*****
Xavier, with no background nor support whatsoever, had withstood the rain, blood, and hunger alone to create his company from scratch seven years ago and in a matter of two years, managed to turn it into a slightly successful company, with more than twenty employees. He had handed it over to Jennifer after he was sentenced to prison five years ago, hoping that she’d manage it and from the profit made, take care of his parents. Never in his life had he imagined that not only would she not take care of his parents, but would also team together with his oppressor and sell off his properties, a lie he obviously did not believe. Xavier began to fume frantically, but eventually, clenched his fists to calm the rage that was on the verge of bursting out. Meanwhile, seeing Xavier in this state, the adulterous pair before him had wide grins on their faces. Jennifer felt not even the slightest trace of pity nor remorse for him and for betraying betraying him. She was even more pleased that she had quickly abandoned him, considering his present poor standing which was worse compared to five years ago. “Are you going to weep now?” She suddenly inquired with a taunting voice, finally jolting Xavier back to his senses. The following second, Xavier, who had never imagined any of what is as happening erupted with laughter, deeply startling the adulterous duo. They exchanged confused gazes, wondering why Xavier would laugh when he was supposed to be loosing it, but then they smirked, realizing that it was a laughter of pain. Perhaps, had the couple known the sort of person Xavier had become like those from the prison, they wouldn't have mocked his laughter, instead, they would have been scared to death and quickly kneel to beg for mercy, but unfortunately, they had no idea. Xavier laughed with so much despair in his voice for a while before stopping all of a sudden and glance at Jennifer with an emotionless face. “The guy who almost rapped you five years ago said you guys sold off all the properties I left in your care to manage and use its money to pay off his medical expenses, right?" he inquired coldly, causing Jennifer to go blank for a moment before her eyes nearly shot out flames. “How dare you low-life ex-convict entity call my man a rapist?” she cursed but Xavier ignore her, coldly continuing, interrupting her outburst. “I will leave everything to you then, but one thing I can promise you is that you, Jennifer Steezers will recall this day soon and regret it," he stated emotionlessly, then with his heart shattered into millions of pieces, turned around and walked away. Earlier, Xavier had entered with a heart overflowing with joy and love, but now, as he left, his heart was burdened with sadness, disbelief, and hatred. “Fool,” Victor snorted with disgust after a moment of comprehending Xavier’s threat. “I will look back on this day and regret my actions? Jennifer asked ironically ignoring the sudden discomfort she was feeling. “Did he think this life is a Nollywood movie?" she chuckled loudly with derision. With that, the two adulterous couple burst into laughter, heartlessly mocking Xavier without the slightest trace of pity for him. Just then, Victor looked back at Jennifer, his heart filled with victory. “How about we go for another round?” He inquired playfully, making Jennifer blush. “You naughty boy,” she murmured beneath her breath and then tapped Victor seductively on the chest, her face crimson red, and with that, Victor’s breathing became heavy. Without a moment of hesitation, he hauled Jennifer into the bed and they started another round of action, not affected by the return of Xavier or his threat for revenge. …. Meanwhile, outside the door, Xavier, who hadn’t left immediately clenched his fists with all the strength he could muster, even cutting into his flesh till blood sipped out. Before long, his palm was covered in blood, but he didn’t notice. Instead, his eyes were filled with an expression he had never had before, not even on the day he was sentenced to prison or during his initial weeks there, which were marked by relentless bullying. “What was I even waiting for?” He mumbled to himself after a while, recalling his foolishness of waiting outside the door, thinking he would be able to eavesdrop if Victor had forced Jennifer. “To think I kept her in my mind all these years, using her promise of waiting for me to motivate myself whenever I felt weak,” he mumbled to himself, chuckling in the most painful way imaginable. With this, Xavier cast one final glance at the door and then decisively walked away another moment of hesitation. He did not even know how he reached the living room, but just as he was about to exit, however, he saw two people walking in, laughing. They were Jennifer’s mother and brother, who noticed Xavier the instant he saw them. “Burglar! What are you doing in my house?” Ava abruptly yelled, glaring cautiously at Xavier. Xavier, seeing her, his eyes immediately reddened slightly, not offended as he understood that Ava had not recognized him. She had been very good to him back then and she was the one he always ran to report Jennifer to whenever she offended him, given how she always sided with him and make Jennifer know her wrong. “Aunty,” Xavier opened his mouth and called out with a raspy voice, dumbfounding the duo of mother and son who were getting ready to attack him. They stared blankly at Xavier for a moment before; “Aren’t you that prisoner, Xavier?” They abruptly inquire in unison.