Jake Cullingham

7

When Jake got home, he had his butler and Tom buy the house back for him anonymously.

Apparently, the one who had put the house for sale was Camilla and this had him confirming history that she was just like the rest of his family.

After that little conversation he had with her in the finance office, he also found out her role in the company was now to buy and sell small businesses, especially the dying ones with no exception to building properties.

“If you’re so angry at your siblings for being ahead of you, why don’t you just call them out for their actions and save yourself the trouble,” Jake noted to her to see if she would be different from her family. “I mean, you can see how your family acts. You can see how they behave and how they hold little businesses captive. Can’t you just minimize on that and help grow your business the organic way?”

That got a laugh out of her as she stretched her body.

“Look, I’m loving the whole righteous idea thing but that would not work in business. It’s a nice vibe going on but if we don’t put up laws to make these people pay back the money they owe, we would be broke at the end of the day. If they can’t pay up their money, then we have no choice but to take up their businesses.”

“What if their business was sabotaged and they can’t afford to pay up and need more time?”

“Sabotaged by who? Don’t they have security? I mean if you can afford to start up a business at least have security. It’s like business 101.”

“But what if it was someone from your company that sabotaged them?”

She laughed. “Please. No one has that time. My father always said that there was nothing like a good man working his normal job and getting paid the amount he has earned. My father lived by a moral code and he would never indulge himself in activities of the underworld.”

And that was when Jake knew that the family were good at hiding their secrets from the world while living like good citizens.

“At least it still has all the old details untouched,” he said as he walked through the house with the butler touching some old artifacts.

“This brings back a nostalgic feeling,” the old man said. “I can’t believe the master never thought of buying this back.”

“Hey, old man!” Yelled Jake from the top of the large stairs. “News flash, my father is hooked to a machine so maybe be careful what you say next time.”

“My apologies,” the butler bowed. “I only meant that when your father found out about the house being taken, he would have tried to buy it back.”

“Who knows if old man Hendrix while alive would have liked to sell it?”

That was a theory he would be willing to spend his time betting on.

Jake went through each room, reliving his old days with a smile on his face. At least he had grown up in a place filled with love and care. Now all of that was broken and he was here with hatred and revenge for the family who had destroyed his own family.

When he was done reliving his childhood, he walked to the garden to join the butler.

“This whole place used to be filled with horses,” laughed the butler, pointing to an overgrown field. “Your father loved horses. He used to take you horseback riding.”

“I’m not here to relive sad moments,” Jake sighed. “I’m here for revenge. Sad moments can show up when I am done with my mission.”

“Master Jake,” the old man sighed. “You should live a little. I understand that you’re trying too hard but you’re over exerting yourself. You need rest. You’ve barely eaten all day, you’ve been running around with that Camilla girl as her bodyguard, fending off randoms, and you’ve been studying about her family like they’re some kind of college assignment. A day off won’t be bad. She gave you one today, use it wisely.”

“Maybe you’re right,” sighed the man.

But soon enough, all of that was shattered when Tom rushed in with news of the Hendrix company.

“What did you find out?” Jake asked.

“The Hendrix family are about to invest into another company and also partner with them.”

“Oh no,” Jake frowned. “Well that can’t be good.”

“Don’t know what company they want to partner with?” The butler asked.

“Yes,” answered Tom. “The transportation company known as metro-corp.”

“They’re expanding to more open and public businesses. They want to get the attention of the government. That way they can own almost everything in the country,” the butlers assessment had Jake worrying about that.

If they invested with that company the same thing they did to his father would be done to this one. They would grab the company for themselves and start to expand their territories.

He had to stop them before they would become so big it would be impossible to stop them.

“What do you want to do?” The butler asked as Jake thought long and hard about this one. His moves had been calculated perfectly from day one. One slip up here and he could be set back a few years. He needed to be smart as he had been from the beginning.

“Who chairs this metro-corp?” He asked.

“That would be Rashid Hampton,” said the butler. “He’s a billionaire who just wants to expand…”

“Isn’t he indebted to my father?” Jake asked as soon as he heard the man’s name.

He had spent his time studying his father’s businesses to know who were allies and foes, who were currently indebted and who had been indebted but had paid off their dues.

“Yes, he is. A couple hundred millions but yes, still indebted.”

“Then let’s invite him over for dinner,” Jake smiled evilly.

He knew this was going to be an easy one.