"Harvey!" the boss yelled Harvey’s name even louder than before.
This is all getting out of hand. Someone really should close the door or else everyone in the mansion is going to hear. So much for Hayden telling his brother that he will set the stage for him. The boss got up from his seat and marched towards his sons. I winced and didn’t dare watch what would go down between the three men.
"Dad...I came back so..." Harvey said.
"I’m so happy..." the boss said with clear relief.
Huh?
I turned around to see the boss hugging Harvey in a tight embrace. My eyes widened at that unexpected sight. Harvey smiled and hugged is father back. I could feel the love that they shared and the relief of the boss at having his eldest son back. Harvey was back, alive and well. That was probably much better than having his eldest son dead no matter what.
It was a truly unexpected outcome, but it was better this way. Hayden seemed happy about the outcome as well and that made me smile.
"Don’t you think that I will let you off the hook simply because you came back alive. There will be severe punishment for this..." the boss said sternly.
I gulped at how scary he sounded. Harvey seemed to understand and nodded.
"I’m sorry, dad," Harvey apologized straightforwardly.
"Amelia woke up and you came back," the boss said before he heaved a sigh.
"I’m very sorry for my selfishness..." Harvey apologized once again without making any excuses for himself.
The boss headed back and flopped down onto the sofa like he was suddenly exhausted. Harvey and Hayden followed him. Hayden sat back down next to me, and I immediately felt better to have him back by my side. That didn’t end so badly.
"So, you didn’t just come here to tell me that you weren’t actually dead, right?" the boss asked as he glared at his sons.
"You’re right. I’m here to take back Torex," Harvey stated bluntly as he stared directly at his father.
Hayden looked at me and continued smiling. He did not offer me any help at all. What am I supposed to do?
"I don’t know. I’m so sorry..." I replied frankly.
I hadn’t thought about it. Honestly, when I married Hayden, I was prepared to do whatever it took to stand by his side as his wife. It that meant leading Torex, then that was what I was prepared to do. I never thought that there was another alternative. I never thought that a choice like this would present itself.
"I just want to be with Hayden. I am fine with whatever he decides," I replied firmly.
That was my decision.
"So boring..." Harvey spat with clear disgust.
My eyes widened. I had never heard Harvey use that tone of voice before. His eyes narrowed at me before he smirked.
"Tell your husband to rescind his hold on the position of heir and return to wherever he came from. The real heir of Torex is back! We don’t need any imposter anymore!" Harvey spat as his face turned into an intimidating scowl.
That didn’t sound like Harvey at all. Was Harvey normally like this?
"Some of the gang’s managers are used to working with Hayden already. To them, you’re dead and gone. It’s going to be a big change to bring you back," the boss said rationally.
He seemed to have calmed down now and was thinking about the alternatives logically. I always thought that if Harvey came back, the gang would naturally be returned to him, and he would take over. Apparently, things were not that simple at all.
"I am sure that there are managers and members who have trouble accepting Hayden and his weak ways of managing things," Hayden stated confidently.
"That’s true but things have gotten a lot better recently," the boss said as his brows drew into a frown.
Throughout it all, Hayden remained silent like he was waiting for his father and his brother to make their decision. I watched the two men continue to debate with each other while I wondered why the boss couldn’t just let Harvey take over the gang like he originally planned.
"I don’t know if people have lost trust in you while you were thought to be dead or not. How are people supposed to react to the fact that you faked your death and then came back to us as if nothing happened? Not to mention that you probably did it all for a woman!" the boss yelled loudly as his anger crept back up on him and consumed him again.
--To be continued...