Chapter 3

The Auto repair shop at Carnaby street was having a bad business day, there was barely any new car brought in for repair and they were almost done with the repair of the cars that had been brought in before

The owner of the repair shop had already left leaving his two workers, Vincent and Nathan

"I am damn tired of this life man" Vincent said stopping his work on a car and sitting on the chair

"We work so hard each day yet we are paid so little" Vincent said

"If you are so tired of this job, you can always quit you know" Nathan pointed out as he continued to work on the car assigned to him

"I would've quitted this job long ago if I had your facial features and built" Vincent said

"What connection does you quitting have with my facial features?" Nathan asked

"You know I have a friend working at a sperm bank in one of the big hospitals here in London, she told me that most wealthy ladies that comes for insemination always have a specific requirement of the sperm donor and they are willing to pay any amount to get what they want so now the sperm bank is looking for a tall young man with rare facial features and I think those green eyes of yours could fetch a fortune, you get a plus if you are intelligent and smart too and I think you fit all those qualities perfectly" Vincent said

"Well thank you for thinking me smart and intelligent" Nathan said

"Would you not like to try it out? I heard you can be paid as much as fifteen thousand pounds as long as you possess all the qualities they are looking for" Vincent said

"Thank you for the offer Vincent but I'm not interested" Nathan stated

"Of course, you do not care about money, you only care about Julia" Vincent said

A phone suddenly began to ring on top of one of the cars and Nathan slid out from the car he was working on

Nathan saw who the caller was and his lips curved into a smile

"Julia" he called

"And there goes our lover boy" Vincent said as Nathan received his call

Whatever Julia said to Nathan on the phone was definitely something along the lines of very bad as the smile suddenly disappeared from Nathan's face and he ran out of the shop

"Where are you going Nathan?!" Vincent yelled but Nathan had already climbed on his bike and he drove as fast as he could to a medical center

He ran into the hospital to the reception

"A young lady, her name is Julia Robert, she was brought in not too long ago" Nathan asked

"Oh Julia Robert? She has been transferred to bed 10 of the intensive care unit" the nurse said and Nathan ran to where the intensive care unit is

"Julia!" Nathan called on seeing her

"Sshhh Nathan, there are other patients here" Julia said quietly

"You lost consciousness again?" Nathan asked as he sat beside her

"Yes, a passerby had called the ambulance for me" Julia said

"What did the doctor say? It's the cancer isn't it?" Nathan enquired and Julia nodded

"The doctor said it has spread all over my ovaries and if I don't get surgery soon, the cancer will advanced to stage four where it will spread throughout my other organs and it will become terminal" Julia said

"No, we can't afford to let that happen" Nathan said shaking his head

"Do we have an option? We have no money and the surgery costs fifteen thousand pounds" Julia pointed out and Vincent's words flashed in Nathan's memory

...."Would you not like to try it out? I heard you can be paid as much as fifteen thousand pounds as long as you possess all the qualities they are looking for"....

"What are you thinking about?" Julia asked as he noticed Nathan was suddenly lost in his thoughts

"I'm going to get you the fifteen thousand pounds for the surgery, just stay here" Nathan said as he stood up and dashed out of the hospital...

Meanwhile the Grangers Mansion...

"Enough!!" James gruff voice echoed throughout the living room as he walked in with their father

Blaire immediately sat down on an empty sofa leaving a large sofa that faced them all where their father sat and James stood beside him

"Shall I?" James asked their father and he nodded

James cleared his throat facing everyone and he began

"Tuesday last week, the Chairman lost consciousness at the office and he was rushed to the hospital, the doctor's diagnosis was that the Chairman's Alzheimer's disease has progressed to stage five where he...."

"Father has Alzheimer's disease?" Liam asked surprised as Blaire was too

She knew her father might be sick but she never knew it was Alzheimer's nor did she know it has progressed as far as stage five

"How would you know Liam, while you were at Scotland living lavishly off father's hard work and having fun along with your mother, Linda and I were the only ones that stayed back in London and continued to check frequently on father" Ryan said

"So you knew about his illness?" Jessica, Liam's Mom asked

"Of course Ryan did, he is the eldest child after all" Linda said

"Are you sure he stayed back in London to take care of father or because he was trying to earn father's favour so that the companies would all be transferred to him when father's health declines" Blaire stated

Ryan wanted to reply Blaire but Linda held him back

"Not everyone is as materialistic as you are Blaire, how disrespectful of you to speak about father's health declining right in front of him, father is going to beat Alzheimer's disease and live very long" Linda said

"Beat Alzheimer's disease? It is an incurable disease you know" Jessica said

"So are you saying you wish my father death?!" Ryan asked angrily

"She was just stating a fact you obviously don't know or pretending to not know" Blaire stated

"You...."

