2023-12-27 13:08:38His heart beating hard against his chest as though it was going to burst through. He watched as Ariel walked up to him, her hands firmly around his neck, and she kissed him.
"I never knew that I had gotten a blessing in disguise." She muttered under her breath.
Soon, Austin could no longer control himself as he burst out into laughter making everyone in the room fling in his direction.
"Is the fool real right now?"
"What makes him think that he can laugh?" Another voice streamed swiftly into his ears.
He could already hear the pattern of feet from behind and he turned around to see who it was only to notice that it was Lady Kate.
His hands had a tight frown on her face, one that was enough to throw him off balance.
"And what right do you think that you have the right to laugh?" She thundered at him, her voice laced with so much hatred and disgust but even at this, he was still calm.
"I just wanted to know which heir is befriending. The one that I know or anyone else." He finally said. Not intending to say the words aloud but didn't realize when he did that.
At first, there was still silence in the place after which everyone that surrounded him burst out into laughter at the words.
"Has the divorce affected you so much that you are no longer thinking straight?" Ariel could not control her laughter as a drop of tears escaped from her eyes even without her knowledge of it.
Luther shot a really weird stare at him after he was able to control his laughter.
"Come to think of it. What do you That you will be able to clean the dust off the shoes of the heir even if you have an opportunity to?
I am beginning to wonder how engrossed you are in this dilemma of yours." He laughed at him.
Austin's arms were clenched to reinstate his calm as he continued to stare at him right in the eyes.
"You do a great job of deceiving people. I wonder how long you will be able to keep up with it." He muttered under his breath with an air of disgust hovering around the words.
They went ahead to sign the papers as he had a lot to carry out for that day.
First, Mr. Rufus made sure that all the colors were matching to his taste. Never had he imagined that his uncle could be this nice.
Hearts racing, teeth clicking. Something didn't feel right with him that evening but he pushed the thoughts away from his head.
"I would like to introduce you to the board of directors first." His uncle announced to him before going to the main party that was going to start in a few moments.
Taking him around each of them, they all took turns bowing before him.
Soon, it was over and he proceeded to the hall. Flirts of luxury cars were packed around, enough to snap the breath out of anybody's lungs.
Staring at the beautiful building that was laced with gold and silver, he could feel his heart beating hard against his chest.
His eyes skimmed through the hall as though he was in search of someone. Soon, he heard a swift pattern of feet racing toward him.
"Sir. Austin". A voice called out to him from behind.
Turning around, his eyes met with Jane. She seemed to be a little bit exhausted as sweat gradually dropped down from the corner of her face.
And though it was not easily noticeable, as someone wholly intelligent he could tell that her steps were unsteady.
"Sir Austin." She greeted once again, bowing slightly before him and most people didn't notice this strange exchange between them.
"I wanted to tell you the turnout of things." She finally began, drawing her pad off from her purse.
She listed every single bit of the events and finally ended with a note.
"Mr. Ramsey and Rufus are at the hospital and will be here as soon as possible." She finally said and he nodded his head, drawing a really deep breath as his heart raced faster.
"I will leave now." She finally said but as she was about to go, he stopped her, making her turn around towards him.
"Is there anything that I can do for you Young master?" She inquired but he shook his head and proceeded to compliment her.
"You did a great job here." He finally said.
Immediately he spat out the words from her lips, and a weak smile was spotted on her face swiftly.
"Thanks." She appreciated walking away from the place.
He stared at the watch in his hands and noticed that there was still an hour before the time and David wasn't there yet.
Walking over to the central table, he took a glass of wine and was about to sip but something really strange happened.
A crashing force came afterward, snapping it off from his hands and it crashed to the floor, making a shattering sound.
Everyone stopped at the sound almost immediately turning around to see what was going on.
Pairing at the smashed glass that was lying on the floor, confusion flooded his face as to who was capable of doing that.
But the question that longed in his mind, waiting to be answered was soon answered as he lifted his eyes only to be met by a scornful frown.
It was Ariel and her boyfriend. His face squeezed into a frown almost immediately, his hands clutched, trying as hard as he could to control his rising anger.
"Guess who we have here," Luther said under his breath with a smirk but he was firmly ignored as all of Austin's attention was focused on Ariel.
"Why did you do that?" He shot the question at her staring right into her eyes but a chuckle from her was the first response that he got.
"Are you directing that question to me?" She responded swiftly.
