Lurking in the shadows

With silent anticipation Jenny waited for Jason to continue this heart wrenching story, that he was telling as if he was reading something from the paper. With a calm and clear voice, he continued "I was only seven years old when my father was handed the reigns from my grandfather. The family thought that I would be the most logical one to follow him up. They were afraid that my father would be as corrupted as they were and would disregard the family rules, to have his son become the successor of the family empire. So, those vultures decided to "level" the playing field and did all kinds of despicable things to me, who was just an infant back then. Locking me up without food or water in a dark room for days, in hopes of traumatising me or scaring me into obeying them. Having people kidnap me right before important meetings or tests in hopes of gaining a chance to overtake my father or have me drop a few places so that their child could shine. Throwing me in the pool, when I didn't know how to swim yet. Nothing was a step too far for these people." A short silence followed these words, before Jason opened his eyes. He looked straight ahead as he told the remainder of his story.

"I only found out recently that these things had happened despite my parents trying to protect and shield me. The harsh treatment I faced under their care, had actually been training for me to grow stronger faster, so that I would be able to fend for myself against their attacks when they weren't around to protect me. Their days away, where they left me in that big house by myself, were all so that they could grow stronger themselves and be able to protect me. The troubles that pulled them away from the house, were caused by them creating trouble where there shouldn't be any. Lucky for me, my parents would punish those that had harmed me from the shadows, making many of them back off. Surrounding me by guards, that would protect me from a distance so that I wouldn't get worried or feel afraid. Still, sometimes I wonder. If it weren't for me growing up faster than normal kids, me being forced to face the cruel side of human kind at a young age, if it weren't for my distrust towards people, would I still be alive today with those kinds of people around me? It certainly wouldn't have been difficult to poison me with my gullibility from back then."

Jason turned to face Jenny, who was fighting to hold back her tears contrast to the gentle smile that was on his, for what he was about to say next. "So, when I became old enough to make my own decisions and became able enough to fend for myself, I chose to not interact with them. Instead I decided to make their fears, that what they had punished me for time and time again, come true. Directly and indirectly they caused me to become the person I am today and made me aim to become the next successor. Creating trouble outside, while working hard inside, leaving them in the dark of my true intentions. If they had left me and my parents alone, who knows if I would have actually shown an interest to inherit Westwood international. Instead they poked me and poked me until a fire in me was lit and I became determined to take away everything they wanted. These days they don't dare to touch me anymore, I have punished those that have tried enough for that and so have my parents. They also know that if I do end up inheriting it all, they need me. I will have their fates and wallets in my hands, so they can't show me too much of their true colours." Jason said with a grin on his face. "Instead they smile in my face, while lurking in the shadows. Waiting for me to mess up. Waiting to pounce on me. People like that, I don't consider family."

Jenny felt shivers hearing Jason's story and was at a loss for words. As if being possessed, her body got up on its own and she stood on the seats with her knees. She put her arms around Jason's head and pressed it to her chest to give him a tight hug, while trying to brush away the tears she felt pouring down from her stinging eyes. She knew he didn't have the greatest childhood in terms of trust and feeling safe around a lot of people in his world, but she didn't know these people included his own family. She never imagined him to have gone through all of that. She had heard that the world of the rich was a very dangerous and dark world. It contained a lot more than the glitz and glam they showed to the outside world. Those were merely a distraction of the horrible things that actually took place. Who would try to kill an innocent child, their own family, for money? Especially when they weren't short of anything and had everything they could possibly want. They had turned a loving child into someone who distrusted even his own parents and made his heart grow cold and look for revenge.

When the first tear landed on his head, Jason opened his eyes to look up and saw the mess that Jenny's face had become. "Why are you crying silly? Are you trying to comfort me or do I have to comfort you?" Jenny laughed through her tears at his remark and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "Just let me hug you like this for a while".