"Silence!!" James yelled again and everyone stopped talking for a moment

"You see I've being noticing your rude tone of speaking since you walked in James, you are only but our father's personal assistant remember?" Liam said

"He is my shadow and every word he says is coming from me" The Chairman said finally speaking for the first time since he came in and he motioned for James to continue

"Being in stage five Alzheimer's means that the Chairman will begin to experience memory loss, confusion, forgetfulness and reduced mental activity so he has been advised by the doctor to reduce his working hours to minimal. We all know the Chairman has flocks of companies under his command and reducing his working hours brings up the need for a new person to manage his business" James said

"I'll be more than willing to help out in running father's companies to ease his burden, it is my responsibility as the eldest son after all" Ryan said

"Unfortunately, the criteria for being the Chairman's successor doesn't involve your position in the family" James uttered

"What?! So I won't be chosen as his successor?" Ryan exclaimed

"Obviously, a thick head like you knows nothing about running all of father's companies, I majored in business administration in college, father's perfect successor here is me" Liam said

"Are you sure about that Liam? You might have studied business administration in college but the only thing you really know how to do is taking off a woman's panties" Blaire said

"You run your mouth as always Blaire but we both know father will never pick you as his successor, you as weak as any typical lady is" Liam said

"Is it not a shame to you then? This typical weak lady has a successful business but you do not, if father doesn't choose me as his successor then it's his loss, handing the company to anyone of you two will be his life's greatest mistake" Blaire said and the Chairman cleared his throat bringing silence to the room once again

James made to speak but the Chairman motioned for him to stop

"I'll take it from here James" the Chairman said and then faced his three children

"I do not care about any kind qualification when choosing my successor, being a child of mine already gives you any qualification you'll ever need" the Chairman said and Liam brought out his tongue at Blaire and she scoffed

"I am well aware that none of you really cares about me nor my health, you are all just greedy for my companies and that's a trait you all inherited from me so I am least offended by it but since I am slowly dying, I have a wish I'd like you all to grant, until the day I die, I want you all to move back and live in this house together once again"

"What?! You want to revive this hell?!" Blaire exclaimed standing up

"Be courteous Blaire, father is sick so we'll gladly grant him this wish" Ryan said

"Maybe you might but unlike you, I have a blooming business to run in New York and I cannot stay here" Blaire stated

"Then you may leave, as long as you know you'll be forfeiting your chance at inheriting my companies" the Chairman said and Blaire slowly sat back down

"Why are you sitting down? You obviously have a business to run in New York so leave, you are not needed here" Jessica said to Blaire

"I know you want me gone so your son will have an easy way at being father's successor but I am a fighter and I can't let you get what you want so easily so I'll be staying here and I'll be managing my business from here" Blaire retorted

"Every word that comes out your mouths always seems to be all about my company so I've come to a decision, a decision made at keeping the Granger family line going" the Chairman paused and looked at everyone who was waiting to hear his decision with keen attention

"Whoever gives me a grandchild first shall inherit all of my companies" the Chairman stated and Ryan sprang up angrily

"What do you mean father? How is that a criteria for choosing your successor?!" Ryan asked

"Why do you look so angry Ryan, are you unable to give birth to a child?" Liam asked with a smile and Blaire suddenly burst into a laughter

She never expected her father to say something like this but if this was father's way of choosing his successor, then she knew she must win, at all cost, at any cost

"Is something funny Blaire?" Linda asked

"Oh yes Linda, this is quite funny, considering the fact that I found out I was pregnant just yesterday and now father wants to hand the company over to whoever gives him a grandchild first? Is this not a sign that I am fated to be his successor?" Blaire said with a smile

"That's impossible! You aren't pregnant! You are still single" Ryan said

"You only made that up because of what father just said" Liam uttered

"Well you two can believe whatever you want, the truth remains what it is, I am pregnant" Blaire stated

"If you aren't lying then who is the father of your child? Freddie?" Ryan asked

"Eeww, no" Blaire said quickly before she could stop herself

"Then who is the father?" The Chairman asked

"My boyfriend, he.... He lives in New York with me" Blaire answered

"Well I won't let you thread on the same path I threaded, bring him to me, you two must get married" the Chairman said

"What?!!" Blaire exclaimed

"You heard me right Blaire, bring over the father of your child and get married to him, only then will I hand over the companies to you upon the birth of your child" the Chairman stated....