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 account, grimaced. He had already started thinking about paying his rent the next morning but it seems he had a very important task to take care of before then. “Okay, Dad. I’ll do that first thing the banks open.” [“Okay, son. Moving forward, anything you want will be handled by Kingston, so whenever you call this number he will be the one who answers.”] “Kingston? Your butler?” Jeremiah grimaced. [“Yes. He’s the one who answered the phone when you first called so the two have you are already acquainted. Since that’s all I have to tell you, I guess this is goodbye for now”] “Goodbye, Dad. Until we see each other in person”, Jeremiah smiled, and the call ended. Jeremiah couldn’t believe he had a dad and a loving and insanely rich one at that. Life had really changed for the better. Jeremiah looked at the room which was in shambles after the rampage he had just had, then he grinned from ear to ear because he was no longer the poor rat that had to live there because he had no other choices. He was now a multimillionaire. He stood up from the couch and cleaned the place up before going to the bedroom to sleep. Because Mary had left him, the bed felt quite lonely, but the fact that he was no longer the person she left— the poor rat with no future— compensated for that. He slept knowing that tomorrow was going to be a brighter day. The next morning came along and Jeremiah got ready to go to the bank. He had a little breakfast, which was the food he and Mary were supposed to eat on their one-year anniversary celebration, and then he freshened up in the bathroom and changed into his outing clothes. Jeremiah headed to the door and his phone chimed in his pocket from a message he had just received. He took it out and checked what it was. To his surprise, it was an unknown number. Jeremiah grimaced and opened the message. It was a message from the new manager at Polaris Bank, Anthony Keller, and he was telling Jeremiah that he would be awaiting his arrival. Anthony also asked Jeremiah what he was wearing so it’d be easy to differentiate him from the other customers. Jeremiah messaged him back, first congratulating him on his new position and then describing what he wore— a blue shirt with silver pants and his favorite black loafers. With that done, Jeremiah stepped out of the house, got into a taxi, and headed to the bank. Once there, he headed for the entrance, but suddenly, he heard the sound of a powerful car engine along with the deafening blaring of its horn coming from the right. Jeremiah looked in that direction, and, to his surprise, he saw a silver-colored Lamborghini Sian zooming towards him. The car didn’t look like it was going to stop or try to avoid him, so Jeremiah quickly jumped out of the way and fell on the ground, barely avoiding becoming roadkill. “Who the hell drives like that?!” Furious, Jeremiah complained and smacked his tongue. He turned his head to look at the car parking in one of the many parking spaces and, if that wasn’t annoying enough, Jeremiah began to hear murmurs coming from bystanders who saw what had happened. “Did you see that? That guy almost got run over by that car over there.” “Yeah. I guess the driver didn’t see him walking there. I mean, if I drove a car like that, even I wouldn’t see a poor-looking person like that guy.” “That’s life for you. The rich do whatever they want and the poor just have to bear the punches… Haha,” Jeremiah started to feel embarrassed by the comments he was hearing. “What nonsense. Being rich doesn’t give anyone the right to behave any way they want”, Jeremiah said. “I’m going to give that crazy driver an earful—“ Jeremiah said, but to his shock, the person who he saw coming out of the silver Lamborghini Sian was Paul Ludwig and Mary. Jeremiah’s eyes widened. Paul wore a white Armani suit with a buttoned-down red inner shirt that showcased how manly his physique was. As for Mary, she wore a yellow Jacquemus dress that accentuated her curves. The sight of how beautiful Mary was made Jeremiah remember their years back in college. Though he had very little back then, the pride of having a dame like Mary around his arm when they went through the campus was the best feeling ever, but sadly, those days were over. That privilege had gone to Paul. “Wow, what I beauty.” “I know, right? I’d give ten years of my life to be with a vixen like that.” “Some guys are just too lucky. Handsome, rich, and having a goddess like that as your woman? How can I trade places with that guy?” The bystanders gossiped, and their words made Jeremiah’s blood boil. Jeremiah stood up, turned his back to Mary and Paul, and started dusting off his clothes. He expected to be ignored by the two people who had stolen everyone’s attention. However, he was surprised when he heard Paul and Mary walking towards him.“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!”
“Jeremiah?” Mary said as both she and Paul looked at him. “Look who it is. The disgusting husband had come to save his whore of a wife. Tell me fool, how on earth did you manage to get in here?” Paul laughed, while Jeremiah looked pissed. Though Mary was a disgusting human being for what she did to him, he still couldn’t stand there and watch Paul do what he was doing to her. He had to step in and put a stop to it. “I think you’ve done enough for today, so let go of her,” Jeremiah said, and Paul frowned. “And who’s going to make me? You?” Paul scoffed “What a joke. Did you forget what happened last night? You’re no match for me.”Jeremiah shrugged.“That might be true, but nobody said anything about me being the one who stops you because there are people paid to do just that,” Jeremiah said, and Anthony arrived with multiple tall and muscular security guards.“I think you’ve overstated your welcome, sir, and it’s time to leave,” Anthony said to Paul. Paul looked at all the secur
Jeremiah got out of the taxi, paid the fare and as he watched the driver drive away, he thought 'Maybe I should buy my own car. I mean, I have the money now. All I need is a good enough place to stay with a garage and—' He turned around to face his apartment building and, to his surprise, he saw his front door wide open. This time he was certain that he locked the door before he left, so that could only mean that someone opened it when he wasn’t around. Jeremiah hurried over and checked the lock to see if it was broken, but it was perfectly fine, which meant that whoever opened it had the keys and there was only one person he could think of. The landlord. Jeremiah went into the living room to see if the landlord was still in there, but to his surprise, everything was gone. The couch, table, curtains, television, and even everything in the dining area had disappeared. Jeremiah's eyes widened, then he remembered something and rushed to his bedroom. "No, no, no, no!" With his han
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