Carson arrived the next day after a night of partying and drinks with friends. He had spent a lot of money at one of the wildest parties of the year. He had a slight hangover, and every loud sound bothered him that morning. Nevertheless, he decided to go to the mansion to check on his father. "Dad... still alive?" Carson jokingly asked as he opened the door to the room. "Come in, my son," Joseph said from the other side. Carson was surprised when he saw Joseph's room completely clean. "Did Norton do this?" Carson asked, amazed. "Yes, he's a very good lad." "Norton is trash, Dad... I just hope he also cleaned my room." "I don't want you to mistreat Norton." "Are you going to keep defending him, Dad?" "He's just the gardener. He shouldn't have to do mansion chores." "And who will do them then? ... You? ..." Carson couldn't hold back his mocking laughter and burst into a couple of laughs in front of his elderly father. "I don't have the strength to argue with you," Joseph sai
A couple of days had passed since Joseph appointed Curtis as his new personal assistant.A noticeable change occurred in both of their lives. Joseph had someone to attend to him and provide the support he needed, while Curtis had stopped receiving as many humiliations from the Stanton brothers. Although occasionally they mocked him and played a few pranks.The annoyance of Carson, Cambell, and Agata was evident. They were now forced to handle their own household tasks. Curtis was no longer there to clean up their mess and fix the chaos in their rooms.There was also a change in Joseph. He appeared much more active and smiling. There was no doubt that Curtis' company was positively influencing him.Curtis had earned even more disdain from the Stanton brothers than he had before.Joseph was so excited about his recovery that he decided to host a dinner to celebrate his improved health. Nothing better than a feast with his 'beloved' children to mark this significant moment.Mr. Stanton h
"I refuse to stand here with my arms crossed while you spout such nonsense, Dad," shouted Carson, attempting to be authoritative."Much less me," added Cambell."Nor I!" concluded Ágata.The three Stanton siblings stood up from their chairs and were now standing, staring firmly at their father."You don't have to do this, Mr. Joseph. Thank you very much, really," Curtis insisted, trying to avoid a conflict between a father and his children."Of course, you don't have to do this!" shouted Ágata, filled with anger."Dad's money can only be for us and by us," asserted Cambell.While all this was happening, Joseph Stanton remained silent, observing his children's behavior."You're just a freeloader who has come to this mansion to take advantage of our father's old age," accused Carson."Yes!" said Ágata."Our father is senile; he doesn't know what he's saying."Insults against Curtis were thrown around. It was a full-blown attack against the poor guy who wasn't even at fault for being in
Some days had passed, and Joseph's health deteriorated again. The doctor prescribed spending at least a month on a paradisiacal island, away from the stress of his family.While Joseph enjoyed the sun on a beautiful Caribbean beach, Curtis was left at the mercy of the Stanton brothers and their deep hatred towards him.One day, Curtis was washing some of his clothes in the same fountain he used for bathing."Wash this garment too," Carson ordered, throwing one of his underwear in Curtis's face."Carson, please don't throw that at my face.""If not, what?" he asked threateningly, "Daddy isn't here to protect you.""Exactly... Joseph isn't here to protect anyone," Curtis said.His blood boiled with fury, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost cut into the flesh of his hands. His body trembled with rage, and the desire to beat Carson increased a thousandfold."What? Are you tired already? Can't take it anymore? Want to hit me? Go ahead! Hit me with all your strength."
