Maverick’s words tugged on his chest like a heavyweight, stirring second thoughts about his plans. Celestine shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting from Archer to Maverick.“You’re saying you’re scared of him, he’s dangerous. Thank you, but that’s not an identity.” Archer replied, his voice firm and commanding.Maverick leaned back in his chair, the corners of his lips lifted in a half smile. “You think you’re untouchable, President Williams, but you’re not. Big Dot is rather a big hole that will swallow until it gets what it wants. Keep your precious little wife out of the way”Archer rose to his feet, glancing at Celestine.“We’re done, here,” he declared.Maverick chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Goodbye President Williams, you can hand in the tape right there at the counter,” As Archer stepped out into the hallway, the fluorescent lights of the police station stung his eyes, and squinted them close, stumbling a few feet back.“That’s it!” Celestine
It was the first time Tangie broke the unwritten rules of the family. She had always been the quiet, obedient one. Her grandfather and Mother insisted that her ex-convict husband was to blame for Tangie’s stubbornness, when really Archer had no clue that his wife had become feisty and impudent.Since her short-lived conversation with Archer, Tangie found herself in cheerful spirits. Despite the fact that it wasn’t ideal to use a servant’s phone to call her husband, the result of the impulsive action was all that mattered to her. Mornings in the Sullivan’s home was now Tangie’s most anticipated moments. The one time the household gathered for a meal before dispersing to their different works.As usual, just as the morning sun casted its glow on the walls of her beige color room, Tangie twirled around, facing the source of the sunlight.She wondered what he was doing. Usually, he was an early bird, she wondered if he could sleep at all in the night. He had once confessed to her that
Just as instructed, Celestine had delivered the signed divorce documents to the Sullivans. In the core of him, Celestine knew that Archer didn’t really want to divorce her but his determination was instigated by Maverick’s words. And in reality, Tangie had been most vulnerable since the attacks on him began. Still, Celestine believed he owed her an explanation. The shareholders meeting as announced to be held on Friday by 3 pm had begun about thirty minutes ago.Perhaps their lateness was for Celestine to recover from his hangover from last night, or maybe it was for Archer to fully recover from his conversation with the lady from last night.Racing through the streets of Utah, just like Celestine’s thoughts in his mind, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel, nervously awaiting Archer’s reaction to his shenanigans with the ladies. But he said nothing, his relentless taps on his keyboard the only sound between them.As he cornered into the parking lot of Sterling Groups, Cele
The room fell into thick silence as Archer’s words hung in the air. Celestine watched from his seat, his heart pounding in his chest. “What is he thinking?!” He muttered silently, disapproving of Archer’s open accusations.Archer’s gaze swept across the faces of the shareholders, his eyes sharp and unwavering. He could sense his accusations settling on the features of guilty persons.“Those who have plotted against me, those who have threatened the foundations of Sterling Groups,” Archer’s voice echoed with authority, cutting through the silence, “your time is up!”The room erupted into a frenzy of murmurs and whispers as the shareholders exchanged nervous glances.“You saw what I did to Maverick Jr, dismantled his little group, uncovered his illegal drugs business, and sent him to prison. I will do the same to all of you, one by one.”The shareholders stared at him with shock and dismay, holding their breaths without even realizing.“But, President Williams, what evidence do you ha
One week blurred into two, and then it turned three. President Archer Williams had been off the news. He had buried himself in a quiet investigation to uncover Big Dot’s identity as well as the heavy duty of producing reformed Asthmatic cure drugs.He hadn’t uncovered much information about Big Dot but one thing he learned was every Lord in government had the Sullivans name or was married to a Sullivan. It seemed like only their family produced and elected lords in to government.Days went by slowly, each one ending with Celestine exhausted from going around, collecting information. His weekends blurred by and Archer made sure not to think of anything else but work.Achieving one million unit dosages of Asthmatics Cure Medicine seemed nearly impossible but he succeeded. Archer was particular about the number of doses he wanted in a day and he made certain he supervised every process of it.He pushed the limits of the production process and after four weeks, He was ready to announc
The room fell into stunned silence as Doctor Clark’s words echoed in everyone’s ears, silencing soft murmurs and sneers of the extended family.Tangie could not believe her ears, her hands trembled, causing the glass of water to spill on her.“P… pregnant?!” Mr. Mathew repeated, his voice barely above a whisper.“Well, I haven’t run a proper blood test…”“I am…” Tangie blurted out, her voice cut out Doctor Clark’s doubts. “I haven’t gotten my period this month…” her voice brimming with a mix of emotions, from surprise to excitement.Mr Mathew exchanged a bewildered glance with his wife, only to be greeted by Margaret’s disapproval.Lord Sullivan’s face contorted with rage as he clenched his jaws tightly. “I don’t believe it,” he raged, his voice reverberating off the walls.Beatrice married her eyes, her lips curling into a sneer. “This is what you’ve been up to, Tangie?” Getting yourself knocked up?” She spat, her tone dripping with disdain.“You must have really wanted to get out o
