Rebecca and Benjamin were still on the balcony, and she was staring at the sun. “Is it just me, or does the sun feel a little different?”Benjamin smiled a little. “Why do you feel it’s different?”“I don’t know…” she shrugged. “I don’t feel the same warmth I used to feel.”“I don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not, but the sunflowers in your garden are facing away from the sun.”“W-What?” Rebecca quickly stood and looked down from the balcony and saw the sunflowers, and they were facing the west in the morning. “You’re right. They are facing West. How’s that possible?”“The dandelions haven’t opened their faces,” Benjamin added, “and the birds are singing at 3 and 4 in the morning.”“Why is that?” Rebecca looked confused.“Because their biological clocks have been affected by the so-called sun you see up there,” Benjamin said as he looked at the sun that was no longer giving the warm orange light but was giving a bright white light like that of an LED light. (Even the real sun has be
Rye raised her eyebrows. “Why are you sitting over there? Come and sit next to me.”“Please, Rye, let me sit here,” Benjamin requested.“Why? So that you can sit next to her?” Rye asked without hesitation. “Am I not the one who called you to eat with me?”Benjamin sighed and then changed places and sat next to her.She took out a sliced piece of carrot and brought it closer to his mouth. He didn’t open his mouth and looked at her as if asking what she was doing. “This is the reward for listening to my request.”Benjamin then opened his mouth slightly, and she slid the carrot piece into his mouth like how one would push a coin into the vending machine.But then he wasn’t chewing it, so she said, “You know what, Benjamin, did she ever put anything in your mouth? At least a grape or a biscuit or something?”Benjamin didn’t answer.“Thought so,” Rye slightly shook his head. “Love should be mutual, you know.”“God loved us first when we were still sinners,” he retorted.“Don’t compare your
Most lovers would shy away from questions regarding marriage, which would generally turn the atmosphere into an awkward one. This was what Dorothy was hoping to achieve.The moment she asked that question, ‘When are you two going to marry?’, Benjamin was surprised by it, but Rye wasn’t.Rye quickly wrapped her arm around his arm and smiled while looking at her. “Whenever we’re ready.”Her response was simple and perfect in their eyes.But Dorothy asked, “You mean, you aren’t ready now? No offense, but if you can’t commit to marriage now, then I’m not sure if that thought will change in the future.”“Not when our love is larger than our faults and failures,” Rye leaned into Benjamin and kissed him on the cheek. “He’s already made a very big mistake, but that doesn’t stop me from loving him. And I think the same is the case with him. Isn’t that right, Benjamin?”Benjamin squeezed his lips together.“He’s just being shy,” Rye said, smiling.Dorothy also forced out a smile. (I was trying
Lisa came to Benjamin that morning and asked him to drop her to school again like yesterday.Rye was right next to him, and she said, “Do you really think you can attract him, girl?”Lisa was a bit shocked by Rye’s boldness. How did Rye even see through her hidden intentions? “I-I wasn’t trying to do anything like that.”“I know, but he’s not going to fall for a spoiled child,” Rye said, patting Lisa’s shoulder. “You should ask your dad or mom to drop you at school instead. Go.”Lisa reluctantly left. She was still glancing at Benjamin every now and then, hoping he’d take her out.Rye frowned. “This girl… I tried to humble her a bit, but her ego is quite big.”Benjamin didn’t look surprised. “She’s part of the Sterling family, after all.” His words sounded like they came from experience.“You’ve been with them for a while, so you need some cleansing, too,” Rye told him.Benjamin’s shoulders slumped a little.“I’m just kidding, my guy,” Rye laughed and wrapped her arm around his shoul
When the gun was shot, Uzza was right on the first floor, drinking warm lemon water. She would have intervened if the bullet was going to hit Shawn, but it went right past him and hit the television.“I missed that on purpose,” Samuel said, “but next time, I won’t. So, let’s make this easy for both sides.” He looked at Rebecca. “Honestly, you don’t look that great now. You are so much better looking in your old pictures. Now, you look like you’re recovering from drug addiction or some other self-destructing habit, which most young women these days are unknowingly good at.”“Am I supposed to nod at everything you say because you have a gun?” Rebecca replied, startling everyone.Samuel smiled. “I like your courage.”“I don’t like you, and I can give you a dozen reasons,” Rebecca said. “Your daughter is my age. I’m not going to marry you no matter what you threaten me with.”“Age is not a big deal these days,” Samuel casually said. “Are you worried that the world might think of you as a
At Russell Tower in the Creed Zone region, which was part of Salem city.Andrew Sehla was talking with Regan Creed and his grandson Russell in the meeting hall.“Mr. President, we’ve already talked about this with the last president,” Regan said. “He passed the bill and agreed to it that we don’t use any wireless technology in my Creed Zone. Now, you are telling me to change that.”“I will cover the costs,” Andrew said.“Sorry. It’s not about the cost, sir,” Regan politely said. “The reason we stuck to wired technology is mainly because of health reasons.”“C’mon, wireless technology affects the plants and birds, but they don’t have much effect on us humans,” Andrew said, laughing a little. “We are the ultimate predators in this world. How can we be influenced by mere radio waves? As men, we should look at what’s in front of us and not what’s around us, Mr. Regan. Otherwise, our progress will keep getting halted. All I’m asking for is to make the environment here more government frien
