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2024-10-29 19:42:56Paul heaved a sigh. He didn't want any more trouble from the Winstons but the dark glares that Lady Winston and Jude Bournemouth threw at him forced him to pause his movement.
“What are you still doing here? Have you not signed it?” Jude questioned, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Signed what?” Paul asked.
“The divorce agreement, you dummy,” Jude retorted. “Are you not tired of having a mistress who pushes you around? Pfff! Behave like a man for once and find something useful to do with your life because you don't have a place here”.
“Mr. Bournemouth, Sarah is still my wife despite our misunderstandings. We will work things out as long as you don't come in between us,” Paul protested.
Jude forced out a low chuckle which suddenly turned into full-blown mocking laughter. “You sissy of a man. Are you also going to take care of my child for me inside her belly? Sarah must have endured a lot staying with a pauper like you.”
Paul was rooted to the spot. Something inside of him hoped that Sarah was only pranking him about the pregnancy but there was a confirmation from the horse's mouth. It was true after all - he had been cuckolded.
His fists vibrated as a feeling of anger coursed through him. He felt like smashing Jude’s head to the wall. After all, he didn't have much to lose. Being locked behind bars would not be the worst thing to happen to him considering his new reality.
“Just don't waste your saliva on him,” Lady Winston tapped Jude on the shoulder as if to calm him. “Take this card. It contains 7 million dollars. This is for you to leave my daughter alone and sign the divorce agreement.”
Lady Winston carefully placed the card in Paul’s front pocket as she opened the scroll containing the divorce agreement, spreading it on a table.
“What?!” Jude barked. “Lady Winston, why would you give this lowlife 7 million just to sign a divorce agreement? We have been feeding and providing shelter for him the past years and now, is he going to actually accept such money when you can just force him into signing the damn agreement.”
“I have also contributed my quota in this family but because I don't boast about it, you all look down on me,” Paul defended himself earnestly as Jude folded his arm patiently waiting for the trash that was going to come out next from his mouth.
“I won't take the bribe,” he affirmed, returning the card.
“Before Lord Winston died, he trusted me with negotiating and finalizing some contract deals which skyrocketed the finances of the corporation. He cautioned me not to tell anyone that I brokered those contracts myself because he knew people like you would kill me before I got the chance to breathe the next morning air.”
Paul wasn't lying. Lord Winston’s death was truly a setback for him. He was a master negotiator who always made clients believe that they took the better deal when in fact, they took the worst portion of the cake. He had wits and quick thinking which served Lord Winston well. He was Lord Winston’s secret card but since his death, his in-laws had relegated him to a lowly errand boy.
Jude’s shoulder vibrated with the burst of laughter that oozed out, his eyes full of malice. “I thought you couldn't possibly go lower than what you are but just look at you. How could Lord Winston have trusted you with even a strand of his hair?”
Jude spat on the ground. He was now getting irritated. “It seems this bastard is claiming that he deserves a place here. If you wanted money, you could have just rolled on the floor and begged but it seems you have some pride in you.”
Just then, Frank Winston, the Winston’s family first son, rushed out from the grand foyer of his apartment. “Don't tell me this lowly destitute of a man has not signed the divorce agreement”
“My son, he hasn't. Even with 7 million dollars to his name, he seems to be acting stubborn,” Lady Winston responded in a weary, pitiful tone as if trying to gain sympathy.
“What?!”
WACK!
Paul received a loud thud to the back of his head from Frank.
Frank Winston wasn't someone to be messed with. He was a no-nonsense man and this attitude somehow transcended into his professional life.
He would usually leave negotiations angry anytime his partners or rivals raised a term he wasn't impressed with. His father, Lord Winston, tried severally to show him how it was done but he had one hell of an ego.
One time, he almost got his whole family into serious trouble when the late Lord Winston sent him to broker a deal with a beverage group. He ended up losing his temper during a disagreement, splashing his morning cup of coffee on his counterpart.
“Who do you think you are to think you can cause a problem for us in this family?” Frank seethed, dragging the dollar card off Lady Winston’s hand. “You are not receiving a dime from this family but you will sign the divorce. Am I understood? Look at any of us in this family, do we look like someone on your level?”
