Jason pushed through the door and motioned to Tyrone to make his way inside. Tyrone peeked inside before he made his way in. The room looked nothing like a bedroom, it looked more like a conference room to Tyrone.
Jason walked past him and into the room.
"Tyrone, after all these years.. " the old man said, stretching his hand out to Tyrone.
"Grandfather?" Tyrone didn't know when the word escaped his lips.
"Don't you think it's too soon to be referring to him as that?" A man said.
Tyrone hadn't taken notice of the people in the room so he looked around and realized that there were two other people in the room.
The man who had said that walked up to Tyrone. Tyrone's eyes bulged seeing a man that looked exactly like him walking up to him. Tyrone could perceive the heavy whiff of the expensive cologne the man wore.
"You think you can just barge in here and call anyone names as you please huh?" The man said rudely, obviously annoyed by Tyrone's presence.
"And I suppose you might be Rollins," Tyrone said calmly and clutched his stomach when the pain came kicking again.
"Oh, I see you know who I am already," Rollins responded, arching his brows. "Well since you know who I am already let me sound this as a warning to you."
"You're a nobody and that is who you will continue to be," Rollins said, wagging a finger at him.
Tyrone couldn't contain his surprise. His own brother who he thought would have been excited over his return was now the one who loathed him the most.
"Don't think that you can come in here and take what's mine 'cause if I see you anywhere close to any of my father's properties, I'm going to make sure that you regret ever stepping foot in his house," Rollins swore.
"Let him be Rollins!" The old man said and coughed.
"Save your breath, Grandpa," Rollins said and walked back to his grandfather to kiss him on the forehead.
"I'm out of here. And as you, dirty pig, you better watch the path with which you thread." Rollins said and stormed out of the room.
"You must be Tyrone?" A girl who looked about 18 walked up to him and put his hand around his neck. He tried to push her away from him, thinking that he was still dressed in his old clothes but then he looked down and realized that he had been changed out of his blood stained clothes.
Unsure of how to react, he put his arms around her and hugged her back.
"We're so glad to have you back." The girl said against his shoulder before breaking the hug.
"My name is Melinda. And I'm your sister" She said with a smile on her face. "And I must warn you to stay out of Rollins' way, he might be my brother but sometimes, what he does makes me afraid of him."
"Who says that I'm afraid of him?" Tyrone asked, trying to conceal the fear in his voice.
"Just be careful of him," Melinda said and walked back to their grandfather.
"Come here, my boy." The old man gestured to Tyrone. "Don't mind Rollins, he's usually like that. He'll get around, just give him some time." The man added and reached up to caress Tyrone's cheeks.
"You look so much like your father." The man said with a weak smile. "My time is almost up my boy and thank heavens that you've been found because Rollins is in no position to inherit your father's properties." He said and coughed heavily while Tyrone watched, unable to know how to feel.
"Jason get me the documents." The old man ordered Jason who ran out of the room to do as he was told, he came back running the next minute and Tyrone wondered how he could run that fast despite his old age.
"Sign here my boy." The old man said after Jason opened the document and handed it to him.
Jason shoved a pen at Tyrone who took it and signed the papers.
"What are they for?" He finally asked.
"This is to certify that you're now the owner of Zayn's multimillion dollar companies," Jason replied.
"Oh my goodness!" Tyrone exclaimed, stepping back.
Barely a minute after he had said that, his grandfather gave up the ghost.
"Grandpa? No, no way, this can't be happening, Grandpa." Melinda yelled, shaking him gently. "Grandpa, please wake up."
"Come now, Melinda," Tyrone recovered from his shock quickly and held Melinda as she cried against his chest.
Jason signaled to him to lead her out of the room while he did the sign of the cross and covered the old man's whole body with a sheet.
"Grandpa please don't leave me." Melinda cried, choking on her tears.
"It's okay, Mel... Melinda." Tyrone managed to call out her name.
Jason joined them out of the room and took Melinda away from him. "Come this way." He said and led Tyrone to where the real conference room was.
"Go in there and address whoever you see." That was the only thing Jason said before he led Melinda away.
"What! You're not going to come with me?" Tyrone exclaimed. But Jason didn't respond and continued moving.
Tyrone looked at the large door and took a deep breath before he pushed through the door with both hands and walked inside.
Tyrone hadn't closed the door before the people seated around the gigantic conference table got up and started clapping their hands.
"Congratulations boss." A man walked up to him, took his hand, and shook it.
"Congratulations," another lady said with a smile. Tyrone noticed that at about twenty people were seated around the table including Rollins and he felt his heart skip a beat.
"Give me the companies, Tyrone and I'm going to let you off with a ten million dollars." Rollins bellowed, getting up from his chair.
