2022-11-06 02:09:36At noon, Floyd and the other inmates were guided to the quadrangle. They are all seated on the pavement. Floyd was seeing how many they were on the field. There are still some inmates in the cells and they were just looking at them.
“Hello!” a loud voice came out from the speakers in front.
Floyd looks at the platform above the closed gate. There was a man wearing a white polo shirt that couldn’t conceal his bulging tummy. He was holding a megaphone and looking at them one by one.
“All the new inmates stand up!” he ordered. They stand up one by one. “I am Marco Toledo. I am the prison consultant here. And this is Ramon Santiago. Our warden. We are the ones who will help you while you are here.”
Floyd looks at them. He thought that these men would be their laws inside. He shook his head. He knows too well as a writer and reporter.
“The new inmates are not allowed to go out of their cells for a month. You will stay there and will only be allowed when going to the canteen. And with our guards. You can receive a visitor but with a time limit. After a month, you can go out and choose your job. Yes. Inside, you will have a job just like outside. We will use your talents here.”
“Wow! Will we make money while here?” Jude asked happily.
“Don't get excited. We're not here to work,” said Floyd.
“But he just said we will have a job.”
“We do. But they will not pay for us.”
Jude winced. He was expecting he would make money while inside.
There are a lot of explanations happening. They even have a schedule even for taking a bath. They will wake up every six in the morning for their exercise. Then they will go to the canteen for their breakfast.
“This will kill me,” said Jude.
Floyd smirks. “I thought you like it here?”
Jude shrugs. “Yes. At least I have a bed to sleep in.”
“Stand up now and move to the canteen!”
The inmates stand up and fall in line again. They are like students that need to be in line always. There are a lot of guards everywhere. Though, it’s not surprising. Floyd tried to be cool but the longer time that he is inside, it’s making him feel anxious. Besides, there are a lot of eyes looking at him.
They entered a building again with an open area. There are long tables in line and chairs. In front, there are servers that give the inmates their food. They are also prisoners there but work as kitchen staff and servers. Floyd followed the line in front of him. There are inmates that are already eating. Floyd tried not to look at them as much as possible because he could see the tension in their eyes. He doesn’t want any trouble from here.
When they reached the front. Floyd grabs a tray and utensils. It’s surprising that everything is clean. He could even use the tray as the mirror. Floyd grabs one banana and an apple. Then he went in front of the man, giving him a bowl of rice. The next one gave him a fried fish and then lastly a stir fry vegetable. Not bad for him because he is not a picky eater and he really doesn’t eat much unlike the other men.
“Can I come back to ask for rice again?” Jude asked the server. He glared at him while nodding. Jude winced and immediately went to the next server.
Floyd continues walking and gets a bottle of water and then looks at the place. Most of the tables are occupied already. But he saw the last table where no one was sitting.
“Floyd! Wait for me!”
“Just follow me.”
Floyd continued and went to the table. He sat at the end where he could see all the inmates. They are eating while talking. But he noticed that there are some inmates that look at each other seriously. He sighs and grabs his spoon. He will stay here for a while. This is his life now.
“Watch where you are walking!”
Floyd was about to eat when he heard a commotion. When he looks at his front at the side of the tables. There is a man on the floor and another man looking down at him, glaring. Floyd frowns when he notices that it was their cellmate. Luke. He was the one occupying the bed under Jude.
“What was it?” Jude asks as he puts his tray on the table.
Luke stood up and bowed to the man. “I-I’m sorry, sir!” he said tensely.
Floyd looks at the man glaring at Luke. He has long hair and the tattoos on his arms can be seen. He also has a piercing nose and ears. He is surprised that it is allowed here.
“You are new here, right? Don’t you know me?!” the man asked.
“I-I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to!”
“Of course, you did not!”
The man grabs Luke's shirt. The inmates started to shout as if they were cheering. Floyd immediately stands up but Jude holds his arm.
“What are you going to do?”
“I can’t leave him there. He is our cellmate.”
“You wouldn’t want to.”
Both of them look at the man who just went near them. It was a bald old man that was already wearing eyeglasses. He sat at the table and started eating. The two looked at each other because they didn’t know who he was.
“That is Maverick. He is the second command of the Axe gang.”
Jude pulls Floyd back to his seat. “Axe gang?” he asked.
The man took a bite of his food and nodded. “Yes. It is the largest gang here now.”
“Really? That’s cool,” Jude said smiling. Floyd gave him a WTF look.
“And so what? He is bullying our friend,” Floyd protested.
