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2024-10-29 19:42:56Tom widened his eyes, then ran to his room in a hurry. His breath came in ragged gasps as he knocked on the door with a bang. "Pete? Are you asleep? Pete? Can you open the door? I have to—"
But what was Tom's surprise when the door to Pete's room burst open? There was no one there. He was even more surprised when he turned round to find Pete behind him.
Quickly, Tom scratched his chest. He closed his eyes, then let out a long breath. "What were you doing there, Pete?"
Instead of answering, Pete asked back. "I should be the one asking. Why did you come here? Didn't your dad often remind you to take regular breaks?"
Pete walked out of Tom's presence to enter the room. His hands were busy carrying a tray with a bowl of instant food and a glass of warm milk.
Tom followed suit and also entered Pete's room, which was only half the size of his own. "Why are you eating in the middl
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RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 23
Arthur had just arrived home when the clock struck 4:15 AM. Unsteadily, he rushed up the stairs. But what a surprise he had when he saw the living room. There were three glasses on the table.Curious, Arthur approached. He looked at the tall coffee cup on the far side. Meanwhile, the other glasses were all gone. Slowly but surely, Arthur, who was hiccuping, remembered.His eyes widened, and he sat down right in front of the iced coffee, which was still untouched even by a sip. He searched his shirt pocket, but found nothing there. Slowly, he got up hurriedly, opening the workspace where he had changed his clothes."What the fuck? Where's my shirt? How am I going to lose that evidence? No-no. Please don't lose it. But where is it? I'm sure I have it in my shirt pocket!"Arthur's incoherent babbling could actually be heard by Tom from the doorway. He knew Arthur had done something with the iced coffee
RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 24
"I lost control, Tom. I called Shannon and heard her screaming. So I—you know? I was worried, so I drove fast to make sure nothing bad would happen to her. Isn't that the natural thing to do a boyfriend to save her girlfriend?"Tom nodded slowly, then looked away. "What about Shannon's family? I haven't seen them since yesterday. Did something happen? Because it's impossible if they didn't hear about dad's death."Arthur, who realised that Jill, Camellia and Shannon had yet to show their faces, stammered. "Maybe they need some time. It's too late for girls like them to be out of the house, isn't it? I'll contact them soon."After saying that, Arthur went up to the second floor. He quickly searched every pocket for his phone when he reached the top step. He also made sure Tom was still in the living room."Damn! Why does this dream feel so real? I'm going crazy! How come Jill and Camellia weren'
RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 25
“What did you say? How dare you—“Jill hadn’t finished cursing when Pete arrived with the drinks.“Sorry to keep you waiting, but Arthur didn’t tell us about your arrival. Please wait a moment for our finest offerings.”Arthur sat down opposite Shannon quietly while staring at her. “We were supposed to have a party today, weren’t we? But sorry. Because of this incident, we have to postpone it again.”Tom walked away from the Reynolds family to his dad’s room. He glanced at Pete, who was about to head into the living room with some snacks.“Mr Smith will be here soon. Wait inside. Lemme get Arthur.”Surprisingly, Tom was reluctant to enter his dad’s room. He chose to sit in the living room and watch how Reynolds would react to Mr Smith’s rumoured arrival.
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"Watch your language, Tom! Just so you know. Shannon has been in love with me for a long time. She won't turn away just because she sees me jealous!"Tom was reluctant to comment as Mr Smith handed him a copy of the will to sign for the necessary property transfer. "You will need to finalise the distribution now so that I can assist you with the ownership arrangements. Starting with Arthur as the eldest son."Of course, Arthur was delighted. "This house is mine. The three subsidiaries here will also be mine. Dad's two best vehicles will be mine. Don't forget, ten acres of land will also be mine."Tom glanced quietly at Pete beside him. He didn't know what to choose because he wasn't sure which property should be more promising.Pete nodded slowly, trying to calm the agitated Tom."You agree with it, Mr Cobb?"Tom nodded his agreement quickly. This, of course,
RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 27
"Are you kidding me?""How dare you say such an insulting thing in front of my daughter!" scolded Jill angrily. She got up from the sofa and looked at Tom as he approached.Arthur immediately got up and pushed Tom's body into the wall with a thud. "What does a lowly man like you know, huh?"Instead of getting angry, Tom looked at Shannon, who looked confused. "You're only two years younger than me, Ms Reynolds. I know we never met. Or perhaps, there are memories before I was made to disappear about you that are hard to remember. But either way, I can confirm that your dad did not know Arthur when he wrote his will."Arthur grew more furious. His hands were clenched into tight fists and he was about to land a blow on Tom's still laughing face."Do you wanna pulling my leg, huh? You wanna lose your hard-earned wealth?"Obviously, Tom's rhetorical question made
RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 28
