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2024-10-29 19:42:56Though Kyra didn’t directly say it, Russell had enough functioning brain cells to use the context and figure things out. As a result, even as the seconds needle in the clock kept ticking, the shock in his face wasn’t fading away.
The one his father Arnold had arranged a marriage with was Kyra who used to be called the Millenium Beauty of Meadows High School?
Moreover, Russell had just told this woman that he also had a crush on her.
Everything that ran through Russell’s mind made him feel so embarrassed, but he did his best to quickly collect his emotions.
“Uh…” still, he was at a loss for words.
“I take it that you have no issues then?” Kyra asked again since he responded with silence.
“Actually, I…” Russell wanted to tell her about Natasha, and he was gathering his courage. It wasn’t easy because he was afraid of how his father would react if he were to reject Kyra. Even though, looks wise, Kyra was definitely prettier than Natasha, he had a special place in his heart for Natasha. He didn’t want to give that position to anyone else. “The thing is… I already…”
“If it isn’t Kyra Lynn…” a loud voice echoed in the hall. A curly-haired woman came down the stairs, wearing a sparkling blue dress, which she would only wear on special occasions. She was tall, mature, and always had makeup on her face. It was Jennifer. Russell’s stepmom. “The bride couldn’t wait to see the groom, huh.” She laughed out loud.
Hiding her embarrassment, Kyra forced out a smile and stood.
Russell also smiled in a similar fashion.
“My, my, you don’t need to stand, dear,” Jennifer gave a light hug to Kyra. “So, how is our groom? Is he up to your standards?”
“Um,” she netted her fingers and kept pressing one hand against the other.
“He’s tall, but he’s average-looking is what you’re thinking, right?” Jennifer quickly said, with a sharp smile on her face. “Then, you’re not wrong.”
Her words made Russell lower his head. No matter what his stepmom said about him, he could only bear it all.
“Russell’s average in terms of looks,” Jennifer added, “but he’s an obedient guy. He’ll never cross his father’s words, or even mine, for that matter. When he enters your family, I’m sure you won’t encounter any issues because of him.” Jennifer suddenly remembered something. “You two keep chatting. I’ll prepare coffee for you.” Saying that Jennifer quickly left to the kitchen.
Russell slowly sat back in his seat, and so did Kyra. Silence ruled between them. He couldn’t lift his head anymore, as his stepmom had completely made a fool out of him. He just couldn’t lift his head and look in Kyra’s eyes anymore.
Kyra, on the other hand, felt bad for Russell. Even though Jennifer hadn’t spoken much about Russell, she could infer from that little interaction that nobody in this house probably gave weight to Russell’s words, no one except the dog, which technically, stayed outside the building most of the time.
Seeing Russell’s situation, Kyra wanted to make sure about one thing. “There’s another issue I wanted to talk about.”
Russell slowly lifted his head and looked at her. He had to. Appearing weak in front of women was not in his nature, though his stepmom was an exception.
His mobile rang, and the ringtone ‘I’m not an idiot’ kept playing.
Kyra chuckled a little.
He felt so embarrassed by it, but his expression briefly froze after checking the caller’s name. It was Natasha!
His heart fluttered for a second. Was she calling him to apologize to him? But she had to call him now of all times? He didn’t need to answer her, especially after she rejected his proposal, but he never once ignored her calls, and he didn’t want to ignore them now, either. So, he answered, “Hey.” He didn’t mention her name on purpose, not wanting to complicate things unnecessarily.
“Rustless, no, Russell…” Natasha softly spoke from the other side, using his nickname she had given him. He was always active in terms of responding to others’ worries, so she told him that his heart would never rust when she had given him that nickname. “I want you to do something for me.”
“U-Uh,” Russell briefly looked at Kyra who was trying her best to not look at him, “what do you want me to do?”
“Delete all the photos we’ve taken together,” Natasha demanded.
“W-What?” Russell’s heart trembled. He briefly looked at Kyra and forced out a smile. “I’m afraid I can’t do what you’re asking for right now, ma’am.”
“Eh? What are you talking about?” Natasha’s voice suggested that she was slightly getting mad.
“I know, but the situation doesn’t allow me to do so.”
