Fifteen minutes later…
Kevin finished washing the dishes and checked his watch,
“This is past five. Lily should be home by now.”
Walking down the hall way, Kevin heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room.
Taking a deep breath, Kevin adjusted his shirt and entered the living room,
“Hi babe, welcome home.”
Kevin greeted his wife, Lily.
Sitting across the couch in front of him, Lily lifted her hands and politely waved.
Staring at Lily’s bright eyes, luscious full lips and smooth skin, Kevin thought to himself,
“I still get butterflies every time I look at her. Lily is gorgeous and her beauty is undeniable but, that’s not why I love her. She is the most patient and hard-working woman I’ve met. I mean, these past few years, her dedication has remained steady as she built and expanded her company.”
He was deep in his thoughts when a sudden, raucous voice snapped him out of his reverie.
“Hey! Kevin”
The only person that could sound wild like that was Lily’s best friend, Monica.
Kevin nodded to his wife’s best friend,
“Hi Monica, good to see you.”
Sitting next to Lily on the couch, Monica smirked,
“Oh, what an absolutely stunning shirt you’ve got there!”
Looking down, Kevin noticed he had spilled dirt on his shirt and with his cheeks flushed, he replied Monica,
“I was doing the dishes.”
Monica smirked again,
“Awwn… that’s cute. In my house, we pay people to do the dishes.”
She casually responded.
Lily turned to Monica,
“Well, not everyone can be born into wealth like you. Some of us have to work hard to have a good life.”
Looking at Kevin with those bright sparkling eyes, Lily continued
“Some of us even have to try harder and when the hard work pays off, it will all be worth it.”
Lily secretly winked at Kevin.
Kevin winked back as he thought to himself,
“I feel so guilty about hiding my past from her. Maybe she would understand if I just explained it to her but at this point, it might be too late. I mean we’ve been married for two years and Lily is completely unaware that I come from one of the wealthiest family in Veridonia. I hid it from her because I didn’t want her to marry me for my money but then as luck would have it, I literally lost everything the day that we got engaged.”
Closing his eyes, Kevin took a deep breath as he remembered,
“I’ll never forget that day. I called my grandpa to tell him the good news but he interrupted me instead and scolded me for investing my entire trust fund into Sunset Haven group which unexpectedly, didn’t go as planned. I’ll never forget that day when my grandpa kicked me out of the family.”
He remembered the cold but firm voice of his grandpa that fateful night,
“I’m kicking you out of the family Kevin. It’s for your own good. You need to learn the value of money.”
Those words were etched deeply in his heart. He would never forget how he lost everything in a flash and was left with nothing.
But now, that investment with Sunset Haven group is paying off and he now has more money than his entire family combined.
He thought to himself,
“Luckily for me, the investment has paid off and now I’m the richest man in Veridonia! But, how do I tell my wife all these things? She thinks I’m just an unemployed lazy man with no future. I need to be sure I can trust her before revealing my secrets to her.”
Lily stood up from the couch with her long shinning hair flowing behind her gracefully. She pecked Kevin softly on his cheeks and said,
“Kevin, no offense but Monica is right. You look like a complete mess right now, maybe you should go freshen up.”
Turning back to look at Monica sitting on the couch, Lily continued.
“Especially since we have a guest over.”
Kevin nodded,
“Of course. I’ll go change right now.”
After changing his shirt, Kevin walked towards the living room but stopped when he heard Monica whispering to Lily,
“I don’t know how you do it. You’re like this bad-ass boss bitch and your husband looks so pathetic! He is an absolute pro at looking like a walking calamity. Why do you stay with him?”
After a long pause, Lily whispered back.
“He wasn’t always like this. When we first, he was charming and confident. I don’t know what happened to him but I keep thinking that, if I stay with him long enough, maybe he would find himself again. Monica, I really loved the man Kevin used to be.”
Monica scoffed,
“Do you love him now?”
