2025-10-16 04:00:58BACK TO THE PRESENT: BEFORE THE GALA
As the bus stops at every road andstreet Jones's gaze never shifted. Frustration filled his eyes. He had mixed emotions. He lost his job and has no idea on what to do next with his life without a job. The job was his only surviving option, though the pay is low but it fits the bills and covers his mom's health insurance. The company was going bankrupt, possibly due to financial instability or because they crossed the wrong person. The release of a tape featuring Kai Won, a renowned artist, accusing him of counterfeit painting, all in the name of telling the "truth". The unemployment rate in New York city was higher than the employment rate. Youths are miserable, pushing them to commit crimes which also increases the crime rate of the country. The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. Jones slammed his head hard against the window in anger. He felt a sharp pain, but it can't be quantified with the pain he's feeling about being a failure. "Why me?", he muttered to himself, throwing his head against the window. Everything has to be a struggle for him. The phone rang, drawing him out of his thoughts, he pulled it out of his pocket. The caller ID showed no name, "Hello, am I speaking with Jones Walterson?", the other end asked. For some crazy reason, Jones wished it was a job opportunity. "Yes, you're",he said, "We need you at the hospital, your mother Sarah Walterson was just admitted." "Shit", he mutters. "Hello, hello!!", the caller said, all Jones could respond to her was pure silence. He ended the call without asking for the hospital name, because he knows there's only one that's a bit affordable in his hometown for people around the neighborhood. "Stop! Stop.. stop the bus", he yelled to the chauffeur drawing attention to himself. He jumped off the bus with his bag and coat to the hospital like a criminal escaping his greatest prison. Breathing heavily, he stumbled to the nurse desk, scaring the young lady. " Hey I'm Jones I got a call that my mom was admitted. Where's she", he asked panting. "Over there sir, the third room by your left". Jones fled immediately. He slowed his pace when he saw his mother lying on the bed with oxygen support. He wiped the tears streaming down his eyes. A hand held him back from going into the room, he turned his gaze from the knob to the doctor standing in front of him. It was Dr.Julian, he's been treating his mother for years, he respects him so much for his help. "Hey man, come with me ", Julian says drawing him out of his mother's view to a corner. "Her heart is failing and she needs the surgery immediately..... before her heart stops", Julian said with concerned looks. "I can't afford it. Is there any medication or treatment you can offer?......l-l...like the last one", he says stuttering, tears streaming down his eyes. "No, there isn't. It's either the surgery or she won't survive", Julian said facing the ground. Jones felt like all hope was lost. "I lost my job today. What am I suppose to do?", Jones said laughing out his pain with tears. He walks out of Julian, to take a seat before meeting his mom. Julian eyes lingered all over Jones with pity. "Doctor Julian, your attention is needed", a nurse on blue uniform said, Julian withdrew his eyes from Jones and followed the nurse. When he got inside room, it scent of lavender, he could only hear the beeping of the machine in the beside his mom. Her short brown chestnut hair was spread on the pillow, her strands of her bangs covering her eyes, her white glowing skin looks paler than in the morning."Hey mom, it's me", Jones whispered. His mom's face lit up with a warm smile mixed with pain she doesn't want me to be aware of, but I know. "Are you okay?, how you feeling?", he asked in hesitation. "I'm fine, how you doing?, don't lie to me". Yeah she knows, I'll definitely lie about how I'm feeling. "I lost my job today, but nothing to worry about, I'll get another", I told her the truth, yet I know getting another job will be difficult. "I know you will, this is just a bump in the road. You get passed it", she said holding tight to my hands, the world would see your light and talent", he giggled along with her. The room echoes with conversations of mother and son bonding.
