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Hey guys, thank you so much for sticking out with me. So, as I promised, you get new characters in this chapter and some more things about Seb's past. I just wanted to say that I love you guys and thank you so much for your support and patience.
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Sebastian woke up at 7a.m. and the first thing that came to his mind was that today it was going to happen. Not because he was worried or afraid, no, it was because he would not get to sleep in his own bedroom for a few days.
He really really liked his bed, it reminded him of the old times, the much simpler times, when he was still a young boy who had brought this very bed with his first salary.
He was not a man keen to sentiments or attachments or reminiscing the past but when it came to his possessions, he took the upmost care of not letting anyone touch something that belonged to him. It was this attitude that helped him get through the world of business and reach the top, well almost.
Therefore the thought of losing his own bedding, food and his way of life was of annoyance to him.
Well, he could do nothing now so he went to the shower and didn't come out until he heard Eugene call out for him. He grabbed a towel, tied it around his waist and stepped out.
"What do you want Eug?"
"Hey, umm.. I just wanted to say that I spent 2 hours talking to your father about something you did and all the while he kept talking about his garden and some guy named Whitner who apparently had called your father mentally deranged because he had been washing his hands.."
"Hey, what's bad in washing hands, that's technically hygienic."
"...in a urinal. And he spent half the time explaining to me that it was afterall a clean urinal and that he was in a hurry. After the call, I spent 15 minutes thinking that he needs meds but then I realised he had always been this way. Do you realise that I must be a really good friend to you for having gone through that." Eugene looked at him with a wide grin.
They both laughed, this helped break the tension in and around them. Well, Eugene had always been funny, always trying to be there for Sebastian.
"Okay listen, I'm gonna have to go to Eleanore now, she heard about this and now she is furious", Eugene said.
"I don't know why you had to tell my sister about this and especially to the one I hate the most."
"I didn't, it was James, your dear dear washing-hands-in-the-fricking-urinal of a dad and I know that this is bad too, if her and I were not good friends and that she wasn't my girlfriend's best friend, I wouldn't have bothered going but fate wanted it this way", with this he gave Sebastian a smirk and strode off.
Eleanore, Seb's sister, was Kimberly's best friend, who was Eugene's girlfriend. That is why, Eugene was very close to Eleanore and also because when they were small, Eleanore used to bully Eugene for having a lot of money and surprisingly, Eugene cried everyday for being too rich.
Most of the time, Eugene did the work of visiting Seb's family because he was either too busy or he thought it was a waste of time. Eugene didn't mind this, in fact he actually liked it. He had always been very close to the family. That's why he never bothered asking Seb if he wanted to come along, it was something they both had unconsciously agreed upon.
But right now, Sebastian had other pressing matters on his mind, "like food", he thought. He went to the closet, pulled a pair of jeans and a grey hoodie, dried his hair, which looked more golden than ever now, and went over to the kitchen to get something to eat. Well, as always all he could find was some stale milk and a half eaten cheese sandwich, he seriously had to talk about this to Eugene again, they had had a lot of fights on these issues like a married couple and every time, Eugene went back to his old ways.
As he ate the remaining of the sandwich, Sebastian made his plan for the day. It was all set, now all he had to do was prepare himself for something even worse than the contents of the letter, a task much much worse.
He put on a pair of shoes and got ready to get a taste of hell. With a bang, the door closed and Sebastian set of to do the task- meeting his father!
*****
The bell rang at 8:30a.m., followed by a man shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Curse this, now open the door, I know you are in there. Open up now or I'll putty your door with the dog poop I just stepped on."
Eleanore got up from the coffee table and went over to open the door for Eugene. She would identity that voice in a storm, it was the same voice that had cried for being too rich, it was the voice that Eleanore had bullied since he was six.
"I'm coming, you idiot. It's not my mistake you stepped on shit. You know, fun fact: some great person had said that shit attracts shit." She laughed. Eugene laughed too. Well, he was one man with basically no self respect.
She opened the door and there he was, trying to wipe his shoe on her door. He did not stop even when Eleanore had opened the door.
"I don't know how Kimberly tolerates you, it is painful to even look at you."
He gave a low chuckle and started "well, unlike you I am not rude to people and I try to smile as much as possible and well, I am everything that you don't show, like manners."
"Haha, as if! Anyways get on with the matter. Papa did not tell me much, he was busy speakimg about a Whitner fellow and washing hands in the urinal and stuff. Come on now, update me on this, tell me everything you know."
