2025-01-22 00:38:38The next day had arrived and as early as he could, Marcus was already out of his motel room and was making his way to Sarah’s coffee shop. He had grappled with the idea of calling her since he now had her number but he settled on the fact that seeing and speaking to her face to face would be the better option.
Marcus stepped out into the street, the morning air calming his nerves as he approached the Daily Grind. He got to the door and made a move to go in, when his eyes settled on the sign out front. Closed. Damn, he was too early. He looked around, wondering whether he should wait for Sarah to come or just head back to his room and call her later. In the end, he chose neither of those options. He was already outside, he might as well take a morning walk. God knows that he was tired of being cooped up in that moldy room.
He went east, letting his feet take him wherever they liked. It’s not as if he had a place to go. He just needed to pass the time while waiting for Sarah to open shop. In about five minutes, Marcus came across another shop. More like a gas station. They sold papers, sweets and coffee. He checked his pockets and brought out some crumpled dollar bills, frowning at the fact that those were all he had.
Regardless, he walked in, wanting to get a cup of coffee. He could get it from the Daily Grind but he was sure that what they would charge would cost him an arm and a leg, possibly literally since he had nothing. Plus, he wasn’t about to take Sarah’s hospitality for granted again.
The bell rang softly as Marcus stepped into the building, his focus already on the coffee maker by the corner. He walked in, not paying the cashier any mind as he grabbed a cup from the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. As soon as he did, he walked over to the counter, knowing fully well that he couldn’t afford any other thing in there and proceeded to pay.
“How much?” He asked, setting the cup down.
“A dollar. Would you like to buy a ticket? It might be your lucky day.” The man poked at him, gesturing to the lottery tickets hanging from a line.
“Uh, I don’t think I…” Marcus began but was cut off.
“Oh, come on. Try one. You never know. Luck may be on your side.” The cashier prompted again.
Marcus eyed the tickets for a moment before caving in. What the hell? It couldn’t hurt right?
“How much for a ticket?” He asked reluctantly, making the cashier beam with joy.
“Same as the coffee. A dollar.”
“I’ll take one then.” Marcus replied, placing two one dollar bills on the counter before grabbing his cup of coffee.
The cashier handed him a ticket and scooped the bills up, waving at Marcus as he left. The bell rang again as Marcus exited the building, the hot and bitter taste of the coffee damaging his taste buds as he took a sip. He winced, placing the ticket in his pocket.
“Ugh. I should have known.” He muttered, clearly hating the way it tasted but not enough to throw it away. He took another swig when he heard a comment that almost made him choke.
“Isn’t that him? The Wong boy?”
“It could be.”
“Wait, didn’t he cheat on Victoria Wong?”
“Are you serious?”
“It’s him. What a bastard.”
Marcus frowned but didn’t turn to the crowd voicing their opinions of him. Instead, he turned around and began to walk back to the Daily Grind. He shouldn’t have gone out for a walk. He should have known better.
He started to walk away but then a hand grabbed his arm, holding him back. He turned around to see a woman of middle age staring at him. Her eyes widened and the next thing she did was scream at the top of her lungs.
“It is him. It’s Victoria Wong’s husband. The bastard cheater.”
“What the hell?” Marcus whispered, trying to get out her grip but the woman didn’t budge.
He knew that due to Victoria’s career as a model and sometimes actress, she would have a lot of fans but he didn’t know that they would go stir crazy because of the lies that the Wong family had spread.
“So, it really is him.”
“Huh, I guess the highlife wasn’t good enough for him, he had to throw it all away.”
“If I was him, I would kill myself. Just imagine being with such an illustrious family and then throwing it all away for a fling.”
“He disgusts me. I wonder how Victoria’s doing right now.”
The insults kept coming and so did the people when they realized what was going on. Cameras went up, most of the crowd trying to catch Marcus at his time of disgrace. So, with one strong tug, Marcus broke free of the woman’s grip, wanting to get away. But his actions caused her to fall to the ground and his hot coffee to spill all over her.
The woman hissed in pain but not for long before shouting bloody murder.
“You see what he did to me? He pushed me down and poured hot coffee on me. You’re a monster.”
Marcus didn’t waste any time. He turned around and ran away, the shouts of hate from the crowd, egging him on. Soon enough, he reached the Daily Grind and was about to pass it when he saw the doors open and Sarah walk out with a new sign.
She saw him just in time and frowned, not liking his disheveled look.
“Marcus? What happened?”
“A freaking mob.” Marcus breathed out hastily before Sarah ushered him into the building, locking the shop behind her.
She sat Marcus down in one of the chairs before sitting down herself.
“Are you okay?” She asked, watching him intently.
“I’m fine.” He replied before getting up from the chair.
“I’ll leave now.” Marcus offered, realizing that Sarah could as well be one of the people outside. The people that hated him for an unjust reason.
“You don’t have to leave. I already know who you are from the interview that went viral and unlike the mob that most likely tried to lynch you outside, I believe that you didn’t cheat on Victoria Wong.”
