2025-01-22 17:56:17“Wow! You’ve migrated from being a petty thief to a full time criminal.” Fiona laughed as she got up from the floor, completely forgetting about her pretense of being in pain.
“Do you really think that you can deceive us? Other people may be fooled, but we’ve known you for years since you married my sister. Those who own black cards are among the most powerful people in the country. And this is a supreme black card. That means you stole it from the richest family in the country. I don’t know how you managed to do that, but when they discover your crime, they could have you killed. Do you even realise that?” Marilyn shook her head and scoffed at Roman.
She looked at him like he was the most stupid person she had ever known, then her gaze became calculating. If she could be the one to report the stolen property, maybe she would be given a reward.
Maybe she would even be invited to join the richest family in the country for dinner and start building connections from there. She had always been jealous of her sister for being ahead of her in business, but this was her chance to gain the upper hand.
“I didn’t steal the card. If it was so easy to steal something of this value, then black cards would not be so valuable.” Roman responded immediately.
“Be quiet! Don’t try to use twisted logic to talk your way out of this. I’m just glad my daughter divorced you on time so this will not affect my family. Imagine being associated with such a scandalous thing.” Fiona shook her head and immediately turned to the guards. “This man needs to be arrested immediately.”
Not even the guards believed that someone dressed so shabbily like Roman could own a supreme black card through legal means. They decided to believe Fiona since she looked like the legitimate owner of the bronze card she was holding.
They grabbed him roughly to drag him out, but before they could have Roman arrested, an elegant woman named Annabel, wearing red bottom heels, and a burgundy power suit walked towards them to find out what was causing such a scene in the bank. As soon as she saw the black card in Roman’s hand, she stopped.
“Let him go. Now!” She had a commanding aura, and they didn’t dare refuse her orders because she was a senior director at the bank.
Fiona and Marilyn had no idea of the woman’s rank in the bank, so they began to run their mouths.
“Are you his accomplice? He doesn’t seem smart enough to come up with such a fraudulent scheme on his own. This man is a thief and a liar. A nobody that has to clean gutters to make a living. There is no way that he’s the rightful owner of the card. Guards, arrest him.” Fiona spoke with so much arrogance as if she owned the bank.
One of the guards was stupid enough to move forward to obey Fiona’s order. Annabel immediately stepped forward and the sound of her palm meeting his face echoed throughout the space.
“For daring to disobey a direct order, you’re fired. Make sure you’re out of this bank in ten minutes, or I will have you arrested for trespassing.” She warned and the guard scurried off to get his things.
Marilyn took a step back and held on to her mother’s hand. They both realised that the woman must have rank at the bank to be able to fire one of the guards.
“We’re actual customers of this bank.” Fiona said as she flashed her bronze card again before she continued speaking. “And we demand for this man to be incarcerated for attempted murder, and theft.”
“Attempted murder?” Annabel asked incredulously.
“He pushed my mother and hurt her. She would have died if she had slipped and landed on her neck.” Marilyn butt in.
“I didn’t push her. She tripped.” Roman said, and Annabel believed him.
Truthfully, even if Roman had pushed Fiona, Annabel would still side with him because that supreme black card meant that he was in a higher rank than all of them combined.
“Would you like me to check the CCTV footage and confirm your innocence, sir?” She asked Roman with a smile.
“No need to waste any more time and energy on these two. Just get them out of here so we can all have peace.” He replied and she nodded.
“As you wish, sir.” She turned towards the closest guard. “Get them out of here.”
“Hey! You can’t do that. Do you know who we are?” Marilyn yelled.
“It doesn’t matter who you are. You only have a bronze card, the lowest card in this bank. If you don’t want to be thrown out, then leave on your own. If you cause more problems, I promise you that I will make sure your bronze card is cancelled. Not just that, I will make sure you’re permanently banned from doing any business with the bank for the rest of your lives.”
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THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Five Hundred Trillion!
Fiona stuttered because she didn’t know what to say in response to Annabel’s words. She just held Marilyn’s hand and walked out of the bank.“Don’t worry, mum. I’m sure they’ll discover we’re telling the truth when he tries to withdraw from that card. There’s no way he knows the password. They will see that he’s a scam and he’ll be arrested, possibly treated even worse than they treated us just now.” Marilyn said as she tried to soothe their wounded pride.“You’re right, Mari. Then we’ll demand an apology from them, and maybe even compensation. But first, we need to call Haylee and let her know what happened here.”She took out her phone and dialled Haylee’s number. As soon as the call connected, Fiona didn’t even give her first daughter a chance to say hello, she immediately began to rant.“You’ll never guess what happened, Haylee. We just met your good for nothing ex-husband. I’m so glad you finally listened to reason and divorced him.”“Mum, slow down. Just tell me what happened.”
