2026-10-20 20:06:39It was well past midnight, but the lights in the executive wing of Elite Construction were still on. Henry sat alone in one of the company's conference rooms, surrounded by files, printed documents and a laptop displaying pages of German words.
He rubbed his tired eyes and stared at the
screen.
“Bauvertrag,Bauleitung,Baugenehmigung, Projektentwicklung, Baukosten” He had been repeating the words for almost two hours yet the more he tried to memorize them, the more they seemed to disappear from his mind.
Henry closed his eyes, “Bauleitung…”
He opened them again and took a deep breath. He was already getting frustrated
“What the hell was the next one?”
He searched the document but that only grew his frustration. He had studied German at university, but this was completely different from what he had learned in the classroom.
Indeed, Construction terminology was another world entirely. He picked up another document and the project proposal was more than fifty pages long, and almost every section contained technical terms he had never encountered before.
He was still lost in his thoughts, coupled with the frustration when the door suddenly opened.
Henry looked up, seeing Gracias entered carrying another stack of files.
“Mom…” he called as she placed the files on the table.
“These are the remaining documents”
“W-what!” He exclaimed.
“You're joking, right? It's already past midnight and I have been studying for more than two hours, mom!” He yelled at her
“And you need to study more, my dear “ Gracias pulled out a chair, “Eric Stephens will be here tomorrow. I don't want you walking into that meeting without knowing the project inside and out. I want everything to be perfect and shame that silly step brother of yours that felt he was the only person that could handle Eric Stephens” she then picked up one of the documents and handed it to him.
“Go through this section again. Pay attention to the technical terminology. If Eric asks you about the construction schedule, you should be able to respond immediately”
Henry looked at the document, his eyes were burning.
“Mom, I'm trying” he slowly murmured
“I know you're trying but you still need to try harder” she replied
“It's about a million dollars, everything need to be perfect with no single mistake”
“Okay, mom” he managed to murmur, then continue checking the files again.
“Good” she stood up to give him a short kiss on his cheek when they both heard another knock at the door.
Derrick walked in, looking exhausted as well.
“Oh, you haven't gone home?” Gracias uttered.
“Yeah, I was trying to make sure everything is in order, to avoid even a tiny mistake but I'm ready to leave now, not without giving these files to you” he explained, as he dropped a file on Henry's table.
“What is this again?” Henry immediately asked.
“That's the explanation for the final stage of the drawing, especially the casting aspect. We need to explain while we choose the pre-cast method. Though it would be a bit costly but will surely give a better result than the in-situ casting” Derrick answered while Henry smirked almost immediately.
“Do you realize I'm not a robot or a type of computer that works without getting tired?” He suddenly yelled, with a vein pooping out of his forehead.
“What does that mean? You might haven't got used to it yet but that's how we do work whenever a big project is involved and of course, Alex has never complained” Derrick said
“That's Alex not me! You know what? I'm tired of all these! To hell with you all!!” He screamed again,then stormed out of the office.
“What's happening here, Gracia?” Derrick, who looked confused, asked.
“It's time you guys forget about Alex. He has gone for good and would never come back. Henry will handle everything tomorrow and of course, there won't be any issue. Excuse me” Gracia replied, then followed after her son.
“I hope we won't regret this,” Derrick murmured.
★★★★★
Alex arrived at the hospital shortly afterward. It was quiet at that hour. He walked through the VIP section until he reached his father's room and knocked softly before entering. His father lay motionless on the large hospital bed. The man who had once commanded an entire construction empire could no longer move freely or speak as the stroke had left him paralyzed.
Alex walked to his bedside
“Dad” he called
His father looked at him as Alex pulled a chair closer and sat.
“I resigned from Elite Construction today” he smiled as he let out the information.
His father's eyes moved slightly but Alex smiled sadly.
“Don't worry, dad, I'm fine. Gracias cut my salary and gave my translation work to Henry. She proposed a starting salary that is times four of my usual paycheck and still want me to accept that I wasn't good enough
His father's expression changed when he noticed it.
“I didn't want to stay somewhere I wasn't respected,” he continued.
For a moment, the room was silent, then Alex reached for his father's hand, “I don't know what I'm going to do next, but I'll figure it out, definitely”
The door opened, with Ethan walking inside. He was his father's right-hand man and one of the few people who had remained loyal to the family throughout the changes at Elite Construction.
“You came?” He asked
“Yes,” Alex smiled.
Ethan looked toward the older man on the bed, then back at Alex.
“I've been waiting for you”
“For me? Why?” Alex asked, thinking it was about his father's health.
“Your father knew this day would come. The day you would finally walk away from Elite Construction and he has prepared something for you a long time ago” Ethan grinned.
“What!!!” Alex exclaimed, stared at his father who maintained his gaze on his son.
“What did he prepare?” he father asked
“A gift. I can't tell you yet because you need to work for it. After you have proved yourself worthy of the task, then you will have your gift. For now, you need to start the first stage and you have less than twenty hours to execute it” Ethan explained.
Alex took a deep breath before he inquired, “what could that be?”
Ethan moved closer, sending a file from his phone to Alex's phone.
