CHAPTER ONE
The room was adorned and decorated with crimson velvet drapes cascading from the ceiling, crystal chandeliers on marble floor and priceless art hanged beautifully, adorning the walls.
Kevin stared intensely at the art as he buttoned his shirt, appreciating its beauty when his phone rang,
“Hello, who is this?” Kevin couldn’t help but ask.
The individual on the interface exhibited a high sense of impatience.
“Hey! Kevin, it’s me. It worked! You’re rich again”
Kevin discerned the voice as belonging to one of his acquaintance in the realm of investments, Jonathan.
“Hey Jonathan, slow down. What worked?” he was confused
“C’mon! Your investment in Sunset Haven group paid off! You now have more money than your entire family! You’re rich again my friend!”
Kevin found Jonathan’s words utterly incredulous. They seemed too perfect to be real.
“I don’t believe you, Jonathan. How did that happened? Is this a prank?”
Jonathan’s words were too good to be true.
“My friend, it is real! Why would I even prank you? The investment paid off and you are rich again! Your grandpa would be so proud of you for making such a smart move with your inheritance.”
Kevin gasped in surprise as he held his phone closely to his ear. He was too stunned to speak
“But how? I thought it didn’t pan out.”
Kevin was still in disbelief
The eager voice replied again,
“Believe me, Kevin, it worked! Your grandpa would be so proud of you,” he repeated with enthusiasm.
Kevin was not so excited to hear that.
“Well, I don’t know about that. Don’t you remember how my grandpa kicked me out of the family two years ago when I lost everything with this same investment?”
Jonathan could hear the pain in his words,
“You should not talk like this, Kevin. If you continue this way, you could even build an empire much bigger than that of your grandpa’s.”
Kevin paused for a moment before responding to Jonathan. “Will this news be made public?” he asked
“Not yet but I’m sure your family will welcome you back with open arms. You are officially the wealthiest man in Veridonia!”
You could hear his grin from the phone.
Kevin smiled, “We’ll see about that Jonathan. Also, out of curiosity, just how much money do I have?”
Just then he heard a cold voice screaming at him from the kitchen. It was his mother in-law,
“Kevin! Where are you? You said that you’d help me.”
He sighed, “I’ll be right there, mom!”
Placing his cell phone back to his ears, he dropped his voice,
“Hey, I have to go now. Thanking you so much for telling me this great news. One last thing, please don’t tell this to anyone. I’d like to keep this a secret for now.”
Taking a deep breath, Jonathan replied calmly. “Of course, friend, I understand you. Do take care of yourself alright?”
Making a conscious effort to lower his voice, he said his goodbyes
“Thank you Jonathan, I’ll call you later, bye.”
Ending the call, he adjusted his clothes and rushed to the kitchen. He saw his mother in-law washing her hands with a nasty look on her face.
“Mom, I apologize. I was on a phone call with a friend of mine,” he said nervously
Martha shifted her attention to respond to him.
“Oh! Almighty Jonathan, thank you for finally coming down to the kitchen. These dishes won’t wash themselves you know,” she said in a nasty tone.
Kevin forced a smile.
“Sorry. The call was urgent. I had plans of washing later in the day.” He said cautiously.
Martha sarcastically replied,
“Oh wow! Thank you for being very helpful. I mean you’ve only been staying in our house as a guest for the past two years but really, doing the dishes should definitely make up for that!”
Kevin thought to himself,
“I pay rent to live here. Plus, if I do more than the dishes, I’d become one of her handmaidens. I mean I have literally renovated their whole house for these past few years but saying all these things to her would only get her upset.”
Kevin buried his thoughts instead and replied cautiously,
“Yes, of course. You have been so generous to Lily and I. The very least I can do is the dishes. I’ll clean this up right now and please tell me if there is anything I can do to help.”
Martha mocked,
“You could make some money! You know, my daughter could have married anyone but for whatever reason, she chose you!”
Remembering his recent phone call, Kevin added,
“I am going to work hard to prove my love to her. I promise you, one day I will be wealthy and make things much better”
Martha scoffed,
“I highly doubt that! The only reason we haven’t pushed Lily into divorce is because she was stupid enough not to get a prenup. She is the chairman of a huge corporation and I don’t want you taking half of her money.”