“I respect the late Lord Winston but because you are his first son, I will let this fly even though you have made a mistake,” his voice quavered as the words came out of his mouth. “In the meantime, I have decided to sign the divorce agreement.”
“Good! Look who is finally coming back to his senses,” Jude smirked, his words dripping with mockery.
Paul finally got the divorce papers and signed them as Sarah watched proudly from the terrace, a smug smile on her face as she sipped a cup of Lemonade.
She was finally free from the pauper.
The Bournemouths were quite richer than the Winston and she knew that marrying Jude was a big deal for her family and business.
However, as Paul left the manor hanging his head low, there was a change in her expression. She had a haunted look in her eyes and knew that this time, Paul had left for good. Her cheeks flushed as she struggled to come to terms with that.
Paul's eyes darkened and he felt his face burning with shame. He wished that the ground would open up and swallow him.
His train of thought was disrupted when his cell phone rang.
“Am I onto Mr. Leonard?” the voice echoed through the phone.
“Yes, this is Mr. Leonard speaking. Who is this please?”
“Good Evening Sir, this is Officer Hall from the New York Police Department.” the voice from the other end of the phone responded.
“How can I help you?” Paul asked curiously.
“I am calling to inform you that you are under arrest for a Ponzi scheme-related offense”
“What?! A Ponzi scheme? Why would I be involved in that?” Paul was genuinely confused. He didn't own a single dollar. How could he be involved in an offense as complicated as a Ponzi?
“We need you to come right away to our station. Don't be late or there will be consequences,” the voice sounded mean this time around.
Paul’s heart sank deep into his stomach. He thought the day couldn't have gone worse after the humiliation he faced at the hands of his in-laws but this was something else.
Something was wrong, Paul thought. He was determined to clear his name quickly so he took the next available taxi with his last dime and zoomed off.
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Triumph Of The Belittled Son-in-law CHAPTER 3
Paul arrived at the New York City Police Precinct. The Police officers all had mean faces. He was directed to sit in the reception area but he had been waiting for almost 3 hours without anyone attending to him despite his polite requests to officers who were passing by to know why he was summoned.He knew that they were very aware that he was waiting because they were whispering words to each other and stealing glances at him. They must be gossiping about me, he thought.But why would they be having a chatter about him? He checked the wall clock and it was already 10 pm but since he didn't have anywhere he would have slept the night anyway, he kept mute for a few more minutes until he finally voiced out. “Am I being kept here purposely? Why is no one answering me? Can I leave now or is there still an arrest? His voice was tinged with worry as he cleaned the sweat off his face with his elbow. He had had one hell of a day.A few minutes later, an officer approached him. He had a ster
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“Bullshit! Look into my eyes. I have been doing this job for almost 25 years. I can tell when a suspect is just making a show or pretending to have no idea about something,” Officer Astrid snapped her fingers toward Paul.“I am not making a show Ma’am,” Paul pleaded.“Officer!” Astrid raised her voice irritably. “You refer to me as an officer.”“Alright Officer Astrid,” Paul swallowed a bit, trying to catch his breath. “I know these memos and financial statements. They were the basis of my work with Lord Winston before he died but these…..”Officer Hall interrupted him abruptly. “Good! You are finally realising that you are guilty so why are we still here?”Paul wondered why the officers were already pronouncing him guilty. Was their job not to find the truth? He knew that Ponzi scheme interrogations are usually extensive and it was completely strange not even to ask any questions from any member of the Winston family.He wasn't even a member of their family anymore so why would he su
Triumph Of The Belittled Son-in-law CHAPTER 5
In the blink of an eye, the masked men escorted Paul to a black Volkswagen Amarok truck.He was taken to the back seat with two masked men sitting on either side of him as a young lady drove the truck. The truck didn't have even a single scratch despite colliding with the prisoner transport van, which suffered a lot of damage. The interior of the truck was modern-looking and the leather upholstery alone was able to tell the quality of the truck.“Young master, we are very happy to have found you after all these years,” the young lady driving the truck said. She seemed very calm as opposed to Paul whose eyes darted around the interior of the truck, his breathing very rapid.“You can remove your masks now,” she instructed the masked men. “Take care of his wound too.”The men immediately took off their masks and Paul could see their true faces - they were like normal calm human beings as opposed to the monsters that they looked like with the mask.Paul felt a little relieved seeing thei
