Mrs. Emilia swiftly alerted all members of the Cooper family about the urgent situation at hand, resulting in a bustling living room within the hour.
The paper circulated among them, reaching Mr. Cooper last. The room fell silent as all awaited his words.
In this household, the only two individuals with authority and power were Mr. Cooper and his wife, Mrs. Emilia.
A coveted position of influence that everyone desired, creating a cutthroat environment where Amber and her parents found themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy, with no hope of inheritance.
Mr. Cooper cleared his throat and spoke,
"Indeed. This is my father's signature, and Amber will be wed to this young man in a month's time."
Instantly, the room erupted into murmurs.
"Oh no!"
"I can't believe this."
"Well, she deserves him."
These disparaging remarks swirled around, with glances of disdain directed towards Wayne and Amber.
"How can a poor, homeless man be accepted into this family?"
"No way! My daughter cannot marry someone of no worth. Oliver, tell your father he's made a dreadful decision!" Amber's mother wailed, tears brimming in her eyes.
"She's so pretty; she deserves to marry into wealth. She cannot wed this scoundrel; it's unthinkable!" Mrs. Laurette, Amber's mother, interjected.
"What nonsense! Oliver, rein in your wife. My decision stands. I don't need any tears. It's my father's signature, which means you have no say. I can't change it either,"
Mr. Cooper snapped furiously before exiting the room.
Mr. Oliver comforted his wife, holding her close, and whispered to her.
"Don't worry, I'll speak to my father. There must be a way. He cannot allow my daughter to marry from a destitute background. He can't dictate our daughter's life."
Wayne stood dumbfounded, thrust into a situation he had no inkling of. Just yesterday, he led a regular life, now embroiled in an arranged marriage.
As the chatter continued, Mrs. Emilia finally took the floor, silencing the room.
Fixing her gaze on Wayne, she bluntly inquired, "What qualities do you bring into this household as my granddaughter's future husband?"
Wayne, speechless, wished to be elsewhere, regretting ever stepping foot in the Cooper home. However, bound by a promise to his father, he restrained his vexation, maintaining a composed facade.
Mrs. Emilia, in a fit of rage, taunted, "Oh well, he can't even speak. Your father couldn't afford to support his son, hence he's a burden to this family, right?"
Wayne defended, "My father raised me well."
"Really?" Mrs. Emilia mocked, eliciting laughter from the group, except for Amber, who sat aghast at the sudden turn of events.
Wayne felt like a sore loser amidst the laughter, with derogatory remarks filling the room.
Mrs. Emilia directed her attention to Amber, "Amber, this is your intended husband. Keep an eye on him and ensure he stays out of trouble. He's your responsibility now," she stated before exiting the room.
The room buzzed with disdain towards Wayne as he sat, scrutinized by all.
"He's just after money!"
"How could Mr. Cooper allow this?"
"Ewww! He's repulsive."
"And he smells terrible, can't you see his clothes?"
They jeered.
Wayne noticed the lady who had been laughing earlier approach Amber, her lips curled in a smirk.
Amber's expression darkened, anticipating Aunt Matilda's spiteful words.
"So, a loser for a husband, huh? How ironic! But as they say, you attract what you are. Oh no, you deserve what you are!" Aunt Matilda taunted, stinging Amber to the core.
A tear escaped Amber's eye, followed by more tears.
Wayne observed Amber's reaction, her sorrow evident even without hearing Aunt Matilda's words.
Eventually, Amber walked towards Wayne.
"Hey, let's go," she said, her voice laced with fury.
It took Wayne a moment to realize she was addressing him. Quietly, he rose, avoiding the disdainful glances around him.
Amber took him to a lavishly decorated, spacious bedroom.
Holding the door open for Wayne to pass through, she shut it behind him, turning to face him with a stern expression.
"What would it take for you, to tell my grandfather that the contract is a fake, and that it was all planned, name your price, I'll pay you whatever it takes."
