The woman wore a very simple one-shoulder top and skinny-fit jeans; on her left breast, which was slightly covered with the top, he could see a marking similar to that of his own, the only slight difference was that her breast swelled making her own to be uplifted upward. The gorgeous girl's pendant was exactly like his own.
"Is that my mother?" Aidan asked in a shaky voice, feeling a bit dizzy.
"Yes, that's your mother. That picture was taken on her 20th birthday, she was the apple of my eye. Everything began to go wrong when she fell in love with a church rat and refused to marry the man I chose for her." Mr. Kal explained to him.
Aidan peered more at the photo, he shared a striking resemblance to this woman.
"And here is your father, Mr. Luke Bryan. He was a businessman but with the bad economy back then, getting a job wasn't a piece of cake, but your mother loves him." Mr. Kal said as he flipped the photo album.
His supposed father looks great too, he now knows where he got his jet-shiny black hair from, his father didn't dress so classy but he looks very gorgeous in his simple clothing.
He flipped through the photo album, seeing pictures of his supposed parents, their simple marriage pictures, house opening, and many more beautiful pictures.
"Stop!" Came the sharp command from Mr. Kal, and he immediately stopped. The old man had this deep commanding voice that made the bravest of all heed his commands.
Aidan looked at the man with a questioning look.
Mr. Kal flipped to the next page to reveal a child picture, "this picture was taken when you were born. The next pictures you'll be seeing are all yours."
True to his word, Aidan flipped frequently to pictures of himself and his parents. In all the pictures, one could depict that they were one little happy family. All his childhood pictures were there, including pictures of him while he was in the orphanage.
"What happened to my parents?" Aidan asked, in a pained-filled voice. He was trying hard to suppress his tears from flowing. He hardly cries, ever since he was little, he doesn't like crying, he prefers to take out his anger in fighting and kicking against stuff. His mode of expressing anger is very severe, but he hardly cries.
"When your mother refused to marry the man I chose, I went red with anger. I threatened to disinherit and disown her if she didn't agree to my choice, but she seemed to care less about my threats, so she went ahead to marry your father." He explained.
"I was blinded by power and typical male ego, infuriated that my orders weren't obeyed, I carried out my threats and kicked her out of her comfort zone. She so much believes that your father would make a better world for her."
His narration was interrupted by a cough and Jonas immediately provided a cup of water for him but the sick man rejected it and asked to be brought some wine.
Jonas wanted to protest but a look from Mr. Kal silenced him, and he went to bring his boss's favorite wine.
"In my anger, I swore to thwart every attempt made by Luke to offer her a better life. He began a business project and I must confess that his business ideas were great. He was a business genius but every company he met with a business proposition rejected it. I ordered every company to reject him, I made it known that any company who dares help him will get ruined by me."
Jonas came in with a glass of wine and handed it over to him, "I know you care about me Jonas, but you should know by now that you can't stop me from drinking this, even if the doctor advises against it, so take a chill pill and let me have my way." Mr. Kal said to Jonas and smiled, Jonas gave a little nod and went to stand by the door.
"Don't you ever get tired of standing, come sit with us. I'm trying to solve my grandson's riddled life." Mr. Kal invited Jonas.
Jonas came and sat down, knowing full well it was useless arguing with the stubborn sick man.
He sipped from his drink and continued, "knowing my influence, no company dared help him. I was sincerely praying and hoping that my Artemis would come back to me but she didn't. A murder attempt was made on her husband's life by an enemy of mine to create a rift between us and it succeeded. Artemis thought that I wanted to kill her husband and she left Greece with her husband." He stopped and looked at his grandson's calm face as he listened with rapt attention.
He liked the man his grandson had become.
"They settled in Ireland. I kept details of their every movement and decided to allow a little company I own in Ireland to help him, Artemis had no idea it was my company or the stubborn blood wouldn't have agreed. The couple was delighted to know that someone was willing to give them a chance. The only problem was that they lack finance and no financial institutions want to help them."
"It was at this moment of need that Luke met his childhood friend and coursemate, Orion. Orion was struggling in business too, when Luke explained things to him, he saw how good Luke's business plan was and he decided to support him financially, he lent him some money, and Luke sourced for the rest. The business proposition was accepted and instead of paying Orion, Luke decided to make him a 15% partnership in his company and Orion was more than grateful." Mr. Kal gestured to Jonas and Jonas stood up and went out.
"Where's Jonas going?" Aidan asked.
"He's going to bring a picture of your father's partner." Came the sharp reply.
"Is that necessary?" He asked, looking puzzled.
"Oh, son. It is very necessary that you know who your father's partner was, it is very important." Mr. Kal said calmly.
He wants to know his parent's life and what led to their death. How is his father's business partner important to the story?