Marcus turned to her, his gaze wary.
“I’ve had enough run in with that family to not believe a word that they say about other people. Trust me.”
“Is that why you’re trying to help me?” Marcus blatantly asked the question, his eyes narrowing to try and see if she would lie to him.
“It’s part of it. I just don’t like people being thrown under the bus by the elite when they feel that they’ve had their fun.”
Marcus watched as Sarah huffed, her demeanor changing and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had once been in his shoes. Sarah caught on and changed the direction of the conversation.
“Anyways, that isn’t a story that I’d like to go into right now.” She said, standing up to meet his level.
“I assume that you were coming here because of what my note said.”
“I was.” Marcus replied shortly.
Sarah gave him a nod.
“All right. Have a seat. I’ll go get some coffee and then we can talk.” She told him before walking away and disappearing into the back of the shop, leaving Marcus with his thoughts. Marcus did as he was told and sat down, still wondering how Sarah could be so kind to someone she had just met. It was a mystery but one he wouldn’t take at face value.
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"Welcome back." He said under his breath. Once Elias finished speaking Marcus was able to get free of his hold. It wasn't bad or anything, hugging for long just made Marcus a bit uncomfortable. He smiled at his supposed grandfather, noting that the man wasn’t as old as he expected him to be. He had bought a gift for an old man but his grandfather looked anything but that. "Thank you." Marcus said still not able to get over the fact that this man was finally standing before him. His hand went to his pocket ready to bring out the gift that he bought and revived last minute when Elias spoke up."I can't believe I'm looking at my grandson after all these years of looking for you. I'm sorry we couldn't find you earlier but I'm glad you're with the family now." Elias mentioned, still holding on to Marcus’ shoulder. Elias turned at Micah, gleefully."He has your features and if what you've told me on the phone is true then he's more like your late wife than you."Marcus' mother. Elias had
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News reporters and every form of entertainment press stood outside the Wei Conglomerate building with flashing cameras and mics hoping to get a glimpse or even a notable speech from the men that called them out that day. The crowd stretched far beyond the building's perimeter, their excitement palpable in the morning air.Marcus and his father, Micah stepped out from the building and onto the podium that stood atop the steps of the building and overlooked the crowd that formed on their property. Eric and Marcus' secretary Lori, who he had flown out to meet up with him, stood beside them as Marcus and Micah stood side by side smiling at the crowd. Marcus couldn't help but notice how similar their postures were – both straight-backed and commanding, though his father carried decades more experience in his bearing. Truth be told Marcus knew nothing about why he stood beside his father. He only knew that he was going to be announced as the next heir since the paternity test had been carr
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The trio now sat in the living room with all eyes on Marcus. It was unnerving being in such a foreign place and having all this information forced down his throat but when Micah led him to the living room and asked him to tell them how he survived on his own for years, Marcus didn’t think to hesitate.“Long story short, I grew up at an orphanage. No family wanted me so by the age of eighteen I was thrown out to fend for myself. Luckily for me, I managed to get a scholarship to go to college since the orphanage helped us through highschool and all that. It was mostly due to funding from some NGO but it helped. I went to a no name school and learned architecture. I graduated with a high enough GPA for me to land a job at a big company at the time. Wong Facilities.” Marcus explained, his eye catching Eric’s stoic face turned into a frown. It seemed like he already knew the story. After all, he was the one who found Marcus in the first place. Still, Marcus continued. From what he had lea
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“When you were still a child, almost two years old, you were taken from us. I had just started making good money back then, my company was flourishing and I got arrogant. I was warned by my father, your grandfather, not to take a particular deal that an older rival company was vying for but I didn’t listen. I felt like I could take them on because I had already achieved so much at a young age. After successfully getting the project started, we threw a party to celebrate the success of the project launch. Your mother and I were in attendance while you were home with your nanny. We couldn’t take you that day because you weren’t feeling well. When we came home that day, you were gone. Our home had been invaded by armed men, they killed all the security guards and the house staff. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find you, then I received a call shortly after. The CEO of that rival company called me and told me that he was responsible for your kidnapping. He wanted me to know that he w
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The car ride was spent in silence between both of them till the car came to a stop in front of a gate made of gold. Just the gate seemed more expensive than the entire Wong mansion. Marcus’ own even. As they approached the gate, Eric pressed a button to open the outer gate, signalling that the mansion had a visitor. As they got to the security post, it spoke. It was an AI gate and only really wealthy people could afford them. Marcus had contemplated getting one but decided against it. “Please identify yourself.” The gate said as Eric rolled down the window to speak.“Eric Wei.”“Voice recognition, success. Welcome, Mr Wei.”The inner gates opened automatically and Marcus' eyes widened . Calling it a mansion did not do it justice as it looked more like a luxury estate. He had money but this was far over the top. Extremely so. How could one person own all this? Streetlights lined the driveway, and each of them were made of gold, not gold paint, real solid gold. It took almost ten minut
