Chapter Five

Brian's eyes widened at his mother's statement. His father? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?

"This man...my father?" stuttered Brian in shock, his eyes darting from his mother to the man. 

But his mother told him his father died before he was even born. Had she been lying all this while?

"Brian," The man called and slowly drew closer to Brian.

Brian transfixed on his spot, took in the man's features as he approached. Brian, resembling his mother, had nothing in common with the man except the eye color. Their eyes were the same shade of brown. Could this be his father?

The man exhaled deeply in happiness, running his hand on Brian's body. "You've grown so much."

Brian looked into his eyes. "Are you really my father?" 

The man's hands stopped on Brian's shoulders. He answered with a hug.

Brian stood still in shock as the man's arm tightened around him. His father was alive in all of his twenty-two years of life?

His face twitched with disgust immediately and he pushed him away.

The man staggered back a little with a look of surprise. "Brian..."

He started to say but Brian cut him off.

"So, here is the man who left my mother pregnant."

Edward's face dropped. Sadness and guilt filled his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to leave her." Edward tried to place his hand on his shoulder again but Brian's glare made him withdraw his hand. 

"You left my mother to suffer. Because of you, she suffered alone with the pregnancy you were responsible for." Brian snapped forcefully.

"There is no day I live without regretting my actions. But I'm here now."

Brian shook his head. "If you think we'll forgive you just like that, you are very wrong. And don't waste your time apologizing because neither I nor my mother would listen. So just take us home."

"Brian. You have every right to be angry with me. What I did was very wrong but please don't hate me. I'm not a bad person." 

Brian snorted. "What else would you call a man who left his girlfriend pregnant and remembers them two decades later? And come to think of it, we thought you were dead, but here you are looking even better than us. What else should I call you if not a bad person?"

"I have reasons for my actions. Just hear me out."

"No. What are we doing here? You know what? I don't care. Let's go mum."

Edward looked at Rosanna with pleading eyes. "Rosanna, please. Can you try to convince him?"

Brian snarled. "Don't try to make my mother convince me. It won't work."

But even as he said it, he knew it was a lie. His greatest weakness was his mother.

"I'm out of here. Meet me at home, mum."

Before Brian could take a step, Rosanna held his arm. "Brian, wait."

Brian pursed his lips. Too late. 

Rosanna continued. "Hear him out. He's your father." 

She looked at him with those eyes Brian couldn't resist obeying. 

He sighed exasperatedly, then faced Edward. "What do you want from us? And who are those men?" He glanced at the door where Melanie and Charlene stood, watching in silence.

Edward smiled. "They are mine." 

Brian frowned. "Your men? Oh please, what are you going to tell me next? That you own this house?"

"Nice guess," Edward said.

Brian's jaw dropped in puzzlement.

Edward quickly added. "Actually, it isn't mine presently. I gave it to a friend. But I have other mansions, bigger than this one."

Brian shook his head, surprised by the way he spoke this like it was normal. "You have other mansions...what have you been doing all this while?"

"Building up and improving the family's business and wealth."

This statement baffled Brian. He asked. "What do you mean?"

"You probably don't know this but our family owns lots of properties like hotels, estates, companies, all of which are under L.A.K.E Conglomerate."

Upon hearing the name of the company, Brian's confusion only increased.

"L.A.K.E Conglomerate? As in..." 

"The top holding company in the city and country? Yeah." Edward completed.

Brian let out a sharp gasp. "Wait, you own L.A.K.E Conglomerate?" 

Edward nodded. Brian became dumbstruck.

Being in the business management department, Brian knew about most of the companies in the city. And there isn't anyone in the city who hasn't heard of the company.

L.A.K.E Conglomerate was the top-earning and biggest corporation in the country, known for its high-quality products. They had numerous subsidiary companies spanning across various industries in the country and even out of the country.

The company was a prestigious and powerful one which is why Brian was very surprised.

Brian's mouth hung open as he tried to speak but couldn't form words. His father? The owner of the top one company in the country?

No wonder he was this wealthy. The company's net worth should be up to billions, or even trillions.

The company should be receiving billions annually and millions monthly if you add the dividends received from all the subsidiary companies under it.

His father was this wealthy? That means he and his mother won't be poor anymore. Brian almost smiled in joy.

But he closed his mouth and glared at Edward, his expression becoming that of anger when he remembered something. 

"Nice try, but I won't fall for that."

"What are you talking about?" asked Edward, confused.

"You, Edward Ashton, claim you own L.A.K.E Conglomerate. But the last time I checked, the owner of the company was a man called Richard Lennox. I've seen his pictures and you look absolutely nothing like him."

"How do you know that?"

Brian shrugged. "I'm in the Business Management department. I do research."

Edward chuckled. "Well, your research is accurate. But what if I told you Richard Lennox is my best friend?"

"Wow, that's...amazing, I guess. But being the best friend of the owner doesn't make you the owner."

"Richard is only the CEO, not the owner. And I made him the CEO."

"What are you talking about? How is that possible?"

"Because I'm the real owner."

"Yeah right." Brian scoffed, refusing to believe. His father was lying. Everyone knows that Richard Lennox, the last descendant of the Lennox family, is the wealthy CEO and owner of the company. He has never heard of any Edward Ashton in his research so Edward has to be lying.

"You don't believe me, do you?" asked Edward but he already got his answer through Brian's facial expression.

Edward sighed. He would have gotten his documents which stated his ownership but that would just be a waste of time. So he decided to try another tactic to convince Brian.

"You may think I'm lying but I'm telling the truth. The Lennox never owned L.A.K.E Conglomerate in the first place. Have you heard of the Addams family?"

"What does a fictional family have to do with our discussion?" huffed Brian.

Edward blinked. "Pardon?"

"You mentioned the Addams Family. Well, I'm asking what a fictional family had to do with our discussion. You know, the Addams Family. Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday..."

"Oh," Edward realized what he meant and chuckled in amusement. "No, no. That's not what I meant. Since you study Business Management, I'm sure you'll know that the former owner of the company was the Addams family."

Brian nodded, feeling embarrassed by his assumption. "Yes, but the whole family died in an unknown accident and on the brink of death, the last survivor transferred every right of ownership of their properties to the Lennox family."

"Wow. You've really been doing research online." Edward remarked, sounding impressed with his son. "You are right but that story was told to satisfy the curiosity of the public. It's not entirely true."

"What?"

"Not all members of the Addams family died that day. One survived."

"And how do you know that?" 

Edward smiled. "Because that survivor is me."