Lily bowed her head,
“I really don’t know. I’d be lying if I say I really do. I mean sometimes, I feel like a caretaker in our relationship. He is so closed-up these days and it feels like the romance is completely gone. I know that if I should ever talk to him about it, I’d loose it even more. I love him, but I don’t know what I’m in love with in him anymore.”
Monica nodded,
“You could have any man Lily. You’re stunning, kind and diligent at your job. I think you should get a divorce. You shouldn’t stay with someone because you pity them.”
Lily’s bright clear eyes were now on the brink of tears, glistening like dewdrops clinging to the delicate petals of a morning rose. Different emotions were swirling within her,
“I don’t pity him, I just wish that he could be the man he used to be. Honestly, I don’t want to talk about this right now. I spent an entire day putting out fires at work, the last thing I’d want to do is putting them out at home as well.”
Monica paused,
“Of course, that makes sense.”
Kevin found it impossible to articulate the thoughts racing through his mind at this moment. His striking countenance, once smooth as a placid lake, now bore the lines of astonishment as if he’d just glimpsed the universe’s grandest secrets.
He experienced a blend of conflicting emotions and he couldn’t express the feelings he felt. He was about to turn around back when he heard Monica whisper again.
“Lily, is there something you’re keeping from me? What exactly is going on at work? You seem more stressed than usual.”Lily sighed“My company received a new contract last month and there was an error in the calculation of the data. Our products did not meet the requirements so we need to compensate them with seven million. My company’s funds will not able to turn around which means that, I might need to at least get four million dollars of investment in a week, otherwise my company will most likely go bankrupt. I can’t do that to my employees.”Monica’s eyes widened,“How are you supposed to find someone willing to invest four million dollars in a week!?”Just then, Lily turned around and sighted Kevin standing in the hallway, with a tear falling down her soft cheeks, Lily whispered.“Kevin, I’m sorry to say this but Monica and I need some privacy. Can you please give me some space?”Feeling distraughted by his wife’s pain, Kevin nodded“Of course, I’ll go back to the bedroom. It’s
CHAPTER FOUR Kevin found his black card. It’s been over two years since he last touched it. Even his wife Lily didn’t know the card existed just as she didn’t know a lot of things about his past. “I’ve got this” Kevin said as he turned the black card around and dialed the VIP number on the back. A sweet comported voice answered, “Hello Mr. Williams, welcome to the black card private VIP customer service. May I ask if you need any help?” Kevin responded back, “Hello, I’d like to check the balance of my card.” Kevin seemed very excited. “Of course… Just one moment please.” “Hello, Mr. Williams, are you still there?” Kevin replied almost immediately, “Yes, I am. Would you be able to check my bank balance please?” The customer service attendant hesitated for a while before responding, “Hummm… Mr. Williams, I apologize but the balance on your black card is unfortunately too big for me to handle over the phone. It appears that the digits are higher than our computer is able to
Kevin helped lift Lily onto the back of his motorbike. Lily wrapped her arms around Kevin’s waist as he thought to himself,“I love this feeling. From this moment forward, I’m going to start steaming our relationship. I’m going to be the man who Lily wants me to be, the man that she deserves.”Stopping at the red light, Kevin turned around to find Lily biting her bottom lip.With a gentle sigh, Kevin asked“How are you feeling? You look great but I know you… you only bite your bottom lip when you’re stressed.”Lily nodded,”I am a little bit stressed… I checked the reports this morning and I confirmed my worst nightmare. The company isn’t going to get any extra investor’s support which means that by the end of the week, we’re going to officially declare bankruptcy. This morning, the major shareholders will be holding a meeting and as the company’s chairman, I have to be there. To be honest, I just feel so terrible about the poor employees that will be loosing their jobs… I mean, it’s
