THE RISE AND FALL OF A CHOSEN HEIR

CHAPTER TWO (AN ICON IN THE ROUGH)

Bryan's lips broadened in awe as he gazed at his phone. He blinked his eyes to ensure he wasn't hallucinating or the numbers he was seeing where because of the humiliation he just suffered. Again he brushed his face with the back of his palms, and he peered at his phone again. Nothing changed, the 100 million dollar alert was still there.

Bryan sprang up from the floor. He clutched his phone to his chest, staring around the parking a lot. His feet trembled and he was terrified if someone had seen him. But the still and hushed state of the parking lot dashed his doubts completely.

He locked eyes with lights from a distance (from an unknown source) he swirled around again, gaping at the entrance of the restaurant and then back to where he stood. His eyes kept blinking and he hesitated to take a step. He took the phone off his chest and tucked it into his pocket. He wiped off the smudge of tears in his face.

After one minute, when it felt like he finally gathered the swiftness to move his limbs. He walked away - out of the parking area, heading down the streets. A part of him still thought the deposit alert was fake, or better still a mistake from the bank. But what bank personnel will make such terrible mistake of paying a whooping 100 million into an unknown account? Maybe the bank manager and all the staffs are about to lose their jobs.

Bryan strode down the sidewalk - his heart processing a million thoughts at a time. Abruptly, a black SUV parked right next to him. Bryan froze at the sight of the vehicle and for a minute he thought he was about to be kidnapped. His heart missed a beat, and running felt like the wrong move because he was too dumbfounded to take a single step.

The door from the backseat opened and an old man alighted. A smile flew off his lips when he latched stares with Bryan. That smile sent knots of fear into Bryan's heart and he stared from side to side to guarantee he wasn't surrounded. He was dazed at why an old man will pull up on him from nowhere on the streets of LA and smile sheepishly at him.

The old man trod close to Bryan and when he was a few meters away. He hunched his head in a form of homage and said "Young Master Bryan. It is time"

Bryan dilated his eyeballs, he feigned a dazed frown and he took a step back. How can a old man he didn't know from Eden know his name and why he called him a. 'Young Master' felt like a scene from a Disney blockbuster.

Bryan thought he had seen and felt enough shock and humiliation for a night when he caught his girlfriend cheating and when he a 100 million dollars flew into his account. But the scene in front of him implied it wasn't over yet.

".....w....who are you" Bryan stammered. His eyes sailing back and forth. Bryan was almost going to conclude that the old man was a street beggar. But would a street beggar pull up in a Escalade and dressed in an extravagant outfit. Every detail of the old man yelled luxury - luxury at its peak.

"I'm your servant, Young Master" the old man said, further throwing Bryan into an abyss of confusion and dismay.

"Young master?" Bryan sneered. The sudden smile faded away immediately. "I don't know what you're taking about. I'm not a master"

"Of course you are. Young master Bryan" The old man retorted.

"....and how did you know my name?"

" Your name is Bryan Morris. The only son of the late Morris Anderson. And the only heir to the Morris family wealth" the old man said.

"....you know my father too?" Bryan said. At first he wasn't going to accommodate the gibberish the old man was going to utter. But the abstract acquaintance in the old man's tone made him had a rethink. His father died five years ago, hearing a random rich old man talk mention his name on the streets felt like a no-brainer, even if his father died a poor man.

"Yes. I know your father. Who wouldn't know the honorable Morris Anderson. His name is like music to my ears. He was indeed a great master" the old man said.

"You know he's dead right?" Bryan asked, like he was trying to ascertain where the odd conversation was leading to.

"Yes. He died five years ago. Pertinent to a terminal heart disease"

Bryan's demeanor went dim. He felt like the old man knew too much about him and he was willing to know how he knew that much about him and his father.

"....how did you know all of this? And what do you want from me?" Bryan said.

"Its time for you to inherit your father's wealth. You're his heir. Its time young master Bryan"

Bryan led out a smirk. "My father was a poor man. He wasn't rich. In fact we lived in a trailer all our lives. I don't really know what you mean by my father's wealth" Bryan opposed swiftly.

"That's because your father had everything planned out, young master. Its the family culture, you cannot know the truth if you're not old enough. Your father had to keep all that away from you. To be a member of this prestigious family. You had to taste the destitute part of life. That was why your father allowed you go through all of that" the old man said.

Bryan couldn't believe his ears. His creased his eyebrows nervously - too shocked to say a word. He hunched his hand across his chest as he stared at the old man - waiting for the whole story to unfold.

".... And how I'm supposed to believe all of this?"

"You have to. Okay, I'd give you a solid evidence" the old man said, taking another step closer to Bryan. "A 100 million dollars was paid into your account few minutes ago, I'm I right?"

Those words didn't only scare Bryan, but it also lessened his doubts about the whole scene. Definitely, the money was real.

His sudden silence made the old man smile. "You're wealthy young master" he chuckled. He dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a golden bracelet "Have it" he said, stretching the item to Bryan.

Bryan hesitated for a bit, who wouldn't want to touch gold, even if its once in their lifetime.

"What's this for?" Bryan muttered coldly.

"That's the Morris family emblem. It used to be your father's. But now its yours. This will distinguish you from the average man. You're an icon now, young master. You will wear it for as long as you live" the old man said.

He turned back and approached his car. He turned back swiftly to meet Bryan's eyes stuck on him

"Your Auntie - Ava has an explanation too" the old man said.

He leaped into the car and it zoomed off, immediately.