CHAPTER FOUR
Luke jolted awake with a skull piercing headache. For a moment, he was totally disoriented. He blinked a couple of times to clear his befuddled brain, wondering what the hell had happened.
His blurry eyes took in the heavy draperies and pure white walls. Then it struck him. Fiona’s rejection. The party. Getting plastered…and getting kidnapped.
He shook his head slowly, taking in the strange surroundings. He was in a bedroom, and from every indication, this room belonged to an extremely affluent person.
The gleaming marble floors complemented the dark draperies and bedside table made of pure mahogany. Floor to ceiling windows covered the east wall, giving him a splendid view of the large grounds of the building and the beautiful water fountain below.
Even the Carmichaels’ mansion could never be compared to this beautiful place.
“I must be dreaming or something.” He said to himself.
He got to his feet slowly and made for the door. He looked for a door knob and couldn’t find any, then realized he had to suppress the button on the wall to get the door open.
He did so and the automatic doors slid open on a silent “whoosh.”
“How cool is that?” Luke said quietly.
He wandered into the hallway, his eyes wide with wonder as he took in the expensive paintings on the walls, the gleaming marble floors and spotless walls.
His fingers glided over the smooth marble banisters of the grand stairs as he went down.
“Hello? Any one home?”
He got to the foot of the stairs but didn’t get any response. The luxurious house was as silent as a tomb.
Just as he was about to go farther, he heard a sound behind him and turned sharply. Standing before him was a polished looking, middle aged man in a three piece black suit. The man smiled at Lule and beckoned to him.
“Hello, your Lordship. My name is Rashford and the master has been waiting for you.”
Like stared at him in shock, then looked around to confirm that the man was really talking to him.
“Are you talking to me?” He asked slowly.
The man’s smile became wider.
“Of course. We have been waiting so many years for your return. It is wonderful to have you back home again. Please, this way.”
For a moment, Luke didn’t move.
Home? What the hell was the man saying? This must be a mistake.
He followed after the man quickly.
“Uh, excuse me. Mr Rashford…? You must be mistaken. My name is…”
“Luke Bradford?” The man cut in, still moving. “Yes, I know who you are. And the master does not make mistakes.”
Before long, they arrived at a door and the man nudged Luke to go in.
“The master will be so happy to see you, your Lordship. Go on in.”
Luke was having second thoughts, but out of pure curiosity, the pressed the button and the door slid open, revealing a luxurious office space.
Floor to ceiling windows covered the entirety of one wall and enormous Italian style book shelves lined the other, but what really caught Luke’s attention was the old man seated behind the table.
He was seventy or eighty years old max.
The man got to his feet as Luke entered, his weathered face breaking into a smile.
“Luke, my boy. I have waited so long to see you again. Oh, how you’ve grown.”
Luke paused, his heart still thudding with surprise.
“Excuse me? Who are you?”
The old man’s smile faltered.
“Oh. I forgot that you must not know who I am. My name is Lord Frederick De George. I’m your grandfather.”
Luke was sure he didn’t hear right. His entire body was frozen in shock.
“Wh-what? It can’t be. I don’t have a grand father.”
The man beckoned to him.
“Why don’t you have a seat? I know this must come as shock, but I’m ready to explain everything to you.”
Luke walked slowly and sank into the empty seat. Lord Frederick also took his seat .
“Rashford?” He called.
“Yes, sir?“
“Please get a glass of my most expensive whiskey for the young man.”
“Right away, sir.”
“How the hell am I your grandson? I went back to the orphanage where I was raised as a kid to inquire if they had any knowledge of my parents, but they said I was brought there by a stranger. There was no mention of any other relations.” Luke stressed.
Rashford brought the whiskey and the older man poured a glass for both of them.
“You see, my son, the orphanage was absolutely right. Your parents were involved in a ghastly motor accident some years ago. Unfortunately, none of them survived.”
Luke’s heart sank.
“Wh-what?” He stuttered.
“I am very sorry, my son, but that is the truth.”
Tears pricked Luke’s eyes at the mention of his dead parents. If they were alive, he wouldn't have experienced half the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the Carmichaels.
“You see, I am your father’s father. Your grandfather. When I heard about the accident, it was already too late and your parents were long dead. I enquired about you but was told that you were never found. I never stopped looking for you, my dear grandson. Now that you’re back, I can retire in peace, knowing that the empire is in safe hands.”
