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 fell on deaf ears. Mary walked past him and opened the door. She was just about to walk out when Jeremiah said "My mom died" Mary froze. She looked at him and with a shocked expression, she said "What?" "My mom, she died. I got a call after I was thrown out of the resort and I was told that my mom had woken up from her coma but when I went to the hospital to see her, there was an emergency and she didn't make it." Jeremiah said and tears fell down his eyes. Not wanting to look weak in front of Mary, he quickly cleaned his eyes. "Mary, I know you don't want to be with me anymore but please just stay this one night. I don't want to be alone right now" Jeremiah begged. He wanted to hear what she was going to say but after a few seconds, he saw her sympathetic expression change to one of apathy. "Mary?" "Do you want to know a secret, Jeremiah?" She asked. "Secret? What secret?" Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows. "I always hated your mother. She and her stupid coma always irritated me because if she wanted to die then she should have just done it instead of being a nuisance to me who had to go visit her when you couldn’t" "Mary, how can you say that?" "I mean it. I know that it's supposed to be sad that she's gone but I honestly don't care. Good riddance to her and I hope she burns in hell" Mary said and Jeremiah's eyes widened. "Goodbye Jeremiah and don't bother trying to reach out to me. The next time we communicate will be through the divorce lawyers" Mary said then closed the door. Jeremiah stood in shock at what he just heard. How could Mary tell him that she always hated his now mother and wished that she had died sooner? That was taking it too far. Jeremiah rushed out the door and saw Mary entering the back seat of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class that had been opened for her by a chauffeur then the chauffeur closed the door and went to the driver's seat. "Mary!" Jeremiah ran towards the car, calling out to Mary but he wasn't fast enough and the car drove off. Jeremiah's head started spinning. He went back into the house, filled with rage, and ripped the decorations he had put up then threw them in the trash alongside his wedding ring. He went to the bedroom to bring out their photo albums and tore every picture they took together to shreds. He was done. She wanted a divorce, right? Well, their marriage was over and he was done trying to get her back. Jeremiah went to the couch to sit down then he reached into his pocket and took out the paper Doctor Gabriel had given him. "What else do I have to lose?" He said then dialed the number and called. After a couple of seconds, the call was answered. ["Hello, who is this?"] said a calm and distinguished voice. "Umm, I don't know how to put this nor do I know if you'll believe me or not but my mother gave me this number and I'm calling to find out why," Jeremiah said. [“Did you just say your mother gave you this number?”] “That’s right” Jeremiah replied. Suddenly, all he heard on the other end of the call was silence "Hello?" Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows. ["Pardon me but can you hold on a moment? I'll call you right back"] Jeremiah grimaced in confusion but still he replied "Okay" The person on the other end of the line terminated the call. Jeremiah stared at his phone, wondering what that was about. "Maybe I was right and there's nothing special about the number," he said and was just about to set his phone on the table when the number he had just called started calling back. He quickly answered and took the phone to his ear. ["Hello, you said your mother gave you this number to call, right?"] Jeremiah grimaced when he heard a different voice. This one sounded more regal and powerful. "Umm, that's right" Jeremiah answered. ["By any chance is your mother's name Lauretta Goodman?"] "That's right," Jeremiah said and heard the person on the other end of the line groan. ["One final question. Is your name Jeremiah Garrick?"] Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes it is, but how did you know that? How did you know what my mother's name and mine are?" Jeremiah asked with a suspicious look on his face. ["How wouldn't I know the name of my wife and, most especially, my son when I'm the one who named you?”] “What?!” [“That’s right, Jeremiah, I am your father”] "Dad?" Jeremiah's eyes widened. Jeremiah grimaced in confusion while also trying to comprehend what he just heard. “But, wait a minute, that doesn’t make any sense. I already have a father and he passed away many years ago so how are you—?“ [“Look son, I know you have a lot of questions you want answers to and I’m more than happy to answer them but not over the phone. I’d like for us to meet in person. Just tell me where you are and I’ll have my butler arrange everything”] Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows. “Your butler? You have a butler?” He asked and his father chuckled. [“Of course I have a butler. It’ll be impossible to manage all my affairs without his help, but you’ll know more about that later when we meet. Please tell me where you are and preparations will be made to bring you over here”] “Umm, I live in Bakers View” Jeremiah replied. [“Okay. Kingston will start making arrangements to fly you over here. For the meantime, how are you fairing?”] Jeremiah became dejected. “Not very good. I’ve been getting one bad news after the next and I don’t know how much more I can take” [“I’m sorry to hear that, son. I can only imagine how hard your life has been growing up and I apologize for not being there for you all these years. Now that we are reunited, I can carry out my fatherly duties which start by sending you a little money to get yourself something that’ll cheer you up a bit”] Jeremiah jolted and panicked. “Oh, Umm, I didn’t really call you to ask for money or anything like that. You don’t have to send me anything—“ Jeremiah said but his father laughed. [“Don’t be ridiculous. As your father, it’s my duty to make sure you’re okay and moving forward, I promise that your days of lacking are over. If you don’t mind, can you tell me the bank you use?”] “Umm, Polaris Bank” Jeremiah replied. [“Got it. Just sit back and I’ll send you a little change for the night”] The call ended and Jeremiah grimaced, wondering what just happened. What did the man he just talked to mean about him being his father? Who was he and how did his mother have his number? A lot of questions went through Jeremiah’s mind but he wasn’t given the chance to think about them when his phone chimed and vibrated. “I have a notification?” Jeremiah asked himself then looked at his phone’s locked screen. It was a message from his bank. He quickly unlocked the phone and checked what the message was about. [Credit alert] [Acc: 2XX…55X] [Amt: $50,000,000] [Des: Power Mogul…] Jeremiah’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “What the hell am I looking at? Did I just receive fifty million dollars?”“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
“Yeah. I need a card with a higher limit as well. The one I have will not suffice and it’s also close to its expiration date” Jeremiah said and Anthony nodded. “I’ll get on that right away, sir. Just give me a moment” Anthony said then he stood up from the couch and went to the landline on the wall.He called one of the bank staff to come to the VIP lounge and ended the call before returning to sit with Jeremiah. A couple of minutes later, a female banker with blonde hair tied in a ponytail and pink-framed glasses walked into the VIP lounge with one of the company’s laptops in her hand. She walked up to Anthony and greeted him. “Mister Jeremiah, this is Mercy and she’ll be the one to make the upgrades to your bank account and credit card,” Anthony said. “Good morning, sir” Mercy greeted Jeremiah and the multimillionaire greeted her back. “Can you please provide your banking information like your name and account number so I can make the upgrades you want?” Mercy asked as she ope
“Frozen as how?!” Paul yelled.“I understand your frustration, sir, but I suggest you calm down because you are making a noise and disturbing the other customers,” said the banker who Paul yelled at.Paul looked at the other customers and saw the embarrassed and annoyed expressions they had towards him.“What the hell is wrong with that guy? Can’t he address his issues more calmly?”“Does he think he’s in his living room or something?”“And here I was thinking that he was a cool guy, but he’s just a hothead with a loud mouth and what is this about his account being frozen?”The other customers started gossiping about Paul, which infuriated him more and made Mary feel embarrassed standing next to him.Paul turned away from all of them and focused on the banker who he had decided to pour all of his anger on.“Who gives two shits about these other idiots?! I’m a fucking multimillionaire, which means that I’m the most important person in this goddamn bank, so you better treat me like it!”
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