***** “Huh?” Xavier went into a daze and couldn’t react after hearing how he was addressed. ‘Let’s assume Jennifer’s love somehow disappeared after years of him being away, what about them?’ He thought blankly. Although Xavier was from a poor background before starting his company, Jennifer’s background had been worse than his. They were homeless when Xavier met Jennifer, and Xavier, in his little, had gotten an apartment for the family, furnishing it. He also enrolled Michael, who had dropped out of high school into college, paying all his tuition in advance. That did not still end there. Xavier even placed the entire family on a payroll, giving them the exact amount he was giving his parents every month, yet they still addressed him as a prisoner despite knowing the reason behind his time. This was what Xavier was busy thinking when; “Who release this prisoner?” Michael suddenly laughed, breaking Xavier’s dumbstruck state. “Weren’t you supposed to rot in jail?” “And what
***** Although Xavier tried appearing strong as he walked away from the house he had bought through his blood and sweat, he was very vulnerable. His mind was in complete disarray, and he felt like a wreck, recalling the memory he did not know if he would ever forget in his life. He was deeply pained, realizing he had wasted his love and emotions on someone who did not deserve them. In addition to his pain, Xavier felt a deep sense of guilt, knowing that he had also punished his parents, which weighed heavily on him. Although he knew his parents couldn’t have managed his company on their own, Xavier felt pained that he should have entrusted everything to them instead of the ungrateful woman. For this reason, Xavier did not immediately look for his parents after leaving Jennifer—He had one idea how he would face them after five years of denying them the right to see and be protected by their son. Xavier began to walk aimlessly around, various memories running through his head
***** The entire bar fell silent, with everyone staring blankly at the lean person holding a hand that was twice the size of his own. No one could react for a moment, but eventually, the eyes of the Lion King, whose hand Xavier was holding, darkened with wrath. “Brat! Weren’t you the one I warned earlier to mind your business?” He snapped, his voice brimming with unhidden killing intent. Xavier, however, wasn’t bothered. Instead, continued maintaining his composed demeanor. “This lady here does not want to follow you, why are you forcing her?” He inquired calmly making everyone instant exchange stunned gazes. “This—this fool!” The bartender, whose gaze hadn’t left Xavier since the beginning scoffed with frustration and then hurriedly left what she was doing to rush over. “Lion King, hahahah. Please don’t mind this friend of mine. He appears to be too drunk to know what he was doing,” she stated with a smile, tearing Xavier’s hand away from the lion king. The Lion King qu
***** Bars are known for their constant noise, especially at night during operating hours, but right now, the entire bar is eerily silent with everyone within staring blankly as though they were seeing the most disbelieving thing in history, particularly the ones who knew the reputation of the two Lion Kings. This silence lasted for a long time before eventually, the Lion King, whose leg was being held by Xavier returned to his senses and became deeply embarrassed which promptly changed to an incredible rage. “Bastard! Let go of my leg!” He snapped ferociously, trying to force away his leg from Xavier’s lazy grasp. Yet, for some reason, he wasn’t able to move it an inch—It was as though the leg was being held by the large hand of a deity and not the seemingly weak Xavier. “Are you deaf? I say let go of my leg!” He barked and Xavier instantly smiled slightly before nodding his head. “Sure,” he responded before continuing just as the Lion King was about to heave a sigh of relief.
***** Inside a quiet, peaceful, and rough bedroom that has the appearance of a war aftermath, a sudden vibration sounded and the next second, two bloodshot eyes snapped open. Very lazy to the peak and still sleepy, Grace, not seeing her present appearance twitched, wanting to pick up the phone ringing. Just then, she felt a warm body against her skin, scaring her badly. She jumped back and stared with full alert, preparing to engage in case someone had intruded on her bedroom. The following second, however, she saw probably the most handsome body she’d seen in her life. Although the body was lean, it was well-built with no excess muscles or fat. Just as she liked it. Though her heart skipped a bit at the sight of this body, Grace was able to ignore it, instead, her gaze slowly turned cold in an instant and she was about to yell when; everything that happened the previous night came crashing into her brain. Her face paled the next second and she appeared to have don
***** The gangsters glared at the speaker before hurriedly looking at their boss with a fawning expression. “Boss, I suggest we take this b!tch to the base and turn her to your toy. I refuse to believe she won’t speak up in just a day” “No boss, just give me the go-ahead to deal with her. She will divulge the bastard’s location in less than ten minutes!” Without hiding their rivalry over their boss’s favoritism, the gangsters shouted out cruel ideas one after another, but surprisingly, the bartender, who heard all their wicked suggestions did not show even the slightest hint of fear; instead only frowned in annoyance. "Do you even know what your brother did to earn