"Atleast let me sit down, we need to talk about your manners first", with this he entered the house and sat at the coffee table. "Okay, so it happened yesterday.. "
"Yesterday! And you are telling me now! And that too, you did not tell me, papa did! You have one responsibility!", she shrieked.
"Okay, okay calm down woman. I didn't even want to tell you. Unfortunately your father had to open his mouth. Now, don't make that face and keep quiet, I'll tell you the whole thing. So, as I said, it came in yesterday when he was at the office. He came home last night and told me. It was as you had guessed before and it's going to happen soon, presumably today. So get ready, this is going to be something."
"Okay, so is everything as he had hoped? Did he plan out what he is going to do? It's seriously going to be a big day today. Anyways we cannot do anything, it's just him now."
A strange feeling settled on Eleanore as these words left her lips. It was her only plan in life to stick to her brother, not because she cared or anything but because her mere presence annoyed him and it was her life's goal to annoy him. But now, in his most vulnerable of times, she could do nothing. Well except for taking over the world, which she had not ruled out as her future job prospects. She had calculated that she could, with a lot of luck and capital and connections, still do that. The odds against her were high but atleast she'd climb somewhere, unlike the others who looked at the wall and were scared off.
But right now, she had other things to think of. She looked over at Eugene and for the first time saw worry in his face. He really cared for Seb. And he was trying to make it better for him somehow. He looked up, gave her a weak smile as if he understood whatever she was feeling and got up.
"I must leave now. I've got to run some errands." With this, Eugene left Eleanore alone at the coffee table.
*****
In his career as a television news reporter, this was the first time that Chase Wortem had been informed about a humongous incident which was about to happen beforehand. That meant he was now a part of the big league.
He had been warned by someone at the top to be ready for a major public scandal that needed reporting. At first, he was shocked to hear that the incident on which he had to report had not even occurred. Then, he was shocked when he heard what was going to happen. This incident could potentially be the biggest thing in the entire world.
This might be the break that Chase had been looking forward to, no, this had to be the big break. If Chase Wortem was sure of anything in life, it was that this news was going to shock the entire world.
But this might not really be good for Chase personally, the subject which he had to cover was of emotional importance to him. For the first time in his life, he was unsure if he should take this buisness offer or not. On one hand, he was about to report an incident of international significance. While, on the other hand, he had to cover an incident related to his best friend Sebastian Cardell.
When they were kids, Sebastian and Chase went to the same school. Chase, like Sebastian, had been poor and that was one of the main reasons that they had been friends in the first place. Sebastian was his first friend ever and both of them together meant a lot of trouble for their parents and teachers.
With time, they both had transformed into different people. Chase went with media and Sebastian went over to rule the corporate world but this did not stop them from being friends, nothing ever changed between them, they still were the kids throwing food at each other at lunchtime and pulling pranks on all the teachers and rich students.
They had other friends too but the bond Seb and him had was special, having each other was a reminder of their pasts, of their beginnings. Seb had Eugene too but he had always regarded him as a younger brother.
There was a time when things had been rough between them, it was when Chase had started dating Eleanore, Seb didn't quite agree with his best friend dating the sister he hated the most, "date any other, there are many of them, my parents sure made entire football teams. Why her? Why Eleanore? You know I hate her", Seb had said.
This however, did not go for long. Eleanore had broken up with him when he had proposed her for marriage. She had said that she loved him but that she did not want things so fast and that she wanted to make a career first. Well, he was still waiting for her, he knew that she was the only girl he could ever love and he wanted to support her any way he could, so he had agreed for a break.
Today, Chase was not surprised that Seb had not said anything about the matter to him. He knew as a general fact that it would happen some time but Seb did not warn him that it was coming so fast. Chase knew his friend well and he also knew his tendency to avoid talks with anything human. But he was a bit shaken because he had fricking met the guy yesterday night and he had not the slightest bit of difference in his demeanour, it was almost as if he didn't care whatever happened!
Knowing Sebastian, he might have a plan worked out already. But Chase also knew that coming out of this would be rough, even for the legendary Sebastian Cardell. The phone rang, pulling Chase Wortem out of his train of thoughts into reality, back to his office stacked with waist high bundles of papers and books.
"Hey Chase, it's Seb. Umm... I guess you've heard?"
*****
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Okay dear readers, did you like this chapter? Well, do you have any plausible theories of what 'it' is. Well, I'll tell you one thing, it's like a promise to you, so.... In the next chapter, you'll know what it is.
So long my dears.
Yours truly,
Riya J
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