Jeremiah spent a whole ten minutes lying on the ground, not being able to believe that in less than a couple of minutes he had lost the only person that made him happy.
"What do I do now? All the years I put into our relationship, trying my best to make her happy was all for nothing. If only I wasn’t a nobody who couldn’t afford to give her what she wanted—" Jeremiah said but was interrupted when his phone started ringing. "Who the hell is it this time?" Jeremiah grumbled and decided to ignore the call. After a few seconds, the call ended but then the phone started ringing again. Jeremiah got angry that the caller couldn’t take the hint to not call back. He sat up and took out his phone from his pocket so he could terminate the call. He was about to hit the terminate button but looked at the caller ID and his eyes widened. He quickly changed tunes and, instead, swiped to answer the call then he put the phone on his ear. "Good evening, nurse Victoria! I hope everything is alright, seeing as how you're calling me at such a late h—" Jeremiah said but was cut off. ["Where are you right now, Mister Jeremiah?"] Jeremiah grimaced in confusion. Because the nurse was a trained professional, he couldn't get a read on what was going on through her voice. "I'm currently outside.” He replied. [“You’re not driving by any chance are you?”] “Where would someone like me get a car to drive— I mean, no I’m not. Is anything the matter?" ["Well, I have great news to tell you.”] “Great news? What is it?” [“Your mother has finally woken up from her coma"] "What?!" Jeremiah exclaimed. ["I don't know if you're busy but can you come to the hospital right now?"] "Of course! I'll be there as fast as I can!" Jeremiah said with a huge smile on his face and the nurse ended the call. Finally, something positive. Jeremiah got on his feet and walked until he was able to get a taxi that took him to the hospital. He rushed into the hospital and went straight to the reception. "Excuse me but I'm looking for—"Jeremiah said to the nurse at the reception but was interrupted from behind. "Mister Jeremiah." Jeremiah recognized the voice and turned around to see Nurse Victoria. He rushed to where she was. "I came as fast as I could, just like I promised. Was what you said over the phone true? Did my mom really wake up from her coma?" Jeremiah asked and the nurse smiled. Immediately, Jeremiah’s face lit up. Elated by the news, he placed his hands on the nurse's shoulders and said "Are you being for real? Mom really woke up from her coma after these many years?" "That's right. It really is a miracle because even we didn't think she was ever going to regain consciousness after so many years but I guess she never gave up and—" Nurse Victoria said and before she knew it, Jeremiah hugged her. The nurse blushed. "Mister Jeremiah, what are you doing?" She asked nervously. Jeremiah jolted and immediately stopped hugging her. He scratched the back of his head bashfully and said "I'm sorry about that. I was just so happy that I lost control for a moment. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable" Nurse Victoria cleared her throat and arranged her uniform. "It's fine. I understand how news like that could affect you enough to do what you did, but in case of next time, don't go hugging people without their permission first" "Of course. I'll be more mindful next time" Jeremiah smiled then dropped his hand from the back of his head. "I know she just woke up but is it possible for me to see her right now? I've had a really terrible evening and seeing her will help cheer me up" "I don't think that should be a problem but I'll have to talk to—" Nurse Victoria said but she was suddenly distracted by something happening in the distance. "Nurse Victoria? What is it?" Jeremiah asked then turned around to look at what the nurse was staring at. "That's Doctor Gabriel, the doctor in charge of your mother's care" Jeremiah grimaced and said, "Okay, then where is he running to? Also, why does he look so panicked?" Confused, Nurse Victoria said "I don't know but from the direction he’s running in, I think he’s going to the Intensive Care Unit which is where your mother is" Jeremiah's eyes widened in shock. “My mom? Do you think something happened to her?!” Jeremiah asked the nurse desperately. “I don’t know, but I’ll go check. Please wait for me in the waiting area” Hesitant about doing what the nurse asked, Jeremiah agreed and went to wait for her in the waiting area while she went to find out why Doctor Gabriel was in such a hurry. While in the waiting area, Jeremiah’s heart pounded in his chest and he prayed that his mother was