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CHAPTER 64
The metallic door groaned as it opened. Mario stepped into the visitation room, escorted by an officer. The fluorescent lights above cast a dull glow over the gray walls, making the entire place feel lifeless and suffocating. A thick pane of reinforced glass separated some visitors from inmates in other booths, but Mario had arranged for a private attorney room instead. The officer unlocked the inner door and gestured him inside. A few moments later, Lewis was brought in. The moment the officer left and the door shut behind him, Lewis dropped into the chair opposite Mario and leaned back with a scoff. "Look who finally decided to show up." Mario remained composed as he took his seat. "I didn't abandon you, Lewis." Lewis laughed bitterly and shook his head. "Oh, but you did. You forgot about me the moment those prison gates closed behind me. Then again, you're not the one being interrogated every day." "That's enough," Mario said sharply. "No, it isn't." Lewis leaned for
CHAPTER 63
Since the last time I left the nursing home, the words on that painting had refused to leave my mind. Even now, standing in the middle of the exhibition hall, my eyes remained fixed on the portrait hanging before me. Life's Unexpected Moments. A simple title. A simple painting. Yet there was nothing simple about the way it made me feel. Warmth. Joy. Pain. Sorrow. All woven together inside a single canvas. Every brushstroke felt like a fragment of a story. A story that had been haunting me ever since I realized the image from that painting existed in reality. What disturbed me most wasn't the painting itself. It was the fact that I had painted it unconsciously—somewhere between sleep and awareness, somewhere deep inside my mind. A place I couldn't explain. A place that kept revealing things I wasn't supposed to know. The portrait hanging before me was only one of many. The rest remained hidden inside my private studio, locked away from the world. That was the real reason I n
CHAPTER 62
The metallic clang of the prison gate echoed through the visitation area as Lewis was escorted into the room. The orange prison uniform hung loosely on his frame, a sharp contrast to the expensive tailored suits he had once worn with pride. Dark shadows rested beneath his eyes, and for the first time in years, there was no arrogance in his posture. Only exhaustion.A man in a charcoal suit sat waiting on the opposite side of the table. The moment Lewis entered, the attorney rose to his feet. "Mr. Carter." Lewis took his seat without acknowledging him. The lawyer cleared his throat. "My name is Richard Hayes. Your father sent me." That earned a brief glance. "He wants me to represent you." Lewis looked away again. "The evidence against you isn't impossible to challenge," Richard continued. "Your father has assembled a legal team. We can begin working on your release immediately." A hollow laugh escaped Lewis. "Release?" he muttered. "You people still think prison is my bigges
CHAPTER 61
After signing the last document resting on my table among the ridiculous piles of files Logan had asked Lucien to dump into my office, I finally leaned back into my chair with a long breath. I'm done for today at least. The office suddenly felt quieter without the constant flipping of papers and keyboard sounds. Outside the glass walls of my office, Manhattan glowed beneath the fading evening sky, painted in soft amber from the autumn sunset. Its weekend, meaning I could breathe for one day before getting buried alive again next week. I grabbed my coat from the chair and slipped it over my shoulders before leaving the office. The moment I stepped outside, staffs immediately straightened. “Good evening, sir.” “Have a nice evening, Mr. Jones.” Bows followed me through the hallway. Honestly?, I still wasn’t fully used to it. Just weeks ago I was fighting prison food and broken sleep. Now people bowed every time I walked past them. Life was strange as hell. As I entered the elevat
CHAPTER 60
The next morning, Jones quietly pushed open the mansion doors and stepped inside. The massive living room remained calm and silent except for the faint ticking of the grandfather clock hanging across the wall. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, spilling across the polished marble floors. He had barely taken three steps— “Where have you been?” Jones froze instantly. Logan stood near the staircase with his arms folded tightly across his chest, dressed sharply in a dark suit already prepared for the day. His expression alone screamed disapproval. Jones sighed internally. Too early for this. “I stayed over at my girlfriend's place,” he answered honestly while loosening the sleeves of his shirt. Logan’s jaw tightened immediately. “And the car?” Jones blinked once. “What about it?” “I specifically assigned a driver to you and you returned them without your presence.” Jones scoffed lightly. “I took the bus.” “The bus?” Logan repeated slowly like t
CHAPTER 59
The small bell above the restaurant door jingled softly the moment Jones stepped inside. Warm air wrapped around him instantly carrying the rich scent of coffee, pastries, butter and grilled meat. The familiar atmosphere hit him harder than expected. It felt normal. Peaceful. Like stepping back into a life that almost slipped away from him forever. Behind the counter, Max looked up absentmindedly while arranging a tray of pastries. The moment his eyes landed on Jones— He froze. “Holy shit—” The tray nearly slipped from his hands. “JONES?!” Lucas spun around so fast from the coffee machine he almost bumped into a customer. “Yo—” Both men rushed toward him at the same time. Max grabbed him first, pulling him into a rough hug before Lucas joined in loudly. “You idiot!” Lucas exclaimed. “You’re out!” Jones laughed softly for what felt like the first genuine time in weeks. “Yeah,” he muttered. “I’m out.” Max pulled away, scanning his face carefully as if confir
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