C14 Chapter 13

Fourteen years Later

Walking through the busy streets of Manhattan, I realised how hard it was for normal people to run across every single day to meet their month's end. It was my first time, walking down the street as somehow I had a flat tyre and I left it on the side of the road with the driver as he was busy changing the tyre and I took it the time to walk to my office building. It was actually my sister, who had taken over my father's company, Knights Corp.

The building stands tall and strong as my father and my younger sister, worked their ass off to keep the company's reputation as it was when my belated grandfather used to have the ownership. I have heard, many tried their best to take the company away from my father, but being the strong headed and stubborn guy, he never failed and showed the people that indeed he was better than his own father when it came to business. Now, it was my sister Amelia Grace Knights, who had always shown interest in our father's business and people believed she was the right person to hold the company after my father. She graduated a year ago from Harvard and has already joined the company and currently, my father is mentoring her and making her used to the world of business.

I believe in my sister. Our whole family believe in her that she will keep up her stance and be more successful than our father. While, our mother, a terrible accident three years ago has left her paralyzed below the waist. Since than she has been wheelchair bound. No doctors have succeeded in making her alright and that was the only burden my father carries around these days.

The Knights Corp

I walked into the building as the people who recognised me scooted away from me or bow down to me because I was also the shareholder of Knights Corp. And people had a misconception that I was going to take over the company after my father, Mr. Xavier Knights. But the truth was, I was far from being the one to takeover as I had hardly any interest upon the company. I had succeeded in becoming a scientist, and I had my own laboratory, where I spend my time, day and night. But usually I would show up in the company to know what was going on or I would generally show up when my presence is questioned.

The elevator's door pinged open and I walked in, with my hands shoved in my pant pockets as I nodded at the woman in the front desk who gave me a bow. "Hello Sir, Good afternoon. Ms. Amelia has been waiting for you," she said and I nodded as I walked directly towards my sister's cabin. People in the office, gave me some way to walk by and as soon as I reached her cabin's door, I stopped in my tracks and looked back only to find everyone curiously staring at me. But as soon as I caught them staring, they looked the other way and focused on their work.

Something was odd.

The woman from the front desk who was following me took the stance to open the door and I got in. At first, I had expected only Amelia but my whole family seemed to be present as I found my father sitting on the couch with a coffee cup in his hand, my mother beside him in her wheelchair and Amelia stood leaning to her desk.

"What's up?" I asked as I hugged my sister, who smiled at me and got back to her place.

"Dad? Mom?" I asked as I took a seat on the empty couch next to him. My dad was in my late fifties but still he looked fit and maintained for his age. He was a sporty person and still had that athletic body all thanks to my mother. My mother looked as beautiful as she was when she was young. Except both of them had aged gracefully and had a few strands of grey hair on their head. They kept it natural and went with their age and never dyed the grey hair out.

Dad took a sip from his cup and mother was quick to snatch the cup away from him as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Enough Xavier. This is your second cup," she complained as she put the cup behind her on a shelf, away from my coffee addicted father. "Honey!" my father groaned but all my mother did was show him her toothy grin to which he sighed and kept a hand on her thigh.

"Mom, dad?" Amelia intervened to their husband and wife moment and they looked back at me in a second.

"What is it?" I questioned as I grew agitated under their gaze.

"I am making you the president of Knights Corp," my father said and I sighed as I sat back comfortably in my seat and rubbing my forehead.

"Again," I said out in exasperation. I don't even remember how many times, he had already told me that. I have denied every single time, as I hardly had any time for myself, as I was a scientist. It wasn't as if he was stopping me from my work, but he had different motives behind this. We can't forget, he was a businessman after all.

"Look, Ace, have this clear in your mind. I am one of the board directors now, and we have to appoint another CEO soon. Amelia here is new in this company and you know unlike the times where the heirs used to get the company, has totally faded. Today, the company gets own only by the deserving candidates and your mother, still in her health condition is the CEO of the company and is now unable to work as she used to," he said more like argued as I held the grip of the couch.