Early the next day, the police inspector parked his car at the main entrance of the Stanton mansion.The Stanton siblings had reported the disappearance of some very expensive jewels belonging to their father. Among them, a wristwatch valued at over a million dollars.Inspector Ascanio was a highly corrupt and hateful man, always loyal to the interests of the Stanton siblings. He knew that someday these three brats would inherit Joseph's astronomical fortune and become the owners of the city.Carson, Cambell, and Agatha tried to look very distressed, pacing back and forth, with an acting performance worthy of an Academy Award."Inspector... Inspector..." Agatha shouted, pretending to be terrified.She ran to Inspector Ascanio, and when she finally reached him, she hugged him while pretending to be frightened."It's horrible, Inspector... My poor father has been the victim of a heinous robbery," Agatha said with a shaky voice.The inspector hugged her empathetically, but Agatha made su
"Probably a drug addict," said the police station receptionist when she saw Curtis arrive.She observed his unkempt hair, wrinkled shirt, and dirty shoes."You can't even imagine," replied Inspector Ascanio as he removed the handcuffs from Curtis."Tell me.""This little man was living in none other than the Stanton mansion, but he's not very bright.""No way," said the receptionist, astonished."He dared to rob Mr. Stanton and hid the loot under his bed.""How stupid!" exclaimed the receptionist.The inspector and the receptionist burst into laughter while Curtis endured it in silence."Put all your belongings here," the receptionist instructed, showing a plastic tray.Curtis just stared at her with an annoyed expression on his face."Don't you have anything?""He's a poor devil, Elizabeth, what do you expect from a man like him?""Not even a belt to hold up your pants?" the receptionist insisted."No," Curtis replied expressionless."What a kind heart the Stanton family has," the re
Curtis entered one of the most run-down hospitals in the entire country. The Stanton brothers refused to pay a penny for him to receive specialized care at a private clinic.For them, it was much better if Curtis died due to the severity of his injuries, but they never anticipated that he would endure all that punishment.Apparently, Curtis was much stronger than they thought. Those doctors barely cleaned his wounds, but he stayed alive throughout that time.After a week, he had managed to get out of that bed, albeit with difficulty walking and speaking, but he was always handcuffed to the hospital bed railing."Hello, Norton."That morning, Curtis woke up to Inspector Ascanio's face."The doctors just discharged you."Curtis struggled to speak, given the inflammation inside his mouth and the absence of some teeth."Me.... Me...""Sorry?" the inspector approached with his hand to his ear, sarcastically pretending not to hear Curtis. "I can't hear you," he said."Me.... am I going... h
"Norton... Norton..." Curtis heard over and over. He had fallen into a deep sleep where he believed he could hear Joseph's voice from the far reaches of that cell. Mr. Stanton's voice became louder and closer until he opened his eyes to realize it wasn't a dream. Joseph was truly there. He had come personally to get him out of that horrible place. "Joseph?" His eyes widened in surprise, his body gave a small jump that ended in gestures of pain, and a smile was inevitable upon seeing a familiar and trustworthy face after what he had been through. "You came." Curtis got up as best as he could and quickly stood in front of the bars to hold Joseph's hands through the grate. "I rushed here as soon as I found out," Joseph confessed. "I didn't steal from you, Joseph. It was all a plot against me." "I know, Norton, I know... You don't have to tell me anything; I know perfectly well what happened." It was at that moment that Joseph noticed the damage Curtis had suffered. "What the h
Campbell watched with concern the news of his mother's arrest on his cell phone as he prepared for the flight where he would escape with Dany.Dany noticed Campbell's demeanor and immediately took his hand to comfort him."We can't look back," Dany said, "I know just the thing to cheer you up."Dany went to the airplane minibar and grabbed a bottle of champagne, perfectly chilled. Without hesitation, she uncorked it in front of Campbell, letting the bubbly foam cascade everywhere, soaking the red carpet beneath their feet.It was all laughter, hugs, and kisses until a voice amplified by a megaphone wiped the smiles off their faces instantly."Campbell Stanton, step out of the plane with your hands on your head," the police chief's voice echoed through the megaphone.Campbell and Dany peered out the window to see an entire army of international special police agents on the runway, aiming their firearms directly at the plane.Curtis returned to the Stanton mansion safe and sound, as he
Charles Ballmer laughed maniacally. He couldn't believe that he had finally ended the life of the wretched Curtis Stanton. He had always known he would kill him since the day Curtis had used him as a stool alongside Araña years ago.His escorts also laughed, pleased to see that their boss had finally gotten what he wanted. However, things changed in an instant. A shot came out of nowhere, hitting one of the escorts directly in the forehead, killing him immediately. Another shot hit the leg of another escort, and that's when everyone finally reacted, starting to shoot in all directions without knowing where the shots were coming from.Charles Ballmer crouched down and quickly sought shelter from the gunfire while continuing to give orders."Shoot! Shoot at anything that moves!" Charles shouted, hiding behind one of the containers.Curtis was also crawling on the floor, completely unharmed by the shots Charles Ballmer had just fired at him.Immediately, the dock was filled with internat
The limousine slowly came to a stop in front of the Stanton mansion, and Agatha looked through the window while accompanied by Angeline."Welcome to your true home," said Agatha as the gigantic gate opened to allow the limousine to pass.Both were personally greeted by Curtis.Agatha quickly got out of the limousine and ran to hug Curtis."What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay on the island and take care of Angeline," Curtis reprimanded."He came back, Curtis. He managed to find me," Agatha confessed, terrified, with a look of fear in her eyes."That's impossible!" Curtis exclaimed."I know, I know. But he did it. He reached the hotel and chased me up the stairs. He said Angeline was his daughter and that he had the right to know her," Agatha said, unable to stop crying."You are safe now," Curtis comforted her with a kiss on the forehead."Daddy!" Angeline exclaimed, hugging her father's leg while Alfred carried Agatha's suitcases."Hello, my love," Curtis greeted with