His grandfather looked at him and noticed his worried facial expression," Aidan, don't stress your thoughts over this, you'll get to know everything in due time." His grandfather assured him. "I'm sorry sir, I just found all these revelations baffling," Aidan confessed.Mr. Kal's face looked displeased, and Aidan saw it and got confused, "did I say anything to upset you, sir?" he asked. "It's nothing, son." Came the sharp reply. Aidan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Mr. Kal studied Aidan's face and liked what he saw, his grandson is a good observer. He didn't like the fact that his grandson addressed him as 'sir' and he was greatly displeased by it. Aidan had noticed this but he wouldn't let him know he was displeased, he had to be sure that he meant well to him. The room went quiet, and it was interrupted by the sound of Jonas's footsteps, "here is the file sir." Jonas said, handing over a file to Mr. Kal.Mr. Kal dropped the file on the table in front of him."I've kept a rec
Aidan locked eyes with his grandfather, as he sat down again. He wanted to ask what it was that his grandfather found out but he decided to let the man tell him everything at his own pace. "The accident which claimed the life of your parents was all planned." Revealed Mr. Kal. Aidan's eyes widened in shock and there was a questioning look on his face. "Your father's business partner's hand work. When your parents attended the party organized in honor of their child's third birthday, they tampered with their car. You were just five years then if memory serves me right. I was enraged when I found out that their accident was planned and I decided to ruin them." His voice was now full of anger and Jonas quickly told him something in Greek and he calmed down."I was planning on their ruin when I received the news that you were found. You were washed offshore and found by a fisherman who took you to the hospital, from there an orphanage took you in when you couldn't answer any questions
Aidan stood up, staggering backward, what's happening? How's this possible? How can one family be responsible for all the miseries in his life? Jonas quickly stood up to support him, but he held out his hand, "please Jonas, I'm fine. Just sit" Came the sharp order. Jonas looked at the young man with pity, he knew things won't be easy for him, it's such a strange world.Mr. Kal was immediately alarmed seeing his grandson's face going pale. "Aidan! Sit!" He ordered, but Aidan was in da aze.His anger was slowly consuming him, he needed somewhere to cool off. The room seems to be suffocating him and he wants to go out. "I need to go out, please." He pleaded with clenched teeth "You're not going anywhere. Sit Aidan." Came the old man's order the second time. He really wished to grant his grandson's wish and let him be alone but he can't, he has little time left. He'd cheated death for a long time. AiAidan'snger took over him, he needs to cool off... He began to head out but some he
Aidan's face has this agonized smiling expression that tore at his grandfather's heart. When a Karanos smiles in danger or pain, the reason behind it should run a marathon every second because if those smiles should be turned into an evil smirk, woe upon woe would be upon that person. Mr. Kal took Aidan's hand and patted it, "you need to think with a clear mind, son. Whatever is going on in your head, just know that God has been with you all these while and he'd keep you alive for a reason. Don't be so hard on yourself, and don't act foolishly too. You have a lot to learn my boy." Aidan's body tensed and his muscles clenched, he felt his body temperature rising in such a way that he wished for a cold bath, but he was in no right frame of mind. He'd been angry before, but never like this. The way he was feeling now could not be compared to anything he'd felt before. He was angry and in pain when Arissa broke his heart, but what he's currently feeling now is like a dozen of what he
Aidan surveyed the room that was once his mother's. The room itself screams money, the designs are simple but exquisite. His mother must have loved his father to leave everything and go to him. Love? He sat down on the nearest cushion and relaxed his head. His love life is nothing interesting and yet interesting. When he got married to Arissa, things seemed to have fallen into place for once in his life, but it turns out everything was just an illusion. Yeah... He was living an illusion. It is a wonder to him how they have the guts to think of killing him for something that's rightfully his. His own company. A smirk carved across his face. Staying with the Pedros has revealed a lot more about them than he could comprehend. The darn family painted a picture-perfect family to the public but nothing is going right with them. Everything about the family is just wrong. They portrayed good images to the public through the media, and in reality... They are monsters, greedy monster
His eyes fluttered open gently and he could feel the aches in his body were gone. He looked around at the enormous room he'd slept in, a painful smile displayed on his face. There were many reasons for it... His sight was a blessing to him, being able to see again changes everything, it's like he's born again. Being a blind person wasn't easy, back at his in-law's house, he'd been treated like shit. Even the servants and dogs in the house got better treatment than him, he was reminded every darn day that he was nothing but a liability to the family. At the time, he'd even thought himself a liability to the world. He was a healthy young man, intelligent, and had a lot to offer the world but when blindness hit him after the accident, he felt useless... Like a wasted entity and the people he'd considered family always remind him of what he is and the zero respect he commands in the family. Standing up, he gave a long strength, he could hear his bone making some cracking sound. "Go
