RISE OF THE DISCARDED SON-IN-LAW

YOUNG MASTER

His father sighed.

“When you were still a child, almost two years old, you were taken from us. I had just started making good money back then, my company was flourishing and I got arrogant. I was warned not to take a particular deal that an older rival company was vying for but I didn’t listen. I felt like I could take them on because I had already achieved so much at a young age. After successfully getting the project started, we threw a party to celebrate the success of the project launch. Your mother and I were in attendance while you were home with your nanny. We couldn’t take you that day because you weren’t feeling well. When we came home that day, you were gone.” His father paused with tears in his eyes and took deep breaths for a few seconds to try and compose himself before he continued speaking.

“Our home had been invaded by armed men, they killed all the security guards and the house staff. We searched everywhere but couldn’t find you, then I received a call shortly after. The CEO of that rival company called me and told me that he was responsible for your kidnapping. He wanted me to know that he wasn’t afraid of getting caught for the crime because he had connections that would grant him protection. He demanded a huge amount of money from me as compensation for taking that deal. I emptied my savings to send that money but we never got you back. He said he never planned to return you because he wanted me to suffer. We were almost penniless after paying that ransom but we sold the rest of our properties to raise some money and pay private investigators to help find you. We tried putting out ads in the papers, put it on the news, offered a huge prize for whoever would help us find you, money we didn’t have but planned to borrow if that was what it would take to get you back. But no effort yielded a positive result. My company almost went bankrupt so I had to focus on work in order to keep us afloat. At least I had work to distract me, your mother…” He paused again and cleaned the tears from his face.

Alarick was moved, seeing a grown man like this cry, it also made him emotional.

“Your mother fell into depression. She couldn’t find the zeal to do anything anymore. She barely ate or spoke. She was alive but she wasn’t living. I decided to take revenge on that man for ruining our family, for taking you away and making her that way because it was all his fault. I started by destroying his company, then making sure he was sent to jail for all his hidden crimes. The evidence against him was too damning to be covered up. But even after ruining that man, it still didn't bring you back, and it didn’t make your mother happy. With my rival gone, my company became even more successful so I bought this house, filled it with so many beautiful things, hoping it would bring joy back to her, but it never did. The only time she became herself was when she got pregnant again. She was so happy, she even began to smile again, but years of neglecting her health made it hard for her body to cope with the pregnancy. She was hospitalised after passing the first trimester. She tried to hold on and the doctors tried all they could to keep her but it was of no use. The only solution was to terminate the pregnancy so she could regain her health first then try again, but she refused to lose another child like we lost you. But then I lost her, and the baby too, they didn’t make it out of the delivery room.”

By the end of the story, there was no dry eye in the room. Jonathan was sobbing silently by the corner and Alarick was holding on to his father. The man was weighed down with years of sadness.

”I had her buried in a part of the compound and planted a garden over her grave with her favourite flowers. Would you like me to show you later?”

“Yes.” Alarick replied to him and he smiled.

“In the meantime, Jonathan and I will show you around the house so you can pick the room of your choice and…”

He was interrupted as Alarick’s stomach rumbled loudly.

“Oh dear, I forgot that you haven’t had anything to eat yet.” Jonathan said.

“Come, let’s all have dinner together. I haven’t eaten as well.” His father said as he led them all to the grand dining hall.

“We usually only eat here if we have guests over, there’s a smaller dining room attached to this one for family meals. We can eat there, unless you prefer to eat here. That one is smaller than this one and the furniture is different as well.” His father said.

“We can eat in that one, this one is too big for just the three of us.” Alarick replied to him.

“As you wish.”

They walked through another door and entered the small dining room. Just like his father had said, this one looked more like a dining room that was used regularly. They all sat around the table and were immediately attended to by the kitchen staff. After trying to pick from the list of food he was presented with, Alarick finally chose.

While they waited for their food, Alarick decided to try and get to know his father a little bit.

“Can I know your name?” He asked his father.

