A few minutes later, Damien was out of his office and tailing Aiken to where the “Suits ” were, he saw them standing too close to the construction site for his liking. For people always preaching about workplace safety they had a severe lack of awareness on how unsafe they were under the creaky woods and metal rails. 

“Good morning.” Damien greeted as he stopped behind Mia, three pairs of eyes meeting his.

“This is…”

“You must be Damien. The foreman.” One of them, a man said rudely cutting off Mia stretching out his hand in greeting.

“Yeah,”  Damien replied, looking at the hand then back at the man and proceeding to pocket his. If the man was going to be rude to his people, Damien would return the favor.

“Ah, I see. A pleasure to meet you.” The man said as he retracted his hands. 

“Yeah.” Was Damien’s reply, he would not be bothered to hide his hostility towards them.

“Well, I am Vincent.” The man said, “This is Makyla and John.” He introduced pointing at the woman and man next to him. 

Damien just nodded at them.

 “We are from ZEUS Industries, I hope you know them.” He said. 

“Our employers, how could I not?” Damien replied, sarcasm laced in his tone.

“Yes, your employers. Well, we have been sent here to check on the construction’s progress and why it has been delayed for as long as it has...”

“Having taken into account the delayed materials and bureaucratic process yes?” Damien asked as he folded his hands across his chest.

“Yes of course,” John replied making Damien glance at the taller man. Damien was tall, taller than everyone he knew but this John guy was absurdly tall, like cryptic tall...

Must be a side effect of his Blessing. Damien thought to himself. 

“Yes, all of that has been accounted for but still a delay of six months cannot be accounted for,” Vincent said, his dark skin glowing against the morning sun.

“With that in mind, an executive decision has been made to bring in new leadership.” He added. 

Were these fuckers….

“Are you firing him?” Mia asked. Her face scrunched up in a scowl her motherly feature leaving it. Mia was older than everyone here, she was warm but stern if Damien had a mother, Mia might have been age mates with her.

Though Damien would never admit it, Mia scared him. Especially when she got on the offensive like she was now.

“Yes, the company has decided to let Mr Damien Ayker go.” The woman, Maklya answered.

"On what fucking grounds!” This time Aiken asked to take one step toward the guests. 

“We told you. The delay.” John replied. 

His tone and posture told Damien that he was more than an office worker, in Damien’s eyes John looked more like a fighter than an office worker.

Mia and Aiken were arguing with Vincent and Makyla while John watched them with an amused gleam in his eye.

This fucker was dangerous. 

Damien then suddenly feared for Aiken’s and Mia’s safety, whatever John was here for was not to deliver his resignation letter. 

“Fine,” Damien announced, his eyes never leaving John’s even after he met Damien’s, and surprise-filled them. 

“The fuck it is,” Mia exclaimed turning to him. 

“Mia…” Damien said tiredly. 

“Don’t you ‘Mia ‘me. What they are doing is unfair and wrong.” She snapped turning back to the shocked guests.

“She is right Boss.” Aiken said calmer than their secretary, “But whatever you choose boss.” He added.

Aiken was five years younger than Damien, ever since he beat the man up for trying to pickpocket him two years ago, Aiken began following him everywhere. At first, Damien was put off by the young man following him, but Aiken proved to be harmless and he let him stay.

Zion and Ambrosia took quite a liking to him, calling him ‘uncle’ and flustering the young man. 

“Take Mia away from here, I need to talk to them.” Damien requested.

A nod from Aiken was his response before he started herding  Mia away from them. 

When they had left, Damien turned to the guests studying them without saying anything.

Vincent cleared his throat then rummaged through his suitcase pulling out a document device for Damien to sign. 

“Just sign here and we will terminate your contract,” Vincent said. 

“Send the documents to my ID account and I will sign them later and then send them to you,” Damien replied, he knew better than to sign anything before going through it, thoroughly.

“There is no need for that. Just sign them now and you will never see us again.” Makayla said. 

“Whether I sign now or later doesn’t matter does it?” Damien replied. 

“I am fired whether or not I sign them am I not? Your work is done right?” He added. 

“Or would you rather I sign the document under duress?” Damien asked baiting the three of them.

He does not know why they are in such a hurry to have him sign the document but Vincent’s fidgety actions and Makyla’s anger at his words told him he did the right thing refusing to sign them. 

“No, we wouldn’t.” This time John replied grabbing Damien’s attention.

“Sadly we cannot send the document to you. Breach of confidentiality and whatnot.”

Bullshit. 