Luke’s head snapped up.
“The empire? What empire?”
His grand father smiled.
“Have you ever heard of the Diamond Crest Empire?”
Luke froze.
“Y-yes, I have. They’re a powerful group that control nearly the entire automobile and telecommunications industry in London and beyond. I heard their leader is anonymous.”
The old man spread his arms wide.
“Well, I guess you’re lucky to be meeting him today.”
Luke was very certain his mouth was hanging open at this point. He rose from his chair, unable to sit still.
“Are you saying…?”
“Yes. That is exactly what I am saying. The Diamond Crest empire was founded by my grand father and has been run by the George family for centuries. Not only do we control the automobile industry, we are the brain and power behind every single diamond mine owned by the British government. We control the launch and manufacture of the classiest and trendiest of cars.
Hell, the whole city depends on our money to function properly.”
Luke could only stare at him, eyes wide.
The Diamond Crest Empire was a subject of conversation in every single London home, schools and offices. His class even did a documentary on them last week.
Rumor has it that the empire was owned by one of the most powerful trillionaire families in the world. This family was above the law, and above every other human being in the city.
No one knew who they were. Even the Carmichaels talked about them with utmost respect. But now…
“What are you saying?” Luke asked.
The older man’s eyes darkened with determination.
“I am saying that my late son, George jnr., was the heir to the Diamond Crest Empire before his demise. By law, his first son was expected to take over.
Your real name is Lord Luke George, and you are the heir to a fortune running into trillions of dollars. I’m talking about Diamond Mines, automobile industries, the telecommunication world and so much more.
My question is, are you ready to step in and reclaim what is rightfully yours? Are you ready to let go of that life of poverty and penury, and step into a life that allows you to be the most powerful man in the world?
If so, welcome to the empire, my long lost grandson.”
Luke collapsed into his seat, his mind buzzing with a billion different thoughts.If anyone had told him that he would one day be kidnapped and later proclaimed heir to an empire worth trillions of dollars, he would have laughed them in the face.“I’m not so sure about this.” He rasped.The old man smiled.“I understand that this is a lot for you to take in, but I assure you that accepting your position will be the best decision you have ever taken in your life.”Luke shook his head and attempted to change the subject.“So you said my parents died in an accident. Was it really an accident? Being an heir to so much money, some people might have been after them, right?”The old man heaved a sad sigh.“I’m afraid you’re right, my son. You see, the George name is one of the most important and powerful names in the world which was why I ordered that we would remain anonymous. I did not want any links or trails that would associate us with our wealth…but your father began to get out of cont
“Where would you like to go, your Lordship?” One of the guards, apparently their leader asked.Luke smiled.“Please, call me Luke.”The man shook his head.“I’m afraid that will not be happening. Your Lordship is your official title.”Luke stared at him in confusion.“Uh…okay. If you say so.”He looked down at his dirty shoes and the wrinkled shirt he wore to Fiona’s birthday party last night and a thought crawled into his mind.“Take me to the best boutique in the city.”“Of course, your lordship.”The guards went their different ways. Some of them got into a huge, black jeep while two followed in my Tesla. Before long, we arrived at a magnificent boutique with “Kings’ Wardrobe” inscribed with shiny gold lettering on the walls.Luke asked the guards to stay in the car or just loiter around the environment while he went in on his own. Now that he thought about it, Luke had actually read about this boutique.It topped “Vogue’s most classy and luxurious boutique of the month” list just
CHAPTER SEVEN “Has everyone suddenly gone dumb? I asked a question!” The man thundered. Martha gave Luke a full glare before turning to her boss. “I apologize for the commotion, sir. This man,” she said, pointing at Luke, “ walked in here and started picking up our wares, claiming he can pay for them. From every indication, sir, he doesn’t look like he can afford the least priced item we sell here, talk more of a ten thousand dollar watch. He was beginning to constitute a nuisance to our actual paying customers so I decided to call the security officers.” The Manager turned his dark, serious eyes on Luke. He appraised him slowly, starting from his worn out shoes to his low budget shirt. Luke did not look down or cower. Rather, he met the manager stare for stare. “What are you doing here, young man?” The manger finally asked. Luke shrugged. “I’m here to shop like everyone else.” “And how do you intend to pay for the items you’ve picked? Before you answer that question, I want y
