Ashes to Acclaim; Revenge Of The Forgotten Heir

Twark! the beautiful young woman gave the waiter a deafening slap that shocked everyone.

"I'm sorry, ma," Jake, the waiter apologized.

"You good for nothing fellow! How dare you spill drinks on me! Why are you so clumsy?"

"I'm sorry ma," he apologized again. Sadly, that was all he could do. He didn't have a say even when it was crystal clear that he wasn't at fault. Rachel and her friends had ordered for more drinks which he brought. As expected of him, he poured wine in their wine glasses. Rachel raised her hands to pick a piece of meat from her plate and she hit him mistakenly. The expensive bottle of wine and the wine glass fell down as a result and shattered into several tiny pieces, spilling the contents on Rachel.

"Goodness me! Look at our fine wine! You can't afford it even if you are given ten lives!" one girl sneered and they all laughed at him.

"Clear this mess! And call me your manager. This is the height of it, I can't tolerate this."

Jake knew it would only get worse of his manager came.

"Please ma..." he began but Rachel shot him a death glare. He picked up the broken glass and made to leave only to see the manager in front of him.

"It's good that you are here, manager Tan. Look at my expensive dress. This dress cost a fortune but your unfortunate waiter has ruined it! Including the wine I savour it's pleasant taste."

"I apologize, Miss Rachel. I'll look into this and I can assure you it will be properly handled. I'll ask them to get you wipes. I'm sorry."

Manager Tan turned to Jake and his tone changed.

"Hey! You scum bag! See me in my office right now!"

This was the life of Jake Frederick. He was the life in son in law of the Kent family. He got married to his wife two years ago but had never gotten approval for anything in those two years. To them, he was poor and miserable, too low to be a part of their prestigious family. His wife, Sky, loved expensive gifts and jewellery which was way above his means. To please her, he did all sorts of jobs in order to get her expensive gifts but she never appreciated him or his efforts. He was only her husband on paper.

Jake sighed in pain as he looked down at the paper in his hands. He was fired and was also asked to pay for the wine and the wine glass he broke. As if that wasn't enough, he had only a day to pay the money. He pleaded for mercy but the manager mercilessly threw him out.

Just then, his alarm rang, reminding him of his second part time job. He was already late. He dipped his hands into his pocket, but there was no money. So, he half walked and ran to work. Of course, he was late and his boss didn't waste time to remind him of how stupid, miserable and incompetent he was. He even threatened to fire him next time. He bore everything in silence. His only consolation was that it was finally pay day and he couldn't wait to receive his wages. His wife had admired a flower at a florist shop some weeks ago and he wanted to get it for her. Maybe he would get her approval with that!

Jake grinned as he counted his wages. He put the money inside his pocket and felt very rich. He strode casually along the streets and stopped in front of florist shop. He was glad that he finally got some money to buy his wife a gift. He entered the shop and stared at the flowers. There were so many of them and that left him confused, unsure of what to pick. It didn't matter to him that a lot of people in the shop stared at him in disdain. He finally chose a beautiful rose flower and paid with all his wages.

Jake entered the house, grinning from ear to ear as if he had won a lottery. He held the flowers like a prized possession in his hands. He greeted his mother in law who was seated in the living room and made to continue on his way but she stopped him.

"Where do you think you are going? Come back here, loser!" He wasn't surprised for this was a regular happening in that house. She was holding a paper which she stretched out to him.

"Sign this and get your sorry self out of this house! We are tired of you."

Huh? Did he hear her right?

He moved forward and she flung the paper at him. Divorce papers?

"What? This can't be true. Sky can't divorce me. I'm sure she didn't agree with this."

"I see that you are dumb and blind as well. Can't you see her signature beneath the page?"

"This isn't true. Sky can not do this."

But on looking closely at the paper, he saw in a very fine handwriting, a signature he could recognise anywhere and anytime. It was Sky's!

He turned and hurried up the stairs with his flowers. On getting to the door, a voice made him stop. It was his wife!

"Ahhh! Harder! Vincent, you are so good."

No! This had better not be what he's thinking. He pushed the door open and his jaw dropped. It was true. Sky!

"Sky?"

Jake stood still, shell shocked, not believing the sight before him.

The two people on the bed stopped and turned towards the door. The young man, Vincent stared at him the way one would stare at a fly that fell into his food.

"Shut the door behind you," Sky said and focused on the man on the bed. She pressed her body closer to Vincent and continued to go intimate. His presence didn't bother her one bit. Vincent pulled her closer, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Jake felt his heart wrenching out when they shared a kiss. He had been married to Sky for two years but the most he did was stand a few paces and at a safe distance from her. He had never hugged her or held her hands. Kissing her was a far cry and something that would never happen.

