CHAPTER NINE: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

“Good morning” Serena greeted, her eyes hovering above his face.

Ryan opened his eyes and sat up on the bed, watching Serena draw the curtains in his room open.

“What are you doing in my room?” Ryan asked her.

"Again, a simple thank you would suffice" Serena chuckled. She sat on the chair in the room.

“ Well if you must know, I happen to be your designated saviour because I keep finding you everywhere but at a safe spot" she joked

“Shit” Ryan cussed, the events from the wedding party coming back to his memory.

“Work issues?" Serena probed.

"What?".

"Whatever got you so drunk and passed out at a bar that the owner had to go through your contacts and call me" She explained.

“I wasn't…I wasn't drunk” Ryan pushed.

“You don't need to lie, Ryan. I brought you back here, I saw the state you were in" Serena countered, her voice lacking empathy.

“I'd rather not talk about it, Serena” Ryan responded.

“You know that old saying that goes 'a problem shared is a…”.

“I don't want to talk about it, okay?!” Ryan cut her off sharply.

“Okay! I heard you loud and clear" Serena answered, raising her hands to her shoulder length in surrender.

"This is my cue to leave. I have a ton of cases to file and an increasing number of impatient family members" She commented, walking to the door.

Then she stopped at the door and turned to him, her hands akimbo.

"Forgetting anything?" Ryan pitched in.

"Hmmm let me think...besides the fact that I have to babysit a billionaire heir,...oh nothing else" She answered with a sly smile.

Ryan grunted.

"Ha ha very funny" he responded with utmost sarcasm.

"On a serious note, get your life together Ryan. I don't know the personal issues you're dealing with but I won't be checking in with you for very long after you settle into this life".

Serena walked out and Ryan ran his hands through his hair, speechless.

Like Serena, most of the people in his life had left him to his personal trauma.

He didn't blame them, he couldn't. It wouldn't change anything.

In the past week he had stalled the process of going over his mother's properties and deciding what step to take beyond his motel room.

While he had covered up his reasons to Serena with lies about finding the right timing after his shifts at the bar, he could never admit to the fact that he was terribly afraid.

Even after leaving all the toxicity behind, he could not imagine dropping the trauma and just starting a new life.

His life as a nobody was all he had ever known.

It angered him deeply that while Vanessa got to drop everything and starte her marriage with the idiot, Nathan, he had to deal with hating his mother who had been absent for all of his life and then force himself to believe that surrounding himself with all her wealth would somehow make up for it.

Life had never been fair to him. But he deserved to give himself a second chance to fight for all he had lost.

He deserved to tell a different story about his life. If not for his sake, then for the sake of his unborn child, the only family he had left.

For the first time in his life, he had the surge of motivation he desperately needed. He was going to rise to the challenge and at the end of all of it, sit back and find it all worth it with his child in his custody.

But first, he needed to move out of his motel room.

Ryan got into the bathroom, and after a long shower that took him from reeking of alcohol to reeking of confidence, he was ready.

Donned in a crisp black shirt that clung slightly to his frail arms and grey pants accompanied by a silver wristwatch that was in the bag Serena had brought for him, Ryan placed a call to Serena.

"How can I access my money?".

"At the bank, genius" Serena responded from her end.

"If I knew how to do that, I wouldn't be on this phone call with you, Serena" Ryan countered, spotting a serious expression on his face.

"You've never done a bank transaction in your life? Not even one?" Serena asked, surprised.

"My response to this question would lead to my childhood trauma stories and I'm sure neither of us would like that" Ryan answered.

She sighed, loud enough for him to hear.

"Alright. Take a cab to the city bank and I'll meet up with you so we can have a talk with the manager. How does that work for you?" She posed.

"It's perfect" Ryan replied.

He hung up on her and made his way outside the motel.

Ryan had never been to a bank before. In truth, he had never really been anywhere outside the houses belonging to the people he had slaved for from his childhood up until the last few weeks.

A normal human interaction with other people brought him so much discomfort and even if he had managed to blend in with the other workers at the bar, this was new territory.

Plus Serena was not at the bank yet even when he had deliberately walked down a few blocks before hailing down a cab to stall.

Did she really expect him to walk in and casually introduce himself as the estranged son of Billionaire businesswoman Bethany Roberts?