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Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 8
Austin's stare was shot from afar. His eyes brightened with so much bewilderment."I'm going to ask you once again, what do you think that you are doing?" There was an obvious frown on his face as he spoke.But Ariel could not hide her stiff hatred for him as she went ahead to speak. "I just want to ask you one question." She began.His eyes were farrowed as he waited for whatever she had to spew, tagging slightly below his thigh with his index fingers."What makes you think that you can get a drink here? Right after you stole your way into this place?" She glared at him with so much fury in her voice."And I should return that question to you, what makes you think that I stole my way into this place?" He responded.Luther laughed out, his voice lashed with so much mockery."Spear us little fools.""And we didn't come here to utter words with you. Not again. We just came here to tell you to leave.""Or what?" Austin's hands were clenched and his stare was fierce."Or you, we are goin
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 9
"You are frightening the guest so that's the only decision that I can make." The guard responded.Thoughts were running through his head and his hands were clutched almost immediately. "And what if I decide not to?" He frowned.Luther burst out into laughter almost immediately and after what seemed to be like forever, he paused, staring right into the eyes of the pauper that was right before him."As though you have a choice." He said but Austin firmly ignored the words."You should leave peacefully at least. I don't want to force you to." The guard said calmly."You should listen to him already and go," Ariel growled afterward.There was a tense air in the place as everyone waited for what was going to be the reaction of Austin but he wasn't ready to leave, even for a single moment."I am not leaving for anywhere. You can make me too." He replied.The guard walked towards the previous post and got the phone that was meant for his work. Luther's heart raced after.The guard said wa
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 10
Before he could say any further words, he received a slap on the face, his face hot red with anger.Everyone in the room was stunned and their jaws were far apart with so much shock."First, you wanted Austin out of this place, and now the both of us? How dare you." Austin thundered at him.Luther's fury increased greatly, wanting to return the slap as his hands were already raised.But before his hands could make a landing effect on Austin, the guard held his hands high up in the air.He already knew that this was the only way that he could redeem himself."What are you trying to do?" The guard sprouted out while Luther continued to stare at him in disbelief."Do you realize that this is the closest person to the Young's family?" He inquired.Immediately he said the words, the crowd that had gathered was awe-struck. They brought out their cell phones from their pockets to search."It's true. It's him." Chatters floated through the hall.Hearing this he was extremely shocked as he co
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 11
It sounded perfect to him and a dark smile hovered on his face."How come he had never thought of it before?" The thoughts swiftly clouded his mind.Luther turned around towards Ariel with a smile still on his face."You are such a genius." He finally said.Meanwhile, back at the party, Austin could already notice the change in Miss. Jane's tone as he nodded his head and said."Okay." He finally said.The duo of Ramsey walked behind her until they finally got into a room where high words could hardly slip out because of the soundproof mechanisms that were already in place."So what was this that you wanted to tell me about?" He inquired, keeping a straight face.Miss. Jane paused again and after what seemed to be like forever, she opened up her mouth to speak but her words were lost in the air.His eyes farrowed, unable to take the suspense anymore. But before he could get to say anything, Ramsey already spoke on his behalf."Are you going to give a response to just keep moping?" She
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 12
The sun shined through the windows of the cab as it exited the State Parkway headed toward the inner city. Austin had just left the hospital after doing the necessary paperwork and making sure that everything about his father's funeral was set in place.Ramsey chose to bear the burden of relating the bad news to the family and make sure the business continued functioning as Rufus would have wanted with or without his presence.Austin was sure things would never be the same. He knew deep down that times would be tougher as the future seemed bleak at this point. His eyes were droopy, dark circles lined his eyes, it was obvious he hadn't had an hour of sleep the past two days.He was staring out the window like some lost tourist visiting for the first time. The neighborhood he had grown up in didn’t look anything like it had when he left home years ago. It had undergone a real transformation, he thought, as the cab passed a strip where a small row of stores had been torn down to make way
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 13