“We are happy that you have been reasonable throughout all this Mr Ayker,” John said stretching out his hand to Damien.

All of his instincts screamed at him not to touch the man, so Damien listened and ignored John’s hand. 

“I am sure you are. The exit is the same way you came.” Damien said jutting out his chin toward the entry and exit. 

John chuckled then retracted his hand. The laugh made Damien’s spine crawl. 

“Alright then, we will get going. It has been a pleasure Mr. Ayker.” John said then turned to the exit, Makyla and Vincent running after him. 

Something about the tall thin man did not sit fucking right with him, but Damien had bigger fish to fry like the one called unemployment. 

He released a tired sigh to the sky, it was barely mid-morning and Damien was already done with the day.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“I cannot believe they fired you, Boss,” Aiken said he was next to Damien who was buying Zion’s birthday cake. 

“Well, what are you gonna do? Stop calling me boss and also…” Damien paused to pay for the cake and take it from the counter, its weight was welcomed in his palm that held the box containing the cake.

“Are you not supposed to be at work?” He asked as they walked out of the bakery. 

“I quit,” Aiken said in a matter-of-fact voice. 

If Damien was not holding the cake he would have knocked Aiken out. 

“Why?” Damien asked with a tired sigh. 

The shrug he got from the man was expected. Damien gave up on understanding the man a long time ago. 

“Well, you are going to help me out with this party,” Damien announced perking Aiken’s attention. 

Zion said he did not want anything big. Just cake and snacks, so that was exactly what Damien would get, plus his birthday present.

 By the time they arrived home, Zion’s birthday cake almost met its doom twice, Damien had to run around the shopping center to find everything on the list and he was one incident away from blowing his fuse. From people who had no fucking concept of personal space who kept bumping at him to service workers who all seemed to have agreed that day to serve him with an extra side of bitchy.

The day just seemed to make it its mission to watch him lose his shit, but he would not let the universe or whatever was responsible for the shitty day win.

 Today would be a great fucking day …Why? Because it was his son’s birthday and the world can go fuck itself sideways for all he cares.

Damien left the decorating to Aiken as he dealt with the food and snacks taking time to unwind before the party. Time went by too quickly for his liking and before they knew it Ambrosia kicked the door open and entered the house with a laugh.

“Daddy? You are home?” She asked while running to him and hugging his legs ignoring Aiken. 

“Yeah, I am. Had to prepare for Zion’s special day.” Damien replied as he lifted his daughter off the floor and into his arms

“He is going to hate it so much,” Ambrosia said with a mischievous giggle. 

“Dad? What is all this?” The main character of the day asked as he looked around the decorated living room. 

“What do you mean ‘what is all this?’ It is your birthday.” Aiken replied to the shy teen. 

“Uncle K! ” Ambrosia squealed as she squirmed out of Damien’s hands almost taking out his eye with her elbow. 

“Hey, Sia.” He greeted her as he swung her in his arms. 

The two got lost in their world leaving Damien and Zion in reality.

“Too much Z?” Damien asked his son who was slowly making his way to his father as he took in their living room.

“Um…Yeah? A bit.” He confessed shyly. 

“Had to go all out, my son is a teenager now. Never to be a child ever again. I got to start planning for a three-bedroom unit now.” Damien said in mock concern. 

“Dad.” Zion groaned out making Damien laugh. 

“Happy thirteenth Z.” Damien wished his son a happy birthday and his heart swelled when the boy looked at him with gleaming eyes and then hugged him. 

Yeah, moments like these made everything worth it.

 “I want a hug too,” Ambrosia whined as he nudged herself between the father-son pair with a squeal. 

“Alright, enough feelings. Let us have cake.” Damien announced by gently shoving the kids away and walking to the fridge to retrieve the boxed cake.

 Aiken was herding the giggly children to the living room as Damien made his way with the now-unboxed cake. It was a cherry cake, too sweet for Damien’s liking but he managed to down a slice after Zion cut it. 

Ambrosia looked like a mess with cake crumbs and cream all over her face. Damien winced at the thought of bath time. 

“Thank you Uncle K.” Zion thanked Aiken as his wide eyes gazed at the unboxed gaming console he had just unwrapped. 

“It was nothing kid. Happy thirteenth.” Aiken wished with a mouthful of cake making Ambrosia giggle. 

“It is my turn.” She announced as she placed her plateful of cake on the table with a bang making Damien wince at the sound 

“You have a gift for Z?” He asked, surprised when she nodded enthusiastically at his words.

“Well, what is it?” Zion asked as he shuffled forward on the floor to his sister.