"Stop!" he yelled when he couldn't take it any longer. Sky adjusted her clothes and when she was decent, she turned to him and said,

"Are you dumb? Why do you have to disrupt us? Can't you know your place even if it's for half a day? Why will I be with a loser? I've done you a great favor for these two years. Go and sign the divorce papers and get out of this house. Who knows, if I'm pleased, I might give you a few bucks to survive on." Her voice was flat and emotionless. The words slid out of her mouth as if it meant nothing.

Jake loved her dearly and couldn't bear to part with her.

"Sky, how can you do this? I've tried my best to please you for many years and this is what I get? I even got you this!" He showed her the flowers he had spent all his wages on. Vincent burst into laughter.

"What's this in your hands? Leave here this minute," he finished and wrapped his arms around Sky's waist. Jake fumed and charged at him, giving him a terrible blow. Vincent was the only son of Jacob Winter, a very powerful, wealthy and popular man in the business world. As an offspring of a noble origin, he was well groomed in martial arts and he was no coward. He returned the blow but Jake was stronger. He had been through tough times and days and that had helped to toughen him. Their mother in law heard the commotion and hurried upstairs only to meet Sky halfway down the stairs.

"Mum! That useless fellow is causing trouble!"

"What?" Amelia didn't waste time to call the police.

"Will you stop this madness, Jake?"

Both of them stopped upon hearing the older woman's voice. This was the first time Amelia was addressing Jake by his name. It was always loser or good for nothing fellow or something even worse.

"Get the police. This bloody bastard must be dealt with accordingly. He dared to raise his filthy hands on me," Vincent fumed.

"Oh my dear! Look at your face. The police will be here in no time."

And turning to Jake, she shouted,

"You idiot!" and threw her slippers at him. No one cared that he was bleeding.

"Mummy! Look at my vase!" Sky cried.

"He'll pay for it."

Jake wanted to explain but no one granted him audience. The truth was that he didn't touch the vase, rather, the vase was broken on his own head. And it was Vincent who hit him with the vase.

Vincent paced up and down, threatening fire and brimstone as he dabbed his blood stained face with a cotton wool.

"Sky love, tell the servants to direct the police up here." He gave Jake a rough kick which the latter couldn't return because of Amelia's presence.

"They are here?"

"Good day officers. Take him away," Amelia pointed at Jake and her orders were obeyed immediately.

"Not so easily. He should be beaten for daring to cause trouble!"

"Yes sir!"

In bid to obey and impress Vincent, they hit Jake mercilessly and dragged him away.

"If only you had quietly signed those papers and gotten your bloody self out of here, this wouldn't happen!" Sky said to him in disdain and hit him on his head.

"Look at other son in laws. They are CEOs of big companies while you are here enjoying our family benevolence. Yet, you have refused to stay put and know your place. You will pay dearly for this."

"Young man, you are to pay seven thousand dollars for damages or we will lock you up," the police man said to him.

Seven thousand dollars? He has never held even one tenth of that money in his hands. Even if he worked day and night and sold all his clothes, he would never get that amount. When he couldn't come up with the money, he was locked up as they had threatened. No one cared about his wounds and he had no hope of leaving the cell anytime soon. He accepted fate and closed his eyes, he was exhausted and in pains. This was the first time he was less busy at that hour. He was either at one of his part time jobs or doing house chores. Today that he was doing neither of them, he was in pains and in prison.

"Why do I have to live a difficult life?" he muttered.

He didn't know how long he slept but when he opened his eyes, he saw two men in front of his cell. One of them was making a phone call, his voice was probably what woke Jake.

"How can you be so careless? You should have made your plans well. How do you intend to find a replacement in half an hour? You know we need a hardworking man in that farm. That farm has to be worked on today and the house cleaned as well. In fact, triple the amount. I'll pay ten thousand dollars."

Jake's eyes widened.

$10,000? It was a mind blowing offer.

"I'll take the job, sir" he blurted out before he could stop himself. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands but the man heard him.

"Are you sure you can do this? We need someone to finish with the farm as well as the house chores today," he emphasized.

"Yes sir. I can."

The strange man turned to the officer beside him and asked,

"What did he do?"

"He couldn't pay $7000 for damages as requested by the Kent family, sir."

The man nodded.

"If you disappoint me, I'll make sure you rot in jail!" he thundered, making Jake flinch. Seconds later, Jake was released and his clothes and cell phone was handed to him. He noticed he had so many calls. Just then, his phone rang again. He was a nobody and he seldom received calls. Who could be calling persistently?

He tapped the answer button and the call connected.

"You good for nothing asshole! Do you have any idea how many important deliveries we have missed because of your insensitivity and inability to report to work on time?" the caller yelled. It happened to be his boss from one of his part time jobs. He was supposed to report to work that morning but he couldn't because he was in prison. He tried to explain but his boss would hear nothing of that sort.

"Keep that slimy excuse to yourself. You made the manager scold me today. You are fired and your wages and deposit will be used to fill up the damages you caused."

No! Not another bad news. This was his most paying job. The man who just called was his merciless boss in the delivery department. He hated Jake and spared no opportunity to mistreat him. Jake could manage being fired but at least, he had to be given his wages. That was the only money that sustained him!

