Darius walked without aim for over an hour. After such a long walk, he was tired. The fatigue from the fight, the break up with Sarah, and his detention at the police station finally caught up with him.
He looked around his surroundings and saw that he was now at an empty park. The moon shone brightly on the park, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Darius checked the time and saw it was past twelve o’clock in the morning. He sat down on a bench and closed his eyes.
The day’s events started running through his mind and a myriad of emotions ran through his heart. Darius had never actually regretted being poor in his life, but he regretted being poor today. How cool would it be if he had an abundance of wealth? If it were so, no one would be able to look down on him anymore. He wouldn’t lose Sarah to someone like David. Besides if he was very rich, beautiful women would be the least of his problems.
He sighed. It was just wishful thinking. He wasn’t special neither did he have an abundance of wealth. He was just Darius Reid, a poor university student.
Darius sat there in silence, staring at the silver moon and numerous stars scattered across the sky. He was still star gazing when his phone rang.
Due to the fight he had with David, his phone screen had cracked in various places, so he couldn’t get a clear look at the caller ID. After contemplating for a while, he decided to ignore it. It might have been his dorm mates who were worried about him and decided to call him.
After a few rings, the call ended. Darius was about to go back to star gazing when his phone rang again. He ignored the call again, and went back to what he was doing. However, the caller was persistent. After the fourteenth call, Darius finally picked up.
“Hello? Do you have any idea what time it is now? Don’t you know how to take a hint?” Darius spoke angrily into the phone. He didn’t care who the caller was. His dorm mates weren’t so desperate to keep calling someone who ignored their calls fourteen times!
“Hello, is this Darius Reid?” The caller asked in an authoritative tone, ignoring the annoyed tone Darius voice displayed.
“Yes this is Darius Reid and I swear to God if you don’t have a good reason for calling me persistently at this time of the night I’m going to find you and beat you up!” Darius yelled, transferring all the anger he had accumulated some hours back to the caller.
“Pardon my impudence Young Master Reid. I apologize.” The caller replied. His voice was now respectful which confused Darius.
“Young Master Reid?” Darius asked, utterly confused.
“Yes young master Reid. Please pardon my impudence. I have a lot to tell you which I cannot do over the phone. Would you kindly tell me your location? I’ll arrive there shortly to pick you up.” The caller said.
Darius kept mute. Suspicion was written all over his face. He had no idea who the caller was so how did he expect him to reveal his location just like that? What if he was a kidnapper who was looking to kidnap him?
Darius suddenly laughed at himself. Kidnapper? As if. He was as poor as a church rat. Kidnappers usually did their research. They would never waste their time on someone as poor and miserable as him.
He let out a sigh before deciding to give the caller his location. He had nothing to lose anyway. If the callers were really kidnappers then when they arrived he was sure that they would let him be. He didn’t have a single penny on him anyway.
“Alright young master Reid. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Please don’t go anywhere.” The caller said before disconnecting the call.
Darius looked at his phone before sighing. He was ruling out the idea of it being a kidnapper and actually being a prank. After all, what kind of kidnapper would call their victim ‘young master Reid?’
Darius closed his eyes and rested his head against the bench, enjoying the cool breeze blowing against his skin. He sighed again. It didn’t matter if it was a prank or not. When he got his mind back in the right direction again, he would leave the park and go back to his dorm. While he might be poor, he wasn’t homeless, and he certainly did not want to be mistaken as one.
40 minutes after the phone call, Darius heard the sound of car moving. He opened his eyes and his mouth dropped down in shock. It was expected, as he never expected to see something like this.
A white and gold car came to a stop a few feet away from where Darius sat on the bench. Although Darius was poor, it didn’t mean he could not tell an expensive car from a glance. After all, he attended Kingston University, a top university that had a lot of rich kids attending it.
The door opened and a man stepped down from the car. The man looked to be in his late 40s and was dressed very luxuriously. His white three piece suit had layers of expensive jewelry littered around it, and they sparkled in the night. His hair was black, but there were already traces of white in it. However, it was neatly styled.
Darius looked at the man in confusion. He wondered what a big shot like him was doing here. Every step the man took screamed opulence and Darius found himself sweating profusely.
What if this man was David Lesley father who had come to take revenge on his son’s behalf? It made sense if he thought about it like that. After all, no rich and wealthy man would like a peasant like him manhandling and beating their own sons.
When the man came closer to Darius, Darius quickly knelt down and placed his head on the ground.
“Forgive me Mr. Lesley! I was at fault. It was all my fault. Please forgive me.” Darius begged. If it were before he was taken to the police station, Darius would never have begged no matter what. However, someone like him who was unable to pay $5,000 to bail himself could not afford to offend someone as wealthy as Mr. Lesley. He really needed to graduate, otherwise all his efforts would be for naught.
