"Any news so far?" Phillips asked his personal assistant as soon as he was out of the ward. He had just been discharged from the hospital but he couldn't wait to hear what he had missed out from.
"Your father is awake, boss". The assistant announced, making Phillips stop in his steps, his cane almost falling from his hand.
He was admitted into the hospital after he had drove himself to the hospital with a wounded bleeding leg, making sure to get the bullet out of his body so as to reduce the pain and get the wound treated. After days of staying in the hospital, he finally got released from the hospital. Thankfully, he could now move around with the help of a cane. But that could only help his legs, it couldn't help his shocked state.
"I thought I asked you to keep him unconscious". Phillips challenged his assistant.
"We tried boss, but while you were in the hospital, the drugs finished. And we didn't want to bother you since you were recuperating". The assistant replied.
"So you let him wake up?!" Phillips replied angrily. He was so angry, he tried to use the wooden stick that was supporting his weight to hit his assistant but the guy dodged it and the stick hit the wall instead, making the stick snap into two.
Phillips lost his balance from that, and just to avoid his weight from resting on his injured leg, he found himself falling towards the floor. Luckily, his assistant caught him right on time, swinging his boss's arm across his shoulder, the assistant became the alternative walking stick. But that didn't help with Phillips annoyance.
He had long planned to release Nora and get her to wreck havoc before his father wakes up, so his father would totally lose faith in Dure his elder brother, making him the heir automatically. But for him to make his plan to work without hindrance, he needed his father to be totally out of the picture, so he sedated his father. Making sure that the supply of the drug was constant so as to keep his father asleep.
But now everything was ruined because of an incompetent assistant he had.
"But I heard boss, that the big boss is exceedingly furious at your elder brother and the mess he woke up to meet". The assistant said to his boss, hoping his boss would calm down but he only frowned in response.
"The havoc isn't enough to make father lose faith in Dure, you dimwit! Why is my life like this?!" Phillips groaned in frustration as his assistant offered to help him sit down.
"What are you doing?" Phillips asked his assistant.
"You need to sit down while I go look for another walking stick for you" the assistant innocently replied.
"Is my brother home?"
"No boss. According to report, he went to check on the dens".
"Then what are you waiting for? We need to see father before Dure does"
"But your leg-"
"HURRY!" Phillips yelled, putting fear in the mind of his assistant, the two struggled to get to the car, both wobbling like ducks.
___________________________________✍️
"Please calm down, Master". Solomon said after narrowly dodging a flying whisky glass which smashed once it reached the wall.
"CALM DOWN?! SOLOMON ARE YOU BLIND? I WASN'T EVEN DEAD AND THIS MUCH HAVOC HAD BEEN DONE, WHAT WILL NOW HAPPEN IN MY DEATH?!" Mr Wilson Henia yelled, aggressively pushing all the documents off his table.
"Sweetie, you really need to calm down. You just woke up from a coma. Your health-"
"MY HEALTH?! YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MY HEALTH?! MY BUSINESS IS MY HEALTH AND FOR AS LONG AS IT'S DWINDLING, MY HEALTH WOULDN'T RECOVER, WOMAN! I WAS GONE FOR JUST HOW LONG, AND MY PHARMACEUTICALS HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN, MY CUSTOMERS HAVE STARTED DECLINING BECAUSE OF OUR INABILITY TO PRODUCE THEM SNUFFS, AND THE RBI ARE INTO US?! TAMARA, WHEREVER YOU ARE, COME BACK AND TAKE THIS BASTARD YOU CALL A GRANDSON, I WANT HIM NO MORE!" The old man yelled, his eyes and face were red with fury, the steam coming out from his ears were almost visible and his shouts could be heard round the mansion, accompanied by the sound of crashing instruments and smashing glasses.
The attempt of his wife and steward trying to calm him down didn't seem to work on him.
"WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS THAT IDIOT I ADOPTED? I WANT TO DISOWN HIM!" Wilson yelled in anger as he kept banging the table in fury.
