Chapter 009

Mr. James was smiling, he knew what Lamar was up to and indeed he agreed that it was a smart move.

“Lamar my boy, you have the wisdom of your father. It would be hard, but you’ll succeed. I trust you,”

BACK IN THE EMPIRE…..

Lamar tried to focus on his work, but Victoria's insults continued to sting like salt in a wound. "I knew you would never get something useful out of your miserable life, Lamar, you are such a shame. A common janitor, I didn't know what I was thinking before to let you even close to me. Such a disgrace." she taunted, sounding hateful. "Cleaning up after people like us. How pathetic. You just belonged to the gutters."

Lamar clenched his jaw, trying to block out her hurtful words as he went about his duties. He could feel the impact of her words bearing down on him, making each wash feel more difficult than before.

Her husband chimed in with a chuckle, "Looks like you've really hit rock bottom, Lamar. Just when I thought you couldn't sink any lower. Imagining such a low life like you were once married to my wife boiled my spirit. Such a loser!"

Ignoring their cruel jabs, Lamar focused on his work and decided not to let them get the best of him. He knew he had to grow above their insults and get what he came here to achieve.

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As Lamar finished cleaning Mr. Andrew's office and turned to leave, Mr. Andrew's voice stopped him in his tracks. "Lamar, come back here," he called out, sounding very harsh and serious.

Reluctantly, Lamar returned, his heart sinking as he braced himself for whatever humiliation awaited him.

Mr. Andrew's eyes gleamed with malice as he gestured towards his son-in-law, who sat smirking in his chair. "Lamar, show some respect to my new son-in-law here. Clean his shoes," Mr. Andrew commanded, a cruel smirk dancing on his lips.

Lamar's face burned with shame as he knelt down to scrub at the man's shoes, his hands were trembling with humiliation. He felt like nothing more than a servant, a pawn in Mr. Andrew's gnarled game of power and control.

As he cleaned, he could feel the mocking eyes of everyone in the room on him. And Victoria laughed pathetically. But Lamar gritted his teeth and pushed through the humiliation, no matter what, he was there for a reason and he was never going to give up until he achieved his goals.

Eventually, he was through. Without further waiting, Lamar exited the room. As he shut the door behind him, he leaned his back on the door and sighed.

“Lamar you're stronger than this and I know you can overcome it. Just stay focused,” he mumbled to himself.

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As Lamar tried to leave the office, he bumped into another employee, spilling the contents of his cleaning bucket onto the floor. The employee glared at Lamar with scorn. "Watch where you're going, janitor, what is wrong with you, do you have any idea of the worth of what I am wearing? Fool!" he sneered, stepping over the spilled water without giving Lamar a hand of help.

Feeling a blush of embarrassment, Lamar quickly knelt down to mop up the mess, his cheeks burning with shame. "I-I'm sorry, it was a mistake, I didn't mean to bump into you," he mumbled, feeling sorry for himself.

As he worked to clean up the spill of dirty water, he overheard a group of colleagues whispering and laughing nearby. "Did you see that new janitor? What a klutz!" one of them snickered, attaining laughter from the others.

Lamar gritted his teeth, but then, they have the right to laugh and mockery.

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As Lamar finished cleaning up the spilled water, he glanced at the clock and realized it was almost closing time. He hurried up to tidy up the remaining areas, making sure everything was in order before the end of the day.

As he worked, he couldn't wait to meet up with Ella. He wanted to know her more and walking home with her will give him a chance. Moreover, he was beginning to like her and Ella shared almost the kind of pain he felt.

Lamar worked quickly, his mind focused on the opportunity of spending time with Ella. As he finally finished his duties and prepared to leave, he sighed and glanced around feeling happy that despite what was thrown at him today, he was able to overcome it.

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As Lamar approached the reception area, he spotted Ella waiting for him at the long client's waiting bench. With a smile spreading across his face, he greeted her warmly, "Hey, Ella! Ready to head home?"

Ella returned his smile, her eyes lighting up. "Absolutely, Lamar. I've been waiting for this all day," she replied eagerly, standing up to join him.

As they began to stroll out of the building together, Lamar felt satisfied walking side by side with Ella, telling stories and laughing as they made their way home. Fortunately, Ella’s apartment was close to Lamar’s apartment.

As Lamar and Ella strolled home, they shared stories and laughter, enjoying each other's company. As they turned a corner, they noticed a suspicious figure walking behind them.

Lamar's instincts kicked in, and he tightened his grip on Ella's arm, whispering, "Did you see that? That man is acting weird."

Ella's eyes widened with worry as they both watched the man who covered his face with a mask disappear into the darkness. "What do you think he was up to?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

But before Lamar could respond, they heard footsteps resounding behind them, growing louder with each passing second. With a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs, Lamar and Ella quickened their speed, Lamar was scared, he feared that they might have discovered his intentions and now they're after his life.

And just as they reached the safety of their neighborhood, Ella turned to the direction of her house. Lamar was alone, scared to his stomach. Almost running down to his apartment Lamar heard a chilling voice call out from the darkness, sending shivers down their spines.

“Lamar!