Between Two Giants

The Rival

REECE’S POV

His words kept echoing in my head as I went.

“No one touches what is mine.”

I am not his, and it seemed like I missed the part where he got the wrong memo. How exactly am I supposed to get us out of this mess right now? I knew nothing about the man except his address.

My phone beeped, it was my dad

“I heard you failed to convince him to accept your apology. Don’t return home until you find a way out of this.”

“Dad, do you even know what he is asking me to do?”

“Just a name, Reece. Are you trying to protect him or what?”

“No, I don’t even know him, but it seemed like I don’t know you anymore despite having lived with you all my life. Can you just let me take some things from the house?”

“Fine, but you should know that if you ruin this for me, I will never forgive you.” I sighed as I headed home and when I arrived, I heard him talking in a loud voice.

“There he goes again. How come he keeps beating Brendan at this thing every year? If only I had a choice, I would marry my daughter to him instead.”

I heard him say, it seemed he would marry me to anybody who had money. The thought made me sick.

But then, something caught my attention. It was the name on TV, then I saw the face. I may not have seen him clearly, but his features were too distinct to not recognize him immediately.

“Oh my God!”

“You scared me! What is it now?”

“That is him.”

“Who? "

“The guy.”

“Which guy are we talking about?”

I rolled my eyes as I moved closer.

“The guy I spent the night with.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Dad asked, he began to laugh hysterically.

“If this is a joke, you have to stop it now.”

“I am serious, Dad.”

“What have you done? You spent the night with someone that isn’t Brendan?”

“How was I supposed to know?”

My dad went on a kind of anger rampage for a while before he finally turned back to me.

“Wait! Tell me you were kidding about what you just said?”

“What?”

“That the guy you spent the night with was that man right there.”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

“No, this is just your way to get out of trouble. You must go to Brendan and apologize right away!”

“What do you mean apologize?” I was shocked to hear that the only solution he had to this issue is that I apologized to the one who got me into this whole mess in the first place.

“I am the one who was wronged!” I said in a loud voice as I held my hands Jo to my chest in anger. He was really getting on my nerves by how much he tipped around these people, to the extent that he does not care about his daughter at all.

“I know you’re mad, but if you want to be mad at me, fine, but we have to remedy this situation before they find out what has happened and do not dare go there to tell them that you slept with Barry because it’s never going to happen!”

“I won’t do it!” I said and stormed out of the room, but as soon as I was about to get out, I heard dad gasping and I ran back. He was a hypertensive patient, and he knew not to get himself worked up. I don’t think I can beat the thought of being the one who killed my own father, so I helped him relax.

“Why are you doing this? Can’t you just let this slide? It’s not like you’re going to lose your job or anything.”

“You don’t understand, it is my whole life out there! I have been chasing this ever since I got into that company.”

This was, again, emotional blackmail. I sighed as I got up and went into the room and a few minutes later, I returned dressed in a light gown with my hair flying on both sides of my head.

“This is the last time I will allow you to use me like this, dad. Send me the address.” I said, and walked out of the house.

I gave the taxi driver I called the address I was going to and not long after, I arrived there and looked at the Yale mansion. Maybe it would have been a crime if I had decided to compare this mansion to the one I had been to last night.

This one cannot even hold a candle to the mansion I was in last night and I suddenly began to feel in it. Like maybe what happened was even the best thing that could ever happen, because I could imagine the kind of people that lived in this house would be so old-fashioned and the only thing they would have would be just their name and whatever title they held.

I approached the gate and after a few minutes, trying to confirm if I should be there, the big gate opened, and I walked into the mansion but a maid

She led me into the mansion, which looked like something out of old books. The building looked great, but it was old-fashioned, and I wonder why they never had the intuition for renovation all along when it was not that they could not afford it.

“You may sit here while I summon the boss.” The young maid said and walked out as she left me in the living room, which looked sparky clean except for the same old-fashioned appearance on the outside. I sighed, this might take a while because I could imagine that I had come to meet someone who was older than even millennials.

“For a long time, I have imagined this day and looking at you staring at my home like that since you got here gave me a feeling you think something is not right about here, but don’t worry, when we do get married, you will enjoy it here as much as I have grown to.” A male voice said from where the maid had disappeared to, and I sighed in surprise as I started at the could only assume was Brendan as he walked out of the room.

I knew I should have taken the ride in the taxi to look him up, but I had allowed my sentiments to put me at a disadvantage and as I started at the handsome man before me, I could not believe there was any reason in the world his family should be out looking for a while for him despite their old-fashioned ways.

He was dressed in the total opposite of what I had expected. He had on a suit with the upper bottom of his inner shirt showing a part of his chest and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed made me think of one of the prince-charming I have seen in the movies. I have always envisioned being with this type of man, no doubt, but he had to come in the form of an ‘enemy’. Get your act together, Reese, we do not like him!

“Um...hi, Brendan.”

“And your voice is just as I expected, you may sit while you tell me why you stood me up yesterday. I am not a very patient man, but for you, I made myself available and waited patiently. Needless to say, my ego was hurt, and I assume you have a very good reason as to why.” He sat on a single chair while he gestured that I sat on the one opposite him.

I could already tell that he was looking for a reason to take offense and that there was nothing I could say. He already knew what he wanted to do, so I just said it and looked at him with the most neutral expression.

“Fine, I know what happened. You followed a man home and, in your defence, your Dad said you weren’t aware, so I will take that as the most reasonable excuse you have here, and I am also aware that you have come here to apologize to me. So, I will cut straight to the chase. The man you spent the night with, find him then come back to apologize to me.”