Austin entered the white-painted apartment building—a new, modern building of brick and glass. He approached the front door and swung it open. It has been almost a year since Austin packed into the apartment building. The rent was quite high for him but with working extra shifts with his taxi, he was able to pay the rent. He couldn't afford to live in a rundown apartment just because he was trying to save money on rent.Austin reached his apartment and unlocked the door. He entered the apartment, closing the door behind him. He traced his finger across the wall, finding the switch which he turned on. The room was illuminated with bright light from the ceiling. The living room was littered. Empty take-out boxes and soft drinks plastic bottles rest scattered on the center table. Austin sighed. He was supposed to clean this up whenever he returned but procrastination and tiredness from driving all day would never let him. He even felt worse now that his father was dead and being sacked f
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir CHAPTER 14
Ramsey sat there on the sofa, speechless, because he didn’t know what to say. He sized up the situation. Austin was angrier than Ramsey had ever seen him. That made sense. This was the first time that Austin was losing someone very close to him, his father. He knew a large part of the anger was because of fear. Was he losing control of Austin? Could this be what would spiral Austin into depression? He couldn't afford to lose Austin, not when the company was in crisis. He stared at Austin and saw a mix of frustration and rage lingering behind those depressed eyes."Austin, I know you just lost your father and I know how hurt you must be but you just can't go around making such statements. It could land you in trouble." Ramsey cautioned."I know what I'm saying, Ramsey. I'm not depressed or anything. It's the facts." Austin stood his ground.A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Austin got up to open the door. There stood Ariel and Luther. But as soon as his eyes
Uprising Of The Hidden Heir Chapter 15
Austin flops on the sofa as soon as the door shuts."Austin, it's time to move on. You saw what your father left for you before his death. He wants you to find someone who makes you happy." Ramsey consoles."I just wanted to hear it from her lips that I meant nothing to her." Austin says.Ramsey walks over to Austin, rests his hand on Austin's shoulder and gives him a comforting rub."Everything will be fine. You have me." Ramsey reassures. He returns to his seat and takes a sip of his wine."When are you returning to the company? We really need you." Ramsey asks."Once I lay my father to rest, I'll return to the company but I won't be there always. I still have to be careful who sees me because I haven't been announced as the heir." Austin says.It was not yet time for him to return to the company fully because he hasn't yet completed his family's tradition. If not for the crisis, he would not even be called to return. He has to complete the family's tradition before returning to hav
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Chapter 110
Saturday afternoon buzzed with a frenetic energy. The air thrummed with car horns and the chatter of bustling crowds.Vincent, a man built like a linebacker with a surprisingly gentle touch, wrestled with a tangled mess of shopping bags.Ramsey, ever the joyful friend since childhood, sported a wide grin and a mischievous glint in his eyes as he nudged a particularly stubborn bag Vincent's way.And Austin… they all piled up in Vincent's sleek black SUV."Man, slow down there, Santa Claus," Ramsey chuckled, dodging a rogue shopping bag with a practiced swoop. "We just need a few suits, not enough to redecorate Austin's entire apartment."Austin, the object of their playful jabs, followed behind, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, I gotta step up my game, right? Can't walk into my first official day as a manager looking like a college freshman anymore. Not in a hoodie and jeans, please."Vincent snorted. "Don't worry, Aust. By the end of this shopping spree, you'll look sharper
Chapter 109
A grin split Vincent's face as Austin finished explaining his plan. "That's a brilliant idea, man," he said, bumping fists with Austin in a friendly greeting. Ramsey, ever the strategist, chimed in with a thoughtful nod."And remember," Ramsey added, "we're always here to back you up if things get hairy.""Yeah, thanks a bunch, bro," Austin replied, his smile widening as he shook both their hands. It was a simple gesture, a silent language of trust and camaraderie that spoke volumes.Ramsey, however, wasn't quite finished. "Hold on, Austin," he interjected, turning towards Vincent. "Don't you think we should get some supplies? The manager needs to look the part, right?""Right on, man!" Vincent exclaimed, snapping his fingers in agreement. The rest of them echoed his sentiment, a wave of realization washing over the group.Laughter bubbled out of Austin. "See, Ramsey's got the brains of this operation," he teased, nudging his friend playfully.Ramsey snorted, a hint of amusement crink
Chapter 108
Saint gnawed on his thumbnail, pacing like a caged wolf on the narrow balcony overlooking the bustling city below. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool night air.He replayed the events in his head, calculating the timeline with morbid satisfaction. By now, Rose had to be gone. He was sure she would be dead.He'd orchestrated a "tragic accident" – a forced jump off a moving boat, playing on her crippling fear of water. In his mind, it was a foolproof plan.Rose had aquaphobia and being on the sea would have raised her blood pressure. And for her to even jump into the sea would have been so bad on her.Rose wouldn't have lasted a second in the water. Her aquaphobia was legendary, guaranteed to send her blood pressure skyrocketing and her heart