"I am done seeing her suffer. I am taking her overseas this month to meet the best doctor. I want my wife back on her feet. So, I had kept this issue before everyone in the board meeting and they have come in terms of hiring someone else as the CEO in our absence. Do you hear that?" he raised his voice in the end and my mother kept her hand on his wanting him calm down.

It was how my father was. Strict and nobody knew how and when he would get infuriated with something. The only person he had never raised his voice was my mother. Never, had I ever saw him talking roughly with my mother. He was something else before her, sweet and a caring person. But to me and Amelia, he was always strict. Even Amelia had to suffer his wrath when she does something wrong before his eyes.

My younger sister, Amelia was a copy of my father. Both in looks and in nature. She had brown hair but blue eyes like my mother but she was short tempered. Although, as the year passed by she grew to take care of her rage but still she would turn into a fireball, if she doesn't like anything. But she was always obedient and quiet before our parents, especially my father, seeing him as a mentor and making him, her idol.

"I have worked my ass off to protect this company from all those vultures out there and I will not see it roll down to someone else who is not from our family. Knights Corp will always remain to us and it was until and unless Amelia is capable off to takeover, I'm leaving the company in your hands. The rest of the board of directors have shown interest upon you. They said either it will be you who is going to take over or someone else, to which I'm truly against," my father slammed his fist on the arm rest while my mother squeezed his hand wanting him to calm down.

He closed his eyes for some minutes, taking in deep breaths before looking my way, sternly and with determination. "I have always wanted you to be the President, but know I think it will be better if Angel, resigns and gives you the post of the CEO. You are disciplined, intelligent, already know what's going on in the company. There is no other candidate than you. You are taking over for now, end of discussion," hed said and even though I wanted to slam my head to the wall, I chose not to as I glared at my sister, who just shrugged in response and looked back at my mother.

Surely, my mother looked tired and exhausted of maintaining her position the company with her health condition. That damn accident has left her unable to walk and it was what disturbing my father day by day as he grows distort with fury for seeing his wife suffer and it all came out on the doctors. The doctors in the city has gave up on my mother's condition and also wanted to get away from my father's fury. It affected me too and I wanted my mother back on her feet too.

So, it was why I had decided last night, that indeed I was going to ease my father's tension and I was going to take the responsibilities, temporarily until my sister is able to takeover.

Though, I have to work both the time, serving both of my professions, still I've finally made up my mind that I was going to leave my lab under my senior, who was in NASA and work day time in the Knights Corp. I hoped this would satisfy my father and he would be tension free and concentrate more on my mother.

"Alright then," I said and have all their eyes on me.

"What do you mean?" dad asked as he adjusted his suit and looked at me in desperation. "I'm taking over now, although temporarily," I said and immediately a hundred watt smile formed on his face and Amelian jumped in her place in excitement while my mother looked my way with a small smile in her face, because she knew in what condition, I was in and I was going to be in. Yet, she couldn't do anything to help me because she wanted to help my father at the same time and depended upon me, for my decision.

While my father and my sister, exchanged happy words between themselves, my mother looked at me with sad eyes and mouthed "Thank you," to me.

I walked to my laboratory, ready to have this before my senior who has been waiting patiently to know my decision. He was aware of the position I was in and wanted to help from the beginning. It was time, for me to finally tell him about my decision and it was why I called him to my lab, to talk about it.

As I was going to cross the street, a car, Mercedes-AMG SLC, 43, zoomed by. But it wasn't the car or its speed that my attention but the one who was inside, driving it was the one who had my attention. It was woman with shades on, but the fact that she looked similar to the one I had last seen fourteen years ago, had me in dilemma if I was correct on guessing the person or was it just an illusion.

Whatever it was, I hoped it was just an illusion and nothing else or god only knew, how I would behave.

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