Kevin paused,
“I would never do that to Lily. Listen mom, I love your daughter. Though it might not seem like it now, but I promise to do right by your daughter.”
Martha’s face softened,
“Hmm… my husband would kill me if he hears this but, I really hope you would do that. I know my Lily loves you just as much as you love her. But you know love is not enough.”
Kevin nodded as she spoke,
“Thank you mom, I’ll try my best.”
With a smile on his face, Kevin headed to the sink and picked up the dirty dishes to wash.
The kitchen was dimly lit with only few rays of moonlight shinning through, showing his Greek god face and smooth milky skin.
Kevin was a striking figure with chiseled features and an air of confidence. He exudes this natural sophistication aura and his piercing blue eyes hinted a determination to prove his worth.
He had grown up in one of the biggest mansions in Veridonia, surrounded by luxury and affluence. But, he could never bear the thought of merely riding on the coattails of his family’s legacy.
He craved success born out of his own merit, and not the William’s name. He explored and pique interest in different tantalizing business opportunities and believed that he could prove his mettle.
He was ready and prepared to take the biggest gamble of his life but unfortunately, it plunged him into the abyss of failures and disappointments.
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.
“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
After about five days, she would be like any other normal person, and she wouldn't be able to use medicinal herbs to regain what she had lost. I can't believe that this pill can do all that, Kevin marveled. His thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar ringtone. For a second, he wondered if there was a burglar in the house, but then he realized that the sound was coming from his pocket.Who would be making a video call to Penny in the middle of the night? Could it be her boyfriend? Kevin wondered. By reflex, he answered the call. A moment later, he saw a beautiful woman standing in front of her closet picking out clothes. Oops, didn't mean to see that, Kevin thought to himself.She looked very familiar to him, but he just couldn't place her. While he was looking at her, trying to figure out who she was, the woman turned around to see why nobody was talking yet. When she saw Kevin, she screamed and disconnected the call.That's when Kevin realized that she was the young woman whose gr
"How much do you want?" His father asked him, as expected, Wyatt started to freak out. Mike said, "You think money grows on trees? Didn't I just give you that much a few days ago?" How could Wyatt Tripp not go ballistic? He'd worked his entire life to build up his business and now his son was just giving his money away. Mike was frustrated by his father's response. He'd only gotten in this situation because he was trying to get elected student leader.If his father wasn't willing to help, he might have to tell his classmates the truth. "What are you talking about, Dad? School’s going great. And my teachers are fantastic." Mike told his father, laying it on thick. "It's definitely a serious program."“What the hell are you talking about? When did I ask you about school?" Wyatt shouted into his phone. I don't give a crap if you like the place or not. "Don't worry, Dad, I'm doing great." He continued. "But it would really help if you could transfer some money into my account.""I'll tra
"It wouldn't be a great idea to trick her like that." He really didn't want to make a bad impression on Penny. "No problem, Mike." Luther continued. "If Penny helps you pay the bill, you can use it as an excuse to get closer to her. You could even connect with her online to arrange to repay her and to get to know her better." Mike got really excited by this idea.He slapped Luther on the back and said, "I like the way you think. It's a good thing I brought you two guys along." When Kevin heard this, he quickly headed back to the VIP room. As he got to the door, Penny was walking out. Kevin came up with a plan of his own. As Penny brushed against him, he used the light touch that he'd learned about in the secret guide and took her phone and wallet.Let's see what Mike does now. Kevin smirked as he slipped the items into his jacket. With all his posturing, he isn't really that strong. Let's see him show his true colors. When Kevin returned to his seat and sat down, Mike and his two budd
"That has to be disappointing. You think you're more handsome than me? Everyone knows that just isn't true." Kevin teased him. "What do you mean by that?" Mike retorted as he slammed his fist on the table. "Don't be angry, Mike. This whole thing really isn't worth it." Lionel tried to persuade his friend. Then Luther tried to calm him down. "Relax, Mike. You're absolutely right. Kevin must be jealous of you. That's why I said there's something wrong with this pill.""You still don't understand, do you? Both you and your father were cheated by someone. This isn't an augmentation pill at all. Kevin told them bluntly. An augmentation pill is more of a light blue color. Plus it contains some floral ingredients which gives it a beautiful fragrance. Take another look at the medicinal pill you just gave our professor." Kevin continued."It's obviously the wrong color and has no fragrance at all." They were all stunned to hear him say this. Even Penny reacted and stared keenly at Kevin. Mike