“Bullshit. If you don’t do it, I’ll be forced to tell my father about it. You better delete everything, or…”
“No…” Russell hadn’t said no to her for anything, not as far as he could remember. He put his hand on the speaker and told Kyra, “I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked out of the hall and privately spoke with Natasha and begged her to reconsider. “Please, Natasha. The days I spent with you were the happiest. Didn’t you feel the same? Didn’t you say you loved me more than anything?”
Natasha was rolling her eyes. “Forget it. I know how to make you do what I want.” She hung up.
Russell’s expression froze. Feeling anxious, he returned to his seat, wearing mixed emotions on his face. “Sorry for leaving,” he apologized.
“It’s okay,” Kyra didn’t seem offended, though most women would have probably felt offended. Maybe she was also displeased, but she didn’t show it at least.”It must have been someone important.”
“Yeah. Thanks for understanding.” He smiled as he remembered the first time he met Kyra. He was cringing in pain because a thorn had pierced his palm, and he was struggling to get it out. Kyra came out of nowhere and removed the thorn using a compass. She was beautiful both in and out. No wonder she received an unparalleled title such as Millenium Beauty, he thought. “Um… you were saying something before I got the call?” he picked up the water glass and was having a sip.
“M-Mm,” Kyra pursed her lips and wasn’t able to look him in the eye. Her brows stiffened with stress. Her heart played a strange, guilty rhythm as she squeezed a few words out of her mouth. “Y-Your parents told you that…. I’m expecting a… baby, right?”
“Pfft,” Russell spilled the water on the table, “You’re expecting what?”
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“Pfft,” Russell spilled the water on the table. “I’m sorry. You’re expecting what?” his eyes were filled with infinitely more shock than when a thorn had pierced his palm back in school.However, the same could be said for Kyra. (He didn’t know?) The frown on her face deepened. She was worried that this might be the case and came here to fully clarify things before proceeding to the next stage, but she didn’t think she would get into this situation, where a man would insensibly look at her like she needed to explain something so private to her. She swallowed all the pain and shame without showing it on her face as much as possible before saying without hesitation, “I’m pregnant, Mr. Russell Bennett.”Russell’s face looked like a frog that had been electrocuted. What the hell did she mean by she was pregnant? She must be joking to test him or something. Yeah, that must be the case, he thought. “If you’re pregnant, then I’m also pregnant,” he joked.“What?” Kyra felt more than a little
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 05
Almost ten long minutes later, Russell stood from the sofa and picked up the plate that had four chocolate biscuits, specially made by Jennifer.He went upstairs and knocked on a door.“Come in,” a deep voice came from inside.Russell entered the room, and his dad had just come from his bath. Arnold had the habit of bathing three times a day unless his schedule was really busy. He believed bathing multiple times a day was the key to maintaining his good health. His phone rang, and it was Fredrick calling.Even though Russell tried to talk, Arnold made him wait until he finished the call. “I’ll take care of it. You don’t worry.” He hung up.“Mom told me to give you these,” Russell put the plate down on the bed. Though Jennifer hadn’t actually said that, she generally used to say ‘if you don’t want to eat, at least give them to your dad, and he’ll eat them.’Russell picked up one biscuit. “One is enough for me. You can have the rest.” Russell also grabbed a biscuit and took a bite. As h
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 06
Kyra came home to her estate. Her father, a tall and bulky man with a perfect mustache, was waiting for her while acting like he was watching television.Kyra ignored him and headed straight to her room.“Didn’t I tell you to not go outside until you get married?” Liam spoke just loud enough so her daughter could hear him.Kyra stopped and turned around and looked at her father who had eight platinum rings decorating his fingers, three thin platinum chains in his neck. He also had a couple of golden teeth fixed in his mouth. He would definitely pass for a gangster that could easily scare adults with his mere gaze.“Where did you go?” Liam patiently asked.“To… my fiance’s house,” Kyra responded, with her head slightly lowered.“The dead one, or the living one?” Liam’s voice grew a little harder.“I wanted to know if he wanted to marry me or not,” Kyra hesitantly stated. “As I suspected, he didn’t know I was pregnant.”Liam’s expression didn’t change. He slowly stood up and picked the
