Lucas' POV
Dad and I have been talking for hours, catching up on the things that happened years ago and currently in our lives. I told him all about the struggles I went through, the things have been up to, especially how I made enough money through racing and the shares I had in the company. He was all smiles as I told him everything and it felt so good to have someone like him with me. Before I knew him as my real father, I always loved his presence. He had been my best uncle and now I was with him, as his real son, I felt even more happy and relaxed in his presence.
"Lucas," he said in his soft voice. "I am so proud of you."
My heart fluttered at those words. So many times, I wished the man I thought was my father would say them to me. I used to hear Henry say those words to Axel and it always hurt but now, I got to hear them from my real father. I had to bite my lip and take a deep breath to control my tears.
"I always wanted to hear those words," I said, and he placed his hand on my thigh. "You have no idea what those words mean to me."
I could see little tears in his eyes and that made me want to shed mine. The air around us was emotional and it was heavy.
"I Have kept an eye on you and Matt," he said. "I wanted to be sure that my children were doing okay. I was even more happy when I saw that you had something to feed you when Henry could not even send you a mere cent for years. I hated him more and more, because I expected him to at least take care of my kids."
"Kids?" I tilted my head sideways.
"Yes... kids. He knew few months before I supposedly died that I had Matt."
Yet Matt still hung around Henry. Was Matt not aware of who Henry was since he claimed to know me even before I did, drawing the possibilities that he watched me.
"That doesn't matter anyway... What matters is that I love the man that you have become. I am proud of how you struggled to be who you are now, even though I don't like that you race illegally."
"I know. That is why I wanted to race legally on the tracks, but Henry happened."
I scooted closer and held his hand in mine. I squeezed his hand and stared at the contrast between ours. His hand was a bit tan and rough from hard work. It felt surreal holding the hand of the man that was my father.
"Dad," I said, the word heavier than I imagined it to be.
He chuckled and squeezed my hand and smiled ruefully.
"Please keep calling me that," he said, and I chuckled.
I nodded. "I will, dad."
"Thank you."
"By the way," I started to say. "Why don't you show yourself to Henry? Why don't you come back and take what's yours? Together we can take him down. You can't keep hiding and watching him destroy everything. This house, the money, the cars, the company, they all belong to you. Everything he is enjoying now are yours."
I waited for a response from him. He only bowed his head and said nothing for almost seven seconds before he raised his head and smiled sadly.
"I wish I could, Lucas. I wish I could fight back; I wish I could teach him a lesson, but I am more content with living without luxury."
At that moment, I took note of his fading shirt and the small, dotted holes in them, then his washed-up jeans. He looked a bit thinner than the last time I saw him and the condition that he was in made me angry.
"I am happy being poor and not having enough to eat as long as my children are doing fine. Don't worry about me, Lucas."
I shook my head. "No, I can't. I want you happy and living the best life has to offer. I hate living in comfort while you suffer."
He smiled wider and the more I looked at him, the more I saw the signs of suffering, hunger and pain. It hurt me so much.
"Lucas, I---"
"No, I will not here it."
"Hm, you really inherited the family's stubbornness," he muttered but I heard him.
"I can understand that you don't want anything from the family, but can I at least help you? Please, dad."
He only looked ahead, saying nothing.
| | |
My heart stung and my breath stiffened as I walked through the dingy hallway of the apartment building dad was living in. The hallway was narrow with graffiti on the walls. The doors of every apartment were old, with a few new ones. All in all, the building was old. A little hurricane or tornado could easily wreck the house, even the stairs did were weak, and the elevators did not work.
When he told me he would take me to where he was living, I was not prepared to see such an old, rickety and smelly building close to the border of Redside.
"Here it is," he said, stopping in front of an old wooden door.
"How can you live here?" I didn't care how insensitive I sounded.
"I love it here," he said and unlocked the door with a key then pushed it hard with his shoulder.
Once the door was fully open, he stepped aside, and I hesitantly stepped forward. I walked into the apartment, which was such a small room with a kitchenette on the left and a single bed on the right with a wardrobe beside the bed. There was an old couch between the kitchenette and the bed. The room was so small, a whole bed could take up the remaining space. I didn't even see any signs of a bathroom.
