2024-05-15 18:25:22The voices of family members, friends and well wishers who had come to pay their condolence to the Palmers could be heard echoing from the main hall of the massive Palmer mansion; exquisite chandeliers hung from several angles of the roof shining brightly, reflecting sparkling glitters on the wine glasses that most of the elite guests in the hall had in their hands. All in the hall were on black outfits.
Lord Richard Palmer one of the wealthiest men in Granada Hills and the founder of Palmer Pharmaceuticals had just been buried. He died after a brief illness at 85.
“So sorry for your loss Lady Palmer.”
“Oh thank you so much.” Mrs. Alice Palmer responded to the man in stylish black suit and a black moccasin shoe to match.
“Accept my deepest condolences Lady Palmer.” Said a lady putting on a black felt hat. She handed her a bouquet of roses, Mrs. Palmer took the roses with a smile.
“Where the hell is that leech of a son-in-law?” Scouring through the hall, her eyes glaring with high contempt Lady Alice walked for a while in her stylish manner and stopped before a young man with blue eyes and curly hair putting on a black shirt and pants. His sleeves were folded.
“There you are! Now take this, make yourself useful instead of standing aimlessly like a statue.”
Lady Palmer dumped the roses into Jason’s hands, turned and left him standing without any further expression. That was no other person than her Grand-son-in-law who was married to her last and favorite Grandchild.
Jason walked over to a long table by a corner of the hall and kept the bouquet beside some other flowers and cards; the large picture of the deceased stood tall in the middle of two lighted candles. Resting his back on the wall, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief; totally exhausted from serving drinks to the multitude in the building.
“Here, he is wet. His diaper needs to be changed.”
Jason opened his closed eyes to behold Isabella his wife holding up their toddler Henry right before him. The baby cooed softly at the sight of his father who seemed really exhausted but still managed to smile back at him.
“Please hurry up.” Isabella's face expressed disgust probably from the smell from the diaper. She hurriedly handed over the baby to Jason and walked away in her black chiffon gown and Gianvito Rossi heels.
When he had successfully cradled the baby to sleep after changing his diaper, Jason lay on the bed in the bedroom to rest for a while but there was a heavy bang on the door forcing him to startle in shock.
“You come here to lie down. Who would attend to the guests in the hall?”
“But Mum…”
“I am not your mother! I would never birth a lousy parasite.”
Mrs. Fiona Palmer had always despised Jason from the first day her daughter introduced him to the family two years earlier as her fiancé. Finding out that he was poor and had no notable career came as a great shock to the entire Palmers.
Her eyes met Jason’s with despicable expressions running through her gestures. She had come to check on her Grandson. Taking a peep and discovering that the child was asleep in his cradle she took another glance at Jason firing shots of displeasure at the young man who sat up from his lying posture.
“Oh well, you came to rest while we still have unattended guests. I wonder what must have intrigued Isabella to consider you as a partner. For all I know, you are unfit to be her chauffeur.”
That was Clara, Isabella’s cousin. She was married to the son of the owner of the most popular casino and hotel in Granada Hills; her husband was also a popular basketball player for the Lakers Basketball team.
“Grandma has requested for your presence. Now!” She yelled and stormed out of the room. Fiona took one last look at Jason and walked out through the door.
Gently placing his hands on the bed, Jason struggled to push his weight off the bed. Getting up, he adjusted his black shirt and left for the hall.
Lady Alice was addressing all those in the hall who had come to condole them for their loss; there were about thirty people in the hall elegantly dressed in stylish attires.
Jason walked right into the center of the hall and when he saw that Lady Alice was making a speech, he decided to go to the back and wait till she was done talking. Taking a turn, there came a lady approaching completely clueless of the man before her because she was waving at another lady at a distance. Jason and the lady collided and the wine glass she had in her hands fell off, shattering to pieces all over the floor.
The sound of the broken glass called the attention of everyone in the hall forcing most of them to turn.
“Are you blind? Why don’t you watch where you are going?”
Jason found no words to reply the lady who had pushed over the blame of the incident over to him. At that point, all eyes were on him.
“Please forgive the clumsy fellow. I guess he needs to be spanked before he learns to be careful.”
There was an uproar of laughter following Lady Alice's utterance. The guests burst into laughter taking mocking peeps at Jason who stood right in the middle of the hall surrounded by whispers of mockery and looks of disdain.
