“Mrs Houston, I can't… I can't accept this amount of money. It's too much,” Matthew stuttered, too dumbfounded to take the card.
The old lady chuckled softly, but her face still held seriousness in it. “Listen to me, Matthew. It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. But as the heir to the Houston Empire, you have taken over a burden of responsibility. It’s important that you learn to spend your wealth, but spend it wisely. Money is a tool—a powerful one—and as a Houson, it’s essential that you use it. Secure not only your future but also the future of our family and our Empire.” She gave him the card and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “This money represents the hard work and sacrifices of our family, even more than that, it represents the struggle we went through in our search for you. It’s your responsibility to honor that legacy, and with time, you’ll learn how to spend, invest, and grow this fortune. But for now, take it one step at a time. Accept this gift with peace of mind, knowing that it’s your birthright.” Matthew turned the sleek black card over in his hands, staring at it in disbelief. ‘I was a car washer just this morning, and now I'm a billionaire.’ He looked at his grandmother and nodded resolutely. Even though he still felt out of his depth, the matriarch's words had given him a sense of purpose. “I won't let you down, Grandma,” he said to her. The matriarch smiled warmly. “I know you won't.” — — — The next morning, Matthew woke up feeling grounded, his wounds had fairly healed. He had also had a night of rest and reflection, and now he was certain he had found his footing. He had fully embraced the reality now. He was the Young Master, heir to the Houston Empire. After some good mornings, Matthew joined his grandmother for breakfast in a sunlit dining room. It didn't take long for his grandmother to bring up the discussion of his and the family's future. “Matthew, now that you’re back, there’s much to learn and many responsibilities to take on," she began. “After some time, I want you to take over one of our major companies. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the business world and the operations of our family enterprises. So you'll be going today to get a good view of the place. Is that fine with you?” “Of course, Grandma,” Matthew responded. “I’m ready to play my part in the continuous success of our family.” The matriarch smiled. “I’m so relieved to hear that, my son.” Matthew didn't tell her, but he was extremely anxious. The thought of running a billion dollar company was kind of terrifying. But beneath the anxiety and fear, there was a spark of excitement. Matthew was eager to prove himself worthy of the Houston name. The butler, a composed and efficient man, approached the table and informed them that a car was ready to take Matthew to one of the family’s flagship companies for a tour. His grandmother gave him an encouraging smile. “This will be the first step, Matthew. Take it with confidence.” He quickly finished his breakfast, took a shower and put on one of the rows of fancy suits in his wardrobe. Then, when he was ready, he followed the butler out of the manor. But the moment they opened the door, there was a surprise waiting outside for them. In front of the entrance, Spencer Delacroix was kneeling on the ground, his clothes disheveled and his face pale with desperation. As soon as Spencer saw it was the heir, he quickly knelt properly in front of him. Matthew frowned. “Are you not the same man who insulted me yesterday?” “Please, Mr. Houston,” Spencer began to plead with desperation. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t know who you were—I was a fool! Please, forgive me. My family’s business is ruined because of my mistake. Please forgive me, Mr Houston! I’ll do anything, please, just forgive me!” Spencer’s hands reached out, grasping at Matthew’s feet, and he even began to kiss them, tears streaming down his face. It was a pitiful sight, a man utterly broken by the consequences of his arrogance. Matthew on the other hand, was bamboozled. He had never had someone beg him in such a way before — to the extent of kissing his feet! Was this the kind of power he had now? For a moment, he even felt a little sympathy for the disgraceful man. But then he thought of the honor and status he had as the heir of the Houston Empire. The legacy of strictness and power. This was a test of his new status, and he couldn’t afford to falter. He pulled his feet away from Spencer's grasp. “There are consequences for everything you do, Mr. Delacroix. Be a man and face the consequences of your stupidity, rather than crying shamelessly on my feet.” He signaled the butler to get some guards to take Spencer out of the Houston estate, and then he walked to the car where his chauffeur was waiting for him. Spencer continued to beg as Matthew got in the car and drove off to the company. Matthew ignored all of it. He was the Young Master now. He knew it was necessary to establish his place in the world, even if it meant turning away from those who had wronged him. Some minutes later, he arrived at the tall, glass building which had a large inscription that read: A SUBSIDIARY OF THE HOUSTON EMPIRE. The logo of three stars was right above it. The car parked in the VIP parking lot, and Matthew got down. The chauffeur handed him a file which had all the names of the employees, offices and branches in the company, as well as a map so he wouldn't get lost during his tour. Matthew accepted all of this and walked towards the entrance of the building. But then he stopped, lifting his gaze to take it all in. The large building, the people in suits walking around the vast premises, he was going to be the CEO of it all. Matthew took a deep breath, ready to prove himself. He lifted his foot to continue towards the entrance when a familiar voice called out behind him. “Matthew?” He paused, then slowly turned around. There, standing a few feet away, was Ashley, and right beside her was the man Matthew hated the most in the world — Darrell Ferguson.Matthew was surprised to see them standing behind him, he looked at Darrell, anger bubbling within his chest, and then at Ashley. He never thought the day would come when he would look her in the eyes and feel nothing but disgust.The look on Darrell’s face mirrored that of Ashley's, they were both wondering what a common car washer like Matthew would be doing in a fine establishment like this. Darrell quickly concluded that perhaps he was here to apply for a new job as a cleaner or maybe even a carwasher and so he stuck his hand in his pocket and scoffed, shaking his head lightly.Matthew stepped forward. “What are you two doing here?” he asked.Darrell scrunched his face in disgust as he glared at Matthew, looking him head to toe like he was a church rat. “I should be the one asking you, last I checked, they don’t hire low lives like you around here.”Ashley held on to Darrell tighter with a sense of pride and she adjusted. “If you must know, my boyfriend is so influential, he’s her
