The Formidable Luthan King Is Back

chapter 1

Three years ago, Luthan King had returned home from prison, hoping to be received warmly by his family, especially his younger brother, Arthur, whom he had gone to jail for.

 

Yet, he was met with harsh gazes and cruelty.

 

“Luthan?” Camille, his wife, who was now heavily pregnant with his brother's child, exclaimed, face white as a sheet. “What are you doing here?”

 

Luthan's eyes remained fixed on her protruding stomach, eyes widening in shock.

 

“You're pregnant?” He exclaimed, raising his voice in exclamation. Camille staggered back in shock, unable to meet his eyes.

 

“Honey who was…” Arthur, his younger brother, paused by the stairs, shocked to see Luthan in the mansion. “Aren't you supposed to be in prison?”

 

Luthan was at a loss for words, overwhelmed with emotion. Seven years in prison and he had returned to a pregnant wife and a brother who seemed irritated by his presence.

 

“You haven't answered my question, Luthan. What is an ex-convict doing in the prestigious Kings mansion?” Arthur demanded with hardened eyes.

 

Luthan was about to say something when his parents emerged from the kitchen. At first, it was a shock, but their gazes soon turned malicious.

 

“Did you escape from prison?” Were his father's first words to him?  “Is it not bad enough that you are a rapist and a murderer and now, break out of prison as well?”

 

The words cut deeply through Luthan's heart. It was as though they had forgotten that he had taken the blame for Arthur’s crimes.

 

“Dad…”

 

“Don't you dare associate yourself with this family! The Kings will have nothing to do with a murderer and an ex-convict. I advise you to leave now and never set foot back here!” Anthony Kings, his father spat cruelly.

 

There was no form of remorse or pity in their eyes.

 

“Why do you treat me with so much contempt? After all I have gone through, I expected that my family would welcome me with open arms, but here you are, throwing such harsh words at me!” Luthan's voice cracked.

 

“Oh please! Don't try to play the pity card here. You have brought enough shame and disgrace to this family! We do not need you!” His mother, Regina Kings cut in.

 

Luthan looked at her in shock, trying to decipher if this was the same woman who fell on her knees begging him to save his younger brother from prison time.

 

His gaze shifted to his once lovely wife, who now lowered her head in guilt and shame.

 

“Camille… How could you do this to me? Seven years and you are already pregnant?” He asked but Arthur grabbed her protectively.

 

“Pregnant for me! So what? You abandoned a beautiful woman for jail and you expected her to wait thirty years for you? How selfish can you be?” Arthur spat.

 

Luthan looked at him in disbelief.

 

“Selfish?” He repeated. “Have you forgotten I went to prison for you?!”

 

Arthur's eyes softened momentarily with guilt but when he glanced at his parents, his eyes hardened again.

 

“It was your hero complex that pushed you to take the fall,” Arthur cut in, mercilessly. “I never asked for your help!”

 

Luthan went weak to the bones. How ungrateful could they be?! All the pains, beatings, and humiliation he endured in his prison in an attempt to please this bunch of ingrates had all been in vain.

 

“You should leave, Luthan. You are no longer welcome here,” Camille finally spoke. “I have moved on with my life. As you can see, we are all happy. Don't make things worse please.”

 

“Worse?” Luthan stepped forward. She trampled on his love without looking back and she was talking about love?

 

Arthur shoved him back roughly.

 

“You heard her, get out of here!”

 

“Where am I supposed to go?” Luthan fired back. “This is my property!”

 

“Was!” Arthur growled and Luthan staggered back.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Exactly what you think, brother. You have nothing in your name anymore. Everything has been transferred to Camille and me, which is why I will advise you to quietly get off my properties or risk getting thrown out,” Arthur barked.

 

Luthan's head spun. His empire. Everything he'd toiled day and night for. His multi-million dollar company was now under Arthur.

 

To the best of his knowledge, Arthur was not business-inclined and only knew how to spend money. It was only going to be a matter of time before he ran the company to bankruptcy if it wasn't already.

 

No wonder he saw so many cars outside. Even the house is packed with unnecessary furniture.

 

How could his lawyer agree to this without his consent?

 

Luthan didn't even get the chance to express his anger when the guards were called in.

 

“Through this man outside and make sure he never shows face in here, got it?” His father instructed.

 

“You can't do this to me. This is my sweat we're talking about. You have to give me back my company. Keep everything else but please release my company,” Luthan pleaded as the guards grabbed him.

 

“And why would I do that?” Arthur smirked at him. “You want me to hand over my source of income to you? You must take me for a fool!”

 

“It is not yours!” Luthan yelled, struggling to fight the guards but they simply dragged him out of the mansion and tossed him outside.

 

A devastated Luthan had waited outside the gates, day and night, pleading with them to let him in and return his properties, but instead, Arthur had the guards beat him and throw him across the other side of the street.

 

The people didn't treat him any better as everyone viewed him as a murderer and rapist.

 

Luthan decided to pay his lawyer, Barry Cage a visit. He needed explanations on how his family got hold of his properties without his consent.