Jonas looked at Aidan, he smiled at him, he knew his mind must be raising different questions for him. His grandfather had given him the right to choose what he wants, to decide his future..... Although Mr. Kal won't force his decision on Aiden, Jonas knew it would break his boss's heart if Aidan decided to go away from him. His boss had been in pain and regret when his daughter died, he'd witnessed Mr. Kal whip like a baby, cursing himself for his inability to save his daughter despite having so much power. Jonas knew Aidan would make a great choice, the young man is already burning with the fire of vengeance and he'd always craved for a family to call his. Aidan suddenly came to a halt, trying to control his fast-beating heart. The kind of tension he's having now is new, even back in school when he was having the most difficult exams or seating for a scholarship, he'd been composed but he just can't figure out why his heart is beating so fast, creating dizziness for him. A tho
"What do you want to speak to me about Jonas?" Aidan asked as they walked through the very large garden in the mansion. Jonas had been silent ever since they left the secret room, Aidan chose to remain quiet and wait for Jonas to speak up, but as usual, the man was slow...just the way he was in the dining room. It requires a lot of patience to deal with Jonas. Aidan is a patient man, he was always commended for that back at the university but he seems to lose his patience when Jonas is concerned.Jonas had hit his limit point when it comes to patience."Isn't it a beautiful morning huh?" Jonas asked, squatting to admire a wild rose. Ok. Now, what has the morning got to do with what they want to talk about. Aidan sighed, the saying 'Hit the nail on the head' isn't for Jonas, he's never specific about a particular topic, he likes beating around the bush. "Uhmmm..yeah," Aidan answered, clearly not interested in the beautiful morning Jonas was talking about."Do you love flowers?" Jo
EPILOGUE. *Thwack! Thwack!! Thwack!!!*"Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!! Ahhhhh!!!" Mr. Pedro screamed in misery as they thrashed him mercilessly in jail.“Enough!" Aidan ordered and all the hitting stopped abruptly. He stood up and steered towards Mr. Pedro who was sagging in chains, his body red, blood dripping from the opened wound on his body. "You... What have I done again? Isn't sending me to jail enough for you?" Mr. Pedro asked weakly and Aidan let out a soft laugh.This man had no idea what he had in store for him, why the hell does he think he pleaded with three judges not to sentence him to death by hanging?He's gonna suffer so much till he chooses to perish miserably. "You don't seem to learn, do you, Mr. Pedro?" He asked and the man looked at him weakly, sweat entering into his eyes, yet he could not wipe it away because of the position he was in. "What have I done?" He asked again, staring at Aidan with disdain."Chyna... You think you can blackmail Chyna into doing what you want,
Chapter 220One month later. "Where is it, God? Where the hell is it?!" A female voice cried angrily as she searched vigorously with the aid of a touch light.If she doesn't get what Mr. Pedro wants, he's gonna get her arrested, she has to get everything that he wants, anything at all. God!How did she get herself involved in this mess in the first place? Everything was finally going great for the first time in her life and now, that useless man wants to ruin everything for her!"God!" She said in exhaustion and suddenly the light came on. Her heart began to beat violently as the office light of Aidan's office came on.She was frozen in one place, her heart almost running out of beat and her brain reeling in different directions as she tried to figure out what was going on... No one was supposed to be at the office now, it was the middle of the night. Who could have come to the office at such an odd hour? "Are you looking for anything I might help with? " A familiar masculine voice
Chapter 219."What the hell are you talking about Aidan? You think you can just appear and disappear as you wish, who the hell do you think you are?!" Mr. Pedro asked angrily, his face contorted with anger. "I am Aidan Karanos, the only surviving son of the late Mr and Mrs Luke whom you killed, the only grandson of late Mr. Kal Karanos whom you had a hand in his death, and the heir of the Karanos Consortium," Aidan said loudly and gasps could be heard from different directions. The cameramen immediately focused the cameras on him and many more people brought out their phones to start filming. "Wh... What?!" Mr. Pedros said in shock but suddenly burst out laughing to the shock of everyone present."Has he ran mad ?" Someone in the crowd asked. "You are the biggest clown in the world, Aidan. You think you can come back from the dead to make some tall claims, you..." He paused and laughed again. "The heir to the Karanos empire is Ares and not Aidan, you can not be the heir, you are