As Benjamin dragged Samuel away, Uzza went to the bodyguard who was trying to force his way into Lisa’s room.She patted his back. He turned around and grabbed her throat and tried to throw her aside. He was big and strong. He should have been able to throw her aside without much of a problem, even though Uzza was nearly ninety kilos in weight. However, he couldn’t move her even an inch.Uzza pressed her thumb on his forearm, which sent a surge of electricity along his arm, forcing him to let go of her. “A man who treats women roughly is worse than a pig and so needs to be treated the same way.” She swiftly slapped him with the back of her hand, making him spin and crash to the floor. He lost consciousness.Lisa was still nervously sitting in her room.“It’s safe now. You can come out if you want,” Uzza told her and walked away. “This little girl seems to have a crush on Benjamin,” she thought. “It’s not her fault. She’s at that age where her hormones excite her, but if she doesn’t le
From the rear porch, Selena was watching Benjamin and Uzza bury Samuel in the backyard, and her heart kept swimming in her stomach. “W-What the hell did these two just do? They really buried him. We’re all fucked now.”She didn’t think they’d really bury him, so she hurriedly ran to them and said, “You should pull him out. He’s probably still alive.”“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of the repercussions,” Uzza told her.“No, you can’t. His dad is the president,” Selena quickly said. “We can’t fight a president. We’ll be doomed if he dies, so let’s pull him out.” She tried to dig with the shovel, but Uzza stopped her.“I can’t let you do that,” Uzza took the shovel from her. “You should get back to your room. Let us deal with the aftermath.”“You don’t get it. No matter how rich you are, you won’t be able to stop the military,” Selena said. “What if Andrew uses the military’s technology to destroy this villa and kill all of us at once?” Just thinking about it gave her chills. “We won’t ev
The next morning.Rebecca came out of her room fast and reached the dorms just to check on Benyamin. She found him brushing his teeth with his finger. And he was using salt.“Don’t you have a brush and toothpaste?” Rebecca quickly asked. “You should have asked me then.”“No, I’m fine with this,” Benyamin replied. “The smell of the chemicals in the toothpaste just makes me feel nauseous, so I’m fine with just this sea salt.”“But… will salt be enough?”“It’s enough,” Benyamin gave a thumbs-up. “In fact, I’m worried about you because you’re using that chemical-ridden toothpaste which dullens your brain.”“If they dullen the brain, then why would they promote toothpastes so much on television?”“They will promote everything that will make them money while keeping the people sick, so that they will not be able to think clearly and would rather depend on the government to think for themselves,” Benyamin smiled.“That’s not funny,” Rebecca hissed. “I have to go and brush my teeth. And I’m f
Later that night.Benjamin was out in the garden, sitting under a tree, doing nothing as hours went by.“He’s been like that since dinner,” Rye was watching him from the first floor’s window. “It’s not good.”“What can I say?” Uzza was feeling heavy-hearted. “It feels like the story of Abel and Cain altogether, though in a different way. The brothers that represent the duality of current man. The devil sure knows how to mock us and make us angry. I’m certain now. It’s his plan. He put the sworn brothers against each other.”“But how did he get Shadow?” Rye frowned. “I don’t sense any demonic energy in him.”“Considering Shadow’s abilities, it’s easy for him to hide the demonic energy,” Uzza opined. “He’s a perfect place for demons to hide, though I don’t know how they got hold of him. He must have been caught by surprise. I just hope that this won’t lead to something disastrous.” She was looking at Benjamin. “The longer this goes, the more likely that someone among those is going to b
Veronica brought Akash with her to dinner. Almost everybody was present at the dinner table after a very long time.New tables were arranged because there were more people now.Veronica could see that Akash was not taking his eyes off Benyamin. “Why are you staring at him nonstop?” she asked in a low voice.“He’s tall, handsome, and so fair. Even his hands are so shiny. How’s that possible for a man?” Akash sounded quite envious. “Men are not supposed to look so good-looking, right?”“Mm…” Veronica looked at Benyamin and felt the same. “He does look like a million bucks, but he doesn’t seem to have much muscle on his body. What’s the point of being tall when you don’t have enough muscle? You only look like you have inadequate genes.”“Not every man can be built heavy like the men in your family.”“Haha, you’re right,” Veronica was proud of her brothers and dad because they were tall and big and good-looking. Their jaws alone would melt the gazes of many women, after all.Rye and Benjam
