Engulfed By His Shadow

Chapter 24 : Rotten

Unedited.

Note : 

This book will have mature content as mentioned earlier. Including certain scenes, violent language and sensitive topics. Kindly proceed reading at your own risk. 

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The large orange tinted moon shone off through the dense clouds as they made ways for celestial beauty's majestic rays. It was dark and damp in the streets of Autumnlare, if one was sharp enough, he could hear the owl hooting at a distance and somewhere a wolf admiringly howling at the moon.

Timothy sipped into his wine and leant against the curved stone rails of the balcony.

His blood-shot eyes showing adoration for the dark night and lush wine while his father, Paxon Harred, the elite who turned into a demogogue, nagged behind him in a hissing sounds.

"You know we have already lost more than half of our shares, lands and properties. Why do you keep doing things that taints our image further? Who asked you to take the reins and run the horse over some petty baker?"

"My image?" Timothy turned around with an irked expression and yelled, "It's all your useless trials and errors to be a 'royal' when you clearly are a failure. It has nothing to do with what I do!"

"You downed half a bottle of gin and ran an entire carriage over a puny man on the roads.  This could have turned into clear murder in the broad daylight.." the old man ran a hand over his bald head in frustration and walked over to his son.

"It was evening, father, and who could have possibly cared if one street worm died," Timothy took another sip and swirled the liquid in the flute, watching it carefully.

"Listen, my son," Paxon placed his hands over his son's shoulders and continued, "... you are my only hope. If you keep doing things like this people would raise voices against us and bring us down. We will lose whatever we have in hand. We cannot afford to have a bad name neither can we afford your lavishes anymore. Your grand father's good will is the only way."

"My lavishes?!" Timothy slapped his father's hands away, "You have no idea how my friends have the luck of experiencing the most extravagant luxuries while you're here, barring me from even having the bare minimum."

 He proceeded to storm off from the room but turned around to tell him one last thing.

"You're the most miser and useless father a son could possibly have."

Timothy snatched his coat off a maid's hand and walked away in anger.

For the past 25 years, Timothy Harred, the son of Paxon Harred of House Harred, one of the three big families in the country, was living the life of a prodigal. He was a spendthrift, a womanizer and a criminal who had done crimes and deeds no one could even think of. But deep down his core, he was a coward because he always got away through money or name. Seeing that his father, the newly turned politicion and now a possible bankrupt had nothing left in his hands to offer him, Timothy's drug abuse and alcoholism had peaked along with a series of illegal chaos.

Paxon as a father knew that he was no saint himself, but feigning the image of one with his family could save his sanctimonious ass.... and Timothy was one big pain there.

Timothy floated down the stairs in a rush, accidentally colliding against the petite maid who held the tray of wine for him.

"Filthy b*tch! You're f*cking late." He hissed at her.