okay. He just got her back and it’ll be terrible if he lost her again. A couple of minutes later, Nurse Victoria came to find him in the waiting area and when he saw her, he rushed to his feet. "So what did you find out? Did it have anything to do with my mom?” Jeremiah asked and Nurse Victoria nodded. Jeremiah grimaced in confusion. “Wait, I thought she had just woken up from her coma and was okay enough to have visitors so what happened all of a sudden?" Jeremiah asked hurriedly. Nurse Victoria had a guilty expression on her face. “Nurse Victoria, what aren’t you telling me?” Jeremiah frowned. "Your mother was okay when I called you to come to the hospital but not long after you arrived, she went into cardiac arrest.” “Cardiac arrest?!” Jeremiah jolted “As in a heart attack?!” “That’s right. Doctor Gabriel and the nurses are trying their best to make sure she's okay but there's no update as of yet. I'll go back and find out more information about what's happened since then, so please just sit down and—" Nurse Victoria said but stopped mid-sentence when she saw Doctor Gabriel walking up to her and Jeremiah. "Doctor?" She grimaced. Doctor Gabriel looked at Jeremiah and said "You are Missus Lauretta's son, right?" Jeremiah nodded. "That's right. My name is Jeremiah Garrick and I'm registered as her guardian, so please tell me what happened to my mom, doctor?" The doctor cleared his throat and then gulped. "We tried all we could, but despite our best efforts, we weren't able to save Missus Lauretta. Her body was so weak from all the years she was in the coma that the strain of a heart attack was just too much for her to handle. I'd like to offer my sincerest condolences for your loss" Doctor Gabriel said and Jeremiah’s heart sank into his stomach.Jeremiah, who tried to cope with what he just heard, chuckled. “I’m sorry, doctor, but I don’t think I heard you properly. You said my mother is what—?“ Jeremiah said, trying his best to trick himself into not believing what Doctor Gabriel told him. Unfortunately, the sad expressions he saw on the doctor's and Nurse Victoria’s faces made it hard. "Doctor Gabriel, please stop joking,” Jeremiah said and then looked at Nurse Victoria beside him. "My mom is fine so tell Doctor Gabriel to stop lying to me. Please" Jeremiah pleaded but all he got from the nurse was the look of pity. "I'm sorry Mister Jeremiah, but as I said, her body was just too weak for the severity of the heart attack. Please accept my condolences" Doctor Gabriel lowered his head to Jeremiah. Jeremiah's eyes widened when the realization of his mother’s death finally sank in. Confused and lost about what to do, he looked at the Doctor and didn’t know what to say back. “I know this doesn’t ease your pain but
Mary threw the jewelry box on the floor and held the necklace between her middle and index fingers."I said are you fucking stupid? This cheap thing is what you thought a classy woman like me would like? Tell me, Jeremiah, how am I supposed to walk around with this nonsense around my neck?" She asked aggressively and Jeremiah grimaced."But you were singing how much you wanted it not too long ago, which is why I got it. What changed?” Jeremiah asked.“I did! My level has been upgraded, thanks to Paul, and even holding this thing makes my skin crawl. This is what I think of your stupid anniversary gift," she said then walked over to where the trash can was and threw the necklace inside.She smacked her tongue then returned to the couch to get her cardboard box of personal belongings and started heading for the door. "Mary, how can you be this cruel? Can we just sit down and talk about all of this? If not for me then do it for the years we spent together" Jeremiah pleaded but his words
“I must be dreaming” Jeremiah couldn’t believe what he was seeing and he started slapping his cheek multiple times. “Wake up! Wake up! No way any of this is real” he said as he continued to slap himself, but instead of waking up like he expected, all he got was a hot and stinging cheek. He changed tactics. “Maybe, it’s a mistake from my bank” Wanting to confirm, Jeremiah called the manager of the bank he uses and after a couple of seconds, the phone was answered. [“Hello?”] Jeremiah said hurriedly “Good evening, Mister Victor. This is Jeremiah Garrick, one of the customers of Polaris Bank and I got your number when I opened my account” [“Okay and why are you calling at this time of the night? Don’t you know I was about to go to bed?”] Jeremiah could hear the irritation in Victor’s voice but he understood where it was coming from. After all, even he would be annoyed if someone called him at that time of the night, so not feeling insulted by it, he pushed on. “I sincerely ap
