With sharp gasps for air, Ivan dashed into Langland Mansion. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes as he struggled to open the gate.
“Open the f*cking door, right now! Father!" Ivan screamed, shivering all over. While attempting to open the door, a throng of reporters surrounded him, attacking the young man with their camera flashes. “Ivan Langland, is it true that you've been involved in stealing since you were five? Is it true that you almost killed your brother just at the age of ten?” Ivan shrunk back, trying to get out of their midst. As he pounded on the gate louder, trying to gain entry, his blood boiled with fear and rage. “Open the door for me! It was a trap! I have nothing to do with it!" However, his voice couldn't be heard due to the reporters. “You've been engaged to Dahlia since you two were young, what made you do such horrible things to her?” "Now that you have brought shame upon the entire Langland family, what do you think they will do?" "How do you feel being the only black sheep in the Langland Family? Your step brother is much more different from you. Ivan Langland, what made you do such a thing to your own Fiancee, just at the age of eighteen?!” “Young Master Ivan, is it true that you've been leading a wandering life since you were born? You started swindling at the age of five and became a thug on the street at the age of ten?” "Is it true that you've violated different girls too and had affairs with them before you were twelve?” “Is it true that you are addicted to drugs? What age did you start using drugs?" “Young Master Ivan, please answer our questions…” At last, Ivan managed to scale the gate and escape the reporters. It was his grandfather's birthday today, but his personal circumstances destroyed the celebration, and all because he had placed too much faith in Dahlia. Upon entering the mansion's living room, he felt a trembling sensation throughout his body as he saw the Langland Family members, who all appeared to have been hit hard by something. They all whispered among themselves and as Ivan emerged, they stopped talking, hostility creeping into their gazes. “What are you doing here? How dare you come back after disgracing the whole Family? What were you thinking?” "We should have looked for his Mother's Family when his Mother died. I told us not to take him in! He has been stealing and causing problems for us since he was very young!” "Take a look at his brother; he has never caused us any trouble or been involved in a rumour before! Why are you so different from us?!” As the first young master of the Langland Family, Ivan was known to be the black sheep of the family. He was as useless as the church rat and everything about him screamed clumsiness, down to his appearance. In contrast to his attractive and tall step-brother, Ivan wore a drab shirt and had a grown-out moustache that left him appearing slightly older than his actual age. Apart from his unkempt hair, he possessed a rugged robustness which is more paunch than muscle, with a flabby quality that suggests lack of refinement. Undoubtedly, he was the family's "black sheep." “I swear I didn't do anything to her! You can all call her and ask her! Why don't you all believe me?" Prior to his grandfather's birthday celebration, which was scheduled to start at six o ' clock in the evening, Ivan got a call from Dahlia, his fiancée, with whom he had been engaged to since their childhood. Dahlia had never called Ivan on purpose, so he was a little excited and went to meet her without thinking twice. Although some things had happened, Ivan would never violate Dahlia whom he had been in love with for years. “Why would we believe you? You've been a problematic child since you were little. Even though you were raised without a mother, you would never put up with criticism from your stepmother. You said we should ask Dahlia? We would ask her and if what happened was really the truth, you will regret your whole existence!” Ivan stood still, taking in the faces of the people he had considered family. His grandfather met his gaze and shot him a disapproving glance. He pressed his trembling hands against his temples, trying to still the frantic thoughts racing through his mind. “Grandpa, please believe me, okay? I would never do such a thing to Dahlia! You know how much I adore her. Why would I do such a thing to someone I adore so much?” Old Master Langland, his own feelings indecisive, shifted his gaze away from him. He took a deep breath, trying to avoid Ivan’s gaze. "Go and get Dahlia,” He said. "We should ask her. If it's true, you are out of this family.” Before his mother passed away, Ivan was Old Master Langland's favourite grandchild, but things changed significantly in his life when his stepmother and step brother moved in. Ivan sometimes can not even recall his early years because they were so full of incidents which he was set up for. He never committed any of those offences. Soon, Dahlia arrived with her friend, with tears in her eyes. Her eyes were puffy and there seemed to be scratch marks on her neck. As her gaze landed on Ivan, her cries became louder. “I trusted you so