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 gathering."John could only sigh. His father was still damn serious about the underground business, the same business that took the lives of many of their partners. Maybe, this should never come as a shocker. His father was a monger for money, it was close to impossible to let go of a great and reliable source.Abruptly, John snatched it from his father's hand. It was a plain white face mask that would expose little or no detail about his face.Hell, the smirk on John's father's face had no words to describe it. Finally, this was the moment of his comeback. Seeing John wear that mask brought back some sort of beautiful feeling.His underground business which was at the edge of collapsing would now be restored all thanks to his mastermind son and in return, he gives John anything he could possibly ask for– fame, money, women, properties, anything, as long as they rule the business world of Europe.If only John hadn't let his emotions get the best of him which made him run away from the glory, maybe, they probably would have extended their business to other parts of the world, which would bring nothing but more money.More money means power. Power, in turn, also attracts more money. To Mr. Sebastian, money and power are the two most important things that could ever bless a man's happiness."We need to leave now, we wouldn't want to be late." With those words, Mr. Sebastian gestured for his son to walk with him. This was how things were supposed to be, father and son, walking hand in hand to rule over people below them.John's gaze came in contact with that of Luke's when they got to the living room.It was no shock to see Luke still dwelling in such anger and gritting his teeth over the loss of his father's wealth.This explained why John was more than determined to do as his father has said. This young lad seems to have another plan for The Sebastians' Legacy if by any chance he inherits it. That would mean John's late mother's effort will all be a waste– No! He couldn't let that happen.Same as John, Mr. Sebastian didn't care about the reaction Luke had displayed but he was not going to leave without delivering his last message. "Luke…" he called, only for the angered son to direct a deadly stare at his father but who cares? Just like his stare, he was harmless."No one, I mean no one should have any knowledge of who John is. The moment his identity is exposed, then I will deem it necessary to do something that I will never regret."Not only was Luke surprised by his father's words, but also John. They both know that their father never gives empty threats. His threats usually end in death whenever he is double-crossed.Luke swallowed. He had no response for his father and neither did Mr. Sebastian has for him. The next minute, he walked out of the house and John followed suit but not without taking a glance at his stepbrother who now directed his deadly gaze to John until he left the mansion.John and his father were to use a black SUV to the party escorted by a group of convoys. Surely, anyone who had seen them parading the streets would easily figure out there were no ordinary people."Before we get to the event center, there is one thing you need to know." Mr. Sebastian used those words to break the weird silence that roamed in the car."The business world is no longer as soft as it used to be. There is new competition in the game but as they say, bring your enemies closer. I have invited most of my competitors and double-crossers to the gathering. There, you will know who to look out for." He continued."Can't we at least keep the talk about your opponents for tomorrow? You are literally making me go through a lot and I have not even stayed for more than a day with you. This gathering is organized to name me your heir, and that is what we are going to do. Please."Mr. Sebastian remained mute but deep inside he disagreed with his son. There was no better time to talk about his main source of income except now.He knew just right that John was well aware that this gathering was just a cover-up. He cared less about the companies he owned since they were just a cover-up to what really brought him a huge stack of cash.What followed suit was another wave of silence until the scratching sound of the tire indicated that they had reached the event.With a smile on his face, Mr. Sebastian didn't wait for another second before he got down from the car.At that moment, he was the proudest father who couldn't be more proud of his long-lost son. He couldn't wait to show John to the face of those who had ridiculed him, those who had spat to his face because they saw him as a man whose only son, Luke, will ruin his image when he finally depart from the Earth's surface.But not anymore would they ridicule him… not anymore!Meanwhile, John felt different from his father. Of course, he would be the center of attention and that was one thing he hated."Are you going to keep sitting there or are you going to follow me?" John's father asked as he placed his index finger on the back of his hand, gesturing to John that they had run out of them.Again, he let out another sigh and the next moment, he got down from the car.The bungalow event center was weirdly silent with numerous varieties of super expensive cars."Remember what I said, John, be careful and don't show weakness to anyone here, you are no longer a child." Mr. Sebastian didn't wait for a word from his son before he began to walk over to the event center with a group of well-built men escorting them.The moment the doors went open, everything became a standstill. The silent classic music which graced the party was cut short as all attention was drawn to the people who had just crashed the party.No… they didn't even spare Mr. Sebastian a glance, it was all John. This was an event no one would dare miss.Finally, they get to meet the famous John Sebastian, the kid who was rumoured to be the backbone of his father's business. Well, he was no longer a kid. He was now a man and hell, only the stars knew how Mr. Sebastian's wealth will grow with John by his side.Anxious, yes he was. His father was right, the hate that was directed to him was up the chart. The eyes, the whispers, the hisses… they all brought nothing but negativity."Don't dare show weakness. I'm going to leave your side now, some might try to approach you but don't think of giving them listening ears. Just Ignore. They are not your friends." Mr. Sebastian said and not less than a second after his words, he left John's side.John cursed. This was not part of the deal. Why in tarnation will his father leave him all alone in the midst of strangers? Clearly, they weren't the same people he was familiar with when he was a child.The music began to play again and everyone got back to minding their business.Maybe, not everyone.Some of the guests could be seen trying to close in on the distance between them and John but he had pretended not to see any of them with regards to his father's instructions.He could see some women who he must admit had beautiful bodies. They gave him some signals, indicating their interest in him but hell no, his wife had given him enough heartbreak. The last thing he would want is for another lady to hurt him.Seconds turned to moments, moments turned to minutes and John still stood beside the door. He decided to go find a place to sit, at least until his father announces his retirement plan but just before he could take a step, a voice… a very familiar one called out for him.'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
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