she did not know what to do with her anger.Gerald on the other hand, sat calmly on the couch. His expression was mixed. The anger and embarrassment radiating through his body made him weak."Why did you just stand there, Gerald? Why didn't you do anything to stop him?" Elina asked as she dug her hand into her hair. She seemed to be losing it.She had never lost a thing in her life and it pained her so much."What did you expect me to do? Fight a man we couldn't even find?" Gerald frowned while he spoke. He could not believe her."You should have done something! Anything! You are a fucking man, Gerald. The least you could have done is defend me. Did you see the way Jeff spoke to me? He called me a liar, Gerald. And you just stood there."Elina sniffled. She sank down as her tears stained her cheeks with mascara. Gerald sighe
"Are you Oliver Cage? The man who applied for the position of a janitor here at Lionheart Group?" Stuart, the head of the staff at Lionheart, asked Oliver as he stood before the short man in his office. "Yes sir." Oliver calmly responded. His head was bowed, but he could see the sides of the office. It was modest, well-ventilated with catchy yellow blinds.Stuart thought for a moment while gazing at Oliver. He was having mixed emotions about the poor man standing before him. Oliver was still dressed in disguise, and he looked even poorer than ever."I do not think that you can work here, Oliver. You are far below what we employ here at Lionheart. You do know where you are, don't you?" Stuart asked. Oliver sighed. So, he was going to play that game, wasn't he?"Sir, please. I need this job. I cannot afford to be unemployed. If you would give me a chance, I promise to clean as best as I can." Oliver muttered.Stuart sighed as he ran his hands through some paperwork. He turned to Oliver
"No…no…no! This cannot be happening!" Gerald shuddered as he quickly turned his laptop off. His mind was filled with a lot of wandering thoughts. He tried to focus, but he was too tense to do so."Fuck!'He groaned and punched the table. The table was wooden, so it could not break. But Gerald bruised his knuckles instead."Sir, are you alright?" His secretary ran into the office after hearing the bang. Gerald closed his eyes briefly and breathed. "Cancel the rest of my appointments for the day. I am leaving the office this instant." Gerald told her."But sir, you have a very important meeting with the CEO of prime salts in an hour…""Are you fucking deaf? Cancel the fucking meeting and reschedule! Or I will find someone who can obey me." Gerald barked at his secretary. She froze."Why are you doing this, sir? You said you loved me." The secretary muttered. Tears were forming at the angle of her eyes."Love? You were just a plaything. Get the fuck out of here!" Gerald scoffed afterwar
The Grandeur Art Auction was indeed the event of the month. Millionaires trooped into that art gallery from all over the country, sending each other admirable looks, as well as looks of slander.The event was hosted by Amelia Grandeur, the daughter of Emil Grandeur, one of the art professors in the city. Amelia, like her father, had inherited a love for the arts. She established an orphanage and allowed her kids to paint. But unfortunately, the rich folks did not pay much to buy their work on ordinary days. She was broke and was at the brim of shutting down the orphanage.She had to rely on events such as this to get funds for her orphanage. The art auction then became a meeting ground for millionaires to discuss business in a fun and lively way, neglecting the children in the process."The works are terrible, aren't they? She shouldn't let her bloody orphans paint."Elina said to Gerald as she clutched to him. "Hmm." That was all he responded with. There was a particular painting
Gerald sat perfectly still on the couch as he tried to wrap his head around what had happened. He could not believe that he had been reduced to so little. He was supposed to be the acting CEO of Lionheart Group for gods sake! Why did The Crow, the biggest broadcasting company in the city devide to write about the humiliating incident? Why did they incite the public against him? Gerald still couldn't believe any of these things were happening. He felt like he was losing his mind."You have a call, sir." A servant walked up to him with a phone. Gerald picked up the phone."Yes?" "I heard what happened in the news. Are you alright?" A woman's voice said from the other side of the phone. Gerald was instantly alarmed."Mum? How are you calling me? Where are you?" He asked. "You dumped me in rehab, remember? What, did you think that I would never get the chance to speak with you again? How could you do that to your own mother?" Mrs Blackburn asked."You were a blemish on my career. You kn