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Grandpa Leonard’s body was thin and frail from worry.It was very difficult finding Paul - the Winston family's decision to spread the news of his arrest and incarceration was the only way Grandpa Leonard could trace his whereabouts and rescue him in the prisoner transport van. The Winstons thought they could suppress the pressure on them and make their investors think that the bad egg had been thrown out but they ended up giving way too much information, helping Grandpa Leonard with the missing puzzle to find his grandson, Paul.Grandpa Leonard’s back was hunched and his neck bones were very visible as if piercing his poor skin which was like paper. There was a twinkle in his watery eyes and one could tell that he would be beyond his 80s.Paul stood still as if he was frozen, his eyes devoid of feelings as Grandpa Leonard embraced him. “Oh! My boy. You have grown a lot since we met many years ago,” Grandpa Leonard quivered as he spoke. Paul didn't give any response. Instead, his t
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Paul was completely absorbed with Grandpa Leonard’s explanation but he couldn't help wondering how fast his life had changed. Just a couple of days ago, he was chased away by his ex-in-laws for being poor and now he had the biggest responsibility that only the wealthiest of persons could carry.“It's a tough job finding these informants but I have an idea, Grandpa,” Paul said, causing Grandpa Leonard’s eyes to light up as he got off the couch, his eyes full of hope.His weak muscles were even more tense in anticipation.Paul took a deep breath and continued. “Since these informants want to tarnish the image of our companies by producing counterfeit products, we have to assume that they already know our secrets or at least most of them.”Grandpa Leonard nodded quickly in affirmation. “Uhm, yes, you are very right”“We will conduct an internal investigation in all of our companies,” Paul explained.Even though Paul had spent all of his life being poor, he had always been very intelligen
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Back at the Winston family, they were all shocked to hear that Paul Leonard was rescued from the prisoner transport van. They inquired angrily about who rescued him and how it happened but the police were even more shocked at how swiftly they were robbed of their man. The authorities were unable to give definitive answers leaving the Winstons on the lookout for him. They were determined that he was going to answer for the stunt he pulled.But they had bigger problems.The Bournemouth family, who are allied to the Winstons, had a fallout. The Winstons had an agreement with the Bournmouths for the completion of a building project worth 700 million dollars but the Winstons stopped halfway because they lacked the resources to complete the project, leading to threats of being sued.The Winstons had just escaped a Ponzi Scheme allegation by the skin of their teeth and a court matter would put a suspicious eye on them so they applied for a partnership deal with another company, Rochester C
Triumph Of The Belittled Son-in-law CHAPTER 9
Paul Leonard?Jude Bournemouth couldn't believe his eyes. His limbs were stiff and he was unable to control his muscles. How is it that Paul Leonard dared to play a prank on them that way? Was he not supposed to be in jail supping with his fellow inmates and showing them how much of a lowly man he was? Sarah Winston leaned toward her husband in shock as if Paul had just resurrected from a tomb. She looked like she had been struck by lightning, her hands pressed against her mouth.“What nonsense is going on here?” Jude voiced out, turning towards Miriam, his face expectant of an explanation as he stood from kneeling. He couldn't imagine going on his knees before a destitute like Paul. “He is supposed to be behind bars, Miss. Zendaya. Are you aware that you are harboring an inmate?”“What an irony! Mr. Paul Leonard here is the CEO of the Imperial Society Syndicate and right now, you are nothing but a donkey trapped in the wilderness,” Miriam responded.Paul's mouth curved into a big
