The rest of everything that Lily said was a blur, and Liam ended the call without knowing what to say.
He had met Lily in his first year, and he immediately liked her sunny and bright personality. She was not that good at studying and would come to him for help every now and then. Gradually, the both of them became close and became a couple.
To save money, she had suggested moving in and Liam had agreed since he was staying alone.
In these two years, he had considered her his woman and also family. After all, he didn’t have anyone besides Rose.
However, he had also noticed that Lily had been changing these past few months, but he had been too busy to point anything out.
This time, he could see that they had come to the end of their rope.
But it took him a costly amount to see the gaps and changes.
Just then, the accountant opened the door, pushing him out of his thoughts.
“Liam, I just called the donor's family. They said the half payment must be complete before they agree to sign the papers.”
Liam nodded numbly and ran his hands through his hair. He had originally thought that he could cover more than half of the bills and then spend some time by his sister’s bed.
“I’ll be back by morning; please, if there’s any emergency, call me,” he begged and then rushed out of the hospital.
Since he was already close, he wanted to use his good record to get another credit card or, at the very worst, take out a loan with a high-interest rate.
He just needed time, and he would earn the money back!
As he rushed out of the hospital, he was in a hurry and didn’t notice that an old woman was coming from the other direction.
“Ahh!” The woman screamed out in pain as they collided with each other. As she had lesser strength, she had fallen to the floor from the hit.
“Damn,” Liam cursed as he stopped to assess the damage.
Even though he was in a rush for time, he still couldn’t bear to walk away.
He supported the woman to stand and then carried her to one of the benches that was outside the hospital.
At the same time, he was cursing his shitty luck.
He must have killed someone on this day in his past life to have everything going wrong.
The old woman kept groaning and hissing out in pain, making Liam worry.
“Do you feel pain anywhere, ma’am?” He asked politely while trying to access her himself.
The old woman shot him a stern glare with his question.
“You are young and have strong bones, so you can move around regardless of how you want, but don’t you know this is a hospital? You can’t move around anyhow!” The woman scolded.
Liam bowed his head silently. Even though he felt that it was unfair, he also felt that he had indeed been carried away.
There was no reason to try and defend himself.
Satisfied with his reaction, the woman finally stopped scolding him and looked at his terrible appearance.
“What’s the matter? You are these young but have many thoughts?”
Liam nodded hurriedly, unwilling to share his history with some random stranger. However, the old lady was also not one to give up early. She groaned in pain and asked him to get her water to drink.
After a while, she asked him to get her milk tea so she could have the strength to stand.
Liam was on his last bit of patience but managed to answer her every request. He stood up hurriedly as he checked the time and saw that more than half an hour had been wasted.
“If there’s any problem with your body, let me take you inside. I have some matters to settle, and it also involves a life.”
The old lady said nothing at first, only watching his expression. After a while, she placed her hands into her pocket and pulled out a watch.
“You seem like you are having money issues,” she said while giving him a look over.
“Find a pawnshop and sell this; it will fetch. you a lot of money,” as she said this, she stoodraight and firm and nothing like someone who had hurt herself some minutes ago.
Liam looked at her with a dubious expression.
Was this how charity was done these days? Could she just give him a watch like that?
He was in desperate need for money and it was indeed tempting to take the watch that looked like it would really worth a lot.
However, he didn’t dare to accept it.
What if the old lady had some mental condition that made her act out of line every now and then?
“Thank you for giving me this. However, I cannot accept it,” Liam said while passing the watch back to her.
The old woman smiled with satisfaction from his reaction.
“It’s good that you are not greedy. Get me one more cup of milk tea, and we can separate on a good note.”
She accepted the watch and kept it in her bag, making Liam believe that she had been pranking him.
A little bit of disappointment settled in his chest as he turned to get the milkshake. Even though he could see that she was well, the milkshake shop was just a few steps away.
However, when he came back with the cup of milkshake, the only things left on the bench were the watch and a note.
“Thank you for keeping me company. Make sure to sell it for a good price.”
Even though his heart ached to sell it, Liam knew it was the smartest decision. He was not a person who liked to collect expensive items in the first place and didn’t have any idea about pawning things off.Using his phone, he was able to find a pawn shop with very good reviews and took the bus to the nearest bus stop.“Welcome,” the boss at the pawnshop greeted as Liam entered.His eyes were sharp and piercing, and Liam felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. However, he still greeted him back politely before taking out the watch.“I’d like to sell this,” he started and placed the watch on the counter.The man’s eyes lit up and he hurriedly grabbed the watch that Liam had just placed on the counter.Seeing the shining gold, the man was impressed.“I didn’t know that this brand would still be moving around. It’s been a while since they created designs that would go into the public,” the man said and then started a long-winded conversation about how the brand was really impressive.