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 07
Four days later.The Bennett family members were having a wonderful breakfast. Arnold, Jennifer, and their kids, James and Viola, were all in a good mood. James was 19, and Viola was 20. James got his mother’s features, and his face was more oval compared to Viola who got her dad’s features. She had a sharp physique compared to him.Russell came walking down the stairs slowly and occupied his seat. Russell’s biological mother was a foreigner, so he had a different skin complexion and facial structure compared to his step-siblings.Russell didn't greet anyone, and he looked dull.“Brother Russell? Why are you acting a bit strangely since yesterday?” Violo asked, looking a little worried. “Did you hurt your foot or something? Is everything alright?”Russell didn’t say anything.“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Viola pressed him for an answer.James nudged his sister and whispered, “Maybe he’s got a rash or something. Women aren’t the only ones who get moody every once in a while or fee
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 08
Tears streamed down his cheek nonstop as Russell stared down from the clifftop. However, because he was hypnotized, his expression was flat. Nevertheless, his heart was heavy. He jumped without even closing his eyes.A fall from that height would result in a quick death for sure.However, Russell felt someone grabbing his shirt and pulling him back just in time. It was a vicious pull where he got tossed onto the ground.“Whoa, dude, you couldn’t find a better time to commit suicide than when I’m going out to make pizza delivery?” a guy removed his bike helmet and kept looking at Russell’s face to better assess his state of mind. He snapped his fingers right before Russell’s face, and Russell was snapped out of the spell he was put in.Russell, for a second, found himself staring at this man. He was so good-looking even though he wasn’t tall like Russell. He had one of those ethereal faces you wouldn’t mind looking at for hours. “W-Who are you?” he looked around, wondering where he was
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 09
Russell’s house was on the northern side of the city, where his father and everyone else from the family except Elora lived.Elora was living in a small farm house bought on the southern side of the city. This was done so she would be staying as far away from the main house as possible. Russell didn’t like that. However, he could understand why his father had to do it. Elora was no longer Arnold’s wife. There was no need for him to take care of her, but for her sake and for Russell’s sake, he was taking care of her medical bills and other expenses. Then again, if Elora had filed for alimony, she would have made Arnold’s life difficult.Now, Arnold had spent only 10,000 dollars on the farm house in the past, and it was still his house. Its price kept increasing with every year. Today, it would sell for more than 70,000 dollars, so Arnold didn’t really lose anything, and he was also getting his mother treated by a friend, so the expenses were kept to minimum.Russell’s mother was suffer
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 10
An Alfa Romeo SUV stopped in front of a premium Myers clothing store. Two young women got out of the car, all wearing fashionable clothing and with thick makeup on their faces and more.“You want to buy your wedding dress here?” Natasha’s elder sister, Skarlette, frowned straight away. “It’s too much for us. A single dress here might cost more than the wedding itself.”Natasha, however, waved her father’s credit card and laughed.“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” “It’s going to be fine,” Natasha assured. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I want everything to be posh and perfect.”“But you don’t want to look too rich because Denver might think you’re trying to compete with him,” Skarlette suggested. “You don’t want to make your man think that.” Her sister hadn’t even introduced him to her yet, so she had little to no idea about him other than knowing how he looked and a few other things her sister had shared with her. Denver was also Natasha’s schoolmate, and his family grew to b
The Secret Successor CHAPTER 11