Chapter 218."How do you feel about the death of your daughter, Mrs. Pedro?" One of the journalists asked Mr. Pedro who was in all black.Today was the burial of Chyna Pedro who was assassinated a week ago by some group of men. No one knows about the man."It was a very tragic loss indeed, she was finally finding her footings in this world and...oh God!" Mrs. Pedro paused to wipe the tears that were streaming down her face. "She was finally getting the best of what she was meant for when those evil men decided to kill her, I don't know what happened because as you all know, I was arrested a few weeks ago base on some wrong information, I pray that her soul will rest in perfect peace" she said with a sob and Arissa held her mother to console her. "Is it true that you guys never get along well with the deceased?" Another asked."Chyna was a drug addict and mentally imbalanced and that's nothing new, because we tried to help her overcome her addiction, we became her enemies and you can
Chapter 217.THREE MONTHS LATER. "You can not arrest me, take your hands off me, you idiots!!!" Mrs. Pedro screeched, as the policemen held her and were leading her away."What's all these Chyna?" Mr. Pedro asked, anger visible on his face."I'm arresting your wife for fraud and I have evidence of everything, if you want to see for yourself, you can meet us in court, Mr. Pedro," Chyna said calmly and this only seemed to flare him up. "Are you insane, do you realize what you're doing?! That's your mother that you're arresting!" He huffed.Chyna frowned and turned to face him squarely, "I do realize what I am doing but did you realize the rubbish you just spat out of your mouth?! The last time I remember, you two killed my parents and took away everything they left for me and as long as I am alive, I shall make you pay dearly for that, don't ever make the mistake of calling her my mother. I am not related to any of you and I never will." She muttered and turned to leave but Mr. Pedro
Chapter 216."What?!" Mr. Pedro exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of their socket.Chyna looked at Mr. Pedro, wondering what could have shocked the man to such an extent that he exclaimed so much in the middle of a meeting.Things had been tense ever since she came here and the necessary signatures and agreements were being carried out by both teams. Mrs. Pedro had been giving her a crazy stare, she looked so shocked and up till now, she was still looking lost and shocked. She kinda loves the reactions she got upon coming here, it was worth everything and yet she fears for the aftermath of everything, she's scared of what rye Pedro's would do after they get the shares. Mr. Pedro's phone had been ringing repeatedly and when he finally decided to pick up, he'd let out a shout. She can't help but wonder what could have shocked him so much to the extent that he was looking very disorganized. Mrs. Pedro immediately stood up and headed towards the husband who was speaking discreetl
Mrs. Pedro's hands began to shake lightly, heart hammering against her ribcage as she saw who just stepped out of the car, a low shaky murmur escaped her mouth, "Chyna?" When Mr. Pedro heard his wife mention the name, he began to accept reality. He wasn't hallucinating.That's Chyna...But how? She was supposed to be in the rehab center or did the woman just look like Chyna? There's only one way to find out and with that, he began to head down to meet her. Chyna's blank face scanned the environment and saw the large crowd which mostly consisted of media personnels. A low sigh escaped her mouth, well, she has to do this. She and Aidan had both traveled down here but as planned, he'd go somewhere else and she'll be here to sign the deal with Mr. Pedro. She had no idea why Aidan wished to go into partnership with Mr. Pedro and she would have stopped it if she had any power to but there was nothing she could do about it. It's his money, his company and he gets to take any decision r
TWO WEEKS LATER. "Mr. Pedro, how do you feel about getting in partnership with the new empire that had taken the business world by storm?" A journalist asked Mr. Pedro who was all smiles."I feel delighted of course, to partner with such a profitable business would deliberately uplift my own empire to first. You all know how my empire is eyeing the top and I'm pretty sure that this time, with the partnership of the new empire, my empire will finally see the top." Mr. Pedro replied proudly, his eyes going towards his wife who was surrounded by another group of journalists. This is what he wanted, he knew that signing a partnership contract with the new company would bring a lot of fame for him and his family, this is what he'd wanted. "Mr. Pedro, what do you have to say about those influential businessmen who withdrew their shares from your empire a few months ago? Do you have any message for them?" Another journalist asked. "Of course I do, I always have messages for those who thi
."You think you can threaten me, you rascals!!!" He boomed laughing like a maniac. Aidan's arm went around Cora's waist and he murmured,"Press the button." The woman who seems to be in daze immediately pressed the bottom and in less than a nanosecond, Drake was surrounded by drones. Drake looked around and laugh hysterically,"Do you think this will stop me?" He asked and laughed again."It's like you have forgotten how this gun works but don't worry, I'll demonstrate." He said."Press it again Cora." Aidan ordered, his eyes fixed on Drake who seemed so sure of himself. Cora immediately pressed the button again and the drones surrounding Drake got into action, they immediately began to web some sort of material around Drake. They webbed it so fast that it was almost unnoticeable to Drake. Before anyone knew what was happening, Drake was in a huge balloon-like ball, the only difference was that he wasn't floating, he was still standing still on the ground. Upon seeing what had j