The Alistair family mansion, lit up by the beautiful lights inside, shone brightly in the night and provided a sharp contrast to the houses around. There was an uproar in the house as the people inside were discussing their favourite topic. Damien Avery.
He was standing quietly while they were throwing insults at him. He had his head down and was patiently waiting for them to stop speaking so he could tell them what was bothering him.
“I’ve never been so humiliated in my life like I was today.” Sherry Alistair said, placing a hand on her head as she sneered at her husband, Damien. She was dressed as the powerful businesslady she was. A chic grey suit and accessories to match.
It was a contrast to the sweatshirt and cheap shorts her husband was wearing. She had been so embarrassed when he had shown up at her party uninvited and unannounced.
“I need to go in. You can’t just stop me here, I must get inside.” Damien had shouted outside the banquet hall.
“Who are you and what do you think they are doing here?” One of the guards asked as he looked at him from his head down to his cheap set of miserable clothings. He berated Damien and he made it obvious. He was certain there was no way someone as poor and wretched as Damien would know anyone in the party.
Damien looked at his cheap clothes and sucked in a deep breath. He knew getting inside would be difficult but he had no choice. His life depended on it and if it meant fighting with the Securities to enter, he wouldn’t mind and he would enter.
“I know someone there and she would like to see me. She knows me so well that she would fight you if she saw the way you are treating me now. Don’t you understand? I said I need to enter.” Damien was frustrated. He had tried pleading with the guards but none of them had his time and they continued deriding him as if he was a nobody.
Yes, he knew he was a nobody but he was human too and these people needed to respect that. “I might be poor but I know quite a few rich people.” He thought inwardly even though he knew it wasn’t something to be proud about.
“Who is that person that you know inside? I’m sure you’re lying and whatever you are saying is nonsense.” One of the bodyguards said with a smug smile on his face. He was starting to find Damien’s actions amusing.
Damien ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he would be in trouble if he mentioned the names of the people he knew inside but was there a way to enter without mentioning them? No matter what, he was going to keep the names in and find a better way to enter without calling out the names.
“I don’t want to. Can’t you let me in without knowing them? I just need to tell them something.” He complained, his hair already a mess as he wouldn’t stop running his fingers through it. It was his way of controlling his emotions.
The bodyguards looked at each other and frowned “I told you this guy is crazy. The only good thing about him is his good looks. I guess he thinks he can come here and win girls over with it.” One of them mocked as he laughed lightly.
“What is that? I’m sure I have more chances than him even though I’m not as good-looking. Money matters these days and he doesn’t have that. He is useless, unwanted and worthless in this age and era. Someone like him will just keep getting trampled on by bigger families.” The guard said, shaking his head as he let out a deep breath.
Damien looked at the man and he felt sad too. That was his life, getting trampled on was something he experienced every day and many had asked him why he was in a marriage that did nothing other than frustrate his life and make him more useless than he was. He wanted his life back but was there even a life without money? Was there a life for a wretched person like him? He knew there wasn’t and that was why he continued enduring while waiting for a better day.
He sighed “Fine, I need to get in and if you want me to mention the names of the people I know here, then I will.” He replied. He could not avoid getting cursed at either way. It was either he entered then or never and the more time he wasted, the earlier he would lose his job.
His heart was racing but he was done fighting. “The Alistair’s family. I’m Sherry Alistair’s husband.” He confessed, his head a little lowered and sweat forming on his forehead.
“You are mad.” One of the bodyguards said as he started laughing. He knew Damien was crazy but he hadn't thought it was to this length.
Damien, on the other hand was used to it. This was the reaction he got from people whenever he mentioned his wife’s name and he was tired of issues like that.
Shaking her head, it was hard on Sherry as she snapped out of memory lane. She remembered what her ears had caught on her way out to receive a call from a business partner. She felt so embarrassed that she had to stop herself from screaming out loud and she was glad the bodyguards didn’t believe Damien either.
“It was lucky he was intercepted at the door by the bodyguards” Her mother said consoling her as Sherry made an exaggerated show of grief.
“Lucky?!” it would definitely be in the tabloids tomorrow. He caused a scene there. He was shouting to be let in so he could see the CEO who was his wife,” Sherry shrieked to her family.
“That’s what you get when you have a wretched low life as a son-in-law. Now you all see why I was against this marriage from the start” Henry Alistair said disdainfully. He was Sherry’s brother and he hated Damien the most out of the family. He made it a duty to humiliate him whatever chance he got.
“Don’t cry now dear” His mother in law said, patting Sherry on the back as she threw an evil eye at him as she spoke.
There was no reaction from Damien whatsoever as he held a poker face to the insults thrown at him. This only aggravated Henry the more as he wanted to elicit a response from him.
“I thought we told you there was no need to attend the business function. Shouldn’t you have been at your delivery job?” He spat out, facing him directly.
“I only came because I needed money to settle an important issue,” Damien said, looking at each of them. He saw no sympathy in any of their eyes. Even his wife was glaring at him.
“You should be grateful we’re allowing you to live off us while we get nothing in return. You should be more ashamed to ask us for money, you miserable low-life.” Henry’s wife, Sheila shot at him.
He sighed inwardly at her words. She never ceased to remind him about his status in life and how he should be grateful to her family. It wasn’t his fault he was where he was. He thought it was love but he didn’t know Sherry was looking for any husband to pacify her family who was pressuring her to marry fast. A cheapskate she could control was the perfect choice for her.
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I was waylaid by robbers on my way to deliver a package. Inside the package was a Rolex Daytona watch. It cost $5 million. I have to deliver it before the company finds out.” He said, clasping his hands together as he pleaded with them.