his punishment?" she abruptly asked, cutting off the excited gangsters and glancing at Jazzy, who immediately shot her dagger-filled eyes. "My brother went after a b!tch and some worthless nobody thought they could step in, making him choose to punish them—and so what?!" he sneered, his voice dripping with icy cont
*****"Is—Is this where my parents live now?" Xavier, gaping with eyes wide and jaw dropped with disbelief abruptly mumbled to himself. Following which he trembled all over, acting as though a jolt of electricity had suddenly coursed through him.He couldn’t believe his eyes, so he had to rub them fiercely before looking again; however, the scene before him remained unchanged.It was still the same half-rundown and dilapidated house that appeared long abandoned.This was Xavier’s childhood home, inherited from his grandparents by his father.Despite its livable condition and slightly aged appearance at that time, Xavier felt that the house no longer suited his parents which was why he moved them into a better apartment after he started earning money.Looking at this same apartment now, apart from appearing abandoned, it was surrounded by tall weeds, something nobody had been to in years.***After staring in a daze for a long time, Xavier finally shook his head vigorously with
*****Xavier’s eyes were currently bloodshot, looking as though he were going to commit a killing spree.His fists were also tightly clenched, and his breathing had become labored, listening to his mother’s recounting.Initially, Xavier hadn’t lost his sanity at Jennifer’s house because he believed his parents couldn't have had it worse, given that Jennifer had given them the remaining money from selling off his assets. However, he now realized how foolish he had been.Jennifer had really given his parents the remaining money as she claimed, but;"She—she really claimed that the remainder after selling off all my properties and paying for that bastard’s medical expenses is $100?" Xavier, refusing to accept the figure he just heard inquired with a strong tremor, his entire body feeling cold.Seeing her son like this, Laura sighed heavily and thought on the past, recalling how shocked she and her husband had been as well when they learned that Jennifer had sold their son's propert
*****The atmosphere in the conference room was so stifling at this moment, the tension so thick it was almost tangible, as every eye remained locked on Lucius. “He… he is really young master Lucius?” one of the representatives stuttered.“What’s he doing here?” Another murmured in a daze.“Wasn’t he the one who ordered our various companies to pressure Sky Group?”“Or… could he be here to finish them off?”Murmurs spread among the representatives, their confusion evident in their wary glances at Lucius, trying to decipher the reason behind Lucius’s presence.Grace, however, remained outwardly indifferent, though her heart churned with a mix of nervousness, confusion, and suspicion.‘What’s he doing here again?’ she wondered, her cold gaze on him. ‘Didn’t I already make it clear to him yesterday that I would never have anything to do with him again?’Finally, Mason.He still appeared utterly dumbfounded right now. His earlier fury completely vanished, replaced by an overwhe
*****The atmosphere in the conference room was so stifling at this moment, the tension so thick it was almost tangible, as every eye remained locked on Lucius. “He… he is really young master Lucius?” one of the representatives stuttered.“What’s he doing here?” Another murmured in a daze.“Wasn’t he the one who ordered our various companies to pressure Sky Group?”“Or… could he be here to finish them off?”Murmurs spread among the representatives, their confusion evident in their wary glances at Lucius, trying to decipher the reason behind Lucius’s presence.Grace, however, remained outwardly indifferent, though her heart churned with a mix of nervousness, confusion, and suspicion.‘What’s he doing here again?’ she wondered, her cold gaze on him. ‘Didn’t I already make it clear to him yesterday that I would never have anything to do with him again?’Finally, Mason.He still appeared utterly dumbfounded right now. His earlier fury completely vanished, replaced by an overwhe
*****The tension in the conference room was suffocating at this moment, a taut silence following Xavier's nonchalant words. “Again?” one of the representatives whispered, their astonishment breaking the stillness.Suppose the representatives had initially dismissed Xavier’s earlier remarks as a slip of the tongue or some misunderstanding, his repeated references to Grace as his wife left no room for doubt, the weight of this revelation, striking them like a tidal wave.Their eyes instinctively turned to Grace, knowing that if she had failed to hear Xavier before, she must have heard him clearly now. To their shock, however, her expression remained composed—eerily calm.This lack of denial instantly deepened the representatives’ confusion, and they exchanged dumbstruck glances, as though they’d just stumbled upon a secret capable of shaking the very foundations of the world.‘Grace is married?’ all thought in unison, their hearts pounding at this revelation.Mason, Honey, and
*****The conference room was still as death right now, the air heavy with tension.All eyes continued darting between Mason, who currently stood in stunned silence, acting as though he had just eaten a bunch of flies, and the handsome newcomer, who had just casually stridden in, exuding confidence, his easy demeanor somehow commanding attention.Different thoughts went through the representatives’ minds and their confusion cackled like static in the silence.This continued for what felt like an eternity until finally;“Hmph!” Honey broke the spell with a derisive snort.