It's been so many years. Seventeen long years!
After her mission failed and she couldn't get the Howells Corporation for her son, she had to take him away and change his name. His name was Michael but she had changed it to Liam to protect him.
And after sending him away, she adopted a son, of the same age and named him Michael. So everyone thought he was her son, and the heir to Warren Corporation, and that was what she wanted. She needed to protect Liam from anyone who might have known about her plot.
If she had succeeded in killing Nicklaus, it would have been easy to get into the Howell Family and have the Howells Corporation with a simple blood test, but he was alive! He was fucking alive! Up till that moment, she still hadn't figured how he managed to escape from her grip.
After what happened; Nicklaus was protected by guards, and he barely went out or spoke to anyone, that old man, Jonathan Howell, made sure that no harm could come to him. He had no friends and he studied at home which made his protection more impenetrable!
''Michael, you're back from the company? ''
Michael, her adopted son pushed open the front door and stepped out, cutting her from her thoughts.
''Yes Mom '' He replied, his eyes flickered to Liam.
Liam had a taller build but Michael looked more intimidating. He had hazel brown eyes, and his hair was brown too.
Catherine had told Michael that Liam was the son of her late sister and she told Liam not to reveal his identity to anyone for safety reasons. Although their closeness was a little suspicious, Michael had no cause to suspect anything fishy because he didn't know about the incident seventeen years ago.
''Liam, won't you say hi to your brother? ''
Catherine nudged him when she saw he didn't greet Michael and he forced a weak smile;
''How was work? ''
He asked halfheartedly; Michael didn't understand why he disliked him when he had done nothing wrong but he didn't want to take it to heart.
''Work was good;
Shifting his gaze to his mom, he said;
''Mom, I'll be out for a while. ''
He placed a soft kiss on her cheeks and walked around them;
''Alright dear, don't stay too long. ''
She said with a warm smile as she watched him walk away; when he was out of earshot, she turned to Liam with a stern look;
''I don't like the way you act around him. You don't want him knowing about you, do you?''
She asked raising her brows; Liam shrugged;
''I don't like him calling you mom. And you never told me of this type of arrangement, what if he refuses to let go of the company when it's time?''
''Liam, you worry too much. Howells Corporation is what I want for you, but if you still want Warren, you can still have it, Michael is not a problem, but treat him well for now, he's still very useful. ''
Liam rolled his eyes and he walked towards the stairs;
''Whatever, but I can't guarantee that I would be nice to him. ''
He said walking up the stairs.
Catherine watched her son climb the stairs and to his room and her thoughts drifted back to that day. Everything would have been a lot easier if Nicklaus had died that day. But it was over seventeen years now, and he was a lot tougher and fiercer. He wasn't easy to kill anymore.
But one thing was certain; if she wanted Liam to have Howells Corporation; Nicklaus would have to die. She would have to send him where she sent his family.
She thought as a menacing glint flashed through her eyes.
She was Catherine Wills. And Catherine Wills never lost a fight!
…
What took you so long? ''
Nicklaus asked as Tiana walked into his office with the drink.
''I'm sorry, Mr. Nick…''
''You are always sorry, Tiana, can you ever do anything right?''
He asked a little irritation in his tone; Tiana was dumbfounded, she couldn't even find the words to reply. She just looked down at her feet as she waited for his order.
''Review this file; you can ask Fredrick to help you. '' He said, passing the file across the table. Tiana walked to the table and kept his drink in front of him; then took the file and left the office.
As the door closed shut, Nicklaus head fell limply on the table and he shut his eyes frustratingly.
He was finding it more difficult to explain what was wrong with him as the day passed. Last night. He barely slept because she was there in his thoughts. Now, he just wanted to scream at her although he wasn't even angry.
Her scent was still fresh in his memories; that was the first time he held her so close and he was falling deeper into a hole of what he couldn't understand. Sometimes he felt so angry that he just wanted to squeeze the living life out of her and end it all but just when he set his eyes on her, every piece of anger melts away.
Maybe he was sick; should he see a doctor?
His eyes shone as the thought flickered into his mind. He quickly took out his phone and typed on his browser;
'Psychologists near me'
The page loaded instantly; he saw a list of doctors and he selected the one with the most rating.
Nicklaus couldn't believe he was doing this. That woman was slowly turning him to a pauper without his knowledge. He raced his hand through his hair as he stared at the screen of his phone, contemplating whether to book a meeting with the doctor or not.
He was still contemplating his decision when Tiana pushed open the door without knocking;
''Mr. Nick… Boss, I've finished reviewing the file. ''