“Don’t worry. He can’t do anything to your friend.”
Floyd sniggers. “Bullshit! Who would save him if no one will help him?!” He stands up and moves his way to Luke. “Hey! Stop it!” he shouted.
All the inmates went quiet as they looked at Floyd. He did not mind them and helped Luke to stand up. Maverick looked at him in amusement.
“Whoa! Looks like we have our hero here!” Maverick said in a funny voice.
“He already said sorry, okay? Leave him alone!”
“Floyd. Stop it. You don’t know him,” Luke whispered in fear.
“It’s okay, Luke. Let’s go.”
Floyd helps Luke to go to their table. But he stops when Maverick touches his shoulder.
“Not so fast, hero,” he said, smirking. Floyd lets go of Luke and looks at Maverick. “You know what? You look familiar. Does anyone know him?”
Maverick looks at Floyd’s face, nearly. His eyes narrowed and examined Floyd’s face. Floyd stays still and looks at him.
“What do you want? We didn’t do anything to you!”
Maverick gasped and looked surprised at Floyd. “Aha! I know now! You are that rapist on the news!”
Floyd clenched his fist and glared at Maverick. “I am not a rapist.”
“Denying it, huh? Well boy, you are here. Stuck with us.” Maverick suddenly pulled Floyd’s collar. Floyd touches his hand and tries to remove it. The inmates went wild as they saw the happenings.
“Let me go!”
“We kill them!” Maverick shouted.
Before Floyd could stop it. A hard punch went into his face and fell to the floor. Luke steps away in fear while Jude stands up from his seat.
“Floyd!”
“Don’t,” said the old man.
“But I can't leave him like that!” Jude protested.
“Look around you.”
Jude looks at the inmates eating earlier. Some of them are standing up now and moving towards Floyd.
“Fight!” someone shouted.
Before they knew it, some inmates stood up and started to fight with each other. The place becomes noisy and messy. Floyd was standing but someone sits on his stomach and punches his face again. He tried to fight back but he received more punches. He doesn't know anymore as he felt everything on his body. His vision went dizzy and then he passed out.
At the infirmary, Floyd wakes up. He groans in pain as he feels his body ache.
Did I take that much?
Floyd sighs and opens his eyes. He almost shouted when he saw a woman standing at his side looking directly at him.
“What the f– ahh!” Floyd touches his stomach but it just gives him more pain. “W-Who are you?”
“I'm glad you're awake now, young master,” the woman said and smiled at Floyd.
Floyd frowns and looks at the woman in confusion. “W-What did you say?”
“I am here to help you. We will move you now to a better hospital.” The woman bowed at him.
“Wait! Are you on drugs? Who are you? How did you enter this place?” He looks around the room. There is no one inside but the two of them. He doesn’t know who the woman was and she is talking about something ridiculous.
“No, young master. I will talk with the warden now.” The woman bowed at him once more and then walked towards the door.
“W-Wait! Hey!”
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The Secret Life of Him 12. Young Master
Floyd couldn’t stop thinking about the woman he met. She hasn’t come back since he woke up. He keeps on thinking about what she said. Why is she calling him young master? He was a nobody. He leaves his mother with his father whom he doesn’t have a good relationship with. He has a brother that he never gets along with. Did my mother become wealthy outside? Floyd sighs and closes his eyes again. He tried to sleep because his body is still giving him pain. He fell asleep and woke up again because his bed was moving. That’s when he noticed that there were people wearing white polo and pants moving towards him. That he thought were nurses. They were already in the hallway. What is this nurse doing here?“W-What is happening? Where are you bringing me?” Floyd asked in confusion. He looked at his side and saw the inmates looking at him from the quadrangle. In the end, he saw the woman earlier with their warden and consultant. They are talking to each other. “W-Wait.” He tried moving but h
The Secret Life of Him 13. Birthmark
The car stops in front of a mansion. Floyd was amazed as he went out of the car that stopped right in front of a big door. He was surprised when he saw Minerva and the maids waiting for him at the door. There was a man not far from his age behind Minerva. He is wearing a tuxedo too but looks sharp.“Welcome home, young master,” Minerva greeted Floyd.Floyd was stunned for a second when he saw Minerva. She was wearing a daring red dress now unlike earlier. But she still manages to keep up her classy look. Just like Roxane but better. Floyd shook his head a bit when he remembered his ex-girlfriend. “Where am I?” Floyd asked confusedly. “We are at your house. Your father will be here soon.”“My father?” “Yes.” Minerva smiled again even though she was becoming irritated by Floyd’s constant asking. The man went to Minerva’s side and bowed. “Good day, young master! I am Jude. I will be your butler.” His eyes widened in surprise. “My what?” Floyd asked in shock. He knows what a butler is