After standing outside in the sun for a few minutes and attracting glares to himself, Ryan finally summoned the courage to walk in and down to the small queue formed in front of the cashier.

As the seconds ticked away on his watch, there was still no sign of Serena and tiny beads of sweat had begun to form on his face.

"Next?" a tiny female voice exclaimed called as the man in front of him walked away from the queue, stuffing a wad of cash into his wallet.

Ryan wiped away the sweat on his forehead and stepped forward, facing the cashier directly.

Somehow, he had to act like he knew what he was doing here.

"Your name,sir?" she inquired.

"Um... Ryan Roberts" he told her.

She nodded, pushing the glasses on her face further on top of her nose.

While she typed away on the computer in front of her, Ryan nearly died from anxiety.

"Sir, I'm afraid I can't find an account under that name" she responded, finally looking up at him.

"Um, try Bethany Roberts" Ryan blurted, regretting it immediately.

"Excuse me?".

"Sorry, sorry. Forget I even said anything" Ryan panicked.

"No! I know your type, you hopeless lowlife! You come in here with the names of our customers and try to steal from their accounts" the woman accused, pushing a button under the counter.

"I'm calling security! Don't even try to escape" she warned.

Ryan froze. In less than five minutes, he was already a wanted criminal?

"Someone call the manager, please. This is all one big mistake" Ryan pleaded, remembering Serena had mentioned a meeting with the manager.

"You have some nerves young man!"

"A criminal demanding to see the manager? Unheard of!"

A small crowd of other bankers and customers had formed, along with their opinions of him.

Two of the security guards stationed at the entrance arrived at the scene and began to drag him along with them.

Ryan however refused to cooperate as he was not going to let them treat him this way after all he had suffered in the past.

"Listen to me please! I just need a word with the manager and I'll leave I promise!" he continued pleading.

"Yeah, right. I don't know what crazy tricks you have up your sleeves young man, but they sure as hell are not happening here" one of the guards told him.

"Please! Just...".

"What is all the ruckus for?" a familiar voice came from behind the crowd.

Everyone turned to her. It was Serena.

"Let him be! Now everyone gets back to whatever you were doing before!" She commanded, with an aura that preceded her. As if under a spell, the crowd slowly began to disperse.

"And who are you, ma'am?" one of the guards questioned, with the strongest hint of dislike.

"Your worst fucking nightmare! Get me your manager or I'll make sure he sues you for manhandling before we leave this place!"

"Mrs. Carter!" a male voice boomed from down the hall at a corner of the building.

Serena turned, walking down to the man in a shiny black suit and the most well polished black shoes Ryan had ever seen in his life.

Ryan was taken back. Serena was married?!

"It's Miss George now" she corrected politely.

"Oh, pardon my assumptions" he told her, with an expression that held questions.

Serena nodded curtly.

"Is the young man with you?" he asked her.

"Oh, yes. Your security was harassing him when I walked in. I'm sure they would not like an opposition from me and neither would you" Serena briefed him.

"Let him go and get back to your posts. I'll see you both in my office after we're done" he warned them.

Ryan who had been quietly observing, straightened the crease on his shirt and peered at Serena with eyes that equally held questions.

"Are you alright? I apologize for the fuss, I was held up in traffic" She apologized, but Ryan did not care for that anymore.

The manager ushered them into his office and signified at the two chairs opposite him for them to sit in.

"So, Mrs...sorry, Miss. George, I assume you are here for the monthly check in for Ms. Roberts' emergency account. The only transaction that was held, was on Monday last week when the sum of 15,000 dollars was withdrawn from the account. I'll just get the paperwork...".

Ryan realised it was the money she had used to get him the items in the duffel bag and the extra cash.

"Um... actually, I'm here for a different reason. As you know, Ms. Roberts passed away three months ago" Serena started.

"Yes, I remember. Bless her soul" he commented.

"Well, along with her desire to donate all of her networth to charity foundations as stated in her will, she equally requested that before that procedure is met, then her surviving son must have requested to have nothing to do with it on his own accord" Serena quoted.

The manager paused, putting two and two together.

"Correct..." he responded, following up.

"Well, meet her son, Ryan Roberts".

He looked at Serena almost unbelievably, before rushing to Ryan to shake his hand.

"Welcome to City Bank, Mr. Roberts. I have a feeling we are going to be good friends".