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Charity Event
Roman didn’t have anything to wear to the event, but Annabel told him not to worry about anything. With his permission, she first booked the most expensive suite in the most expensive hotel in the city, so he could go and relax. Then she called in an expert to take his measurement and immediately ordered ten different designer brands of suits, each with its own shoes and accessories that he could pick from.He took a shower, ordered room service, and he was served his meal like a king. A stylist came in to work on his hair, then he chose what to wear among all the clothes ordered. Annabel showed him a list of expensive cars for him to choose from, and within thirty minutes, the car was delivered after being purchased. “I would like to accompany you to the event, Mr Roman.” She said to him with a hopeful smile.“Are you trying to babysit me? I’ll be fine on my own.”‘Of course, sir. You’re a capable man, I don’t doubt it at all. But I have more experience with events like these. I al
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Jealous Ex-wife
Haylee's eyes widened when she heard that Annabel was a senior director at the Prime Royale Bank. She quickly tried to compose herself, but her cheeks were flushed, and her palms were beginning to get sweaty. Being ignored by Rachael made her even more jealous because the woman was so comfortable speaking with Annabel. She stared at Roman with narrowed eyes, waiting for him to look at her so she could give him a signal that they needed to talk. Roman didn’t look at her though. His attention was focused on his conversation with Rachael after Annabel introduced him to her. Haylee’s grip on her wine glass tightened, but she had to force her grip to relax in order not to ruin her manicure.She was having a weird achy feeling in her heart, and her chest seemed tighter, making it a bit hard to breathe. She couldn’t believe that she just divorced Roman, and he already found another woman better than her.They moved into the main hall, and people immediately moved towards Hamilton and Hayle
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE The Auction
Hamilton glared at Roman as he walked away. Did he think this was a joke? How dare he say he would bid for the ring? “Don’t listen to him, Hamilton. He’s just bluffing. He has no money to bid with. He’ll just embarrass himself.” One of his female admirers said to him.He smiled at her, realising she was right. There was no need to worry. They mingled for a little while before it was time to begin the auction.The first item on the list was a vase that was crafted by an artist who was late. It was among his final works before he passed away, and that made it valuable. About ten people bid on it before it was finally sold for eight hundred thousand dollars.Next was a pearl earring set that belonged to a matriarch of a foreign country, and had been recently acquired after being displayed in a museum for two years. Hamilton immediately saw a chance to flaunt his wealth, and bid for the earring.“The starting bid for the earrings is three hundred thousand dollars.” The auctioneer announ
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Highest Bid
Hamilton was pissed off because Roman dared to bid for the ring.“You’re being so confident because you have Miss Annabel seated beside you. Trying to take advantage of her will not work at this auction. You seem to be unaware of the rules, and that could get you in trouble.” He said to Roman.“Don’t act like you’re concerned for my well being.” Roman scoffed at Hamilton.“And he’s well aware of the rule that no one can pay on behalf of another person once they bid on an item. The person who pays must be the same person who bids. I gave him the list of rules before we came.” Annabel said with a smirk as she looked in Hamilton’s direction.“And does he know what will happen to him when he fails to pay for the item with such a high bid?” Hamilton asked.He didn’t get a response to his question because the auctioneer began to speak again.“Two hundred million, going once. Going twice,”“Two hundred and ten million.” Hamilton said as he raised his bidding pad.He immediately put his hand
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Blacklisted
This time, the reaction to Roman’s high bid was not silence. The whole room erupted in an uproar of voices, all trying to speak at the same time. Everyone wanted to find out what gave Roman the audacity to announce such a high bid. Hamilton sat back and gave up.“Five hundred million, going once. Going twice!” The auctioneer paused for a few seconds, then said, “Sold to Mr Roman. Congratulations, the ring is yours.”Suddenly, Hamilton smirked. He realised that he hadn’t lost. Roman fell for his trick. He almost let his pride make him forget his initial reason for raising the bid. He wanted to trap Roman into bidding more than he could handle, so Roman could get in trouble with the owner of the auction house. This was a win-win situation for him. He just had to stand back, and watch Roman face the consequences.“I can’t believe he made such a high bid.” Haylee said to herself with a frustrated sigh.But Hamilton heard her because they were seated so close together. He responded to her
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Young Master
Hamilton’s face turned ghastly pale as all the blood drained from his face. If his family was kicked out of the business association, it would be a big blow to their finances. And everyone would blame him for it.“Sir, forgive my offence. Whatever I did to offend you, please have mercy, sir.” Hamilton immediately dropped to his knees to beg.“You don’t even have an idea what you’re apologising for.” Kade said with a disgusted expression on his face as he stared down at Hamilton like he was an insignificant bug.“I must have spoken out of turn. Or maybe it’s something else. Whatever I did, sir, please forgive me. Spare my family. Please.”Kade just scoffed, and turned away to give the guards new orders.“Take him out of here. If he resists, then drag him out. I don’t care, as long as you get him out of my sight.”Hamilton moved forward on his knees and tried to grab Kade’s legs, but he was forcefully dragged away by the guards, while still screaming for mercy.They dumped him in the al