“He is so pathetic, I wonder what Isabella saw in such a poor fellow.”
“He doesn’t even meet up to her standards, looking all grungy and hungry.”
The scornful remarks continued to lash at Jason; some of the whispers and giggles were so loud that Jason could hear them audibly.
“ Make yourselves comfortable, we have enough food and drinks. Once again, thank you all for coming; we the Palmers are grateful.” Lady Palmer said to the guests trying so much to maintain a steady face.
The old lady of about 72 years walked through the aisle of the hall towards Jason who stood cold right where he had been from the time of the collision with the rude lady.
“Out of every other day, you choose today to embarrass us with your awkwardness. You nitwit!”
Lady Alice’s face squeezed as she shot fires of disgruntle at Jason with her eyes. Her teeth grinding with strong vexation. The young man just bent his head in shame unable to speak.
“Hello Grandma, hope he isn't giving you so much trouble.”
“Hello my dear, just him being his usual self trying to draw more attention to his wretchedness.”
Lady Alice extended her hands to embrace Sarah her favorite grandchild after Isabella. She pecked her on her two cheeks while still holding on to her hand.
“Don’t let him ruin your mood Granny, I am sure he is overwhelmed with the number of rich fellows around. He has never been in a gathering of elites I suppose.”
“Make sure to clean that up; at least provide help in tidying up since you can’t provide financial assistance.”
Sarah said to Jason shrugging her shoulders at him. They giggled and started walking away leaving him at the mercy of some of the eyes which were still glared at him.
Sarah was married to the son of the owner of Dias Homes; one of the leading companies of interior decoration and construction in Granada Hills. Her husband Philip Dias recently took over from his father shortly before his marriage to the beautiful grandchild of the Palmers. The perfect match for the two high-class families.
Jason picked up the broken glasses from the floor and went inside the kitchen to keep them, next he came out with a mop stick and a bucket to clean the floor. He had to be quick; the guests were leaving gradually and there was a lot he needed to do. From washing dishes to tidying up the hall.
Just as he was done cleaning the wet floor, Jason turned around to go drop the mop stick and bucket when his eyes caught the attention of his wife from a distance. He saw her through the casement Windows in the hall.
She was talking excitedly to a man in a classy black suit standing very close to a G-Wagon. Isabella was so engrossed in whatever she was discussing with the man, smiling in a dallying manner to the man’s teasing. They were just few inches away from each other and the man couldn’t get his eyes of her caressing her arms ready to eat her up at any moment .
The man had a striking resemblance but Jason couldn’t get a clear view as the sight was blurry and only his side face was visible.
He hurriedly kept the things he was holding in his had but before he could turn to head towards the door, the man had gotten into his car and zoomed off.
‘Who the hell is he?’ He thought.
Isabella walked in through the large door, most of the guests were already on their way out. She exchanged pleasantries with some of them as they left. Turning after a remark with the exciting smile of the moment she had with the man still on her face, she met eyeball to eyeball with Jason almost jumping in agitation. Her smile vanished.
“Who was that man all over you?” Jason questioned, his gaze expectant of an answer.
“I see that you have gotten a job; to spy on me!” Isabella retorted putting up a demeanor in annoyance. She wanted to play the card to her advantage.
“You do realize that you are married right!” Jason said fighting with the annoyance inside of him.
“Oh well, if you were one inch of a man he is, maybe I wouldn’t have found his company so soothing.” Isabella said unapologetically.
“You had better find better things to do. This place won’t tidy itself will it?” She said and rolling her eyes at Jason she walked away ignoring his inquisitive countenance.
