The Rival Heirs

chapter 5: The cold attitude

Andrians pov

It had been three years since I last saw him. Three long, dragging years where I’d convinced myself that the blue-eyed boy from my past had faded into a distant memory, nothing more than an echo in the deepest part of my mind where I had abandoned it. I had moved on, hadn’t I? I’d buried whatever forbidden and unholy feelings I had under the weight of new commitments, and lots of office work, just to take my mind off all the distraction I had allowed myself to be entangled with. I had even gotten my girlfriend ‘s’ and we were doing okay, the s*x and all the f*****g was okay and everything was moving just fine, so I thought until I felt somebody from nowhere hug me. All the control and practice I had built up since three years flew out of the window. And I was frustrated by that.

The blue-eyed boy, Alex. I knew he’d changed the second I saw him, but I wasn’t prepared for how different he was now to before. He’d gone from that quiet, shy introverted nerd I once knew to a completely different person. Bold and outgoing. I knew from the way he dressed, he didn't care about what people would say and with the little flicker of time I had, I observed him from head to toe, drinking in this new appearance. He was now a little taller, but i was still taller than him, his pink pouty lips that was curled up in surprise, and I must admit he had added new meat on his body, my eyes trailed down to his lean but fit profile and the was his tight skinny pants was showing off his ass. His gaze was filled with subtle intensity that wasn't there before. It unsettled me more than i wanted to admit. I took him all in in less than a few minutes. I knew very well my father would have smiled at the fact that my observation skills had improved.

Time seems to stop for me as the scent i had last perceived in three years filled my nose. And the worst part he had walked right in, in the midst of my friends and hugged me in public.

In that instant, it felt like the world had stopped spinning, just for a moment, while he held me there, his face hidden against my shoulder. My heart stammered in my chest, that flutter of warmth and confusion spreading faster than I could control. It was ridiculous. I was Andrian, the master and the most promising heir to emerge in the whole of Manchester city. the one who didn’t get fazed, who was always in control. And yet, here I was, clutching onto emotions I thought I’d left behind. Flattered by just a hug.

I could practically hear my father’s voice ringing in my ears, his stern words and sharp eagle like eyes boring into me, as he handed me my second mission this morning for the past three years. This mission he’d set for me. It was vague, cryptic even. “Tail him,” he had said, just like that. Three years ago, my first mission was equally ambiguous and lacked any intel to work with. “Get close to him.” That’s all I was given. No explanation, no reason behind it. Just orders.

And now, just when I thought I was free, he’d pulled me back in with this new mission, this absurd, maddening task to follow Alex again. It didn’t make sense, and I was already getting sick of his stupid games and plans. Why was he so invested in Alex in making sure I stayed close to him? There was something hidden beneath it, some secret he refused to share. But that was just how my father operated. Only he knew the whole picture. Everyone was to be controlled and given orders. Even me, his son, and his successor, was nothing more than a pawn, shoved around as he pleased.

I’d considered leaving it all behind. Running away to Europe, disappearing into a crowd where my father’s voice couldn’t reach. I had enough saved up to make it work, enough connections to disappear completely. But every time I thought about it, the thought of my mother anchored me back. Now, here I was, caught in a battle between my loyalty to my father’s orders and the stupid emotions I had stupidly developed for a boy I had sworn to bury.

And then came the breaking point, Alex looking up at me, those impossibly bright, wide blue eyes gazing into mine with something that felt... real. And I had to make a choice right then and there.

The moment shattered when one of my new friends, a rich, arrogant i***t with more money than sense, stepped in front of Alex and shoved him back. Blinding anger surged through me, unconsciously and unexpected, at the sight of Alex being pushed around like he was nothing. I clenched my fists, feeling the old urge to protect him rise up, the same way I had years ago. But then, the guy turned to me and asked the question that would decide everything.

“Hey, Andrian. You know this clown?” the guy Josh, the child of one of my father's numerous business partners, asked me.

I don’t know how I kept my face calm, how I managed to suppress the boiling fury that rose with every heartbeat. I could feel Alex’s confused eyes on me, he was gnawking at. I facepalmed myself, I had used Jacob as my mission identity, but now I was back to my life, and my real name was Andrian. I felt kinda guilty and bad for misleading him, but who cares, I hardened my resolve immediately.

He stood there waiting for an answer, probably hoping, no, expecting, that I’d say something. But my voice came out cold and hard, more detached than I thought possible.

“No, I don’t know him.”

The words left my mouth, empty and hollow, even as they echoed in my head. I had just denied him. I had just denied any connection, any history we shared, and in that moment, a part of me died. A cold, hard regret settled in my stomach as I turned away, pretending like he was nothing more than a stranger.

As I walked flanked by boot lickers that were following me like flies attracted to honey, the reality of what I’d done weighed on me. Alex’s face lingered in my mind. His bright blue eyes, that look of hope, and then the hurt that followed when I denied him. It felt like I’d taken something fragile and broken it, shattering any trust he might have had left in me. And the worst part was, I didn’t know if I could ever repair it. But I told myself that this was the right thing to do, that I was following orders, sticking to the mission my father had set. This was about loyalty, discipline,and keeping my emotions in check. And more off my position as the next heir of the “Rufus family” the most influential and the most powerful figure currently in Manchester city.

It took all my willpower not to look back. I forced myself to keep on moving. Amidst the mockery and insults directed to Alex for making himself look like a fool. I couldn’t bear to imagine his expression, but that was not my concern now. I needed to focus on my priorities. This was my mission. Anything else was just distraction, noise, and emotions I couldn’t afford to indulge in.