Chapter Two

Armand's eyes opened suddenly! He found himself in a small but clean room—the very place he had stayed before getting married to Carla.

"What's happening?" Armand questioned aloud, his eyes scanning the room. In a hurry to make sense of the situation, he reached for his phone beside the bed. The date displayed on the screen was 30/03/2023.

Armand's eyes widened in realization as he pieced together the puzzle—the voice he had heard just before Carl had hit the car he was driving, belonged to the god of time.

He had died, met the god of time, and was sent back to earth to accomplish his mission.

“Amazing!” Armand muttered to himself, “The Smith's have no idea what's coming for them.”

The god of time had sent him back an entire year before his tragic death.

On this very day, he had forfeited being the heir to the Armstrong empire in order to marry Carla. His mother had worked as a maid for the Armstrong family, and they had always been good to him, even after his mother died.

The Armstrong family was the richest in the city but they had no child, they had offered the opportunity to Armand, but on one condition, he wasn't allowed to marry Carla, but he had turned them down.

"I will not repeat that mistake!" Armand vowed.

Determined to change his fate, Armand got up and got dressed. He looked around his room, and his eyes fell on an artwork he had painted for the Brown family.

That family had celebrated their anniversary about two weeks ago, the Smith's had been invited and Armand tagged along, the entire family, apart from him and Carl had brought gifts.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith claimed that Carl had been busy with work that was why he had forgotten to get them a gift, however, they made it seem as if Armand was a self centered person who only received and never gave gifts.

Armand had been hurt by this and decided to paint a portrait of the entire family and hand it over as a gift, but when he had showed it to Carla, she had convinced him to hand it over to her brother, who in turn, handed it over to the Brown family and claimed he drew it.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown had been so pleased that they donated a huge amount to the Smith's art gallery.

“Time to fix that mistake.” Armand said.

…

Armand arrived at the Brown residence and was ushered into the living room, and he greeted them politely.

“Armand! What a pleasant surprise.” Mrs. Brown exclaimed.

“Indeed. We didn't expect to see you tonight. Where's Carla?” Mr. Brown inquired.

Armand simply grinned, “I came alone. I hope that's alright?”

Before they could respond, a voice from the corner of the room startled Armand.

Carl, whom he had not noticed when he entered, rose from his chair, eyeing Armand suspiciously, “What are you doing here?” he demanded to know in a sharp tone.

Armand did not answer him. “I wanted to apologize once more for not bringing a gift to your anniversary. I wanted to make things right, so I decided to bring something for both of you.”

Mrs. Brown's curiosity peaked as she asked, “What is it?”

Armand handed the portrait to Mr. Brown, “It's a painting of both of you. I made it myself.”

Eagerly, Mr. Brown carefully unwrapped the portrait. His gasp of surprise was echoed by his wife as they beheld the stunning painting before them.

“It's… it's beautiful.” Mrs. Brown said, her voice filled with awe.

Mr. Brown had gratitude written across his face. “Thank you so much for this.”

Armand's heart swelled with appreciation as he saw how happy the couple were, and the look of utter surprise and disbelief on Carl's face made his heart swell even more.

Carl's condescending voice sliced through the air, “Do you believe someone like Armand can actually paint such beautiful artwork?” I mean, look at him!”

Armand chuckled softly, “Well Carl, I do not want to believe you're doubting my abilities, but if you are, I have proof right here on my phone. I would be more than happy to show it to you.”

Carl's brow furrowed in confusion as Mrs. Brown continued, “Actually, Carl here just promised to give us an artwork as well. He also mentioned he's painting it himself.”

Armand scoffed lightly. He knew it was this painting Carl was planning to give to them and claimed as his own, “Oh really? That's surprising. I've never seen Carl paint before.”

Caught off guard, Carl stuttard an explanation, Well, you see, I… I can only paint when I'm alone.”

The Browns exchanged a glance. It was obvious they didn't believe Carl.

Armand decided his purpose there had been fulfilled, “I need to get going.”

But Mrs. Brown didn't want him to leave, “Armand, please join us for brunch. It's the least we can do to say thank you.”

Armand politely turned down the offer, but Mr. Brown insisted on doing something to show how much they appreciated the gift.

“I do need a ride to where I'm heading next.” Armand said.

Mr. Brown nodded and gestured for Armand to wait outside, “That’s not a problem. My driver will be with you shortly.”

Armand thanked them and went outside. Not long after, he caught sight of a red Ferrari pulling up. It was Carl's car, the same one which had led to his death.

Armand braced himself because he knew a confrontation was coming.

Carl stepped out of his car, his face contorted in anger, “Why did you give Mr. And Mrs. Brown, that painting?” He yelled, his voice laced with venom.

Armand met Carl's gaze evenly, “I felt like giving them a gift.” He simply replied.

Enraged, Carl shoved Armand, “That painting was mine!”

Armand scoffed and repeated the same words Ruby had said to him on the night he had died, “Look at yourself. Do you look like someone who can hold a paint brush, let alone paint?”

This made Carl's face turn red, and he raised his hand, ready to strike. But Armand was quicker, grabbing Carl's hand in a vice-like grip.

In a low threatening voice, he warned, “Don’t you ever try that again.”

With a swift motion, Armand flung Carl's hand away.

“I can see you've grown wings. Don't worry, I'll clip them when you get married to my sister.” Carl said.

Armand scoffed, “We'll see about that.”

Carl was taken aback by Armand's reply. Before he could say anything else, a car pulled up. The car was even more expensive than Carl's. It was a Rolls Royce boat tail.

A man stepped out of the car and approached them. He turned to Armand and addressed him respectfully, “Mr. Brown sent me to drive you. Where will I be taking you, Sir?”

Armand's eyes gleamed as he replied, “To the Armstrong mansion.”

…

As he walked in, he was warmly welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong.

"Armand, we've been waiting for you. We believe you can make the right decision and become our heir." Mr. Armstrong said.

Mrs. Armstrong nodded her head, "The Smiths are not good people. You deserve better."

Armand, recalling the past and learning from his mistakes, reassured them, "Don't worry. I'll make the right decision this time."

He watched as the Armstrongs walked away. Glancing at his wristwatch, Armand knew he had exactly 10 minutes before the Smiths would arrive. Standing beside the door, he prepared to welcome them.

"What do you think he will decide to do, Mama?" Carla asked her mother, unaware of Armand waiting patiently beside the door.

In a hushed conversation, the Smiths discussed their options.

Mr. Smith sounded confident, "Don't worry, Carla. He will choose you, and we'll continue to use him."

Mrs. Smith shook her head, "Armand might accept the offer from the Armstrong family. But even if he does, we have plenty of his paintings that we can sell for a huge sum."

Carla sighed, "Maybe it's better if he accepts the Armstrong offer. As CEO, he can make his own decisions. I'll find a way for us to marry."

Nonchalantly, Mr. Smith replied, "It doesn't matter, really. If Armand decides to marry you, he'll keep painting for us. If he goes with them, you can always find a way to seduce him and make him marry you. Either way, the fool will be ours to use."

Armand, hidden from their view, listened to them plot evilly, "You guys are in for a surprise." He then walked inside and joined the Armstrongs.

A while later, everyone was gathered in the living room, and Mr. Armstrong stood up, addressing the room. "Armand, I want you to know that my wife and I are very much proud of you. But you deserve better than what life has been throwing your way."

Mr. Armstrong paused briefly and then continued, “I want you to have the Armstrong empire."