Wayne knitted his eyebrows and looked at her, he could tell her any amount he needed and go home to his father so he could pay off his debt, but his instincts kept telling him no."I'm sorry, but I can't do that, Amber, I'm not a liar, and I've come a long way to honor my father's wish so I can't go back." Wayne explained with a straight face."So you're just here to ruin my life? I can't believe you!" Amber said angrily, and then stomped out of the room in a rage.Aunt Matilda was sitting on the porch with her husband and daughter Bailey when Bailey said."I can't believe Amber's getting married to a homeless man." "Well, she deserves him," Mr. Nathan said, taking a sip of his orange juice."We were looking for a way to remove Amber from the heir list and also from the will, but I guess fate has done it all," Aunt Matilda said mockingly."You're right Mother, she belongs to the poor family now, that smelly dirty slave," Bailey said as they all burst out laughing."I don't want to se
“These past weeks have been the worst days of my life.“ Wayne said to himself. The Coopers family had maltreated him so much these past few weeks, turning him into something less than a mere slave, he had gone days without eating, he washed their dishes, did their laundry, cleaned every corner of the enormous mansion, and even washed their underwear. His head came down and his eyes found his reflection in the mirror. Next second, Wayne balled his hand and swung it at the mirror. The first thung he felt was pain, he watched the glass break into big pieces and he watched as the big pieces landed on the floor and shattered into all pieces. He saw the blood dripping from the cuts in his hand, at first he made no attempt to clean it but soon it would form a pool and he wanted to avoid that. He grabbed a napkin and pressed it on his hand. The pain registered and he winced. Suddenly his bedroom door opened and Mr Nathan walked in. His eyes fell on the shattered pile of glass a
The first thing Wayne noticed as he regained consciousness was the steady beeping of the heart monitor.As Wayne's senses slowly returned, he could feel his fingers twitching and then his toes. The scent of antiseptic crept into his nose. He heard two unfamiliar voices murmuring, both men."I think he's awake," one said softly."Thank God, I thought I had lost him," the other replied with relief.Wayne gently began to open his eyes. The room seemed blurry for a few seconds until his vision became clearer.Gradually, Wayne made out the figure of a man in white scrubs and another man who looked muscular for his age."My son, you're awake!" the older man exclaimed as he approached Wayne."Where am I?" Wayne asked, bewildered."You're in my house, Wayne," the man explained."Why am I in a hospital and why are you calling me your son? Who are you?" Wayne questioned. "Wait a minute. I think I've seen this guy before. He is with Drex when they attacked me!""What the hell?!" Wayne yelled as
A few days later, Wayne was finally ready to return to the Coopers family.Drex drove Wayne back to the Cooper's mansion, and a few blocks away, Wayne tapped Drex on the shoulder, startling him.“Sir…Master Wayne, what can i do for you?“ Drex stuttered.“Stop me here.“ Wayne ordered leaning back on the seat and without any hesitation Drex stopped the car.“I'm finally back .“ Wayne said, something under his breath, with a smile on his lips.When Wayne got out of the red Lamborghini, Drex came out and knelt down.“Please, Wayne, forgive me. I didn't mean to kill you. If you don't forgive me, your father will kill me. I didn't mean to hurt you, Wayne. You can hit me. I don't care. I'll do anything to own up to what I did.” Drex pleaded.“You know what? You hit me.” Wayne mumbled something.“What? Never! I would never do that to you, Wayne.” Drex hesitated.“You want me to forgive you? Hit me, hit me really hard to the extent I bleed. It's not a request, Drex. It's an order. Come on, do
It was a Saturday morning, Wayne had gone to the garden, he loved the smell of the flowers and the sounds of the chirping birds, he spent most of his mornings there or when the Cooper's family didn't send him on an errand, the garden had become his favorite and only place in the Cooper's mansion.He heard footsteps and hoped it wasn't Aunt Emilia or her husband, or worse, Aunt Matilda."Wayne!" Amber called out."My grandfather asked to see both of us." She said. Wayne got up from the grass he was lying on."I need you to be at your best for us, because whatever you do affects me, okay?" Amber mumbled."All right, let's go." He said.They both arrived at Mr. Cooper's office, where Mrs. Emilia, Mr. Nathan, Mrs. Matilda, Mr. Oliver and Mrs. Laurette were all sitting, staring at Wayne with hate and anger.And it was then that he knew he was in for another problem."I called you all here because I am going to let Wayne to work for our company!" Mr. Cooper said."What?! No way, you can't l
Tears welled up in Amber's eyes, and she was left speechless. This was something she had worked and pleaded for, and now it was all ruined."What's wrong?" Wayne asked, noticing the sudden change in mood."Nothing, let's just go home," Amber said, wiping away her tears.Wayne had a feeling that something was amiss. Someone in the family must have orchestrated this.Seeing Amber so dejected made him feel bad too.Pulling up to the mansion, Amber got out of the car. She gazed at the grand building, then took a deep breath before going inside. She knew her grandparents would be disappointed in her. She was in big trouble, and her heart continued to race.Entering the living room, she found the whole family seated, as they did during emergencies or important discussions."Look who decided to show up," Mrs Emilia said bluntly.Amber's heart leaped into her throat."You foolish girl! You had the audacity to turn down Mr. Rolland's appointment to go on a date with that lowlife!" Mrs. Emilia
Mr. Leo woke up feeling worried; he had barely slept through the night."What if they find out?" he asked himself over and over again.He dressed for work and walked to the bus stop. He was about to approach a taxi when two muscular, tall men in black suits and black sunglasses approached him."Are you Mr. Leo?" Drex asked."Yes...yes...I am Mr. Leo, but I have done nothing wrong to Mr. Bruce," Mr. Leo stammered."How do you know we are here because we think you have done something wrong, or have you?" Drex asked."No..no please spare my life. I'm clean, everyone in this town knows that if you show up, you've either done wrong to Mr. Bruce, the richest man in power, and most of them don't live to tell the tale, please I don't want to die," Mr. Leo pleaded."Well you're right, but it's not my senior boss you've offended, it's his son, but you're lucky he asked me to spare your life, now go to the car and get in," Drex ordered."Mr. Bruce has a son?" Leo whispered and fell to his knees.
The next morning, the whole family gathered in the living room as usual, including Wayne.Mr. Leo was seated amongst them, sweating profusely with his body trembling as fear raced through him. He was scared because he knew the family wouldn't take what he was about to say lightly. Wayne had left him with only two options: confessing to the Coopers and Mr. Rolland or paying with his life. And Mr. Leo definitely did not want to die."What did you call us here for?" Mr. Cooper asked sternly. Slowly, Mr. Leo turned to Aunt Matilda. She looked terrified and worried. Then he glanced at Wayne who sat there calmly, with a soft smile on his lips. Wayne winked at Mr. Leo, reminding him of the consequences. Mr. Leo's lips became loose."It's me, I lied," he stammered. The whole family looked at each other in confusion."What do you mean by it is you?" Mr. Cooper asked."I was asked to lie to Amber about her meeting with Mr. Rolland. Please forgive me, it was never my intention," Mr. Leo pleaded,