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Merged Rings
Roman was a bit sceptical as he heard Kade call him young master. He had no idea what was going on, just like when that blonde woman came to give him the black card and the ring. He didn’t even know the blonde woman’s name because he had never bothered to ask, mainly due to the fact that he didn’t believe her back then. Now that her words have been proven to be true, he had no way of contacting her. Was this situation similar to that?Annabel on the other hand was shocked. She stared at Kade with wide eyes as she wondered why a man as powerful as him would be calling Kade young master, and even bowing. That was a deep sign of respect, and Kade wasn’t the kind of man to do something like that without a good reason. It seemed that Roman was more powerful than even she had estimated. “You seem shocked to hear me call you young master.” Kade said as he came closer.“Yes. Everyone seems to be afraid or intimidated by you. It’s normal for me to be a bit perplexed by your reaction and words
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Stubborn Gf
The days blurred together after his encounter with Freya.Roman moved through them the way a man wades through deep water. Work didn’t pause for grief, or exhaustion, or the quiet unraveling of everything he had built.The lawsuit was bleeding him dry. And if he wasn't as wealthy as he was, he would have been bankrupt. Investors were calling in daily to withdraw their stocks. His board members held emergency meetings he wasn’t always invited to.The press did not help much either, with their news. Roman responded the only way he knew how, which was to bury himself deeper into the grind.But even that did not feel like armor anymore. It felt like weight. Overworking. And the worst part wasn’t the pressure, or the losses stacking up in inevitable columns.It was the silence, the empty apartment he came home to, the unanswered messages, and the way Annabel’s name sat in his phone like a ghost he didn’t know how to speak to anymore.And as if it was some wrong timed thing, Freya started
Mislead Her
In no time, two weeks ran by and it was time for the second court hearing. The second hearing moved faster than the first.Roman sat at the defendant’s table again. His hands were loosely clasped together. Martin sat beside him, flipping calmly through the day’s submissions, but even he couldn’t hide the sharpness in his movements.The Valeys sat across the aisle, looking confident. Pope, Dexter, and Prance; they were all dressed in shades of gray and black. Ezra Winfield sat nearest to the bench, perfectly composed, with a faint smirk at the corner of his mouth.The courtroom beamed with a restrained energy. Today mattered.The bailiff called them to order, and Judge Hauser took her seat with the same clipped efficiency as before."This is the matter of Valey Group Incorporated versus Roman Averne, continued for preliminary evidentiary review," the clerk announced.Judge Hauser peered over the rim of her glasses. "I understand both sides have submitted documentation since our last he
Another Coincidence
The morning light was very bright. Annabel blinked against it, realizing only as she sat up that she hadn’t made it to her bed the previous night. She was still curled on the living room couch, with a thin throw blanket tangled around her legs. Her sweatshirt was rumpled from hours of restless half-sleep.Her mouth was dry. Her head ached from the tension that had knotted her entire body and refused to let go.Her phone buzzed once on the table, and it made her stomach tighten immediately. She picked it up without thinking. It was Roman.The message was clipped. “I’m sorry. Call me when you’re ready.”She stared at it for a long time. She could almost hear his voice, the way it had sounded when he tried to explain, right before everything had broken.Annabel kept the phone back down without replying. She pushed herself up and made her way toward the kitchen. She found a little solace in the normal rhythm of her morning routine, which was coffee, breakfast, emails and other mundane st
Not From Him
Annabel was busy scrolling through the internet when she saw it.She was sitting at the kitchen counter at home, with her laptop open while a half a bagel was growing cold on her plate. Her coffee was already lukewarm. It was a quiet morning and she had called in sick at work, just to be able to spend the whole day at home. So, that morning, it was just her, and the comfort of an unhurried breakfast.She was scrolling mindlessly and clicking through headlines on a news app out of boredom more than interest. There were politics, a celebrity divorce, and even a new city ordinance on traffic lights. Then—“Roman Averne Faces Lawsuit Over Breach of Contract”She blinked.Her finger hovered for a second before tapping the article. And when she did, the headline expanded and a photo loaded. Roman was walking out of a courthouse with Martin beside him. There was no expression on his face.The article was short. "Valey Group Incorporated filed a civil lawsuit against Mr Roman Averne citing
Preliminary
The conference room on the forty-second floor of the Valey tower was cold. There were no windows and no distractions. Pope sat perfectly still at the head of the table with his hands folded beneath his chin as he read through the printed schedule for tomorrow’s court hearing. Even though it was night already, his suit remained neatly pressed and unwrinkled, as if it had been made exactly for this moment. Dexter leaned back in his chair across him, while chewing on a toothpick and spinning a silver pen between his fingers. Prance sat beside him, scrolling on a tablet, and occasionally tapping out notes.At the far end of the table, Ezra Winfield was flipping through a tabbed binder, page by page. He was skimming but not rushing. Every tab was color-coded. Every section was marked. And his glasses rested low on his nose.“So,” Ezra said without looking up, “we’re first on the docket. Judge Hauser. 9:00 a.m sharp.”“Hauser’s a stickler,” Pope said. “I assume you’ve played this clean?”