A victorious smile crept onto his face.He hadn’t felt so alive in his entire life. After reveling in his victory for a few seconds, Jeremiah called his father.“Dad, I just fired Victor so please find a new and respectful manager that’ll take his place. Also, ban him from ever finding work in any of the businesses owned by our family”[“No problem, son. Kingston will be on that with immediate effect”]“Thank you” Jeremiah smirked.[“You’re welcome, son. Now, back to why I called you earlier. Because of the large amount of money you received in your bank account, the money would most definitely be frozen. The account would need to be upgraded before you can access the money and you would also need a better debit card with a bigger spending limit. With that said, can you go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning to get that done? Victor’s replacement would have already been instated and awaiting your arrival”]Jeremiah, who thought he could just use the money that was resting in his
“Jeremiah,” Mary said with a condescending tone. Jeremiah paused and slowly turned to face them, only to see the belittling looks they had for him. It was like they were looking at a piece of dog shit on the ground. “What are you doing here? I’m surprised a peasant like you has an account with this bank.” Paul said. Jeremiah frowned at him. “What business is that to you?” Jeremiah asked. Paul scoffed. “What a mouth you have. I’m surprised it hasn’t been permanently shut after last night” Paul chuckled. “Jeremiah, what are you doing here?” Mary asked and Jeremiah looked at her. “I’m the one who should be asking you that question. The last time I checked, you don’t bank with Polaris Bank so what could possibly bring you here?” Jeremiah asked. Mary tightened her hold of Paul’s arm, her breasts pressing against his well-defined biceps as she said “Paul brought me because he wants to open an account for me. From today, he’ll be giving me a weekly allowance of ten thousand dollars
“Harassing him? It’s the exact opposite! I’m the one being harassed here! Can’t you see me on the ground with my clothes ruined? What more evidence do you need?!” He exclaimed but none of them cared for what he said. “Yes, he is. You know how all these beggars behave when you refuse to give them money.” Paul said with a mischievous smirk. “Beggar?” Jeremiah frowned. How dare they call him a beggar? He might have been poor for many years, but he had never begged anyone for money. Not even once in his entire life. They should apologize for insulting him in such a way, but sadly, they continued to ignore him. “We’re terribly sorry for allowing a nuisance like this to inconvenience you, sir. We’ll deal with him expeditiously” the first security guard said. Paul grinned. “Thank you. I’m glad I can always count on hard-working men like yourselves to do a good job protecting the peace of the real customers” “Your kind words are greatly appreciated, sir,” the second securi
They looked at Jeremiah and gulped as sweat covered their entire face and neck while their bodies trembled in fear. They remembered all the insulting remarks they had made to him and also going as far as laying their hands on him and trying to beat him up. What a massive disaster this was. “What do you want me to do with these two, sir?” Anthony asked Jeremiah. The hearts of the two security guards started pounding in their chests as they realized that their fate was in Jeremiah’s hands. Same Jeremiah who they had just immensely wronged. Suddenly, they both went on their knees and groveled at Jeremiah’s feet. “Hey, look at what’s going on there!” “Why are those security guards bowing to that one guy like that?” “Who do you think he is? Maybe someone very important?” The bystanders stopped what they were doing and watched what was happening where Jeremiah was. “I am terribly sorry for laying my hands on you, sir. I didn’t know who you were and had been convinced
Jeremiah followed Anthony into his office and being used to what he, as a guest, was supposed to do, he started walking to the guest chair by the desk. “Not that way sir,” Anthony said and Jeremiah halted, groaned then turned to him. He wondered what Anthony meant by that and more importantly, he wondered why the manager was standing in front of another door inside the office but then he saw the truth. “For special guests like yourself, we’ll be using this room,” Anthony said then he twisted the gold-plated knob of the door, revealing what could only be called a lounge for two and at most five people. The place was beautiful and welcoming to anyone who saw it. Surprised that there was such a luxurious room inside the already luxurious manager’s office, Jeremiah walked up to Anthony and both of them walked into the room. Anthony closed the door and Jeremiah took in the premium feeling the room gave. “This is the VIP lounge where our most important customers can sit down a
