Ascension Of The Almighty General

CHAPTER 2

He didn’t  even hear the security guard well. His head was spinning, filled with questions. With a heavy heart, he turned away from the mighty gate of the mansion.

Scott wasn’t going to just sit around at the gate waiting for Laura to explain.

His head was spinning with thoughts. He couldn’t conclude yet, not when he had no proof of anything. He was still thinking they might be a mistake.

All of a sudden,  his mind jumped to the one thing that had once meant everything to him. The company he built wit his own hands. 

“I need answers,” he said, clenching his teeth.

Without thinking twice, Scott started walking faster. His hand clenched into a tight fist. The big house he had just left behind was now far in the background. He needed answers. And the only place that might have them was his company.

As he neared the tall, glass structure, Scott’s heart began to race, not from excitement, but from dread. He slowed as he approached, his eyes scanning the entrance, searching for some sign of familiarity. But what he saw made him freeze in his tracks.

The building was tall and modern. It didn’t look like the place Scott remembered. Even the name was different now. Big letters on the front said HARRINGTON DYNAMICS. Under that, in smaller writing, was a slogan “Innovating the Future.”

“What happened to my company?” Scott said breathlessly. Everything had been rebranded.

Scott’s mouth went dry. He stood frozen for a long moment, just staring at the building. It was as though the ground had been ripped from beneath his feet, the world spinning around him. His company now bore someone else’s name.

His chest tightened as the reality sank in. This wasn’t just a name change. This was the death of everything he had worked for. This was everything he’d sacrificed. His time, his energy, his life being wiped away, replaced by the vision of someone else.

“Laura…” he whispered, barely able to speak the name. But she wasn’t there, was she? She’d abandoned him, left him in the dust while moving on to someone else.

His hands clenched into fists as he walked through the automatic doors, his heart pounding in rage so intense he wished he could burn down the entire building. 

The moment he was inside, he saw a gigantic framed newspaper article hanging on the wall behind the reception desk. The headline read“Power Couple Launch $50 Million Expansion”. Below it were pictures of Laura and a man Scott didn’t recognize, at least not at first. The man was tall, and looked very wealthy. The caption beside their smiling faces identified him as Gale Harrington, CEO of HARRIGNTON DYNAMICS.

“How can someone else be the CEO of my own company?”

Scott’s breath caught in his throat. The shock was too much. Laura, his wife, had not only moved on with someone else, she sold his house, and the worse, credited this man  called Gale Harrington for the empire he had built with his sweat. 

“Are you alright, sir?” the receptionist asked, her soft voice interrupted his thoughts. Scott blinked, focusing on her.

“Yeah,” he replied, his voice was hoarse. “I… I just need to see someone. A person named Mr. Evans. He’s an accountant, he worked here years ago.” He could barely form the words, but he had to speak them. He needed to understand. He needed answers.

It seemed like the entire roaster of staff were wiped off and Laura and her new fiancé employed new staff. He only hoped Mr. Evans was still there, at least kept for his unique abilities. 

The receptionist nodded, picking up the phone. “One moment, sir.” She made a quick call, then gestured for him to take a seat. Scott hesitated for only a moment before he complied, his eyes drifting back to the article on the wall. His hands trembled, and he clenched them in his lap to stop the shaking. How had this happened? How had she done this to him?

“Mr. Evans will be down in a moment,” the receptionist said, snapping him from his thoughts. He nodded, but his mind couldn’t stop racing. He had to face the truth. Whatever was waiting for him here, he had to confront it.

A few moments passed before an older man with graying hair and a slightly stooped posture stepped into the reception area. He wore a suit and a pair of medicated glasses, just as Scott had remembered him to look. Scott recognized him instantly.

“Mr. Evans?” Scott said, his voice cracking slightly.

The man stopped in his tracks, his eyes flicking over Scott before narrowing in recognition. “Boss?” he asked, his voice filled with disbelief. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He removed his glasses and put them back on again.

Scott nodded. “It’s me. I… I’m back. I need to talk to you.”

Mr. Evans stepped closer, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of the man before him. “But you… you’re supposed to be…” He trailed off, clearly confused.

Scott took a deep breath,. “I know. I know what Laura told everyone. That I was imprisoned. But I’m here, Mr. Evans. I need to know what happened.”

The old accountant’s face grew pale, and he looked around as if searching for someone, his voice dropping to a whisper. “No. she didn’t just say you went to prison. She told us you were dead, just a month after you were sentenced for her crime. We all thought you were dead, Boss. Laura told us you… you didn’t make it through.”

Scott’s jaw clenched in rage. “So that was what she told you?”

Mr. Evans’ face twisted with discomfort. “She… she said the company couldn’t survive without you. She… well, she sold it to Gale Harrington, her new fiancé. Only a few months after you went to jail.”

The words hit Scott like a sledgehammer. “She sold it?” he repeated, his voice  was low in anger. “She sold my company to a man I’ve never even met?”

“Boss, I’m so sorry,” Mr. Evans said, his face wrinkled with regret. “This company, everything you built from scratch worth Millions, she sold it cheaply because her lover was the one buying it from her.”

Scott shook his head, the rage building inside him. “And now this man, this stranger, is the face of everything I worked for.”

Mr. Evans nodded, looking down. “I wish I could have done something, Boss. But… you weren’t here.”

Scott gritted his teeth, his fists clenching at his sides. “How could she do this??”

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Evans whispered. “She said you were never coming back. She had to move on. For the company. For the future.”

Scott looked away, his eyes drawn back to the picture of Laura and Gale Harrington on the wall, their smiles mocking him, reminding him of everything he had lost.

“I’m going to get it back,” Scott muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “I’ll take everything back.” His eyes reddening.

“Boss,” Mr. Evans said, his voice lowering immediately. “It’s not going to be easy. The deal’s already been made. And Gale Harrington, he is powerful. He’s not someone you want to cross.”