THE AWAKEN RAYMOND WEST STRIKE BACK

Chapter 3

Without wasting another second, Raymond knew it was Megan who had given his ideas to her ex‑lover. If he did nothing, then all his sleepless nights, all his effort, all the time he had poured into that blueprint would mean nothing. It would all be wasted. 

There had to be an explanation for this madness. And he was not going to get it by standing in his office.  

Immediately, he grabbed the keys to his old Mercedes‑Benz the one he bought from Scraps and had to fix it himself. 

His hands were still shaking as he rushed out, started the engine, and drove straight to Megan’s family house.  

When he arrived, he didn’t bother to knock. Anger pushed him forward. He stormed through the door without warning.  

But what he saw made him freeze for a split second.  

The entire family was gathered in the living room, having what looked like a small celebration. Drinks were arranged neatly on the table.

 Laughter filled the air. Megan was seated close to Simon, a glass in her hand, smiling as they talked. Simon had a drink too, and they were both laughing comfortably, as if nothing in the world was wrong.  

The moment they noticed Raymond, the laughter faded slightly. Megan’s parents glanced at him with open disgust. They didn’t greet him.

 They didn’t question his sudden entrance. They simply looked at him as though he didn’t belong there as though he was invisible.  

Megan, however, showed no sign of guilt. No remorse. No panic. She calmly lifted her glass and took another sip, her expression unreadable. Simon shifted closer to her, deliberately, and slid his arm around her waist in a possessive, almost stylish manner.  

That was when Raymond’s anger exploded. His voice shook with rage as he stepped forward and shouted at Megan, “What the hell have you done? Don’t even try to deny it I know you’re the one who did this! Why did you give my company’s idea to your good‑for‑nothing childhood lover?”

Megan didn’t say a word. She simply lifted her glass and sipped her drink slowly, her expression calm, almost indifferent.  

That silence only made Raymond angrier.  

“I trusted you,” he said, his voice shaking. “I trusted you, Megan. I truly trusted you. That’s why I showed you everything the contracts, the project details, the entire proposal. I let you see all of it because I believed in you. And this is what you do? How could you stab me in the back like this?”  

His breathing grew heavier as the weight of his words filled the room. Then his eyes shifted to Simon.  

“And you,” Raymond said sharply, pointing at him. “You’re just sitting there, enjoying the glory of something you didn’t create enjoying another man’s hard work. Who the hell do you think you are? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”  

His voice rose with every sentence. “Taking credit for someone else’s idea because you couldn’t come up with your own. So this is how you operate? Everyone thinks you’re some kind of genius, but this is the truth stealing other people’s ideas and presenting them as your own so the world can praise your name.”

At that moment, hearing Raymond words Megan slowly placed her glass of wine on the table and finally spoke.  

“Why are you overreacting?” she asked calmly. “Why are you shouting at me like this?”  

Her tone wasn’t apologetic. If anything, it carried irritation.  

“You should be thanking me, Raymond. You should be grateful to me. I actually did you a favor, and you’re standing here acting as if I stole something from you and handed it to someone else. I don’t like this kind of attitude.”  

Raymond stared at her in disbelief, but she continued.  

“Yes, I took it,” she admitted plainly. “And I did it for the good of everyone. That’s why I gave it to Simon.”  

The room went quiet as she spoke with unsettling confidence.  

“Everybody knows your company is small. You just started barely three years ago. And the last time I checked, you have fewer than twenty workers. For you to handle a contract of that size means hiring more staff more salaries, more expenses, more space. Your company building is already too small to produce that number of top‑grade military vehicles.”  

She folded her arms. 

“And if you think about it, the mayor and City Hall probably haven’t even fully considered your company’s capacity yet. Once they do, they might disqualify you themselves. How would they hand over such a massive contract to a company with only twenty employees and a tiny production space?”  

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Simon before returning to Raymond.  

“That’s why I thought it through. I asked myself who could actually handle it who could make it successful and beneficial for everyone involved. And the best possible person to give that contract to… is no other person than Simon.”

“Yes, I knew that if I had told you, you wouldn’t have agreed,” Megan continued without hesitation. 

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t.”  

She gestured lightly toward Simon. “This is the best possible outcome. Some companies are built for opportunities like this. This family is well‑established. The Brown family has been in this industry for years. They have the staff, the space, the massive manufacturing plants that can produce every single part of those vehicles and assemble them without delay. They have the capacity.”  

Her eyes returned to Raymond, steady and unapologetic. 

“So why hold on to something you’re not ready for? Why cling to a contract that could collapse under your company’s limitations? You might not even be able to deliver it successfully. And if that happens, you would lose everything.”  

She took a slow breath.

 “Why risk that? Why hold on to a contract you can’t fully execute?”  

Her voice hardened slightly. 

“That’s why I did what I did. And instead of standing here shouting at me, you should be grateful that I took the initiative to do something like this on your behalf.”