As the rain patted softly on the window pane, Declan watched the city from his small apartment. The landscape of the city in the early hours of the morning always hit him with a whiff of nostalgia.His mind wandered like it always did these past few days. He was coming to a full realization that he was suddenly turning into a full-grown man with nothing to show for it.Life had done him a lot. Growing up was not very easy for him. He had not learned to speak properly as a child, and thus, he was not considered fit to be at the forefront of the family business.Daniel, his younger brother, was the trophy child that everyone applauded, thus Lord Rowland, his grandfather, thought him fit to handle the family's business despite being the younger one.Things took a drastic turn after his parents passed in a ghastly accident. The coldness that came with their death seemed to dry up every ounce of love that he could ever receive.Lord Rowland no longer regarded him as a vital part of the fam

Lord Rowland was red with rage as he flashed Declan, who was confused, a deadly look."Take him out of here", he commanded. Two pairs of strong arms grabbed Declan immediately. He was scared to the bone."And I don't want to ever see you anywhere near this household, or the company", he said as they took him out.Declan insisted that he would speak up on this matter. Even though he was an adopted child, accepted by his father into the family, there was no way it was his fault.A tear slipped from his eyes, and another followed until he was sobbing like a child.Reminiscing on how much he had endured, he thought this marriage would land him a place in his family, then this happened.At this moment, more than he ever desired in the past, he wished his father was alive, the only man that was always solidly behind him."Please grandpa, hear me out just this once", his stuttering was worse because he was not just angry, but he was also scared of how his life would turn out after this.He w

Declan stood facing the glass walls in his new office. Numerous thoughts rummaged through his mind. He could not stop thinking about how far he had come.He was grateful for all that he had achieved. Just last week, his name appeared on the Forbes list as one of the most successful businessmen.This was something he could not think of three years ago. Despite his speech defect and his inferiority complex, he had managed to scale up the financial ladder, and amass so much attention.Everyone wanted to be friends with him, and every girl wanted to date him, but he was not like Daniel."Hey Declan", a familiar voice called behind him, startling him. He had not heard the door open. He turned around immediately and Patricia stood before him.She looked ravishing as ever in her black suit and red colored coat. He flashed her a smile which she did not return."I did not hear you come in", he said pointing to the seat before him, motioning her to sit. Patricia looked disgusted with his speech

Declan exited the company building just in the nick of time. He had a 4 pm appointment with Lord Rowland, and he did not want to be late.Mondays were usually hectic and today was not an exception. He had a couple of meetings with some investors, with whom he wanted to do business.He had started his project to reestablish the company and everything was going well so far. Daniel had not shown up to work for days, but that was the least of his worries.The only thing on his mind as he entered his vehicle was what Lord Rowland wanted to discuss with him. The old man had fallen I'll some weeks ago and was taken to the hospital where he was duly cared for with the company's funds.Declan had made sure of that. Thinking about it, he had no reason to be angry with his grandfather. Daniel had been the root cause of everything that had happened, and Lord Rowland had acted out of ignorance of what was not.Declan scrunched his face as the familiar antiseptic smell of the hospital hit him. He w

Declan did not see Hannah throughout the following week. They only talked over the phone and he always looked forward to doing so after a long day at work.He always had time for her. He would send her flowers and food at work. He was falling in love with her and he liked that she loved him back.Daniel finally showed up at the office on a Thursday morning. He was not in the best of moods and scolded every staff that worked with him that day."I'm still the boss around here you know", he would say repeatedly, like he was not sure any longer of his place in the office.He knew the gossip had started. People were slowly losing respect for him and he saw it. He was vexed for Declan and had not yet concluded how to deal with him just yet.Declan on his side had sworn that he would not let Daniel go unpunished. He would begin with the house, the family's villa.Every year, the whole family gathered there to celebrate the success of the family business and plan for a better future.Business