The Secret Life of Him 14. The Father
“Ha!” Floyd laughs nervously and walks away from Johson. He stopped when he was at the end of the sofa then looked back at Johnson again. “H-How can you be so sure? What if I tattooed it? You can’t just say that I am your son because of the birthmark that everyone could have.” He was still hesitant. He was a prisoner yesterday and now, some wealthy man is claiming to be his father. Everything is too much for Floyd as he thought about it. Johnson sighs. He took his shirt and wore it again in front of Floyd. “I understand you, son. But I assure you that it is our clan only that has this birthmark. We already confirm it for we never encountered another person that is not related to us who has this.” He looks at Floyd straight. “Okay. If you are really that hesitant, we can do a DNA test so I can assure you.”Floyd sat down again and touched his forehead. “Okay. Okay. I guess it’s much better. I’m sorry. I-It’s just too much now for me. I-I’ve been stressed out.” Jonson sat down near F
The Secret Life of Him 15. The Truth
“This will be your room, young master,” Jude said respectfully. Floyd can’t stop gasping as he enters a room with a two-door. He saw the king-sized bed at the center of the room. He saw two more doors on the left side of the room. There’s even a lounge area at the end of the bed and on the side of it is another door going to the terrace. “T-This is mine? Seriously?” Floyd asked as he walked inside the room. “Yes, young master.” Floyd cannot believe what he was seeing. This room is triple the size of their apartment. It could be their house, just this room. “T-This is too much,” Floyd said in hesitation and looked at Jude. “Can I go home first?” “Ahm where? You are already home.” Floyd shook his head. “Not here. I need to talk with my mother.” Floyd walks out of the room again. How can he even accept that room? His identity is still not certain. He shouldn’t accept anything from his supposed biological father. And one more person can confirm it aside from him. His mother,
The Secret Life of Him 16. New Father
After Floyd talked with his mother, he went out and kept walking on the side streets. It’s still early but the sun is not hot anymore. The car that sent Floyd to his mother’s house is slowly following him not too far from his back. Jude can’t leave his young master. “What should I do now?” Floyd asked himself. He is lost again. He thought when he learned the truth from his mother he would be okay. But he is wrong. His mother has resentment towards his father. But his father has been true to her mother since then. Though he can’t do anything because he is young. ‘I should do something for them at least.’“Young master!” Jude called for Floyd. He got out of the car and followed him. “We should go back to the mansion now before it becomes dark.” Floyd stops walking and looks at Jude. “Jude. Can I call you Jude?” “Yes, young mast– sir.” “What would you do if you were in my position?” “What do you mean by that, sir?” “A few days ago, I was a nobody. My girlfriend left me for a man wh
The Secret Life of Him 17. JL Network
Floyd went back to the mansion. He decided to accept his father’s offer. He might not know anything about managing a company but he will try. The next day, Jude accompanied him to a hospital where they will do the DNA test. Floyd was still nervous and hesitant, but Johnson affirmed that he was indeed his son. “Don’t worry, my son. This DNA test is not necessary. You will be my heir if you accept my offer. I will need to step down soon, Floyd. I will need you,” Johnson said to Floyd. They were in the car already. “Are you really sure about this? What if I fail?” “You have my blood, Floyd. You will not. I will ask Minerva to check your papers so I can register you to our family.” “But I’ve talked with my mother. She is mad at you. She will not like it if I accept you as my father.” Johnson stopped and looked outside. He remembers Belinda when they were younger. He couldn’t stop thinking now how was she? How does she look now? And of course, he understood why Belinda was furious
The Secret Life of Him 18. The Party
“You did a great job, Minerva! You exceeded my expectations!” Floyd said while they were at his office on the JL network. His office is on the top floor of the building and no one was allowed to enter it except for Minerva, Floyd, and Jude. Minerva raised her wine glass which was full of red wine. “Thank you, young master. It’s because you trusted me. I owe it all to you.” “Truly, young master. You are a great master to us,” Jude seconds. Floyd smiled. “No. Don’t thank me. It is me that should be thanking both of you. This will not be possible if it’s not because of you.” He rested his back on the chair. “Now… What should we do next?” Minerva and Jude look at each other. Minerva got an idea. “We haven’t had an opening party. Should we have one?” “That’s a wonderful idea.” Floyd smirks. “We should do that,” he agreed while thinking about Roxane and Dwayne. He was thinking of inviting them. “You ask someone to start the preparations. I want all the tv personalities on every station