"Leave us, Solomon!" Mrs Henia ordered, Solomon nodded before walking out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Mrs Henia angrily walked up to her husband who was ready to throw another whiskey glass on the wall, she held his hand just in time and pushed him into his seat.
"You cannot dispose Dure. He's still useful for our son". His wife replied.
"I SHOULD WAIT TILL HE TOTALLY RUINS ME BEFORE I DISOWN HIM?!" Wilson yelled at his wife.
"He will fix what he has caused and he's not going anywhere till he totally clears the way for my son. Till then, no one is letting him know his origin and no one is disowning him, Do. You. Understand, Old man?!" Mrs Henia warned, her determination to protect her son totally getting the better of her.
"Mom? Dad?" Phillips said, drawing his parents attention to him. He had entered the room a few minute ago, and he had heard the conversation between his parents.
"Son!" Mrs Henia called nervously, releasing her husband from her grip, and standing up straight, pretending that nothing ever happened "How long have you been standing there?" She asked her son, hoping that he didn't hear what had just happened.
"Long enough to hear your last statement, mum". He replied, honestly.
"Son... I want you to know that everything we just said-"
"Don't lie to me, father. I know everything". Phillips confessed, totally interrupting his father.
"Know everything?" His mother repeated in shock.
"I know that Dure isn't your legitimate son. I fell upon your agreement with late Queen Tamara by accident and I know you love him more than me that's why you never entrusted any of the companies to me". Phillips replied, failing to hide his anger towards his dad.
The two parents looked at themselves.
"I guess we can't hide it anymore". His father said to his mother, both looking at each other and giving each other reassuring nods.
"Fine. Dure really isn't our son" His mother confessed.
"I know!". Phillips replied like it was the most obvious thing in this world.
"But you probably didn't know that he's the son of Prince Andrews" His father dropped the bomb, which mad Phillips lose his balance. Luckily there was a couch at his back to catch him as he fell on his butt. He was lucky not to sit on a sharp broken piece, very close to his butt.
"Queen Tamara brought him here in exchange for our political power and we didn't want to accept him at first. But then, your mother saw a better use for him and decided we adopt him and treat him like our own.
His job was to pave the way for you, do all the hard work and build an empire for you to take over. So you won't suffer any back lash in business or any of those things businessmen suffered when you took over. He was more like a shield we took in for you". Wilson Henia confessed and the shock was so much that Phillips felt himself shivering. His mouth was wide open and he didn't seem like he was going to recover anytime soon.
The silence in the room was defeaning. Phillips finally realized that what he was fighting so hard for, his parents had already settled it for him even before he became an adult.
"You now see why I say you shouldn't harm your brother? If you do, who will be your shield?" His mother asked him.
Whatever Phillips wanted to tell his parents, the urgent knock on the door made it roll down his throat.
"Master, young master is on his way". Solomon announced and they adjusted themselves waiting for Dure's arrival.
"Act normal, son. Don't let him find out for he's smarter than you think". The mother said to her son and almost immediately, Dure bursted in.
"Father! You're finally awake". Dure said, relief washing over his heart but the angry face of his father pulled him back. "And I see you're not happy". He stated what he observed.
"I've succeeded in calming your father down. I leave the rest to you, son". Mrs Henia said, walking up to Dure and giving him a kiss on the forehead before walking out of the room.
"Any explanations?!" Wilson demanded from his son, who was speechless. When he found no excuses, he said to his father "I have no excuse, father. I'm sorry. I'll fix this"
"I HOPE YOU DO! BEFORE YOU RUIN THE NAME AND REPUTATION OF THIS FAMILY!" His father replied.
"But father I have a request". Dure told his father, falling on his knees to show his father how much this request meant to him.
"And what could that be?" The man asked him, frowning at him with a hard glare.
"All I have ever done, father, was work tirelessly for the family. Day in, day out. And all Phillips ever did was to eat the fruit of my labor". Dure began.