Jason just stood there wondering what really had occurred.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. The Will
The entire members of the Palmer family were seated at the conference table that evening; Lady Alice was at one end of the long table while the Attorney was at the other end. He had a large file in his hands and a sealed envelope carefully placed on the table.“What’s he doing here? He shouldn’t be here!”Andrew the eldest Grandson called the attention of of everyone in the room who tilted their heads to see Jason approaching.“Well, my client demanded that every one living in the family mansion and belonging to this family must be present before his will be read.” Jason quietly walked to the position his wife was seated and dragged out the chair next to her to sit. He avoided the angry looks in the room.“What the hell!” Maya mumbled scoffing. She was Andrew’s wife and the daughter of the Chief of Police in Granada Hills.“Why would Dad insist that this pauper joined us? I hope he is not included in the will.”Morgan couldn’t hold his dissatisfaction, he looked at his mother in sear
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. Divulgence
Jason had just returned from purchasing grocery; his wife had sent him off as usual to the store. That had always been the regular routine. Jason would always run errands while she went on social gatherings and had fun with her friends. Even the care of the baby became his responsibility.He walked into the house through the backdoor then he made use of the elevator, his two hands holding the grocery bags firmly. Approaching their apartment, he could hear laughter and giggling. Dropping the bags on the cabinet in the kitchen, he made his way to their bedroom curious of who was the owner of the deep male voice he could hear from the room.The door to the bedroom was slightly opening, Jason could see two figures on the bed lying very close to each other in a romantic manner. He opened the door wider and walked into the room hurriedly to behold the two persons kissing and caressing each other on the bed. His wife Isabella was on lingerie while the man was bare-bodied.“What the hell!”“
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. The Rising Phoenix
Jason was confused. He took the phone down and looked at the screen one more time but he was certain that he didn’t know who was at the other end of the call.“Who is this?”“It is I Harry, young Master. Your Grandfather and I have been in search of you for decades.”“I don’t know you Harry. You must be mistaken. I am Jason Caruso not your Master.”“No young Master. Your name is Jack Walker and I would prove it to you, come to the address I would send to you.”The call dropped and a message came in almost immediately. “No 51 Chariot Street.”Jason dipped his hand inside his pockets, there was only a 20 dollar note left with him. The Palmers couldn’t let him take the bike which was given to him or any other possession.He walked through the road until he got to the highway. There was a taxi coming and so he waved at the driver who pulled over in front of him.“Take me to this address.” Jason showed the address on the phone screen to the driver who nodded.“That would be 18 bucks.” Ja
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. The Walkers
Jason heaved a great sigh of relief. He was finally someone of great substance and no one was ever going to push him around again. He remembered the recent events that occurred and the urge to get back at Clark and the Palmers crept into his soul.“You have to get acquainted with your father’s companies; its been so hectic taking care of things. I am not getting any younger; my bones are feeble now. Everything is yours; the companies, the banks, the cars, the houses, the hotels, the hospitals. Everything!”“Not now Grandpa, I have a few things I need to take care of. I need to be in the life of my son, your Great-grand-son.”“Very well then, Harry here will make sure you lack absolutely nothing pending when you are ready to assume your rightful position. Its so good to have you back Jack!”Jason hugged his Grandfather and left the room with Harry. He wasn’t certain of what his plans were but he knew that it was certainly going to be a long ride for all those who had humiliated him wh
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. Camouflage
The next morning, as early as the first flicker of dawn Jason got up, took a shower and dressed up. This time, he wore a white shorts and a black polo, then he put on a brown pair of sandals on his feet. His dressing was very meagre.With a strong portray of confidence and boldness in him, he walked out of the cabin straight to the family mansion of the Palmers. His strategy was simple; swift and untraceable!Entering through the gigantic gate of the Palmer family mansion, he walked through the avenue; the gardens by the two sides of the avenue giving the ambience a glamorous look, there were water fountains at several parts of the gardens. The mansion stood tall, about 35 meters from the ground.Jason walked into the building and headed straight to the dining hall. He was sure that the Palmers were having their breakfast at 7 and as he anticipated, Isabella was at the dining with two of her cousins Jacob and Andrew. Her Uncle Morgan was also present.“How dare your step you foot into
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. Served!
