After a long time, everyone in the Sterling family was present again at the dining table during dinner.The maids Kathy, Delle, Ashley, and Amber were all serving. All of them subtly showered their love on Jacob, taking turns, to put food on his plate. Naturally, Jacob was in a good and positive mood.“Dad,” Shawn glanced at his father, “I heard from one of your friends that your two upcoming movies together have a budget of 650 million. Is that true?”The number 650 million shocked almost everyone at the table, except Selena and Benjamin.“Don’t you think it’s too risky?” Shawn said. “Putting all of your assets into just two films?”“Are you telling me how to produce films now?” Jacob chortled. “You don’t multiply your assets without taking risks.”Shawn didn’t say anything, but he didn’t look pleased.“My husband is just worried about the worst-case scenario, that’s all,” Elizabeth said and laughed all by herself, but when she glanced at her parents, they joined her as well.“Dad, w
The next morning.On the rooftop, Benjamin was caressing the parrots that looked rather dull. “You two have become dull these days. What’s wrong? Did you eat something you shouldn’t?”The parrots looked clueless.“Haha, don’t worry. I’ll nurse you two back to health with good food. However, there’s going to be my wedding reception soon, and I don’t want to see you two shitting on anyone’s head.”The parrots half-heartedly nodded.Meanwhile, Delle reported to Selene that Benjamin was feeding the parrots.“Right. There’s still those things,” Selena’s exposed a section of her teeth. “Killing them is easier than killing chickens, but I wanted to see him suffer as they suffer. Now, I don’t have time or energy to spare with those petty parrots. Tell Johnny to shoot those things down with a slingshot or something. Tell him I want them to suffer and die in the most pathetic way possible.”“Yes, ma’am,” Delle didn’t like what she was hearing, but she could only keep her head lowered.Afterward
Jane came to Sterling villa in the evening because Rebecca called for her.She didn’t look to be in a good mood when she entered the room, so Rebecca asked, “You look dull. What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” she said and sat on Benjamin’s bed which was again pushed away from Rebecca’s bed, but now it was only two feet apart. “Donovan left me at the shopping mall, and he didn’t return. He didn’t answer my phone call, either.”“It looks like this is the first time it happened with him.”“Yeah. This is a bad sign, right?” Jane asked.“Well, he’s a famous wrestler, so he’s gotta be busy at least one day of the week.”“You are right, but… Anyway, why did you call me?”“Uh,” Rebecca looked a little embarrassed. She kept scratching her cheek. “I told you about the wedding reception, didn’t I?”“Yeah, you did, and that’s the right thing to do, or you would have lost him, trust me,” Jane sounded proud of her. “You should have done this long ago, to be honest.”“The thing is… I told him we’ll have the r
The cops received an anonymous call and arrived at the underground tunnel as fast as they could, but what awaited them was beyond what they had expected or imagined.“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. The whole underground tunnel had collapsed. “What in the world happened here?” Now, they had no idea if anyone was even trapped inside or not.Later that night.A clean red Porsche arrived at the Sterling villa. After seeing Benjamin, the guard said, “Did you get the Porsche serviced? It looks fresh.”Benjamin gave a thumbs-up before driving through the gate. After he parked the car, he was walking into the villa, but his ears caught the distant noise of the birds in distress. What bothered him was that the noises didn’t come from the trees but from the dorms. He had a bad feeling about it. He rushed straight to the dorms and kicked the door open, waking up the butlers and cleaners.He went to the storage room, and it was locked. He looked at the b
The next morning.The veterinarian had treated the birds and asked who abused them, but Benjamin didn’t have an answer yet.Benjamin didn’t go to the rooftop. The parrots were still resting on his bed. Because their nails and part of their feet were crushed, the veterinarian said, they might never be able to stand, much less walk properly again.Their situation didn’t even let him sleep. He felt guilty because if not for him taming them, they might have left the villa, and they would still be living somewhere happily. But now, their entire life was ruined by his mother-in-law.Yes, Benjamin had overheard the conversations of the maids from a distance and learned what had happened. He didn’t want to use his enhanced sense of hearing to eavesdrop on others in the villa, but the circumstances forced him to.He knew Johnny was the one who caught the birds and beat them and tortured them, but the one who made him do it was Selena.“Not only did you get some men to attack me, you even went
The parrots did show some interest in the parfait, but in the end, they didn’t eat anything. The veterinarian had to come and check up on the birds again.Selena now knew what exactly had happened the previous night, and she then understood the reason why the muffins were so horrible, the worst she had ever eaten. She had to make Johnny personally go and buy the best muffins in the city and then eat them to feel a little better.The word already reached Rebecca through Veronica, but she couldn’t question Benjamin because she was smart enough to realize that Selena probably had something to do with the birds. Moreover, there wasn’t much one could do if family members kept fighting against each other. Whom should she support? She had been seeing this since childhood, so she was thinking of telling Benjamin to control himself until she bought a new house where they could freely live together.While Rebecca was planning a design for her and her husband to wear during the reception, Benjam