The next day, Liam only woke up when he felt his head being tugged on. As he opened his eyes to his sister’s familiar eyes, he couldn’t help the joy that rushed through him.“Rose,” he groaned out, his voice still husky from just waking up.“Brother.”Rose's eyes teared up as she looked at how tired her brother looked. Although he looked a little better after a night's rest, it was still not enough to hide all the stress that he had been through in the last few days.Her heart ached for her brother terribly.“Rose, how do you feel? The doctor said the attack was a mild one?” Liam asked.Without waiting for her reply, Liam rushed to check around her, as though, by doing that, he would be able to tell if she was fine.Rose smiled gently as she saw his worried expression.“I know my body best. I’m fine right now.” She was in a little bit of pain but she didn’t dare to tell him as she didn’t want him to worry.Liam finally calmed down and sat down beside her while holding her hands.For t
Without waiting for his reply, Lily ended the call and Liam looked around the empty apartment one more time as the call ended.At first, he wanted to believe that something was wrong with Lily, but after hearing her last words, a part of him couldn’t help but believe her.There was just that feeling in his heart. The realization.Without knowing, he had already settled in one corner of the floor and his mind started to wander to the memories they had both shared.In their relationship, he had indeed been the one giving and Lily just taking.Liam stood up, his eyes flashing with anger.“Already even?” He scoffed as he looked around his empty house.She had taken all that belonged to him and his prize money and she felt they were even?Before he could think of the next point of action, his phone rang, disrupting his thought process.“Liam, where are you?” Daniel’s voice rang out anxiously from the other end of the call.Liam frowned slightly. Daniel was his coursemate and closest friend
“Not on my watch!”Her voice was clear and sweet, but with the high-pitched tone she used, it made everyone pause.Jake’s eyes widened as he looked at the familiar figure. “Naya!”Naya glanced at him, and her lips curled up with disgust. “Who are you?”If it was any other person, Jake and his minions would have flared up. However, even though the Willow family had some money, they couldn’t compare to the Ornery family in any way.In front of her, Jake didn’t dare to speak. He even lowered his head slightly.Seeing that he knew his place, Naya nodded slightly.On the other hand, Lily thought that Naya had charmed Jake with her looks and flared up.“Who’s this vixen? Why can’t you greet Jake? Do you dare to offend the Willow family?”Everyone looked at her but nodded in agreement. After all, they didn’t know who Naya was.However, Jake seemed to have called her name, so no one was bold enough to scold her like Lily had just done.Naya’s eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Lily.“And
Before he could reply, she placed her index finger on her lips.“What’s your department?”“Computer science,” Liam replied helplessly. Either way, he was really minoring in some courses. However, it was not his major; if she went there later, she wouldn’t find him.Naya’s eyes flashed, but she still told the driver.“Drive to the computer science department.”She turned to Liam and said, "Put your number here. I’ll call you when next I want to see you.”Liam’s face stiffened as he heard her words. So he had just made her drive him to a department that was on the other side only to give out his number?He felt that there was many troubles that he was facing now, he had no intention of giving her but when he met with her eyes, Liam couldn’t help his heart from thumping.“I have saved you; the least is to collect my number. Besides, do you think I’m not worthy of being your woman?”Liam shook his head hurriedly as he was afraid that she would misunderstand.“If you don’t think so, put yo
The four men had straight faces and nodded at his reply.“Young master, we have finally found you!”Liam stepped back as he looked at them guardedly. They have found him?Thinking they were people with bad intentions, he slowly took steps out of the hallway. When the men saw his actions, their lips twitched in amusement.This young master was really cautious hehe…“Young Master Liam, we have spent the last twenty years searching for you, now that we have found you, it’s impossible for this to be a mistake.”“We have also saved your adopted sister and she will get the switch done as soon as possible,” one of them said.Liam paused in his steps.Adopted sister? Also, were they the ones that paid for Rose’s treatment?“You are the ones that covered the treatment for my sister?”“Yes, young master. Since she’s someone you care about, it’s not a big deal to help her!”Liam pinched himself secretly as he felt like he was daydreaming. In this short while, they had called him a young master a