Inside the Study, Reginald, who noticed that Jeremiah’s mind was elsewhere, asked him what he was doing.Jeremiah had actually been eavesdropping on David, wondering if he would say anything that would expose his involvement in the gas processing plant’s explosion and prove to Jeremiah that his suspicion was right. However, that didn’t happen and Jeremiah got annoyed that David stopped talking all of a sudden. From the last sentence Jeremiah heard David say before abruptly cutting himself off, he concluded that David knew he was onto him and was actively trying not to expose himself. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence, and Jeremiah was wrong about the whole thing—meaning David wasn’t involved in the explosion at all.There could only be one answer to the two possibilities, and time would reveal which one was correct because sooner or later, David was bound to slip up.All Jeremiah had to do was wait for that moment to come. Jeremiah replied “Nothing. I was just listening to what D
David, looking at Jeremiah, blinked multiple times to emphasize his shock.Even though he had once thought that Jeremiah had joined hands with Dean and Adam to kill all the guards—after seeing the dismembered bodies when he escaped the plant—the fact that this was only an assumption and was never confirmed left him with some doubt that Jeremiah had ever gotten blood on his hands.That assumption quickly vanished after he heard about how Jeremiah saved everyone at the welcome ceremony from the Rubik's Cube bomb and even traveled a great distance to save him.However, when Jeremiah admitted outright that he had killed Dean—and went on to elaborate on how he did it—it sent a shock through David's body. He realized he might have been wrong about who Jeremiah had killed, but not about the fact that he had killed someone.‘So he really is a cold-blooded murderer’ David thought and gulped.Just then, David noticed something that felt concerning.He looked at Reginald and the three other men—
David tried standing up but before he did, Kingston offered him a hand. David looked at Kingston’s hand but instead of accepting, he felt insulted. The fact that he had just heard that Jeremiah, his one competition for the throne, was a powerful being who could do whatever he wanted, made him feel weak and useless in comparison, and seeing Kingston’s hand annoyed the hell out of him.Still, he had to maintain composure.“No thanks. I can stand on my own” David said, feigning a smile.“As you wish, Sir” Kingston replied then retracted his hand and stood upright while David went on his feet and walked back to where he once was.“Are you okay?” Reginald asked.However, David, who was annoyed that Reginald felt it necessary to ask that question out of concern for his earlier reaction, forced a smile.“I am Uncle, so please, continue,” David said. Reginald looked at Jeremiah and said “You should also listen to what I’m going to say because it involves you as well” “Okay,” Jeremiah grim
Reginald started by revealing the history of Crimson Fall to David, who at first was confused as to why he was telling him an old folk tale but soon realized why when Reginald told him the part that only the king and a select few knew. The moment David heard about reincarnation, his eyes widened, asking himself if such a thing existed.Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only bombshell he was going to hear as the story continued to unfold.Reginald told him that it was the Garrick family's mission to make sure that Lord Crimson, the powerful dragon who ruled over Crimson Fall for centuries, reincarnated and like that wasn’t enough, he gestured at Jeremiah and told him that Jeremiah was Lord Crimson, reincarnated.“I’m sorry what?” David asked, trying to make sure he wasn’t mishearing things. “You heard me right. Your cousin, who we all thought was dead, is our one true ruler. The all-powerful, Lord Crimson” Reginald said passionately. David’s eyes blinked multiple times as he looked at