“Mr. Lesley?” The man said, sounding confused. However when he saw Darius kneeling down; he knelt down without minding his expensive and clean suit and helped Darius up to his feet.
“Young Master Reid, are you trying to get me killed?” The man asked; his voice agitated and fearful.
Darius looked at the man in shock.
“Young Master Reid?”
The man nodded, and Darius could make out faint tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
“That’s right. I’ve finally found you, young master Reid.”
“Are you sure you don’t have the wrong person?” Darius asked in a skeptical tone. He was completely puzzled as to why a wealthy person would act so respectful and call him 'Young Master Reid'.“Of course not, Young Master Reid.” The man answered with a tone of certainty. He had searched for a long time and finally found the young master here. There was no way he could mistake him for another person.Darius looked at the man again. At first he had thought the phone call was a kidnapping case, and later chalked it off to a prank. However, it seemed that he was far from the truth. There was really a wealthy man who was calling him young master Reid.“Please come with me, young master Reid. My master has been waiting to meet you for a long time now.”Darius looked at the middle aged man again. Everything was happening so fast for him. It hadn’t been even a day yet since his break up with Sarah and now someone he had never seen was here claiming that an unknown master wanted to see him.Da
Darius stepped inside the room and entered what seemed to be a study. There was a huge and neat mahogany desk in the room and behind the desk sat an old man. There were some documents littered on the table, and it seemed that the old man was going through them before Bruce knocked on the door. Darius always expected the master to be someone who was high and haughty with plenty of beautiful ladies hanging around his arm. After all, he knew that the person behind this kind of wealth was far from being a simple person. However, his imagination was a little too wild and completely off the mark. The master was no high and haughty person, but a simple old man. He was the kind of person you’ll feel obligated to help to cross the busy roads on the street. As Darius was staring at the master, the master was also doing the same. He narrowed his eyes and adjusted his glasses a few times as if studying Darius like a specimen. After a few seconds of studying Darius he turned to Bruce who had ju
"It's time for you, Darius Reid, to put that life behind you and claim your proper place as the Reid Consortium's heir."Darius struggled to make sense of what his grandfather said. He was still yet to overcome the shock of finding the identity of his parents, yet his grandfather had dropped another bomb on him. He wondered how many times he would be surprised before he would be able to take a break. “The Reid Consortium’s heir?” Darius asked. “Yes, you are the Reid Consortium’s heir.” Darius grandfather answered. Darius was shocked once again. As a student of Business Management, he naturally understood what a consortium was. It was safe to say that anyone who claimed to own a consortium was immensely wealthy! What was a consortium? You only qualified to say you owned a consortium when you had more than 50% shares in all the affiliated businesses involved! Darius looked at his grandfather differently. This revelation explained why everything here was so luxurious and why his gra
Darius woke up after a long and refreshing sleep. He had taken a very long time to shower, admiring the luxurious and exquisite decorations in the bathroom, as well as the beautiful bathtub and full wall mirror. After taking his long shower, he draped a white bathrobe around his body and laid on the king sized bed. He was unable to appreciate the softness of the bed as he was very tired. He fell asleep almost seconds later, completely spent. Darius got up from the bed and walked towards the window. He pulled the expensive black curtains and looked outside the window from his room. Luckily today was a Saturday so there were no lectures or classes being held at the university. Darius looked at entirety of the Reid mansion from his window. He hadn’t seen it well at night, but seeing it now reminded him of the wealth that his family had. Darius recalled everything that had happened yesterday night. His whole world literally turned upside down. From being bailed for being unable to pay $
Darius was still reminiscing about his relationship and breakup with Sarah when his grandfather spoke up again. “Darius, you don’t have a car yet. Do you?” His grandfather asked. Darius didn’t respond, but the corners of his eyes were twitching madly. Of course he did not have a car! How was he supposed to afford a car when he was as poor as a church rat?! James Reid smiled with warmth when he saw his grandson’s eyebrows twitching. It reminded him so much of his son. His son Tristan Reid eyebrows would always twitch when he was annoyed. “Well that won’t do. You have to live like a Reid now. Bruce, take him to the garage and let him select two cars of his choice. Customize the cars to his taste and deliver them to him as soon as possible.” James stated authoritatively. “Yes Master James.” Bruce answered, bowing lightly. He turned to Darius who had his mouth open like a gaping fish before speaking. “Young Master Reid, this way please.” Darius sighed. From receiving a card worth $
As he went back to his room, he layson his bed and kept thinking bruce's words. As he opened his eyes it was Sunday evening. Darius checked his schedule and confirmed that while he did not have classes on Monday, he would need to resume classes on Tuesday. This meant that he could no longer stay at the Reid mansion, and that his time here was over. Over the weekend, apart from receiving the black card and two new super cars, Darius grandfather James Reid also gave him a new phone. The phone was the latest phone produced from the leading technology company Nix Inc. The phone was black in colour and also had the stylish ‘R’ written on the back in gold colour which proved that the phone was also customized. Also, apart from the 10 billion dollars in the black card, his grandfather had transferred an additional $5,000,000,000 to his regular bank account, which meant he now had a total of $15B on his person. His chaotic weekend was finally over and he would be leaving the mansion now.