“What’s a nobody like you doing here?” Her voice dripped with disdain, fury, darkness, and coldness.“Huh…” The representatives blinked, stunned.‘Was he really not the powerful backer that brat had been arrogant about?’They thought, the realization hitting them like a punch.In the next instant, all their attention swung back to Mason, whose face was now a shade of crimson—embarrassment, anger, and disbeli
*****“So, President Mason, you said we only needed to wait a minute. It’s been almost three hours now since then. What exactly are we waiting for?” One of the representatives asked without standing up, now showing his complete disregard for Mason and the entire Sky group as a whole.While the question sounded as polite as possible, it was tinged with simmering frustration and unhappiness.They had thought that having been made to return to his senses, Mason would at least try to address them now, but contrary to their thoughts;Mason, slouched arrogantly in the president’s chair, shot the speaker a venomous glare, his irritation still lingering from his earlier defeat in the video game.“Then get the hell out of my company if you can’t wait again!” he snapped, his tone as sharp as broken glass.“This…” Everyone flinched, following which a stunned silence fell over the room, the representatives staring at Mason, their jaws slack with disbelief.“P-President Mason…” one of them
*****Back in Sky Group.“President Mason, what exactly are we waiting for?”The voice of Praise, one of the representatives suddenly cut through the heavy silence that had settled over the conference room like an oppressive fog, her question echoing what everyone in the room had been thinking for the past hour as their patience eroded like sand in an unforgiving tide.As soon as her voice sounded, all eyes immediately darted toward Mason, who had returned over an hour ago only to slump lazily in the president’s chair, hunched over his cell phone, completely absorbed in a video game.That’s right.One would have thought he would have addressed the room after his return, but no. As though he wasn’t the one they were waiting for, he had been frantically playing the video game since his return, his thumbs clicking rapidly across the screen of his cell phone, sweat glistening on his brow, as though he were locked in a life-or-death struggle in the virtual world.….“Die! Just die
*****”Young… young master,” a trembling voice abruptly broke the silence inside a lavish hotel room.The speaker was a flushed, naked woman who was currently sprawled across a king-sized bed, gazing up with watery eyes, her breath shallow and uneven.Perched on the edge of the bed, Lucius—equally unclothed—was just setting down his phone.His sharp, cold eyes immediately flicked toward the naked lady, and in the next instant, his expression darkened with unrestrained disgust.“Snap out of it already, you whore!” he barked, his voice cutting through the intimate atmosphere like a whip.“This…” The lady jolted as though slapped, the haze in her eyes dissipating like the wind.She stared at Mason in bewilderment, unsure how the man who had just shared a heated moment with her—whom they were just planning another round together could transform so quickly.She couldn’t react for a moment, but then recalling that this was how Lucius always turned cold and dismissive after getting wh
*****For a brief moment after Mason shattered the palpable tension in the room, silence reigned, everyone staring dazedly at him, frozen in disbelief.This stillness stretched on, only to be broken by the nervous shuffling of the representatives, who hastily wiped the beads of sweat from their brows, their gazes flitting nervously toward Grace, her earlier icy demeanor still fresh in their minds.‘As expected of the Ice Goddess,’ they thought uneasily, recalling the sheer weight of the presence she had released from a mere question alone.‘No wonder no one else from the company dared come, no matter what bonuses were promised,’ some of them thought, swallowing hard.Grace, meanwhile, sat motionless, her gaze fixated on Mason with a mixture of confusion and incredulity.She had been moments away from taking control of the situation, fully prepared to salvage what she could—even when she knew perfectly well that she’d ultimately lose the company to Mason.‘Why would he do that?’ th
***** At first, Grace had been deeply shaken by the coordinated actions of the partner companies, whose perfectly timed decisions to cut ties and demand repayment of debts seemed almost too calculated. The coincidence had been heavily weighing on her mind, and this was what she had been trying to process when Mason's sudden accusation hit her like a bolt of lightning. His words left her momentarily stunned. But as she regained her composure, her gaze fixed on Mason, her eyes narrowing, and her expression turning cold and resolute. “You… seriously believe I’d sabotage the company I’ve spent my life building?” she asked, her voice sharp and frosty, cutting through the charged silence like a blade. “What will a desperate witch not do?” A derisive snort responded, drawing everyone’s attention to the speaker, Honey, who was currently glaring venomously at Grace, her lips curling with spite. Grace’s brows immediately knitted with dissatisfaction. “What do you mean?” She ask