From Prison To Billion-Dollar Empire

Chapter Two A New Light

 

Liam 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.”