***** "This..." All except Edgar and Xavier felt their hearts stop briefly—Edgar’s eyes lightening up with excitement, relief, and smugness After a moment, while everyone else… ‘She… she hasn’t even confirmed his identity yet?!’ they all thought in unison, a mix of horror and helplessness gripping their minds, making the earlier hint of hope disappear. It was only David, who after processing Victoria’s words allowed a small smile to escape. 'The first good news since,' he thought in relief, knowing that the only one who could probably exonerate them from the current up-and-down situation was the Blackwood Patriarch himself who had given him the villa’s key. “Son, I… I think…” Laura, shivering from apprehension looked at Xavier as soon as she saw Victoria bringing out her cell phone, wanting to plead with him when the beaming David stopped her. "It’s alright, dear. The truth will come out now," he reassured her, speaking in a voice only the three of them in the backseat could
***** Blackwood family’s estate. Inside a grand, sprawling room with towering ceilings supported by intricately designed pillars, each symbolizing a different aspect of the family’s legacy—power, wisdom, history, and dominance were three middle-aged men and their faces were currently ashen with fury, their eyes blazing with unbridled anger, seething silently, as if on the verge of explosion. Next to them was the stunningly beautiful Cassandra, whose gaze was fixated ahead of her right now as though trying to piece together a puzzle, and this lasted for some time until finally, her eyes lit up with clarity. "He’s without a doubt the one currently on the phone with Grandfather. I’ve never seen Grandfather show such respect and deference to anyone else," she muttered quietly with a look of certainty appearing on her face as she hurriedly shot a quick look at the three men, who had remained quiet because of their belief that their father was on the phone with someone significant.
*****As soon as these words left his mouth, he felt his heart race and his palms grow sweaty in nervousness, but just then;"How about I come tonight?" The words he hadn't anticipated entered his ear from the cell phone, sounding like the most beautiful melody he had heard in years, and in the next moment, the old man was completely flabbergasted, the words echoing in his mind and resonating in his ears."You… you’ll come tonight?" he stuttered and the following second, his eyes lit up as he could no longer contain his excitement—barely maintaining his composure.This response filled the old man with such joy that he could no longer wait for the evening and once the call ended, he jumped to his feet, laughing uproariously, stunning everyone in the room."This… this is wonderful, hahaha!"“Huh…” The four in the room, seeing the old man like this were dumbstruck and couldn’t react again, finding it difficult to believe he was their patriarch."You! Inform the staff to start prep
*****Everyone couldn’t help but remain frozen in shock, struggling to comprehend how this presently subdued Edgar on his knees with such a pitiful face and teary eyes could be the same haughty, difficult-to-handle, and rude one from a moment ago.Their mouths continued to hang open, completely lost for words while Edgar... If remorse could be a person right now, it would be him.He wanted to smack himself repeatedly on the face, frantically cursing his foolishness and stupidity, as his pride and false sense of superiority had not only sabotaged his rise even before it began but also ruined any chance he would ever get again in the future.He was filled to the brim with self-loath right now.Not seemingly to notice all the gazes directed at him nor giving a cent about the haughty image he had been keeping, his body began to tremble hysterically, looking like he would sob at any moment even though no tears would fall from his eyes.Finally, after what felt like an eternity to him
***** “Please forgive me!”Bang!!! Edgar cried out and then slammed his head against the hard ground like someone who had lost his mind, sobbing hysterically. “Please forgive my ignorance and stupidity!!!”He began to plead desperately as though his life depended on it, knowing that he couldn’t afford to lose this job.He had already gambled everything… his entire life on it.Before this moment, Edgar hadn’t even been bothered at all by his previous actions, even still thinking he had done only the right thing for his future development. But now…He knew he wouldn’t have what it takes to live again as he had already arrogantly severed all ties with everyone he had ever known—Friends, colleagues, superiors. Even his wife and children, thinking they would only drag his progress and divine grace back.Before being called into the office the previous day, he had still been the loving father and husband… joking with his colleagues, and showing respect to his boss just as he always
*****Even though the Audi A6 had already passed through the towering wrought-iron gates adorned with symbols of power, affluence, and grandeur, marking the entrance to Oceanview Estate, the interior was eerily quiet.After all the emotional turbulence and clashes they’d faced just beyond the gate, it would have made sense for them to be lost in conversation, reliving every moment. Yet, what filled the car was a profound, almost reverent silence.Everyone—from Dorothy in the driver's seat to her boss beside her, Grace, to Xavier's parents at the back, and even Xavier, who was normally the embodiment of calm—sat as if frozen in time, each person’s mouths widely open enough to swallow a swarm of bees, but none of them noticed.Right now, they all looked like villagers who had spent their entire lives in some remote, underdeveloped countryside, suddenly transported to the heart of a dazzling metropolis—seeing wonders they never thought were possible in their lifetime.While they had
*****It took a moment for everyone to return to their senses after hearing Xavier, finally closing their mouths when they realized they were on the verge of drooling.“You… this…” Both Laura and Dorothy muttered in unison, finally processing their son’s words and their jaws dropped.While they hadn't fully understood why their son had brought them to the home that was supposed to belong to him and his wife on the day of his marriage, they had assumed it was simply to show them the place, never expecting in their wildest dreams that it was so they could leave together.‘Does he even think about his wife?’ They thought and the two subconsciously exchanged stunned glances.Although they could see the admiration in each other's eyes, knowing full well they both loved the villa, there was also a silent understanding between them—a hesitation.Deep down, they recognized that, as beautiful as this place was, it wasn’t meant for them.Realizing they were on the same wavelength; the co
*****"This... are you... are you truly the owner of this mansion—Villa Number One?" After a long pause, Dorothy, finally unable to contain her shock, confusion, and question again stammered, breaking the silence that had enveloped the three of them.Xavier, hearing the question, turned his head and stared at her for a moment, as if processing the inquiry.His expression remained blank for a moment until suddenly, a mischievous grin slowly spread across his face, followed by a lighthearted, playful chuckle"What do you think?" he asked teasingly, winking mischievously at Dorothy, but then not waiting for her to respond, he recalled something and instantly continued, smoothly changing the topic with his tone remaining playful and his voice laced with amusement."Don’t you think this place is far too shabby and insecure for someone as important as your boss?" he asked and in the following second, both Dorothy and Grace were left speechless for a moment, staring dazedly at Xavier, u