The Secret Life of Him 19. Confrontation
“R-Roxane?” Floyd was taken aback when he saw Roxane glaring at him. He looked around. They were at the receiving area only. There are some reporters at the entrance not far away from them. The hotel staff who were checking the guest was just on his left. They are looking at them. “Why are you here, huh?! Are you planning on ruining me again?!” Roxane said while glaring at Floyd. She even pointed her finger at him. Floyd gulped and took a deep breath. He tried to control his emotion even though he was surprised that Roxane saw him. He tried to hide as much as possible! “Roxane. I am an employee on the JL network that’s why I’m here. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Roxane sniggered. “Huh?! Employee? Who would hire a criminal like you?!” Floyd heard a gasping sound on his side. He knew that it was the staff. He tried to stay calm even though he already felt hot. “Watch what you are saying, Roxane. I am not a criminal! You sent me there so that–” Floyd stopped what he was about t
Latest Chapter
123: Connection
“Where have you been?” Floyd stopped entering his room when he saw Aby inside. “Aby. You didn’t tell me you’re coming home.” Aby smiled. She put down the magazine she was reading to the table. Then she stood up and went to Floyd. She was about to kiss him on the cheeks when she smelled the alcohol he drinks. “Are you drunk?” Floyd shook his head. He closed the door and smiled at Aby. “Yeah… A bit. Danica brought me to a club and Nelson was there too. I can’t say no to him. You know…” “O… kay? I understand. Come on.” Aby helped Floyd to sit on the couch. “Let me prepare tea for you.” “No need, Aby.” Floyd grunted. “Sit with me.” Aby sighed. She sat beside Floyd. “How’s your company? Is it okay now?” Aby nodded. “Yeah. Actually, I wanted to say thanks again, that's why I’m here.” “It’s okay, Aby. I already told you.” “I know. But I think it’s still not enough. You can ask me a favor. Anything! I will do it.” Floyd chuckled. “Be careful what you wished for, Aby.” “Huh?” Aby f
122. The Club
“He was just appointed, and he is already wasting money!” Carlo exclaimed. “He just invested at his wife’s company! We should do something about this, Father!”Arnel grunted. “I know. We’ve been ignoring the Chua’s proposal. And yet he even bought a stock for his wife?”“Tsk! I know that woman is just after our money!” Carla said.“But what can we do? He is now the chairman. He could do everything he wanted.” Crude took a sip from his glass.“You are not helping, Crude.” Carla glared at her brother. Crude just shrugged about it.“No… this should end now!”The siblings smiled as they saw the determination on their father’s face. They will never accept Floyd as their new master. They will take company no matter what.~~~“Is everything here?” Amethyst asked their head maid.“Yes, madam.”“Okay. I want everything to be perfect, okay?”“As you wish, Madam. You can trust us.”Amethyst smiled and let the head maid go. That was the time when Floyd went down from his room. He looked around an
121. His help
Floyd woke up early to go back to his office. But even before he left, he received a call from his secretary.“Young master, your wife needs you.”Floyd looked at Johnson while fixing his necktie. “What happened?”“His Uncle is causing a scene in their company. Also, Leah told me to check your email. It’s done already.”Floyd sighed and stopped what he was doing. “I knew this would happen.” He shook his head. “Do I have any important meetings right now?”“Ahm, you have—”“Cancel it. Let’s go visit my wife.”Floyd finished fixing himself. He hurried out of the mansion and got into a car. Maybe that's why Aby can't tell him directly about his problem. Because it's embarrassing. But Floyd owes Aby a lot. And as they agreed he will help him. Not because she is his wife on paper, but because she is also his best friend.Before entering the building, he saw people holding placards in front of Chua's building.“What is happening here?”“I think they are protesting, sir. I’ve heard that the C
120. A warning
“So, how’s the new chairman?”Floyd stopped staring at the documents when he heard a voice. He looked at the door and saw Aby approaching her.“Aby! Sit down!” he said gracefully. He put the papers down and hugged Aby. “How are you?”“Good. Just a bit stressed out.”“That’s too early?”Aby sighed. She sat down at the chair near Floyd’s table. Floyd then sat back in his chair and stared at Aby.“I know, this is too sudden. And you just got appointed. But I need your help now.”“What kind of help?”Aby looked away. She didn’t want to do this but she had to. Her uncle was already pressuring her family. She didn’t want them to want her family to lose their business.“I need your family to invest in us.”Floyd frowned a bit. Aby didn’t tell him anything about investing in their company. He sighed and interlocked his fingers.“I-I know this is sudden. But—” Aby sighed. “Okay. I’ll be honest with you. Our family is not in a good situation now. We might lose our business if you won’t help me.