Darius woke up the next morning in a happy mood. He had slept really well last night. The fact that he was also a rich man also contributed to his happiness. He didn’t have to struggle for money to get food to eat anymore. He looked around the dorm and saw that his dorm mates had already left for classes. They were in a different department from him, the Broadcasting and Media department, so they had classes today. Darius took his bath and freshened up before putting on his poor outfit. His stomach grumbled reminding him that he was hungry. He almost went to the school cafeteria out of habit but ultimately decided against it. He was no longer poor now. After getting new clothes, he would dine at the Sky Golden Hotel. Darius took a cab to the biggest shopping mall in the Mayflower district, the district where David Lesley father owned a restaurant. Mayflower district was a very popular district, as it had several top businesses and company there. Only the rich and well to do could aff
Sarah and David on the other hand were also as shocked as Darius. They didn’t expect to run into someone like Darius in a place like this.David Lesley had taken Sarah out today to spoil her with luxurious gifts. He had already bought them for her and wanted to get a few more outfits before they called it a day. However, they did not expect Darius to be here as well. Slowly, the expression of shock on Sarah’s face slowly morphed into one of anger. She was instantly irritated when she saw Darius.David too was brimming with anger at the sight of Darius. He could never forget the humiliation Darius had caused him on the night he asked Sarah out. He had completely ruined the popular image he was trying to build for himself. Since that night, he had hated Darius guts. He had promised to deal with Darius, but Darius had been nowhere to be found since that night. Who would have thought that he would finally find him here?“What the hell are you doing here?” Sarah asked; anger evident in her
"If you hadn't picked on me, I wouldn't have ended up like this. No matter how wealthy I've become, I'll never be able to take these black robes off!" The mysterious man's voice was shaky. He was extremely agitated.James frowned at that. He said curiously, "You keep saying I've done you wrong, but everything I did to you was what you did to others. I only gave you a taste of your own medicine."The mysterious man's breathing sped up when he heard that. He barked out a laugh and sneered, "I'll be honest with you. I never thought I'd have the chance to meet someone as dumb as you again."He shook his head. "I find it hard to imagine what your grandson will do when he sees you like this." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. The man was caught off guard. He looked at Darius as his body trembled violently.Darius frowned when he saw this. It was completely different from what he'd imagined. He narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man, his
Gabriel smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. I'll return to my workstation and prepare a proposal on what to do with Noah."Darius nodded and smiled. "Good. That's all I ever wanted." He turned to leave. "You need to get to work, and I need to return to my hotel to get some rest."Gabriel stopped. Darius' words made him hesitate. "I'm sorry to be asking this because I don't think it's my place, but it's probably better for me to ask anyway. I don't remember there being any hotels nearby."You should head home if you wanna get some rest. I don't understand why you're heading to a hotel to rest."Darius raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. He turned with his hands behind his back to look at Gabriel helplessly. "I don't know how to feel about what you've just said. You're making me think you're a little silly. Wouldn't I know how to search for a hotel?"It won't take you long to prepare a proposal, but it'll take me ages to get home from here." Darius turned and left.Gabriel's lips twitc
"Because you realized the risk was far greater than what you were comfortable with," Darius said calmly.But Noah started trembling. He looked at Darius in terror. He didn't expect Darius to see right through him after some simple back-and-forth. His eyes widened in fear.Everything that was happening now made him feel like he was dreaming. Noah had only been a step away from success, yet Darius had ruined everything.Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at Darius. "I've said everything there is to say. I'm the lowest rung on this ladder, and I only have one purpose for being here. It's to make you come under the authorities' control. Once you're here, my mission's accomplished."Someone else from the authorities will be here to deal with you, but that has nothing to do with me. They wouldn't have told me about it, anyway."Darius put his hands behind his back without saying anything. He turned to leave. Noah's eyes widened as he stared in fear at Darius' back.Darius didn't see this, bu
When Darius straightened up, his face became devoid of emotion. He said calmly, "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only want frank answers. Otherwise, I'll punish you for every lie that you tell me. I don't see any hope in your eyes, but let's see whether you prove me wrong."Darius paused, then continued, "I've already said something similar once. That was a chance I gave you. From this moment onward, I want you to know that I won't repeat myself because I believe you've had enough time to prepare yourself."Gabriel stood beside him and put his hands behind his back as his lips twitched. He'd thought about the various reasons for Darius repeating himself. But the one thing that hadn't occurred to him was that Darius had done it to give Noah time to prepare.Gabriel felt like applauding Darius, but the rational side of him stopped him from doing so. His rationality told him he'd be in for trouble if he were to do that, so he only looked at Darius with a smile.Darius sensed Ga
Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. Then, he said, "You're too nervous, Gabriel. It makes it seem like you don't trust me. In truth, there's nothing for you to worry about."He stretched his neck and continued, "I know very well how bad the consequences of destroying this building will be. Aside from those silly regulations, I'll also need to pay for it. I might be wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy forking out a huge sum of money as compensation."Darius spread his hands and shrugged. At the same time, he pointed at the window and turned to look at Gabriel. Then, he said, "Look. The windows are perfectly fine. They're not even scratched. That shows my life force is non-destructive."That's why you have nothing to worry about. You can put your heart back into your chest."Gabriel straightened up and sighed in relief. Then, he gave Darius an embarrassed smile.Darius grinned but didn't say anything in response. He put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Noah. He sai
"We're classmates from the same major, too! We were interns at Dream Investment Group, remember? And we got kicked out on our first day. You broke my legs because of a tiny argument we had outside the building! The surveillance cameras captured all of this!" Noah cried.Darius tucked his hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes. Then, he said mockingly, "You're the biggest fool I've ever met. Do you think you're the only one who can tamper with the surveillance footage? Any footage that can be tampered with can also be restored."Noah's eyes widened in shock. He gulped and tried to think of a way to explain away the injuries Darius had inflicted on him. Still, he couldn't think of anything. Before he had the chance to think any further, Darius spoke.He said, "There's one thing you got right, though. Gabriel is on my side, so he'll stand up for me no matter what you say."Gabriel's lips twitched at that. He subconsciously opened his mouth to say something in return, but Darius bea
"And I don't think it's my job to make you see sense," Gabriel continued. He put his hands behind his back. He gave Noah a look that was an odd mixture of gentle iciness. "I've given you more than enough time and chances."Gabriel sighed. "It's obvious that you don't care for that, though. And so I think it's time for me to treat you as an officer should." He sat down on the other side of the desk again.Noah's face was white with fear. Gabriel acted like he didn't see this, though. He smiled. "As I mentioned, I gave you plenty of time and chances, but you didn't appreciate them."His gaze turned frosty. "If that's the case, I'm sure you won't object to me doing this per our guidelines."Noah cried, "No, wait! I don't know what Darius has promised you to make you side with him unconditionally, but there's no way I'll let you two get away with this. You have to make sure you do everything by the book. It's a reasonable request, and you have no right to turn me down!"He trembled viole
Gabriel put his hands behind his back as he looked at Noah with a smile. "Now, you've piqued my interest."Noah looked up at Gabriel. His voice was deep and hoarse as he said, "If you help me, I'll give you half of the Reid Consortium's assets once I get my hands on them. You should know that without me, there's no way you'll get a dime from the Reid Consortium."Gabriel snorted with laughter when he heard that. He straightened up and slowly circled Noah. He sounded mocking as he said, "You've lost me there. I tried to puzzle it out, but it doesn't make sense at all."Why would I want to get my hands on the Reid Consortium's fortune? Even without it, I'm perfectly independent. I don't need it to survive."Gabriel crossed his arms and looked at Noah mockingly. "Or maybe you're different from the rest of us. Maybe you'll die without the Reid Consortium's wealth." He smirked and gave Noah a sharp gaze.Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're the one making me laugh now. I don't know
Gabriel sounded gentle, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. This was especially true for Noah, who sat across from him. He felt incredibly nervous. He shut his eyes and breathed rapidly.Noah never would've expected to still be in danger after being taken in by the authorities. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel. "So, are you determined to help Darius now?" His voice was shaky, and his eyes were wide because of his nerves.His emotions were clear as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh. To stop Noah from noticing, he quickly exhaled and sat down with one leg over the other. At the same time, he leaned forward to place his hands on the desk.He tapped his fingers on the desk quickly but rhythmically. Gabriel's eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at Noah. "Tell me, Noah. What happened between you and Darius? Earlier, you said he was the one who injured you. Do you have any proof?"Because we checked the surveillance footage, a