“That's the location of an abandoned warehouse. You have twenty four hours to establish your construction company and bid for Eric Stephens project” Ethan dropped the bombshell.
“W-w-what!!!!” Alex screamed.
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Latest Chapter
The Man They Rejected
Gracias stared at the elevator doors, unable to believe what had just happened. Henry stood beside her, clutching his tablet with trembling fingers, while Derrick watched the floor numbers change above the elevator.Eric Stephens had just rejected their company. Not only had he rejected them, but he had done so before they could even present their proposal properly and all because of a man Gracias had forced to resign.The elevator doors closed completely.A moment later, the sound of a door slamming echoed from the upper floor. Eric had entered his hotel room and shut the door in their faces, leaving them stranded in the lobby with no opportunity to defend themselves.Gracias's hands began to shake.“Did that just happen?” she whispered.Henry swallowed. “Mother…”“Don't! Don't say anything” she snapped, turning on him and Henry immediately fell silent.Derrick slowly reached for the tablet in Henry's hands. He scrolled through the documents, trying to identify the errors Eric had com
A Humiliating Rejection
“Where is Alex Miller?”Eric Stephens’s question hung in the air, leaving Gracias, Henry, and Derrick staring at him in stunned silence.Henry’s welcoming smile faded first. He had spent the entire night preparing for this meeting, sacrificing sleep to memorize German construction terms and review the project documents yet, instead of acknowledging his greeting, Eric had asked for the very man Henry had replaced.Gracias stepped forward, forcing a polite smile onto her face.“Mr. Stephens, welcome to our country. We sincerely apologize for the confusion. Alex Miller is no longer with Elite Construction, but you have nothing to worry about. My son, Henry, will be handling all your translation needs from now on”Eric slowly turned his head toward her,“He is no longer with the company?”Gracias replied quickly, “ Yes, he resigned a few days ago. However, that will not affect your project in any way. Henry is a graduate of one of the finest universities, and he studied Business Administra
Where is Alex?
“Twenty-four hours?” Alex repeated while Ethan nodded, “That's what your father instructed. You have twenty-four hours to establish your construction company and submit a bid for Eric Stephens's billion-dollar project”Alex leaned forward in his chair, looking confused “you mean dad wants me to start my own construction company?”“Not just any company. He wants you to build something that belongs to you, something you won't have to beg anyone to be recognized or show your capacity”Alex looked at his father, who watched him silently from the hospital bed. Although the older man couldn't speak, his eyes remained fixed on his son, as if waiting for him to understand the significance of what Ethan had revealed.“But how am I supposed to establish a construction company in twenty-four hours?” Alex asked. “I need an office, equipment, staff, registration documents, and enough resources to convince Eric Stephens that I'm capable of handling a billion-dollar project”“Your father has made ce
The Gift
It was well past midnight, but the lights in the executive wing of Elite Construction were still on. Henry sat alone in one of the company's conference rooms, surrounded by files, printed documents and a laptop displaying pages of German words.He rubbed his tired eyes and stared at the screen. “Bauvertrag,Bauleitung,Baugenehmigung, Projektentwicklung, Baukosten” He had been repeating the words for almost two hours yet the more he tried to memorize them, the more they seemed to disappear from his mind.Henry closed his eyes, “Bauleitung…”He opened them again and took a deep breath. He was already getting frustrated “What the hell was the next one?”He searched the document but that only grew his frustration. He had studied German at university, but this was completely different from what he had learned in the classroom.Indeed, Construction terminology was another world entirely. He picked up another document and the project proposal was more than fifty pages long, and almost ever
Resignation
Henry stood in the doorway of his office, his eyes moving from the empty spaces on the desk to the bag hanging from Alex's hand.“Packing my things,” Alex replied.Henry stepped farther into the room, scoffing at the same time and asked, “Packing your things?”“Yes” Alex replied as he picked up the last folder from the desk and placed it inside his bag.“Is it because of me?” Henry questioned, walking closer to Alex who only stared at him in return.“Hey, I'm not taking your position. I'm just here to ease your stress and for the betterment of our father's company” Henry added“Ease my stress?”Alex almost smiled at the choice of words.“You know what I mean, right?” Henry leaned against the door. “Mom said you have been working overtime, trying to keep up with everything and brought me here to help out. It's nothing bro. It's all to make things easier for you” he repeated “You're right” Alex replied as he slipped his bag, “but it's not about you, Henry, it's all about me” “What doe
The Billion Dollars Project
Alex left the conference room without another word. Behind him, Gracias was already celebrating Henry’s new position.“Thanks mom” Henry pecked his mom's cheek who smiled widely in return.“You deserve this opportunity. I knew you are the right person for the job” she said proudlyHenry's laughter followed Alex into the hallway but he didn't turn around.By the time he reached his office, his face had gone completely blank. He closed the door and stood there for a moment.For Five good years! He had worked overtime for the betterment of the company by translating contracts, attending meetings with foreign partners, reviewing technical documents and handling every German, French and other languages related communication the company needed and in less than an hour, Gracias had reduced all of it to a privilege he supposedly received because of his father.He walked to his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Several folders were stacked inside. He took them out and placed them on the
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