The Rival Heirs

chapter 2: leaving it all behind

Andrians pov

The ride back home had been filled with awkwardsilence, and I was bubbling with anger.

“Haven't we reached the damn house!!” I scowled at my driver, Enzo

“No master, we are yet to reach” my driver Enzo replies respectfully.

“Incompetent fool” I cursed under my breath.

I was happy to be done with this stupid mission. My father, out of nowhere, had given me a mission. He had termed it a grade A mission, stressing the importance of the mission.

The mission was so simple to be true, I had thought it was a joke, but on reaching the camp, I realised that I was in for the most simplest overrated mission in the wide world.

“Get close to Alex” that was his words, before he handed me a heavy portfolio filled with his info, and a picture that will help me recognize him, alas, I didn't need the photo because Alex stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest of the kids.

He was a quiet kid, so quiet you wouldn't realise someone was there, and those blue ocean eyes….

“Master we have reached the mansion” my driver's voice pierced through my thought.

“ finally” I muttered under my breath, throwing away my remaining cigar in my mouth. I had to return back to myself, to my old self, nothing ever happened.

the camp was the sight of the mission,

My identity, Jacob, the easygoing, always smiling, mischievous boy, was just a facade for me to fit in. That was what I had been training since I could crawl.

The relationship with him was just to get close to him and solve the damn mission.

“What about the kiss?” A tiny voice in my head whispered to me. I suddenly stopped, trying to make out a reason for that, but I had no explanation for that.

“Welcome young heir” the chorus voice of the servants and maid echoed throughout the mansion compound.

I nodded in satisfaction, lifting my chin high up, to fit into the role and birthright of the heir of the Rufus family. The strongest, well to do family in the whole of Manchester city.

I walked into the gigantic mansion through the red carpet that started from the door of my limousine, down to the front main door of the house. I was contented at the reverence from the servants. “It's good they know their place”

I said, but one young girl was not standing at attention. She was sporting a bandage on her hands.

I felt a spike in my barely suppressed anger, “hey, who is she” I asked my personal assistant, who was nearby.

“She is Debby, the new maid, that was employed just a few weeks ago” my PA replied sharply.

“I see. It seems like she didn't undergo training,... she is fired” I said, not missing a beat, enjoying the confusion and shock of everybody as I entered the house.

“Young heir, your father is waiting at the dining room” a maid told me, leading me to the room my father was probably waiting for me.

Walking down the hallway where my father was waiting for my reports, I couldn't help glance at the photos lining the wall, my mother, who died in an accident. Leaving only my father to manage the Rufus Corporation, and from all things, he is doing hard work.

“Good day sir” I greeted my father. He is a man in his late fifties, with his always clean shaved beard. He carried an air of a Rufus, like he used to say. He was reclining on a chair calmly, observing me, the unopened dish in front of him as if he was waiting for something.

He beamed a smile “ Sit down, son, let's eat dinner.

My stomach churned at the mention of dinner, not after everything that had happened. Of course, he is a perfect man, always in control of everything, and he always gets his way. He was wearing a dashing tuxedo, I had to bite my teeth not to point out to him how inappropriate it was to eat dinner with tuxedo on.

“Okay sir” I forced myself to play his stupid game this evening.

“You are looking rather good. And dashing, I am proud you are growing into a proud Rufian” he said all of the sudden in the middle of the dinner, catching me off guard.

“How was your journey,” he asked again, making me feel like ants were crawling through my skin. He was playing with me, bidding his time, and it annoyed the hell out of me.

“You mean the mission…”

No son, can't a father ask about his son's welfare” he said, feigning care.

“The camp was good,” I answered absent-minded, choosing to concentrate on the spaghetti I was eating.

“And any friends…?” he asked, causing me to stop my eating.

“I make no friends. Therefore, I had no friends, just those I wanted something from” I answered cautiously, I know I am thresding on needles now.

This was not a normal dinner between father and son. It was like I was in an interrogation room where any mistake I made would immediately lead to my termination of contract.

“You can go back to your room, have a good rest, you have passed the first phase of the mission” he said, and immediately i stood up, like a fire was on my seat I almost ran straight to my room. Not before seeing the amused look of my fathers face.

“The stupid psycho.” I cursed the tenth time since the last six hours. I was relieved to finally have clean air, away from my father's intimidating aura.

Stepping into my room, it was like how I had left it. Nothing has been touched or moved, and I liked it like that, I closed my door, making sure to lock it. I was in my safe haven, but it didn’t feel like one.

For whatever reason, the memory of Alex and I in the unused closet we usually hang out in flashes through my head. His innocence and naivety strike me too hard. His expression was priceless when I llkissed him, it was like he was not expecting that but I waited for him to push me away, and scrunch his face in disgust but nothing happend, he kissed back. He wanted it!.

How his body responded to me, and jeez his moan was…

I clenched my fists, shaking my head violently to rid myself of the memory. This was not part of the plan. This was not supposed to happen.

“It’s just a mission, Andrian. Get a grip,” I muttered to myself, pacing the room

I needed to separate my emotions from my feelings, I have done that countless times. I had faked love with rich ceo daughters to foster partnership with their company and us.

Had impersonated the husband of powerful women just to get info to use in blackmailing her to cooperate with my Rufus family. So pretending to be a friend of a boy who doesn't know his origin should be a cup of cake. It should be the easiest test in all of my manipulative journeys.

But why can't I stop thinking about him? Why am I having this hollow feeling? like a part of me was gone. This being the first phase of the mission, what was the second phase supposed to look like?

A sound of knocking sounded on the door, “ What do you want?” I snapped at the person behind the door. obviously irritated. But I relaxed when I saw it was my PA, After opening the door.

“I am here to give you the routine for tomorrow, jacob” My PA is the only trusted person I have. So he calls me my name when we are alone.

“Okay, I will look through it” I said, watching him leave. On a second thought, I called him back.

My name is Andrian now,” I corrected him sharply. “Jacob was the facade.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

I sank onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. The pain in my chest was unbearable, but I had no choice.

I had to move on.

Move on to the next mission.