It had only been a few days since Jason started working for the Palmers, but Isabella wanted to get rid of him so passionately. She was tired of seeing him around, especially whenever he came close to his son who had been crying uncontrollably since he left and seemed so joyful at his return. Jason had just gotten up from his bed that early morning, he prepared himself and was about to step into the bathroom in the cabin when a heavy knock landed on the door. Wondering who it was, he slowly pushed the door to behold the sight of the Palmer’s family Attorney standing in-front of him. He was dressed in a fine black suit with a stripped blue tie to match. Opening a file he had in his hand, he brought out an envelope and handed it over to Jason with a disdainful look on his face. Before Jason could utter any word, William turned and left. Jason unsealed the envelope and glanced through the contents of the letter inside. It was a court hearing; Isabella filed for a divorce and sole posse
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. The Divorce
Jason was dusting some of the pictures hanging on the wall in the lobby, it was morning but there was no one around. He was whistling to his favorite rhythm; same pattern, same sound and with the smile on his face.The door to the lobby soon flung open and Clara walked in immediately in her exorbitant heels, she was gently dragging a young man. That was Stephen her husband; a popular basketball star who played for the Lakers of Los Angeles. He wore a nice golden chain around his neck with an expensive Rolex watch on his wrist. He was a fine man.“Oh well, if it isn't the unfortunate gold digger. What a bad way to start the day, with your abhorring presence.” Clara said looking at Jason with disgust, she looked at Jason from his hair down to his toe and squeezed her face, twisting her nose as though she perceived a foul odor.“It must be really hard trying to fit into the status as a mendicant. I am sure you would feel better after today.” Stephen said as they walked past J
The Rising Phoenix: Devisee’s escapade. Turned Tables
“Looking at the files in front of me, I must say that I am very disappointed that an attorney would be involved in such hideous behavior. To say that I am very disappointed is the least of the feelings I have.” The Judge said firing shots of annoyance at William who still kept his face downwards. “Say something, say something William! Don’t just keep mute.” Isabella whispered loudly looking at William whose outfit was suddenly soaked not responsive to the cooling air from the air condition. “This firm has lasted for years on the strong foundation of justice and equity and I wouldn’t have you ruin this standard we have set here. I would deal with this matter of deception much later when this is over.” The Judge blared again holding up all the files William had presented to him, then he kept them aside and gathered the files Jason’s attorney handed over to him placing them one after the other on the table. There was over a minute of silence coated with great tension rising from ev
Latest Chapter
Marry me
It had been a month since Julius was brought out of prison, and everything was going as everyone had hoped for. He had been of good conduct, keeping to the conditions that were given to him by Jason. But that didn’t mean that any chances could be taken with him. His reputation as a notorious criminal who had claimed lives made it quite difficult to trust him. The fact that he had been exonerated from the guilt of his actions was too much grade for him, and it would have been foolish of him to let it go to waste. He had spent the entire month begging for Shirley’s forgiveness, but she kept her distance, maintaining a mutual relationship with him which was based on the fact that they had a child together. Xavier on the other hand was old enough to understand that sometimes things don’t always go the way we want them. Even though he wished that his parents could be together someday, he also knew that his mother was only trying to be safe. She didn’t want to have to repeat the sam
Conditional Freedom
Days turned to weeks, and then to a month. Jason fulfilled his promise to Xavier and made sure he went to one of the best schools in the city. He knew that the boy still thought about his father even though he stopped talking about him, probably because his mind was occupied with school assignments, and some of the things Jason got him involved in just to make sure he stayed away from silly acts. Seated with Lord Walker, Jason waited patiently for the old man to speak, aware of what was about to be heard. “Jack?” Lord Walker leaned forward before he continued. “I know that Julius isn’t particularly the best Uncle in the entire world, but he is still family. I know that this is a very difficult decision for you to make. But you have to do this for the sake of the boy…” Lord Walker paused for a few seconds just to be certain that Jason was listening to him. He sighed softly and continued with a more audible tone. “Keeping him there way cause be painful for the boy even thoug
Reunion
Standing in front of Jason was Clark, the same best friend who turned out to be one of his enemies. He had lost his charm and confidence and almost looked like a better. He couldn’t even look at Jason for more than a few seconds before he bent his face to the ground in shame. It appeared that his outfit was oversized, but that was only proof that he had lost a lot of weight. “Why are you here, Clark? I am sure you didn’t just come to stare at me.” Jason broke the silence between them, staring at Clark with a smirk on his face. Brenda would have asked a few questions, but as soon as Jason mentioned the name of the man standing in front of them, she remembered some of the stories he told him about how his best friend betrayed him and went after his wife. She was only interested to know why Clark was there. “I am here to ask for your forgiveness, Jason. I also want to appreciate you for getting me out of jail.” Clark managed to say with a shaky tone. He couldn’t even look at Ja
I am Pregnant!