Liam waited some hours before leaving the ward. True to their words, they sent him all the documents, including the DNA test.They were even meticulous. They had found a way to find some distant members of the Stone family and did a test with them.He had no relation at all. He was slowly coming out of the shock and he left the ward to check on his sister.When he got to her ward, the doctor was just coming out and beamed when he saw him.“Liam, I was just about to send for you.”“Right now, Rose’s condition is delicate, so to avoid any complications, I have put her on medications that will leave her sleeping so that she doesn’t disturb her body organs. After 48 hours, we will carry out the operation.”Liam nodded in understanding. The most important thing was that his sister could get a surgery and transplant.“In the meantime, don’t disturb her; you can come back in two days' time so that you can wait while we do the surgery; after all, you still have to sign also.”Hearing that he
Chapter 11When Naya didn't give a response, he took the phone off his ear only to find out that she had hung up. “Why?” He muttered, redialing her contact but she didn't pick up. Throwing courtesy aside, he continued dialling her contact while Naya, who had her phone resting on the leather seat, wouldn't pick up. She was just staring at it, her lips parted into a smile as she imagined the look on Liam’s face. Without being told, she already knew his expression was going to be a mix of frustration and worry, judging by the tone he had used in speaking to her. “He keeps calling, it's best if you tell him what you are up to.” One of her bodyguards said but she shook her head in the negative. Propping herself up, she pushed her hair behind her ear, staring at her ringing phone. “Where was his last location?” She asked. “He is still in front of the police station. From the look of things, he would be heading somewhere else within a few minutes.” The second bodyguard added and she no
Six months later… The county had returned to normalcy after a thorough reform was put in place. To honor those that had made it happen, a mass meeting was organized where all members of the country were invited to be a witness to. Tyler Greene, the newly appointed President, was present in the mass meeting, being an icon in the revamped version of the country. His face was brightly marked with excitement, as he left the smile on his face and was distributing it to the citizens, who were seeing him. They had come in their masses as they wanted to witness the occasion first hand."First, I'll formally announce the reason for his honorable, reasonable and democratic meeting." Tyler started, his voice cool at first, accompanied with the sound of his laughter. "We all know about the change in the course of events in this country and those who made it happen.." Tyler spoke with clear gladness and couldn't hide it. Tyler's vice was beside him, holding a thick colored banner in his han
Daniel's voice was loud, as he kept making gestures with his hands. He was seated with his friends, conversing with them about the current news that spread around the country. Suddenly, someone rushed into their midst and exclaimed, "I heard another news…" "What's that, boy?" Daniel said, his voice breaking confidently, as if he would not be shaken by Liam's dealings. "Tell me, what's the news?" "The deal you made…" the boy started, but as soon as Daniel realized it was about a deal, he took the boy to a side to continue their talk in whispers. "The deal you strongly made and stamped with Karl had been released and broadly spread!" "What deal?" Daniel questioned him out of shock, and was rubbing his face until he stopped, as asked the boy again, "I don't get you. What deal?" "The chip infusion." The boy replied, his voice lighter as soon as he sensed anger in Daniel's voice."What!" Daniel reacted, as he nearly collapsed. "You know what? Just run away!" "To where?" The boy ask
Alaric had gone back to the operating room, and was still in bed. Fortunately, the surgeon realized he was all right. Alaric was totally healed, but he happened to have lost his memory. His constant surrender to Karl was all robotic. He was later brought from the operation room to a ward, on instruction that he needed to rest. "Hello?" A surgeon asked him. "What do you feel now?" "Feel what?" Alaric returned, his voice clear but light. "What do you mean?" "Oh, I know you're just coming back to normalcy…" the surgeon said, turning to his colleagues. "Do you think he is totally okay?" "Yeah," another surgeon responded, walking up to Alaric to check on him. "I think we should seek the attention of the senior surgeon, so he can see him." "Is that necessary?" The first surgeon questioned in return, holding her lips as she smiled. "Well, you can. At least, he is all right." Soon, the senior surgeon was around. He turned to the first surgeon and whispered to her ears, "I hope no chi
Kaylan didn't perform less than she was asked to do. She had spread the news of Rodriguez's illegal dealings vastly. Liam had ordered the release of the article which contained almost everything about Rodriguez and Karl. Rodriguez had felt comfortable with Karl's soothing words, continuing his illegal business with Karl became easy for him that he had no remorse, and even hid his fears about any form of leakage. "How far have you gone with the task I gave you?" Liam asked Kaylan, his voice deep but clear, an expression of his excitement. "In what state could the biotech company be, right now?" He mused. "I've forwarded the news to my team." Kaylan replied, returning a clearer tone in her own voice. "It will reach the masses easily that way…""I'll prove to Karl that I can thwart his schemes and nullify all his tricks." Liam chuckled, his voice making him sound like a villain and threatening Karl's attitude as though he was present. "Exactly, Liam." Kaylan responded in agreement.