A shop assistant came over to Natasha and Skarlette and helped them choose the dresses. No matter which dress they saw, they were all priced over 500,000 dollars, and Skarlette kept using one word: No. After receiving ten nos on a trot, the shop assistant took them to a different section where the prices were more affordable, ranging between 100 to 300 thousand dollars. Skarlette could finally smile and say yes to whatever the shop assistant tried to show to her sister. After a long forty minutes of trying many dresses, Natasha finally chose a jasmine-patterned wedding dress with a hooded see-through cape. “Oh my, Nattie!” Skarlette covered her mouth in joy and astonishment. “You look like a royal princess in this.” She quickly checked the price. “It’s 325K, but it’s worth it. I can’t believe I’m saying this.” “I’m happy that you liked it. Do you think Russell, I mean, Denver, will like it as well?” “If he doesn’t, there must be something wrong with his eyes!” “Haha,” Natasha lau
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- The Secret Successor
AUTHOR'S EPISTLE
THANK YOU:: The Secret Successor has found his family as well as his love! There’s no one more lucky in the world than one who has a family that loves them. They don’t say blood is thicker than water for no reason. But I’d say, love is even thicker than blood. So, Russell is lucky to have a loving mom, dad, grandfather, and a childhood girlfriend. How lucky are you in your life in terms of relationships? Do you have people who support you when you are down? I hope so. I started the novel with the thought of finishing it in 500 chapters, but it took this long. To all those who read every chapter and reached this page… you have my humble and grateful thanks. A big thanks to reader Oyewale Gabriel for your immense support. And then to Mickey Ritch for your votes as well as comment support. Next is Ricky, who is one of the earliest readers of this novel. Good to still see you around. To Charlie Mcmillen, who has a silent but strong presence, you have my Mcvery thanks. And then, we hav
- The Secret Successor
EPILOGUE
A few weeks later.Charlotte was at her home, eating peanuts, which didn’t taste good on her tongue right now. It wasn’t the peanuts that had the issue, but her tongue and her mind.“Even the food isn’t going inside,” Charlotte pitifully said. She called Kyra’s mobile, but Kyra didn’t answer.Seconds later, Kyra sent a text message: Don’t bother me.“Tsk, she’s completely cut herself off,” Charlotte tossed the mobile away at the wall. “But she’s sticking with Liam and Russell when they’re not even related to her by blood. It doesn’t make any sense!”“Do you want me to kidnap her and bring her here?” William asked.“Do you want Liam to kill both of us?” Charlotte asked him back.“N-No.”“Forget about Liam…” Charlotte looked at the file in her hand. “This bastard Russell came up with such a clever contract. If I sign this, I’ll basically be giving up my shares in the company, but in return, I’ll earn in the billions.”“Since he’s going to trouble you anyway, he’s giving you a profitable
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 635
Jessica was never gifted so many chocolates by anybody before. She immediately hugged Russell with excitement. “You’re the best!”“Wait, they are not just for you,” Russell said. “You’ll be sharing these with everyone at the table.”“U-Uh, of course,” Jessica couldn’t smile as freely anymore because there weren’t multiples for some types of chocolates, and she didn’t want to give those away to others. “I-I will do it after we finish dinner,” she said. “I mean, if we eat chocolates before, then we won’t be able to eat the meal properly.”“You can just distribute them now,” Russell said.“U-Um,” Jessica reluctantly got up and began to distribute the chocolates to everyone at the table. But when she came to Russell, she didn’t put any chocolate on his plate.“Wait, you forgot me,” Russell said.She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Didn’t you say that I AM your chocolate?”Russell blushed. “Ahem,” he quickly controlled his expression. “I see.”Jessica sat down. The waiters began to se
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 634
A few nights later.At Tuna Waves restaurant.The entire top floor was booked by the Lynn family for the night.A large dining table was arranged in the center of the floor. Kyra was the first to attend, because she was the only one who arranged this dinner and invited the people she believed she should.As she waited a bit nervously, to her shock, Jessica was the first to arrive. She was dressed in her work attire and didn’t even have makeup on. Was she coming straight from work?Jessica sat down at a chair but didn’t speak to Kyra and just waited.There was an awkward atmosphere between these two.“I’m not going to eat you, so you can talk,” Kyra voiced her mind. “You came here early so that you can make sure nothing ‘strange’ happens, right?”“Well, I have to protect my guy,” Jessica replied, putting her mobile down, “so that I won’t lose him again.”“Don’t worry then. I think of Liam as my dad, so Russell becomes my brother now,” Kyra stated. “I can’t marry my brother now, can I?”
