Chapter 25 - Legacy
published: Wednesday, 13 May 2020
"...and I'm proud to introduce to you — the class of 2019!"
The words echoed in Matthew's mind as he stood in front of the skyscraper. Cheers had erupted from the crowd once the headmistress announced their graduation.
Three years of studying had led up to this day. Toiling away for exams, burying his head in books — all for this.
Matthew stared at the revolving doors. People were waiting inside expectantly, interviewers from magazines ready to snap his picture and ask or statements once he crossed the threshold.
The bold words "Campbell Incorporated" were displayed on the top of the glass building, staring down at him.
It had been a month and two weeks since the death of his parents, and Matthew still wasn't sure what to expect. He hadn't imagined that this day would be like this at all.
When he graduated, he was meant to join the company, build his way up to the top. Now, he was taking over the position of CEO from Oscar Evans, who had served as the interim leader during the month-long pause.
Matthew couldn't for the life of him believe he was ready for something like this. It was his father's final wish, passing down his legacy to his oldest son.
Matthew eyes flickered as he stared through the glass at the people inside. He knew most of them, and he knew that they would all have things to say about him; bad and good.
Truthfully, he was absolutely terrified.
Matthew took a deep breath — this was a momentous day. He could do this.
Taking a step forward, Matthew Campbell pushed through the doors and departed on the next part of his life.
Almost instantly, flashing camera lights blinded him enough to give him an epileptic seizure. Shouts and calls of "Mr Campbell! Mr Campbell!" were deafening.
He could do this.
Matthew schooled his expression into the charming grin he always used in the media, eyes twinkling with mischievousness as he stalked through the entrance hall confidently.
Oscar clapped him on the back with a booming laugh, and Matthew saw even more cameras flash as they caught a live picture of the older generation passing down the torch to him. "You're gonna do great, kid," Oscar said encouragingly.
Matthew could see the headlines of the papers tomorrow.
Matthew Campbell succeeds late father at ripe age of 21.
Campbell Inc. board lands on youth as CEO: Opportunity or mistake?
He shuddered inwardly. The pressure felt like it was squeezing the life out of him.
Trying to retain his confident facade, Matthew gestured towards the elevator, and the throngs of employees and photographers alike parted like the Red Sea for the new CEO of Campbell Inc.
Apparently, the position had its perks.
Everyone wanted to get on his good side — either for status or money. Matthew was glad he'd found his real friends before this happened. He knew exactly who he could trust and who he couldn't.
Some of the company's employees who had served under his father were clearly doubtful of his abilities. Well, they were in for a surprise, he hadn't reviewed just about a thousand documents regarded the company with Elizabeth for nothing.
Once Matthew was in the elevator, he deflated, face falling as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Was this what it would be like from now on? The journey up was a relaxing break for him, but eventually, he reached the top floor.
Matthew stuffed his hands in his pockets to hide how much they were trembling. Nervously, he exited the lift doors and into the top floor of the office building; his father's old office.
Oscar had remained in his office, out of respect for his late superior, but Matthew had made the difficult decision to take over his father's. He would've wanted that. At least, Matthew thought he would've.
The office had glass all around, and drapes ready to be lowered if needed. Matthew's new desk itself was empty. All his father's sparse decorations had been moved into a storage unit, with the rest of their things, while Matthew sold their current mansion and got another house.
He knew that neither he nor James wanted to live in the building where their parents had been so ruthlessly killed.
Matthew stared blankly into the office. He didn't feel like it was his. Everything was so...empty.
His gaze drifted to the vacant walls. Matthew made a silence promise to himself to hang up some pictures; of James, Elizabeth, Ethan, Frederick, Maya, Daphne, Lola, and his parents.
His mouth twitched as Matthew suppressed a smile.
The intercom buzzed. "There's someone here for you," his new PA, Diya, who was also Lola's new girlfriend, informed him. Matthew felt his shoulders relax at the familiar voice.
He knew who it was. "Okay, you can let her in."
Matthew sat on the edge of his desk as Daphne pushed the door open tentatively. "Mr Campbell, sir?" Daphne said, a mix of envy and taunting. It was all in good nature, Matthew knew.
"Please, don't," Matthew grumbled, shuddering. Mr Campbell was his father. He was just...Matthew.
"So," Daphne leaned against the doorway expectantly. "You texted me. I'm here. Are you going to gloat?"
"Gloat?" he echoed in disbelief. "No, Daphne, I'm too terrified to gloat right now."
Daphne arched an eyebrow. "Admitting fear? Not so good for business."
