“W-Why did you come to my house to talk about Russell, Uncle?” Jessica couldn’t hide her tension all that much anymore. “Did he say something?”“Luckily, he didn’t say anything, but I don’t want him to say any stupid statements right before his marriage with Kyra,” Arnold said, “if you know what I mean.”“U-Unnecessary statements?”Arnold’s gaze sharpened just a little. “You’ve worked in as many as fifty different jobs, so I’m sure you’re not as dumb as you’re trying to look right now.”Jessica pursed her lips. “U-Uncle, I’m genuinely confused. What exactly are you talking about?”Arnold went silent. (It seems as if their relationship has never gotten to that stage, yet. Did I come here unnecessarily?) His gaze met with her once again. “If you really don’t know what I’m talking about, then it’s good, but if you do know what I’m talking about, then don’t even think about succeeding because I’ll stand in your way. If it means I’ll have to beat Russell to keep in check, I’ll do it.”“B-B
Ethan might have fired Natasha, but he let her take the 5000 dollar tip that Russell had given her. William didn’t object, either, because he believed that the streets were going to get that money from her soon enough.And William was right.Natasha bought a cheap handbag and walked out of the store, thinking about renting a small room for 500 dollars per month. Including the advance payment, she would need to give 1000 dollars. So set the thousand dollars aside.Two guys riding motorbikes snatched her bag and pulled her along. She miserably crashed on the round and got dragged a few meters until the bag slipped out of her hand. She got up very quickly, but she couldn’t catch up with the motorbike. They left pretty fast. 4000 dollars were gone just like that.Luckily, she had just put 1000 dollars in her pocket. Otherwise, she would have been left with nothing.Both of her elbows were bruised badly, but there was nobody to treat her, and that brought tears to her eyes.Moreover, the l
After the massage, Elora was able to sleep peacefully. Russell was outside in the garden, wondering how he should make his vlogging videos famous.“Crisis. Opportunity.”Remembering what his mother had said, Russell listed out all the crises he was going through right now. The issues with Natasha and Denver and how Perro died, all these things came to his mind, but… would making a video of what happened to him attract an audience? He didn’t think so. Would talking about his marriage with a billionaire’s daughter help? He couldn’t call something like that a crisis, and also he didn’t think Kyra and her family would appreciate it if he were to make vlogging videos regarding their marriage because Kyra’s pregnancy and many other things needed to be kept secret.Elora’s health condition could be called a crisis, but if he were to keep talking about that, it’d seem like he was asking money from his subscribers, so he didn’t want to do that.“Nothing useful is coming to my mind. In the cont
Russell didn’t edit the recorded video much and just posted it in his online account with the title ‘Thieves in my garden.’He then slept in the same house as Elora.The next morning, he woke up and turned off the ‘airplane mode’ on his mobile, and he began receiving a lot of messages on his email and social media account. More than 40 unread emails and 20 text messages to his mobile number. The subscriber count also increased by 4000 overnight. Something like this never happened to him before.They weren’t messages from his friends but from his online followers. Most of them kept asking for him to reveal the faces of the three teenagers because he had blurred them in the video, but there were some who asked about his mother’s health and told him to stay strong.He quickly visited the website and checked his video. There were 31,000 views and counting.Russell covered his mouth in shock. This is his highest viewed video. The previous highest was only around 26,000 views.He refreshed
Russell quickly typed in a mobile app the coordinates he received from William. The app popped a beauty salon’s name: Sweet Salon.“Huh? He wants me to come to a salon?” Russell couldn’t understand why, but he still hurriedly drove to the destination. He reached there in forty minutes. After getting out of the car, he felt good because he liked the car. “As expected, costly cars really are something. Be it the steering or the brakes, they are so responsive.”Without waiting, he was about to rush into the salon, but the slender, tall guard stopped him.“Only those with the customer cards can enter,” the guard blurted. Because Russell was wearing plain clothes, he didn’t put Russell in his eyes.“Customer cards?”“Yeah. Once you buy them, you can freely get the services for an entire year. The cards only cost 11,000 dollars per year.”“What?” Russell’s jaw slackened.“Hmph, clearly you’re not someone who can ever buy a customer card of this salon,” the guard raised his stick up to Russe
“That I… don’t want to marry your daughter.”“WHAT?” Liam ground his teeth and controlled his anger. “Are you drunk?”“Sorry, sir, this is just a pr—” as Russell was saying, Kyra plucked the mobile and ended the call, shocking Russell. “W-What are you doing? We must tell your father that it’s a prank.”“Yes, we will, but not on the phone,” Kyra smiled. “You’re going to meet him and tell him to his face.”“W-What?” Russell couldn’t believe how Kyra was toying with him. He was already doing his best to not jump at her and take his mobile back. “Are you serious? Y-You’re kidding, right?”The phone in Kyra’s hand rang. It was Liam calling. Kyra smiled and cut the call. “The quicker you go and tell him, the better it is for you. Otherwise, my dad might just do something to your family out of anger.”Russell got up from his seat. “Give me my mobile.”“Uh-huh,” Kyra put the mobile in her pocket. “I’ll give it to you after you meet my father, but before that, you should get your facial done.”
Natasha visited a hundred different places, looking for a job, but most of them said the same words: we have no vacancy. There were some who asked her to come to the backside of their building, but she didn’t oblige. She didn’t want to lose her virginity to some random stranger to get a job. Even if she were to get a job this way, there was no guarantee that the job would last long, either.She was hungry, but she could only drink tap water because she didn’t have money. She had slept the previous night with 1000 dollars hidden in her dress, but the money was gone when she woke up this morning. It was surely the biggest shock of her life.She first doubted the Lynn and the Bennett families, thinking they were still targeting her to make her life all the more miserable.Because she had no money to even eat, she wanted to eat something as well as travel to her next destination. So she stood by the road and asked for a lift. A taxi stopped first, but she told the driver to leave. He kept
Russell came to the Lynn estate, but to his shock, the guards didn’t let him inside. He called Liam’s number, but Liam didn’t answer. He told the guards that he’s going to marry Kyra soon, and they initially laughed but then got angry.“Your car is good, but it’s not good enough to fool us,” they coldly said. “If you don’t get away from our sight in five seconds, we’ll break five of your fingers each.”Russell felt genuinely threatened as it seemed like the two guards really meant what they said. These guys were tall and big, and they were equipped with guns as well.“Please just go inside and tell Sir Liam that Russell is here,” he tried to reason with them. “If he says he doesn’t know me, then I’ll do a hundred, no, fifty squats here, and then go my way.”The guards looked at each other once before saying, “Hundred. If he says he doesn’t know you, and if you’re not who you said you were, then you’ll do a hundred squats. Full squats where your butt goes below the knee.”“Yes,” Russel
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