Nina stepped into the car, confusion written all over her features. The last time she saw Luke, she had bought him a plate of food from the school’s cafeteria because he was unable to afford even the least item sold there. Where the hell did he get a Tesla?She decided to keep silent so as not to appear rude. Maybe he had borrowed it or something.Luke put the cat in “drive” and continued down the lane.“So…how are you, Nina?”She forced a smile.“Very well, thank you.”Awkward silence reigned in the car after that. Something was wrong with Nina. Luke could feel it. Her normal bright and smiling countenance was stiff and dull.Has someone hurt her? Luke felt his blood boil at the thought.When the silence began to get uncomfortable, he decided to broach the subject.“Uh…Nina, are you okay?”She turned her big blue eyes in his direction.“What? Yes, of course. I’m fine.” A forced laugh escaped her.Now Luke was sure something was wrong.“Are you sure you’re okay? You can tell me, you
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Fiona. Please step back.”Fiona refused to backdown. Instead, she tried to get in Nina’s face but Luke stepped between them, blocking her path. His eyes glowed with annoyance,“You and I no longer share any form of relationship, Fiona Carmichael. I would advise you to stay away from Nina and I from now on. Do you understand?”Fiona’s mouth dropped open in shock at the command in Luke’s voice. Before she could say anything, David interfered.“Why are you allowing yourself to be talked down on by this low class riff raff, sweetheart? Let’s get out of here. He was never worth our attention in the first place.”“Yes,” Luke added. “You both should get out of here. And please, avoid confronting us in the near future.”David froze at Luke’s obvious insult. He turned to him, his lips curled in a sneer.“Oh look, the timid pauper can finally stand up for himself. Need I remind you that you are far beneath by class, Luke Bradford. You are a useless go
Luke finally made it to class and took his seat. All around him, students whispered in hushed voices about the debacle that just went down at the parking lot. The video of Luke’s assault on David and the intervention of his body guards had already swept through the entire school’s social media platforms like wildfire.Right now, Luke was the number one trending topic in the school, and strangely, he felt good about it. Some students even stopped over and gave him a friendly pat on the back.The lecturer finally appeared and the class resumed. Twenty minutes into the lecture, an armed security guard walked into the room.The entire class went silent as they watched him communicate with the lecturer in low tones for a few brief seconds. “Luke Bradford.” The guard called, turning to the class. “Does any student go by that name here?”Surprised, Luke slowly raised his hand.“Yes, sir?”“The Dean requests your presence in his office right away.”The class erupted in a flurry of low murmur
“Mr, Bradford, I sincerely apologise once again for the Dean’s behaviour. I assure you that no one will ever harass you like that again in this institution. Please, have a seat.”Luke was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he only had to make one call to have David Humsworth expelled from Bridgeville University. It was incredulous.“Uh…are you actually not worried about the donations which the Humsworth family makes to the school? David is right, you know. If you expel him, the donations will stop coming.”The headmaster leaned back in his seat with a knowing smile.“I’m guessing you’re not aware of your status in this institution, your lordship.”Luke’s face creased with confusion.“What do you mean?”“You see, David’s family’s annual donation did help the school…to maintain our air conditioners. The money pumped in by the family who are the real owners of this school is what keeps Bridgeville University running everyday.”That’s new.“Oh.”After a few seconds of sile
Brad stared at Luke, his eyes burning with anger and embarrassment. How the hell did he make so much money within the space of two years?Luke’s gaze roved over his former colleagues.“Do not waste my time. I have other things to attend to today.”They all lowered their gazes and mumbles of “I’m sorry” swept through the small crowd, giving Luke a sense of satisfaction.“And you, Brad. I’m still waiting.”After a moment’s hesitation, Brad trudged forward and stood before Luke. He flashed him an unrepentant glare before lowering his eyes to the ground in a mini bow.“I sincerely apologize for my behavior. I was way out of line and I promise it will never happen again.”Luke didn’t care if Brad actually meant his apology or not. All he cared about was the fact that his enemy had bowed before him. That alone was a victory.Luke gave them one final look filled with disdain before walking out of the office, his gait confident and his head held high. Next time they will think twice before e