Unsheathed Heir

Chapter four

He adjusted in the seat, taking a better view.

"I thought you had died in the car accident years ago, but I was shocked when I saw your blood matching that of mine."

"My blood? How come I never recall giving you my blood."

"Oh, you forget so easily. I have a rare blood group and it happened that you donated yours to the hospital out of goodwill or maybe you sold it. I became curious afterwards and asked them to trace your background."

"No, no it was out of goodwill." He kicked against it.

 He was very charismatic. When he was growing up, having little he would share with those that were in a worse condition than he was.

"So what does that have to do with you? Can you please stop the car, I need to get down, you must be greatly mistaken. Not that your blood group isn't on the universal list. And mind I'm not the only one with that blood " The driver obeyed as Mr Stark nodded his head through the rearview mirror. He halted the brake pulling over.

"Lizzie, your mother, died that night after giving birth to you. When the rescue firefighters came the car had already blown out and there was no trace of a newborn baby having perished, you were adopted, that has been my theory. The DNA test proved it." He said handing over the test result to him, as he pulled his lens from his eyes and wiped it, Mr Stark was an extremely cautious man.

"No two people have the same helical except identical twins and yours is similar to mine, we're not identical but I'm implying you're here with me." He points at the result. "This brought me to you. Would you think it's a mistake?" 

"No way… this isn't possible." His eyes narrowed as he read the report in his hand, flashing through it. The percentage of relativity was high.

"Believe me I wouldn't be here if there was no sense to any of this. You're my son, the only child and heir to the Stark family, I heard how you were treated, downgraded, humiliated and even castigated by those filthy little brats, if only they knew you're a Stark."

Mr Stark began to flip the document in his hands.  "Now that I have found you, son, I wouldn't waste time in announcing my intention, I want you to be my heir and take over my company." He said holding his hands to his chest as he coughed. He suffered from coronary heart disease and lipomas contradicting his breathing.

"You can see. My health is worsening. With such a big empire going into the hands of your cousins, it would be my loss and my legacy wilting with me." He continued, Joshua looked genuinely serious. Not at him but the paper.

He turned his pale gaze at Joshua, staring at the old man. He was flabbergasted as if the air had gone flat and there was no tension.

If anyone could understand what is happening Joshua would be the least. Come to imagine he had lived his entire life with his aunt, Savannah, she passed away after high school. He never knew his parents or anything related to him. Was his life so pathetic that this old man was trying to win him over?

"Listen, sir, my life is already a mess and you chiming in with your wealth and inheritance is so tempting, but I still have my self-esteem to protect." 

"I would have agreed with you, but the old man here has no intention of tricking you, as you youngsters would call it. You can simply make your own choice, I wouldn't impose it on you. It's sudden and I understand." He said, handing over his picture with his aunt to him.

"Where did you get this?" He asked jaw dropped.

"Exactly, the same thing I was expecting you to ask."

Everything was confusing he was already out of options. Earlier he had considered running out of the car, but strikingly surprising to him the old man was neither smiling nor teasing around as for the Starks, he knows them to be the first tier in the estate business within Vancouver and it wouldn't be that easy to frame them or put in empty promises.

"How I'm I even sure you're for real? And not some trickery. You know a lot of this happens in the movie and with fictional characters."

"What do you have to offer that I would waste my time here if not for the fact you're my heir? The Stark sets who to meet with and those with something to contribute." Joshua felt idiotic saying that but he was on the trail, and so was the man, he was a nobody without identity so the staff from Stark wouldn't possibly have listened to him if he stopped them. And now the chairman was beside him.

"I might seem gullible. But I have ideas. And maybe you saw the folder I submitted."

Mrs Stark chuckled. "Narrow-minded. We don't go through those! Tell him, Joe."

"Ideas are useless unless there is money."

"Are you saying I'm useless?"

"Not your first time hearing it. Son, it's the way of the world. Everything has changed. The market encroaches on the competition. But money with ideas goes hand in hand, without money you would be seen as worthless."

From his observant eyes, he could simply tell that the man beside him was no ordinary man as well as the security. He must have graduated from an MBA program, and his intuition was spectacular.

Different from his previous harsh and unstable demeanour, Joshua became calm and asked.

"What did she look like? My mum…" That has been the question going through his head since childhood but his aunt would not just tell and he thought it was because she hated him, but that wasn't the case she was scared that if he found out he was adopted and didn't know his parents he would possibly go into a trauma.

"Well, son, she was the sweetest woman I have ever loved, her skin was tender like olive, and even when people were against our relationship we strived. I never imagined I would lose her to the cruel hands of death." He removed his lens, cleaning the trickle of tears that formed in his eyes.

 Joshua felt touched, and relieved, if she was his mother then she must have been very beautiful and reasonable to have the man beside him break into a tear after almost three decades. It sure was love that he held right onto.

"You must have loved her." He commented.

"Loved? Love is an understatement, I got my heart problem from the shock of losing you both. I adored, and lauded her and wished to hold my son in my arms again and see her chartreuse eyes reflecting through yours. It makes me wish I could turn the wheels of time."

Joshua chuckled slightly, the thing was; he felt some connection to the old man, weird enough. He saw a reflection of himself, but he doubted if he would ever be up to the standards, besides he had nothing left but an already tarnished image.

This can't be real.

"I'm looking forward to your response son, here is a debit card. Just in case you need anything and when you're ready to talk and take over the business, call Mr Joe here, and he will set a place for us to meet. Hey buddy, don't forget you're a Stark."  He said to Joshua.

 He hovered out of the car, and he nodded his head, could it be luck? Or was it a dream? Either way, he could simply put it as real to soothe the terrible day. He set his hand into his pocket and brought out the golden premium card, just how much could be in here? He smirked, maybe it was fake.