much Ivan! How could you do such a thing to me? If not because of Tori, you would have had your way with me!" Ivan’s voice caught in his throat, a strangled whisper that betrayed the fear coiling within him. He stared at Dahlia, unable to retort. “Grandpa," Dahlia called, referring to Old Master Langland. “I'm really sorry, your birthday is ruined because of Ivan. Although I had called him to come help me, I didn't expect him to have such thoughts towards me. We have been engaged since birth, but I would really like to break off my engagement to this traitor." Old Master Langland lips grew thin with anger and disbelief. And the fact that Ivan couldn't even defend himself made his blood boil. He got up from his chair with a commanding presence. "From today onwards, Ivan is no longer part of our Family! We've had enough of his horrible attitudes.” After saying this, Old Master Langland left the room, with the other family members trailing behind. His stepmother, Thalia and her son, Freddie stayed behind, a look of victory on their faces. “Don't forget to pack all of your clothes before you leave! You are a disgrace to this family." Ivan found himself engulfed in exhaustion and heartache as he witnessed the painful sight of his own family turning their backs on him, bewildered by Dahlia's betrayal. With a heavy heart, he fled the suffocating tension of the living room. With thunder roaring and sheets of rain falling, the heavens let loose as soon as he ventured outside. Ivan wandered aimlessly through the storm, unsure what to do. However, his phone chimed. Ivan thought Gilbert, his friend, had sent him a message. But surprisingly the message was from an unknown number. Curiously, Ivan unlocked his phone to read the message. There were two messages on his phone. One from an unknown number and the other one from his bank. Ivan didn't bother to open the bank's own. He just clicked on the unknown number message. Unknown number: Congratulations, Young Master Ivan! With your maternal grandfather's permission, a million dollars has been deposited into your account. He's been wanting to see you. Please reply to my message if you want us to talk more. With widened eyes, Ivan quickly tapped on the bank's message. Upon seeing the number of zeros behind one, he nearly believed he was dreaming. However, it was authentic! The credit alert of one billion dollars was real!Ivan didn't know how much he slept but when he woke up, the day was bright. He stood up from the bed, rubbing his eyes groggily. It was very late when he returned to his father's house last night. He took off his drenched clothes and went to bed immediately. Making way to the living room, memories from earlier flooded his brain like a match connecting fire to fire. He took out his phone right away, and to his amazement, the money was still there. Ivan reviewed the messages one more time to make sure he had not missed anything. Interestingly enough, the message included his name, so it can not have been an error. It was getting close to dawn. He went downstairs to see if there was anything to eat because he had not eaten since yesterday. Descending the stairs, he stopped in his tracks when he heard his Father and stepmother's voice. He was the topic of their conversation. "Honey, you do not have to act strange toward him. He is still a teenager and doesn't know what he has don
*A Year later* Every student in the hallway was engaged in conversation with one another. It was the beginning of another week. Renowned as the best high school in the city, Rao City High School was attended by the social elite. Some, however, believed it to be an unfair school where wealthy people enjoyed greater privileges than those from lower-class backgrounds. “The school flower just arrived! Clear the way everyone!” Hearing the voice of the popular follower of the school flower, the people in the hall moved to a side, excitement on their faces. Seeing the beauty was what they always pray for. The school flower was not only beautiful, but she was also very nice and made no distinction between the rich and the poor. She cares about everyone. “School Beauty, take the flowers. It represents your beauty.” A girl, around eighteen years old, stepped into the hallway with two girls behind her. She embodied the true meaning of beauty. Her rosy lips, her wavy hair, he
With both hands in his pockets, Ivan entered the classroom accompanied by his homeroom teacher. The homeroom teacher continued to gaze at him, her lips pressed into an awkward smile.The woman was wondering why it took Ivan so late to return to school. She was a little worried that the boy might not be able to keep up with the rest of the class, even though the senior certificate exam was still several months away.And besides, it is unlikely for a great school like Rao High School to admit a final year student. Not especially into Classroom A! This new student background must be a little more powerful.“Ivan, right? Do not hesitate to ask me anything if you have any difficulty” Miss Clara, the teacher, voiced out as she reached the front of Classroom A. Ivan nodded, a tight smile on his lips. It was obvious to him already that the woman was staring at him more intently than normal.“I will introduce you to your classmates now. They are all nice people, be nice to them, okay?”Ivan g
