"Are you here to embarrass us?"
"Look at you," said Beth Alistair, Courtney's mother as Damien got off the ground. "Must you display your worthlessness publicly? I am so glad my daughter's eyes are open and she's out of your chokehold. I don't know how you did it but it's over now. Take your filthy self out of my sight."She sky hated the sight of the young man, besides his good looks, he had nothing else going for him. How could her daughter have been so blind all these years?"Where's Courtney,"Damien asked, ignoring their biting words.Andy's blood was beginning to boil in his veins. Why couldn't this bastard just accept he didn't deserve a woman like Courtney?“You deadbeat, do you realise she had a work emergency she has to attend to? As my woman, she wouldn't have to do anything because I can take good care of her. Don't you see she deserves better than you?”Alison was swooning at Andy's words. She had always tried to show her feelings for him but he always had eyes for Courtney and never her. That's how it always was. Courtney always outshined her. At least she got to spend some time with him without her there and watch him trample through disgusting Damien.“Listen to him and learn what a real man is. You're nothing but a lazy bum who leeches off his wife. Can you really call yourself a man?” Alison sneered, making no effort to hide her revulsionfor damjen4. " She's done with you, you broke fool. I hope you won't let him in?" she asked the hostess. "He can't even afford cheap takeout so he definitely can't afford to eat here."The hostess was relieved that the guests were on her side. She knew she would be fired if the guests had been sympathetic with Damien. "I've been trying to get him to leave but he won't. Is he with you?"They appeared so offended. How could they, the Alistair family, be compared to the likes of Damien?"Look at this church rat. Do we look like we're together?" Beth spat. "You better get him out fast before you lose customers."“It's best you throw him out before too many people notice him. They won't be as forgiving as we have been,” Andy said.Clearly, they weren't willing to give him any information, only insults as usual. He decided to leave on his own. On getting outside, he managed to catch a glimpse of his car being hauled away by a tow truck."You should have listened to me. Now you look like a fool," the valet guy scoffed.With no other choice, Damien began the long trek home seeing as he spent all his money to get his wife a gift.It was just about midnight when he got home. He found two cars in his driveway, one was Courtney's BMW but the other, a Benz, he vaguely recognised but could not put his finger on it.On getting closer, the customised licence plate told him all he needed to know.Damien stormed into the house, noting that the meal he cooked had been eaten. His blood boiled in his veins. He would kill that old bastard if he got his hands on him.Damien bounded up the stairs, ignoring the trail of clothes littered all around him. Then the sound of his wife moaning made the blood in his veins freeze.No, this couldn't be happening. His feet seemed to weigh a ton as he dragged himself to his master bedroom.He slammed the door open and Courtney let out an ear-piercing scream and the man on top of his wife scrambled to the side, staring wide-eyed at Damien.It was none other than his godfather, Saul Victous."What the hell?" Damien thundered, staring back and forth between the naked couple. His heart felt like it was slowly being eroded by acid."Oh, it's just you," Saul said, regaining his composure. "You have no respect for your elders. Why would you barge in like that? Can't you see I'm busy?" He spat, glaring at Damien.Damien's mind was reeling. Anger surged in him, feeling like it was crushing chest from the inside. This bastard, Saul had always treated him like shit and he'd taken it because Saul had taken him in after his parents died. But this was something he couldn't forgive."Courtney, why would you do this?" He said as she pulled up the covers on her exposed body. It was too late. His surging anger had pushed all the respect he had for her out of his body."She did it because she needed a real man in her life. She did it because you can't afford to be with a woman like her. Look at her, she's gorgeous. What could you ever offer such a goddess.""So you did it for money?" Damien asked her, disgusted by the woman he once loved with all his heart.Courtney had always been ambitious. Damien was just finding out how far she was willing to go."It's not about the money, Damien. You never understood me. Can't you understand that I need to give my children the best life? What can you offer my children on the peanuts you earn every month? You can't even take me on a simple vacation. All my friends are housewives and are pampered. What kind of life can you afford if I quit my job?"She truly had loved Damien once but couldn't keep up either the mounting social pressure of a man that was beneath her. All her family and friends had always told her she deserved better but love had blinded her.Damien was distraught. He knew he could get a better job but he had been loyal