Revenge and Redemption: Aaron's Tale of Resilience

Chapter three

 Aaron looked around, There was no one else in sight, he was the one he was talking to without a doubt.

“Quick! Get an umbrella over his head!” The old man commanded.

Aaron didn’t know where the fuck the man who held an umbrella over his head morphed out from, but suddenly, he didn’t feel the turbulent rain beating down on him anymore.

 “Let’s get out of the rain, young master.” The old man said.

Aaron shook his head and left the shelter of the umbrella, keeping a distance away from them. 

The man had referred to him once again as a young master! Who the hell was this?

 “I don’t know you and I don’t know why you keep calling me that, but I am sure you’ve got the wrong guy,” Aaron said in a loud voice. “I’m Aaron Whittaker, I don’t know why you think I’m your young master, I’m just a designer. I’m not your guy.”

The old man walked closer to him and held his wrist in a firm grip, “How about we talk about this in the car? You don’t want to keep standing under this merciless rain, do you, young master? I assure you that you are in safe hands.”

Aaron weighed up his options, Where else did he have to go anyway? The house he lived in wasn’t his, it was Anna’s and he couldn’t go back there. 

The shame was too great. He stared at the old man, confused and hesitant, then he finally nodded slowly. The old man snapped his fingers and a black, beautiful limousine parked in front of them.

  Aaron was dazzled, was it him getting into a limousine this magnificent? The old man gestured for him to enter as a guard held the door open. Aaron, with marveled eyes, entered the luxurious car and sat, marveling at its beauty and how much such a car must have cost. The old man sat down on a seat close to a small portable car and the next moment, the car started moving.

 Aaron became alert and stared at the man, “What’s happening? Why are we moving? Where are we going?” He asked hysterically, almost springing up from his seat.

His clothes were dripping profusely, the bag of his few belongings was completely drenched, and he looked homeless and helpless, like a dejected pauper. Yet, this rich old man who had so many guards under his control referred to him as a young master.

  “Relax, Aaron, I told you that you’re safe.” The old man said and handed him a glass of whiskey. “Here, take this.”

 Aaron’s eyes widened, “You…How did you know my name?” He asked in shock.

  “I told you that we’ve been looking for you all over New York, luck shone upon us tonight. I won’t lie, I was ready to give up on this search that had been going on for a long time. I know almost everything about you.” The old man replied, lighting a cigarette and offering one to Aaron who shook his head.

The fact that he had never met this man in his life, but the old man claimed to know so much about him crept Aaron out and his eyes darted around unsteadily.

  “You’ll catch a cold if you don’t change out of those wet clothes, going master.” The old man said, pointing to a well-tailored suit on a hanger, resting on one of the seats.

  “Can you please stop calling me that?” Aaron asked, becoming very uncomfortable. “You still haven’t given me an explanation of what's going on.”

 The old man still gestured at the suit calmly, “Go change up, we’ll talk when you feel more comfortable, Aaron.”

 When he changed into the suit, it felt too right, it fitted him perfectly as if it had been made just for him. Aaron felt different, he had never dressed so formally before, and he didn’t even have the money to afford a suit. The old man smiled, revealing a perfect set of white, shining teeth and three gold ones.

   “Look at that!” He exclaimed, his eyes glittering with excitement. “You look just like your old man! You took after your grandfather, Aaron.”

Aaron’s face twisted into a confused frown. What was this old man saying? “I’m an orphan and I do not know any relative of mine, mister. I told you that I’m not your guy.”

 “Oh, but you are! Aaron, you’re not a commoner or a pauper or some bloody classless orphan. You’re heir to a consortium! Your grandfather is one of the richest and most famous men in the world, he owns a conglomerate and you’re his only heir.”

  “No way!” Aaron said vehemently, refusing to believe this absurd news, It made no sense!

“Calm down, I’ll tell you a story, Aaron.” The old man said and his face dropped into a melancholic mask. “I’m your grandfather’s assistant, you can call me Adolph. You were taken away from your parents when you were just a year old. Your parents searched for you everywhere, they even abandoned the family business for this search and ended up dying in a ghastly car accident.” The old man paused, letting all that information sink into Aaron whose face had gone pale. “Your grandfather didn’t give up though and luckily, here we are, We’ve finally found the heir to probably one of the world’s biggest fortunes.

Aaron fell silent, every word Adolph said struck him and he still couldn’t believe it. “I don’t believe you…” He muttered.

 Adolph smiled, “Get some rest, young master, you’ll see with your eyes all I’ve been talking about very soon.”

 Josh was sure it was Aaron he had seen getting into that beautiful car. Although he had only caught a glimpse of the back of his head, he was still convinced that it was Aaron.

 “Mum! I swear it was him!” He insisted fervently. “He was getting into a magnificent limousine and guards were all over him.”

His mother tapped him on the head, “Now, Josh, does all that you’ve said sound reasonable to you?” She asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

  “Well…” He thought deeply. “Well, no…but still-”

“No buts, Josh, it can’t be that stupid man, Aaron will never have such a privilege, I’m sure you’re wrong.” She said firmly and her words convinced him to think so too.

Three to four hours of driving took them to another city. Aaron had fallen asleep along the way, although he tried not to, he was too exhausted and the car provided so much comfort. The chauffeur maneuvered the car off the main road and onto a dirt road that led up to a castle established in the mountains. This was when Aaron woke up, he didn’t know where they were and his eyes became alert.

 “It’s your grandfather’s house we’re in, Aaron,” Adolph said as the huge golden gates parted open and they drove into a vast compound.

 Aaron’s jaw dropped, “You mean someone lives here? This is not a five-star hotel?” He asked in awe when they alighted the limo.

Adolph nodded, “Common, let’s go in.”

The exterior of the mansion made his jaw drop, but the interior almost made his eyes pop out. There was no way all this was real! This was a fucking palace!

 In the large luxurious living room, there was an old man in a wheelchair, with three guards by his side and a huge dog whose hair the old man stroked. He looked weak and unhealthy and his eyes were dim and washed out. But those same eyes shone with excitement when Adolph and Aaron walked in.

 Adolph bowed to the old man, “We’ve found your grandson, Mr. Churchill.” He said to the old man whose excited gaze fixated on Aaron.

 “The last…” The old man coughed, his voice was thin and fragile and Aaron had to go closer to him. “The heir…It's you…Aaron.” He said. “You’re back…Finally, I thought I was going to die without finding you…Aaron. That would have been…the biggest regret of my life. When your parents died…I struggled, not just with the business, but…the emotional pain…the mental strain, and the pressure to maintain…such a conglomerate. I knew I needed to find you…my grandson, the heir to everything…every bloody thing I have… Now I can die a happy and fulfilled…fulfilled man, knowing…you…the heir to my business world, have come home.”

 There and then, Aaron started to believe that his life was about to take a crazy turn around.