2025-01-22 00:37:01The Riverside Motel smelled of stale cigarettes and broken dreams. A fair thing since Macus’ life was now going down the drain. It had been only two days since he left the Wong mansion and already it felt like he had hit rock bottom. Not to mention the harrassing messages he got on the daily from the Wong family. Although he was no longer in the same house and accepting the abuse, keeping up with them over the phone was also exhausting.
Marcus sat on the edge of the sagging bed, staring at the duffel bag that contained everything he'd been allowed to take from his life of the past five years. His laptop, a few changes of clothes, mostly three shirts and a change of pants and his father's watch. The rest remained locked behind the Wong family's gates, probably being packed away or destroyed under Eleanor's supervising eyes.
He pulled some sites on his phone, wanting to see if there were any job openings around but then his eyes met something far worse.
SON-IN-LAW OF THE WONG FAMILY HAS A DAMNING AFFAIR
“Wait, what?” Marcus muttered, clicking on the link which led him to an interview where Victoria and another woman sat facing one another. What the hell was going on here?
“It’s good to see you Victoria even though it’s under bad circumstances. How have you been through all this?” The woman asked her, a solemn look on her face.
Victoria nodded and gave a small smile.
“I have been doing well considering everything. Work has been hectic but it helps me take my mind off these things.”
“Okay. Now, I know it might be hard but I have to ask. What happened between you and your husband? Why is your marriage on the rocks?"
Marcus watched in disbelief as Victoria started to cry on the video. The woman, Marisa, held her hand.
“We had been having some fights over the years but it became really bad recently. Marcus, my husband, had been coming back home late almost everyday. When I asked where he was he said he was working late at his part time job and that I shouldn’t ask anymore questions. I kept it civil at home but he kept on drinking and staying out of the house.”
She started to sniffle and took a tissue to blow her nose.
“So, one day I decided to follow him. I went to his workplace and they said that he wasn’t at work that day. I checked his GPS and saw that he was in Crenshaw. We have an apartment there so I thought nothing of it. I went over and headed into the building. I saw clothes on the floor so I went to the bedroom and I saw… I saw him and a woman in my matrimonial bed having sex.”
The water works increased as Victoria broke down in front of everyone.
“I confronted him and he said that he never loved me and he was only married to me for my money. I love him. How could he do that to me?”
Marcus paused the video and went through the comment section.
“Men truly are SCUM.”
“How could he cheat on such a catch? He must be stupid.”
“Guys I heard he’s poor. Like really poor.”
“Guess he was just with her for the money. I don’t think he’ll get a cent now though.”
“Do you think they’ll get a divorce? I mean who knows what she’s going through.”
While Marisa tried to calm her down Marcus turned off the phone and threw it across the room. He had had enough. He held his head in his hands.
“She has the audacity to spin the story on me. She cheated on me. What the hell is her problem? Couldn’t she just leave me alone?" He mumbled to himself but it didn’t help the anger bubbling inside of him.
His phone buzzed again, snapping Marcus out of his thoughts and causing him to go pick up his discarded phone. It was another message from James, his backstabbing friend.
"Be reasonable, Marcus. You know how Victoria's family operates. Take the settlement offer and walk away with something."
Something. As if five years of his life could be reduced to a number in a checking account. As if his dignity had a price tag that the Wong family could afford.
He deleted the message without responding, just as he'd deleted the dozen others that had preceded it. His phone buzzed again almost immediately. Victoria this time. Were they planning this non verbal assault together?
"Mother is having the rest of your filthy things packed. You have one hour to send someone to get them or they’re all going to get burnt. Honestly, I’m sure that even if we try to donate them, not even the beggars would take it. And really, Marcus, refusing to speak to our lawyers? Don't be childish."
The bedside lamp cast sickly yellow shadows across his face as Marcus grimaced, his anger seeping through. The bitch. Because of that family he had nothing. No home, no wife, no money, no best friend. His architectural designs, stored on the home computer he hadn't been allowed to retrieve, represented years of work now lost. He didn’t even have a job of his own anymore. Apparently, Richard Wong's influence extended to his employers, who had suddenly found his services no longer required, kicking him out of a somewhat well paying job.
A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. For a moment, his heart leaped, thinking that it could have been Victoria or James but he knew them well. They would never set foot in a place like this. Plus, they didn’t even know where he was. So, who the hell could it be?
Marcus got off his bed, grabbing the closest thing he could use as a weapon just in case. The closest thing being a dented aluminium mantle piece from his nightstand. He moved slowly towards the door as there was another knock and waited patiently, hoping that whoever was behind it would give up and go away.
"Mr. Chen? I have your dinner order." A woman’s voice echoed out.
He hadn't ordered dinner or anything for that matter. A woman was harmless enough so he turned the handle of the door and opened it. A young woman holding a paper bag that smelled of cheap Chinese takeout stood before him, a small smile on her face.
"I didn't..." he began, trying to turn her away but she spoke up.
"Sarah Martinez," she interrupted, extending the bag. "I own the coffee shop next door. You looked like you could use a meal when you checked in this afternoon." She said to him, her eyes bright.
