RICHARD
I felt like I was walking on clouds as I shut the door firmly behind me. I could hear the hubbub of conversation from those I had left in there. I was glad James had walked in just before I left. Things could not have walked out better if I had scripted the whole thing. I ordered an Uber. Whistling a tune, I passed the security post, nodded in the direction of the lax security guards who had thrown me out a while ago..I only had to wait outside the gates for a few minutes for my Uber to arrive. Just as the driver hurried out of the car to help me with my luggage, the screen appeared before my eyes and a small smile crept to my face.[FOR YOUR NEXT TASK, YOU ARE TO SPEND 2 MILLION DOLLARS WITHIN 24 HOURS]I whistled under my breath."Two million," I murmured."Sorry?" I looked up to see the driver giving me an enquiring look."Nothing. I er- wasn't referring to you." Just then, I received a notification from the bank that my account had been credited with 2 million dollars. I smiled and tucked my phone into my pocket.The driver put the other suitcase in the boot and then turned on the ignition."Where are we headed?" he asked.I gave him the address of my condo. He repeated the address in a tone of surprise. His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, his look of skepticism evident.He was no doubt wondering what a shabbily dressed man was going to do at a location like that, but he said nothing. As the car sped off, I looked down at my clothes. I had to admit to myself that my clothes were rather worse for wear. It was no wonder almost everyone I had come across regarded me with contempt. I had a few good clothes in my suitcases, but none of them fit the image of the person I was now.Since I had money, I figured I had to dress the part. Besides, I had two million dollars to spend within a day. There was one place I could get good quality clothes- at the shopping mall where I worked. I leaned forward and tapped the driver on the shoulder."Change of plans," I said. "Take me to Megastore, the shopping mall."The traffic that evening was light and I got to the mall within the hour. After giving the driver a generous tip, I told him to wait until I had finished. I got out of the car slowly and for a moment stared at the building. I had been here several times before, of course, but it felt... different this time.This time, I wasn't going in as a uniformed employee, bustling about to attend to customers. This time, I was a customer. As I made my way to the entrance, I heard a familiar voice barking orders. It was Mr Samson, the manager, who was supervising the loading of some goods into a truck."Handle that one with care!" he said to a harassed looking young man, actually more of a boy, who was struggling to carry a heavy carton twice his size.Samson stopped talking as I got closer. He was one for not offending the shoppers at the mall, but loved to talk down on those who were lower in rank to him.He always took advantage of those working under him. Like everyone else, I had suffered at his hands. He was so fixated on his task that he glanced at me without interest, and I was beginning to think that I would be able to get into the mall without incident when his gaze suddenly swiveled back to me. He did a double take."Richard!" he barked, taking off his cap and slapping it angrily against his thigh. "What the heck were you about to do just now? Were you seriously thinking of going in there? Didn't you see me?"I sighed deeply. It seemed today was going to be the day where I compulsorily had to deal with a lot of jerks; from Jake to his blonde friend, to James, the Whites and now Samson."Hello, Mr Samson," I said quietly."He says hello." Samson looked around, silently inviting an audience to pay attention to the scene I knew he wanted to create.The men loading the truck had been looking on, relieved to see someone other than them being railed at. When they saw Samson was looking, they returned to work double- time, hoping to finish before they became the center of his attention once more. Samson moved close to me, his stance intimidating, only he didn't intimidate me anymore."You just show up here, after being absent from work for several days and all you can say to me is hello?" he growled.I raised a brow. "I thought hello was a common form of greeting. I'm wondering why it annoys you so much... sir."Samson's bushy beard bristled as he glared at me. "Don't you dare start with that bloody smart mouth of yours, Richard. You don't know how much trouble your lazy, incompetent ass is in right now. I'll see that a substantial amount is removed from your paycheck for this month. I'll-""There will be no need for that," I said, interrupting. "I quit.""You what?" he bellowed."I quit. As of this moment, I resign.""You bloody well can't do that.""Oh. And why can't I?""Because I haven't given you permission to quit.""You've got to be kidding me. I haven’t heard of being given permission to resign. Well, you don't own me. I quit and there is nothing you can do about it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some shopping to do and-" I glanced at the truck. "-I'm sure you have work to get back to."Samson got over the shock of me addressing him that way and followed me into the mall."Stop right there," he called. "Where do you think you're going? Are you trying to steal something? I swear, if any item gets missing, I won't hesitate to call the cops on you.""Really? We'll see about that," I replied.