"It's small but it's comfortable. The apartment building is old, but it serves as safe place for the poor."
I swallowed when my throat hurt from the sadness rising in me. There were barely any signs of food in the kitchen. I imagined him barely eating and it hurt so much.
"No, dad." I turned back around to face him. "You can't keep living like this."
He laughed softly. "I am fine. The most important thing is me being alive. I am content and free to do what I want. Now, come on, let me make you something to drink."
He walked past me to the kitchen, and I took my time to look at the apartment again. As I did, I swore to make Henry's life miserable.
| | |
I flew back to Rochester that night and sent a text to Matt that we needed to meet up. Once I was done, I opened my gallery and swiped through the pictures I had of Jackie. I missed her so much and needed her right now. I needed her warm words and touch of her comfort. I knew things were a little complicated and until I cleared up the air a little, I would take a flight to Atherton and spend some time with her.
With her in my head, I laid on my bed and slept off, hoping that tomorrow would bring good news.
I woke up at dawn the next day and showered then checked my phone to see I got a text from Matt, telling me he will meet me at the hotel at seven. I had an hour and half before he arrived then made my way downstairs to the breakfast bar.
As I ate, I scrolled through more documents about the company, studying it to earn more about business and its perks. I had downloaded and bought a lot of business non-fiction books to get me more insights of what a businessman was.
By the time I was done eating, the waitress took away my plates and brought me a cup of coffee. A few minutes later, Matt arrived and approached me. He smiled conceitedly before sitting. He was dressed in a suit and had his beards shaved.
"You know, people like us have work to go to, we have companies to manage. We don't always have the time to entertain the likes of you," he said and relaxed on his seat, crossing his leg.
He scoffed. "I am not going to waste your time, neither mine."
"Then what do you want?"
I leaned forward. "I don't know what it is you and Henry are doing but it will not work. I will not sit back and watch you destroy what rightfully belongs to my father because you are such a little baby who cries over spilled milk."
He hissed. "Father? Crying over spilled milk? No, this isn't something minor. I will only feel better with myself once everything is destroyed. I will not be the only son feeling this way. I will not rest until you are beneath me."
I gritted my teeth. It would be hard changing his mind. He was a lost cause.
"I pity you, Matt. By the time you truly know the truth, you may regret ever feeling this way. But let me tell you one thing," I said and grimaced. "You are a coward, a fool, forever rolling with that man who destroyed the life of our father. You think you know it all, but you don't. I am telling you this only once... Think deep before crossing the line because you cannot be friends with a lion. This is a warning."
I got up and eyed him one last time before walking away, feeling fulfilled that I had done everything I wanted, and my next phase of my plan begins.
| | |
I was going through some extra files I received from the man I had met on the first day I met Matt in the conference room and family files, contracts and more about the company that dad had given me when my phone rang. I saw it was dad and smiled then answered the call and pressed the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Lucas. Are you busy?"
"No. Why? What's wrong?"
He didn't say anything for a while until he sighed.
"Listen, I understand that you have it all now, money, a girlfriend and a child too but... I didn't want to say this to you because I saw how happy you were when you told me about Jackie. I loved it but things are going to get bad, by my prediction."
I rose from the chair I was sitting on and looked around in confusion. My heart started to hammer in fear as I waited to hear what he had to say.
"What do you mean, dad?"
"Henry has ruined lots of lives. Henry will kill and destroy anyone who comes between him and the family business. He... I found out that he is responsible for the death of Matt's mother. She knew about his hand in my death and threatened to prove it, but he made her die so quickly from her illness. Henry is dangerous and will go after the people dear to those who opposes him. He has done it with his businessmen and women who go against him. Henry is too powerful, and no one can go against him. Lucas... if you want to deal with him, you have to let go of everything. I protected you and Matt till this extent because I knew if he knew that I was alive, he would kill you two. You and Matt are my only heir to the business and he, seeing that you are going against him, and Matt is with him, he will destroy everything in your life."
My heart was beating faster that my breathing became ragged. I swallowed and ran my fingers through my hair.
"Everything and everyone important to you has to be set free. You either have to choose to walk away from all this or let them go. What will you do?"
A/N: Huh...