DARKLING

6

Unedited.

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"You came."

William Waterfall stated dully as Ryder walked into his study, his focus remained on the file he was going through.

"You called."

Ryder casually responds as he walked towards the couch sitting a few feets away from the large mahogany desk William was sitting behind.

"Yes, but I didn't expect you'd come."

William adjusted his posture on his chair while pulling off the reading glasses from his face. He raised his cold silver gray eyes to stare at Ryder. Eyes that looked too identical to that of his son.

"I could leave."

Ryder slowed his steps preparing to turn back around.

"Sit."

Ryder slump down on the couch with an eyeroll.

"I meant on this chair."

William gestured to one of the seats sitting across his.

"I'm comfortable."

Ryder breathed out nonchalantly as he stretched out his long limbs.

William glared disapprovingly but Ryder seemed oblivious to it, or he simply just doesn't care. He never did.

"I had a meeting with the board members,"

Williams dived straight into the point.

No formalities, no pleasantries...it'd be strange if there were any.

"They praised your performance so far this last three years, they believe the projects you've led so far has managed to take the waterfall corporation to new heights-"

Ryder stares at him waiting to hear something he wasn't already aware of.

He remembered when he joined the company three years ago, everyone viewed him as a young, immature and sluggish heir who wasn't ready to take on anything in life. Until he started bringing in ideas that boosted the company higher than they could ever imagine.

"-the board has decided to promote you to the position of executive director, just thought I'd let you know before hand so you'll prepare yourself before the next meeting."

What William was indirectly implying was

'Donot fall asleep during the meeting' as Ryder was fond of doing so.

William returned his frames to rest on the bridge if his nose. He reached for his papers to continue his work as he believed he was done talking.

"I'll pass."

Said Ryder to have William raise his head to stare at him with raised brows.

"You have to be present at the meeting to ge-"

"I meant the promotion."

Ryder cut in.

"And the meeting too."

He added after a beat.

"What?"

Asked William as he leans back in his chair with a calm look that didn't match the disbelief he was feeling inside.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

He again pulled off his glasses and squints his eyes at Ryder.

"This isn't the time to be rebelling, this is the time to work harder and prove to me I didn't make a mistake making you the heir to the waterfall group."

"Mistake?"

Ryder scoffed.

"It's not as if you have a choice though is it?"

Williams threw the glasses on the table and spoke calmly while his eyes glare daggers at Ryder.

"You're not my only son you know, I could decide to change the name on my will this very second and-"

"You could,"

Ryder nodded.

"But you won't."

Ryder slowly tilts his head downwards while he stare straight at William, his gaze intense and sharp like blade.

"Because you can't."

Ryder raised his head to look him dead in the eyes, as if challenging him.

"Makes me wonder why."

He mutters curiously with a slight tilt of his head and a slight furrow of his brows.

Oh but he knows...he knows very well why Williams has no choice even though he wasn't particularly fond of him.

Williams fists clench under the table.

"Why are you rejecting the promotion when it could be of great benefits to you?"

William inquired his tone casually calm and relaxed as he picked up the file he was previously going through, as if he wasn't at all bothered by the situation.

Maybe that's where Ryder got it from.

Being able to remain calm and unaffected no matter the situation.

Ryder shrugged.

"Executive director sounds like a lot of work, being the project manager was tiring enough, it disrupted my nap times."

He muttered the last part with a squint, he wasn't quite pleased with that. Ryder values his naps a lot more than people thought.

"I'm taking a vacation,"

He stood up.

"I've been working too hard."

He tucked his hands in his pocket.

"Vacation?"

Williams repeats.

Ryder hummed.

"I'm going back to the academy."

"You're taking a vacation...to school?"

William asked with raised brows.

Ryder again hummed.

"I still need to graduate before taking over the company."

"Don't sound so sure of yourself, I haven't changed the name on my will because I thought I'd give you a chance to prove yourself."

Ryder scoffed with a slight quirk of his lips.

'Amusing...'

He didn't reply to that, he didn't bother to. William is free to want to believe whatever he feels like, its a free country after all. Instead he made his way towards to the door while saying.

"I might reconsider the promotion during my vacation, I'll let you know about my decision after."

"What makes you think the spot would remain vacant for you, there are a lot of capable people there who deserves the promotion more than you do. You're only getting benefits because of your surname."

That wasn't true.

Ryder doesn't think anyone deserves the promotion more than he does. He knows what he has done for that company...the board members aren't stupid after all, they wouldn't have promoted him based on his surname alone when they're aware the company would be his at the end of the day regardless of whether he worked hard or not.

"Because I trust that you wouldn't let anyone that isn't family to take up the position...You're selfish in that manner."

Williams fist clenched tighter.

"About the engagement..."

Williams trails.

Ryder paused by the door with his hand on the knob and turned slightly so only his profile was visible to his father.

"What about it?"

He asked.

William was silent for some seconds. Ryder could feel his sharp eyes watching him, looking to find any sign that shows he wasn't okay with the arrangement, but there was nothing.

"Take it seriously...it's real."

Ryder doesn't remember saying it wasn't.

He didn't bother to reply as he left.

No arguments, no protests, he just left leaving William confused and bothered.

Something wasn't right somewhere.

Williams strongly believed so.

The change was too sudden.

Three years ago Ryder was predictable. He would have rather been disowned than to work for the company, he would rather live on the streets than to be in the same breathing space as him.

Williams always had to threaten his own son to obey him.

But all of a sudden, the only leverage he had against Ryder disappeared.

Ryder had taken her, he had said so himself. Williams was unwilling to admit that even with all his wealth and connections, he couldn't find where he was hiding her.

Ryder had all the chance to rebel. To go against his words as William no longer have anything to tie him down with, but he never did.

He did the opposite instead.

He volunteered to work for the company and unlike before no longer said 'NO' to everything he says, he doesn't say 'YES' either.

"Obedient" wouldn't be the word.

'Tame' would be an overstatement as Ryder still does as he pleases all the time.

Williams thought the news about the engagement would finally make him snap. He never liked the girl Abigail Dawngray anyways, but he remained silent.

Like he didn't care...maybe he didn't...maybe-

"You're tense."

William felt hands settle on his shoulders and began to massage it.

"Did he give you a hard time?"

Steffany Waterfall.

His wife for the past 19 years now.

She was a beautiful woman with delicate features and a meek personality. That was what william loved the most about her, unlike that woman...

Although in her late forties, her skin were free from wrinkles and any signs of age, with the help of a few surgeries here and there.

He had been too caught up in his thoughts to notice she had came in.

"Did he make a fuss about the engagement?"

That's what they had all been expecting...for him to make a fuss.

The thing though is Ryder never does the expected.

And that unnerved William more than anything because Ryder was the one person he couldn't predict...the one person he couldn't read.

"He didn't..."

William muttered almost too calmly as he stared into space his fingers taping on his desk in a constant rhythm.

"Well that's good news, we were worried for nothing. I think he's outgrown his rebellious phase and is finally starting to see we only want the best for him."

Williams gray eyes squints almost dangerously, his thoughts muddled.

He'd like to think so too, but the concept was too far fetched to be true.

Something wasn't right.

He needs to find that woman...

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