Marcus stared at the bag, then at her. With the news going around about him right now, how could she be offering him food. The husband who supposedly cheated on his billionaire wife. The internet and the world already hated him. How could she stand him?
“Why would you..”
“I’ve seen you enter this building three times without any food and I’m sure that they don’t cater to dinners at this motel. Plus, I’m pretty sure that you’re being punished for something that you didn’t do.” She mentioned with a chuckle. Marcus was about to ask her what she meant by that but like before she beat him to it.
“Just take it. I’m trying to be a good person.” She said, pushing the bag in his face.
"I can't pay you right now. My accounts are frozen." Marcus lied through his teeth. His accounts weren’t frozen. Victoria had taken everything from him.
"Good thing I'm not selling it, then." She pressed the bag into his hands. "Consider it a welcome to rock bottom. Trust me, the view only gets better from here."
Before he could respond, Sarah turned and walked away, her practical shoes squeaking slightly against the worn carpet. Marcus watched her go, the warm bag in his hands feeling like the first real thing he'd touched in days.
Inside his room, he found not just dinner but a handwritten note with a phone number:
"When you're ready to start climbing back up, call. I know some people who might be interested in an architect's perspective on their new business ventures.And no, I’m not stalking you. -Sarah"
Marcus sat on the bed, his eyes reading the note but his mind wondering where Sara might have known him from. He sighed and began to unwrap the container of food when his phone buzzed again. It was his mother-in-law this time.
"You ungrateful little man. Did you really think someone like you could ever be part of our family? Victoria told us everything – how you've been emotionally manipulative, how you tried to isolate her from James. We'll make sure everyone knows what you really are."
The lies shouldn't have surprised him. Of course they would try to rewrite history, to paint him as the villain in their story. He could already imagine the whispers spreading through their social circle, the carefully crafted narrative of poor Victoria and her abusive husband, saved by her noble friend James. Tch. How low were they willing to stoop?
His phone buzzed one final time. A text from James.
"Look, take the settlement. One hundred thousand and a clean break. It's more than fair considering your position."
Marcus frowned. Was that all they thought he was worth? He had taken their abuse, day after day, taken the betrayal with insults to boot and then they thought that they could just write him off to the side and ruin his name publicly. How dare they?
He pulled out his father's watch, turning it over in his hands. The inscription caught the dim light: "Time reveals all truths." His father had always said that justice had its own schedule, that the universe had a way of balancing its books. Marcus smiled at the thought. Justice would prevail and he would be the one to make sure that it did.
He would have his revenge on the Wong family but first he needed to survive. To rebuild. To become someone that they would never see coming. Sarah’s note caught his eye once more. It was unexpected, considering the news that was now floating around about him but it was welcomed. Tomorrow he would call. Tomorrow, he would take the first step up from rock bottom. He would show the Wong’s that he was no one to mess with.
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After Rachel left the mansion, tensions rose as no one really knew what would happen when she met up with Davon at the discussed meeting point. Marcus went back inside and then to the room that was already set up for the surveillance. Lori was already there tweaking with some of the equipment as Marcus and the rest of his family walked in. They all stood around casually watching the large screen in the room that showed the back of the car seat and played the audio of Rachel's crumpling shirt and the soft purr of the car as it moved.Elias took a deep breath as he watched the live video while Marcus thought to himself. Rachel was still in the car, currently on her way to the destination where her old lover would be waiting for her. He wasn't sure she could handle it even with all the times she assured him she could but Marcus decided to close off his doubts and trust her. If she could trust him enough to do this then he could return the favor.
