The Ex and Her Riches

The endless pressure being applied triggered a sense of suffocation in Craig.

His fists alternated between clenching and releasing as the rage within him swelled to its brim.

All the physical punishments that Cedrick had meted out were exercises used during training. Other than the coffee cup thrown earlier, he had not laid a finger on Craig.

Hence, even if Craig wanted to report Cedrick to their superiors, he had no reasonable excuse to do so.

With that thought in mind, Cedrick calmly tapped on the table and reminded, “You still have fifteen seconds to decide. Take your time.”

The words sent a shiver down Craig’s spine, vanquishing the thoughts that were previously cycling through his mind.

Without a moment’s delay, he hurried toward a spot two steps away from the wall. Teeth gritted, he took a deep breath and pushed himself upright with his hands.

When Cedrick mentioned for it to be done near the wall, he clearly didn’t mean for Craig to lean against it.

Thus, the latter had to support the weight of his entire body with his hands alone.

Although his back was facing the wall, it only acted as a temporary cushion in case he fell down.

This exercise was particularly strenuous due to its technical difficulty, and the fact that Craig was already drained made it worse for him.

At the two–minute mark, his arms were already trembling uncontrollably.

Thus, he felt as if thirty minutes could potentially torment the life out of him.

Many years had passed since he was reduced to such a pathetic state.

He would never forget the humiliation he suffered and swore to seek revenge one day.

Observing him from a distance, Cedrick could clearly see Craig’s trembling arms.

the years I spent away in Fairlake was supposed to be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your capabilities. Instead, you became full of yourself to the

eked out a few words through his gritted teeth.

languidly. “You were someone that I have personally groomed to become deputy director. Therefore, I know better than anyone else how truly ambitious you are. Unfortunately, you have lost your initial idealism and have become someone

unconditionally caused him to be intoxicated by power. From then

didn’t see anything wrong with it, let alone

Mr. Jenson. I have not changed. You have to reconsider the

his energy to speak, Craig felt his body tilt toward the back. However, he swiftly bounced back off

Cedrick continued solemnly, “Do you feel tired? As if your arms are going to

spite of Craig’s silence, that

When faced with overwhelming pressure, even the proudest of us have no choice but to submit. Moreover, despite knowing

Cedrick was trying to convey. Cedrick has never lectured me about life. Has he gotten carried away from punishing me that he can’t help reminiscing about his

it means that your physical body is too weak. I’ll have no choice but to report it and request that you be sent back to training camp for three months. Upon your departure, the position of deputy director will be left vacant, and I intend to let Nico

on the surface, but once he actually did, there was no way Craig

felt a chill down his spine, Craig bit down on his cracked lips, leaving a bloody print. He then channeled the anger within him to

Jenson. I can still

in laughter. “I’m glad to hear

quickly for Cedrick as he went through

same couldn’t be said for the hand–standing Craig. Every second felt like an eternity to him. All he could do was focus

the timer

the end of the work

to the ground, unable to

his eyelashes drenched in sweat, he was so exhausted that

finished notating the last document with his

turning off the heater, he slowly walked up to Craig. “You have managed to pass the test by a whisker. Now, clean up the floor before

out softly upon collecting himself, “can

rejected him outright. “No. That said, if you

punishment here, you’re welcome to get someone else to clean it up. Even if you can’t stand on your feet, I’m sure you can still crawl on your knees. I won’t let anyone enter to disrupt your work. Now, whether you want to keep the last of your self–respect is entirely up to