To spice up their plans, Liam had mailed a flashdrive to Rodriguez. The flash drive contained all the information they had gathered about him and Karl. Rodriguez made up his mind not to return the flash drive as he had a conclusion that something important was attached to it and so he was curious to find out the content. With that he made his way back to his office and as the Chief Justice he sat behind his imposing mahogany desk in the room.His eyes were fixed on the small, sleek flash drive that had been tossed on the table. The audacity of Liam to think of doing this hit him but he smiled while the question popped in his mind.Who did he think he was, trying to blackmail him?What was on his mind?Curiosity getting the better of him, Rodriguez inserted the drive into his computer and waited as the files began to load. Suddenly, the screen flickered to life, revealing an array of documents and recordings. Rodriguez's eyes widened on seeing the images which had himself includ
Madam Aurelia began walking in circles inside the living room as thoughts of what they were going to do next consumed her thoughts. She was still recovering from what she had seen in the file that Dave had brought, and the evidence was sickening. There was no doubt as to whether Karl and Rodriguez were crooks, and should they manage to expose them, it would definitely influence the outcome in their favor.Liam walked into the room, “Did you manage to find anything good among the papers?” He inquired, looking eager and hopeful.“Yes.” Madam Aurelia replied, gripping the folder firmly. “There are records of money movement as well as transactions which are quite illicit. If we conduct this campaign in the proper manner and present the right audiences with this evidence, the extent of Karl and Rodriguez’s dealings… It would be interesting corruption news that will come to light.”“Then we have no time to waste.” Liam affirmed in his stern tone. “Whatever this information gives us, they
Liam stepped out of Tyler Greene’s office with a heavy heart, blaming himself for keeping his expectations high. He had wanted a better answer than that. However, Tyler’s indecision was a cause for concern. Time was running fast and voices of opposition against Karl were still weak. During the drive home, Liam found himself troubled. Would Tyler really lend his support for the cause? Or was he simply yet another hindrance in their efforts? He needed to collect his mind and think of a way out but he was too worried to even think properly. Instead of heading to him, Liam headed to the hotel to meet with Madam Aurelia who sat in the living room in the living room on his arrival. Her face was solemn, though she appeared to be happy with his arrival. “How did the meeting with Tyler go?” she asked, concern evident in her tones.“It didn’t go as well as I hoped.” Liam admitted, ruffling his hair. “He is not willing to take any actions against Karl, and I am afraid he has no nerves f
Liam stood still only to start pacing about because he was restless. He began to plan what step to take after Alaric's revelation. He was desperate to put an end to Daniel and Karl but he didn’t know how to go about it. He felt like an ill-fated knight who had lost everything; the very thought of Harrison now felt as if it was a heavy stone placed over him.Madam Aurelia was seated on the table sorting some papers. “We need to strategize on how best we are going to eliminate Karl.” Her tone was firm although not loud. “It is not enough to just wait and see what he intends to do next.” She added, casting him a glance. “Of course I understand,” Liam answered and twirls his hair with his fingers. “But what can we do? There is too much influence and too many people surrounding him.”At this point, Giovanni dashed into the living room, his eyes darkened as he looked around, “Liam!” he shouted – gasping for air. “Daniel and Karl are up to something. We must hurry before it is too late.”
Alaric felt dejected in that small dingy room as he was at a stand still. He found himself strapped to a chair with metal rings cutting deep into his wrists. On the other side of the room, Xavier was strutting around confident with a sneer on his face. “Look at you now, Alaric ” Xavier said as he put his hands on his hips and laughed. “Formerly you had stature, nowadays you are just a flat back guy. What do you think about it?”Alaric turned his gaze toward him, internal rage reflected on his face. “You think this is a joke? You’re a mere puppet in Karl’s shadow. You will realize that one day.”Xavier let out another laugh. “Karl is top management. You would have done better staying with him. Instead, you went soft and turned the other way, and now look what this has led you to.”“Break all the connections with Karl.” Alaric spoke in a strained tone. “He’ll drain you dry. You will end up exactly like me.”Xavier shook his head but his grin had gone away. “You do not get it. This is