CHAPTER 5

Ben reached for the door and swung it open. On the porch stood a man dressed in a black suit. He was partially bald and had a pair of glasses on. Ben smiled as he recognized the man.

“Come in, Mr. Meyer,” Ben said stepping aside.

The man nodded and stepped into the house. Mr. Meyer was The Lacroixs’ lawyer. He had the documents for all the properties that The Lacroix owned. He was also their legal advisor and knew Ben for a while now.

“Thank you, Ben,” Mr. Meyer said touching his glass. “I heard about Mrs. Lacroix.”

A distraught look appeared on Ben’s face. He wasn’t particularly happy to be reminded of Amiri’s demise.

“And I brought the documents you asked,” Mr. Meyer continued. “Though I think it's strange that you would ask for them. They are all perfectly safe with me.”

Ben sighed and nodded his head.

“I know that Mr. and Mrs. Lacroix trusted you with them, but he asked for them,” Ben said.

Mr. Meyer sighed and touched his glasses again, this time pushing them to the bridge of his nose. It was a habit he couldn’t stop.

“Alright. Shall we?” Mr. Meyer asked.

Ben nodded.

“Right this way,” Ben said pointing towards the glamorous hallway. “He is waiting for you in the dining hall.”

Mr. Meyer nodded and they walked through the big hallway. Ben swung the door of the dining room open and Mr. Meyer stepped in. He was a split second away from a heart attack when he found a figure sitting at the huge dining table. It was Aaron, and he hadn’t moved an inch. Ben closed the door behind him and came forward.

“Mr. Lacroix, he is here,” Ben announced.

Aaron had been waiting impatiently for the arrival of their lawyer. There was a lot to do and time wasn’t on his side. Seeing the lawyer stand before him now satisfied him. Mr. Meyer had a good look at Aaron. He had her black hair and silver eyes which appeared stern as they stared at him. He seemed slightly intimidated by Aaron. Mr. Meyer’s eyes went to Ben's, displaying his displeasure in going ahead with this.

“You must be Mr. Meyer?” Aaron asked rising from the chair.

Mr. Meyer carried himself high in the hope that he wouldn’t display his discomfort. Aaron raked his eyes scanning him. His eyes caught his hands which seemed to be gripping onto the briefcase too tightly. Aaron assumed that he wasn’t ready to go ahead with this which was appalling to him.

“Yes,” Mr. Meyer replied, trying to act confident.

“Please, have a seat,” Aaron offered pointing at one of the chairs.

Mr. Meyer turned to Ben who nodded at him. He sighed and walked towards Aaron, taking a seat beside him. Aaron smiled and sat down. Ben on the other hand stood by the door with his hands behind him. Mr. Meyer erected his clothes and placed the briefcase on the table.

“Did you bring the documents I requested?” Aaron asked.

Mr. Meyer gave him a suspicious look.

“Yes,” he replied, opening the briefcase.

“Can I see them?” Aaron requested.

Mr. Meyer sighed and brought out the documents handing them over to Aaron. Aaron ran through the documents carefully. A few minutes later, he nodded his head in satisfaction. They were all here and accounted for. The documents to all his parents’ fortune. Since he couldn’t trust anybody but himself, he would have to keep the documents with him.

“There’s one more left,” Aaron pointed out.

“Yes. The certificate of ownership,” Mr. Meyer concurred bringing out the certificate from the briefcase. He handed it over to Aaron who got it from him with a suspicious look. Mr. Meyer turned to Ben who was watching all these from the door and the only thing Ben did was give him a slight nod.

“Where do I need to sign?” Aaron asked, looking at all the documents.

Mr. Meyer bent forward and showed him the dotted lines for him to apply his signature. Aaron nodded and pulled out a pen from his jeans pocket. As the ink touched the dotted line, Mr. Meyer’s heart sank. It was the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one. One which he felt he wouldn’t be a part of. He still wasn’t convinced that Aaron was the son of The Lacroixs. They were similar in their resemblance but that could just be a coincidence. Aaron signed all the documents and finally closed his pen. Mr. Meyer rose to his feet and spread out his hand for a shake. Aaron watched him tentatively.

“Congratulations, Mr. Lacroix,” he said. “You are now a billionaire.”

Aaron flashed him a smile and shook his hand firmly.

“Thank you, Mr. Meyer, and for all your services. Especially for my parents,” he appreciated.

Mr. Meyer nodded. He reached for the documents but Aaron stopped him.

“Don’t worry about the documents,” Aaron said. “I’ll hold onto them from now on.”

Mr. Meyer’s eyebrows rose his surprise. It meant that his services were no longer required. He quickly recalled Aaron’s appreciation and it hit him. He had missed it. Mr. Meyer too shocked to react, nodded and flashed him a fake smile.

“If you say so, Mr. Lacroix,” he said backing off.

Mr. Meyer picked up his briefcase and headed for the door. Ben swung it open and they both stepped into the hallway, leaving Aaron to himself in the dining room.

“I don’t trust him,” Mr. Meyer said walking through the hallway.

“You don’t have to,” Ben said.

Mr. Meyer turned swiftly to him and gave him a confused stare. What was Ben talking about? It seemed he was already bought into the young man’s gimmick.

“I don’t think that man is the son of Mrs. Lacroix,” Mr. Meyer said.

“He is,” Ben affirmed.

Ben’s confidence was hysterical.

“Just because he looks like them doesn’t mean he is,” Mr. Meyer. “I am a lawyer, Ben. I know the difference between coincidence and reality.”

Ben sighed and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. Then, he gripped Mr. Meyer by the elbow and brought his face closer to his.

“Just after Mrs. Lacroix died, I did a DNA test to confirm my suspicion,” Ben said almost in a whisper. “I wasn’t sure myself and felt I had made a grave mistake. Then, the test results came back.”

Ben left his elbow and Mr. Meyer began walking back to the dining room. The suspense was burning.

“What were the results, Ben?” Mr. Meyer asked.

Ben paused and turned to him giving him a warm smile, and a confusing response.

“What do you think?”

***

“You asked to see me, sir?” Ben asked.

They were both in the garden now and Aaron was admiring the flowers that seemed to have bloomed. They were beautiful. The warm morning sun was soothing as Aaron took a stroll around the house. He was thinking of his next move. Now that he had what he wanted, he could move to the next phase.

“I’ll be leaving New York for a while, and I want you to take care of everything while I’m gone,” Aaron replied.

Ben was stunned by this.

“Leaving, sir?” He asked.

“Yes. And I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Anything for you, Master Aaron.”

Aaron halted abruptly and turned to him.

“No,” he said.

Ben looked at him in confusion.

“Sir?”

“My name is Roman Lacroix.”