Benyamin couldn’t go upstairs with Rebecca because he refused to tell Selena what he was doing all these days.Selena wouldn’t have allowed him to go past her unless he gave her proof, so he settled with staying in the dorms for the time being.Rebecca dressed up very nicely and attended dinner. Because Benyamin wasn’t present, she was about to visit the dorms, but Selena told her to sit at the table.Selena sent Delle to go and bring Benyamin, saying sarcastically that he might otherwise get lost.Rebecca sat down and waited patiently. (Why didn’t he just tell her what happened? Things would have been easier if he told her everything. What does he have to hide?)Meanwhile, at the dorms.Benjamin and Rye were both present in the same hall as Shadow. Rye was silent, and Benjamin was doing the talking.“What is your relationship with Rebecca?” he asked Shadow.“Obviously, I’m her husband,” Shadow replied. “Don’t you know that already?”Benjamin frowned. “Stop joking.”“I’m not joking. W
Benyamin gave a bouquet to Rebecca, and she gladly accepted it.Rebecca brought Benyamin into the villa while holding his hand, and her eyes were still wet with tears of happiness.Selena, who just happened to be coming downstairs with her handbag, planning to go out to make an important deal, saw Benyamin. The bag in her hand dropped. “Y-You… Why did you come back?”“Mom, is that the question you ask your son-in-law?” Rebecca’s voice was sharp.“He’s been gone for weeks!” Selena’s gaze also turned sharper. “And don’t you remember what he’s done? He sold the villa away to Uzza. Did you already forget that he cheated on all of us? Let go of his hand now! He must have heard of my recent rise and came here to use us! A bastard like him should never even be let close! Kick him out. Now!”Rebecca, however, tightened her grip. “No. If you want him to leave, I’ll leave, too.”Selena’s heart skipped a beat. “What? Have you lost your mind? Just what do you see in this trash that you are willin
Selena had been busy talking with many businessmen from all across the country. The people from the film industry also came to the Sterling villa with bouquets and gifts.Some gifted her luxury cars, while some others wanted her to act in their films, so they were showing their call sheets and asking for her movie dates.They were willing to pay her as much as twenty to fifty million dollars per movie.Selena, however, didn’t reckless sign on every movie she got. Out of the dozens of stories that came to her, she only picked two so far.And she was quite happy with her current situation.To show her gratitude to Uzza, she came to her and gave a key to Uzza who was in the kitchen with Delle.“What’s this?” Uzza asked.“One of the movie producers gifted a private jet as advance payment for agreeing to do his movie,” Selena replied.Delle’s eyes enlarged very much. “A-A private jet? How much does that cost, ma’am?”“32 million dollars,” Selena casually replied. “This is just the start. I’
“How did you feel when you first saw Veronica? Tell me the truth,” Uzza was questioning Akash while he was watering the plants in the backyard.“Obviously…” Akash was about to say something, but his husband-radar sensed his wife coming up from behind, so he said, “when I met her on our first date, I became pregnant.”Uzza spit out the corn kernels in her mouth out of shock. “What?”“Pregnant with love, I mean,” Akash added.“Why are you exaggerating?” Veronica pulled Akash’s ear. “When we first met, I smelled his hands first. They didn’t smell like curry, so he passed my first test. And then, we talked about other things.”Akash shook his head and giggled helplessly.Seeing Akash blushing, Uzza could see that he was in love with Veronica more so than Veronica was in love with him.Veronica then climbed on Akash’s back and hugged him from behind.“What are you doing?” Akash complained. “Can’t you see that I’m working?”“Work while carrying me. As a man, you should be able to do this muc
Kathy wanted to visit the mansion of the president to meet the president’s son, but she couldn’t go alone, so she took Amber with her. Samuel welcomed them, but Amber didn’t like the atmosphere and told Amber she’d go back. Kathy didn’t force her cousin and let her leave.Kathy then explored the mansion with Samuel, which shocked the maids as Samuel hadn’t done such a thing before. What if Samuel’s daughters and wife were to see what he was doing now? What if Andrew were to see?Andrew, on the other hand, was very busy. He worked with some media companies and celebrities and had them leak news on trafficking of women and children. He also had some sexual scandals released to divert some of the attention.The public thought that it was the work of the media companies at first, but as the news channels began to give credit to Andrew Sehla the president, everyone wondered if Andrew was behind this.As if living up to the people’s expectations, Andrew made some politicians and celebrities
As Veronica handled Akash roughly, punishing him for his farts, he yelled at her and told her to do the exercise herself to understand how tough it was, but then Veronica did five sit-ups and made them look so easy. She didn’t have any abs, but her abdomen looked very beautiful because of the skin folds and the type of dress she was wearing.“See? It’s so easy,” Veronica hissed at him. “Now, do just like how I did. Don’t inhale while getting up. That’s why you’re farting like a pig. Breathing is everything. Without that you won’t be able to execute any exercise with control.”“O-Okay,” Akash helped her get up. When he saw Rebecca and Benjamin at the door, he was so embarrassed he went to the other end of the gym.“You have come far, Veronica,” Rebecca was proud of her sister. She used to teach her little sister all the time, and now it felt nice to see her teach Akash how to do different exercises.“Haha,” Veronica laughed like a gorilla and looked at Benjamin, “do you want to learn f