 

However, Barry refused to see him for three days, straight. Luthan didn't give up. He remained outside the company for three nights until he was able to block Barry's car.

 

On spotting him, Luthan quickly grabbed on the door handle and forced himself into the car.

 

Barry was visibly frightened, from the murderous look in Luthan's eyes to his shabby appearance.

 

“I have just one question for you, Barry,” Luthan started, ignoring his hurting throat. He hasn't eaten or drank anything in days. “How did my brother get hold of my properties?

 

Barry's face turned white.

 

“Answer me, dammit!” Luthan barked.

 

“This is considered assault, Luthan. I can get you arrested right now! I advise you to get out of the car, and we can forget any of this ever happened, but Luthan grabbed him by the collar.

 

“I have already been to every corner of the prison; I honestly don't mind going back for bashing your head consistently against the steering. Are you going to answer me or not?” Luthan threatened.

 

“You were given thirty years, Luthan. No one believed you would come back so soon, and your family was in dire need of money, so…”

 

Luthan slammed his head heavily against the steering.

 

“I need the truth!”

 

“Your brother came with a proposal and I accepted it. There is nothing more you can do, Luthan. Even if you take this to court, you wouldn't be able to afford a good lawyer. Just let it go!” Barry stated and Luthan went weak.

 

He couldn't believe his life was turned upside down in a matter of hours. He had come out of prison, hoping to receive a warm welcome, only to be ostracized and kicked out and now, everything he worked his entire life for was gone?

 

The passenger door opened suddenly and the security pulled him out. Barry had seized the brief moment of distraction to alert security, and now, they were beating up Luthan without mercy.

 

“If I were you, I would get out of here and never show my face again!” Barry warned, before driving away.

 

Left with no options, he found himself at the door of Mary Lynn. The very woman his brother had brutally assaulted.

 

“You poor thing, you look like you haven't eaten in days,” Her brown eyes were filled with genuine pity and it made Luthan wonder if she didn't know who he was.

 

However, the girl had been living a life way more miserable than his. She was treated like an outcast by her family, humiliated by everyone and forced to live in a doghouse.

 

Yet, not once did those brown eyes hold any form of resentment towards him. She treated him with kindness and shared the leftovers her family threw at her.

 

“Mary, how can you not hate me for everything happening to you?” Luthan finally found the courage to ask her. “My brother put you in this mess.”

 

Her response was a simple smile.

 

Mary had been through far worse than what he was experiencing in his few days of stay with her. It amused her that he thought her suffering began with his brother assaulted her.

 

Being an illegitimate child in the family had long put her on the family blacklist, and when her mother died, the entire Lynn family turned her into an object of ridicule. A tool for their amusement.

 

“Even if I spend the days hating and blaming everyone for my misfortune, nothing is going to change, Luthan. In my case, there is nothing I can do to change my situation, but there is still hope for you, Luthan. You are a good man, don't just give up.”

 

Those words echoed in his head as he stared out the window of the plane. He could never bring himself to forget about her even for a second.

 

After that conversation with her, he had gone in search of an old friend. The very man who got him out of prison before his due time.

 

Stanley Flair was his name. A fellow prisoner who was the punching bag of the prison gangs before Luthan stepped in to protect him.

 

In six months, they had become close buddies and Stanley helped him go through the pain of being abandoned by his family.

 

When Stanley was suddenly released from prison, his first instinct was to come for Luthan, who, in his wildest dreams, never expected the man to be a formidable personality in the business world.

 

The man had handed him a card to contact him while Luthan had been excited to reunite with his family.

 

Stanley welcomed him with open arms and after explaining his situation, the man introduced him to the very people that controlled the business affairs of the country.

 

The Big Trillionaire Bosses.

 

He worked under Stanley, managing one of his companies and succeeded in growing the company's income by forty per cent in the space of six weeks.

 

A feat that has never been achieved before. This incredible feat prompted Stanley to promote him to the managing director of one of his biggest companies.

 

In the space of six months, Luthan’s name was on the lips of every important personality in the business world, and Stanley eventually made him CEO of the Flair Consortium.

 

The second most powerful consortia in the world.

 

This alone was enough to make him dominate the entire country.

 

While a few questioned Stanley's decision, the majority were in full support as Stanley had no family to inherit his wealth.

 

Three years of hard work and consistency had earned him not only the trust of Big Trillionaire Bosses but also earned him a spot in their midst.

 

He had established various companies on his own and they were leading tech companies both nationally and internationally.

 

With all the power and wealth at his fingertips, he was back in the country to establish his firm to support growing businesses.

 

Most importantly, repay a certain woman whose words pushed him to forge ahead when he hit the lowest of lows.

 

“Sir,” his PA hurried to his side. “I just received feedback on the woman you asked me to dig on.”

 

Luthan's attention was immediately piqued upon hearing that.

 

“Have you found her? Where is she?”

 

“You might not like this, sir. She was just recently sold to the eldest man in the Carter family as his concubine.”