Needless to say, Peter Quinton cringed, having to recall that fateful night that Derek was separated from him and his wife. Nonetheless the truth had to be told.
"You were six months old when that night happened." began Peter Quinton. "We were all on the way back home from a dinner party when we were suddenly ambushed by a group of thugs.""While our security, lead by Owen, were fending off those thugs, we could hear some distinct shouting from them, one of which was 'Kill the Quinton family, including their baby!'"Peter Quinton had to pause for a moment as his eyes were starting to redden. Lea was seated at the edge of the bed, with tears forming up her eyes as well."Back then, our business rivals were envious of our success in business; but we had no idea that they would be so ruthless and merciless..." continued Peter."Thanks to Owen and the security team, we all managed to escape unharmed and made it back home safely. But your mother and I started to make plans to escape Townsville.""Your mother and I were worried about what might happen to you if we were to take you with us and escape from Townsville. We feared that our rivals would chase us and they may harm you in the process."Lea interjected, "So we decided to give you away to Edward and Anna Smith, who we knew from our younger days. We also found out that Anna was barren and could not conceive. They were a great couple and they promised us to take care of you while we focused on getting rid of our enemies.""We knew that no matter what happens, they would not locate or harm you; and that Edward and Anna will protect you.""We made a promise to them, and to you, that we will be back once we knew it was safe to come back to Townsville.""However, we were informed five years later by Madam Louise Smith that Edward, Anna and you passed away due to a fatal sickness. We wanted to retrieve your body back but she told us that the three of you were cremated and the ashes were scattered to the seas." Lea face started to flood with tears.Peter continued, "We were so devestated that we were lost for a long period of time. We went into depression for a couple of years. Thankfully, Dr Andrews nursed us back to health and we were able to move on with life and our business; but we never stopped missing you and deep down we couldn't believe that you were lost forever."Derek listened with the greatest of intent. Things were starting to click and make sense to him. There was one final piece to complete the puzzle in his mind."Then how were you able to find me?" asked Derek.Peter replied, "Thanks to Owen. Earlier today, when your boss fired you, you must have rolled up your sleeves while packing your belongings; because Owen caught sight of your birthmark as you were exiting your office.""Owen waited until he left that same office before telling us that you were alive. I must admit, we couldn't believe what we heard; but once Owen described your birthmark to us, there was no doubt anymore."Lea continued, "Our prayers were answered. We finally found you! My son!". Lea then walked over to Derek and embrace him again. Peter joined in the group hug.This time, Derek returned the embrace from his parents. Everything made sense to him now."Mum! Dad!" Finally, tears were streaming down Derek's face. Tears of relief and joy."We're sorry that we were not there for you all these years. Now that you are back with us, we will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you!" said Lea."That can wait." replied Derek. "It's been a long day. I'm sure you both are exhausted. I know I am. Let's all get a good night's rest and talk again tomorrow.""That's fair." said Peter. He then called for Owen."Owen, please show my son to his room. Son, I'm sure you are going to like it. We prepared it just for you.""Thanks. Good night mum and dad. I'll see you tomorrow." Derek replied, before following Owen to his new room.On the way, Derek looked at Owen and said, "I know I gave you two conditions earlier, one of which was not to call me Young Master. That condition still applies; call me Derek or Young Quinton instead." "Certainly, Derek. By the way, your suitcase is already in your new room. Still we have clothes in your closet for you to wear as you see fit." replied Owen, with a nice smile on his face. Once Derek reached his room, which was at the opposite side of his parents' room, he bidded Owen goodnight before entering. When Derek entered, his mouth instantly gaped open. There was a king-sized bed, a walk-in closet, a study table, an 80-inch mounted tv screen, a ensuite bath room complete with a gold-plated bath tub, a shower and a big ivory sink. 'Wow wow wow. This is what it's like to be a Quinton.' Derek thought. 'Well then, let's get settled.' It was easy for Derek to be overwhelmed by his new room. After all, back at the Smith house, he was forced to sleep in their store room and had
The sun shone brightly through the windows. The sun rays hit Derek's eyes so he had no choice but to wince and blink. 'A few minutes more please.' thought Derek. With good reason too. He slept like a baby for the first time in his life, on his king size bed. "Oh S***!!! I'm late for work!!" Derek jolted himself awake and for a brief moment, he was in a cold sweat. In that moment, it had not dawned on him that we was no longer Derek Smith; he is Derek Quinton. He thought he was going to be late for work and get bullied by his boss and colleagues. But he soon recalled the events of the day before and quickly calmed down. He remembered that he was fired from his job, thrown out of the Smith mansion, then picked up by Owen Beck to be reunited with his biological parents, the powerful Peter and Lea Quinton. 'That's right. I'm Derek Quinton now. No need to worry about an unrewarding job full of corrupt managers and ass-kissing workers. Nice.' thought Derek.At that point, heard a knock