“Cillian King.”

“King?” Alarick asked with wide eyes.

“Yes.”

No wonder the house was so luxurious. Kings Enterprise was the top firm in the country. He hadn’t even been able to apply there when he was looking for a job because his credentials would only qualify him to be a janitor. Their employment requirements and process were top notch. They only employed the best of the best, and now he was the heir to all that fortune.

“So your name will now be Alarick King. It sounds sophisticated.” Jonathan said.

“Actually, I changed my last name after getting married to Brianna because her family insisted. So, till I get a divorce, I will still remain Alarick Blythe in the eyes of the law.” Alarick replied to him.

His father scoffed.

“Blythe sounds like the name of a plague. What really happened, son? Are you guilty of what you were accused of?”

“No, they turned the story around. I married Brianna because I loved her, not for her family’s wealth. I never had access to a dime of their money even after getting married. The only thing I gained was living in their fancy mansion. I wasn’t even allowed to drive any of the cars because they didn’t want me to get it filthy, scratched, or dented. The maids weren’t even allowed to serve me, I had to do everything by myself. There is no type of insult I haven’t received or endured at their hands, yet I stayed for Brianna’s sake. Yesterday was our marriage anniversary. I saved for so long to be able to afford an expensive surprise for her only to catch her with another man in the hotel room she usually stays in after work.” Alarick sighed and leaned back in his seat.

“The worst part of it is that she wasn’t even remorseful, and her family was in support of what she did just because the other man is a rich CEO. They sent me out of the house when I announced to them that I wanted a divorce and then went ahead to tell lies to the media. I left for a nearby park, and that was where Jonathan found me. I was going to sleep there and then figure out the next step to take tomorrow.” He concluded.

“So she was the one who cheated on you.” Jonathan said.

“That isn’t even important. How dare they treat my son like a common servant? Those bastards! He was going to sleep out in the cold on an empty stomach.” Cillian King was furious.

Even when he hadn’t found his son, he had always hoped that at least his son was living in a good condition, only to now discover that he was being maltreated. It was too much to bear.

“So you believe me?” Alarick asked with a surprised expression.

He hadn’t expected anyone to believe his side of the story.

“Of course I believe you, you’re my son. I just found you, even if you were lying to me, I would still fight for you.”

“And, coming from a logical standpoint, if you were really a gold digger like they claim, you would have been able to steal some money after being married to her for a while. But you left without a penny and had to resort to sleeping on a bench in the public park where I found you, you couldn’t even afford a meal. So it’s obvious that you’re telling the truth.” Jonathan said.

“How did you even find me?” Alarick asked Jonathan.

“I already told you, I saw your picture on the news after your in-laws released that video.” Jonathan replied.

“No, not that. I mean how did you find me at the park? No one knew where I was, I didn’t speak to anyone after leaving their house because I had no one to call. So how did you know I was there?” Alarick asked.

“Immediately after seeing the news, I called the owner of that particular media house and told him to find out which of his reporters had taken that photo of you outside the Blythe mansion. When he sent me the reporter’s name, I paid her to look for you before I would arrive. She asked around and since your face is all over the news, people on the street recognized you and directed her to the park. She took a picture of you seated on that bench as proof that she had found you and she stayed there to watch you till I arrived and paid her extra for waiting.” Jonathan said.

“How come I never noticed her? I’m usually more aware of my surroundings.” Alarick said.

“I told her to hide. If you had any suspicion that someone was watching you, you might have assumed they were sent by your in-laws to harm you. I didn’t want you to run away.”

“We need to discuss this divorce.” His father said as their food was served.

“Yes, if the Blythe family finds out about your new status, they will try to take half of everything you own.” Jonathan said.

“But I signed a prenup.” Alarick said.

“When you signed that Prenup, you had no penny to your name so I’m sure there was no stipulation of how much of your assets your wife will get. You’re a trillionaire now. We’ll talk about the details tomorrow so for now young master, enjoy your meal.”