The Return Of The Billionaire's Grandson. (Their Regret)

Chapter 6

Derrick sat in his car, trying to process what had just happened. He had just lost his job, and now his father was dead. It felt like the world was conspiring against him. He didn't know how he would go on.

After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and started the car. He needed to go home, to be alone. He needed to grieve.

He needed to figure out what to do next. As he drove home, he thought about his father. They had always had a difficult relationship, but Derrick had never stopped loving him.

Finally Derrick got home, he sat alone in his room, grief-stricken and confused. The police had concluded that his father's death was a suicide, but Derrick knew that something wasn't right. His father had seemed happy and content in life, with no reason to take his own life by jumping from a roof top.

Derrick was determined to find out what had really happened. He started to piece together the events from the last time he saw his father, trying to find any clues that could help him solve the mystery.

But as he delved deeper, he found himself revolving around his own thoughts.

Ding! Ding! Derrick's phone rings.

The call came from the funeral home that was handling his father's remains. Derrick's heart sank as he answered the phone. The funeral director's voice was kind but firm, asking if he would like his father to be cremated or buried.

Derrick found himself struggling to speak, unable to say the words out loud. He was still in shock, unable to believe that this was really happening.

After a long pause, he forced himself to respond. "Cremation, please," Derrick responded, his voice barely above a whisper. Derrick felt utterly alone.

His father had been his rock, his anchor in life. He had been the one who had always supported him, who had always been there for him. And now he was gone, leaving Derrick to navigate the world without him.

Derrick curled up on his bed, clutching a photo of his father. Tears streamed down his face, and he wept for the loss of his father, for the life that he had once known.

He felt as if a piece of him had been ripped away, and he wondered how he would ever recover. Derrick was now faced with three challenges in a day, loosing his job, loosing Ruby's trust and loosing his father. He had lost it all.

"Could today get any worst than this" He muttered to himself.

Derrick's mind kept circling back to the hour that he left the E&T company. He had been called into the HR office. He had been escorted out of the building, his belongings boxed up and handed to him, the door slammed behind him.

It had all happened so quickly, with no chance to explain himself. And now he was unemployed, with no way to clear his name.

Derrick's thoughts turned to the mysterious computer IP address. He tried to think back to the previous day, to remember if anything out of the ordinary had happened. But he could think of nothing, nothing that could explain what had happened.

While Derrick was still in his thoughts, he saw the door to his bedroom getting open, revealing Ruby standing at the doorpost. She looked angry, and her composure furious.

"Derrick, I can't believe what you've done!" Ruby exclaimed, her voice full of anger and disbelief. "I trusted you, and you betrayed that trust. I brought you into my life, and I regret it deeply. How could you snuggle out some of the company funds?"

Derrick's heart sank as he listened to her words. He wanted to explain himself, to tell her that he hadn't done what she thought he had, but the words wouldn't come. All he could do was stand there, shame and guilt written all over his face.

"How could you do this? You should be greatful to me for bringing you out of your misery. No wonder your ex-wife treated you that way.

"I know what the investigation said, but I swear I didn't do it!" Derrick protested, his voice desperate. "Someone must have hacked into my computer, or framed me somehow. I would never do something like that. You have to believe me!"

"I want to believe you, but the evidence is right there," Ruby replied, shaking her head. "I just don't know what to think anymore."

Derrick's heart sank even further. He knew he was innocent, but how could he convince Ruby of that? He had no proof, no way to prove his innocence.

"You are in my debt now, and you will have to earn back my trust," Ruby said, her tone cold and unforgiving. "From now on, you will do everything I say, no questions asked. Is that understood?"

Derrick's stomach churned. He didn't like the sound of this, but he didn't have a choice. He nodded, his head hung low, he felt so humiliated and for a minute, he began to hate his life.

"Good," Ruby replied, her tone softening slightly. "Now, let's get started. From now on, you must ask me for permission before doing anything, whether it's big or small," Ruby explained. "This includes things like going out, seeing friends, and even going to the bathroom. You would also start doing chores and I want to know about every detail of your life. Is that understood?"

Derrick felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was far more than he had expected. He had thought that maybe he would have to do some extra chores around the house, but this was like being a prisoner in his own home.

"Yes," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Derrick couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had never considered that he would be expected to do housework in order to earn his keep.

He had assumed that he would be working on projects for the company, not doing things like laundry and dishes. But he knew that he had to go along with Ruby's demands if he wanted to stay in her good graces.

"I'll do it," he replied, trying to keep the resentment out of his voice. "But I hope you know that this isn't what I expected" he added.

"How dare you!" Ruby yelled, her face flushed with anger. After everything I've done for you, you have the nerve to act like this? You're lucky to be here, and you should be grateful for the opportunity. I could have left you out on the street, but I gave you a chance. And this is how you repay me? By talking back at me?"

Derrick felt a rush of shame and humiliation. He knew that Ruby was right, but he couldn't help but feel resentment at the way she was treating him. He was her contracted husband, not her servant.

