The return of the Divine supreme

chapter six

For a moment, silence fell in the living room, broken only by the sound of the rain outside and the sharp hiss of Steven’s breath as he clutched his jaw, groaning in pain.

The sound of the slap still echoed in the air when Jeremy’s knuckles connected with Steven’s jaw.

Patricia’s scream pierced the air. She leaped from her seat and rushed toward Jeremy, her hand raised to strike him. “You fool!” She yelled, But Jeremy was faster this time. His hand shot up, gripping her wrist midair, stopping her before she could land the slap.

“Don’t you dare!” Jeremy growled, his voice deep, trembling with fury. His eyes were bloodshot, red like fire. Patricia froze where she stood. For the first time since she had known him, she saw something in him that made her heart skip, she had never seen his eyes that way before. There was no fear in his tone, no hesitation. Just raw, unfiltered rage.

For a second, fear gripped her chest, but she quickly masked it, pulling her wrist free with a violent jerk. Her face twisted in anger, tears springing to her eyes.

“You ingrate! What have you done?” she cried, her voice breaking. “Why would you hit him so hard? Why will you even hit him at all?’ She knelt beside Steven, who was slowly pushing himself up from the floor, his face pale, his lips cut and bleeding slightly.

Mrs. Raymond was already at Steven’s side, helping him to sit upright. Patricia’s eyes darted between Steven and Jeremy, her face flushed with anger.

“Steven has been sick!” Patricia’s voice rose, almost a scream now. “Yet he came out today because his family is awarding mine a million-dollar contract. A contract of great magnitude!” She broke into sobs, her tears spilling freely now, but her words were not those of a grieving mother — they were filled with fear, fear of losing the contract rather than sorrow for the child they had just lost.

“We were about to finalize the deal when you barged in here with your bad news,” she yelled, her voice cracking under the weight of her rage. “What is even wrong with you? Why do you always ruin everything?”

She turned back to Steven, touching his face gently as though that was the only thing that mattered. “If at the end of this he changes his mind and walks away from this deal because of you, I promise you, Jeremy, I will never forgive you. I will make you hate ever knowing me!”

Her words cut through Jeremy like a blade, but before he could respond, Mr. Raymond’s voice boomed across the room.

“I will put him in jail to rot there if anything goes wrong!” he yelled, his voice thunderous, his face flushed with anger. “Do you even know what it means for Global Investment Company to award you a contract? It is one of the biggest deals in this city! And you want to ruin this opportunity for me and my family?”

Mr. Raymond took a step forward, his finger pointed straight at Jeremy. “Jeremiah, I swear on my own life, if this contract passes us by because of your stupidity, I will have you locked up in jail and I will ask that the key be thrown into the deepest sea. You will rot there and no one will ever remember you. I do not give empty threats!”

The room grew still. Everyone stared at Jeremy, waiting to see if he would cower, apologize, beg for forgiveness. But Jeremy only stood there, silent for a long moment, his chest rising and falling heavily. His wet shirt that has been soaked from his sweat clung to him, his hair dripping sweat onto the expensive rug, but he didn’t seem to notice.

Finally, he shook his head slowly, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You know…” his voice was quiet, almost calm at first, but heavy with venom. “I keep asking myself how I even ended up in such a stupid family. A family like this… a family where no one has a shred of respect or love for each other. A family where greed is the only language spoken.”

He turned his eyes on Patricia, and his tone rose.

“You,” he spat. “You are the worst of them all, Patricia. You just lost a soul — your own daughter — and you sit here crying over a contract? You should be on your knees, begging God for forgiveness, but here you are weeping because a man might cancel a business deal. You’re pathetic.”

Patricia’s lips trembled, but she stayed silent, her chest heaving as tears ran down her cheeks.

Jeremy’s voice broke now, thick with emotion. “I just lost my daughter. Your granddaughter. And you, Patricia, your own blood. And here you are blabbing about a godforsaken contract! Is that contract worth more than someone’s life?”

He slammed his hand against the chair in front of him, nearly knocking it over. The sound echoed through the room like a gunshot.

“You’re all pathetic!” His voice rose to a roar, raw and shaking. “I am done with this family. Done!” His tears were flowing freely now, hot on his cheeks, mixing with the sweat on his face.

He took a deep breath and shouted louder, his voice shaking the very air in the room. “But hear me, and hear me well. I will return. Not now, but very soon. And when I do, I will crush each and every one of you. I will make sure you pay for being so stupid, for being so heartless!”

He stepped closer to Mr. Raymond, his glare so cold it sent a shiver through the older man. “I will bring down the Raymond dynasty to dust. I will tear it apart so completely that not even a pin will be left for you. I swear on my daughter’s grave — the daughter you all killed!”

Mrs. Raymond shot to her feet, her face red with rage. “Enough of your empty threats, you fool!” she shouted. “Nobody cares about you or your tantrums. Tomorrow morning, at exactly twelve, meet us at the Royal Castle Garden to sign the divorce papers. That is all that is left of you in this family!”

Steven, who had finally managed to steady himself with Mrs. Raymond’s help, put a hand to his jaw and winced. Then he looked at Jeremy, feigning a pained expression, his voice carrying false humility.

“I was only trying to be kind to you,” he said, his tone quiet but condescending. “Because of your daughter’s death, I chose to let some things slide. But I never expected this from you. I will let your arrogance go unpunished because of her. I will not press charges against you.”