2023-06-01 11:15:56The classy tuxedo, neatly combed hair to the left side, and bright face made Andrew look different. His steps appeared calm as the elevator door opened. The brown-haired man immediately captivated Erica and William, who had been waiting for him.
"Oh my goodness, Andrew! You look so perfect!" Erica ran towards her brother, a radiant smile on her face.
"Not only are you surprised, but I am also quite amazed by my appearance. You look beautiful too, Erica, your red dress is perfect. We should thank Mr. William for making us look classy."
William lowered his head with his cane, accepting the praise given by Andrew.
"You both deserve a luxurious appearance. By the way, we should leave now. And Erica, I would like to speak briefly with your brother on our way to the car.
"Sure, Mr. William." Erica hastened with one of William's guards, leaving her brother with the middle-aged man wearing sunglasses.
"So, Andrew, how is it? Are you satisfied with the service I provided? You can tell me if there's anything else you find lacking."
"Nothing is lacking; I feel all this is too excessive. But considering that you will be using 'my services,' it feels well worth it."
Andrew replied firmly, trying to find an opportunity to discuss the book he found earlier.
"I like your way of thinking. This world is too cruel if we only rely on kindness. It would be best if you were someone who weighs the pros and cons. But, from what you said, you have found a way to heal me. Is that true?"
William lowered his glasses and looked at Andrew with a smile that hinted at something.
Andrew gave a crooked smile and said, "One step closer. But, by the way, I think something belonging to you or someone in this house was left in my room."
"Really? What is it?" William changed his expression to curiosity.
"A book, a black book that looks like a diary...."
Andrew's heart pounded, questioning whether his question was right or wrong. Honestly, he feared that the book was intentionally left behind and William would take it back. But on the other hand, Andrew also wanted to know if William deliberately gave the book.
"A book? It doesn't seem like anyone in this house has a diary. That room used to be where I trained my body. So, it's certain that no one has ever written there. I only recently converted that room into a guest room a month ago. Or it's my trainer's book that was left behind. Yes, that seems reasonable, doesn't it?"
William's answer made Andrew slightly confident that the book was unintentionally in that room. However, a lingering suspicion remained, albeit faintly.
"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, the book is safe for me to have. I'm used to writing something to drive away my loneliness. So, having a medium to pour out my thoughts while finding the best way to heal you is best. May I?"
William patted Andrew's shoulder while chuckling and said, "Of course, Andrew! I would even give you thousands of dollars if it could help you in getting rid of this damn illness of mine. You see, using a cane like this is not my style. It feels pathetic and repulsive!"
"You just need to be patient, Mr. William; soon enough, you will regain your healthy body."
William grinned again and nodded his head. Their steps had arrived in front of the house.
Two black luxury cars were seen parked in front of the house with their doors already open. Andrew and William were going to use different cars. Andrew's smile widened as the car door closed tightly. He held Erica's hand and said, "It seems like our lives are truly going to change."
**
Camera flashes welcomed Andrew's arrival. So many paparazzi were taking pictures of everyone getting out of the car that Andrew and Erica felt frightened.
"This is insane. Are we at the Met Gala? Or a movie premiere? What are they doing?" Erica looked nervous.
"Please, Mr. Andrew."
Amidst the confusion that engulfed the two siblings, the car door was opened by one of William's guards.
William stood up, extending his hand to Andrew and Erica. He waved his hand towards the busy paparazzi who were photographing him. Andrew was amazed by this strangeness, feeling like he was trapped in an event he used to see on the internet.
"Don't be surprised; just smile. This is an important event for the wealthy people in this city, so it's normal for many paparazzi to want coverage," William murmured.
Andrew looked at Erica; his sister still looked confused. The flashes were indeed blinding, but following William's guidance, Andrew tried to walk confidently as if he was used to being exposed to paparazzi cameras.
With so many lights attacking, when Andrew was already inside the banquet hall, his vision turned green and purple. It took him a few seconds to close his eyes and return his vision to normal.
"You'll get used to it. I will introduce you to the business world; you will often attend dinners held by billionaires, and I will help you build relationships, Andrew. At least, this is one of the proofs, something you will gain when you successfully heal me," William whispered to Andrew.
"Andrew! Look!"
Erica then redirected Andrew's gaze to a girl who Erica was pointing out.
The girl in a pink dress with neatly tied hair also appeared to be looking at them; her eyes widened. Next to her stood a man wearing sunglasses, supported by a crutch. The man's expression seemed fierce. They were none other than Nadine and Orlando.
"I beg you, don't do anything bad, Andrew. Take it easy, please!" Erica pleaded, panic evident in her voice.
Andrew smirked. "I can't promise that. We need to see what they will do. If it's good, then I'll stay quiet. If it's bad, I'll make sure he ends up in a wheelchair."
