CHAPTER 4

He heard voices around him. At first, they sounded distant, but slowly, he was able to make out what they were saying. He held his breath when he realized what was going on. 

He had been kidnapped! 

  Memories came flooding into his head. Those men in black he had seen before he passed out, they must be the ones that had kidnapped him! But why?

   An ache ravaged through his head and he couldn’t help but groan in pain.

  “He’s awake,” A deep voice said, forcing Keith to slowly open his eyes out of fright and curiosity.

The first thing he saw was the last thing he had seen before passing out, the same white immaculate suit. He slowly looked up, the man clad in the white suit had a full, white beard and his eyes hawk-like nose led a bridge to his deep-set, cold, green eyes.

    “Mr. Keith Miller,” The man said with a friendly smile.

Keith gasped, the surface under him was soft. He was seated on a comfortable couch at the center of a vast, opulent living room. Not quite the ideal kidnapper’s den he had imagined. He squinted at the old man,

     “How do you know my name?”

The man snapped his fingers and a maid appeared from the mini bar at a corner of the room with a wine bottle, stuffed in a bucket of ice and two glasses on a tray. She poured the expensive wine into both glasses and handed one to Keith.

   He hesitated.

“Take it, Mr. Keith. I assure you, there’s no poison or anything.” The old man said.

Keith took the glass from her, he had no idea why the old, visibly rich man kept referring to him as Mister, or why he was being so generous, but he was thirsty as hell. He gulped down the cold liquid and released a loud belch, then wiped his mouth with the back of his palm and handed it back to the startled maid.

     “Pour him another glass, would you?” The old man said politely to the maid and she did as she was told. He crossed one leg over the other and sat back on the couch, “Mr. Keith. I know your name because I have been following you for quite some time now.”

 Keith took a sip of the wine that had been poured again for him without taking his eyes off the man, “Why would you do that?”

     “Because you’re important.” He replied.

Keith squinted at him, “Did Annie’s mother take a loan and write my name down as a guarantor? I assure you…I had no idea” He said quickly, “And I have nothing to give to you either.”

   The man smiled, “I know all that, Mr. Keith and no, she didn’t take any loan, not from me at least.” He replied, putting Keith’s mind at ease for now, “I have everything to give to you, Mr. Keith.” He leaned forward, “There is a lot you do not know about yourself.”

    “There isn’t much to know about myself, mister.” He said and attempted to get up, but the man gestured behind him and two huge hands appeared on his shoulders.

  “I do not intend to keep you here against your will, Mr. Keith, but you must listen to me first before you attempt to leave this place,” The old man said, “I’m Will Braithwaite. About ten years ago, a man named Harold Miller came to me with a message.”

      Keith’s eyes widened, “My father?”

Will nodded, “He showed me an ancient secret that has been hidden for centuries on a deserted island. This island is an estate of its own, owned by a man named Muller Flick. He was a German business man back in the eighteen hundreds, he was madly rich.”

   Keith frowned, “What does this have to do with my father and I?”

Will cleared his throat, “A century ago, Flick was on the verge of death but he was rescued by a stranger. At that time, Flick had no wife, no children and no living family member. So, in his will, he left everything to this stranger.” He said, “That stranger was given a key to a very dangerous dynasty. There was a reason Flick left Germany and built this massive consortium here in New York, secretly. The stranger was called Aaron Miller Gregory. Your grandfather.”

    Keith gasped, wondering where this was going.

“By the time your father discovered all this, he was already in his forties and he just knew that his time was coming, although it didn’t come as quickly as he had expected, but he met me to safeguard this key for you, Keith,” He continued, “This dynasty is your name now. It is huge and to your name, are shares in various companies all over the continent. You might just be one of the richest men in the country as it stands, Keith, but that’s not all.”

    Keith scoffed, “Stop…this is all too much for me to take, stop bluffing.”

“I’m not joking,” Will said sternly, “Like I said, that’s not all. At the center of this island, which now belongs to you, is a secret vault and in this fault are some important documents that would cement your dominance over every other company in the fucking continent by the time you get your hands on it. It is safely secured by a biometrics lock and only a person from your bloodline can open it.” He pointed at Keith with a smile, “You’re the only one left of your bloodline, Keith Miller.”

     Keith ran his hands through his thick hair, “This is insane!” He exclaimed, “A-Are you sure you’ve got the right guy? I’m Keith, the nobody who has nothing to offer. A few hours ago I was homeless and penniless and now you’re saying I could be the richest man in the country?”

    Will leaned forward, “Forgive me for understating that,” He said slowly. “The moment you get your hands on those documents, Keith Miller, you will become a trillionaire! And by the time you build up the company, with my coaching, you’ll become a zillionaire in no time!”

     Keith’s eyes widened with the possibilities, but the fire of hope was instantly quenched by Wills next words.

   “But now that you have been discovered, Keith, your life is in grave danger.”