Quickly, Celestine jolted to his feet, sending orders across the mansion. While Archer made his way to his room, exchanging his casual shirt for a well-tailored suit. Archer scored through his closet, a bespoke suit crafted with the finest Italian wool stood out, befitting the action he was about to take.Tailored to perfection, the suit accentuated his broad shoulders and physique. The Swiss watch on his wrist gleamed, its platinum casing catching the light as he adjusted the cufflinks, each adorned with a flawless diamond.With every little detail attended to, Archer stepped out with an aura of sophistication, commanding attention as he walked through the freeway created by two parallel lines of cars, each one bearing the logo of Sterling Group with the emblem of a descending eagle, the mark of the Seven Divine Citadels.Tangie sat in her room, unaware that she was the internet’s new sensation. Her mind wandered around the unexpected events of the day, she went through Doctor Clar
Archer’s gaze softened despite his firm grip on Tangie’s hand. “Are you alright?” He asked, his eyes glinting with affection that Tangie had never seen before.Leaning her head against his shoulder, Tangie confessed that it felt unreal. Despite the relief that washed over her, it still felt completely surreal that her grandfather didn’t do much to stop them.Archer cast a glance at Tangie, and observed the hint of unease on her features. “You can tell me anything,” he pleaded.Tangie shook her head in response, “I’m alright,”but Archer noticed that she kept glancing over her shoulders watching her relatives on the patio.Mr Mathew stood feet apart from the rest of the family. Tangie could already hear their conversations, she was worried about her father, just because he supported her, he was bound to go through backlash from the family. In fact, she could see her mom’s disapproving eyes boring into his soul.“What do you think you’re doing, Mathew?! Stop them!” Mrs Margaret yell
Despite the turbulent three months that drove Archer to the brink of insanity, he was grateful for the life he had. A new life where he wasn't looked down on. His wife believed in him and loved him for him, not the money or the status.He had someone he could call a friend, a best friend, and he could take care of the people his Master left behind. At thirty two, he was the City's most wealthy CEO, and he was still as humble as ever.His asthma cure was a hit in the medical industry, recognized world wide, but the billions of dollars he made from the sales was not compared to the relief that his wife was no longer an asthma patient. She was in fact, just a healthy eight weeks pregnant woman."I'm going to be a father soon," was Archer's new mantra. For every decision he made, he considered his new status- Father.Every morning he woke up, he kissed Tangie on the forehead and then progressed to the stomach and spoke to his baby until Mariah announced breakfast was ready.This morni
The ride back home was quiet, unsettlingly quiet for Celestine. Archer had not said a single word since they left the court. He simply clutched on the document and kept his face turned to the window.Every passing moment had him wondering what was going through his mind. Did he feel sorry for Master Woods? Was it guilt?Celestine shook his head, snapping off the thought quickly. Master Woods had what was coming, he was only lucky to have faked his entire existence and go unnoticed for ten years.The car rounded into the large mansion, the sun had began to dip in the horizon, casting a golden afterglow on the contours amd corners of the house.Tangie hurried out of the house at the sound of the car zooming into the compound. She had been eagerly awaiting his arrival, desperate to wrap her arms around him and reassure him that his new family would always be with him.But she instantly went blank as Archer approached her. He looked so devastated that she couldn't bring herself to say any
"The President of Sterling Groups," the court officer announced immediately Archer stepped in.Celestine cast a disapproving glance at the announcer as they settled into their seat.Master Woods was guided onto the dock in hand cuffs. He couldn't save himself from the Supreme Federal Court.While bribing the authorities of the city, he had forgotten about the higher authority- The authority of the federal."He looks worse than the last time we saw him," Celestine whispered, almost excitedly. Archer remained quiet, unmoving in fact. Despite the nice and relieving feeling that a criminal and terrorist of both him and the city had finally been caught, Archer couldn't deny the fact that the man in questiom was his father, at least to an extent.Even as he confessed to his crimes, Archer wished it were not true. He silently wished everything could go back to how it was, before it all went bad.However, it was impossible. He was now awaiting the Jury's verdict and Archer was certain, it wou
