2026-02-02 16:51:18Liam sat on a street chair beside the side road, ten houses away from the Kingstons’. His heart was heavy, his chest aching.
Today should have been a day when he returned from prison and was graciously accepted by his in-laws.
Instead, it was a terrible day when he caught his wife cheating and his father-in-law threatened to lie against him and send him back to prison.
He sighed. His head bowed.
Seven years ago, Liam was nothing but a street cleaner sleeping under a bridge on a fifty dollar a month wage. Everything changed the day he found a wallet stuffed with cash and, instead of pocketing it, walked it to the police station.
That one act of honesty led him to Berry Kingston. Grateful and impressed, the old man rescued Liam from the streets by offering him a housekeeping job at four hundred dollars a month. It was a miracle for an orphan with nowhere to go. Within two years, Berry saw such a spark in Liam that he did the unthinkable: he brought him into the family legitimately by arranging his marriage to Betty.
“Oh, Master Berry.” Liam exhaled.
“You have really favoured me, but your family doesn’t want me. They don’t even like me a bit.
What am I supposed to do now?”
If not for the favour Berry had done for Liam. He understood this. This was the lowest point.
He wouldn’t go back there.
Four years ago, during Liam's first year in prison, Berry sent him a final letter.
"Oh, poor Liam. You took the blame for my granddaughter’s recklessness. You shouldn't have done it, but I understand why you did. Thank you. I intended to clear your name and let her face the consequences, but I am out of time. The doctor says I have six months left. I am afraid because you are the only good person left in this family. My son is corrupt, and he has already influenced Betty. Please, when you are released, stay by her side. Help her see the value in being a good person."
Two days after the letter arrived, the news of Berry’s death broke on the prison television.
“What am I supposed to do now, Master?” Liam clutched his hair and pulled at it in despair.
He had traded years of his life for a woman who was currently giving hers to another man.
He looked at his hands, the hands of a street cleaner, then a housekeeper, then a prisoner. They were shaking. The midnight air began to bite through his thin jacket, but he didn't move. He felt like a ghost haunting his own life.
This was a delicate position for him, and no one in their right mind would have gone back to the house where he was obviously not wanted. But he owed Berry. Even if he was late.
Midnight arrived with a bitter wind. Liam had been sitting there for five hours, his legs stiff and his heart feeling like a lead weight in his chest. He was too tired to move, and too broken to care.
He knew it; Betty was back home with Lucas. The thought of them together in the house he had sacrificed his freedom for was a knife turning in his gut.
He was still thinking about what to do when suddenly, he heard a footstep approaching.
He looked up slowly at the man approaching him.
Dark shoes like midnight, a perfectly tailored navy blue suit and a red tie.
The man wore glasses that perched directly on his nose.
“Are you Liam Ryder?” the man asked.
Liam looked confused.
He had never seen this man before in his life.
But the way he’s dressed, he looks like someone who was very wealthy.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked.
He understood the social behaviour of Greenfield City.
When you are sitting on private property and if the property belongs to someone wealthy, he could send you to jail for trespassing if the situation was not handled with care.
“I apologize. I am not in the perfect mood. I thought this was a public chair. I will leav–—”
“That is a public chair, sir.” The man bowed.
Liam looked confused.
If this were a public chair, why then did this man walk up to him? And why was he even bowing to him?
“Pardon?” He sounded, trying to understand the situation.
“I am Edward Hills. The right hand of Master Sebastian Kingsley, and he wants you to come with me. He wants to see you.”
Edward bowed again and gestured towards the White Limousine parked in the distance.
Hearing the name and seeing the sleek car, Liam’s heart raced immediately.
He knew who Sebastian Kingsley was. Who didn’t?
The wealthiest Man in the world, who has a net worth of over 900 billion dollars.
His heart sank again. Why does a Billion Dollar Mighty Man want to see him?
"You've got the wrong man," Liam whispered, his voice cracking from hours of silence. "I'm nobody. I have nothing left to give anyone."
“Master Sebastian knows exactly who you are,” Edward interrupted.
“Liam Ryder. Age 32. Recently released from prison. Betrayed by the woman you went to jail for.”
Edward stepped aside, holding the door of the limousine open.
“We are not mistaken, Mr. Ryder. Please. The Master doesn't have much time.”
