TORN DECISION

Chapter three

“Apologies young master. The instruction was to bring you here safe and unharmed.” The old man shot daggers at the able-bodied bodyguards, who had their heads slightly bowed in remorse. Richard, confused, stared at the old man and back at the bodyguards. “What the hell is going on and who the hell are you people?” He feared if he said the wrong thing or asked the wrong question, they would switch up on him and tie him to a chair. So, Richard chose his words carefully.

“Let me clear your confusion, son. My name is Theo Romane, your godfather and butler to Richard Escrow I. Your father founded everything technology. You might not remember me since you were a little toddler back then. But, you were all your parents ever prayed for. ” Mr. Theo stared at nothing in particular, probably going down memory held both good and stale memories for him. Richard could tell with the way his face scrunched up and the visible frown lines that not everything he remembered from the past was all roses and petals.

“Are you saying I am the son of some rich and powerful family? Because, I find it difficult to believe that. I was adopted from the orphanage at the age of ten by the Devon's, they have raised me ever since. My adoption records show I was deserted at the hospital by my mother.” The spontaneous change in his life was so bizarre even for Albert Einstein to understand. Last he recalled, he just had his world in turmoil and his life going down the drain. This revelation made no sense and did not tally with his knowledge about himself.

Mr. Theo chuckled, his smiling not reaching his eyes. He stared at Richard like he discovered a gold mine filled with treasures. “ Let me ask you a question, son. Have your foster parents ever treated you like you belonged with them?” Mr. Theo hit the nail on the head with his question. The reality of his stay with the Devon's had been nothing but hell. Richard's silence answered his question, which further caused Richard to question why his name was not changed alongside his adoption. He was never a Devon.

“That's right son. Your foster parents, were once faithful followers of your parents. I remember that dreadful day like it was yesterday, the betrayal and bankruptcy overnight. You see, your father put his trust in someone who he considered his brother, but little did he know he made a deal with the devil. The evening of your third birthday, the bank invaded, Sir. Richard's mansion, claiming ownership of all that was his.” Richard had no recollection of what he said. But then again, he was still too young for his memory to actively take in traumatizing memories.

“The Devon's are the real devil's son. While your parents struggled to recover all they had lost, your father suffered a massive cardiac arrest and your mother, unable to bear the loneliness, died shortly after his death.  The Devon's quickly adopted you with the sole intention of amassing the wealth left behind by your parents for you once you came off age. I could not intervene because of my status as a butler. Legally, they had every right to what was yours, so they not only adopted you but adopted your wealth as well.” Richard, in shock, wondered why they had to be cruel to him if they owed all they had become to him, it made no sense.

Richard recalled how his intentions to marry Sierra turned into a battle of bones. The punches he received from his foster father and death glares from his stepmother still haunted him until this day. Their absence at their wedding showed how much of a stench he was to them. So, why did they have to be so hostile to him when the food fat greedy Humphrey ate and the expensive wine collections at their mansion were all thanks to him? Richard shook with anger, his eye bloodshot with raw rage. He wanted it all back, all that he had lost.

“Son. The best part of the tale is yet to come.” For a “butler” as the definition implied, who served his parents like he claimed, Butler Theo was an encyclopedia of their business and affairs. He knew too much to be considered an ordinary butler. “How do you know this much about my family, and how come the Devon's were this affiliated with my family to the extent they gained access to me, and you are telling me now? What is this? Is this some kind of trap?” Richard, on hearing this revelation, for a moment got carried away by the gust of emotions that he forgot to think straight.

Mr. Theo stomped his stick on the ground, his half bent form due to his age, only bent further. “Time and chance is what make up a man's life span, son. And for everything there is a time and for every time, there is a season. An opportunity never presented itself for an audience between myself and you. The best part of this tale is that, your parents foresaw the future and left their wealth under my care. The only thing the Devon's got their hands on was a little fraction of what you possess. They did not even come close.” Mr. Theo chuckled, his voice filled with laughter, with a hint of mockery at the Devon's.

By “fraction,” Richard was taken aback as to how rich he was. If a little fraction of his wealth was what the Devon's enjoyed until today, then he could only imagine how f**king rich his biological parents were. “How rich were my parents?” He inquired from Mr. Theo who leaned his weight on his walking stick, his eyes glistened with unshed tears from his laughing spree. “Wealthy son. Money was never a problem, even when the company suffered bankruptcy, the cash flow remained endless.” Mr. Theo was not lying. Richard could tell when lies surpassed the truth and at this moment, there was nothing but transparency.

The irony of life was in different hues and phases. Richard could barely make ends meet and had to become a street rat to the Devon's half of his life. Little did he know, he could buy all that he craved and yearned. His wife and unborn children were set for life. But instead, he had to go through the heartbreak and torment of several rejected job applications thanks to Lady Carolina and her household. Richard felt a teardrop on his face, not from sadness but from sheer happiness.

Mr. Theo offered him a gold pleated face wipe, which Richard stared at in awe, its silk texture too extravagant to be considered a face wipe. “Young master, it must have been hard for you, the struggle, turmoil and stale taste of an undeserved life you were far from being born into. But it only made you stronger and broadened your horizon of who is a friend and who is a foe. I am overjoyed to finally find you.” Theo had a valuable point, Richard did not only learn to decipher the hidden characters of people, he also learned to be wise in his spending and less frugal. 

Butler Theo, gave a sign to one of the guards who headed to one of the rooms and returned later with a silver colored suitcase. It had an eagle emblem on it, with an Italian inscription which read out as “Riccardo.” With the interpretation as Richard. Richard, mesmerized by the suitcase, opened up the suitcase and was in awe at the hold pleated designer suit and golden key that glittered under the lights. He hands brushed the suit, it was his perfect size even without putting it on, he knew. “How did you…” Mr. Theo satiated his curiosity with a picture of his father. The uncanny resemblance and body size were a perfect fit.

“It belonged to your father. He would be smiling down at you right now. God bless his soul.” Butler Theo's fragile form, did not hinder him from hitting his walking stick with strength Richard had no idea he possessed before clearing his throat to speak.

“Young master, you are the only surviving son of Mr. Richard Escrow I, the greatest man to ever live, my master, friend, and confidant. I believe it is time for you to come back and reclaim your rightful place. The choice is all yours.” Mr. Theo and the bodyguards that crowded the small space all waited for his response.

Richard stared at the suit that held a symbolic representation of a king getting crowned and the golden key, the only master key to the Escrow estate, and stared back at Mr. Theo's who waited expectantly for his answer.

“Well, the clock is ticking, young master.” Butler Theo stared at him expectantly.