Marshall raised his head the moment he heard a knock on the door. River poked his head through the door with a small smile on his face. "Good morning, Dad. May I come in?" He chuckled after hearing her voice but was rewarded with a small smile that appeared on Marshall's face. He quickly shut down all the applications and nodded. "Sure, come in." He spoke.River took tentative steps into his father's office as he brimmed with plans that threatened to spill over if he wasn't careful right now. "I have been thinking about several things but one thing has stood out for me." "May I know what that is?""It's the fact that I might have been a bit too forward, and forgot the real reason you're doing this. I mean, I wouldn't lie that I wasn't angry when I heard that your beloved son was going to take the lead. I felt really bad and it almost seemed like my life was crashing right in front of me but now I know better." He began. Marshall stared at his third son who was trying to play a fas
“So what the fuck are we going to do about the situation? It’s so annoying the way he treats us like we’re off the streets or something!” Ryder said in annoyance as he tapped his foot on the ground. He was pained by the turnout of events. It has been a rollover of events for them since their dad decided that they’d been spending too much and he needed to cut off some of their spending. Ryder hated all the principles of this idea, and he rebelled immediately, saying his dad couldn’t do that to them, but he had his mind made up. They initially left him alone so he would probably be able to change his mind but that didn’t happen.“I don’t know, you’re the only one that needs money here, I'm also lacking and now I Can't afford my lifestyle anymore because there’s no money, I can barely feed.” “Tell me about it; my whole life is falling apart due to financial Instability, and that old man doesn’t seem to give two fucks about what happens to us,” Ryder yelled out and his veins could visi
“Help us in what way?” River asked, arching his eyebrow at her.“ I know what your situation is right now and I can assure you that I can be a very good help to you, more than you can even imagine.”As soon as she said what she was saying she immediately stopped talking and she looked around to check if anybody was eavesdropping on their conversation. The boys also looked around in confusion wondering what was happening and why she was acting that way like there was somebody spying on her or something.“ What is going on? Why are you looking around like there’s somebody listening in on our conversation or like you’re scared of something?” Ryder finally asked with a confused look on his face.They initially thought that she was trying to mess with them or she probably heard their conversation before she walked up to them.“ I just want to be sure that there’s nobody around that can be listening in on this conversation.” She said with a wicked countenance that even made the boys more w
Archie arrived at the airport at exactly 3:00 p.m. after making moves to ensure that he was able to get a place to stay as soon as he landed, he was happy that finally he could get to business and return back to his city. A man was waiting for him outside with a placard having his name. “Good afternoon sir, are you waiting for me?” He asked the man. His father had told him beforehand that this was going to happen but she was to make sure that the person wasn't just trying to cajole him. A few people had a way of getting into the systems to know the Passengers arriving and portray themselves as chauffeurs. So one had to be very careful. The man nodded and raised a band that his father had told him the man possessed. That helped him out a lot in identification and he quickly entered the car."I'm taking you to the Grand Tulip Hotel." The man began conversationally but Archie shut it down. He wasn't in the mood to discuss anything with the driver, especially in a town where you knew n
Two Days Later, “Archie! Welcome home, my boy.” Simon called out as Archie stepped into the Lockwood mansion letting out a sigh of exhaustion, his trip for Sudan wasn't entirely hectic but it was a long one.“Simon,” Archie greeted, he extended his hand, but Simon ignored it, pulling him into a quick, firm hug instead.“It’s good to see you, Archie,” Simon said, stepping back to get a better look at him. “You’ve been missed around here.”“It’s good to be back,” Archie replied, a small smile playing on his lips, noticing the house was a bit quieter than usual, where was everyone?Before he could voice his question Simon turned to one of the maids hovering nearby. “Make sure to prepare something special for Mr. Archie. He must be famished after his journey.”The maid nodded and scurried off toward the kitchen, leaving Archie and Simon alone in the hall. Simon’s gaze returned to Archie, his eyes filled with pride.“I’ve got to say, Archie,” Simon began, his tone almost fatherly, “you’ve
"Archie stop" his mother yelled pushing him away and running to his foster dad who was gasping for breath.“What’s wrong?” she cried, her voice thick with panic. His chest heaved, his breaths coming in short, ragged gasps, and she could feel his heart pounding under her hands, faster and faster, like it was trying to escape his ribcage.“Archie!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Archie, help me! We need to get him to the hospital!”Archie rolled his eyes but decided to help by calling their neighbor who lived just down the street.Together they managed to half-carry, half-drag him out of the restaurant and into her car, his mother hovering anxiously at their side the entire time.“Hold on,” she whispered, her voice trembling as they carefully lowered him into the back seat. “Just hold on.”Archie slid in beside his foster father, trying to keep him upright as they sped off toward the hospital, the tension in the car thick enough to choke on. Greg’s breathing was still labored, his e
ONE MONTH LATER“Mom, I brought you something to eat,” Archie said gently, holding out the bag to her. “You need to keep your strength up.”She glanced at the bag briefly before shaking her head, her expression resolute. “I’m not hungry, Archie,” she muttered, her voice hoarse from hours of crying. “I can’t eat right now.”“Mom please you can't keep doing this” Archie pleaded desperately but his mom just stared into the space barely acknowledging his presence.Archie sighed, frustrated, he placed the bag on the chair beside her, trying to keep his voice calm. “Mom, you need to eat something. Sitting here, refusing to eat, it’s not going to help anything. You have to take care of yourself too.”“Archie, you don’t understand,” she said, her tone sharp. “How can I think about eating when he is lying there… when he might not make it?”Archie’s heart twisted at the pain in her voice, but he couldn’t let her keep spiraling like this. “I know it’s hard, Mom,” he said, trying to be gentle but
Three Days LaterArchie walked up to the entrance of the restaurant, his heart sank as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.The sight that greeted him was worse than he had imagined. The dining area was empty, tables untouched, chairs neatly arranged as if waiting for people who never arrived. A few of the restaurant workers were gathered near the counter with nothing to do and no one to attend to as they were conversing.“Mr Archie!” one of the waiters called out as soon as she saw him. She hurried over, relief mixed with desperation in her eyes. “Thank goodness you’re here. We haven’t had a single customer all morning. And it’s been like this for days.”Archie frowned, glancing around the empty room. “No customers at all?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.She shook her head. “None. And the workers are getting restless, sir. We haven’t been paid in a while, and everyone’s worried about how they’re going to make ends meet.”Archie ran his head through his hair thinking o