It had been three days since Xavier and his mother pleaded that Julius be set free but nothing had been done about it. Jason was taking his time to make a decision about his step-uncle’s fate. It seemed like it was going to take more time before he could be able to come t a conclusion. Lord Walker himself was wondering why Jason had not said anything about it, but he also knew that he was worried about his safety. After seeing and hearing what Julius was capable of, Jason had no other option than to keep the decision pending until he was done with some of the plans he had in mind. First, he enrolled Xavier in high school. He attended one of the best schools in Granada Hills, and the goal was to make sure that the young man didn’t need up on the streets ever again. Shirley on the other hand was going through a rehabilitation process. She was made to speak to someone and undergo struct measures of check which were often conducted to make sure she didn’t go back to her old habi
Release Him
The next day, it was finally time to bring back Lord Walker from the hospital after his recovery. Jason went together with the Butler, Brenda, and Xavier who insisted that he was going to go with them. Not only was he eager to see his mother, but he also wanted to see his Grandfather who almost sacrificed himself for his sake. By the time they arrived at the hospital, the old man was already seated on the bed while one of the nurses attending to him handed him over his drugs and a glass of water. “Thank you, my dear.” He said to the nurse as soon as he was done with his medication while he handed over the empty glass to her. He turned to his visitors and the brightness of his face increased at once, causing him to gesture to them at once. “I know what you are about to say, Jack…” He shook his head, but that wasn’t going to stop Jason from expressing himself. “That was really silly, Grandpa! You almost got yourself killed!” Jason walked up to the old man ahead of the other
Retribution
Xavier hesitated for a while, but he eventually mustered the guts to move. “Go ahead.” Jason urged him as soon as he took the first steps, and he continued moving, eyes on his father who was shocked to see him. Julius could tell that Xavier was truly his son, he didn’t think he needed any DNA to prove that. The resemblance was alarming, and the fact that the boy reminded him of himself when he was about the same age was enough. But he didn’t seem like he was the proudest father at that moment. He was glad that he had been given the opportunity to see his son, but he was equally ashamed of himself. Unable to get closer to the iron bars, he stood where he was, waiting patiently for Xavier to get closer to him. The boy stood in front of his father, staring at him without knowing what exactly he was supposed to say at that moment. The reunion wasn’t as pleasant as he had expected it to be. Father and son remained for over a minute, but their eyes said a lot to each other while
His Father
With their panic rising, Jason and Brenda paced along the hallway, waiting for anyone to come out of the theater. It had gotten so long that Jason had to send for Cara who came along with some guards to take Henry back to the Villa while they continued waiting anxiously. Eventually, the Doctor came out of the theater dripping with sweatballs that ran down his face. “Doctor?! What’s going on?” Jason asked anxiously, but instead of giving him a response, the Doctor moved to Brenda and whispered some words into her ear, making sure that Jason wasn’t going to hear their conversation. Brenda responded with a whisper as well before the Doctor nodded and hurried back to the theater without saying a word to Jason whom he only stared at while he expected him to say something. “Why didn’t he say anything to me?! What did he say, babe? Talk to me!” Jason moved closer to Brenda who looked like she didn’t know how to tell him what the Doctor whispered into her ear. “Brenda?” Jason call
Seizure
Brenda was silent for a while, but Jason was patient enough to wait for a response to his question. Firstly, she grabbed Henry from Jason and made sure he was sitting comfortably on her legs. She took in a deep breath which she let out slowly before she turned to look at Jason. “I am listening, Brenda. What were you guys discussing back there?”“Nothing really. Just girls’ talk.” “Okay?” Jason featured with both hands, indicating that he wanted to hear more details about their discussion. “I thought you said you were not so much interested in her, Jay. Why bothering to ask what we were discussing?”“Me? When did I say that?”“Well, you implied it.” Brenda shrugged, looking at Jason with a smirk on her face. “Just tell me what you guys were talking about back there, Brenda. She could have said something that needs to be verified by me. No other person knows her like I do.” Jason insisted. “Okay, fine.” Brenda sighed. “I was just worried about the way she looked, that’s
Motherhood
The sight of his ex-wife made Jason sigh, his previous countenance gave way for a frown that appeared as he stared at Isabella who managed to push the two guards aside because they let her do so. But they went after her and grabbed her at once, restraining her efforts to get close to Jason or her son. “Jason! Tell them to let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” Isabella continued to struggle with the guards, but she eventually got tired, panting in exhaustion while Jason and Brenda watched her with a little surprised written all over their faces. Henry recognized his biological mother, but it didn’t look like he was really concerned or excited to see her. He just stared at her as though he was trying to recall where he met her. “Tell them to let me go, Jason! Please.” Isabella pleaded, but Jason wasn’t really interested in the words that she uttered. What made him curious was the fact that she looked very unkempt and malnourished. It had been a few weeks since he last saw her, and h