"Again, please, don't," Matthew sighed tiredly. "This is...a lot to take in. I need my friends."
She brushed her hair behind her shoulder with a guilt look. "Sorry," she murmured. "It's just...you know this is my dream. You got it so easily."
"I know. It's unfair," Matthew said truthfully. "But, it's also kind of why I called you in." Taking a deep breath, Matthew continued, "Clarke died in the attack. He was the Chief Financial Officer."
"I think you should promote Renwick," Daphne said with a nod. "His team's numbers are climbing and I know for a fact that his budgeting is good. My dad always—"
"I want to appoint you," Matthew interrupted abruptly.
Her brown eyes widened in astonishment. "Wh-what?"
"You're a finance graduate at Dartmouth," Matthew said with a shrug. "Your qualifications alone make you good for the role." He paused. "And I know you. I know you'd be good in this role."
Matthew grinned. He had never seen Daphne this happy before, and he could already see the gears turning in her head.
"Of course, don't take this lightly," Matthew warned. "I will have to fire you if you don't live up to expectations." Even as he said it, Matthew knew it was a light threat. Daphne always exceeded his expectations.
As if she'd read his mind, Daphne rolled her eyes. "Sure." Her eyes danced with excitement. "When do I start?"
"Today," Matthew answered. "It was my first official act as CEO."
Daphne smiled at him. A rare, real smile. The corners of her eyes crinkled. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"Well, just make sure not to leave alone with the others," Matthew said with a groan. "They all hate me. I know they don't trust that I'm the right choice. The only reason I'm here is because of my father's will, and the board likes me."
"You'll win them over," Daphne said assuredly. "Whip our some of that Matthew Campbell charm." She gave him a conspiratorial wink before leaving his office, closing the door behind her.
^*^*^*^
Raps on the door caught Matthew's attention. His head snapped up in surprise — it was almost midnight, who could be here? — to see Elizabeth step through the wooden door, a bag of Chinese takeout in her hand.
"Hi," she said lightly.
Matthew responded with an exhausted nod, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. He shuffled through the documents in the filing cabinet, pulling out the relevant ones as he returned to his desktop.
"Don't have time to eat," Matthew said vaguely as he started e-mailing the PR department about handling all the media backlash and speculation about his uptake of the company. They needed his statement, and he couldn't for the life of him think of one.
Elizabeth scoffed, "Who said it was for you?" Though she did hand him a fortune cookie that Matthew promptly accepted.
"How are you?" she asked cautiously.
Matthew winced. "Um, not great," he blurted out. Keeping his public persona on during the day was even more tiring than the actual work. "My mouth hurts from smiling so much. And the number of times I've had to laugh at bad jokes—" He shook his head. "I think I get why my dad was so uptight all the time."
His computer screen swivelled away from him as Elizabeth grabbed it, looking sternly at him. "Take a break," she enunciated.
"No time," Matthew pleaded.
"Trust me, I'm a big fan of working hard," Elizabeth told him. "But if you just take a five minute break, you will work better after."
Matthew remained reluctant, but he obliged, because, well, it was Elizabeth. They'd been going strong for a month now, but he constantly found himself in disbelief that he was actually in a relationship with someone as incredible as her.
"How are you?" Elizabeth repeated. When he opened his mouth to reply, she raised a hand. "And I don't mean the company or the business. I mean you."
Matthew swallowed. How was he? He hadn't really thought about that all day. "I don't know," he said helplessly. It was the truth. "Coming back here—it just reminds me of my parents, and—" He cut himself off frustratedly. The thoughts in his brain weren't exactly sweet.
"One good deed didn't make your parents good people," Elizabeth said softly. "It's okay to remember the bad things they did too."
Matthew clasped his trembling hands together. "They died." His voice sounded lost even to his own ears. "I-I always figured I'd have time to work it out with them. Or to make them proud."
She pressed a gentle hand to his wrist. "You are making them proud. Look at all the responsibilities you've taken up. You barely gave yourself time to mourn, Matt."
"There wasn't time," Matthew said with a frantic shake of his head. "There's still the house—"
"Slow down," Elizabeth interrupted firmly. "You need to slow down, or you're going to miss everything."
"I haven't sat in his chair," Matthew's voice wavered. "All day, I've been walking around, but I can't bring myself to sit in it."
Elizabeth's gaze flickered over to the black desk chair, the leather old and worn.
"People are counting on me," Matthew whispered. Saying it out loud would only confirm his fears. "If I-If I sit in that chair, I take all that pressure. What if I can't live up to the person who last sat in it?"
