It was all too much for John to handle. No! This cannot be, he had expected his stepmother to have a kid as her child due to the year she got married to his father but here she was, holding a man's hands like he meant the world to her– a man that for some reason stared at John like he was the only thing that should be hated.
John had somewhat expected this. There was no way his step-family would welcome him with open arms and neither was he planning to do the same but there was nothing they could do about his arrival.He was there to stay. There was no going back. He was there to stop whatever plans they had for the legacy his parents built."Why bring him back? He is of no use here, James. You have Luke to take over your legacy in the newest future. This was not part of the deal."At that moment, John felt some sort of self-achieved feeling. Although he wasn't so pleased to come back to his father, now, his mind was made up on setting his gaze on this gold digger… this money sucker. Maybe, it was time he showed her that not all families should be tampered with."What makes you the judge of that? John here has more worth than both you and Luke. You dare not say such a thing about him." Mr. Sebastian uttered, shifting his gaze from his wife to Luke.The expression on Luke's face wasn't quite appealing but who could blame him? He was about to be robbed of his father's wealth. He knew his father, he had seen how he talked so much about John, how he idolized him on the slightest chance he got. Now, that long lost idolized son was back, who knew what next would befall him?"So why did you bring him here? To take over your empire? Then what happens to Luke? Or have you forgotten too soon that he is also your son?."Mr. Sebastian zeroed his stare on his wife. He had no response for her, at least not in John's presence. The last thing he would want was for John to hear what was not supposed to be heard.With nothing left to say, Mr. Sebastian walked past his wife and her son to the grand stairs and John knew it was his queue to follow and hell, he had a huge smirk on his face.This felt so good, to see his father talk so harshly to this woman. At least, that could make her know her place. Except for the mistake of a son she had for his father, John saw no use in her stay in the house.She doesn't add to his father's wealth nor does she encourage him mentally, so what the heck was her use for him aside from spending their Legacy on expensive clothing that she wouldn't even wear twice?Luke turned his attention to his mother, angry and at the same time, confused, he firmly gripped his mother's arms. She assured him of Mr. Sebastian's wealth. Now, it was time that she fulfilled her promise, no matter what."Mother, please do something. Father is about to give that fool all his wealth. You know this can never happen, it will be a ridicule to me." He said while trying to force the tears that had enveloped his eyes."That can never happen, I will talk to your father and if he doesn't listen, then, John will have to be removed from the picture, so don't worry." Still not satisfied with her answer, Luke had no choice but to hold on to his mother's words.Meanwhile, John was taken to the same old room fifteen years ago. He was amazed to see that everything was still the same like it was untouched."Clean yourself up, butler Chad will arrive soon to prepare you for the reunion mask party."Of course, John was taken aback by John's words.A reunion party?Mr. Sebastian understood the reason for his confused look which made him clear the air. "I have called for a party which no one would dare decline my invitation. It's tonight. There, I will announce my retirement and the handing over of my business ownership to you both""But–""No buts, John. You should have read the contract, there are a lot of things that you agreed on just by signing it."John could only sigh and the next second, he sat on the bed."Don't act like you don't want this, John. You know how your life before this was, I'm sure you wouldn't want to go back to it. Whatever I ask that you do, do it, else, Luke and his mother take your legacy away from you."A wave of silence followed suit which Mr. Sebastian had taken as an answer from John."That's what I thought. This is no time to be dull, retain your legacy, John, else, it would be taken away from you." With those words, Mr. Sebastian went out of John's room, to his next destination, the living room where he would meet his wife.As expected, they were indeed there. They seemed to have discussed something before his arrival but he cared less about whatever they said.With a lazy step, he walked over to where his wife had confidently sat. He looked down at her in disgust. She was no longer the woman he grew to love, he was made to see that she was only after his wealth but not anymore, John was here, and his son was back."As I said earlier, none of you are allowed to touch a hair from my son. He is here to stay, none of you can do anything about it. If any of you dare, then, consider yourself dead.""But father, I am also your son, what about me, you never gave me such treatment," Luke exclaimed."You should direct that question to your mother, not me."Luke stared at his mother, obviously confused by his father's words. It was clear that there was something that his mother was hiding from him but before he could ask any question, his mother walked away at a fast pace, leaving him with his father."John will be named my heir, my empire will be handed to him. That's final."Dressed into the fine young man that he had always pictured himself as, John was made to think of how his life was going to play out from that moment. He sighed a deal with the devil, now he would have to dance to the devil's tune. Right when the butler was putting on the finishing touches, M.. Sebastian walked into John's room but wait… with a mask? John's face suddenly went into a frown. He understood that whatever his father had planned wouldn't be a nice one that he would be comfortable with. But at the same time, he also acknowledged the fact that this was all done in his favor. Anything this father was doing now, it was all done to preserve their family's treasures."What's that in your hand?" John asked while secretly praying that his reasoning was wrong. "You heard the last time, it's gonna be a masked gathering. With our kind of business, we should be careful especially when it comes to exposing our faces to the public. That's why I deliberately called for a masked gatheri
