***** For a moment, the construction site was engulfed in a deafening, eerie silence that made it possible to hear the sound of an ant crawling by. This lasted for what felt like an eternity before the face of the old man, who hadn’t spoken since Elias began, turned pale. He trembled all over, took a deep breath, and looked at Elias with mixed emotions. “What happens next?” he asked Elias, understanding the question, took a moment to organize his jumbled thoughts before letting out a sigh and pointing at the books he was holding. “I was ordered to hide these records after I reported your arrival to him, but I decided to check their contents out of curiosity,” he explained with a self-deprecating smile. “Who would have guessed that not only has your family never owed its workers before, but it pays the highest in the labor market and even allocated a large sum for my father’s treatment years ago, only for everything to end up in this monster’s pockets!” he concluded, g
*****By the time the police arrived, Barth had already been battered until nearly all his teeth were knocked out, and most of the bones in his body were fractured.Although he was well aware of the fate that awaited him after his arrest—that he would likely spend the next chunk of his years in prison—Barth wasn’t afraid at all of the cop's arrival. Instead, he became excited and relieved, treating the officers like his rescuers.“Hurry up and arrest me, please!” he sobbed desperately, seeing the furious and hostile glares of the mob directed at him, looking as though they couldn't wait to pounce and continue hitting him.The officers were speechless at his reaction, but they still went ahead and detained the enormous figure who was now drenched in his own blood. Since Barth was too large, he occupied the entire back seat of one car, while Cornelius, who tried resisting arrest and didn’t want to be captured, was forcefully locked in the rear of another vehicle.…..One would t
*****"I'm so mad!" Cassandra, who had been trying her best to suppress her rage since Xavier’s earlier arrogant utterance finally snarled with anger.She had initially decided to ignore and forget about him for the sake of his father, but now... She was filled to the brim with wrath, trembling slightly and grinding her teeth together with loathing and fury as she continued to recall Xavier’s face and egotisms.Meanwhile, seated next to Cassandra in the car, the Patriarch of the Blackwood family, sensing his granddaughter's rage couldn't help but smile faintly."Why are you mad though?" he asked ignorantly, and Cassandra instantly grounded her teeth against each other.“It was that douchebag’s arrogance and shameless behavior! He makes me sick." She forced out."How dare he threaten to make my Blackwood family lose everything?!”“Who does he think he is?!" She began to rant as though she were a dam that had just been released, her hatred for Xavier intensifying with each incident sh
*****While Xavier and his family of three were bounding together again after five years, a beautiful middle-aged woman in the living room of a villa was sharply scolding her husband without holding back."How is this fair, huh, tell me! How?!" she cried out pitifully.“Why is your family always determined to sacrifice our daughter’s life and happiness for their so-called greater good?""What is our crime anyway?” Her chest heaved and her eyes were filled with tears.“Why are they always so eager to use our only child as a pawn to secure a stronger alliance every time?!""That's not even it. Out of all the honorable men in this world, why that demon who is notorious for ruining women's lives?!" she yelled even more at the top of her lungs, her eyes turning bloodshot..“I…” Feeling his wife’s anguish, helplessness, unwillingness, and despair, Williams’ lips quivered.He wanted to say something, but Susan interrupted again, glaring fiercely at him. "This is your fault, you kno
*****“What’s going on?” Williams and Susan exchanged a perplexed gaze upon seeing Grace’s frantic demeanor.“Hope there is no problem?” Susan eventually inquired and just then, a relieved expression washed over Grace.“Yes, this is Grace,” she said composedly into the cell phone, acting as though she wasn’t the panicky one of a moment ago.Anyone hearing only her voice without seeing her right now might think she was composed and untroubled, but a single glance at her heaving chest would reveal it was merely a façade.The husband and wife duo who were intently studying her couldn’t help but exchange glances at this, after which they smiled wryly.‘Do we even ever truly know when our daughter is genuinely happy or upset?’ they thought in unison.Meanwhile, Grace, unaware of the thought going through her parents’ minds suddenly gasped, momentarily losing her composure to whatever the caller said.“You—you are available now?” She asked dumbly, truly surprised as she had just mad
*****Still in the VIP ward.Seated beside Laura on the bed, David who was still utterly confused glanced at his wife. “This jade beauty you wouldn’t stop talking about, how sure are you that something is really going on between her and our son though?” He asked seriously and Laura’s eyes lit up.“My womanly intuition,” she responded eagerly, throwing David off-guard.“You…”“You should know that my instincts are rarely ever wrong, right?” She inquired and David, who was on the verge of challenging her paused for a moment before finally nodding his head.“It would be a wonderful thing then,” he said after which he also became excited, his eyes brightening like those of his wife.“I thought I’d start searching for a wife for him after which I would give them the villa I was given today as their wedding present,” he mumbled with a sigh, his eyes filling with unshed tears, but just then, Laura, who heard what her husband just said stared blankly at him.“The Villa you were given?
*****Xavier’s eyes instantly rose upon hearing this remark while the inside of the huge, magnificent, and well-lit hall turned dead silent in an instant.Several things could cause discrimination in Riverton City and among them is being an ex-convict, a label akin to a blot on something already filthy to the citizens.Whether they were eating, conversing, walking, or drinking, everyone slowly turned their heads, glancing at the speaker—an averagely beautiful lady, who currently had her fingers interlaced with that of a short guy in an Armani suit as she stood, gaping in a particular direction with unmistakable disdain and loathing.“Bi—big sister, what—what did you just say?” A young boy of about four years old, who had just been boasting to his parents about how everyone in his class except himself was frightened when their teacher told them stories of how scary prisoners are, stammered in fear.Jennifer glanced at the boy before looking at everyone else and the instant she saw
*****The moment Xavier heard the pot-bellied manager’s order, his eyes lifted, and a faint, playful, cold grin spread across his lips.He initially wasn’t mad at all despite the crowd’s unreasonable hatred as he had already anticipated reactions like that before he left prison while for Jennifer, he was just more disappointed in himself for having been blind, but now…Watching the security guards approaching him to throw him out as ordered, he decided to act—when suddenly the elegant female manager, who hadn’t said much since her arrival stepped forward and blocked their path.Being the most beloved of all the restaurant workers, the security guards immediately stopped without hesitation. They even took a step back, and with that, Janet acknowledged them with a gentle nod before addressing the perplexed customers who were staring at her and murmuring.“Although I don’t know the reason behind your displeasure, I apologize,” she began, prompting the crowd to quiet down, after whic