"Hey! Move!" the strange man gave him a rough kick on his side. He winced in pain and cursed in his heart but all he could do was move as he was instructed.

He got into the man's car, which was by far the most luxurious car he had ever seen. The house he was taken to was a very lovely one. He gawped at the luxury and admired the fine walls and intricate designs in the building.

"Quit staring! You are here to work and not stare!" the man snapped.

"I'm sorry, sir," he bowed low and apologized immediately. He didn't want to do anything to infuriate his employer who was undeniably his benefactor.

"It's Mr Brian. I find it more respectful and polite instead of sir."

"I'm sorry, Mr Brian."

"Come with me."

He took Jake to a wide expanse of land and said to him,

"Clear it."

Jake stared at the land before him in disbelief.

"Okay sir... sorry, Mr Brian. Please, where can I get the land clearing mower?"

"Land clearing mower you say?"

Jake nodded.

"You have so much guts, you church rat! How dare you ask me for a land clearing mower. What is a poor thing like you meant for? I'll give you an answer in case you don't know. You are made for the hard job and the dirty jobs. I'm sure you haven't set your eyes on that machine before and don't know how to handle it. Remember, this must be done before daybreak. Come, let me show you your second task."

Jake followed meekly, not daring to do more than breathing. Mr Brian led the way and they entered the house.

"Walk in front of me, don't touch anything and don't stare. Focus and stop when I tell you to."

"Yes, Mr Brian."

Jake did as he was told but with the corner of his eyes, he could see that the interior of the house was way better than the exterior.

"Stop!" Brian ordered and opened the door at the end of the hall. An exquisite room came in sight. Everything in the room screamed opulence and luxury.

"Clean this room. There's a camera here. Make sure you don't steal anything," Brian sneered and off he went.

His departure availed Jake the opportunity to enjoy the view of the room. As someone who had been poor since forever, this was his first and last chance to be in a luxurious room. He made much of the opportunity by feeding his eyes with such glorious sight.

"I wish I can have this kind of house," he said to himself. An inner voice that seemed to mock him reminded him that he could barely afford to eat and there was no way he would have that kind of house. He took a deep breath and set to work.

Jake worked very hard and tirelessly as if his life depended on the work. Well, his life did because that $10000 was the only money he had, even though he hadn't received it. At 8:00 pm, he was done with both the farm and the room. He left the farmland and walked back to the gates of the house which was quite a distance. He was extremely exhausted since he had eaten nothing all day. He only drank some water from the tap near the farmland. On getting to the gate, he saw that it was locked outside.

Fear flashed across his eyes.

Has he been played?

He looked around to make sure it was the right house and then, he saw a paper attached to the gate. He opened it and read it.

"Hey Jake. You are late. It's past my working hours. Come back tomorrow morning for your wages. Next time, you will work harder and faster."

Jake held the paper with trembling hands. He had worked himself out just to get that money and now this was all he got? The man said it was past his work hours. Does it mean that he was just an ordinary employee?

Jake's stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't had anything to eat since the previous day. If he had a chance to pay back, the first person he would deal with will be Mr Brian for being so callous.

Jake staggered out of the building. He needed somewhere to eat and lay his head. On his way out of the estate, he met an elderly woman with a kind face. From her attire, it could be stated that she was a cook in one of the houses. She saw how he was walking and pitied him.

"Here, you can have this. I was going to dispose the expired food but it seems you need it more."

She smiled warmly and let Jake have the paper bag she was carrying. Jake, who was too weak to talk knelt down and thanked her.

"Go away. The security should not meet you here."

Jake managed to get up and find his way out of the estate. He sat down on a block nearby and devoured the expired food like a lion.

He felt much better after eating the food. He finally had strength and stood up to observe his surroundings. The wind was blowing and he only had his thin clothes that stuck to his skin due to sweat. He had no money so he walked home. By the time he got home, he was slightly wet because it was drizzling. He was happy to be home, time to get some warm clothing and stay in a warm house. With these thoughts in his mind, he rang the doorbell. The door opened and he met three pairs of eyes, staring at him in extreme hostility. Seated in the sitting room was Sky, her sister Josie and their mum.

Josie was the first to react. She held her nose and shouted.

"You stink. And why are you at the door? I'm surprised you still have the nerves to be here. Get out so that we can breath!"

And to the servant who opened the door, she said,

"Push him out and shut the door!"

Her order was instantly obeyed and Jake found himself outside, under the pouring rain. The rain was pouring heavily as Jake ran blindly under it. He found shelter in front of an uncompleted building but the rain still poured on him regardless. The cold was too much that he nearly passed out. His head spin and he didn't know what happened again. But when he opened his eyes, he was on a soft bed and in a strange room. A smartly dressed young man was pacing about in the room. When he saw Jake's eyes open, he shouted,

"He's awake! The young master is awake! Thank goodness!"