Ruby continued to berate him, Derrick felt his anger and resentment turn to sadness and self-doubt. He had never felt so worthless in his life. He didn't know how to make things right, and he feared that he would never be able to earn Ruby's trust again.

Ruby left the room and slammed the door. Derrick lay on his bed, the room silent around him. He felt alone and defeated.

All he had wanted was to start over, to build a new life for himself. But now, it seemed like everything was falling apart. He felt like a failure, like he would never be able to make things right.

As he lay there, he started to think about his past. He thought about the people who had hurt him, the people who had made him feel small and insignificant. And he realized that he had been carrying that pain with him for a long time.

Ding! Ding! Derrick got a call.

"I know that I am speaking to Derrick, this is the loan shark."

Derrick froze as he heard the voice on the other end of the line. He had heard of the loan sharks before, but why would they call him.

"How may I help you?" Derrick asked.

"You need to pay up your dead father's debt to avoid our deadly consequences" The man at the other end of the phone said.

Derrick was confused at the man's statement, but the fear in the voice was unmistakable. He was being threatened, and he didn't know what to do.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Derrick stammered. "I don't owe anyone money."

The voice on the other end of the line was ice-cold. "Don't play dumb with me, do not provoke me" it warned. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Pay up the ten million dollars."

The voice on the phone was terrifying, and Derrick felt like he was sinking into a pit of despair. "I don't have that kind of money," he replied, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

The voice on the other end of the line was quiet for a moment, and then it spoke again. "You have 24 hours to get the money," it said. "If you don't, there will be consequences."

The line went dead, and Derrick was left with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.Derrick dialed the number back, hoping to reach someone who would listen to reason. But the same voice answered the phone, and it was clear that there would be no negotiating.

"I told you, you have 24 hours," the voice said. "And if you don't pay, we'll come for you."

Derrick's heart pounded in his chest. He felt like he was trapped, with no way out. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he asked, his voice wavering.

"Your father took out a loan from us years ago, and he never paid it back," the voice replied, its tone matter-of-fact. "We've given him plenty of time to make good on his debt, but he's ignored us. So now, it's up to you to make things right."

Derrick was horrified. He didn't know anything about his father's debts, and he certainly didn't have the money to pay them off. "I can't," he responded, his voice breaking. "Please, I don't know what to do."

The dial tone filled the silence, and Derrick was left alone with his thoughts. His father was dead, and now he was being threatened because of something he had no knowledge of. He felt like he was in a nightmare, and he didn't know how to wake up.

He sat in his room for hours, trying to think of a way out. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a solution. He felt powerless, and he didn't know what to do next.

Derrick's mind raced as he thought about his financial situation. He had a small savings account, but it was nowhere near enough to pay off his father's debt. And without a job, he had no way to earn more money.

His thoughts turned to Ruby, and the way she had treated him. He felt betrayed by her, and he knew that he couldn't rely on her for help.

He wondered if there was anyone else he could turn to. But even as he thought about it, he knew that there was no one he could trust and be decided to meet Ruby for help.

Derrick knocked on Ruby's door, but there was no answer. He tried again, more forcefully this time. Finally, he heard a muffled voice on the other side of the door. "What do you want?" She asked.

Derrick took a deep breath. "I need to talk to you," he responded, trying to keep his voice steady. "Please, just let me in."

There was a long pause, and then the door opened a crack. Ruby's face appeared in the opening, her expression cool and unreadable. "What is it, what do you want?" she asked.

"I just got a call," Derrick began, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "And they said that my father owed them money, and they want me to pay it."

Ruby's expression remained unchanged. "So?" she asked, her tone dismissive. "I don't see how that's my problem."

Derrick felt a flash of anger, but he tried to keep it under control. "But you don't understand," he replied, his voice rising slightly. "They threatened me. They said they would come after me if I didn't pay."

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you got yourself into this mess!" Ruby yelled, her words like a slap in the face. "I'm not going to help you. You've made your own bed, now you have to lie in it."

Derrick's face flushed red with anger and humiliation, he couldn't believe that Ruby was so callous. He wanted to say something, anything, to make her understand, but he didn't know what to say.So he turned and walked away, leaving her standing in the doorway.

Derrick decided to take a walk to clear his head, his mental health was at stake. Derrick walked down the street, he moved through the city gardens and admired the beautifully scented flowers. He decided to go towards the alley, but he noticed a group of men standing in the shadows of an alley.

They were dressed in dark clothing, and they had an air of menace about them. Derrick's heart began to race, and he tried to keep his footsteps light and quick, but the men had already noticed him.

"Hey, you," one of them called out. "Where do you think you're going?"

Derrick ignored them and kept walking, but they followed after him. "I said, where are you going?" the man repeated, this time more forcefully.

They approached Derrick and gave him a push. Derrick tried to fight them off, but it was no use. There were too many of them, and he was caught off guard.

They bundled him into the van, and he felt a sense of panic rising within him. He couldn't see anything through the black bag over his head, and he could feel the van moving, taking him further and further away from the safety of the city.

He tried to free himself from their strong grip, and just then one of the men hit Derrick's head with a sharp object making way for his thick red blood to pump out of his head.