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CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO
RICHARD’S POV—THREE YEARS LATER I ran around the living room, chasing our twins in some endless game of tag. They were shrieking with laughter, little feet pounding on the floor, and honestly, it was the best sound in the world. But just as I made a playful grab for them, Amelia walked in with a tray of biscuits and gave me one of her classic mom-glares.“Really, Richard?” she said, exasperated but trying not to smile. “If you keep chasing them like that, they’re going to fall. And then who’s getting up at night with them when they’re crying? Not me, that’s for sure.”I stopped in my tracks and threw my hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright! You win. Kids, you heard your mother. Grab a biscuit and calm down, alright? Before we all get grounded.”The twins scrambled toward the tray, wide-eyed and hungry like they hadn’t just had breakfast an hour ago. Amelia rolled her eyes at me, handing the kids each a biscuit before turning her gaze on me.“No biscuit for you, mister,” she tease
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY-ONE
RICHARD’S POVI sat there, tapping my foot against the cold tile, waiting for the doctor to come in. Amelia was beside me, looking exhausted from my dragging her here yet again. But we were here, and I’d finally get some peace of mind.The door opened, and Dr. Geller strolled in, looking... oddly cheerful. He scanned his clipboard before smiling at both of us. “Well,” he said, “I’ve got some news that I think you’re going to like.”Amelia glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. “He didn’t find anything, right? See, I told you, Richard…”“No, no,” Dr. Geller cut in, chuckling. “Nothing bad. Quite the opposite, actually.”I held my breath, narrowing my eyes at him. “Spit it out, Doc. I don’t do suspense.”He grinned, finally setting down the clipboard. “Amelia, congratulations. You’re pregnant. Again.”For a split second, I thought he was joking. But then it hit me like a tidal wave, and I shot to my feet. “Are you serious?!” I practically yelled, and probably looked like a lunatic, but I di
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY
RICHARD’S POV—THREE WEEKS LATER Arriving home with the bouquet in one hand and Amelia’s favorite snacks in the other, I hoped today would lift her spirits, even a little. She hadn’t been herself since...well, since the loss. Three weeks, and yet it felt like everything had been hollowed out.As soon as I opened the door, the tense vibe hit me like a wall. Amelia was sitting there on the couch, pale but trying to keep calm, while her grandmother loomed over her with that steely look. The minute she spotted me, her eyes narrowed like she’d been waiting for this.“Richard,” she spat, voice low and biting, “this is all on you. You should have done better. Protected her, watched out for her—”“Enough,” I cut in, barely keeping my voice steady. I didn’t want a scene, not in front of Amelia. But I couldn’t just let this go. “If you’re going to blame someone, find a mirror.”Her face twisted, anger flaring up, and for a second I thought she’d come closer. “How dare you,” she snapped. “How da
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE
RICHARD’S POVDinner was quiet tonight. Too quiet. Amelia had barely touched her food, just pushing it around on her plate with this distant look in her eyes. I asked her if she was alright, and she’d just given me a tired smile and said she was fine. But something didn’t sit right. Still, I let it go, figuring she’d open up when she was ready.Upstairs, I lay on the bed waiting while she went into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, and I stretched out, hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. The day had been long, and I was looking forward to nothing more than a quiet evening with her, maybe watch some dumb movie and unwind.But then I heard it—a loud voice cutting through the silence, sharp and strained. It was Amelia. A cry, filled with pain.I sat up so fast, my heart instantly in my throat. “Amelia?” I called, already on my feet and moving towards the door. There was no answer, only a muffled groan that sent my pulse skyrocketing.“Amelia, are you okay?” I ask
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT
RICHARD’S POVAmelia stared at me, her arms crossed, her eyes hard. I knew that look. It wasn't good.“He deserves whatever he's getting. Richard. You know that, right?"Her words hit me like a slap. I frowned, trying to keep calm. “Amelia, come on. He's still my brother. I know he messed up, but he's still family.” She shook her head, almost scoffing. "So what? Family doesn't mean you get a free pass to be a complete asshole and try to ruin someone's life.”I sighed, leaning back against the chair. "I'm not saying he should get a free pass. l'm just saying.. maybe he did what he did out of anger, or resentment, or-""Maybe?!" she cut me off, her voice rising. “Richard, he tried to kill you. He tied me up and used me as bait! I don't care if he was angry or resentful, that doesn't give him a damn excuse to behave like a psychopath!”I winced at her words. She wasn't wrong, but still… “Look, I know he crossed the line. A million times over. But people do stupid things when they're des
CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVEN
RICHARD’S POV I froze, my breath catching in my throat as the bang reverberated through the room. For a second, everything was still. Silent. I looked down. Blood. Not mine. William gasped, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the wound in his side. The gun slipped from his hand, clattering uselessly to the floor. I stumbled back, hands slick with blood, heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to explode. The sound of the gunshot kept echoing in my ears like a bad dream, but this wasn’t a dream. William—my brother—was bleeding out on the floor. “Shit,” I gasped, rushing toward him. “Will… Goddamn it, stay with me!” His face was pale, eyes half-closed as he struggled to breathe. Blood poured from his side, seeping through my fingers as I pressed down hard. Too hard. It didn’t matter. “You’re gonna be fine. Hear me? You’re gonna be fine. Just hold on.” He coughed, a weak, bitter laugh escaping his lips. “Richard… you always… always screw things up, don’t you?” “Shut
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