Not too excited.

Just then his phone chimed; it was the password with some assuring text from the old man. 

Mr Simon Stark: Wake up to the text tomorrow and you will realize everything that happened wasn't a dream.

Joshua: Too good to be real.

Mr Simon Stark: Did you know Flamingo sleeps standing on one leg? And have beautiful feathers? That is how really beautiful life is. Focus on the positive.

***

"Thank God Joshua, I've looked everywhere for you." She said as she strolled towards him.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"I have reconsidered. I'm worried. At least I can't let you on the street to be fed by hoodlums, or worse by street grim reapers." Pamela said, 

It was at the party the guests who happened to see Joshua sleeping beside his bag the other night came towards her and were heckling her.

She could stand the fact that he was useless at home but roaming around the street as Mason's son-in-law left her with nothing but malignant insults, and fingers pointing out at her.

"I thought you don't want me back again?" 

"No it's not so, it's just that I hate it when you sit all idle."

"I put in some words with my dad, and he had agreed to help you out."

"I don't need his help." He blurted harshly, knowing fully well he hated him. They were like mice and cats.

"Can you? For fuck sake! Sulk it up! Your pride will yield empty harvests. This is a starting point, it's either now or never." He glanced at the foreboding road and then rolled his eyes towards Pamela, who glared at him coldly.

Her hands to his chest as she stared up at him, Joshua loved his wife dearly and was ready to do anything for her. Her beautiful face only gets younger and tender, despite the late night and early morning at the office.

"Can you please for once listen to me." Pamela proposed her voice laced with love.

"Fine, I will think about it." He replied softly in an undertone. He was ready to start from scratch, barely believing the mumbo jumbo from the old man. 

"Let me in again and I will hold this faith." 

"Until you prove yourself. Now fasten the belt." She said,

They drove along the street road into the highway, the drive from North Cambie to their estate in Fraser was silent. Joshua was thinking, and he got his eyes fixed on Pamela whose eyes didn't drift from the road.

"Where are we going?"  She asked.

"To Downtown, to get my stuff." 

Her eyes drifted to her vibrating phone. It was her mother. She told her she would come straight home and have dinner with her and her sister that stumbled in for vacation just earlier.

"It's your mum, won't you pick it up?" 

"Oh it slipped my mind, we were supposed to have dinner today, but I'm not veering around, how close are we?" 

"It's beside the cathedral, pull over," He demanded and pointed crimson-coloured parking sign at one angle while he came down and walked to one corner. Pamela watched carefully, she shook her head as Joshua shifted the cartoon he used as a shroud over his luggage.

Joshua pulled the envelope out of his pocket and glanced through it.

"I don't have all night, better be fast." She pulled her face out of the window and yelled at him, reminding him that she had other engagements.

Joshua chuckled, "Let's do this in a more secluded place." He muttered to himself as he pulled it back and dragged out his luggage.

As the car sped up through the lonely nights, silence fell on the two of them again in the car.

Pamela didn't say anything, her focus was on the road, so it seems.

Joshua cleared his throat trying to break the boring silent aura, Pamela didn't even bother.

They arrived at the front of the gate, they looked up and still found Mrs Bridget Mason's lights flickering, she couldn't have gone to bed and that was an indication she was waiting for her daughter.

' Maybe she was waiting for my late-night massage.' He scoffed.

They entered the house and came to meet a brown-haired man dressed in a white tuxedo suit sitting opposite Mrs Bridget Mason as they laughed and babbled about international affairs. 

"Oh, there you are. You could have called or picked up my calls. Didn't expect you to spend Friday out long."

"I went to a party."

"That's what I always tell you. You need to let it all off at a point."

"Pamela, it felt like… I don't know. You are just getting porcelain every day." The man said. He moved over to Pamala pulling her into a warm embrace like there was no tomorrow, Mrs Bridget Mason was chuckling seductively.

 Joshua glanced at her and wondered if she was the same old woman because he had never seen her so loose before, yeah it is what it is, he reeked of poverty beside this high statue person. 

"And who is this?" His eyes flickered to Joshua.

Just then Pamela clears her throat. "He is Joshua, my husband."

At the sound of the word husband, he snickered and neglected him holding her back as he led Pamela to the table.

It was a strike, Mrs Bridget Mason didn't expect Joshua to be back that instant, she threw him a scornful glare that would change white to black if it were charcoal.

"Oh I forgot, so he is the live-in son-in-law?" He scanned him like a robot from head to least.

"What are you doing here again?" Mrs Bridget became old and bald at the sight of him. "I thought we had this settled. No more Joshua." She whispered to Pamela.

"Here comes the most prolific brother-in-law," a blond in a pinky skimpy dress let out. Her voice like a monkey's exaggerated screams if there was anything Pamela didn't inherit was their unappealing voice. 

Pamela didn't know whether to laugh or cry, after the long day she deserved some silence at home but it was servitude. Always criticizing her for marrying Joshua. As far as his eyes were concerned they were purely angelic, and it left people wondering whether he was a fallen angel.

"Mother, you could have consulted me before everything." She said, ignoring the young bachelor beside her. She was not comfortable and felt browned.

Joshua pulled out a chair for himself but a hand landed on his back.

"Can't you see we are having a guest?" He rubbed the back of his hair in embarrassment. Nevertheless, he showered a fake smile.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me, mother."

Joshua retired to his room, connected his cell phone to the charger and let out a deep sigh, leaning his back on the bed frame, a couch feels better no matter what!

He pulled out the paper along with the premium card, just who cares about a live-in son-in-law? Whether he makes his choice tonight or never.

Like that the sweet and calm serenity of sleeping in his bed came and he fell into a slumber, the day was too stressful and blissful for him as he smiled in his sleep. Just so they wait, he would become a shining star among the galaxies.