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Chapter Nine The Vault and The Buy
Harold stood before the sleek, matte-black terminal mounted on the wall. He didn't just press a code; he waited for the thin line of a red laser to sweep across his retina. A soft chime echoed in the silent corridor, followed by the heavy thud of internal bolts retracting. Then, the steel door, twelve inches of solid reinforced titanium, slid open with a hiss of pressurized air.“Please come in, sir.”Harold bowed respectfully, stepping forward first. Liam followed closely behind him, his footsteps echoing faintly against the polished floor as the door sealed shut behind them with a quiet, final thud.The room was effective with air conditioning, so much so that the temperature dropped instantly upon entry. "We keep the vault at exactly 45°F (7°C) to preserve the integrity of the vintage currency and the specialized security electronics, sir."The cold wrapped around Liam’s skin, sharp and clean, as though he had stepped straight into winter. It felt unnaturally cold, like a winte
Chapter Eight The Wealth and The Grand
“You son of a bitch, what did you do?”Liam smirked as he stared at his phone screen, unbothered. The text had come from Betty. He understood it perfectly. It was obvious she’d learned what had happened to their prized warden dog, and judging by the rage dripping from the message, she was texting him to wail, threaten, or both.Liam’s smirk deepened. He didn’t reply.Instead, he slipped the phone back into his pocket with deliberate calm. The very first moment Berry came into his life, he had been the one who handed him a phone and a SIM card, insisting that Liam needed a clean, private line. He was still using that same SIM, and it was through that line Betty had managed to reach him. “Sir, we will be arriving at the first location in one minute.”Edwards’ eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror. He studied Liam carefully, respectfully. There was no panic on Liam’s face, no trace of worry, only composure. ***On the other side of the city, chaos reigned.Betty paced to and fro ac
Chapter Seven His Eyes Out The Socket
Markson’s leg shook uncontrollably as he stood rooted to the spot. Beads of sweat covered his face, sliding down his temples and dripping onto his collar. His heartbeat raced wildly, as if it wanted to bolt out of his chest and escape before the rest of him could follow.He knew it.The truth had finally caught up with him, and there was no escape this time.Millier’s words were as simple as they sounded, yet they struck with the weight of a hammer. Liam owned this prison henceforth. No riddles. No exaggeration. No room for doubt. Which meant something that was undeniable and terrifying.Liam, someone who had once been a prisoner. Someone Markson had humiliated, tormented, and bullied every single day for the past five years he had been trapped within these prison walls. Someone he had treated like dirt simply because he wore an orange jumpsuit and had no power to fight back. Just moments ago, Markson had been preparing to throw him back into a cell like trash. But now… now that same
Chapter Six Arrested
Water dripped down to the ground like a ticking clock, each drop echoing through the cold concrete corridors. In the same manner, metals clanged together, filling the prison with a harsh, restless rhythm that never truly stopped.“Move it!” a warden barked. He held a bludgeon stick firm in his right hand and fired the order at a prisoner dressed in an orange jumpsuit. The sound of boots scraping against the floor followed immediately after, rough and impatient.His name was Warden Markson, the senior warden in Greenfield Prison. He was a man who walked as though the walls themselves bowed to him, his presence heavy and unchallenged.“Sir, he’s here. He’s been re-arrested as you ordered.” A junior warden bowed slightly toward Markson, his voice low and respectful as he delivered the message.A few hours earlier, Markson had received a call from Michael Kingston. Michael was the one who had gotten him the job at the prison, and it was through his recommendation that Markson had risen t
Chapter Five The Divorce
The whole family of the Kingston’s sat by the long mahogany table right in the main building, the atmosphere heavy and suffocating, as though the walls themselves were listening. No one spoke at first, yet everyone knew why they were there.“Please Mr Williams, at least sit down and watch how we are going to deal with this bastard,” Micheal gestured, sitting at the edge of the table, his voice forced into politeness despite the irritation flashing in his eyes.“Please Mr Williams,” Carter Kingston echoed. His tone was low, calculated. As the eldest child of the Kingstons, he carried himself just like his father. Lucas remained standing, his feet tapping aggressively against the ground, each movement revealing the anger boiling inside him. He had no intention of sitting—not yet.Betty stood just behind him, hesitant, afraid to even touch him. She knew Lucas well enough to understand that when he was this angry, he could do and undo without blinking.“I won’t sit until you do something
Chapter Four Berry Grave
The limousine glided to a silent halt by the front gate of the Kingston’s villa.“Don’t follow. I need to do this alone.” Liam voiced, his dark golden leather Italian shoe clicking firmly against the ground as he stepped out.Yesterday, he was a man dressed in ordinary clothes and cheap sneakers, feeling beaten as he sat on a public chair by the roadside, exposed to the eyes and judgment of strangers. Today, he was transformed. Clad in the best dark suit and polished shoes like someone reborn, someone untouchable.“Yes, boss.” Edward answered, already turning the wheel as he drove speedily off the instant Liam approached the gate.Liam took a deep sigh, steadying himself. Then he walked through the gate gently.The Kingston Villa was a large vast of different mansions, arranged in such a way that every member of the family had their own quarters, each structure standing like a silent witness to power and legacy.Inside the vast compound stood a sacred building dedicated to Berry. The
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