Chapter 11 Say Hello
Viola
I was dressed in a pink crop top and skinny jeans and wore a silver chain and earrings as accessories, looking at myself in the mirror earlier I felt like a highschool girl – but a very pretty one. I joined the rest of the family in the dining room shortly and ensured that my greeting was loud enough for everyone to hear but most of them didn’t acknowledge my greeting.
” Are you guys waiting for me?” Mr. Harold said as he entered the dining room and sat at the foremost part of the table and I suspected that his wife, Emelia would be sitting opposite him.
But I actually hadn’t seen her since we got here. I sighed and joined everyone else in waiting for the last two members to join us for breakfast – Kade and Klyde.
In no time Kade came in and sat down beside me, then Klyde followed but he sat opposite me. I don’t know why I did a double take but I just found myself doing a double take to make sure it really was Kade by my side. When I looked at Kade, he seemed tired and exhausted. I wondered why since he seemed to have slept very well last night.
” Can we eat already?” Someone said and the food starting coming in. They were all men dressed in white suits and they placed everyone’s food in front of them. Then the chef said, ” A breakfast meal of ; Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, baked beans, black pudding or white pudding, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, toast, and tea.”
I sighed at how boring the breakfast was I was expecting a “Zillion dollar lobster frittata” worthy kind of meal. Elizabeth walked in as the food was being served and greeted everyone before she sat beside me.
” Good morning Eliza,” I said with a smile and she scoffed, saying ” Guess someone noticed my presence after all”
Few minutes into breakfast, Klyde loudly dropped his spoon and then rolled his eyes at our instant reaction.
” This is boring, put on the TV over there so we can at least see what’s happening around the world.” He said and Hulio came out of nowhere and quickly turned on the plasma TV.
” I don’t know why Emelia fixed a TV in the dining. It’s so annoying and loud.” A plump lady with red hair said and Klyde just glared at her. She was probably his aunt but he obviously didn’t care, he just gestured for Hulio to give him the remote and Hulio did so swiftly.
” Let’s go to business news. Obviously Klade cars will make headlines this week” he said as he changed the station.
” The Harold family has been one of the most successful in the business industry…” A reporter was saying and Klyde smiled.
” Sure we are…” He said with a smirk as he watched.
” But they’ve also been on the news for several reasons – most of them have been very shocking. Today however is going to be the most shocking of all…” The reporter said and everyone looked at me.
” What? I didn’t do anything!” I said innocently but they just scoffed.
” At 9. 03 am today it was announced via the company’s twitter handle that Kade Harold who has worked hand in hand with his twin Klyde Harold in running their family business will be pulling out of the business to start his own automobile engineering company. It is said that he will be making a public appearance later this evening to officially announce this to the press and the question on everyone’s lips is what this would mean for the Harold’s because this year has indeed been the year of shocking news coming from the Harolds.” The reporter said and Klyde turned off the TV.
There was a very deadly silence in the dining room and the only sound heard was the one Kade made as he ate his breakfast. He didn’t even care about the cold glare that he father was giving him or the daggering stares of Klyde.
” Do you want to explain this boy?” Mr Harold said as he got up from his seat and slammed his hand on the table startling most of us.
” Duke calm down, I’m sure the boy has a good reason for this.” An elderly man whom I believed was even older than Mr Harold said, he must’ve been Kade and Klyde’s uncle.
” Shut up Bart! Who the hell are you to tell me what to do about my family? Like you know what it’s like to be a leader!” Mr Harold lashed out at him and the man grunted and squeezed his fist but he didn’t say anything.
” Now Kade, explain what this nonsense means!” Mr Harold demanded and Kade just sat there and said nothing.
” Seriously? You know how dad’s health is right now and you just choose to upset him even more with this absurd news. What is wrong with you Kade?” Klyde asked and that’s what got Kade’s interest.
” You’re talking to me about dad’s health? You?” He asked and Klyde glared at him.
” Look, I have decided to leave the company in your ever so competent hands. What’s so bad about that?” Kade said nonchalantly and his father gripped his glass of water till it shattered.
” You’re a waste of space you fool! How dare you throw away the privilege I gave you as CEO of this company? You think you’re so smart and have everything planned out, isn’t it?” His father said in a surprisingly calm tone and it reminded me of the moment Kade found out I cheated on him. This was the exact way he squeezed the wine glass till it shattered and then he confronted me about it without raising his voice at all – that was so scary. Kade was very much like his father in that aspect.
” I don’t know why you’re mad. Isn’t this whole trip a ruse to get us to have a little fun right before you announce who you think is fit to run this company? You should be thankful that I’m doing the choosing for you.” Kade said with a smirk and everyone stared at him in surprise while we waited to see what his father would do.
