CHAPTER 2: RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON
886 Words
Micheal's POV
The drive back home was satisfying, just a few days back I was still a married man, it felt like a burden had been lifted off my shoulders now that my so-called wife was no more.
I never wanted to be married but my father wanted that for me, to keep people from suspecting anything about our family business.
They'd gossiped that there was no woman in our family for years, some tamed our family as an l***q family which got my father angry and had no option but to get me a wife.
Zoe was only unfortunate, her prying got her killed. It was that simple, there was nothing to be guilty of.
My phone rang suddenly and it dragged me out of my thoughts. I glanced and saw the caller was my father.
“Yes Don.” I answered, a habit of referring to my father as Don started at a young age.
My dad's voice echoed out of the cell phone. “Is she out of the picture?” he questioned
“Let's just say she's no longer a concern.”I replied.
“Good job son, you never disappoint me. I need you here at the mansion, there's something important we've got to talk about.”
“On my way.” with that I ended the call.
The gates to the mansion were tall and imposing. As they opened automatically, I drove in ignoring the bows of the two burly men guarding the gate. The Sullivan's estate was a private road, just for the Sullivan family.
Discreetly placed security cameras and motion sensitive lights ensured the estates remained secured.
If anyone were to drive in here, they had to be someone we had an alliance with, if not, no stranger was to step foot into the estate. My father and I had enemies, ones that necessarily wanted to see our downfall, the downfall of our empire.
But that would never happen as long as I had breath in my lungs.
I finally found my father in his study room after looking all around for him. As I closed the door behind me, he turned around, our eyes meeting.
“Took you so long,” he said.
“My apologies. Traffic is still a hectic issue in this country.” I said jokingly as I walked towards the desk, taking up the brown cigarettes to lit it up.
I puffed on it and just as I noticed my father's silence, which was unlike him. I dropped the cigarettes in a glass bowl. I noticed my father didn't give a response, his attention was fixed on some photos.
”What do you have there?” I watched him check out some pictures.
“He's back. After so many years.”he said without looking up from the photos.
My curiosity piqued, and as I caught sight of the person in the photos, my heart skipped a beat for a moment and my fists were tightly clenched by my sides.
Why was he back? After all these years from running away from the family.
I was glad he left, I became the only son of Don Sullivan but now he was back in the country.
“I haven't stopped stalking him for a long time now.”
“I know about that. But I never thought he'd come back to us.”I tried to speak calmly even with the tension grumbling within me. I preferred he stayed wherever he went hiding or best died a mysterious death.
“I never thought he'd come back too until I saw his message.” Don swirled a piece of paper to my side. I picked it up from the desk, my eyes caught the words on the bottom page “Leo Sullivan, Your dear son.”
My anger increased, the letter was nothing but an expression of Leo's forgiveness and… how he was ready to take over the family business just as it was meant to be.
I threw the letter on the desk. “Will you let this happen? I mean what will become of me?” I asked, my tone increased in frustration.
“Nothing will change, Micheal. You and Leo will run my business together.” He said, as he got up from the seat behind the desk.
For a moment, his freckled aging palms clasped my face, they were cold, his eyes reassuring and then the gentle smile that followed gave me hope that I was not going back to being a sidekick or worse a poor boy serving the Sullivans.
As he left the room, my eyes glanced at Leo in the photos, the unaware pictures were taken while he was entering a car, another while he was making a call.
“Why did you return?” I muttered suspiciously. Leo never wanted to take part in the family business that's why he left in the first place. Why the change of mind after all these years?
Don Sullivan took me in as his son after the death of his best employee, who was my father.
I never knew what power and riches tasted like until I joined the Sullivan and I vowed never to go back being a wretch. Leo's return will be the biggest mistake he ever made.
- Writer