The family doctor had come and treated Benjamin, even though the bleeding had stopped by the time he came.Selena was also there. She didn’t want anything serious happening between the husband and wife as they were sitting next to each other. So she stayed in the room to make sure nothing of the sort happened.As the doctor was leaving, he looked at Selena and said, “You may love your son-in-law, but you can’t be calling doctors bastards for not answering your call in the first few rings.”Selena’s face flushed pink as the doctor had said what he wanted and left. Though she felt embarrassed, she was at least glad that her words were taken in a way that would make her daughter feel better about her.However, seeing the wounded parrots resting in the bed was something she didn’t like. Beds were not meant for birds, she thought. If not for Rebecca constantly being in the room, she would have already done something about it.After Benjamin rested on Rebecca’s bed, Rebecca went to the couc
Anous returned to his job. He took the kids to school and then dropped Benjamin, Rebecca, and Veronica at the Powell’s gym.Jane and Donovan were already waiting there.Donovan didn’t look ashamed of what had happened at the birthday party, as he seemed to already put that behind him.“Why do we only get 1 hour?” Jane complained before even entering the gym. “Donovan says we need at least two to three hours to properly train our body under supervision.”“This is like rehabilitating, you know,” replied Rebecca. “Some training without therapy.”After they entered, a tall and handsome black man came to greet them. Both Rebecca and Jane went speechless for a second.“P-Powell?” Jane was shocked. “It’s you?”“Haha,” Powell laughed, putting his hands on his waist. “It’s great to meet friends from college, especially you, Jane.” He offered his hand for a handshake, but she didn’t go with the flow.Jane grabbed Donovan’s arm and said, “This is Donovan, my boyfriend.”“Oh…” Powell’s gaze chang
“How are things with your family, brother?” Fiona asked.Selena raised an eyebrow. “You’re in a family that deals with real-estate, so you should already know how we’re doing.”“Haha, I do, but outside information can only be trusted so much,” Fiona responded. “Recently, we’ve worked hard on getting a marriage deal for Fiona. Her fiance owns a reputed sports agency that deals with covering all the popular international sports. He earns hundreds of millions every year, but his father is a tycoon in the alcohol industry. Their net worth is in tens of billions.”“Good for you and your daughter,” Jacob smiled.“By the way, Brother,” Fiona glanced at Veronica and Akash. “What does Veronica’s husband do?”Jacob’s expression slightly changed.Veronica frowned and looked at her mother who was looking back at her with a rather poker face.“He is staying at home for now,” Veronica said openly.“Pfft, he’s jobless?” Riley snorted. “Your taste is so bad, Veronica, not just in terms of finding a pa
Benjamin went to the first floor and waited in the hall until Rebecca left her room.Then he went to her room. The door was locked, but he solidified his energy in the keyhole and opened the door.He entered the room quietly and saw the water bottle on the table next to her desk. It was half-full.Benjamin took out the vial and poured a drop of water into the bottle while saying ‘I love you, Rebecca.’He entered the bathroom and poured a couple of drops in the bathtub while once more uttering the three words ‘I love you, Rebecca.”He was about to come out of the room, but then he stopped and then ended up leaking another drop of water on the pillow, and another on the blanket. “I love you, Rebecca.”“Hopefully, this will help,” he thought.Benjamin then hurriedly left the room and then went to the rooftop. He mixed a few more drops in each of the four water tanks, while saying the words out, “I love you, Rebecca.”He looked at the vial.Three fourths of it was finished.He put the via
Despite Uzza, Rye, and Benjamin living in separate rooms, there were many guest rooms still available in the mighty Sterling villa, the best property on Rachel Hill.So, the families of Jacob’s siblings stayed in those rooms without any issue.But the problem was with the cousins, who were trying to show off. They acted arrogant and haughty with Veronica and even mocked Rebecca for the little hair she had on her head, not even bothering to wonder why exactly her hair was like that.Rebecca didn’t even bother talking to them, or sparing a word with them because she knew how selfish and self-centered these people were.Jacob and Shawn might have forgiven these people, but Rebecca couldn’t just act like nothing ever happened.She didn’t treat them badly, either. She just ignored them and minded her business.However, her cousin sisters got their eyes on Benyamin who was quite good-looking. Her cousin brothers were also unable to avert their eyes from Rye.Rye looked more like an exotic f