“Me!” Ambrosia announced proudly, her thumb pointing to her chest.

 A beat of silence passed. 

When Aiken choked on a laugh Zion and Damien burst out laughing. 

“Whaaat?” She asked with a whine, uncertainty bleeding into her voice. 

“NOTHING!” Zion said quickly as he walked on his knees to his sister and hugged her. “I just love your gift so much that it made me laugh.” 

At his words, Damien watched as his daughter’s features turned happy then haughty. 

“You should be. There is only one of me.” She said wrapping her hands around Zion’s neck. 

Damien’s and Aiken’s giggles finally died down allowing Zion to open his last gift. 

This one was from Damien. 

The box was medium size and the wrapping was a plain yellow, it gave nothing away, Damien made sure of that.

Zion tore open his present and opened the box. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of what was inside.

A gold tie, red blouse, and black blazer and trousers. 

These were the colors he was most familiar with since it was the Awakener Academy uniform.

 It was an academy where Chosen and Unchosen children would go after their thirteenth birthday. It had the highest rate of getting Chosen by gods after graduation, it was every Unchosen kid’s dream to go there. 

It was Zion’s dream to go there, so he studied and trained as per the Entrance examination’s guide for as long as he could remember. The examination was free so he did it and got his results a month ago.

He had placed first among all those who took the exams. 

He was ecstatic at the news but what he saw next made him stop in his tracks. The fees only were his father’s half a year's pay, not to mention other payment and shit. 

Zion realized the reason why Unchosen barely made it to the academy; quite a small margin of them could afford and keep up with the demanding fees. So Zion decided to kill his dream, for his family. 

He never told anyone he did the exam or placed first, so seeing the uniform shocked him to his core.

“I know you want to go to the Academy. So here is an early present for when you take and pass the test.” Damien said as he rubbed the back of his neck not sure what to make of his son’s silence. 

“What about the fees?” Zion asked in a whisper. 

“Fees? The academy fees?” Damien asked, confused by Zion’s question.

“Your father has been saving up money since you were eight Z,” Aiken answered. 

“For me?” Zion asked sobs wracking out of him.

“Hey, hey Z? What is it?” Damien asked, concern laced in his voice as he joined his kids on the floor pulling Zion into a hug. 

“I was not sure if we could afford the academy so I gave up.” He said, his words have been broken by sobs. 

“Z… You should never worry how or if when it concerns money. I am your dad Zion and as long as I am alive do not sweat the small stuff…okay.” Damien soothed and cooed.

Zion could only nod as tears and sobs of happiness took over his body.

Damien hugged Zion tightly letting him cry into his chest.

“You just worry about the exam…okay,” Damien said into Zion’s hair.

“...took it.” Was his son's mumbles. 

“Sorry did not catch that,” Damien said as he looked down at his son who was calmer now, no more tears and sobs.

Just snot. 

“I said, I already took it,” Zion announced shocking Aiken and Damien. 

“That is amazing! So when do we get the results?” Damien asked. 

“I already have them,” Zion confessed sheepishly.

“You little shi…You had planned and taken care of everything already.” Damien said trapping Zion in a loose choke hold.

“Well, how did you do?” Aiken asked interrupting the mock wrestling match Damien was having with his son. 

“Yeah, how did you do?” Damien parroted. 

“I passed,” Zion said happily while snatching his plate away from Ambrosia who had set her eyes on his cake.

“Of course you did,” Damien said with a puffed-out chest.

“Took the number one spot nationwide,” Zion added with a shrug. 

Damien paused. Then a smile cracked his face wide open as he turned to Aiken

“Aiken, my child is a genius.” He said in all seriousness then burst out laughing. Loud, warm, and boisterous making Aiken roll his eyes at him. 

“We need a feast! Tell everyone that my son not only entered the academy but he took the number fucking 1 spot!” Damien said in a shout as he stood up taking Zion with him and twirling him around.

Ambrosia joined the laughter and joy, even with no understanding of what was happening, her father’s, brother’s, and uncle’s laughter was enough to make her happy.

Damien stopped spinning his son when he complained of dizziness only for Aiken to grab him for a hug while he congratulated him. 

Damien watched his family, feeling happier than he had ever been.

You really do not know what life has planned for you till you live it. 

 Damien thought to himself with a smile as he went to the door to answer the knock. Even an uninvited guest could not destroy Damien’s high. 

That was what he thought till he opened the door and was met with a familiar face. 

“Hey D.” The voice that made his heart flutter in the past greeted him.

“Eve.”