Damien wasn’t expecting the reaction he got from Henry when he finished talking. His brother-in-law just threw his head back and laughed for a long time.
“Grandma, did you hear what he said? He really thinks we’re stupid. He finally wants to rob us and he has come up with such a clever plan.”
“I don’t see you on your knees. It seems you don’t want the money after all,”
Damien immediately prostrated flat on his face hoping it would pacify them and make them give him the money.
“I have to buy and return the watch before the company finds out. I’ll lose my job first if it gets out and still be made to pay the money.”
At that moment there was the sound of a shrill ringtone coming from one of their phones. It turned out to be Sherry’s phone. She fumbled through her bag to get it then looked at the screen frowning when she did. She looked strangely afterwards at Damien on the floor.
“What is it? Why are you staring at the lowlife like that?” Henry asked her as they all looked on
“It’s from his workplace, his boss is calling me.”
Sherry continued staring at Damien, thinking about whether to answer the call or not. She had an idea of the reason the man was calling her as she knew Damien wasn’t lying when he explained earlier but she didn't want to be bothered about it.Damien’s miserable look only made her excited and what better way to make his life difficult than to watch him getting fired and rendered jobless? She stared at him for a while and let out a deep breath. “Maybe I should answer the call and hear what he has to say.” She muttered as she looked at her phone. Henry shook his head “Why will you do that? It’s obvious he wants to ask you about Damien and maybe they will soon be here to lock him up?” He asked, his voice filled with annoyance and mockery. If there was anyone who hated Damien more than anything, then it would be him and his way of venting his frustration was cursing out Damien. He wondered how happy he would be to see Damien crumble more than he already was. “I think Sherry is right. We
A bank card was handed over to Damien and without wasting time, he collected the card and sighed. “Thanks. I will quickly go now.” He said as he turned around, ready to leave. “Just make sure to return that card because the money there is more than enough to buy you.” Henry mocked but Damien refused to reply to him as he walked out of the house and headed straight for the shop where he knew he could get the Rolex Daytona watch. His journey there wasn’t as smooth as he thought as his boss wouldn’t stop calling him and when he got tired of ending the call, he answered and explained to him that he would get the watch soon. Getting to the shop, the first thing that entered his eyes was how grand the shop was and he stood in front of it, staring at the building for a while. “If only I am a little more fortunate, then I could have worked here as the manager or director but here I am, a penniless monger who has nothing to his name. The little chance I got in life will soon be taken away f
Seeing the men, Damien could barely work out what they wanted but to his surprise, the next thing he felt was a sharp pain and he lost consciousness. The men looked around to make sure no one suspected them or had their time before they quickly opened the door and bundled Damien inside. "He's not dead, is he?" One of the men asked as he watched Damien's body turn limp on the car's back seat. "I know you're just a driver but can't you use more of your sense? Who cares if he dies anyway?" Another man asked as he sat down beside Damien. "Well... It might not be that easy for you as he wouldn't make it that way. I'm sure you understand how he is and it's better not to annoy him at all."The third man replied as he walked over to the other side of the car, opened the door and entered. "It's time to leave. Let's just leave here!" The man beside Damien shouted as he hit his large hand on Damien's cheeks as if he was the source of his problem. The car started without much talking and they d
Damien closed his eyes, waiting for what would happen next as he knew no one would be able to save him anymore. Killian was ready to kill him and that would certainly be the end for him. While he was expecting the gun to burst his head, He heard footsteps walking toward them but he was unable to think about that as his mind was far too preoccupied with the fear of death. "Killian, Stop!" The man yelled as he took large steps and got to them in no time. Killian froze for a second but he soon composed himself and dropped the gun to his side before standing up. "Brother, what are you doing here?" He asked calmly as he quickly kept the gun he was holding. The man who entered looked like someone in their early late sixties with grey hair covering his head. His face was wrinkled but went far off from hiding his good looks. Damien noticing the change in the air, opened his eyes slowly and the first thing he saw was the back of Killian who was speaking to the old man. "Should I grab the
Everything seemed like a long dream to Damien as he listened to the story the old man was telling him. One thing he had figured out during the story session was that he identified the man but he wasn’t sure if he was right or not. He waited for the man to be done and when he saw that the man was done talking, he pressed his finger on his lips as if to feel the presence of his lips before he let out a deep breath and frowned. “Sir... If I may ask, who are you?” He wanted to confirm his suspicion. The old man smiled “My name is Tyson Avery.” He replied as he stood up and held his hand out toward Damien. “I made sure to put down your name at the orphanage home back then but I thought whoever adopted you would change the name. It seems that never happened.” The old man replied with a big smile on his face. Damien took the man’s hand and with his help, he was able to stand to his feet. The first thing he did was bow deeply “I’m sorry. I never intended to steal your things.” He apologize
Damien drove down to his new apartment with one of Tyson’s bodyguards but he did not waste much time there before taking an Uber back to the Alistair’s mansion. On getting there, he looked at the mansion he had stayed in for the past few years and his heart started to clench. The treatment he received from his wife and her family, the humiliation he faced because he was poor and the difficulty of everything that had to do with him just because he was poor made his eyes stung with tears but he forced it back. It wasn’t time to cry... No, it was his happiest day on earth and his life had finally changed. With the money that his father gave to him, sweat wouldn’t form on his forehead even if he bought off everything that belonged to Alistair and without struggle, his life was no longer the same. The family that was leap and bound greater than he was a few hours ago were now hundreds folds below him and he could destroy them with a wink if he wanted. This was the life he had always wan