"That's how it's supposed to be, Dure!" Wilson replied him.
" But father! He's thirty two now, he needs to learn how to make money for the family. Maybe when he does that, he know how hard it is to get money and value my efforts". Dure interjected, which earned him a slap from his father, who had stretched out his hand to slap his son.
"You are the FIRST BORN! YOUR WORK IS TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE COMPANY AND SHOW YOUR BROTHER HOW IT'S DONE!"
"But father-"
"SHUT UP!" Wilson shut him up, banging his hand on the table to make it more effective. "Your brother will resume work in one of the companies but first clear up this mess you've made!"
"Yes, father". Dure replied, in defeat.
It was good Solomon recorded the earlier conversation. It would be very useful in the future.
____________________________________✍️
Eleanora woke up to the sharp rays that were coming in through the curtains. The whispers of the gentle breeze could be heard, blowing the curtains and through her thin frame. Her body felt weak. But not only did she feel physically weak, she was also mentally weak. Anger takes a lot out of someone. It might feel powerful at the moment but when you let it take over you, it'll take double energy by the time it leaves, leaving you tired and stressed once it's gone.
Nora struggled to sit up in bed, resting her back on the headboard, pulling her legs upward so she could use it as an arm rest, as her fingers combed through her short hair. She pulled the length of her hair, noticing how short it was, she sighed. She must admit for the very first time that she actually missed the length of her previous hair. Her anger pushed her to do drastic things and one of them was cutting her hair.
"So, because you're a victim of circumstances, no one else is?" James words suddenly played in her mind.
"My parents died at a young age so I and my brother were sold out. We were sold to the Henias. To make sure I didn't run away, my brother was kept in one of their dens, just so Mr Wilson could be able to manipulate me" The video Nora had watched earlier played again in her mind.
As much as she hated to admit it, James was right. No one can escape the claws of circumstances. Everyone is a victim as Annabelle had said earlier.
But I was a victim too! No one spoke up for me then! Nora thought as she grabbed her hair in anger but it dissipated when Mary walked into the room with a tray and a round bowl in the middle of the tray.
It reminded her of the good old days when Mary served her with all her might and strength. It reminded her how Mary stood by her when she had no one else to do so. She was there for her even before Ciara and Kalia walked in. Waiting on her, serving her and enduring her bossy attitude then. What could be more loyal than that?
Nora watched quietly as Mary dropped the tray by her bed side on the little bedside drawer before walking up to the curtains to open it up to let the fresh breeze rush in.
Mary was expecting her once upon a time mistress to shout at her and tell her how her 'hypocrisy' was irritating her. She knew what she was signing up for when she had agreed to Prince Green's plan.
"Listen, once you do this, don't ever expect her to treat you the same ever again. Because once Nora's trust is broken, it's next to impossible to gain it back". Prince Green had warned her.
The funny thing was, she didn't regret what she did to Nora. It saved her life and at least, Nora is alive to hate her, so she's ready to put up with whatever attitude Nora might give her.
Once she was done adjusting the curtains, she walked towards the bed where Princess Eleanora laid and bowed her head, like old times to say a few things to her.
"Your highness...umm, I mean... Princess Eleanora...I prepared a tonic for you, please do take it to gain enough strength". Mary said, before turning to walk away.
"How long..." Nora trailed off, hesitating to talk to Mary, who turned around to listen to what her boss had to say.
"How long...have I been..." Nora sighed in defeat, looking away from Mary. She couldn't do this. But Mary already understood what she was trying to say.
"You've been out for a week now. Mr Lucas explained to Mr Justin that you've been sleep deprived, planning this and planning that, so Mr Justin put up that incense there, so you could sleep well" Mary explained to Nora, pointing her attention to the three sticks glowing at the corner of the room.
"Where are they now? Justin and Lucas?" Nora asked.
"Mr Justin has been coming and going, to check on you, while Mr Lucas has gone to do his other job. He said you know about it" Mary replied.