“Curtis?” said Beth, peeking onto the balcony, “I finally found you. I've been searching all over the mansion for you.”“I was reminiscing about the view from this magnificent balcony,” Curtis replied.“Remembering old times, I imagine.”“Exactly in this spot, I stood the day Baxter went crazy and killed Lucius for no reason,” commented Curtis, fully aware that Beth was the culprit. However, he never pointed the finger at her directly.Beth immediately understood the accusatory remark and simply smiled to keep up the pretense.“It’s a real shame that such a beautiful place brings such bitter memories to your mind,” Beth responded.“No, not at all. It’s the perfect occasion to remember the inexplicable things that only happen in the Stanton mansion. Ander died and no one knows a thing about what happened. It’s exactly the same with Lucius and Baxter,” Curtis remarked sarcastically. “These elegant walls hold mysteries that the world has no clue about.”Beth only responded with a feigned
Agatha couldn't believe it. That man had found her and surely wanted to harm her and her young daughter. She could expect anything from Prince Rick at that moment. It was impossible to trust someone who had abandoned her and stolen all her money."Let's go, Angeline. We need to go back," Agatha said, terrified, taking her young daughter by the arm to return to the elevator."Agatha!" Prince Rick shouted, rising from his seat when he saw that Agatha wanted to flee from him.However, the elevator had already closed again and was on the upper floors. No matter how many times Agatha pressed the buttons, the door simply wouldn't open.Agatha watched with concern as Rick quickly crossed the entire lobby to reach where she was."Let's go through the stairs," Agatha said, picking up her young daughter and carrying her to move much faster.She was forced to walk a bit further to her right to enter the door leading to the hotel's stairs. She tried to move as quickly as possible without drawing
The next day, all the media outlets were abuzz with a story that went global in a matter of minutes.Ander Stanton, the youngest member of the powerful Stanton family, had been found completely charred inside the remains of a limousine that had been intentionally set on fire. He was found alongside a girl, also charred, who, for some strange reason, had a chain tied around her neck.This news plunged the Stanton family into mourning and called into question the performance of the city's police authorities. The citizens were alarmed. If something like this could happen to someone as important as Ander Stanton, what could an ordinary citizen expect?"That's common in this city. People are murdered like that every day. It's just that now it's someone rich, and that makes the difference," said an old woman being interviewed on television while Charles Ballmer and Beth Aldress watched.They were both completely naked and sitting in a hot tub. Charles was enjoying a cigar while Beth just re
Ander lost all the harshness in his voice and his bravery vanished as if by magic. Now he was just a scared and cowardly child, trembling like jelly in front of what seemed like a ghost from the past."Annie..." Ander sobbed, a mix of lament and high-pitched cry.He began to sweat profusely, and tears streamed down his face like waterfalls as he remained in disbelief. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing.Annie was there, staring at him face to face. However, she seemed unresponsive. Somehow, Charles Ballmer had managed to destroy her feelings and emotions. Everything that Annie once was had been erased from her mind forever. Now she was just a kind of pet that only served to wag her tail when her master, Charles Ballmer, came home tired from work."What did that bastard do to you?" Ander said, crying like a child.He took the chain that bound Annie's neck and noticed it was made of very resistant material. Perhaps that was why she had never managed to escape. Or maybe Charle
Ander woke up again in the middle of the night due to a horrible recurring nightmare that he had over and over again. Annie's face and voice tormented him during his dreams, preventing him from resting. Since it happened, Ander hadn't been able to sleep peacefully on any of the following nights."You're a damn coward," he told himself to gather the courage to go on with his life.His idea was to convince himself that he had chosen well by showing loyalty to Charles Ballmer. After all, Annie had brought that horrible end upon herself. However, the nightmares and the bitter taste in his mouth didn't go away with anything. Maybe it was something he had to learn to live with.The next day, everything returned to normal at the Stanton mansion. Beth walked proudly around the mansion, not missing any opportunity to rub her triumph in Curtis' face.However, Curtis was locked in his room with no desire to come out. He just stared out the window while everyone else enjoyed the pool. Maybe they
"Congratulations," said Campbell innocently."I think you should be grateful he didn’t get your wife pregnant, idiot," Beth snapped angrily, while Campbell felt ashamed."My personal life with my wife is none of the business of anyone present," Curtis commented immediately, although, to be honest, he was still in shock."You’re right. We don’t care about the child of a bastard and a traitor," Beth said venomously, not caring that she was talking about her own grandchild."He will own everything you see," Curtis defended himself with a sharp comment."That reminds me," Beth stood up and began walking around the office, "the new company directors have been talking, and...""And what?" Curtis questioned."And we’re thinking of kicking you out of the business," Carson immediately attacked.Curtis smiled, letting out a bit of air in a half-laugh."That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard," Curtis said, smiling."We want to remove you from your duties as president of Stanton Enterpr