‘NONSENSE.’That was the only word that came to August’s mind as he heard Bruce’s statement. Bruce already left him as he went into his own car. However, he thought that everything he said was pure bluffing since he was not that popular in the industry already.And maybe, it really does.A month later, August had risen to the top more than he could ever imagine. No one doesn’t know him now. Aside from being a key employee in the Remington corporation, Charles’ also allowed him to create his special team under the strategy department.With new inventions to manufacture, and with new ideas that made the company prosper, August had partnered with different subsidiaries with Charles’ help, including Johnson Gaming with Harvey.In fact, Harvey and August were together today in the Remington Corporation building to sign their agreement on their partnership. There were only a few reporters inside, and some employees from the Remington Corporation.Since August took care of some of the busin
THE SHOCK was an understatement for what Samantha had felt as she heard August’s statement. “W-What…” she trailed off, not knowing what to say, and not knowing how to react as she saw how cruel August was to her.Of all people, she never expected August to treat her that way. She had always felt like a princess in his arms before, but now, he’s acting indifferent, and there’s no way she would accept that!“What are you talking about, August?” Samantha stomped his feet in anger and pulled August by the arm. “You know me! You know me more than anyone else! Why are you being so indifferent after what happened to us?!”“I should be the one asking you that…” August forcefully removed Samantha’s hand gripping on his. “Why are you being so indifferent after what happened to us?”The same statement, different emotions. Samantha sounded mad and frustrated, while August sounded hurt and disappointed. August wanted to just let it go, but he couldn’t help but ask… how blinded he was before to l
SAMANTHA almost froze when she heard what Bruce said. She doesn’t want to give any of his words a hidden meaning, but she couldn’t help it, especially when she saw how the side of Bruce’s lips rose while staring at her.“Surprised?” he asked confidently. “Don’t cry too hard, Samantha. I didn't even say anything, yet you started crying right away.”“I-I’m sorry—”“It’s fine,” said Bruce as he pulled Samantha into a hug. “We do that sometimes. We do bad things, and sometimes, hide things to survive.”Bruce wasn’t oblivious to it. In fact, he knew everything before he proposed to Samantha. She isn’t a real Evergreen, and she wasn’t even legally adopted by the Evergreen family. It means that she’s even poorer than August.However, Samantha did something that would protect her reputation. She manipulated the documents in secret, made herself the legal child of the Evergreen family, and made Myra the adopted one.Myra found out about it, but it was too late. Samantha already left them, and
A DAY had passed, and it was already seven o’clock in the morning. This is a special day for the Remington family, so August called Daphne to help him pick the best suit and style he could wear.He was wearing a three-piece suit with a silver and white color on it. His hair was parted to the left, and although he couldn’t see it himself, Daphne had admiration in her eyes while watching her great creation.“I look good now, right?” asked August as he fixed his tie again, although it was already fixed.Daphne nodded in response. August had been asking her that question since earlier.August didn’t understand why his heart was beating so fast. He was nervous.
AT A SECOND, August didn’t know what to do. He held tightly onto the steering wheel and the gear lever, but he had mixed emotions about his actions.He was torn between going to the hidden villa or on the building to help Sapphire.Sapphire said it was chaotic, but as he saw the situation in the place by the broadcasters’ live stream, August thought it would be an understatement.It was not just the police looking for him, but there was a rally as well.The rallyists wanted August to step down from his position for being an abusive ex-boyfriend and a manipulator who made everyone believe that he was a good person.“God…”
ONE MORE punch from Bruce, and he was already unconscious. When he woke up, he was lying on the streets— specifically in front of the police station.Many people were surrounding him, and there were camera flashes everywhere.He didn’t realize how he had lost consciousness earlier. What he only knew was that his body was in pain.He was about to cover his eyes using his hands. The flashes of the camera blinded him so much. However, he couldn’t do that with his hands— No. His whole body was tied using duct tape.“Mr. Fordman, how did you end up here?!”“Are the accusations about you true?!”