'What the heck?' John exclaimed inwardly.Without wasting a second, John turned to confirm his suspicions. He cursed again. This can't be, how was it possible? What connection did she have with his father? Can she recognize him? Who was this man she was holding so tightly? The question kept coming but there was only one way they could be answered- he needed to comfort her.Even with that mask on her face, he found it so easy to recognize her.He remained mute, waiting for her to make the first initiative. He wanted her to recognize him. He wanted her to say something that would make him know that indeed, she recognized him.Damn, she even had a smile on her face."Good day sir, I am Mrs. Grey." "Sir?" He muttered without realizing that his voice was loud enough for both his mother-in-law and the man beside her to hear. "And I am Mr. Kendrick, one of your father's business associates." Again, John was shocked. Of course, with an immediate effect, he recognized who the fuck this man
"What's wrong with me, why am I not fit for this job?" John grunted, wanting to hit his boss' office table in frustration. He placed his left hand on the side of his hip while he used his other hand to massage his temple. There was no way this could happen to him, at least not now that he was desperately in need of money. His eyes flickered as he stared at his boss, he had shown nothing but loyalty and dedication, even as a personal assistant, then why should this befall him? John frowned and turned his gaze over to his close associate, Alex, who was ready to defend him and then, he turned his gaze back to his boss. "Mr. Balowe, what about those things that you said about my hard work, are you going to throw all that away?"Mr. Balowe sighed. He wished to tell John why he was getting fired but he just couldn't. He was scared, scared of the consequences that would follow suit. All he needed to do was to fire John and be free from the threats that had been directed at his company."
"How dare you ask me to do that to Beatrice, is she in support of this?" John yelled, gazing down at the woman who had deemed it necessary that he left his wife.Immediately he yelled those words, Mrs. Grey dipped her hand in her bag and brought out a sheet but one look at it and the way she had handled it, one would easily know that it contained something huge. Wordless, she threw the paper at John like the miserable man she had always seen him to be. With the anticipation that it was something that could solve his problem, he desperately studied the content of the paper, which the next moment, made his eyes momentarily go wide open. "You made me spend the last penny on me, the money I could have used on my mother to come to see you at this goddamn restaurant. I was hoping that you had changed your mind to help me, but instead, you chose to ridicule me?!" He paused as he gave his mother-in-law a disappointing look but she cared less, all she wanted was for him to sign the f*cking
With no money left with him, John had to run a great distance to the only well-renowned hospital in the city without care of the prying eyes and whispers that roamed the streets. As he stared at his mother, John didn't realize the tears that had threatened to fall from his eyes. This was not how he had planned his life to turn out. He was on the brink of divorce with his wife who had told him to his face that he was a wretched man. To add to his already existing misfortune, he was also on the brink of losing the one woman that really cared for him genuinely.His mother just had a few days if the necessary surgery was not conducted on her but things didn't go smoothly. Whenever there was anything surgery, there was also something called bills which needed money, and this was something that he didn't have. His gaze traveled to her body. The hospital gown that she had worn did some justice to her by covering her skinny body but her arm was not fortunate enough to be unseen. Her feedin
Bang.Shocked would be an understatement when it came to how the medical practitioner felt as John barged into his office. For the first time in a long time, he saw a smile on John's face. 'That's unusual!' He thought. John has never entered his office with a smile, it was either he comes begging for the treatment to be done and he pays later, or he becomes an employee in the hospital so his labor could pay for her bills but not this time. The man in his presence was damn happy."I… I have the money, please commence the treatment."Again, another surprise from John. The doctor knew the amount of money that was involved, there was no way John would have raised such an amount of money. No… no way, it wasn't possible, not even a lottery would give him such an amount of money within a short time. Curiosity took over, shocked and eager, the doctor took off his eyeglasses. "You mean £11,000?" He asked, giving John an intense and suspicious look but John cared less. His mother's life was
He wished to say no but he couldn't. Maybe it was better that his father sees the woman that took care of him and gave him everything that he could ever ask for, no matter how little it may seem."Sure, come see her," John uttered with full sarcasm.With no words left to say, John led his father to his foster mother's ward which was a few meters away from the doctor's office. There, the old butler was still available, clearly waiting for John's and his master's arrival."Butler Chad, you may leave now. My son will move into the mansion today, make preparations for that." With those words, the butler gave a slight nod and left.A wave of silence followed suit as Mr. Sebastian stared at the sickly woman on the bed. It was worse than he imagined. At that point, he asked himself, how could his son settle for something less? Everything about John's foster mother irritated him, her skinny face, her pale body, her financial status– they all gave him some sort of irritable feeling. How could