The boldness with which Jeremiah said “Yes, I did” demoralized David. It was like he was telling David that he didn’t regret what he did and was daring him to reprimand his actions. Knowing that he couldn’t lash out at Jeremiah for what he did, David had no choice but to gulp and accept what happened and move on— making him more mad because he hated being made to feel small and insignificant. “I’m sure you had your reasons but can you please tell me why you hurt my friends,” David asked, making sure to choose his words carefully so as not to sound like he was confronting Jeremiah. “Friends? I think you’re misunderstanding something, David.” Reginald said and David quickly looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. “Jeremiah didn’t hurt your friends but your friend. Only one person was hurt by his hands” Reginald clarified. David grimaced. He reflected on Reginald’s words and remembered that the king had said “friend” instead of “friends” when he revealed that the per
That’s right, he had completely forgotten about his punishment because of the night he had, but it’s a good thing Reginald was bringing it up now.What was his uncle going to say? Hopefully, something along the lines of, he had seen that David had learned his lesson and because of that he had decided to bring the punishment to an end. David thought and started smiling discreetly.“After the aftermath of the explosion at the welcome ceremony, I have decided that—“ Reginald said, but David cut him off.“Explosion at the welcome ceremony?! What explosion?” David asked and Reginald paused.“You haven’t heard about the explosion yet?” Reginald asked. “No, I haven’t. There was another explosion but at the welcome ceremony?” David replied.David had been so anxious to find out what Jeremiah knew about the gas processing plant explosion that he was tunnel-visioned from everything else. He had just gone to his room to freshen up, changed clothes, and then went to Reginald’s study for the mee
After looking at everyone in the Study and seeing how they were staring at him— especially Jeremiah’s whose stare was like a predator’s to a prey— David, who realized that he was in a hot mess, thought of how to get away from the situation.How could he spin the story and change the narrative in his favor? He wondered and his brain started working at a million miles an hour in search of the answer.Soon enough, a thought came to his mind and he decided to go with it.David started chuckling, making everyone wonder why he was doing that.What did he find so funny?“Uncle, what gave you the impression that I knew about the explosion before it happened?” David asked.Reginald, who thought about the question, grimaced and adjusted how he sat.“Well, if I remember correctly, you were rambling about how we should leave the area and were adamant about it for a good minute before the building exploded, so I thought that your behavior was because you beforehand that the building was going to e
Once inside the study, the first thing Jeremiah did was pause and groan when he saw David standing in front of the desk. Kingston, who was just as surprised as Jeremiah at the sight of David, jolted and asked “Sir David, you’re already here?”“Yes, he is. Truthfully, even I was surprised when he arrived before you two did, but for some reason, he seemed eager to have the meeting which I guess is a good thing because I have so much to ask him” Reginald said.David, who was trying his best to keep his cool and act normal, turned to Reginald and smiled. “I just wanted to tell Uncle what happened because I know how worried he was about my disappearance and maybe that will calm his mind a little,” David said.Reginald, who didn’t know the young man’s true motive and believed his words, smiled. He took David’s feigned concern for him as a sign of David changing and attributed it to the punishment he gave him working. Speaking of the punishment, what was going to happen now that the guard
Jeremiah, Kingston, and Steven went to Reginald’s study while Elizabeth went back into Jeremiah’s room to spend some more time with Lynette’s corpse.Since the body would most definitely be kept in Jeremiah’s room until the funeral tomorrow, this was going to be her only moment of privacy with her former protégé. Though it would be a one-sided conversation, as Lynette could talk back, Elizabeth was going to say everything she had in her chest and hopefully feel at ease with losing someone she cared about so soon.A couple of minutes later, after finally being at peace with Lynette’s passing, Christabel came to the room and she too got her chance to say goodbye to her friend and fellow protégé.After that, Christabel and Elizabeth reminisced on past moments they and Lynette spent together when she was alive and the experience made the remaining two form a stronger bond than what they had before.Just then, the room door was knocked. “Who is it?” Christabel asked after Elizabeth used