AUGUST’S EYES widened, and his lips parted in shock. He looked at Charles in disbelief as his other hand traveled onto his right cheek.The intensity of Charles' slap made August temporarily deaf. That's just how impactful the slap was. He grimaced afterward as the pain stung.“Father…” August mumbled, not knowing what to say.Charles didn't even look like he regretted what he had made. He stared at August with madness in his eyes. Piercing August with his intense, deadly stare, August suddenly surrendered.August pursed his lips and didn’t complain. He feared that he might increase Charles’ rage more if he spoke. That’s the last thing he wanted to do in this situatio
A FEW days later, August did follow Charles’ command. It’s not like he had another choice. They had an agreement with each other, and Charles was right. He had a job to take, and he should do something to control the damage to the other party. “Was it true?” “Why did you suddenly admit to your crimes?” “Just how bad did Bruce Sandoval and Harvey Johnson do for you to rebut in a way like this?” After he confessed to the press and his defense lawyer that he fabricated the video he showed everyone before, every reporter wanted to talk with him and conduct an interview with him. They disgusted August as the police accompanied him to the trial today. He couldn’t believe that those people who didn't want to listen to his words back then were desperate to talk with him now. “I believe I said everything in my confession,” answered August as he turned to the reporters. “I will appreciate it if you will not give me a hard time again.” “Mr. Fordman! Mr. Fordman!” As August went to the
TWO YEARS LATER…The waves on the water splash on the yacht where August was standing right now. Both his hands were holding onto the rail as his gaze fixated on the sunset in front of him. It was beautiful, ethereal, and breathtaking… Just like the woman who was walking toward him.“August,” Daphne called her as she gave her husband a fruit shake. “You’ve been there for an hour already. Would you want to spend this day with fish than me?” she asked, pretending to be pissed as her lips curved into a smile.“No need to be jealous of nature, my dear wife. I just want to appreciate how beautiful the sunset was.”August laughed, pulling Daphne gently closer to him using his other hand. Now, both of them were staring at the sunset with genuine smiles plastered onto their faces. August’s hand was resting on Daphne’s waist, while the latter had her head leaned on her husband’s shoulder.A year ago, both of them got remarried, for real this time. At that moment, both of them couldn’t help bu
COUPLE DAYS later, August was able to heal from the beating he had endured when Raquel took him down. He was now as good as hell, and he could now work tirelessly to catch up with all of the deadlines and meetings he had neglected while he was at rest. Fortunately, the press, with a lot of help from Daphne, didn’t know a thing about what happened to August, or else he would be bombarded by the press in front of the Remington Corporation. However, it would not be for long, as something grand would happen now. August had been waiting for this day—The day when the final showdown begins. This day had come down to this moment, where the tables would turn, and justice would finally be served. This time, August made sure that Francis would not be able to run away from his crimes, nor frame someone up to escape from it. Inside August’s office, all of his allies, Daphne, Sapphire, and Maxine, were inside the room. The air was thick with tension as they were looking at the wall clock from ti
RAQUEL, at that moment, was too stunned to speak. Shivers sent down his spine as the unexpected news lingered in his mind. His shoulder was aching because of the pain, but suddenly, it became numb as the pain struck his heart.“W-What?” Raquel asked, blinking his eyes twice. “Are you… fooling me?”“No… It’s the truth.” Sapphire shook her head, the pain registering through her rounded, brown eyes. “We’re Maxine’s children—Her lost twins.”“But how?” Raquel’s brows furrowed in confusion and annoyance at the same time. “If she is my brother, and you’re my twin, and you knew everything about it… Then why didn’t you approach me?”“Maxine only knew it recently, the same as mine.” Sapphire heaved a sigh and bit her lower lip afterward to contain her emotions.After a few seconds, she spoke again.“August informed me recently by giving the birth certificates Master Charles hid in his cabinet. It turns out that Maxine didn’t want to know us at that time because of the complexity of her job… Sh
AUGUST WAS in a daze when he woke up from his not-so-peaceful slumber. He didn’t wake up naturally, but he woke up when someone poured him cold water placed in a bucket, causing August to jolt in shock… Only to realize that he was tied to the chair.Same situation. Same abandoned room.Shivers sent down his spine because of the uncanny coincidence both of the situations had.‘Fucking shit. This is déjà vu,’ said August at the back of his mind when he realized that this is where everything started—When Charles had his people take him so he could have a one-on-one talk with August about being a pretend heir.However, the only difference between the event before and now, is that the person in front of him looked like he was eager to kill him in an instant, but he was just taking his time to do it.“R-Raquel…” August mumbled, slightly stammering, as his gaze fixated on Raquel.“How’s your sleep, August?” Raquel threw the silver bucket on the floor in force while wearing his most sardonic
