The Return Of The Sole Heir

Chapter 4 The Struggling For Survival

It had been three days since Richard left home, nor had his grandfather nor Richard called each other. But he makes sure to always send messages to his grandfather's personal assistant to make sure he always takes his drugs.

After leaving home that night, Richard had gone to his girlfriend's house to stay, before thinking of a way forward. She has no choice but to let him stay since he was the one that gave her all she has now.

This afternoon, Richard had gone to the grocery store to get some foodstuffs but unfortunately, he forgot his phone at home with the list of what they needed so he had come back to take it without Felicia's notice.

Richard was a few walks away from the house and he was about to come out from a corner that separates Felicia's house to the road when suddenly, he saw something surprising.

Something he couldn't even believe made his eyes water but being the strong-hearted man he is, Richard was able to compose himself.

Richard watches as a man alighted from a car and to his greatest surprise Felicia walks over to him and wraps her hand around his neck and she kisses him tenderly while he wraps his hand around her waist.

Seeing how lovey-dovey Felicia was acting around him it was sure that this was not their first time meeting.

Richard was greatly heartbroken and the pain in his heart was like the sting of thousands of needles piercing into an open wound.

The same girl he loved so much, the same girl he was trying to sacrifice everything for was seeing another man.

Richard stands at a corner waiting to see when the man will be coming out of the house but to his greatest surprise.

Minutes past.

Hours passed.

Felicia and the man didn't come out not until 1 hour and 30 minutes and this time her hair was looking shattered and so was her dress. He watched from afar as the man handed her some cash and she squirmed in excitement hugging him and pulling closer.

It took all the self-control in Richard to still stand and watch the scene as his hand clenched in a fist behind him. He had shown Felicia so much love and sacrificed everything for her; this is the least of what he expected from her.

"Hey, you are back, what took you so long?" Felicia flashes Richard a smile the moment he walks in without her noticing that he knew the truth.

Richard just remained transfixed as he watched her then she walked closer to him and wrapped her hand around him.

Richard pushed her away and smacked her hard across the face as she let out a loud pleading cry. He rushed to her like a predator, pushed her to the nearest chair then climbed on top of her, dragging her by the hair and hitting every part of her body that his hand came in contact with as her wail filled the entire air.

"Who the f*ck is he?" Richard screams at her.

"Richard, are you okay?" Felicia asked, bringing him out of his trance after he had been silent longer than expected.

He snapped out of his imagination and he raised his head to look her in the face. "Yes, I'm good." He said holding her by the hands and they sat together facing each other.

"What about the things you went to get at the grocery store?"

"Oh that, I remember that I don't have any money on me after I got kicked out by my grandpa."

"You have no money with you?" Felicia asked with disappointment in her eyes then she slowly pulled her hands away from him.

"With time things will…"

"I can't wait till then." Felicia cuts him off. "Why don't you go back to your family and ask for forgiveness then you can start living your luxury life and we would be happy."

Richard took a deep breath at the lies he is about to tell her just to see her reaction. "The Big Eric family are not my biological parents, they adopted me, my parents are from a poor background so I can't go back to the Big Eric family."

"You can't be serious." Felicia pulls herself away from him finally as if he is an abomination and she looks away.

"Together with you, I can make it on my own." Richard tries to reach out to her but she slaps his hand off his body.

"Since you no longer have money this will be the end of our relationship."

Felicia stood up beside him and sat on another chair.

Richard's jaw dropped in astonishment at her sudden change of attitude. He was the one that brought her out from the gutter and gave her a better life just because of the love he has for her but now she is being different.

"Was it because of him?"

"What did you mean?"

"You have decided to break up with me because you met a new rich guy now that I'm poor?"

"Richard…what…what are you talking about?"

She has this look of confusion in her eyes even though what he was talking about was true but she wondered how he knew about this when she had been careful with her games.

Richard hated the look on her face and he wished he could slap it off. Cheating on him is not enough for her now she is trying to pretend as if nothing happened.

