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.

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

a few words through his gritted teeth. “You must

personally groomed to become deputy director. Therefore, I know better than anyone else how

have them obey him unconditionally caused him to be intoxicated

change within him, yet he didn’t see anything wrong

have not changed. You have to reconsider the

his body tilt toward

to hear Craig’s excuses, Cedrick continued solemnly, “Do you feel tired? As if your arms are going to break and you can no

that was precisely

I had to go through was even more grueling than this. In fact, I felt like I was going to die. But the truth is, man’s potential is limitless. When faced with overwhelming pressure, even the proudest of us have no choice but to submit. Moreover, despite knowing that one is incapable of withstanding the punishment for failure, one would still give one’s all just to endure it. Craig, the gulf between us

trying to convey. Cedrick has never lectured me about life. Has he gotten carried away

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

surface, but once he

lips, leaving a bloody print. He then channeled the anger within him

isn’t necessary, Mr. Jenson. I

“I’m glad to

hour passed quickly for Cedrick as

eternity to him. All he could do was focus on maintaining his balance and

later, the timer

it also signaled the

relief, Craig collapsed to the

so exhausted

finished notating the last document with his red

have managed to

Craig called out softly upon collecting himself,

Craig’s mind, Cedrick rejected him outright. “No. That said,

stand on your feet, I’m sure you can still