Jennie was about to say something, which I assumed was to tell them about my identity, but I stopped her before she could open her mouth. My bodyguards stayed in their respective cars since they knew I was already safe in my Dad's jurisdiction. However, it appears that my evil father did not introduce me as the only heir to his empire yet. I cannot blame him for that. He will make sure he can turn me into one of his minions to be able to have that kind of privilege. What worried me the most was that I lied to John Dave and Jennie not to worry about their jobs and that I had a place in my Dad's corporation. But from what these security guards are doing, all their assumptions could have been reversed. "Is there any other way to see and talk to the Chairman?" I asked them formally, not as the heir of Fisher Group and Companies, but as an ordinary citizen of New York City. "Unless you have scheduled an appointment with Mr. Fisher. That's all we can do to let you come
Dad looked deeper into my eyes as if he was trying to understand what the hell was going on. I didn't know either. It all just came out of my mind the second I heard him threatening me. And the only way to respond to a threat is to threaten them back. Dad knows I wasn't bluffing about my claims. I'm threatening him, that's what I'm doing. He remembers everything that happened that night. It was brutal and unimaginable to a twenty-two-year-old me. That was the second reason I would never follow in Dad's footsteps even if I knew he could bestow me a brighter and better future as a Fisher. "Fine," he finally spoke up. "An office for you in this building. You can choose which floor you and your team will be occupying. Let my secretary know once you're done choosing which floor. Do you have any other things to discuss with me?" Dad agreed, finally, yet, why am I feeling offended by it? He was supposed to be the one to feel threatened, but I never sensed it from him.
"No mother would think that way, honey," Mom replied, her voice laced with regret. "I kept you in my womb for nine months, and it's not easy. Sleepless nights. Yearning for something you can't have, I endured all that. I may have no time for you all the time, but that doesn't mean I don't love you." "I know, Mom." I smiled, reassuring her that she didn't need to feel regret since it wasn't her fault that she couldn't be with me, to begin with. It's always Dad's. He was the mastermind of manipulating her mind to become his slave. "Anyway, I already feed him. I hired a nanny to keep an eye on him by tomorrow. Your Dad and I will be out of the country for two days. I already bought him boxes of milk to make sure he would have enough stock until we got back. I also heard about your investment from the Lincolns. You did a great job, honey." then he tapped my shoulder before she evacuated the room. As soon as Mom disappeared from my sight, I gently crawled onto the bed next
"Dude, what happened?" One of his close friends approached and asked him. "Did you get their approval? Can we certainly use the villa?" Clark heaved an abrupt sigh, making it even more readable to everyone that he failed us, and that he was only good with words. "Guys, I think we need to have a plan B. I tried, even sought help from Dad, but it didn't work. So I guess we have to look for a new place. Do you have one in mind? I'm open to suggestions." "How about we just have a night out? Have some beer and karaoke?" One suggested right away, trying to lift everyone's mood. Everyone's expression lowered as far as I was concerned. Their overwhelming excitement five seconds ago turned into disappointment and regret. I can see that Clark was embarrassed as well. Well, he fucking deserved that for taking advantage of his Dad's connection. But I could not help but wonder though. If Mr. Cedrick and Dad could have known each other for a very long time, then why was he rejec
"Don't worry about me, dude, I already had a plan on how to make sure no information about me getting exposed," I replied. "And call me 'Young Master' again, or I'm gonna kick you out of this place myself." I looked out of the sliding glass window to make sure no one heard us. "Fine... Fine... Fine. I'm not gonna say it again." John Dave laughed wickedly. "But you did a great job defending the old woman earlier, dude. By the way, does she know about this? About you?" Then he jumped onto the bed and swam his arms and legs like an eight-year-old kid. After putting on a new shirt, I set my luggage bag beneath the bunk bed. "I guess so. Mom and I discussed this two-day vacation in the villa. This is how we got the approval to use the entire place, not because of some boastful kid who only knew how to degrade someone weak." John Dave scoffed. "And he will keep on boasting it once yours and his family get knotted by marriage. That bastard's head would probably grow bigger,
John Dave debated, this time, he was afraid that something bad might happen to me while walking alone on the seashore. He insisted on coming with me. However, his ridiculous claim didn't work. We separated ways. He went to our classmates while I walked on foot on the seashore and grabbed some fresh air. Nothing beats walking on the seashore with a can of cold beer in my hands. Truth be told, this one we have in the villa was a man-made beach, but it looks the same as the ones we imagined. Granules of white sands. Sea water. It also had access to cold air that helped me clear my mind. In the middle of walking alone, the phone in my pocket suddenly rang, breaking the deafening silence of the night. The call came from Jennie, so I answered it. "It's already a quarter before ten, Ms. Pineda. Are you still working right now?" I couldn't think of any reason she reached out to me in the middle of the night unless it was work-related. Or at least something came up in our offi
Everyone around me bent half of their bodies toward Celestine and Sebastian before they evacuated their spots at the speed of light, leaving me alone, filled with uncertainties and discomfort. I stepped back when Celestine attempted to step forward, believing she would slap me in the face in front of Sebastian. "So Sebastian was right then? You do still have feelings for me." Celestine continued. "That's a one-sided kind of love, Zachary. No matter how you express your love for me, the doors and windows of my heart were already closed as someone already occupied them. I'm afraid that person is not you." Sebastian shrugged her off, his smile was from ear to ear while looking at me, and he was enjoying the show. "What else could I say, babe?" Sebastian replied on my behalf. "You were his first love as far as I can remember. He even told me that he was going to die if he lost you." I lowered my eyes to the floor. A part of me wanted to run as fast and as far away from Ce
John Dave was about to say something, trying to defend me from them, but I stopped him before everything could go out of hand. We joined the rest of our friends in the restaurant, not because we wanted to pick a fight, but because the worms in my stomach were hungrily complaining. And I had had enough of Celestine and Sebastian's sarcasm last night. Knowing that they hadn't reached the city was already enough for me to move on. Getting away from this place as soon as possible was now my priority. So I waved at the nearest female server. Suspiciously, the server bowed before me and asked, "Good morning, sir. It's an honor to finally meet you. Can I have your orders now?" John Dave and I exchanged bothered glances as we could not believe the server appeared to have recognized me. I gradually looked at the rest of the crew of the restaurant, one by one. They all looked at me with a smile on their faces. "Does this mean they knew who I am?" I whispered to John Dave.