Henry

Who ever knew betrayal could hurt this bad? As if one belly had been sliced open in a knife fight. As if one face had been pushed upon a bowl of poison powder.

Who knew betrayal could hurt this bad?

I was still at home, not having the zeal to resume work at the usual time. Shock was still pumping in my system since Will had broken the news to me last night and the mental capacity to go to work was not there at all.

My phone rang in the pocket of my pajamas, interrupting me from my troubling thoughts and intensifying my headache from last night that had been ravaging. my head more since I heard what shook me down to my toes.

I checked the caller ID. It was Will.

"Hello." I said immediately I picked the call.

"You are not at the office. Is it because of the issue?"

I didn't answer that because I was sure it was obvious. " Is the private investigator with you?"

"Yes, Mr Logan is here with me like you instructed."

"Good. Put him on the phone."

"Alright."

There was a grief silence before I heard a crisp voice say, "Hello."

"Hello, Mr Logan." I went straight to what had been bothering me since last night. "Are you sure of your reports? The person who you say is the culprit is no small person. This is no light issue."

"I understand the gravity of the situation and that is why I took more than enough time to carefully analyse the situation. I checked out all the personal info of the employees that you gave me even though when you briefed me on the case, I already had my suspect. As well as all the executives. So yes, Mr Henry, I was nothing but thorough."

"My God." I said in a whisper. This was really true. One of the people I trusted in this world was nothing but a thief.

It was something I could not understand.

"What are you going to do, Mr Logan?"

"Still thinking. Thank you for your time and effort. Will will give you your payment at the office. Have a lovely day."

"You too."

I ended the call and began to pace to and fro the length of my bedroom, as my head raced with plans.

I called the company lawyer who doubled as the family lawyer, Mr Taylor. In all this, the fifty years old veteran lawyer should be briefed as soon as possible and then tell me if all my plans to erase the thief from the company could work.

He picked on the second dial. "Hello, you are not at the office. A work trip?"

"No, I am at home. Good morning."

I could detect the surprise in his voice as he said, "You sick or something?"

I didn't answer, instead I went straight to the reason I called him. "Can you come to my home?"

"What? There is work at the office. That libel case is yet to be—"

"This is more important." I cut in.

"Hmm. Your personal home or your family home? Is your mother aware of this very important work that is a mystery?"

That made me wonder what my mum would think if she gets to hear this shocking news. "No. She doesn't. And you are coming to my personal home."

And because he has been my father's lawyer right from when I was a small boy, I added, "Please. I would not tell you to do this if it was not important."

I heard him sigh over the phone. "Alright. You will see me there in about thirty minutes."

"Thank you."

I ended the call and resumed my pacing.

This was going to change many things not just for the company but for me as well.

It was funny how a single call could change so many things.

My phone rang again as I decided to go wash my face and brush my teeth before Mr Taylor would arrive.

I checked the caller ID and swore lightly, placing one elbow on the sink. It was my mother. She must have known that I was not at the office and so was calling in. I could not afford to deal with her right now. Shit.

"Hello, mum." I said as I picked the call.

"Where are you?" My mum's voice was crisp.

"It's the weekend, mum. Perhaps, I took a break from work and went chilling with my girlfriend."

"And I can fly." My mum replied, her voice holding no single drop of emotion as she spoke. Mrs Thorn was that woman who was referred to as a human robot. She was the epitome of passivity and being angry or happy were emotions foreign to her.

"Maybe you can." Normally, this was a line that would have elicited a chuckle from any other person but no, not my mum. She would never laugh. I was so used to her being like that that I had stopped asking questions.

"Why are you not in the office? I came to check up on the staff and tasks in the Human resources department and I came across Wiil while going in. He said you were not at the office. That is a first."

"Yes. Although I don't know why you should bother, mum."

"I would not talk to you if you desire to be petty. Use your smart tongue as you like but not to me. I refuse that, Henry." My mother replied tersely.

I rubbed my forehead tiredly. I should not be looking for a fight at this time, instead looking for every possible ally to form an impregnable force against the enemy in the company is what I should be doing.

"I am sorry." I muttered.

She didn't reply. I was not surprised by that. I would have been surprised if she had said something to show that she actually cared.

"Do you mind stopping by my home from the company as you come from work, perhaps as soon as you can. I will tell you why I didn't come to the office."

"Alright I will do that. I am coming out immediately." My mother said.

"Alright." I said and heard the call beeped to show that she had ended it.

I washed my face in the sink and made coffee.

I was in the sitting room sipping the last of the coffee when I heard the sounds of the cars arriving downstairs.

###CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"What?" Mr Taylor stood up to look at me, surprise written all over his face after he heard me speak. Even though he was in his fifties, he was a very physically fit man who never took gyming or eating healthily for granted. His six foot length did not contain one single ounce of fat—all was muscle. His hair was graying at the temples around his mouth but that only made him look more dignified. Growing old looked good on him.

"Is this the reason why you called us both from work on something we have already discussed?" My mum's voice dripped of incredulity as she sat down in the sofa opposite me. That was the first time in a long time I have seen her being that emotional. She looked gorgeous dressed in her flowered long gown that was studded with small diamonds and her black hair fell down to her waist. She was approaching fifty but didn't look a day over thirty five. It was shocking every time I looked at her how her lack of emotions never hampered her looks.

I simply looked at them as they spoke. It was a surprise I was calm at the surface when my insides were toiling.

"There is a thief in the company, mum." I said, cutting her tirade shut.

She looked at him, her mouth open in shock. Mr Taylor's expression was similar.

"What are you talking about?" My mum asked, her voice lowered by disbelief. "What thief?"

"Someone is stealing from us. One of us in the company. So far the person has stolen five hundred thousand dollars."

"Five hundred dollars?" This was from Mr Taylor. "Jesus Christ."

"What the hell are you saying? Who would dare do such to the company?" This was from my mother?

I looked at them both as I said calmly. "Me Michael Michaelson."

There was stunned silence for a full minute as both of them looked at me, trying to assimilate what they had just heard me speak.

"You gotta be kidding.'" My mum said.

"This is unbelievable." Mr Taylor said at the same time she spoke.

"Yeah that is the truth. Will noticed some discrepancy in some account statement on Monday and called my attention to it. With the help of the accountants, we saw that there have been several like that tracing back to close a year. In total, five hundred and fifty two thousand has been missing from the company account. I hired a private investigator to help me find who was the damned thief stealing from the company. Yesterday night, the private investigator, Mr Logan gave me his findings. I was very shocked as well to hear that my father's best friend, who is now part owner of the company my father poured himself into, is nothing but a thief."

"Wow. This is incredible." Me Taylor said, rubbing his moustache in wonder.

"Henry, do you have evidence? This is no ordinary accusation." My mum stated.

"Yeah. Of course I do. They are at the office."

"This is why you sought full ownership!" Me Taylor said as he sat back in his sofa while he still looked at me.

"Yes." I answered. When they had come in, that was the first thing I had first announced to them.

They looked at me in shock.

The shock had still not cleared from their faces even after knowing why.

"Look at it," I said, clearing my voice to speak distinctly. " I have to be the full owner of the company for me to be able to take legal actions against Mr Michael and make him pay for the betrayal and stealing. I am sure my father would want that too."

I looked at my mum for her reply.

"Hmm. We will have to wait for Mr Taylor's reply, Henry. He is the legal expert here."

My lips twisted bitterly. Trust my mum to never take a side even when the issue concerns her the most. Trust her to always remain on the fence. Her late husband's best friend, the one he had trusted the most, was stealing from the company and this was what she had to say.

I didn't say what I thought of her absurd reply and instead cast my gaze at Mr Taylor whose pensive thoughts were written all over his face.

"Well, what do you say?" I asked after he didn't say anything for long.

"You still can not have full ownership of Thorn Corporations and don't ask why because you know." Mr Taylor said, looking at me.

I stared at him in appalled shock and willed my anger to not rise yet. "But this is different. Surely, now that we know that Mr Michaelson is nothing but a thief, he is going to relinquish his own ownership rights,, isn't it?

Me Taylor shook his head sadly. " If a clause to make that possible was included in the will, then yes. But you see, your Dad trusted his best friend, Mr Michael Michaelson so much that he was blinded to his faults and so did not for once fathom that he would stoop so low to steal from Thorn corporations."

I was becoming more angry with every word he spoke.

"Damn it. Surely that cannot be. You cannot mean to tell me that the only way to put Mr Michael ass in jail and take ownership rights from him is if I marry."

"I read everything in the will fit you, your mother and Mr Muchael. He knows everything as well. So you can no take any other route of taking the ownership rights other than the route of you marrying. Your father made it so."

My mother was not saying anything though it all. She just kept looking from my face to Mr Taylor's face and back again to mine as we spoke. Has there even been any need to invite her here?

I stood up to look through the window. The top to ceiling window provided an expanse view of the hilly Trenton with all the houses separated by their suburbs. While here, I could see everything within ten miles from three sides and it was always a delight doing so.