With shock and sadness written all over her face, Sofia ran to Ivan as soon as he returned to the classroom after finishing the test. The guy ignored her warning not to tamper with Daphne West, despite her warnings.Sofia was sorry for him, believing that he would have to experience what she had.“What are you going to do now, Ivan? Run as fast as you can or leave Classroom A! This class is really not what you think it is” She spoke fast, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness. “Don’t worry about me, Sofia” Ivan waved her words off with his hand. “Just sit and watch perfectly.”Sofia grew increasingly concerned, believing that Ivan was making a concerted effort to keep his cool. She became really restless but could only stop talking when she started receiving weird stares from her classmates. With a smile on his lips, Freddie approached Ivan after Sofia had returned to her seat. He sat on the empty seat that was opposite Ivan.“Just go back to where you’ve been hiding all these ye
Ivan became popular in the school the next morning as the student who asked Daphne West to kneel down in front of the whole school. The students were all anticipating this and wondered if the spoiled brat of Assemblyman West would really kneel in front of the whole school.The hallway was packed, more so than usual, as everyone awaited the arrival of Daphne West and the boy who had made this seemingly impossible task possible.As Ivan entered the hallway, all eyes were on him but none of the students could voice out what they all wanted to say. They are all afraid that if things later go wrong, Daphne would take it out on all of them. Ivan saw Sofia, unfazed by the stares, he walked towards her. But before he could get to her side, Sofia backed away, disappearing around the corner.Ivan frowned almost immediately.A boy appeared before Ivan with a group of boys behind him. They all wore rough clothes, resembling wealthy vagrants with no sense of style. The boy who appeared to be thei
Many people had already gathered to watch Dean West demonstrate his skills when Ivan arrived at the field.At the moment, the boy was shirtless, showing off his well-defined abs and muscles while grinning wickedly at the girls who were constantly fangirling over him.Ivan's lips twisted in disgust, watching the scene. As he stopped in his tracks, he felt someone bump into him and it was then he realized that someone was behind him.“Watch where you are going and don't injure yourself" Ivan told Sofia who has been keeping her head down after he beat up those bullies. Ivan has heard a brief anecdote about Sofia's admission to class A. She was the only person in the class with parents from a lower socioeconomic status.Her mother was the cook in Daphne's home, and her father was the gardener. Sofia was able to join Classroom A because of this.“You don't have to do it earlier. They are Dean’s boys and would definitely do something to you” Sofia spoke slowly, avoiding Ivan’s gaze."Worry
Ivan Langland broke Dean West's arm.It wasn’t long before the whole school knew what happened on the field. No one had expected Dean to land in the hospital. However, his injuries were severe, rendering him unable to stand.Surprisingly, it was Ivan who helped him to the infirmary.No one had expected this, considering Dean’s position as the president of the taekwondo club, his numerous awards, and his past representation of the country as a kid.It was difficult to believe Ivan’s single flip had broken Dean's arm and sent him to the hospital.“Are you going to talk to Ivan? I’m quite surprised he has changed,” the curly-haired girl uttered, playfulness flashing in her eyes. “I don’t even know why you pulled that on him a year ago, but if we are serious, he used to be so handsome before high school. He became more handsome after a year, still!”“Shut the f*ck up, Tory! Don’t say anything about what happened a year ago. We promised to keep each other's secrets. Keep my secret away fro
Ivan didn’t realize how far Sofia lived from school until he reached her street, and then he understood why she was often looked down upon in class.Sofia tried to stop Ivan, embarrassed, but he couldn’t abandon her, especially with Dahlia potentially causing trouble for the already injured girl.“You can go back now. Thank you for today,” Sofia said softly, trying to dissuade him, but Ivan persisted, thinking she was just being polite.Eventually, they reached a courtyard where an elderly woman stood expectantly. As her eyes met theirs, they brightened with recognition.“I was wondering why you were late. It seems you've brought a friend,” the old woman greeted with a smile.“We had a bit of an incident,” Sofia began, her voice low, making it hard for the old woman to hear.“You're back. Welcome,” the old woman greeted warmly.“Good evening,” Ivan replied politely, releasing Sofia's hand and bowing his head.“How are you? Thank you for escorting Sofia home. She's always afraid of pas