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 633
Other than Arnold, nobody was told that Liam was Russell’s biological father, as Elora and Liam just didn’t feel the need to do so.They believed that revealing that truth now would only bring unnecessary complications.Elora felt like a lot of burden had been lifted off her heart after she told Arnold the truth.Russell also felt happy that Viola was talking to him. Though James was still clouded by his anger, Russell didn’t feel bad about it as James was known for his impulsive behavior.Russell believed that James would understand with time.Liam and Elora went away in a different car, whereas Russell left in his Boyen Redemption. Driving with an injured hand wasn’t easy, but he somehow managed it and got home.Regan was talking with Gage’s dad and introduced him to Russell. “This is the man I trust the most in the world. He’s your friend Gage’s father. His name is Steven.”Russell saw that Steven’s eyes were completely white. “Nice to meet you, Steven?” he looked at Regan. “Is he b
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 632
“I don’t get it. Why do you want to marry her of all people?” Teresa asked quickly. “She’s been sick for decades, and no one knows when she might get sick again and die, not that I’m wishing for it, but I’m just stating the possibility. In addition to that, Russell is already your son-in-law, isn’t he? So, if you marry his mother now, what will the world think of it?”Liam smiled and asked her, “You think I didn’t consider all those things?”“U-Uh…” Teresa didn’t know what to say because he looked calm despite everything she had just said. She looked at Elora. “Are you not going to eat anything?”“No, I’m full,” Elora said, even though the real reason she refused was because she didn’t want to eat what was brought by Jennifer. Elora then glanced at Arnold. “Can we talk privately?”Arnold was not expecting that. Without even looking at Teresa or Jennifer, he said, “Sure. Why not?”Jennifer didn’t want them to talk, but all she could do was stand there and watch as Arnold and Elora walk
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 631
Charlotte left the hospital, but on her way home, she received pictures from one of her friends.And these were pictures of Liam and Elora eating at a restaurant.“Stop the car,” Charlotte said.William quickly pressed the brake. He looked back, and Charlotte was fuming.She felt like her body was set on fire. She wasn’t able to stand it.“How can he…”Seeing Liam hold some other woman’s hand, she wasn't able to digest it and pulled her hair with one hand. “Fuck! This isn’t happening. Fuck! Fuck!”“What’s wrong, ma’am?” William quickly asked.“He’s getting away from me,” she said angrily as well as sadly. “He’s really getting away from me.”One mistake cost her everything.Her husband, her daughter, and even her sister, all of them moved away from her.The only person that was still with her was William.“Why won’t you also leave my side?” she asked him.“Does a dog ever leave the side of its master?” he said. “They may be manipulative, abusive, but the dog still loves its master.”Ch
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 630
“Fuck off, bitch,” Natasha pressed the trigger.However, nothing happened.Jessica thought she died, but she didn’t. She quickly recovered from the mental shock and slapped Natasha’s hand, making the gun fall out of her hand. “That’s an autoloader. You should manually cock for the first shot for it to be fired.” She kicked Natasha in the gut as hard as she could.Jessica was a very powerful woman, and so her kick sent Natasha crashing back violently.Jessica then sat on Natasha and began to hit her.“W-Wait,” Natasha tried to speak. “That gun wasn’t loaded.”“You expect me to believe that?” Jessica began to punch her face repeatedly, making her lips rupture and bleed. Still, she didn’t stop and kept going.The other employees gathered around. One of them picked up the revolver and checked for the bullets. “Ma’am, this gun really is empty.”Jessica was a bit shocked to hear that. “What?”“I told you…you fucking bitch!” Natasha grabbed Jessica’s throat and squeezed it. “I’ll kill you fo
- The Secret Successor
CHAPTER 629
“Aww,” Elora crashed on the floor and cringed in pain. Liam rushed over to help her and tried to help her get up, but she got up on her own, saying, “I’m not that old yet.”“I never said you were,” Liam put forward the bouquet of lilies.“What the… too white and bright,” she blurted. “Your taste sucks.”Liam was shocked because it was Russell’s suggestion.Elora plucked just one lily from the bouquet and smelled it. “Anyway, what brought the great Liam Lynn here. There’s no child in this house, you know.”Liam’s expression suddenly hardened. Whether she was trying to mock him or was purposely trying to tease him, it felt like a joke that went too far. However, he saw not a ounce of negativity in Elora’s eyes. It was as if she was testing him to see how he’d react. “My child, no, our child is in this house, is he not?” Liam replied.Elora somewhat smiled. “Yeah, he is upstairs. You can go and talk to him.” She sat back on the couch. “If you move out of the way, I’ll watch the TV. The c