119. The new Chairman
The next day, Floyd went to Lim’s company. Everyone was preparing for the board meeting. The family will be present and all of their business partners. Everyone was waiting to meet the next chairman. Words had passed so fast.“I will announce to everyone now that you will be the chairman of the company,” Johnson said. The three of them were in his office, getting ready to go to the company. “For sure, there would be some board members who would not agree. But I have already made sure of your position. You need to be strong now, Floyd. I believe in you.”Floyd took a deep breath. “I don’t know, Father. I’m nervous.”“That’s okay, brother. It’s normal. But we are here for you. We will guide you and make sure that you are in that position,” Johan answered.“Yes. As long as your brother handles our security company. No one will dare touch you. I trust you with it, Johan.”“Of course, Father.”Floyd nodded. He fisted her arms and took a deep breath again. He couldn’t explain how nervous he
118. Deal
Their night continued. Johnson rested early because he suddenly felt that he was tired. Amethyst helped him to his room. The rest except for Arnel Lim’s family stayed in the dining area. They were drinking wine. The kids were dancing and playing. Others remained to talk about business-related matters.“Mom, do I really need to be married to Floyd again?” Aby asked her mother. They were on the other side of the room. She had been thinking about the marriage they’d talked about earlier. She agreed to it, but she was worried about Floyd.“Why? Is there something you wanted to tell me, Abigail?”Aby’s eyes widened a bit. “Ahh, no. Of course, none. I’m just worried. You saw what happened earlier, right?”“It’s normal. You have the same uncle as your husband. What we need to do is to ensure our family's position in this clan. Being with them will make us prosper more. Since you are back here, you will work at our company again.”“Huh? But I need to go back to Croatia soon.”“What will you
117. The new master
The room was filled with silence. The music had stopped and no one dared to make another sound. Even the kids were looking in Johnson’s direction, wanting to hear what his announcement was.“I have finally decided to retire now. I’m old and I need to pay more attention to my health. I am now appointing my son, Johnson Floyd Lim, to be the next master of this family and chairman of our business. I trust him to make our businesses grow more, and I am hoping that you will all support him in everything. I will also continue helping him while I’m still here.”The room was filled with more silence. They all had mixed emotions about learning that the family would have a new master. Arnel’s eyes narrowed and he tightened his fists. He looked away and tried to control himself. They all expected that Johnson would appoint him. But not this fast.Amethyst smiled. She stood up with her husband. Their children followed them and faced Floyd.“My family is glad and willing to serve you, Johnson Floy
116. Dinner time
“Do we really have to do this? We’re just having dinner?” Floyd asked. He had just finished showering when he learned Jude was inside his room already. He was with some maids that were preparing a tuxedo for him.“Yes, young master. This is how it should be. So, if you may?”Jude pointed to the chair in front of the mirror. Floyd was surprised that there was a mirror and a reclining chair already. His room in this mansion was bigger than his room at his mansion. It was like another house inside a house. Floyd sat down in the chair. Jude immediately put a cloth on his body as his cover. It was tied to his neck but was not hurting him. He watched him put out a small box, and he was more surprised when he saw that it was a shaving tool.“You know I don’t have any hair on my face, right?”Jude continued preparing. “You have, young master.”Floyd sighed. He was still not used to his new life. He thought having a mansion back to his home was already extreme. He didn’t realize this place was
115. Best friends
“Nothing to worry about now. You just need to rest a lot more and wait for your bruises to heal,” said Johnson's personal doctor. He was called immediately by Johan to check on Floyd.“Thank you, doctor.”“It’s nice meeting you, young master.” The doctor bowed. “I will go to your father now.”Floyd nodded. He got up from bed and wore his clothes. He was in his room in the mansion because Johnson asked him to rest again after their brief meeting. Floyd was still confused about what his father had said earlier. Everything won’t be easy for him. But he didn’t want this, right?Floyd looked at the door when he heard a knock. It opened and Aby came in.“Floyd, we need—” Aby’s eyes widened when he saw Floyd was half naked. She immediately turned around. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know that you were changing.”“It’s okay.” Floyd took his new polo shirt and wore it. “Okay now.”Aby took a deep breath and turned around again. “Ahm. I just want to check on you. How are you?” she asked. She never go