"Don't be so modest, Mike. Who is better qualified to be our class leader?" Luther chimed in. The rest of the students just sat there quietly and watched the show that the three of them were putting on. But they didn't want to seem ungrateful. So they were willing to go along with the idea of electing Mike to the position."Since no one has any objections, then how could I decline? But let's just call it a temporary position. If anyone feels that I'm not carrying my weight, just say so." Mike declared as he raised his glass to toast his classmates.Professor Murdock stayed out of the discussion. And quietly observed her students as they drank their wine and socialized with each other. Meanwhile, Penny just sat quietly by the window nursing her glass to mute. Her classmates were too intimidated by her to go up and talk to her.While this was going on, Mike took Lionel aside and asked him to go down to his car and bring back a red gift box that he'd left in the trunk. Lionel came back a
"Since you think this is just a bus pass, I guess I'll just put it back in my wallet." Kevin said as he started to take it back from the concierge. “Well, since you've already taken it out, why don't we give it a try?" Mike replied. He obviously didn't want to pass up this opportunity to make Kevin look like a fool. So he ran things up and added."Let's see what the hotel staff can do with it." While the crowd was laughing at Kevin, the hotel employees were staring in disbelief. They weren't sure how to defuse the situation. The employee who was holding Kevin's card started to get very nervous when she took a good look at it. During their training, all of the employees of the Whistler Hotel had been required to memorize the appearance of the Supreme VIP card. And that's exactly what Kevin had handed her. Cook had explained to them that there were only five cards like this in all of Veridonia. And they were only given to the hotel's most prestigious clients.The group of students saw t
"Unfortunately, the Whitsler Hotel's largest room was only available to special guests." Mitchell Cook didn't mind if the largest private rooms remained empty most of the time. It was more important to have them available for his wealthiest clients. Since the staff hadn't been alerted by Cook that there would be a VIP group this evening, they assumed that this bunch of students didn't have the proper reservation."What kind of rule is that? I don't have a membership card, and I'm not from around here. All we need is a room. I don't care how much it costs. I'm willing to cover it." Mike said confidently."I'm sorry, sir. Without a VIP membership card, we won't be able to open the room for you." The concierge replied firmly. "Then can I apply for a membership card right now?" Mike asked. You could tell he was extremely disappointed to see his plans fall apart like this."I'm sorry, sir. Our largest private room is only available for our most exclusive members. Als
"Please, just say it. You won't hurt my feelings." Kevin exclaimed as he watched the road. "Just look at what happened in the parking lot. Your classmates were all looking down on you because they thought you didn't have a car. It seems that you invite this kind of ridicule, “she said bluntly."If you're too embarrassed to take anything from your wife, then you really should jump at this opportunity." Professor Murdock told him earnestly. "The School for the Healing Arts is the greatest opportunity in your life. Just work hard and focus. If you have any questions, you can always come to me. This is your chance to make a name for yourself.""I understand what you're saying, Professor. I'll definitely work harder from now on," he replied. Kevin stopped at a crosswalk and said to her very sincerely, "But could you please give me my phone back first? I promise I won't take it out during class."“Haven’t you been listening to me?" she snapped at him
"Mike's absolutely right," Lionel agreed. Kevin, "Professor Murdock really took it easy on you today. That's why you're being allowed to come along to tonight's dinner. Don't put any of your classmates in an embarrassing position. Just take a taxi. If you don't have enough money on you for a cab or to call for a ride on your own, I'll give you a few bucks to cover you. How about $20?" Then he pulled some cash out of his pocket and offered it to Kevin.Everyone around them laughed when they saw him do this. They really thought Kevin was pathetic. Kevin frowned as he looked at the money in Lionel's hand. He wondered what the heck was wrong with these guys. "Aren't you overwhelmed by my generosity?" Lionel grinned as he patted Kevin on the shoulder. "There's no need to thank me. After all, we're classmates.""Did I tell you I needed a ride? “Kevin replied very coolly. "What do you mean? Don't tell me you drove here." Mike sneered."You really drove here, Kevin? Quick, show everyone what