During lunch, Liam met Charlotte for the first time after she sent Russell away. Charlotte didn’t talk with Liam but kept telling the maids this and that, including treating the floor carefully from here on.“You could have punished him some other way,” Liam voiced his mind in a calm and collected way. “Why did you have to send him from the house?”“Why?” Charlotte visibly frowned. “I spent more than 50,000 dollars to repair the damage he’s done to the floor.”“So? Do you think you can keep the marbles shining pristinely forever?” Liam asked. “They get dirty every time you walk on them, won’t they?”“That’s different.”“No, it isn’t. Tell me this… Are they worth more than your son-in-law?”“Yes, they are!” Charlotte blurted, slightly enlarging her eyes.“Are they worth more than me?”“... what?” Charlotte didn’t like where Liam was going.“Answer my question,” Liam tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly. “Are these tiles worth more than me?”“O-Of course, not.”“Then, I’m telling you
Russell, on his way back home, was passing by an old graveyard. He noticed Nora enter the graveyard with a big box in her hand.“Whoa, what’s she doing here?” He was quite puzzled. Why would someone like Nora enter an old graveyard that wasn’t functioning anymore? Naturally, he put the bicycle aside and observed her from a distance.Nora went to a particular grave. She sat on her knees and lit up a small birthday cake with the number 60 on it. It was the grave of Lester Lynn.There were chocolate chips on the cake as they were Lester’s favorite.She was looking at the album in her hand that had the pictures of Lester from when he was young.“Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you…” Nora’s voice cracked as she sang. Still, gasping and sniffling she continued, “Happy birthday dear Lester… Happy birthday to you. I love you so much, sweetheart.” She sobbed, with her head touching the grave. “I love you, my precious boy. I miss you, my son…” She kept on crying like a baby.Russell,
Russell, from his meeting with Nora, learned many things. One of the things that stuck with him was the reason she gave when she asked her why she generally didn’t wear footwear even in the hot sun. She told him how the connection between feet and earth was necessary to naturally heal the body, and this was one of the main reasons why she was healthy even at 80 years of age. She even advised him to walk barefooted in the garden every morning and evening as walking in the grass would lower the inflammation levels of the body.In short, her message was for him to live down to earth, literally.It sounded too simple for Russell to believe, but then she told him that this was all taught to her when she was young and when even 100-year-old people didn’t have any tooth cavities. However, things changed after plastic found its way into the clothing and footwear industry.Since he was living at the farm house anyway, Russell decided to follow her advice and walk in the garden at dawn and dusk
“I will pay you back all that I owe, so give me one week, sir,” an elderly man was begging at Tyler’s feet. He was seventy years old, and his hair was all white and messy.Tyler the Collection King was eating roasted chicken legs, with half-a-dozen men in his back. His wife was also massaging his shoulders and putting chicken pieces in his mouth.“If I give you one week, then some other idiot will take you as an example and ask for a one month extension next time,” Tyler slapped the old man’s face with his foot.“Honey, elder abuse isn’t a good thing,” Tyler’s wife tried to control him.“Sorry babe, but I hate these losers,” Tyler blurted, “who take money with a big smile on their faces and then cry a river when they are asked to pay it with interest.”“Yes, but Elder Tom is an upright man,” Tyler’s wife reasoned. “If he can’t pay within one week, he’ll definitely let us take his tuition home.”“Oh…” Tyler’s gaze shifted to Tom. “Will you, Tom? You don’t make much from your math tuiti
Viola was chatting random things to Elora until the maid Rekha left. Afterward, she started asking some personal questions.“Mom, you haven’t told me how you met Dad,” Viola asked. “Please tell me.”Elora pursed her lips. Viola generally called her Aunt, but when she wanted a favor, she would call her Mom. “I’m not your Mom, though.”“Yes, but my Mom isn’t Brother Russell’s mom either, but he still calls her Mom, doesn’t he?”“You sure have a glib tongue,” Elora sighed. “Alright. I’ll tell you, but don’t spread it to others.”“I promise I won’t tell anyone, even Brother Russell.”“Good. It was actually a little special, our first meeting,” Elora thought back to the time when she first came to this country. “A couple of local men started talking to me and were trying to take me to their place. They were very polite, and I believed them, but then Arnold came and told those men to leave. I didn’t understand what was going on until he told me that they were actually planning on doing bad
After Tyler kicked him, Tom fell on the floor and bruised the base of his palm. Still, he was glad that his wrist wasn’t broken because he couldn’t afford the treatment costs let alone pay for his wife’s treatment.“Mr. Tyler!” Russell raised his voice, surprising Tyler. “He’s old enough to be your dad. How can you slap and kick someone like him?”“He cost me 100 dollars,” Tyler retorted. “What I did is too little, Brother.”“Tsk,” Russell shook his head and then helped Tom get up. He also picked up the album and walked together with Tom.“Brother, where are you going?” Tyler couldn’t help but ask.“By hurting this old man whom I have given a chance, you indirectly mocked me,” Russell replied. “How can I stay in a place where I get mocked?”Tyler’s heart skipped a beat. He scuttled over and grabbed Russell’s bicep. “Please stop. I made a mistake. I acted without thinking. I will never repeat something like this. I’m sorry.”“You should apologize to him,” Russell uttered.Tyler’s expre
“All professional sports are rigged?” Russell didn’t believe it. “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating things?”“Actually, I only touched the tip of the iceberg,” Tom confidently replied. “Sports and other entertainment exist to keep the masses occupied and divided. The government doesn't want the people to focus on it, after all. That’s why they keep pressing our shoulders down, burdening us with our jobs and ever-increasing prices of products and services.”Russell and Tyler still looked the same.“It’s not just sports. Most elections are rigged as well,” Tom added. “There’s too much at stake for those in power to lose control, which is why they give the illusion of freedom to the people so they won’t bare their claws at the elites and the government and work like obedient citizens. They make the public believe that the professional games are genuine when they’re not. They are the reason why the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. It’s unfortunate, but the world has long t
“What type of girls do you like?”Tyler knew straight away that this was a question that didn’t come out of Nancy’s mind. It was probably Julien who sent her up and told her to ask Russell a few questions. Now, Tyler looked at Russell with wide eyes, wondering how he’d respond. In the worst case, he might find Nancy’s words offensive. Tyler would then have more to lose, having already invested so much on the Bennett family.“I…” Russell looked up at Nancy who was smiling softly. “I’m married, and my wife is the only woman I love.”His response strengthened her smile, and she left.Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. (Whew… I’m glad nothing happened.)Tom, on the other hand, looked at Russell in a bit of a different light. He wasn’t expecting such an answer from this young man. (He’s loyal to his wife. I hope she is also like him.)The soccer match continued. Both sides had almost equal amounts of possession of the ball and made attempts to goal. However, no side managed to score a goal.
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
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
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
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?”
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
“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
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
“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
“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