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There was a dead silence among the reporters as Jude mentioned that he had to make some confessions. They were all attentive because they knew that it was likely to be important news that would fill the front pages of the newspapers - cool money for them.Jude’s eyes darted back and front as he seemed to be considering his options. Making a public confession would ruin everything that he and his family had ever built? Perhaps he should have made a deal with Paul first before accepting to make a confession that could taint his dignity for the rest of his life.But what choice did he have. His last meeting with Paul didn’t seem like a friendly one. He could still feel the deep pain from the microchip on back of neck. Would he just succumb or was there one last bit of stunt he could pull.Jude looked at his wife - she didn’t look like someone who had ideas brimming on her head. They were doomed.“Mr. Bournemouth, it seems you have forgotten that you have confessions to make,” one of the
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Paul who was darting from side to side in confusion soon saw a figure in front of him. His ropes were cut off a lightning speed as he was escorted out of the hall by a figure.Paul gasped in shock when he saw the figure that had come to protect him.“Dane Michaelson?!” Paul gasped in surprise. “Is this you? What are you doing?”Dane Michaelson was Paul’s long-term friend and high schoolmate who had always been like a guardian angel to him. He always protected Paul from bullies when he was in high school and even had a young age, Dane Michaelson had impressive fighting skills that he used to defeat anyone who came across him to defy him or any of his friends. Paul learned a few fighting skills from Dane but their friendship was put to a halt when Dane had to travel far away for a scholarship. He promised that he was going to be back though and that he would always keep an eye on him.“I told you that I would be back for you, didn't I?” Dane spoke in a hurried tone, his words coming o
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He didn’t want Grandpa Leonard to suffer more than he already had and he was feeling as though he should have done more to protect Grandpa Leonard.Grandpa Leonard was also tied with bonds to the wheelchair and his face was set in a mask of grim determination as he endured the agony, his eyes narrowed with focus against the torrent of pain.“I am the head of the Imperial Society Syndicate, not him,” Pail spoke, trying to defend Grandpa Leonard.“Son, do not worry about me. This is not the time to speak of vain things,” Grandpa Leonard spoke sternly as if to tell Paul not to worry about him.The Red Witch erupted in a burst of laughter that echoed through the hall, her expression twisted into a malicious smile as she took pleasure in her evil deeds. It brought her so much joy to see Paul and Grandpa Leonard sit side-by-side and have their faces contorted with grief.Her smile curved into a malicious grin as she turned towards Paul. “Long time, no see Paul Leonard. Don’t tell me that yo
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Paul could hear their voices and it was mixed with laughter and merriment. The stench of alcohol filled the place and Paul was wondering if it was the same person that was tied to a chair that everyone was celebrating about.But there was something else that caught Paul’s interest. He kept hearing them call out a Red Witch. He had heard the word more than twice already since his eyes fluttered open and from the conversation that his ears were able to pick, it seemed as if the Red Witch wasn’t just an ordinary person.It could be one of their leaders, he thought. Or could it be the person that was assigned to kill him and render whatever punishment they had against him?Paul was suddenly shocked when he received a huge flow of water attacking him on his face. He spluttered and shuddered as his body shook violently, expelling the water from his lungs. His throat was constructed painfully as he tried to draw breath. He shook his face repeatedly so that the water could fall off his face a
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Sarah couldn’t help but defend herself. She wasn’t just going to keep quiet and allow things to happen to her. She had to speak up and defend herself, she thought.“I brought the antidote that is now the reason why you are alive. I suffered a lot and risked a lot to get the antidote. I had an agreement with Janet, Frank, and Thomas but they haven’t told me anything,” Sarah stammered in panic, her words tumbling out rapidly as she tried to explain herself. “I don’t deserve this treatment and I don’t understand why you have to force me here as if I shouldn’t be one of the partakers of the good things of Winston Corporation. If you knew what I did to get the antidote for you, you probably wouldn’t be treating me this way. What else do I have to do to prove that I deserve my previous position back.”Janet retorted. “Liar! Liar! You cannot get your previous position back. You are a rotten piece of dirt!l Janet retorted.”Janet was always upset by the fact that Sarah was desperate to get h
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CHAPTER 196
