The Rightful Successor

Chapter 2

Alex stepped into the room, causing everyone's attention to shift towards him. Brielle appeared embarrassed and quickly averted her gaze.

"Oh, so the chicken finally shows up, huh? What do we have here, a little toy?" Brock taunted, prompting Alex to meet his gaze head-on, catching Brock off guard.

"Not a toy, Brock. It's called a vase, in case you didn't know," Alex countered, causing Brock to stare at him in surprise. Brock menacingly approached Alex, but soon realized that Alex was much larger and stronger than him, causing him to halt.

"Feeling brave now, huh? What did my sister say to you on the balcony?" Brock inquired, to which Alex simply shrugged.

"It's nothing, man. I brought grandma the best gift I could afford, that's all," Alex retorted. This statement elicited laughter from Brock and some members of the family.

"Come on, Alex. The best you could afford is basically nothing. Look at what I've got," Brock boasted, lifting another vase.

"This is a gift, not the toy you brought. Do you have any idea how much this is worth, Alex? It's more than you could ever earn, bro," he taunted. Alex nodded in response.

"It's alright, Brock. He did what he could," Brielle defended from behind, causing Brock to turn towards her with a malicious smile.

         

“Brielle, how nice of you, defending your poor husband, I guess that makes you a loser and poor ass like he is, you are both LOSERS” he yelled and Brielle's words caught as she blushed, she was embarrassed as hell. 

Alex's face tightened as he listened to Brock's insults towards his wife. He couldn't stand by and let him disrespect her like that. His anger grew, but instead of yelling back, he noticed something that gave him an idea. 

"Hey!" Alex called out, catching everyone's attention, including Brock's. 

"Defending your wife, are you?" Brock taunted, not expecting Alex's response. 

Alex smiled triumphantly, causing Brock to narrow his eyes. He stared at the vase on the table, and Alex knew he had caught his attention. 

"Staring at my vase, huh? Thinking you can outdo me, huh? Well, you can't. You're a pauper, and you can never match me. I wonder why you're even associated with this family," Brock boasted. 

"That's not why I'm staring at the vase, Brock. I'm staring at it because it's fake," Alex blurted out, shocking Brock. He clenched his fist and lunged for Alex, but Alex quickly dodged, causing Brock to stumble and crash to the floor. The room fell silent as everyone watched in surprise. 

Brock slowly stood up, trying to hide his embarrassment. He smiled at Alex, attempting to regain his composure. 

"How can you tell it's fake, shithead, huh?" Brock yelled, trying to regain control of the situation. 

Alex walked slowly towards him, his imposing presence making Brock instinctively move back, though he tried to hide his intimidated demeanor. 

"Because you lunged for me when I said that, and I can give you other reasons why it's fake if you want me to go on," Alex said calmly, causing Brock to narrow his eyes even further. 

"Oh, how nice, Alex. Minutes ago, you couldn't say a word, and now you're acting all macho. I see. Was it Brielle? Did she finally open her legs for you, huh?" Brock tried to change the topic and provoke Alex's anger, knowing that Alex wouldn't tolerate any disrespect towards his wife.

            

"Brock!" Brielle exclaimed, her face flushed with embarrassment at his crude remark.

Alex's emerald eyes grew cold; he tightly clenched his fist, causing his knuckles to turn pale. He had an overwhelming urge to pummel Brock, but he knew he had to control his anger.

"She didn't do anything like that," Alex retorted, and a cruel smile spread across Brock's face. His plan was working.

"So, you forced her then?" Brock sneered, and Alex had to bite his tongue to refrain from lashing out at his brother-in-law.

"I can't stoop to your level, Brock. Maybe you're the expert on that," Alex moved closer, his voice low. "I may have bought a worthless original, according to you, but it's still an original," Alex whispered, and Brock glared at him.

"You still don't get it, Alex," Brock tapped Alex on the shoulder, but one look from Alex made him quickly retract his hand. "You must be on something, because when did you suddenly find the guts to talk back to me?" Brock taunted, and a dangerous smile slowly formed on Alex's face, warning his brother-in-law to tread carefully.

"I'm not on anything, man. I just want to know why you, with all your boasting, gifted grandma a fake vase, Brock," Alex stated, and Brock scowled.

The two men stood face to face in a tense standoff, the air around them thick with tension. Onlookers remained silent, sensing the imminent clash between the two. The larger, more handsome man appeared relaxed, while the other seethed with fury. The latter's hands twitched incessantly as if he was contemplating ways to strike the former. Finally, the latter forced a smile.

       

"You're just trying to act tough, Alex, but deep down I know you're a coward," he said, and Alex raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn't explain why you bought a fake vase, Brock. Yes, my gift may not be as extravagant as yours, but at least I bought something genuine and safe. That vase you bought was painted with toxic substances. Do you even realize how harmful that could be to Granny?" Alex snapped back, and Brock glared at him, feeling a pang of guilt deep inside.

He knew that Alex's words held truth. Brock's father had given him money to buy a gift for their grandmother, but instead, he chose to buy a fake vase so he could use the rest of the money to buy his girlfriend a car. However, Brock couldn't admit to his selfish actions. He gathered his composure and sneered at Alex.

"How dare you," Brock seethed. "A lowlife like you wouldn't know the difference between vases. Who are you to accuse me of buying a fake?"

"Yeah," one of Brock's cousins chimed in. "How dare you lie to our cousin like that," she added, and the others joined in, berating Alex. He stood in silence, glaring at Brock, who smirked in response.

"Enough!" someone suddenly yelled, and everyone turned to see Grandmother entering the room. Instantly, the room fell silent.

Grandmother was the true matriarch of the Reynolds family ever since their grandfather passed away, a loss that deeply saddened Alex. Their grandfather was the only one who stood up for him.