"How dare you for come back here?"Arthur's sarcasm to Tom, who had just got out of the car, was only answered with a slow smile. Instead of giving a reason, Tom first passed by Arthur, who looked confused."You're smiling? Did you get what you wanted?"Tom paused to look back. "Didn't you choose all the properties you wanted? I'm just getting the rest and you're trying to corner me with that labour of yours?"Hearing Tom's rant, Arthur was not to be outdone. His hands that were in each of his trouser pockets were clenched into tight fists. "You should start learning how to speak politely, Tom. Whether you like it or not, I'm your big brother."Tom immediately turned around to face him. He glanced at Pete, who was standing in front of the main door while shaking his head slowly.Seeing Tom's gaze, Arthur also looked back. "I see. You want to take Pete with yo
RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 29
"Tell me what you're going to do this time, Arthur?" asked Jill with wide eyes. She was pacing in front of her office at Reynolds industries when Arthur visited to re-plan the engagement."I'll convince Shannon, Mrs Reynolds. We've known each other long enough. She won't be easily swayed by Tom's words. It would be best if we went ahead with the engagement. We could even speed it up for better effect."Jill laughed. She sat at the end of the desk and shook her head slowly. "Impact you say? What impact would I get by speeding up your engagement to Shannon, huh?"Arthur blinked rapidly and began to shake his head in disbelief. "Reynolds' stock will go up, Mrs Reynolds. Isn't this what you wanted before?"Jill took a deep drag on her cigar, then shook her head and exhaled the smoke in a random direction. "It's not me, but you who will benefit. As for me, I won't have any impact. Who are you to make a bi
RISE OF THE HEIRS: Getting Rid of The Traitor 30
“Pete!”Arthur was just getting out when his car stopped in front of the house. His steps resolutely walked quickly in search of someone who had served Fischer from a young.Hearing Arthur’s angry call, Tom came out of his room. He glared at Arthur, who entered with his hands clasped around his waist.“Can’t you call him quietly? He’s even older than dad, Arthur. You should respect him as much as you respect Dad. At least, don’t shout at him.”“I don’t have time to beat around the bush with you! Where’s Pete? He must know something. That’s why he kept quiet while I was choosing which property to get! Bloody hell! Pete!”Tom approached with his long strides. He pulled Arthur’s hand away from going to the servants’ quarters behind the main kitchen. “I told him to go, Arthur. What the hel
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"I do," Arthur said as he took out a red velvet box from beneath his luxurious clothes. He placed a simple ring with a single jewel on Dwyane's finger, which looked beautiful in his eyes.After that, the priest began to lead the prayers. It didn't take long for the two to sign the marriage contract.Although Arthur's second wedding ceremony was only held at the nearest church in the neighbourhood of the hospital, the happiness was evident on his pale face. He had been a wheelchair user for more than two hours, enduring the pain in his solar plexus after his surgery five days ago.There were only seven people in the church to witness Arthur's far from simple wedding. No party, no food. Only Shannon, Aland, Pete, Will Smith, John Benedict, Phil Allen, and Edward Frey, the officer who uncovered Arthur's many hidden cases.The first-born was given to Arthur, even though he was in a wheelchair. Seeing Arthur's weakening condition, the priest rushed the blessing and lighti
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"I'm going to file for a marriage annulment. So, will you be my lover, Dwyane?"Arthur's request just after Camellia disconnected the call made Dwyane melt. She burst into tears as he approached Arthur, who was still lying in the cage."Why just lovers? You can get married after cancelling your previous marriage," Aland said from the sofa.Aland immediately got up and approached with both hands in each of his trouser pockets. He grabbed his laptop before moving on, as he did not even get a response from his brother.Arthur was silent. Not only him, even Dwyane didn't know what to say when he was in the middle of such an awkward situation.As he put his work laptop in his bag, Aland spoke up again to help."I'll talk to Mr Smith right away. He will help you to file for a marriage cancellation as soon as possible. Only then, you guys can get married before you actually return to prison in six days. If you have anything to say, just call Pete--"Aland hadn't
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"Are you sure you're okay?"Camellia asked from a distance. The look of concern was visible, but it was not savoured by Arthur as he had savoured the anxiety on Dwyane's face earlier.The two were now connected through a call Aland had made to Mr Cavill, who was visiting his daughter. Using a phone and a laptop, the two were now face to face, even though it was only through a call connection.Arthur nodded in response to his wife's question at the end of the call. Unfortunately, he could not take his attention away from Dwyane, who was busy writing in the corner of the room."I'm fine, Lia. What about you? Did mum cause trouble again? Did she hurt you?"Although she sounded more concerned than before, Lia knew very well that it was just a pep talk from her husband. She shook her head slowly as she wiped away tears with her sleeve."Listen to me, Arthur. I asked dad to contact Aland so I could connect with you like this for some reason. Although I just found o