Lea explained, "The Quinton Consortium is a collection of companies where we either own or have mast majority shares in. We don't invest blindly. Each company under the Quinton Consortium has a minimum net worth of at least $2 billion. We currently have 60 of the top 100 companies in Townsville and other cities around the world under the Quinton Consortium." Peter continued, "So you can imagine son, our Quinton family's net worth and value. Given your young age, your mum and I hope that you can take over our position soon." Derek listened intently with awe of his parents. He knew that they were rich and powerful but he had no idea the levels of wealth and power they actually have attained. But Derek is also quick witted and his mind works like a computer. While he was listening to his parents' explaination and wishes, he was already formulating a plan. "I know time is of the essence mum and dad; and someday I will be responsible enough to take over the whole consortium from you. I
Derek decided to wear his worn-out shoes that he had been wearing for the last two years. This is an additional step to disguise himself from his new found identity. To know who is worth his time or not, he knew he cannot reveal his true identity to the world just yet."Young Master!" a voice called out to him from the Quinton garage. Derek turned and saw the family driver, the same driver he saw the day before that picked him up from the bus stop. "Hi there. Just in time. I'll need a ride to the business district. Can you take me there?""Certainly, Young Master." replied the driver."Thanks a lot. By the way, how may I address you?" asked Derek."My name is Hector, Young Master. I've served the Quinton family as their driver for the last 30 years. I'm honoured to drive you around now Young Master.""Nice to know you, Hector. Oh wait, do you have Owen's number? I forgot to ask him for it. Send me his number and we'll get going." "Not a problem, Young Master. One moment please." Di
'Am I sticking out too much in the crowd? Maybe I should have worn something less casual.' Derek was looking around and started having second thoughts about his dress code. 'Maybe I'll get a couple of cheap suits just to blend in. I see a mall nearby. I'll go explore there.' Holding and sipping away on his cappucino, Derek then proceeded to the shopping mall named The BDT Mall. Inside, there were several men's clothing shops to choose from. Derek decided to window shop first to have a gauge of the prices in the business district. Needless to say, because the vast majority of the people are wearing business suits at the very least, they do not sell as cheap as Derek may think. 'Wow, the average price of the cheapest suits costs about $5,000. If I wasn't a Quinton, I can forget about coming to the HNW zone.' Derek thought in shock and awe. 'Ok this shop looks decent. I'll go in and have a look.' thought Derek. Before stepping in, he made sure to dispose of his finished cup of capp
Barely hours into his first day in the business district; and Derek had already experienced two polar ends of what it means to be working there. He knew, after stepping out of the BDT mall, that he has long road ahead of him.Ding!A message notification interrupted Derek's thoughts. He retrieved his phone from his pocket and read the message.'Young Quinton, I've sent you a pin location of the Quinton Tower. I've also forwarded Amanda's contact to you. Contact her when you arrive. See you later. Owen.''Well...tour time in the HNW zone is over...for today anyway. Time to get down to business.' thought Derek. Before heading over to Quinton Tower, Derek stopped by a nearby food truck to order a steak sandwich for lunch. He wasn't going to waste time dining in a fancy restaurant even though he could. Not this day anyway; he didn't want to be late on his first day.Derek then hailed a cab to go to Quinton Tower. Traffic was surprisingly a breeze despite peak traffic during lunch hours.
Amanda escorted Derek to a private elevator in the Quinton Tower. It was easy to tell that it was a private elevator because there were only a few buttons that connect to the top floors of the building. Once inside the elevator, Derek asked, "So, which level is my new office located?" "The top floor, boss. You'll love the office. I promise you that." replied Amanda confidently, with a wide smile on her face. "Wow. You sound very confident. That's a good trait to have. I look forward to your work." "Thank you boss. I'm really excited to work for you." Amanda replied. Ding! "We're here boss. Welcome to your new office." Amanda ushered Derek in. At first sight, Derek was blown away when he stepped in. The office space itself was the similar to a small startup, full of top of the line furniture, lighting and amenities. "Allow me to show you around, boss." offered Amanda. "Yes, please. Hey, are you sure this is my office? This looks more like a small yet luxurious condo apartment!
It's been two weeks since Derek started his life as Derek Quinton, heir apparent to the Quinton Consortium. During that time, Derek kept his promise to his parents Peter and Lea Quinton and studied the companies he took over that are part of the Quinton Consortium. In that time, Owen Beck made sure Derek's identity is kept secret. Everyday, Derek will disguise himself and not to further draw too much attention, requested Hector to chauffeur him in his family's Mercedes G-class. This type of car is rather common in the Townsville business district and would not arouse any suspicion. Derek would also lunch in to keep studying his companies. Amanda Walsh, Derek's secretary, did her part, taking time and effort to update Derek and keep him up to speed with his companies' events and statuses.These companies deal in various industries, including real estate, media, finance, hotels and resorts.Derek and Amanda were having a discussion on real estate when they heard a knock on the door.