Mediate
The house smelled like cinnamon tea and lavender polish. Freya had lit one of the scented candles again. Janice noticed it the moment she stepped into the kitchen. It was late afternoon. Marren was upstairs in Janice's guest room napping or reading something. Donald hadn’t shown up all day, and that was good as well. Janice preferred calm when she was collecting results.Freya sat at the counter, scrolling on her phone. She looked up when Janice walked in.Janice poured herself a cup of tea without asking. “So?”Freya blinked. “So what?”Janice glanced at her over the rim of the cup and blew softly on the steam. “Don’t be coy, Freya. You said you’d be near the cafe around noon. I assume you found him.”Freya shifted slightly on the stool, trying to look nonchalant. “I saw him briefly.”Janice sat across her in a perfect pose. “Briefly?”Freya nodded. “He was just sitting there alone. I said hi and we talked for a few minutes. That’s all.”Janice didn’t say anything for a few seconds.
Coincidence Or Planned
Roman did not sleep throughout that night. He had spent most of it sitting at the edge of his bed, watching the digital clock tick from hour to hour. At some point, he stood up to pour himself a drink he didn't even touch, then he laid down again for twenty minutes just to stare at the ceiling. There was no point in pretending anymore, rest was out of reach for him now. By six-thirty, he was already in the shower, letting the hot water drum across his back as though it could wash off the previous day. But it didn’t. No amount of water could scrub the words “you’ve been served” from his memory.And to be honest, Roman was not really ready for another legal war. It was a tiring exercise. And he was mad at himself for seeing the signs of the fraudulent activities of the Valeys, and choosing to look away. Was it really worth it?He shaved carefully, put on a navy-blue suit, and selected a black tie with a minimal pattern. It was his normal routine, but something about the way he knot
Scam Revealed
Roman was flipping through the updated contracts that Pope had brought in some days ago for the third time that morning, but his mind was playing catch-up. The documents were clean, and even though he had signed them, something in his instincts still bothered him.If only he listened to it. But he was soon about to see why he should have listened. His phone rang on the desk. He picked it up and looked at it. It was his legal rep for this partnership between him and the Valeys.Roman had asked him to check on his own copy of the contracts and see if anything was wrong anywhere. He answered. “Talk to me.”The man's voice was careful. His name was Martin. “Mr Averne… I have just finished reviewing the contract draft again — the final version you signed, that is — and yes, there is something that doesn’t add up.”Roman sat forward. “What is it?”“You remember the clause on capital and board control? Page seven, paragraph four. Well, the version you signed had a line that capped external
Get Close
Freya stared at her phone for what felt like the tenth time that morning.There was still no response from her sister. Only two messages that got no response. Freya angrily threw her phone on her bed, then immediately picked it back up and typed another message: "Can we talk? Please." Then she deleted it."She hates me," Freya said to no one, then she got ready and left for work. And as she had been doing lately, Annabel was in Roman's apartment. She was wrapped around a throw blanket on Roman’s couch, as the scent of roasted garlic drifted from the kitchen. Kade was flipping channels with a look of intense concentration, like someone disarming a bomb."Can we not just watch something normal?" Kade asked. "Just once?""Define normal. If your abnormal show is that show with the rich humans screaming about family secrets, I already know it ends in betrayal and brunch."Annabel chuckled distantly. They ate and moved to the room."You’re quiet," he said gently. She turned toward him. "
