The Night Crawler

Prologue : The Encounter

"I am already old, Horace. All your obligation for me right now is giving me a grandchild as soon as possible"

She patted his chest, sighing deeply while staring at him in disbelief "and you are my only child, you know that, who am I supposed to ask about grandchild if it's not you?"

Right

Horace was also the only child of Harrington family. His father decided to make more children after he was born but the last two of them were miscarriage.

Too bad he doesn't want to get attach with anyone right now. Not this age, not this year, not with those spoiled rude rich girls on the social events he had attended to. He was hopeless, not even one woman could steal his attention.

He was ready. With a final touch he wears his favorite top hat before she escorting her mother to the carriage in front of the house. Together they went inside and as usual his father refused to attend the charity ball. He always refused to come since his last unborn child was miscarriage about six years ago.

The funny and happy man such Martin Harrington was turned to be moody and having this difficult problem to control his anger since the accident. He mostly spending time in his room with no one could disturb him and every time Horace meet him inside the house he was either drunk or looks disheveled. The death of his child was nightmare for him, Horace tried to talk to him but for six years he never succeeds. It was like his life was ripped away from him.

Does his father even care for him?

He kept talking with her mother about the recent business on south America. Tobacco and tropical crops always fascinated him. He was focusing his business on silver and iron mines but after his visit on the land he wanted to try expand his business into different way with different goods. He never felt so challenged in his entire life, the business could be a fail since there is only rich people who willing to buy the cigar but he will try to have the breakthrough of making it less expensive than the other brands but with the same quality.

The carriage came into a halt when they were in the end of the conversation. His mother wrapped her hands in his folded arms as they walk inside the mansion. The house was bigger than their own as Horace decided to invest most of his income to build his own kingdom in their business. Bigger house is not his top priority right now and he definitely not planning to invest it with his future bride either.

They came inside the mansion hall by walking through white marble staircases greeted by the ball servant as he read their names to announce it to another attendee. Music flows through the hall invaded many spaces as people talking to each other with a glass of wine on their right hand. They slipped into the crowd, slowly squeezing between bodies before his mother stopped on her track to greet someone.

"Melanie Harrington" Samuel Lindberg spoke "I never know you will make it to this ball" a surprise audibles in his tone.

Another business mogul.

Lindberg reach for his mother's hand and give her a small tipped kiss on her knuckles "and you are beautiful as always"

Horace could be wrong but he saw clearly that his mother was blushing from the compliment.

"and this?" Lindberg look at Melanie and then at him, inquiring an information about their relationship.

Horace never showing his face on the social event after he came from South America. He was there for almost seven years, living with mosquitos and savage people whom they called Indian and soon after that back to his country with fully tanned brown skin. Enjoying himself at home and never came out except about business for almost a month. Estranged from the elite society he was sure he didn't have any acquaintance at all more or less let alone a friend. It is not strange people don't recognize him after this years, he probably changed a lot.