Standing up from his seat Richard took his car key with so much grievance in his eyes as he tried hard to hide his emotions.

"This will be the end for the both of us." Richard declared heartbrokenly "But I promise you this, when next we meet again you will forever regret this because you won't get the chance to get close to me or even stand the chance to be my maid."

The next words that came out from Felicia's mouth baffled him the most.

"You are just a bastard son and not the true heir to the Big E dynasty, so you should leave." With that, she walks over to him and pushes him out of the house.

Richard walked through the silent cold street of Nethercity with so much pain in his heart he was rejected by his grandfather and now his girlfriend kicked him out of the house in the cold street.

Richard made up his mind to flee the city to find greener pastures.

A Month Later

A stack of rejection letters was placed in front of Richard as he sat at his kitchen table and looked at them. He had been looking for work for several days, but it seemed that nobody was interested in hiring him. He had a computer science degree and a ton of experience, but it seemed that every time he applied for a job, someone else was chosen instead of him.

Living in poverty after experiencing what it's like to be wealthy wasn't easy for him, but he vowed to achieve his goal of being wealthy independently of his family's fortune and to wed someone who would value him for who he is rather than a gold digger who is chasing his wealth.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes while sighing and leaning back in his chair. He had been putting in a lot of effort, sending out resumes, and attending interviews, but it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, nothing seemed to go right.

He got to his feet and started to pace around his compact apartment, feeling the weight of his irritations pressing him. Even though he knew he couldn't give up, it was difficult to persevere when it seemed like everyone was against him.

His phone rang right then. In the hopes that it would be good news, Richard picked it up and answered. Though he had been quite excited about the venture, it was just another rejection, this time from a business about which he had been quite enthusiastic.

Feeling discouraged, he hung up the phone and returned to his seat at the table. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this. Without a reliable source of income, it was already difficult for him to make ends meet. He was unsure of how he would manage without one.

He inhaled deeply, vowing to keep looking for work until he found it. His headache was already getting worse when he heard a loud banging on his door, which added to his banging head.

What could possibly be worse than a difficult landlord? Richard was certain that he was the one knocking because he had been here the day before, three days prior.

With his face flushed with rage, the landlord stormed inside his apartment. "How dare you not pay your rent on time! He sulked as he crossed his arms in front of the door of the run-down flat. He stated sternly, "Mr. Richard, we need to talk about your rent payment."

Richard looked up from his seat on the couch, his eyes heavy and his face haggard. "I'm sorry; I realize I'm running late. I just experienced some financial issues, but I pledge to make up for it as soon as I can."

However, the landlord was not having it. "That's what you've been saying for weeks now. I'm sick of your justifications. Rent must be paid in full or you must leave the property."

Richard looked downcast. He understood that losing his residence was not an option. He was behind on his bills and had a hard time finding a consistent job. "Give me a little more time, please. I'll have the money for you shortly, I swear."

The landlord was more furious. "You are aware of your lease's conditions, Mr. Johnson. The first of the month is when the rent is due. Today is the 10th, and I still haven't gotten a penny from you."

Richard hung his head, his face showing humiliation. "By the end of the week, I'll have the money for you. Just a little bit more time, please."

The landlord sighed and combed his gray hair with his hand. "Mr. Johnson, I'm sorry, but I can't keep letting you get away with this. I will be forced to begin the eviction process if I don't get your rent payment by the end of the day."

Richard's terrified eyes expanded. "Give me just a few more days, please. I swear I'll have the cash."

"Boys!" Three large men entered shortly after the landlord called. The landlord gave the order while turning to face them. "Enter his room and remove all of his possessions."

"No, don't do this to me," I begged. Richard kneels down and grabs the landlord by the legs.

The landlord let out a long sigh and decided to feel sorry for him, so instead of loading up to leave, he requested his boys to lock the door.

"Bring me money before the end of the day; otherwise, don't even bother coming back home to sleep." After doing so, he kicks Richard out the door and exits, leaving him locked outside.