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
584
Andrew woke up with a cold sweat drenching his silk sheets. His heart was hammering against his ribs—a sensation he hadn’t felt since he first mastered the inner breathing techniques of the ancient necklace. Normally, the energy from the artifact would soothe his nerves even in the deepest sleep, but tonight, he felt as if a thousand-ton weight was crushing his chest.He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. 4:30 AM. The dawn had not yet touched the city’s skyline, but unease had already gripped his soul. Andrew sat up, attempting to summon a flicker of energy to clear his mind. However, as he tried to circulate the power through his meridians, he hit a wall. It felt like trying to force water through pipes filled with thick, freezing sludge."Something is wrong," he whispered into the darkness.He reached beneath his shirt, clutching the necklace. The metal was cold—far too cold. Usually, the yellow gemstone emitted a faint, comforting warmth that synchronized with his h
583
The skyline of the metropolis shimmered under the moonlight, a sprawling sea of electric diamonds that seemed to bow before the penthouse of the Celestial Tower. Inside, Andrew stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window, a glass of vintage scotch in his hand. He wasn't the same man who had been humiliated in a cramped office years ago. His curly brown hair was neatly trimmed, and his blue eyes, once filled with desperation, now held the cold, piercing depth of an ancient ocean.The necklace—the source of his god-like power—rested silently beneath his silk shirt. He could feel its pulse, a rhythmic thrum of energy that connected him to the very atoms of the city. To the world, Andrew was the untouchable sovereign of the Smith-William conglomerate. He had crushed his enemies, healed the incurable, and amassed a fortune that could buy nations."Everything looks small from up here, doesn't it?"A soft voice broke his contemplation. Andrew didn't need to turn around to know it was Elena, h
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
You may also like
My Aloof Sisters Asked for My Forgiveness
Autumn Rain245.0K viewsRevenge of the Secret Heir
Belladonna84.7K viewsSecretly The Billionaire Boss
Debbie chocolate 2.4M viewsReturn of the Powerful Young Master
AFM3189.2K viewsThe Ghost Doctor
April-Ink357 viewsThe Saintess Chose The Wrong Man
Tina Maxxy184 viewsFROM PRISON TRASH TO GOD OF WAR
RAZZAQ-STORIES343 viewsA God Cultivator Reborn in the Modern Age
Alendra Danuarta304 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.