###CHAPTER SIXTEEN

After gazing my fill which helped to calm my angry thoughts, I turned back to them to say, " My father hardly made mistakes. He calculated thoroughly. That is what made him to be one of the biggest entrepreneurs in not just Trenton but also in New Jersey but in his will, he made a fatal mistake, didn't he?"

"Perhaps."

I swiftly turned my full gaze at my mum in surprise. I didn't expect her to speak.

"Perhaps?" I asked, my voice choked with all manner of emotions—sadness, rage and shock most prominent.

"Yes. You are now twenty seven and show signs of getting a girlfriend not to talk of getting married. This is something highly abnormal. You think your father who cared so much for you was not alarmed?"

"But Mr Michael—"

"Like you said, your father is a highly calculating man who hardly makes mistakes. He also was Mr Michael's best friend and so knew him so well."

I was now very confused. Mr Taylor showed he was very puzzled by what my mum was saying.

"Mum, what are you saying? I don't get the line of your thoughts."

She didn't say anything. Rather she looked at me with her black eyes for long until it finally dawned on me. The realization made my hair stand on end.

"My God! So you think my father knew his friend would actually steal from the company and thus force my hand to do what he desires."

"Your father thinks you are gay. He died with that knowledge. So of course he made those drastic decisions to make sure you do the right thing that would make him proud of you even in death—"

"Wait, Mrs Thorn." Mr Taylor said, interrupting her as she spoke. "You mean that Mr Thomas Thorn knew his best friend, the one he seemed to trust the most besides his family to be a thief?"

"Like Henry said, Thomas Thorne hardly misses anything. He hardly makes mistakes."

"Wow. The whole revelations of today are mind blowing. First, I get to know that Mr Michael is a scumbag. Now, I am knowing as well that Mr Thonas knew that his friend was a scumbag. Wow indeed."

I inhaled and exhaled. It all boiled down to the decisions I would take.

It felt as if my Daddy was playing a game with me even from his grave. I resented it deeply but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

It was tiresome.

Mr Taylor glanced at his watch abruptly and stood up. "I have an appointment by one pm. I am already running late. I have said everything that needs to be said. You just need to choose the path that suits you the most.

Bulshit, I thought, eyeing him. As if it was that easy.

He nodded towards my mum in farewell.

Then to me, " See you on Monday."

"My regards to the family." I said tersely and watched him leave.

I turner towards my mum and said, "How did you know?"

She looked at me with a blank expression as she answered, "I am surprised you could not figure it out on your own seeing how you adored, respected and observed your father. My husband with his ways…after twenty seven years of knowing him, I could see through this situation as one he had orchestrated cleverly before he died."

"Jesus Christ." I muttered, raking my hair with my fingers on am attempt to think. "But they were close friends, weren't they? Or was it a lie or plan by him also?"

"No. They were truly close friends. Michael and Thomas were friends from College. They understood themselves in the way no one else did. And they helped each other hid their dirty linen. I guess Thomas, your father used his best friend dirty linen to his advantage."

"Hmm. Maybe." I said.

That made my mum to raise one perfectly arched eyebrow. "So you would watch your father sweat and hard work of many years go down the drain because you refused to find love?"

She got me there. I had not only be devoted to my father but also to his company ever since I was a boy. I had no other dream than to see the company grow to its full potential. I had gone to the university to study business management solely to achieve that dream. I related well with the staff in all the restaurants in Trenton that formed Thorn Corporations. I enjoyed serving them as their leader as we worked together to bring maximum satisfaction to customers all over Trenton through our excellent food services.

I enjoyed how we—from the executives to the bell men— have worked our asses off to become a household name when culinary dishes of all varieties are thought of.

I didn't care I was not the full owner of Thorn Corporations at least before the revelation but I enjoy working for it.

In fact, in summary, I breathe in and out Thorn Corporation.

My father knew this and had skillfully used it against me.

I had looked outside the mansion through the window and was so occupied with thoughts that I didn't hear my mum stood up until she spoke, "No matter what he did, he met well for you. You cannot possibly imagine the agony he went through all these years thinking that his only child did not like women…that his cherished son was gay."

"I am not gay. You know that."

"That is because I stumbled upon you masturbating to lesbian porn three months after your Dad died."

"Oh mum." I cringed in embarrassment. "Must you say that out loud?"

"To you, it was one embarrassing moment that day. To me, it was actually a relief. If your Dad had been the one to stumble upon you, you would not have found yourself in this mess. If your dad was alive…" Her voice broke and could not continue.

I looked at her in surprise. Her face for the first time in a long time showed emotions that had not been there even when my father had died or even when he was being buried.

"My God, you miss him. You do miss him." I said in an astonished voice.