[RICHARD WELLINGTON]August blinked his eyes twice, trying to confirm if what he was reading on the paper was true, or if his eyes were just playing with him. However, a few seconds had passed, and he still read the same name.“H-How…” August was at a loss for words. It wasn’t something that he expected. He almost thought that it was Francis, but turns out that the lead scientist is Richard, the Wellington family’s original heir.“Are there—”“Greetings, Sir August.”August was about to ask the lead engineer if he found more documents other than the white folder he was holding now, but his words went midway as three cleaners who were wearing personal protective equipment suddenly bowed in front of him.“One of your employees called us to clean this room,” one of the cleaners said as she glanced at the mess August made earlier.“A-Ah. Right.”August only nodded at them, not knowing what to say. His mind was so shocked that he didn’t even notice his employees leaving him alone in the ro
TWO WEEKS LATER, the event about Bruce being confined to the Remington Mental Hospital scattered around the country. According to the doctors, Bruce was diagnosed with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and he would need long-term medication and treatment to heal.While some people sympathized with Bruce for it, some people say that it was karma because of what he had done to August.However, August didn’t care what those people think about now. He had work—A bunch of them—And it was never-ending.It was already one o’clock in the morning as August had finished meeting with the different departments, and reviewing business proposals. He wasn’t eating his lunch yet but he was determined to finish everything first. August wanted to have free time so he could take care of his other business that he neglected because the work became surprisingly overwhelming.“Maxine…” August called, causing Maxine, who was sitting on the couch, to look at him. “Do I still have any urgent matters
“MR. JAKE SANDOVAL, the head of the Sandoval family, was arrested for torture against his son, Bruce Sandoval. The police said that they were investigating thoroughly about this matter and that they will preserve results with fairness and no biases—”Before the reporter could finish her sentence, August already took the remote and turned the television. Daphne, who was immersed in watching the news, jolted in shock as she turned around, only to see August smiling at her.“I’m home,” said August in a sweet tone as he extended both his arms, asking for a hug.Daphne couldn’t help but laugh a little. She went toward August and wrapped him in her embrace. “How was it? What happened to Samantha?” she asked in curiosity.“I think Samantha and Bruce divorced… But I’m not yet sure.” August caressed Daphne’s hair lightly and gently pushed her head more onto his chest. “Stop watching the news, okay? It’s already enough that you know anything, but don’t think about it too much.”Daphne only nodd
“WHERE DID you go? Why do you look like shit?” Nicole asked as Bruce went inside the room, all his clothes were soaked because of the rain. “Take a bath first before you go to the dining table. You know that your father didn’t like seeing you like that,” she added, shaking her head. “Yes, Mother.” Bruce nodded as he was tired to explain everything. He went to the bathroom to fix himself. Bruce wore a simple white shirt and sweatpants before he went to the dining table, joining Nicole and Jake for their late dinner. Samantha was already out of the picture as his parents were also informed of what she did earlier. However, they weren’t aware that Bruce felt hurt because of the same reason. “Did you chase that bitch away?” Jake asked while they were eating. “Y-Yes, Father.” “That’s good,” Jake commented, and Bruce only smiled subtly in response. Bruce ate his steak, but because of his stomach churning and his heart thumping rapidly, he felt like that piece of steak was hard to sw
SHE IS the most stupid person in the world, and she knows it. Samantha couldn’t help but look at August in disbelief, the pain and betrayal registering upon her facial expression.“August… You can’t do this to me…” Samantha mumbled as her knees went wobbly. If not only for the table in front of her, she might be sitting on the floor now. “This isn’t what we have talked about…”“I know,” August said, and Samantha didn’t notice that he was just done talking to someone on the phone. “That’s why it is called betrayal. It’s painful, especially when you’re feeling desperate.”“How can you do this to me? I am your girlfriend!” Samantha exclaimed, gritting her teeth and clenching her jaw.“Ex-girlfriend, Samantha,” August corrected before he heaved a sigh. “Our relationship was over years ago.”As if on cue, two guards entered August’s office and took Samantha away, just like what he did yesterday. He could even hear Samantha cursing and begging him at the same time before the guard closed th