Cuff Me, Officer.

Chapter Seven- Disgraced and Disowned

It had been a week since the day at the bridge, and Frederick Styles was absolutely furious. His son had ignored every one of his calls. He knew he hadn't lost his phone, because sometimes he'd get sent to voice mail earlier than other times, signaling that Harry had seen his call and pressed ignore.

Harry just didn't get it. His father desperately needed him to take over the Styles company, or else it would collapse once Mr. Styles hit retirement age. He could not let everything he worked for crumble because of old age.

But Harry just wouldn't listen. Frederick loved his son deeply and didn't want to sign over the rights to his company to some irrelevant CEO, but if that's all he could do, so be it.

**

A knock at the door woke Harry from his small nap on the couch. He rubbed his eyes free of sleep and called out a tired, "Be right there."

He opened the door to see his father standing there, face cold and disappointed. "Hello, Harry. Might I come in?"

Harry may not have liked his father, but he had manners. He opened the door a bit wider and stepped out of the way. Once his father was inside and had taken off his heavy winter coat, he ushered him to the dining table in the kitchen and started working on making tea.

"What was it you wanted, father? We both know you don't come here to have a friendly chat." Harry asked, bringing two cups of tea to the table and handing one to his father. Frederick graciously took it and sipped it slowly.

"Yes, I wanted to inform you of some changes I've made in both of our futures."

Harry was curious now. "What sort of changes?" He asked, a bit hesitant.

"Well, the first change is you don't have to worry about running the company in your future anymore. I've picked a fine young man to sign the rights over to when the time comes."

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. All these years of fighting with his father, and he finally agreed? "That's great, father. And the second change?"

Frederick's face immediately went blank, as it always did when delivering bad news. "I'm sorry son. I'm cutting you off the inheritance. You need to learn what the real world is like- finding jobs, paying bills, things of that nature. I've realized you do not want me to live your life for you, and I won't." He pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "Enclosed is a check for one thousand pounds, and that is that last of the money you shall receive from me. Goodbye, Harry." He stood up, put on his coat and left.

That was the last time Harry saw his father.

Harry carefully picked up the envelope, his father's words finally sinking in.

He was alone. All he had was this one check that would be gone in a matter of months due to buying groceries and paying bills. Harry had no job, and he was fully aware he couldn't get one. Employers would take one glance at his criminal record and send him on his way back home.

Everything suddenly came crashing down on Harry, and it overwhelmed him. A few tears streaked down his cheeks, but Harry had no intention of wiping them away. Reality had caught up with him, and it was just too much to handle.

Zayn returned home to see Harry at the dining table, face blank and tear tracks on his cheeks. He ran over to Harry and kneeled down by the chair. "Harry, what happened?"

Harry snapped out of his daze and wiped the tears from his face. He told Zayn what had happened between him and his father only minutes ago, and his thoughts of being unable to get a job for the next couple of years. Zayn listened intently, nodding or humming in acknowledgment occasionally. When Harry had finished his story, he gave him a heartfelt hug. "It's alright, mate. We'll figure something out, yeah? We've got that check right there, and my job. You don't need to worry about jobs for another few months. When the time comes, I'll get my boss to ask around, see if anyone's willing to take you."

Harry smiled at his best mate. "Thank you, Zayn."

The two spent the rest of their day playing around, watching cheesy movies, and eating junk food. It wasn't the happiest day of their lives, but they had to fake it for the sake of each other. In fact, by the end of the night, their fake smiles had morphed into real, genuine laughs.