to Saul. All his attempts to get a promotion had been denied. Now the man he had unwavering loyalty for had destroyed his marriage."You hear that? A woman like her deserves the finer things in life. It's your fault she's sleeping with whoever can give her that." Saul said, bursting into laughter.Not that it was his business but if Andy had taken he family to dinner and thinks he and Courtney were now in a relationship, that would mean she was cheating on Andy with his father.A rueful smile formed on Damien's face. "So this is your work emergency right? To think you're cheating on your boyfriend with his father. What a disgrace."In a second the laughing man's face went stuff as stone. He had failed to realise that Damien knew about his sons relationship with Courtney. It would be bad if Andy ever found out.“Hey, you better keep your mouth shut or you don't have a mouth to speak with at all. My son doesn't deserve the hurt of knowing the truth so you better not tell him. If he ever finds out, I will make your life even more miserable than it already is.”Courtney glared at Damien. "I am not a whore," she shrieked. "It is your fault. You have no dreams, no goals. You are just stagnant. I can't be with a man like that."How can he think sooe of her after everything they'd been through. The bastard should look in the mirror and ask himself why he couldn't keep his wife from straying.Damien shook his head in disgust. Was this the woman he fell in love with? Whether it was his fault or not, she chose to stoop to this level. He could never respect her again."Don't look at me like that, you bastard. I am not a whore." She picked up the folder on the nightstand and flung it at Damien. "If you sign it now, I'll be generous and give you a settlement of $500,000."Saul bellowed. "What a failure. Your wife has to pity you so you don't starve to death in the street. Look how dirty and sweaty you are. I'm sure you shitbox car broke down again. Hurry up and go get me more condoms, I'm not done with your woman."Damien signed the papers and flung it aside. "Keep your money," he said and started for the nightstand next to Saul.Saul sprang to his feet, primed for whatever Damien was going to throw at him. He didn't care about the principles of beating up a man in his own house. He'd be damned ifnhe let Damien best him in front of the gorgeous Courtney.He was surprisingly fast and agile for a man his age, but not as fast as Damien who saw his balled fist coming a mile away and ducked out of the way. Damien leaned back as Saul launched another punch right for his head. After a few missed punches, the older man was gassed out and Damien took one measured step forward. His fist, fast as lighting, connected with Saul's unguarded upper belly, sending the man writhing on the ground in pain. "Stay out of my way, old man." He reached for the drawer and pulled out a necklace with a Yin pendant without the Yang part, then headed out of the house."You're fired. If I ever see your face again, you're dead." Saul bellowed. That bastard Damien had crossed the line and even if he burrowed into the deepest hole, Saul was determined to find him and make him pay.Of course he was fired. The perfect end to his night. No wife, no money, no family, no job. It had been months since he had a drop of alcohol but as he walked through the doors of the rowd
The remaining drunks decided it would be a good idea to avenge their friend. They rushed at him aiming to overwhelm him. He was like a blur before their eyes; one second, they saw him, the next they were passed out on the floor after feeling a blunt force against their heads.In seconds, Damien was the only one left standing, having a crazed look in his eyes. He looked around and saw that all eyes were on him wondering how such a harmless looking, unassuming man could take down all those big guys without so much as breaking a sweat. No one moved a muscle, fearing for their safety before this dangerous man.Attention was something he hated with a passion so he decided to leave the bar."Where did you learn to fight like that?" Angela asked."My dad."He walked out of the bar and saw a bunch of people gathered around a spot. Closer inspection revealed they were gathered around a Rolls Royce Phantom. What was such a car doing in this run down neighbourhood? Surely whoever owned it had a
Renee's face went beet-red. How dare this bastard off the street speak to her so bluntly. What's more, her own sister who she was defending was laughing at her. It was more anger than she could bear."How dare you speak to me like this?" She marched towards Damien wanting to slap the smug look off his face."Enough." A voice boomed, rattling the chandelier hung in the middle of the room. It was so loud, it sent a shiver up Damien's spine. He glanced around looking for who had yelled like that. "Come on, dear boy." Damien looked at the bed and saw the old man smiling at him. He slowly advanced and came to a stop at the old man's bedside."You look so much like him," the old man said as tears streamed down his face. "Like my son."Confusion spread across Damien's face. Why would he look like some random old man's son? Unless…"Forgive me, grandson. I have been a terrible grandfather to you."His father had told him all about his grandfather but never let them meet. Too bad they had to