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
4-49
The world reassembled without courtesy, snapping into place like bones set without anesthesia.Andrew hit solid ground hard, air tearing from his lungs as gravity reclaimed him with obvious irritation.He rolled instinctively, shoulders screaming as muscle memory compensated for power that no longer answered.Dust and ash coated his tongue, bitter and metallic, grounding him in harsh reality.When his vision cleared, he recognized the skyline immediately.They were back near the coastal ruins where the city had first fractured weeks ago.The sky here was wrong.Clouds hung unnaturally low, stretched thin like torn fabric, light bleeding through uneven seams.Every shadow felt sharper, more deliberate, as if cast by intention rather than physics.Andrew pushed himself upright slowly, careful not to provoke whatever invisible tolerance the world still extended.A faint warmth pulsed beneath his sternum, unfamiliar yet persistent.Not the Sapphire.Something else had taken root in its ab
4-48
Andrew woke to silence that felt artificially enforced rather than naturally earned.It pressed against his senses with an unnerving precision, like a system holding its breath.He lay unmoving for several long seconds, afraid that movement itself might trigger retaliation.The Sapphire beneath his sternum was inert, colder than it had ever been before.No pulse answered his cautious focus.No resonance acknowledged his existence.Panic threatened to rise, sharp and feral, but Andrew strangled it before it reached his throat.He had survived worse than emptiness.When he finally pushed himself onto an elbow, pain answered immediately and enthusiastically.Every joint protested as if resentful of being asked to function again.The chamber was gone.In its place stretched a vast plain of cracked obsidian, extending endlessly beneath a sky drained of color.No horizon was visible, only gradients of gray folding into one another.Andrew’s breath fogged faintly in the air, though there was
4-47
The throne did not activate immediately, and that delay unsettled Andrew more than sudden violence ever could.Silence pooled inside the chamber, thick and deliberate, pressing against his ears like an accusation waiting to be spoken.Noir straightened slowly, his movements stiff as if invisible restraints tugged at his joints.The cracks along his arms glowed brighter, leaking shadowed light that flickered with unstable rhythm.“You feel it,” Andrew said, forcing his voice steady despite the tremor in his legs.“This place isn’t choosing yet. It’s waiting.”Noir exhaled sharply, eyes never leaving the empty throne at the chamber’s center.“It’s verifying compatibility,” he replied. “Seeing which of us breaks first.”The walls began to shift almost imperceptibly, reliefs of shattered suns rearranging themselves.Stone groaned as ancient mechanisms awakened, responding to proximity rather than command.Andrew took one step forward, and the chamber reacted instantly.A wave of pressure
4-46
Andrew did not fall so much as he was unstitched from where he belonged.Space peeled away in layers, each one tearing loose with a sensation like breath being stolen mid-inhale.There was no up or down, only momentum without direction and time without patience.His body tumbled through overlapping fragments of places that never fully existed.He saw cities mid-construction and mid-collapse simultaneously, buildings flickering between futures.He saw oceans frozen in vertical walls, waves paused like indecisive thoughts.Pain arrived late, dragging itself behind awareness like an afterthought.Every nerve screamed out of sequence, confused about what it was supposed to protect.Andrew tried to summon the Sapphire instinctively, reaching inward the way he always had before.The response came delayed, distorted, like an echo bouncing through unfamiliar caverns.Light bled through his veins unevenly, blue-white pulses stuttering instead of flowing.It felt less like power now and more li
4-45
The first thing Andrew noticed when consciousness fully returned was the sound of breathing that was not his own.It was slow, deliberate, and layered beneath the ambient hum of fractured reality, creating an unsettling counterpoint.He opened his eyes cautiously, every muscle tense with the expectation of resistance.The world did not recoil this time, but it did not welcome him either.Andrew lay inside what appeared to be a circular chamber carved directly into black stone.The walls were smooth yet alive with faint, moving sigils that pulsed in irregular intervals.Each symbol carried a resonance disturbingly familiar to his Sapphire.Not identical, but close enough to feel like a distorted reflection.He pushed himself into a sitting position, jaw tightening as a dull ache rippled through his spine.The pain was manageable, but the absence of feedback from the Sapphire was not.“Still alive,” a voice said calmly from somewhere behind him.Andrew turned sharply, instincts flaring
4-44
The moment Andrew opened his eyes, the world felt heavier than it ever had before.Not physically crushing, not painfully oppressive, but fundamentally resistant, as if reality itself hesitated to acknowledge his existence.The sky above the fractured city trembled faintly, its color unstable, shifting between shades that should not logically coexist.Clouds froze mid-drift for a fraction of a second before resuming their motion, creating an unsettling rhythm that made Andrew’s chest tighten.He tried to sit up, and pain answered him immediately.It was not the sharp agony of broken bones or torn muscle, but something deeper and colder, radiating from beneath his sternum.The Sapphire pulsed weakly inside him, its once steady resonance now irregular, like a heart struggling to remember its purpose.Andrew clenched his jaw and forced himself upright anyway.His breath came slower than usual, measured not by exhaustion but by uncertainty, as if his lungs were negotiating with time itsel
You may also like
Return of the Powerful Young Master
AFM3188.9K viewsThe Charismatic Charlie Wade
Lord Leaf63.5M viewsRise Of The Disrespected Trillionaire Heir
Blaq81.2K viewsTop Expert in Floraville
Earth at Dawn172.1K viewsBeyond Their Expectations: From Street Rat To Supreme Ruler
Designer 31 viewsOnce An Uber Driver, Now A Trillionaire!
Author Promise6.8K viewsRAY MARTIN CODE
Pen Lord229 viewsTHE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL HEIR
Grep-pens495 views
Reader Comments
what an interesting story
suspenseful
it's interesting
i am so thrilled i want to read more
it's an enthralling story
Compliment
It is an intriguing story.