"A trip?" Celestine repeated, surprised that he was suggesting a trip in the heat of things. "Have you noticed the high demand we have? It is almost impossible to produce enough for one continent, save five continents and you're talking about a trip?"Archer exhaled softly, a slight frown crossed his face. "We've had a very rocky time, I thought we could all just take a nap somewhere in Vietnam or Thailand, anywhere but here...""We can't be anywhere else but here for now," Celestine scolded, "As your executive manager, I forbid it." As he spoke the last bid, a smile of pride etched on his features. "Are you that happy?" Archer asked, observing his wide smile."I'm beyond happy," Celestine replied quickly, "I'm going to work so hard, I didn't do anything to earn this position but now that I have, I must deserve it."As Archer gazed at him, a thought crossed his mind but he kept it to himself."Let's go home," he said. Celestine glanced at his wristwatch only to notice that it was
THREE WEEKS LATERFor the past three weeks, Master Woods of the Bennett Temple, foster father and mentor of Archer Williams was dragged to pieces on the internet. His double identity, his atrocities, the chaos he secretly instigated, and the people on his payroll. No one was safe. Archer made sure of it. The truth of the brutal murders of Mr. Mathew Sullivan had finally surfaced, and everyone who had once looked down on Archer was on their knees begging to be on his good side, but that was far from what Archer wanted. He wanted all of them to keep away from him. He only wanted to be with his family and friends. To be a good father to his child, a good friend to his friends, and a good mentor to the people who now looked up to him. For the first time, he craved a normal life, a life as normal as a regular man.However, that sort of life was almost impossible for him. He was, after all, the only son of his parents, and he knew his father’s belief in the supernatural was not just a me
Chapter 152Fred watched Mercy’s lips move without hearing the words come out.The unfolding revelation had him analyzing and examining his life. Just like Mr. Mathew, he had allowed Master Woods detect his life. He did everything Master Woods just to be accepted and be genuinely acknowledged, yet the harder he tried, the lesser the man thought of him.“Tangie is right,” he thought to himself, “Just being disqualified to be an Arhat is not enough after he had taken many innocent lives and buried their dreams, both the living and dead.”The whole room went silent, stopped by his soliloquy which he didn’t know had been said out loud. “What are you talking about you ingrate?!” Master Woods burst out, like someone who had had enough of the banter. “You bunch of ungrateful idiots, especially you, Archer, I picked you up from the gutter and brushed off your specks of dirt, but here you are trying to destroy what I have spent years building?”“No!” Archer objected, his voice risingwith an
Everyone's heart raced with anticipation and curiosity. Wide eyes followed him as he pranced around the room, about to say something he was less than confident about. He had seen it in a vision, more like a dream, but what if it was just his imagination? What if he was so desperate to find the connection between Mr Mathew and Master Woods that he began to imagine and invoke unbelievable thoughts?Then again, he believed in the supernatural, after all, his father was a curator of the supernatural. He was confident in the gifts that had unlocked within him, yet he found himself doubting the very essence of the dream he had."You were so confident about the Master's atrocities a minute ago, but now your tongue is tied and you can't prove it." Li sneered.Archer paused and turned to face him. "Li, what's the one thing that can keep our Master from becoming an Arhat?"Master Woods leaned forward, putting a hand on Li, "Don't answer that," he urged.Li turned to the Master with mischief
Chapter 150Archer's voice resounded with conviction and no empathy. Master Woods squinted his eyes, gazing at him pensively.The room held its breath, both Mercy and Celestine were speechless, unaware if Archer was speaking in truth or if this was his way of coercing the truth from Master Woods.Tangie rose from her seat, disturbed by the tension of the room and needing some comfort, she walked over to Mariah. "I don't feel too good about this," She whispered. "Me neither," Mariah responded, her gaze flickering from Master Woods to Archer."Could you excuse us?" Master Woods finally spoke, breaking the silence.Everyone turned, exchanging confused glances at each other. "Everyone leave!" He bellowed angrily."Everyone here is my family, Master, and they will stay. I don't think there's anything to hide." Archer interjected, his voice laced with vigor.Master Woods chuckled wryly, "Archer, son, you cannot be greater than your master." "Sir," Archer returned, "I do not aspire to be
Chapter 149As he grunted in pain, he struggled to keep himself composed. To fight his enemy with his head high, he needed to wipe his tears and stand strong. But how could he fight against the one person he had trusted? Despite the truth of his betrayal, his heart yearned for him to tell him that it was all a lie. Tired and weak, Archer strolled over to the study desk, longing for something to lay his weight on.It was barely midday, yet he could feel his body giving out. Maybe it was the lack of rest, maybe it was the heaviness in his heart, but just as he settled on that desk. He caught his eyes closing against his will, completely oblivious to the faint footfalls outside the door. Celestine had been pacing up and through the hallway, unable to go in or walk away. His heart raced with empathy, he wondered what he could do to help his friend, without any answers coming to mind. As he stood there, glancing at his wristwatch repeatedly, approaching footsteps echoed in the distance,