The alarm buzzed in the early hours of the morning. It was 6:00 AM, and Philip reached out with a groggy hand to silence it. As he lifted his phone to check the time, still half-buried in his pillow, a surge of messages flooded in. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the last sender: Jessica, his girlfriend."Oh dear, what did I do this time around to deserve this many messages?" Philip muttered to himself, panic beginning to bubble in his chest.His hands trembled, scared to open them. He stood up from his bed and began to pace around his small, cluttered apartment, anxiety crawled in at his insides. "What if it’s a breakup message?" he thought, dread settling over him like a dark cloud. "I can't handle a breakup. I can't. I can't."After what felt like an eternity of deliberation, he mustered the courage to open one of the messages. The first one he read made his heart stop. “We are in a very big mess.”He panicked and closed the phone immediately. “What did we do?” he whispered
AT THE CELLJessica arrived alone, driving a sleek, black Mercedes Benz that gleamed under the midday sun. Dressed impeccably in a tailored black suit and oversized sunglasses, she exuded an aura of power and sophistication. As she stepped out of her car, her presence demanded attention and respect from anyone who caught sight of her.The sharp click of her heels echoed in the sterile, bright lit corridors of the prison as she approached the front desk. The ward officer, momentarily taken aback by her commanding presence, straightened up and greeted her. “Good day, ma’am. How may we help you?”Jessica removed her sunglasses, revealing piercing blue eyes that seemed to look straight through him. “I am here to see someone,” she replied, her voice cool and measured as she placed her manicured hand on the desk.The officer, somewhat flustered, asked, “What's the name?”“Philip... Philip Scott,” she responded, her tone sharp and firm.He awkwardly brought out a stack of papers, flipping th
Philip stood in the cold, harsh light of the prison intake room, undressing and preparing to don his new uniform. He felt a rush of disbelief wash over him; twelve years stretched ahead like an endless horizon. As he changed, he couldn't help but think of Jessica. She would have moved on by now. The court's reading of his sentence had crushed her, he knew, and he could almost see the look of hurt and anger in her eyes. She couldn’t even look at him during the trial. That memory gnawed at him, a constant reminder of the life he had lost."I will try and make it up to her," Philip muttered to himself, blaming himself for everything—the crime, the ruling, the sentence that stretched far longer than he had anticipated. Twelve years instead of two. What has gone wrong? The question echoed in his mind, unanswered.Prison, he quickly realized, was not a place for the weak. The reality of his new life sank in, and he felt disjointed, unable to accept that this was his reality for the next twe
Philip opened the door and stepped outside, his chest still heaving with the weight of the shocking revelation that he was the last heir of a powerful, notorious and rich family. His mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of his life now shattered by the sudden news. He found himself in a stranger’s house, only to discover he was the grandson of Barry Aton, a wealthy and infamous businessman. The realization was as overwhelming as it was surreal.The garden he wandered into was nothing short of a botanical paradise, teeming with vibrant flowers from every corner of the world. Birds chirped melodiously, their songs weaving an almost heavenly ambiance that was opposite of what stormed inside Philip's mind. The lush greenery and the floral scents should have been soothing, yet they only highlighted the chaos within him."Grandson? This can't be possible," he muttered to himself, his hands cold with anxiety. The early morning air, typically refreshing, now felt oppressive, f
“What happened… What happened to Mom?” Philip's voice trembled as he asked.“Your mother was shot when she was coming back from selling corn,” Mr. Scott replied, his voice choking with emotion. Tears streamed down his face as he nodded in pain. He placed his hands on Philip's shoulders and began to weep profusely.“What? What happened?” Philip's voice broke. “Is she… is she dead?” he stammered, barely able to form the words.“No, no, she’s not dead,” Mr. Scott said, raising his head to wipe his eyes. “She’s going to be alright, my son,” he added, attempting to sound reassuring, though his own certainty was not sure. “No, no, it’s not alright. It can’t be. Where is she?” Philip demanded, desperation creeping into his voice.“She’s at the central hospital,” Mr. Scott replied quietly.“Let's go see her,” Philip insisted.“Okay, my son,” Mr. Scott agreed. He took a moment to compose himself, wiping away his tears, and then walked over to lock the door. Philip waited by the car, a mix of
Philip wiped away his tears, bracing himself as he headed back to the ward where the nurse awaited. Her warm smile greeted him. “I hope all is good?” she inquired with genuine concern.Seeing her kind face, Philip felt a brief uplift in his spirits. He forced a smile, masking the turmoil inside. “Yes, everything’s fine,” he replied, his voice steadier than he felt.The nurse’s heart fluttered at his attempt to smile, and she became more attentive, eager to assist. “So, how may I help you?” she asked.“We’d like to see my mother, as we mentioned earlier,” Philip said, a quirky smile playing on his lips.The nurse nodded, gesturing towards the exact ward where Mrs. Scott was. Philip’s steps were heavy as he entered the room, which was filled with other elderly patients, each with their own stories etched in their faces. His mother, Mrs. Scott, lay among them, her face lighting up as she saw him.“Hey, pumpkin,” she greeted, her smile broad despite the lingering pain from her treatments.
The car sped so much that it was like a light, that was what Philip commanded his drivers to do, what ran through his mind was to find who were responsible for his mother being shot. When he arrived at the Aton empire Barry Aton was at work. “Where is papa?”he asked the head chef “Boss is at the office,” the head chef replied. “Make me a cup of hot chocolate” Philip demanded as he paced around the room, he was so angry he wished he had known his grandfather before now he wouldn't have gone through what he went through in the hands of Jessica. He wanted revenge, as he paced around and the chef brought the hot chocolate. “This is the chocolate sir” the head chef said as he saw the fury on Philip’s face. “Cool, you can now leave, tell the drivers to wash up the vehicles and set my bathing water. I want to have a long bathe”. He commanded the chef to spread the duties accordingly. When everything was set Philip got into the bath, poured himself some liquor, listened to
Philip could hardly believe the events of the previous night. The revelation that he, Philip Scott, was actually Frank Aton—the heir to the Aton Empire—had shaken him to his core. The room had been abuzz with whispers and shock, Jessica’s face twisted in disbelief, and Philip could still feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on him.As he lay in bed the following morning, he couldn’t shake the feeling of imposter syndrome that had settled deep within him. He had spent years in obscurity, struggling to make ends meet and grappling with the death of his parents and the recent shooting of his foster mother. Now, he was thrust into the spotlight as the new CEO of a powerful and respected company. It was almost too much to process.Barry Aton had insisted that he stay within the confines of the family mansion for security reasons. Philip understood the precaution but felt a growing sense of restlessness. He needed to clear his head and make sense of everything that had happened. He decided to