Sarah’s voice was breaking because she wondered what she said that was wrong. “Y-e-s.”“What?!” Arianna fumed. “What exactly are you still doing at the inner chamber? You have already made the mistake of giving them the antidote but what business do you still have there?”“I just think that maybe they would—-” Sarah’s voice was breaking with tension.Arianna spoke over her in a loud frothing. “You think what exactly? What exactly do you think? Are you still delusional enough to think that Lady Winston would give you the requests that you asked for?”Arianna’s tone was insistent and her expression furious as she rendered a warning. “What exactly are you still there for when they have already shown you the writing on the wall? Oh my goodness!”“You had better start running away from there because if the history of your family’s wickedness is anything to go by, then it won’t be long until they arrest you and even do much worse to you than they wanted to do before. Do you think Lady Winst
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CHAPTER 195
Arianna’s voice was tinged with a hint of unease as she tried to communicate her fears. “Doctor Lopez? Wait, don’t tell me that you tried to get the antidote from him to help Lady Winston.”Sarah bit her lips again because she didn’t know how to answer the question. “That’s exactly what I did,” she finally spoke out.“My goodness!” Arianna spoke out loud, her voice ringing with a loud echo from the phone as she conveyed her disappointment. “I thought that Paul already gave you a new and improved job. What happened that would make you go back to the same mess that you were coming from.”“I just couldn’t find it comfortable there. I couldn’t stop thinking about Winston Corporation. I thought that I felt at home at Winston Corporation,” Sarah attempted to justify herself, her voice faltering because she realized the fault in her argument.“Can you even listen to yourself?” Arianna seethed, her voice rising with a cold anger and tinged with disappointment. “You are somehow trying to justi
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“Do you really think that I will listen to her deceits? She has seen that Paul can do no good for her and now she wants to return to where she made a life. Oh, how foolish does she think we would be.”“In any case, I am glad that she came right into our hands because now she will get the punishment that she escaped narrowly before. Who would have thought that she would come right under our nose so easily for us to dismantle her.”Janet's cheek flushed with happiness as she smiled brightly, her eyes shining with excitement.Of course, neither she nor her brothers had the intention of fulfilling the pact that they had with Sarah. They were all trying to get the antidote and now that Lady Winston was back in a healthy condition, they could do away with Sarah. In fact, Frank and Thomas especially were expecting Lady Winston not to suspend the punishment that she had earlier placed on her.“Come to think of it. Where is she now? Where did she go? “ Lady Winston asked. They all turned the
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She recalled that she had forgotten the gun that Arianna gave to her in Doctor Lopez’s office. That gun was the evidence that was going to stand against her if Doctor Lopez died. Her mind started reeling with desperate thoughts. What if she had committed murder all for nothing? Was she going to lose on both ends? How long was she going to keep foolishly trusting her family to back her up and then proving that they were always going to stab her in the back?An investigation was going to be carried out into what happened with Doctor Lopez, she reasoned. They were going to trace it to her and tell Paul about it. She couldn't imagine how disgusted Paul was going to feel to learn that she had betrayed him even much more intentionally this time.The inner chamber had high ceilings adorned with intricate carvings. The walls were lined with tapestries and brilliant decorations conveying a sense of power and prestige. Frank and Thomas led Lady Winston until she reclined on a sumptuous chair
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Lady Winston soon spoke, her words drowned with fatigue and her speech slow and deliberate as she feigned an extra bit of tiredness. “Hello everyone. I appreciate that you have all come here to witness this moment. I appreciate all those whose prayers and thoughts have been with me.”“But as you can see, I am recovering from a very delicate condition that would require that I have a long rest so I will be accompanied by my family - Frank, Thomas, Estevan, and Janet who I am sure must have been working day and night to ensure that I am back to normalcy.”The employees all erupted in applause, their faces contorted with nervousness as they gradually returned to their duty posts.Sarah’s expression was glazed, her eyes unfocused and her mouth hanging slightly open as she stared blankly, her features slack with confusion. Her haze was disoriented as she stared back and forth, her expression clouded with confusion and uncertainty. The applause was like a torment to her because it was cons