He took off the necklace and handed it back to Damien. "Yes. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary fix as my ailment is too far gone. I would need nothing short of a miracle to be completely whole."The whole night had been nothing short of a miracle for Damien. From losing everything to becoming the CEO of one of the biggest consortiums in the world. He definitely became a believer."What kind of a miracle."The old man was taken aback. "A miracle of epic proportions. What I need is a special and extremely rare root called the Ayurbouros root. I have spent most of my years trying to find it to no avail.""How do I find it?"The old man was even more shocked. Such a determined young man. He would define4be a good fit for the CEO position. "It is impossible, boy. I appreciate your enthusiasm but if I couldn’t find it, then it can't be found."Damien couldn't accept that. He'd only just found his last surviving family member and he would be damned if he let anything happen to him."I
"Listen to yourself. You're going to kill him? You're the CEO of the Delaney Company, you have billions at your disposal, you're even going to be part of a secret cult that'll basically make you superhuman. Why not use all that against him. Make the revenge slow and painful, don't let him see it coming. "His anger subsided in an instant. Of course he could make Saul's punishment painful and drawn out. After years of making Damien suffer, Saul deserved all his ill-gotten gains ripped out of his hands. His stomach growled. After such an eventful day, he had forgotten to eat something."You need food." She eyed his rumpled clothes. "And new clothes. But food first." She stretched over the keys to the Rolls Royce. "I did say it would be yours if you listened to me."Damien still couldn't process his new situation. Was this all some sort of elaborate prank? Surely it couldn't be."My drivers licence got towed away with my car. You drive."Angela smiled widely. It seemed Damien hadn't full
By now, a small crown had started to form, watching the whole exchange. She turned to Damien. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience sir. Please accept my apology." She stretched her hand out to shake Damien's but the hostess was having none of it.Whispers emerged from the crowd. "Why is such a gorgeous woman treating that beggar like an equal?""Exactly, he is clearly beneath her.""If she treats him like that, she must see me as a god."How dare he think he has the right to come close or touch her boss, the divinely beautiful Abigail McMichael. She slapped his hand away before he could reach Abigail's and stood between them, shielding her dear manager from the opportunistic scumbag."Get back. Don't you dare lay your filthy fingers on her," she growled at a shocked Damien. Along with being an unrepentant classist, was she also deranged? Her eyes were so wild, you would think he had tried to steal her baby."Don't fall for his tricks, miss Abigail. I know his kind. They try to lur
"This all looks amazing," Damien exclaimed as the waiter dropped the last of his exotic dishes. Against Angela's wishes, he had ordered a bunch a different dishes; dishes he could never afford before and that Courtney and her family had constantly mocked him for. "Wait until you taste them," she said, smiling at the Damien's obvious excitement. She didn't have to tell him twice. Not caring about all the judging looks he was getting from some other guests, he dug his utensils in and started to devour the food. Although he didn’t care, Angela couldn't stand the people looking down on him. She knew it wouldn't be the case if he looked the part. "We should get you a change of clothes," she said, making him pause mid-chew. "Well, seeing as I've divorced my ex-wife, I think I've lost the right to go into her house where all my clothes are," he replied before going back to his food. Angela leaned in closer as if she was going to reveal a secret. "You're the CEO of the Delaney
"Oh, Angela, I didn't know you were such a joker," Raymond said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You mean he's Mr. Delaney?"More laughter ensued as Damien watched on in amusement. He had never felt the need to prove himself to anyone. Not when he was a struggling office worker and definitely not now when he was potentially the most powerful business man in the world.Angela had begun to enjoy the unfolding drama. Of course, Raymond was too arrogant to believe that Damien was the man he had to answer to. And Damien would not want to flaunt his power. She felt tingles trying to imagine how it would all play out."That's exactly what I mean," Angela said, smirking."Him?" Raymond chuckled. "He's been eating all this food as if he'll never get to eat in his life again. I know he definitely won't get to eat here ever again. Unless, of course, he plans to keep mooching off you.""I don't mind that," Angela said.Raymond sharply glanced at the beautiful woman. Was she bewitched? What was h