"What about Annabelle?" Nora asked.
"She went home the next day, after she got a call from her husband. Mr James also, left for work after the Queen's mourning period was over". Mary paused, put her hand into her apron pocket and brought out the USB, which she had kept safely since Princess Eleanora passed out. "I kept this for you". Mary completed, before dropping the USB in the same tray as the tonic.
"In absence of any other questions or orders, I'll take my leave, your highness". Mary said, bowing in respect before turning to walk out.
After the internal struggle she had, Nora finally gave in to do the right thing.
"Mary?" Nora called out to her, making Mary pause in her steps, squeezing her eyes shut as she expected some evil venomous words from Princess Nora's tongue. She deserves it after all.
"How's your brother now?" Nora asked Mary, truly concerned and curious as to where the boy is now.
Mary's head snapped to the back, her eyes widened like she had just seen forbidden things, she wondered if it was still Princess Eleanora that was still talking.
"You said you and your brother were captured, and he was used to manipulate you. I believe you've broken off from their manipulation, which should mean your brother is free. How's he doing now? Has he recovered from the trauma he faced with the Henias? Because take it from someone who experienced their wrath firsthand, it ain't pretty". Nora said to Mary, who's eyes were already so teary.
She was speechless. Just kept looking at Nora like she grew two heads.
"Did I say something wrong?" Nora asked Mary who just kept staring with watery eyes.
"I'm so sorry for prying, then" Nora apologized. That seemed to wake Mary up, who shaked her head vigorously and assured Nora that she wasn't prying.
"You're not prying, Princess. I was just surprised at your question. As of my brother, he's dead. He died nine years ago, now". Mary replied, with a smile.
"That's horrible. It must have hurt like hell to know your only family left for you also left you in this world". Nora replied, her hand dramatically flew to her chest in response.
"It's probably a punishment from god for what I did". Mary smiled, letting Nora know she's moved past it.
Silence followed. No one knew what to say to each other next, they just kept staring at each other, not knowing what to say next.
Finally, Nora broke the silence. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Mary shaked her head in response. "I thought you were still mad at me. So it took me by surprise when you asked for my brother". Mary confessed.
Nora sighed and started, "Yes, I'm still mad at you and yes, I don't trust you. But no matter how mad I am, James got a point. We all have our reasons for doing what we do. If I were also put in your shoes, I'd have probably done the same thing. Besides, you feel remorseful-"
"But I hurt you. I framed and innocent person who totally didn't deserve it" Mary cried, finally breaking down, the burden in her heart finally overwhelming her.
"Yes, you did. And yes, I'm hurt. But you did it to save my life-"
"There's no excuse for betrayal" Mary cut her off, the hot tears flowing down her eyes, so hurt it could have scalded her face but the pain of the heart was much more overwhelming. She was ashamed of what she did and she thought she wouldn't feel the shame if Nora treated her as she deserved.
"Neither is there excuse for murder. Just like James said that day. We are all victims of circumstances. And as I said earlier, I would have honestly done the same if I were in your shoes. Besides, you lost your brother and I lost mine. We're even". Nora responded, hoping it would cheer Mary up and let Mary know that she has forgiven her, but Mary fell to her knees crying.
"I'm sorry". Mary cried, fisting her hands and hitting the floor. "I've always wanted to tell you that I didn't mean to do what happened that day. I've always wanted to apologize. To stand by you always and let those people know that I'm not so cheap for my loyalty to be bought but my brother...I didn't want to spare a chance-"
Nora had crawled out of bed and hugged Mary to silence her. She was also moved to tears but she held it back, Mary burying her tear stained face into Nora's shoulder, she hugged Nora tightly like the hug would comfort her.
"I forgive you Mary. I might not be able to trust you totally like I did before but I do forgive you. I really do". Nora assured Mary as she tried to calm the young lady down. But Mary was finally releasing her bottled up emotions so it would probably take a while before she calms down.