CHAPTER SIX“Thank you, Kevin”Lily said softly.Kevin reached for the necklace but as soon as his hands grasped it, it accidentally slipped out of his fingers to the ground.With a fake shock look on his face, Blakely gasped“Kevin! How could!? You threw it on the ground on purpose! That necklace is for Lily… why would you do that to her!?At that moment, Kevin turned around to see several of Lily’s co-workers crowding around him.One woman whispered to the other,“I don’t why she married someone like that. She could do so much better!”Lily took a deep breath,“I’m sure that it was an accident Blakely. Isn’t that right babe?Feeling his face turn red in anger, Kevin snapped“I’m sorry that it happened. Lily, you deserve the real thing not just some fake copy of it from a small jeweler.”Seeing her employees gossiping with one another, Lily stepped forward and whispered into Kevin’s ear,“Kevin, please apologize to Blakely. We’re at my job and so much is going on today already. Even
CHAPTER SEVENKevin picked his phone and dialed the number of the person who left him with nothing two years ago.The old man’s voice resonated with a deep timbre that carried the weight of years of wisdom and experience.“Kevin! I knew you would call…”Kevin responded impatiently,“Hello Grandpa, let’s not waste time with fake formalities. I’m calling to let you know that I can help solve the crisis of Williams family with my money but in exchange for that, I have two conditions. One, before six o’clock tonight, you will give me a DreamLover necklace. Second, at the down town family branch, there is a person named Blakely, I want him removed immediately.”Still sitting on his motorbike, Kevin hung up the phone with his grandpa and said to himself,“The tables have turned! Now I have all the power… this is going to be so much fun.”Just then, Kevin received a text message from his wife Lily. Kevin took a deep breath and read,“I’m sorry about our call earlier. I really wish things cou
Kevin stood before the mirror, dressed in a simple yet impeccably fitted shirt and pants, giving a vision of understated elegance. The shirt, a crisp white, clung to his body like a second skin, accentuating his athletic build and hinting at the strength beneath.The fabrics showcased his broad shoulders and chest, revealing confidence in every stitch. His was equally captivating, his deep eyes held a magnetic allure and his chiseled jawline exuded determination.Kevin, feeling content with his appearance, whistled cheerfully as he descended towards the garage.He hopped on his motorbike and drove to one of the fanciest hotel in Veridonia, the Kings hotel.After parking his motorbike outside the lobby, he quickly fixed his wind-swept hair and stepped down on the pavement.“Kevin! Is that you?”A handsome man stucked his head out from an Audi A8 window and waved excitedly to Kevin.The moment Kevin saw him, his eyes was filled with surprise“Tyler! Look at you… you haven’t aged a day.
Just as Kevin’s butt touched chair, Kate responded indifferently,“Sorry, I’m saving this seat for Jessica.”“Huh!? I thought Jessica was sitting over there”Kevin pointed to the beautiful woman sitting seven or eight seats away from them. His face was full of confusion.Kate frowned and looked very unhappy. She raised her hands and covered her nose and said in a muffled voice,“You sort of stink and I feel so uncomfortable. Can I please change seats?”Kevin was stunned. He raised his arms and sniffed his armpit area, it didn’t smell. He had just changed before coming to the re-union.“This woman must have problems with her nose.”Kevin thought to himself.“Kevin! You haven’t taken a shower for few days, have you?”One of the guys askedA female classmate sitting next to him quickly said,“Kevin c’mon now, I’ll change seats with you. Don’t make the beauty breathe in bad air so she will be able to eat.”Kevin didn’t want to talk but at that time his old friend, Zach walked over and pul
CHAPTER TENAt the same moment, Kevin was struggling with what to do about his clothes.He walked to the mall and looked around.Most of the suits were not his style. He felt that none of these suits fit him very well.Finally, his only solution was to call the secretary that Uncle Mathew has arranged for him that afternoon.She was very efficient… in less than an hour, she got someone to make a simple hand-made suit and had it sent to Kevin.He folds the suit under his arms as he rode his electric scooter back to his neighborhood.As he entered the house, he saw his wife Lily standing in front the mirror in the living room admiring the DreamLover on her neck.It seemed like his wife was very satisfied with the gift he had given her.She quickly pulled it on the moment she received. With the necklace on her neck, she became more noble and elegant. As Kevin walked back, Lily saw him from the mirror and instantly changed her exhilarated expression.She looked away to check her clothes