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A steaming mug of coffee cupped in her hands, Ariel scanned the bustling coffee shop.Her eyes snagged on a flash of familiar blonde hair – Crystal, pushing open the door with a flourish. Relief washed over Ariel, momentarily eclipsing the bitter aftertaste of her previous conversation with Andrew.Maybe Crystal's infectious energy would chase away the lingering tension. Crystal was so anxious to know about her plans and here they were, ready to spill out.Ariel slammed her mug down a little too hard, the clatter drawing Crystal's attention. A wide grin stretched across Crystal's face as she sashayed over, her hips swaying with practiced ease. Crystal saw her at one go and walked towards her with a big smile on her face."I beat you when it comes to time but it seems like you win the Speed Demon award again," Crystal announced as she slid into the seat opposite Ariel.Ariel laughed, the sound was genuine despite the knot of worry tightening in her stomach. "Always," she conceded. "Tho
Chapter 106
"He's headed to South America. That's far away." Christian muttered more like he was talking to himself and still looking at the tab before him, "He's hopping continents, Christian. That's a long way from the mess he made here." Disbelief laced Christian's voice.Saint, that criminal was traveling very far away from his crimes. He was trying very hard to slip further and further away."He's got a mission, Psalms," Christian said, a steely glint entering his eyes. "And we're going to help him complete it."Psalms scoffed. "By letting him waltz off to South America and hoping he spills his guts on some exotic beach? Christian, that's a crazy plan.""Not crazy," Christian corrected, his voice firm. "Risky, yes. But it's the only way to get him. Think about it, Psalms. If we follow him and get close enough to gain his trust, we can get him to talk. He might slip up, and reveal details about other operations, bigger players. Evidence the cops can't ignore."A tense silence rose between the
Chapter 105
The sterile white walls of the hospital seemed to press down on Vincent as he shuffled behind Ramsey and Austin, their laughter bouncing off the polished floor. Outside, the late afternoon sun casts long shadows, promising the freedom Vincent craved."That's crazy, you know," Austin cackled, nudging Ramsey with his elbow. "Just leave him there. He'd probably start talking to pigeons again."Ramsey slapped Austin on the back, a booming laugh erupting from his chest. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised. Vincent, the pigeon whisperer."Vincent rolled his eyes, a familiar warmth blooming in his chest despite their teasing. "So, you're saying I've always been a couple of fries short of a happy meal? That I've always been crazy, yeah?"Ramsey grinned, a playful glint in his eyes. "Everyone knows that. Vinnie and Trouble, 5&6. You're our resident nutter."The playful banter felt foreign after weeks of IV drips and endless beeping monitors. Vincent winced as he remembered the metallic tang of bloo
Chapter 104
The smirk on Andrew's face didn't reach his eyes."You can just leave, Ariel," he said, his voice tight. This wasn't a joke anymore. "Nobody dumps me. No one."Ariel's smile faltered. She knew Andrew had a temper, but this was a whole new level. He looked genuinely pissed, and seeing his jaw clench, she knew she wasn't helping."That was a joke, baby," she tried, her voice light and playful.She reached out, intending to rub his chest like she usually did, a way to soothe him.But Andrew flinched away, his hand shooting out to block her touch."Leave my house. Right now," he spat, the words sharp and cold.Panic flickered
Chapter 103
Austin's phone buzzed on the table, shattering the quiet of his tiny apartment. He glanced at the screen, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. It was an unknown number, but the call code matched his father's company. With a deep breath, he answered, "Hello?""Mr. Rufus?" A smooth, professional woman's voice filled his ear.Austin straightened slightly. "Yes, this is he." He couldn't help but wonder who this could be. No one from his father's company ever called him.He wondered what could be the reason they were calling."Mr. Rufus," the woman continued, "I apologize for the unexpected call. This is Sarah Jones, calling from Rufus Enterprises."Yes. He was right. It was really his father's company. And Austin wondered why the lady apologized for no reason at all.Austin's stomach lurched. Rufus Enterprises. His father's company."Hello, Ms. Jones," he managed, his voice tight. "How can I help you?""Mr. Rufus," she began and then paused for a beat too long. The silence stretched,
Chapter 102
Frustration laced Austin's voice.He eyed Alison with a mix of concern and frustration. "Here you are, clinging to me when you have this massive issue with your husband, and Angela's health is failing? What happens to the others? What about everyone else?!"Discomfort gnawed at him. He couldn't articulate his own turmoil, but he knew Alison hovering around him like a lost puppy wasn't the answer when her own life was a house on fire.Austin couldn't even explain what was happening to him and how he was reacting but he definitely didn't want Alison to be just over him while her spaces were void in some areas.Alison's shoulders slumped, and she choked back a sob. "You're my son, Austin. You're my responsibility too. I need to be here for you as well." She sobbed, "You're mine.""Mom, that's not helpful right now," Austin countered, a frown etched on his face, "Spare me that.""I will be fine. I can take care of myself. You need to be with Angela. Your husband is probably furious with y