"Didn't you hear me, you dumb fool? I know you've signed the documents already." Rollins said and started approaching him. "So why not give the companies to someone else who will be in a better position to handle them than you," Rollins said in a mocking tone. "I won't sell those companies to you, Rollins and besides, they're not worth ten million dollars." Tyrone intoned. "I see that you're not as dumb as I thought," Rollins said with a slick smile on his face. "You have twenty four hours to make up your mind," Rollins said and walked out of the conference room. "Please get seated, sir." The man who had shaken his hand said. "My name is Malcolm and I'm the one who manages the company." "Woah, you manage all five companies at once." Tyrone voiced out his surprise. "Yes, I do." He said and sat back down. He handed a small package to Tyrone. "What's this?" Tyrone asked before opening the package. "In there is your new phone with a new bank account that has been created for you w
"Tell me what you did to Grandpa or else I'm going to report you to the police!!" Melinda threatened, standing across from Rollins with her heart racing in her chest. "Do you think I'm scared of the police, my dear?" He said with a sly smile and stood up from his office chair, making his way slowly toward her. "You killed him, didn't you?" She bellowed. "I only rescued him from his sufferings." "You monster!" "Now, now, my dear, there's no time to shed fake tears." "They're not fake, I loved Grandfather with all my heart." She yelled at him. "Oh save me that." He said with a wave of his hand. "We barely have time on our hands, we need to make our move." He said and walked back to his seat. "What's the plan?" Melinda sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "We need to take Tyrone out of the picture and you're in the rightful position to do that." He said as he picked up a pen and began to fiddle with it. "Oh no, never, I will never take the life of someone, especially not
The glittering lights of the red carpet illuminated the night sky as Hollywood's elite gathered for the premiere of "Starlight's Shadow," the most anticipated film of the year. Cameras flashed incessantly, capturing every moment of glamour and excitement. At the center of it all stood Judy Palmer, resplendent in a shimmering silver gown that clung to her curves and sparkled with every movement.Judy’s heart was pounding as she posed for the camera, her smile covering up a whole lot of emotions running inside her. This should have been the happiest day of her life, her breakout role, her face on every billboard in the city. But her conscience kept pestering her, threatening to spoil all hard work that would be hard to maintain had turned out to be a perfectionAs she walked down the carpet, just beside her is the co-star and film direct, Malcom Reed. Judy couldn’t help but think of another event happening downtown. She ditched a marriage, a jilted groom and an empty church.Unknown to
Tyrone couldn’t bear it any longer. He walked away from the theater, away from the cheering crowds, away from the cameras, away from the shattered remains of his happily ever after. His hands fell as he walked across the sidewalk like the remnants of his dreams.Tyrone walked for what felt like hours, his polished dress shoes pinching his feet, his tie hanging loose around his neck. He found himself in a denser part of town, neon signs buzzing and flickering in the growing darkness. One establishment caught his eye: "The Broken Heart Saloon." A bitter laugh escaped his lips. How fitting for his present situation, what a coincidence.Pushing open the wooden door, Tyrone was enveloped by the smoky interior. The bar was dimly lit, populated by a handful of men who looked as lost and dejected as he felt. He slumped onto a cracked leather bar stool, raising a hand to catch the bartender's attention." What'll it be?" the grizzled man asked, eyeing Tyrone's rough formal wear with a mixture
Tyrone had always prided himself on being a gentleman with composure, but tonight, that composure was unwinding at an alarming rate. His apartment which had solitude, has now become the stage for a different kind of drama. The room was quiet except for the soft rustle of bed linens. Tyrone had come here, hoping to find Judy and bring some sense of normalcy back into their lives. But the sight that greeted him as he pushed open the door was anything but normal. Judy, the woman he had imagined spending his life with, was entangled with another man, the director, a figure whose arrogance and charm had always chewed on him.Without a second thought, Tyrone anger kept growing without bounds. His vision reduced and his natural thinking was being replaced with uncontrollable rage. He surged for rage, throwing his fists into the room with a shout. “You son of a bitch!” Tyrone’s voice filled with fury.Judy’s eyes was wide open in shock as she tried to stay away, holding tight the bedspread t
Suddenly Judy face changed and her countenance actually changed into someone who Tyrone wasn’t familiar with. “You pathetic, insecure man,” Judy said, her words stinging in Tyrone’s skin. Her hands were tightened at her sides, her curated manicured nails digging into her palms. “Did you really think you were a match against him? He’s an award-winning director, and you’re nothing but a washed up loser that can’t admit when he loses.”Tyrone's eyes widened as each word was a physical blow. He tried to look in Judy’s eyes, his swollen face a testament to the beating he had received earlier. “Judy, I saw you with him on our bed. Are you kidding me, how could you?”“How could I?” Judy cut him short, her laugh now bitter and cold. “How could it not be? What he’s offering is everything you can never think of offering yourself in the first place, fame, wealth and a real career. What were you going to give me, Tyrone? A life watching us live a normal life, a normal American family as you alway
Tyrone tried walking out of the house almost staggering and falling, his vision covered by blood trickling down his face. He had just lost the fight with the director, lost everything in whole, and right not he was left with nothing but a painful heart and aches of his battered body.The cool air of the night met his face as he managed to walked down the stairs, almost losing his balance. His legs were so light that couldn’t support his weight. But he had to keep moving, he just couldn’t stop. He needed to get to the hospital, he needed help before he faints or before the injuries become serious.As he staggered down the sidewalk, the events of the past hour played on repeat in his mind like some sick, twisted movie.*Walking into their bedroom, seeing Judy naked and writhing beneath the director.The look of shock on their faces as they scrambled to cover themselves.Judy's voice, shrill and panicked: "Tyrone! It's not what it looks like!" The director, smugly buttoning his shirt: "Sor
The doctor nodded, scribbling something on a clipboard. "Mr. Tyrone, you've lost a lot of blood. We need to get you into surgery right away."Tyrone tried gesturing, but the small movements he made sent more pain through his body. He bit his lip and was determined not to cry out. As he was being prepped for surgery, attaching various monitors, Tyrone’s thought kept drifting in and out to Judy.How could she do that? After all they had been through, how could she just leave him hanging like this? Why did she pick the day of their wedding? The image of her on the bed with the direction kept giving a constant source of pain rivalling the knife wound in his side that he got from the fight.As he was about to get wheeled into the operating room, a nurse walked up to him, holding out Tyrone’s cell phone. “Mr. Tyrone, your phone keep ringing nonstop and it's the same caller, do you want to take the call before we go in or I should drop it?”Tyrone hesitated. Who could be calling him now? Eve