"You don't have to live up to him," Elizabeth reassured. "You don't have to be a copy of your father. You can make this place your own. Make this company your own." She gestured to the seat, glancing up at him with confidence in her eyes.
The fact that Elizabeth believed in him even when Matthew didn't believe in himself made him start to trust himself.
Slowly, he made his way over to the other side of the desk, hesitantly settling into it. "Good back support," he said lamely, attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere.
Elizabeth cracked an almost exasperated smile.
Matthew glanced down at the drawers to his left and right. Reaching out a hand, he pulled one of them open, the rickety sound strange to his ears.
He peered into the drawer. There was nothing in there, of course, but he could've sworn he heard something. With a frown, Matthew reached inside, his fingers running across the surface.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked curiously, watching him.
Matthew scrutinised the wood. "I think it's a false bottom."
There was a patter of footsteps as Elizabeth came over to his side. Matthew removed his hand as Elizabeth slid her hand in.
"Longer nails," Elizabeth informed him triumphantly as there was a click. When she withdrew, Matthew pushed the bottom back with bated breath.
Inside sat a gun. A black pistol, a line of bullets resting next to it.
"Jesus Christ," Matthew murmured as he pulled out the gun, setting it on his desk in disbelief.
"Okay," Elizabeth said uncertainly. "That's a gun." Sometimes Matthew forgot that she came from a country where guns were only available to the military.
Matthew shook his head. "God, I always knew he was paranoid but..." He trailed off when he saw the wary expression flicker across Elizabeth's face. "What?"
She swallowed. "I, uh, didn't just come to give you a fortune cookie."
When Matthew gazed at her expectantly, Elizabeth continued hesitantly, "The private investigator called. They traced one of their leads to the house of one of the attackers."
Matthew felt his heartbeat speed up with a sudden rush of adrenaline. He hadn't been able to identify any of the attackers, and they refused to say anything. He'd hired the private investigator in an attempt to figure out who sent them.
"You were right, they didn't hold a grudge against your family," Elizabeth sighed. "Someone-someone hired them. They found the contract."
Matthew waited with bated breath.
"But they don't know who hired them," Elizabeth finished. She gave him a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
Gripping the arms of the chair enough to turn his knuckles white, Matthew exhaled shakily. "My parents had a ton of enemies," he said quietly. "I always knew that. I always knew people held grudges against them. But I guess I never thought what they might do. Why we needed all that security."
His gaze flickered to the gun warily. "All that money, that power," Matthew shook his head. "It cost them so much. It destroyed them. It made someone angry enough to want to kill them."
Matthew glanced up at her. "I don't want that. Any of it. I don't want to live the way they did." Matthew took a deep breath. "Like you said, I have to make it my own. The inheritance, especially."
Matthew smiled at her. "You can help me find charities and other causes to put it to better use."
Elizabeth released a sigh of disbelief. "You know, you never fail to surprise me. Sometimes I think, no, he can't any better, and then you go and prove me wrong—"
Matthew shot his feet and swung her into a kiss, her back against the desk as he braced his hands on the surface of the table.
"That's one good thing about this," Elizabeth murmured.
Matthew hummed. "What is?" he asked curiously.
The corner of her mouth quirked up into a smirk. "Office sex."
Matthew choked, laughing as he withdrew. "Definitely." He stepped towards the window, staring at the skyline. It was beautiful, prominent against the pitch black of the night.
"Good thing you have drapes," Elizabeth mused as she joined him.
Matthew's arm circled her waist, the two of them just gazing out at the city. He pressed a soft kiss her forehead.
God, never in a million years had he ever thought he'd be standing here like this. Two months ago, Matthew hadn't even known Elizabeth.
In the back of his mind, Matthew knew the one thing he could definitely thank his parents for. Unintentionally bringing Elizabeth into his life.
They did love him — Matthew knew that — in their own way.
Thank you, Matthew thought into the silence of the night. For everything.
—*—
Dear readers,
Thank you for staying till the end! I hope you enjoyed this love story, twisted with a little bit of power, drama, and a ton of character development.
It's been a year since I came up with the plot for this story, and I can't believe it's done — in just over a week! As my first completely original story to be finished, I'm definitely very proud of it, and I hope you liked it.
I am considering continuing this story in a Part Two, delving into Matthew's life as CEO and the culprits behind the Campbells' assassination. If you're interested in that, please let me know!
I'm sure I'll get around to writing that Part Two in a couple of months, but for now, this story is done!
I'd like to thank quarantine for providing the time to complete this project, and most of all — you, the readers, for giving this a chance, voting and commenting!
Stay safe and happy reading!