Ashley was the first to react, she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes grew wide, the last thing she expected was for Matthew to talk to Darrell like that. Darrell tightened his teeth, visibly angered, his face was turning red.He balled his fists by his sides, ready to walk over to Matthew and beat him to a pulp but as he proceeded to move forward, Ashley grabbed him by the arm, holding him back. If he caused a scene here, it might just give him a bad name in front of his potential business partners.What would they think of him if he was fighting outside with a pauper? Surely that would be bad for his reputation. Plus, he had heard tales of the powerful no-nonsense matriarch, if he did anything to cross her, he would be done for,He cleared his throat. “Matthew or whatever your name is, I will surely deal with you later.”“I’d like to see you try,” Matthew spat and then turned around, walking away from them. Ashley stood there in shock, wondering what had gotten in
“He wants to see me?” Elena asked.The secretary nodded.“Well I’m busy now, tell him to wait for me a bit.”The secretary nodded politely and backed away from the door, shutting it gently behind her.That name rang a bell in Matthew’s head and he raised his head, a crease forming between his brows. “Ferguson…” he said the words out loud, testing the name on his lips.Elena nodded. “Yes, we’ve had dealings with them in the past, and I’m sure he’s here to discuss business,” she said, mindlessly sorting through the documents before her.“Discuss business? What kind of business?” he pressed on.Sensing the seriousness in his tone, Elena paused and straightened her back. “Well, we have been running business deals with the Ferguson’s for a while. Truth is, they offer us little to nothing, they’re more or less dependent on us, the only thing we gain is the publicity that comes from our projects together, big names get people talking you know.”“So you’re saying we don’t need to do business
Ashley got on her feet, swatting the dust off her skirt. In all her years of dating Matthew, she had never been embarrassed to this point. They were practically picked up and thrown on the streets like garbage.There was a low buzzing sound, and it was Darrell's phone ringing. He reached into his pocket and slipped it out, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the caller ID. It was his father.“Hello, dad? You're just the person I wanted to call, something crazy just happened right now.”“Yes I know, my secretary just told me that the Houston's don't want to ever work with us again and have canceled all affiliations.”Darrell nodded even though he was on a call and his father couldn't physically see him. “I don't know what happened-”He was interjected by his father who sounded visibly pissed. “If you don't do something to fix it, You're going to regret the day you were born! Do you know how important the Houstons are to our company?!”The call ended before he could even say anything
The line went silent as Matthew contemplated Anderson's invitation, maybe this would be a good avenue for him to tell his best friend all that was going on in his life.“Sure, I'll meet you there, just send me the time.”With that to call ended. Shortly after he received a text about the time for the meeting.With nothing else to do, Matthew continued his tour of the company building and then familiarized himself with some of the staff around.Since he had the map there was no way that he could get lost in the enormous structure.****Since all of Matthew's clothes were old and tattered, he stepped into a clothing store and used his black card to purchase some new t-shirts and trousers as well as shoes. He had multiple shopping bags with him by the time he returned home.His grandmother was the first person to see him, and her lips twisted into a bright smile when she saw him with the clothes that he bought.“I am glad you went shopping, you're officially a Houston now and it is impor
Vito felt insulted and her face turned red, she unfolded her arms and scoffed. “You’re such a low life, why would the Houston family ever employ someone like you? You dream too much Matthew, it’s no wonder Ashley left you, and I’m glad she did because she ended up with a much better man.”The girls standing behind Vito chuckled at her statement but Lola, one of Vito’s friends, wore a slight frown on her face. With a deep breath, she stepped forward. “Vito, let’s go, it’s enough.”Her face twisted in confusion as she stepped back. “Don’t tell me you feel sorry for this loser?” her tone was harsh and judgemental. Vito had never really thought much of Matthew even when he was still with Ashley.For the most parts, she only tolerated him.“Vito, it’s not nice to bully people like this, we came here for a drink, not to pick on someone, please let’s just go already, Matthew has been through so much these past few days,” Lola remarked with a hint of sympathy in her voice. Even from her expre
Vito was the first to burst out laughing before the rest joined. They laughed so hard that it hurt their stomachs, especially Vito and Sophie who almost lost their balance and had to lean on the bar stools.They knew Matthew the car washer, there was no way he could be the owner, even if he sold everything he owned, it still wouldn’t be enough to buy just one tire. Lola felt embarrassed for Matthew, but she also felt sorry. She knew he was a good person and he didn’t deserve what they were doing to him.“He’s not just delusional, it seems he’s crazy too,” Vito said.Matthew, who was now standing calmly, dug his hands into his pockets and pulled out a car key. The moment Sophie caught a glimpse of what was in his hands, her eyes grew wide. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” she exclaimed, with her mouth slightly open and her eyes popping out of her sockets.Some of the people who were looking covered their mouths with their hands. If he could afford such a car, it meant that he was a big sh
Anderson didn’t know what to say in response, everyone in the city knew how reputable and successful the Houston family company was. “How on earth did you manage to land a job there so quickly?” he pressed on, eager for details.“I’ll tell you all about it later because it’s actually a long story, but right now I need to go home and get some rest,” he replied, deflecting the topic. The wing-like doors of the car opened slowly and Matthew turned to face Lola. “Since I invited you as my plus one to the banquet, I think it’s only fair that I get you a gift, a diamond necklace would be perfect, I think it suits your skin tone.”Lola’s eyes widened as she forced a polite smile, “Oh my-” she felt speechless. She never really thought that Matthew was being serious inside about his intentions to invite her to the banquet, she had thought that he only said that to get back at Vito for all the horrible things she’d said to him. “- I don’t even know what to say, I thought you were just kidding b