So many people started visiting Sterling villa ever since Selena herself had leaked the news of her buying a lot of land and buildings in Aurora Hills.Selena was sitting on the balcony, with Veronica next to her.“Why has the traffic increased so much?” Veronica said, “I’m seeing so many cars come and go recently.”Selena somewhat smiled and sipped on cream coffee. “I wasn’t born rich, Veronica. My relatives didn’t even let my parents into their homes or invite us to their functions because we were poor as church mice.”“Stop joking, Mom,” Veronica smirked with amusement. “You look like a million dollars. I’m sure our relatives’ sons back then would have wanted to marry you.”“You’re not entirely wrong, but they didn’t want to marry me as much as they wanted to mess with me,” Selena said. “I still remember one guy telling me, ‘I may look ugly as hell, but I can show you heaven in bed.’”Veronica went silent in shock. She didn’t think her mother’s beauty would have brought such terrib
Delle was bringing food, three varieties, on a big plate.Rye intercepted and took the plate from her. She brought it to Benjamin and sat by him under the tree.The grass was cool, even though the breeze was warm.“You think I haven’t noticed that you weren’t eating anything since you made that 40-day promise?” Rye said. “You were just acting like you’re eating.”She broke the bread mixed with fruit and brought it closer to his mouth.He didn’t open his mouth.“Do you want me to stop eating just like you are doing?” Rye said.Benjamin, who was staring into the distance, glanced at her. “Is it possible to love and hate at the same time?”Rye pursed her lips together, not quite understanding why he asked such a question. “I was angry with the things you did. I am still angry, but I don’t hate you. So, if you really love someone, I don’t think you can hate them.”“If there is no hatred in his heart, then how is Neel able to do this to me?” Benjamin asked, a hint of pain laced through his
Rebecca and Benyamin had breakfast together.This nearly made Selena’s eyes bleed. She didn’t think she’d live a day like this.Watching them eating happily was like injecting poison into her body.While she loved seeing her daughter happy, she couldn’t spare any mercy on the man who tricked her daughter into marrying him.Even now, she was thinking in her heart, devising plans on how to separate her daughter and her husband.Having lost the mood to eat breakfast, she came to the backyard.Amber was preparing the background setting needed for the interview.“Where’s Kathy?” Selena asked.“S-She’s with Samuel Sehla, ma’am,” Amber hesitantly said.Selena’s gaze turned a little icy, but then she smiled. “I knew Kathy had it in her, but I didn’t think she’d be able to grab the attention of someone like Samuel Sehla.” She looked at Amber. “What about you?”“I-I don’t plan on grabbing anybody’s attention,” Amber quickly replied.“Tsk, tsk,” Selena shook her head. “Try to grab Benyamin’s att
The next morning.Rebecca came out of her room fast and reached the dorms just to check on Benyamin. She found him brushing his teeth with his finger. And he was using salt.“Don’t you have a brush and toothpaste?” Rebecca quickly asked. “You should have asked me then.”“No, I’m fine with this,” Benyamin replied. “The smell of the chemicals in the toothpaste just makes me feel nauseous, so I’m fine with just this sea salt.”“But… will salt be enough?”“It’s enough,” Benyamin gave a thumbs-up. “In fact, I’m worried about you because you’re using that chemical-ridden toothpaste which dullens your brain.”“If they dullen the brain, then why would they promote toothpastes so much on television?”“They will promote everything that will make them money while keeping the people sick, so that they will not be able to think clearly and would rather depend on the government to think for themselves,” Benyamin smiled.“That’s not funny,” Rebecca hissed. “I have to go and brush my teeth. And I’m f
Later that night.Benjamin was out in the garden, sitting under a tree, doing nothing as hours went by.“He’s been like that since dinner,” Rye was watching him from the first floor’s window. “It’s not good.”“What can I say?” Uzza was feeling heavy-hearted. “It feels like the story of Abel and Cain altogether, though in a different way. The brothers that represent the duality of current man. The devil sure knows how to mock us and make us angry. I’m certain now. It’s his plan. He put the sworn brothers against each other.”“But how did he get Shadow?” Rye frowned. “I don’t sense any demonic energy in him.”“Considering Shadow’s abilities, it’s easy for him to hide the demonic energy,” Uzza opined. “He’s a perfect place for demons to hide, though I don’t know how they got hold of him. He must have been caught by surprise. I just hope that this won’t lead to something disastrous.” She was looking at Benjamin. “The longer this goes, the more likely that someone among those is going to b
Veronica brought Akash with her to dinner. Almost everybody was present at the dinner table after a very long time.New tables were arranged because there were more people now.Veronica could see that Akash was not taking his eyes off Benyamin. “Why are you staring at him nonstop?” she asked in a low voice.“He’s tall, handsome, and so fair. Even his hands are so shiny. How’s that possible for a man?” Akash sounded quite envious. “Men are not supposed to look so good-looking, right?”“Mm…” Veronica looked at Benyamin and felt the same. “He does look like a million bucks, but he doesn’t seem to have much muscle on his body. What’s the point of being tall when you don’t have enough muscle? You only look like you have inadequate genes.”“Not every man can be built heavy like the men in your family.”“Haha, you’re right,” Veronica was proud of her brothers and dad because they were tall and big and good-looking. Their jaws alone would melt the gazes of many women, after all.Rye and Benjam