The Heir

001

“Mother.” Chase called with a wide grin as he hurriedly made his way to where his mother in-law, Katherine sat.

“Mother? Haven't I asked you to stop addressing me with that title?” She asked, a large scowl on her face.

“Pardon me ma'am.”

“Good.” Pulling an envelope to herself, she emptied it of its content and then began to flip through the documents one after the other.

When she was done, she propped herself up and with her gaze fixed on Chase who still wore his smile, she said, “Henceforth, you will be working in the Tech Firm.”

“But… I have no idea about how it operates, I haven't worked there before. Moreover, I'm better off in the sales department. Is my boss's review that bad…”

“Shut your mouth. I remember telling you vividly not to give any response whenever I make a decision concerning you.” She spat out with disgust.

Tossing the documents in his face, she said, “Sign the papers and submit them in the HR office. Your new portfolio and ID card will be assigned to you.”

Having nothing to say, Chase crouched and then began to gather the documents which were all over the place. Just as he wanted to rise, he bumped into Raven, his wife upsetting the coffee mug she was holding.

“Are you out of your mind?” She yelled at him. Lunging towards him, she slapped him hard across her face, still seething with anger.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you. I can get you a new shirt right away.” He offered and before she could agree or refute, he dashed off.

Thirty two year old Chase Wilder was the son in-law of the Bernard's family. No one knew who he was or where he had come from.

A few years ago, when the head of the Bernard's family slumped in a function, Chase, who happened to be one of the waiters, managed to revive him before the ambulance arrived and ever since then he became a part of the family.

When the head of the family, Bernard Orgeon died a few months ago, the lawyer revealed to the family that as a reward for Chase's kindness, Bernard had given Raven to him as a wife.

Hell was let loose but there was nothing that could be done about it and so Katherine and Raven joined forces together so they could frustrate him and then he would have no choice but to leave.

“Here, your shirt.” Chase said on his return, pushing a clean shirt towards her.

Still seething with anger, Raven tossed the remaining content of her mug in his face, grabbed the shirt from his hand and then stormed off.

Frustrated, he plopped on the couch and with his head buried in his hands, he began to mutter incoherent words to himself.

“Seems you want a cut on your pay for this month.” Katherine's voice startled him and at once, he rose.

“I'm sorry ma'am, I will be on my way now.” He muttered and then turned around to leave.

On getting to work that morning, before he finally got settled for the day, it was about noon. He had barely occupied his spot in his new office when the head of the department arrived and with a loud voice called out to him.

“Sir.” He replied rather tiredly but he didn't show it.

“From the higher ups, you have been assigned to work on the data breach that occurred over the weekend. The rest of the team had all tried their hands on it but it seems there is no way forward…”

“But… I have no idea about how these operate. I'm open to learning but giving me a job on my day here is uncalled for.” He rapped, his eyes glistening with tears.

Without being told, he knew it was the handiwork of Raven and her mother who were bent on frustrating him so he would eventually pack his bags and leave.

“I bet you know the office of the CEO, I advise you to go lecture her.” He replied with a hard and icy tone.

Left with no choice, he decided to attempt something he had no idea about. After several hours of trying out his hands on it and soliciting for help from his colleagues, he gave up.

This time around, with a frown on his face, he made his way towards the elevator, he was heading straight to Katherine's office.

On arrival, her personal assistant refused to grant his entrance but after creating a scene, Katherine herself had to usher him in.

“Are you out of your mind?” She barked at him, her eyes reddened with anger. They were inside her office at that time.

“I'm fed up, what exactly do you want from me?” He yelled back at her, unable to keep his anger in check anymore.

“Do you have a death wish?” Katherine asked, this time around with a calm tone which made Chase recoil. Running his fingers over his chin, he pressed his lips together, staring back at her.

“I'm sorry mother, I didn't intend to use that tone. It's just that I'm frustrated. I already told you I have no idea about how these work, it would be useless keeping me somewhere where I'm not useful.” He explained but as usual, they all fell on a deaf ear.

“You have a week to fix the issue at hand otherwise, be ready to kiss your job goodbye, now get out of my office this minute.” She yelled, pointing at the door.

Slowly, he took his leave and with his head bent, groped his way towards the elevator. Shutting his eyes, he rested his back against the cold metal, allowing his mind to travel down memory lane.

Shaking his head sideways, he tried to forget about everything but the memory was permanent.

Just as he was about to step out of the elevator, his phone began to buzz in his pocket, causing a halt in his movement.