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Arthur blinked softly. His eyes squinted as the glare of the lights greeted him as he woke up after being in a state of emergency because of heavy blood loss.Instead of finding Dwyane or Lia, he saw Aland sitting with his head bowed on the edge of the bed. Her eyes closed again to make sure before finally looking back at who was beside him.It was the same man he hated to death before. Aland.Arthur's hand moved towards Aland's closed head, hiding his face, when he suddenly saw movement from the sofa. Quickly, Arthur pretended to close his eyes again, as if he hadn't woken up from a long sleep.Dwyane was shocked to death when he looked at the clock. It was almost night and Arthur had not woken up. This was contrary to the information received from the doctor earlier.Slowly, Dwyane woke up Aland, who had fallen asleep by accident. "Mr Fischer. It's already dark. Shouldn't you be going home?"The surprised Aland got up hurriedly. He looked over to where Arth
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"What else this time, Dwyane?"Arthur's question made Dwyane shake her head slowly. She plugged the flash disc into the laptop she had brought with her. She positioned it so that the screen was facing the direction where Arthur was."I haven't seen it myself, Arthur. You can see for yourself. This was given to me by Aland. He said it was a precious gift for you."Hearing Aland's name, Arthur rose lazily. He shook his head, refusing to see what he really wanted to show."No, Dwyane. That's enough. The other day you brought me the news you secretly heard from him. And it really kept me up all night long. Now what? Are they planning to frustrate me here?"Dwyane shook her head slowly. She was just trying to keep Arthur's attention back on what Aland was about to show him."No, Arthur. The other day, the possibility that I was wrong was quite high. Aland said that sometimes there is some information that is missed and contributes greatly to misunderstandings. Tha
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"Go away, Cobb! Get out of here or I'll kill you right now!"Aland sniggered and moved off, leaving Jill filled with intense guilt."You're just bragging! Arthur is my nephew! He is everything to me! And you can't touch him! He's mine! Don't ever come back or I'll kill you right here!"The clock had already struck three in the afternoon when Aland and Shannon sat across from Dwyane Hills. He knew very well that Dwyane continued to visit Arthur, no matter what. Every day. For more than nine days."I'm sorry if I've upset you, Mr Fischer," Dwyane greeted, having just spoken after ten minutes of apparent silence.Aland cleared his throat, then took a sip of his coffee while shaking his head slowly."What do you have to apologise for? There's nothing wrong with you going there, Ms Hills. I just don't like that you went there with information you shouldn't have given."Suddenly, Dwyane's eyes widened. Her hands immediately folded on the table, and tried to rea
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"Since when did you become so talkative, Cobb?"Jill's counterattack made Aland pause. He looked at Jill, who grabbed a plastic chair to sit across from him."How can I help you with coming all the way out here?"Aland glanced at Shannon for a moment, trying to make sure that his wife was fully prepared. He looked again at his mother-in-law, whose new identity had been stripped away, leaving nothing of her once admired name."There's something I want to do about the key you gave me. Liliana's death."Jill did not seem surprised at how quickly Aland had learnt the truth with just one keyword."You found it?"Aland showed her an old photo of Sophie and Liliana that he had copied from an old file at the orphanage. Even though it wasn't clear, Jill could still recognise who was in the picture."This is you and Liliana. You two are sisters, aren't you?"Seeing that Aland was not surprised by what she had found, Jill got up and approached. Her eyes squi
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"What did you say? Sorry, but can you say it again?"Shannon's request was not without reason. For the first time, she sat in Will Smith's room with Pete and her husband to explain everything.Aland closed his eyes and smiled faintly. His hands were intertwined with each other in a position in the middle of her legs."I'm not misspeaking, Shannon. This is the truth. Until a few moments ago, only Pete and I knew about this."Will Smith didn't understand. He, who had been staring out the window while listening to Aland's explanation, could only turn around and shake his head slowly."If Arthur is not James's son, why does James insist on claiming him?""Because he just lost his son, Mr Smith. Don't you remember that his scandal broke just as he was about to celebrate JF Groups' anniversary? James couldn't just ignore Arthur's arrival with Liliana. He didn't want to act rashly, either. He asked me to keep the fact that Arthur was abandoned by Eugene a secret bec
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"Sophie? You're trying to defame our orphanage just because of Sophie's case? Do you also want to examine all the children in this orphanage so that you can be satisfied with your judgement, Mr Fischer?"Aland turned to Shannon briefly before leaning forward, trying to calm him down. "Listen to me, Mr Flitch. This is not what you think it is. We're not here to make a statement or to judge your orphanage as bad, no. I'm just here because there's something wrong. I'm only here because there's something I wanna to know. About Sophie. That's all. We will never tell anyone that Sophie is from here. After all, the whole of the UK knows that Sophie's dangerous behaviour is not the result of someone's upbringing, but her disposition, which may never change even twenty years later. We're just looking into her bloodline. That's all."Dom Flitch squinted with an angry gaze. His previously cupped hands immediately came closer, watching Aland and Shannon's movements that seemed so d