Instead of raising his voice at Kade, his father just chuckled, sat down and continued eating his food. We all looked at each other, Elizabeth was beyond dumbfounded when I looked at her.
” You want to leave the company? It’s fine. You can leave, you can do whatever you want. I won’t stop you.” Mr Harold said and I blinked because I couldn’t comprehend this whole conversation. Didn’t he just seem like he was angry that Kade was leaving the company? Now he is suddenly okay with it?
” Sir” a lady said as she tended to Mr Harold’s wounded palm. The man nonchalantly just kept eating with his left hand while she treated his cuts.
” What are you doing Kade?” Elizabeth whispered to him but he didn’t answer her.
” That’s unfair father, he’s just going to leave everything to me?” Klyde protested but his father said nothing either.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
” Isn’t this what you wanted though?” A red headed young woman asked. She looked like she was the daughter of the woman who commented on how she hated the TV being in the dining room.
” You’ve always been obsessed with having whatever Kade wants. That’s why you came to my room last night to tell me to support you if your father made us choose between you and your brother for the CEO title.” She declared and Klyde’s eyes widened for a split second before he masked it with a forced laughter.
” What the hell are you-”
” – Don’t deny it Klyde. It’s why you slept with your brother’s girlfriend when you were teens – because you wouldn’t let your brother have what he loves in peace. It’s why you studied engineering because you knew that was the only way you could get the company from your brother – who by the way was always interested in the company from the start. Now he doesn’t want to be part of the company anymore and you suddenly don’t want to be the sole CEO anymore? You’re pathetic!” She said with a wicked grin and he stared daggers at her.
” It’s the same reason why you are so happy to be marrying this poor-poor woman over here,” she said pointing at me.
“You probably still think that he might still give a damn about her so you won’t take any chances at letting your brother have what he wants. I bet if your father left you you would gladly pull out of the company too just so you can compete against your brother. You’re so predictable!” She said and tucked her hair behind her ear.
” I never came here for peace anyway. I’ve always hated all of you – especially you uncle Duke. Because you’re all selfish and disgusting, I just wanted to confirm if you lot had changed over these years but… I suppose not. If you’ll excuse me I have better things to do. ” She said and got up from her seat before walking out on us.
” Cherry!” Her mom called after her.
” Mom you better leave too cause you’re never getting shit out of this meeting!” She yelled back while she walked away.
” I’m so sorry Duke, your niece is just -”
“-saying the truth. She’s smart enough to tell what’s going on in this family even if I pushed you all away for years. It’s nothing to apologise for.” Mr Harold said with a smirk and Klyde frowned.
” You’re not mad that she just insulted us? You’re seriously letting her get away with that?” Klyde asked and his father looked at him.
” I wouldn’t have to if she was wrong about your obsession with coveting everything your brother wants. Besides if you had any brains to lead the company I wouldn’t give a fuck about Kade leaving.” His father said icily and Klyde covered his face with his palm. He only did that when he was enraged and nothing good ever came out of him being that way.
” What the hell do you want from me old man huh? I never wanted to study Engineering – you made do it. Everything I’ve done was because of you! Instead of you to appreciate the fact that I go out of my way to do what I don’t love – just to please you, all you do is choose this clone over me!” Klyde said and that did it for Kade.
” Who the fuck are you calling a clone? You think you’re the one who was meant to exist while I was a mistake? Fuck! If you were dad’s only son he would’ve died by now!”
Mr Harold just watched them fight while a very dangerous smile lurked on his face. They continued hurling insults at each other until Klyde grabbed Kade by his collar threatening to end him there and then with just one blow making Kade laugh at him.
” Both of you stop!” Elizabeth yelled and they both glared at her before their eyes drifted off to the dining entrance and Klyde released Kade without hesitation.
I wondered what made them suddenly behave themselves so I looked in the direction everyone’s eyes was at and gasped when I saw Emelia standing there with a frown on her face.
” I leave you two alone for one second and you’re already embarrassing your father and I?” She said irritatedly as she raised a brow of them.
This was odd. Sure they feared their mother but it was only when she threatened them in ways they could never imagine. Not because she was standing there watching them fight, that’s not something new to her.
So why did they stop fighting immediately they saw her, I wondered. I got my answer when I saw a tiny hand holding onto Emelia’s gown, then little by little a girl with Ebony hair and sharp blue eyes peeked at us from behind Emelia, followed by two other boys who took the bold step to stand beside Emelia.
” My children!” Was all I could whisper when I saw them.
My heart beat raced when the three of them stood in front of Emelia and looked at the floor, they were so beautiful… but they looked sad.
” Well children, this is your new family. Say hello,” Emelia said to them and when they said, ” Good morning” in unison I felt tears gather in my eyes.