Chapter Eighty: THE BIG DAY
After a moment of hesitation and thinking, Rachel had made up her mind. She looked at all the men in the room, showing her firm stance on the answer she was about to give.“I'll do it. I'll go see Davon."Elias groaned in disapproval as Marcus sighed triumphantly at Rachel's decision. He gave her a small yet dignified nod thanking her for trusting in his plan when Elias walked up to her and held her by her shoulders as if trying to bring her back from an unyielding spell.“Rachel, you know if you do this you won't be safe anymore. We would help but are you willing to risk your life and your heart just for this? We can find another way. A better way. Think about this."Rachel stood up matching her godfather.“Like you said uncle Elias, it's my life and my heart. If I choose to bring down the person that hurt me, that's my decision. I want to do this and I have all of you so I'm sure I'll be fine in the end."Elias looked into her eyes, hoping to find a shred of doubt or fear but when h
Chapter Seventy-Nine: A NECESSARY DECISION
Marcus arrived at his mansion a bit happy that Chris Gibson, the chief prosecutor in New York, was willing to help him out in his mission to bring his enemies down. That was just one part of his plan that had been sorted out. He had his men go pick Lori's grandmother and brother up also which had lessened his workload. Now, he only had one other area to pursue and that was the actual catching of the Black's doing anything illegal in the eyes of the law. He wasn't sure yet how they were going to get that piece of information when they didn't have a mole inside their company or anyone at all who was close enough to them to be involved in what they were doing and inform Marcus of their deeds.He leisurely walked through the hallways of his home on his way to his room, still thinking of what he could do to get to that family when a walking and breathing answer popped up in front of him. Her raven stood out from the white gown that she had on and the frown that found its way to her face wa
Chapter Seventy-Eight: MEETING THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR
Marcus dropped Lori off at the mansion first with the promise that he was going to have his men bring back everything that she needed from her home once she wrote him a list for that. He was also going to have her brother and grandmother brought to stay with him for some time at the mansion. That is, before he could find a more secure and safe place to hide them from Davon in case the man had any new ideas but realistically, the mansion was the best place for them to stay at the moment. Marcus wasn't close to either of them but Davon might think otherwise and do something horrible just to mess with him.After giving Lori his word, he set out to go meet the only person in the judicial system who he was sure could help. He didn't know this person personally and had never spoken to them. Hell, he didn't have any appointment with the man but due to everything he had heard about the man from his integrity, to his good nature and then his no nonsense attitude when it came to illegal things,
Chapter Seventy-Seven: A TRADE
Regardless of his suspicions, once it was about getting to noon, Marcus hurriedly drove all the way to the meeting spot. The Café de Flore. He was not going to give Davon or Alexandra the satisfaction of holding late coming and Lori's suffering over his head. He already had what Davon wanted. The evidence. He wanted Rachel too but there was no way that Marcus was getting her involved in this nonsense. It didn't take long before Marcus pulled up to the restaurant that was located on the other side of the city. He got out of the car and checked his watch for the time. 11:57am. He sighed and confidently walked into the building.Just like always, he was greeted by the receptionist and the people who saw him awed that they had the chance to set their eyes on him but that was not what Marcus was interested in. What he was interested in was the familiar face he saw sitting at the corner of the restaurant and smirking at him while raising up a glass of champagne.The receptionist spoke to h
Chapter Seventy-Six: MISSING
Marcus was walking through the hallways of his mansion early in the morning, on his way to his home office when he heard a muffled groan and then a loud thud, like something hitting the carpeted ground. On hearing the sounds, he ran quickly to the room, not bothering to inspect what was happening but shoved the door open and ran into the room. He did not expect to see what he was witnessing at the time.Lori stood over a clearly broken and destroyed machine, huffing and puffing like she had just ran a marathon. She turned to Marcus, a barbaric and dangerous look on her face. Marcus gave her a confused look, wondering why she was standing over a piece of equipment with bloodlust."What are you doing?" Marcus asked with a brow raised at her.Lori stood up straight and le
Chapter Seventy-Five: BYPASSING FIREWALLS
Marcus sat in his spacious office in his home, gazing out at the amazing tapestry of artwork the gardener had done on the mansion grounds below. As the CEO of one of the largest corporations, he knew that there were some companies who used unlawful or illegal means to climb the ladder to success. One of those companies must belong to the Blacks. They had forced his hand and now it was time to take action. As he silently watched the butterflies perch on various exotic flowers, his secretary, Lori, entered the room, her eyes shining with determination unlike the last time she was called into his space. She had heard. In fact she had lived part of it. The assault that occurred at the company which shook the employees and everyone in the vicinity. She didn't know who set off the attack but she knew it was related to her boss. The Wong's couldn't do it. She had already helped Marcus to take care of them, so who else could it be? "You called for me.""Yes, I did." He said without moving h
Chapter Seventy-Four: ALEXANDRA BLACK
Marcus took the seat that was offered to him by the unknown woman. He sat on the chair, a bit relaxed but aware of his surroundings nonetheless. He didn't bother looking around and asked the woman a question."Who are you?"The woman shrugged and stood up. She walked over to her mini bar, picked up a bottle of scotch and tilted it towards Marcus."Care for some scotch? I promise it's to die for."Marcus shook his head, choosing to ignore her little quip that sounded like she already knew what had happened to him. He glared at her back as she shrugged and poured a glass for herself before going back to her seat."I'll ask again. Who are you?" He questioned her, going back to the matter at hand. She smiled at him."No one of importance until I know why you're here."She and Marcus shared looks. In that moment Marcus could pick out some key features that she had that resembled someone he knew. Looking at them, he was sure that he had seen this woman somewhere. She seemed vaguely familia
Chapter Seventy-Three: A NEW FACE
Marcus went back to his home after the massacre that Davon had brought to his place of work, after the sirens filled the air as police officers arrived on the scene, after the last man standing of the opposition was taken into custody, after some of his employees had to be wheeled away in bags and after Marcus had been interrogated by the officers on scene about the gunfight that happened in broad daylight.As he stepped foot into the building, the voice of a very worried Rachel echoed in the lobby."Marcus!"She ran towards him not at all minding her step on the tiled slippery floors. She cupped his face as she reached him. Marcus hissed as he felt a sting on his left cheek where Rachel touched. The cut must have been from the rain of glass that fell on top of him during the attack."What happened to you?" She asked as Marcus removed her hand from his face to avoid being smothered too much."It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He said to her, his voice low and ragged. In all honesty
