“What did you say?” He asked to be sure, the man who killed his family was his father in law to be? Was this a joke or something?

Aiden raked his hand through his hair, this was the longest time he had spent with Alex. The man was always busy with work and never smiled, now he was like his personal assistant telling him everything he wanted to know. He felt like he was going crazy.

“Are you sure you didn’t take a drug or something? How the hell don’t you remember anything?”

“Is Gerald my father in law to be?” Alex questioned again, deep within his mind he was hoping that it was a lie. How would he face him? The man that massacred his own family and him inclusive ten years ago.

“Yes Alex, he is”

Alex was stunned, he didn’t know what to say or how to feel.

Was fate trying to play a fast one on him? How did everything become like this? How did Gerald become this close to him?

“Are you sure?”

“I was at your engagement man” Aiden answered, he felt like giving Alex a kick to the groin and have him regain his memory back.

Without saying anything again, Alex went towards his car and leaned on it while closing his eyes. Everything was beginning to make perfect sense now. It seemed fate gave him another chance to deal with the man who cut his life and that of his family short.

But If he was here, where was the real Alexander chase? What happened in the last ten years and how did he become Alex today?

He still wanted answers to his questions and only one person could answer all of his questions.

“Shall we leave?”

This time Aiden was standing directly in front of him and he had his hands inside his pants pocket. He was visibly tired from the day's job and Alex could see it. Perhaps he had to go home and talk to his nanny; she knew everything about him.

“Why don’t I drop you off?”

“Finally” Aiden replied and quickly boarded the car.Taking one last glance at the car, Alex boarded it and zoomed out of the neighborhood.

****

Esmeralda was just coming out of the kitchen when Alex sauntered into the house and the moment he saw her, he went over to her with fast strides.

“What happened now Alex?” She asked him, “you still don’t know anything about yourself?”

“Perhaps if you tell me everything about me, I might just remember”

The woman didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, the Alex she knew would never even come close to the kitchen.

“Now what should I tell you?” She held onto his hand and led him to a sofa, Alex used that opportunity to study the living room, his pictures were hung everywhere.

“Why don’t you start with who I am?”

Esmeralda sighed and cleared her throat before talking,

“My dear, I have been your nanny right from the day you were born into this world and I carried you like my baby. When you were fifteen years old, you lost your Parents in a plane crash and that was when you changed completely. He shut everyone out of your life and you even developed selective amnesia due to the effect of the trauma. We took you to different places until we found Aiden’s family and his father was your doctor until Aiden took over from you”

“What about my business?” He was really curious, he wanted to know what happened to the man who occupied the body before.

“Right after your parents died, you said you didn’t want anything to do with their business even if it was not too big a business. Your parents dealt in chemicals, I had to force you until you decided to take over their small business which has grown into this big conglomerate of yours Alex. All by yourself, you made your name”

Finally he was getting a wave of his life, he was getting to know who this Alexander chase was all about.

“How did this Gerald come into the picture?”

“Gerald is an age long friend of your father and you decided to get married to his daughter because your father always wanted that and business too was involved. Gerald needs your help boast his fame in the international market”

Alex sighed and leaned on the chair,this was too much information for him to process. He was fifteen year old Jayden inside the body of the man whose father was also Gerald’s friend? This was more complicated than he thought.

“I have a chauffeur right?”

“Yes”

“Have him report here as early as seven tomorrow, I will be going to the office”

“But you are not fine” Esmeralda tried to dissuade him but he already made up his mind. He wanted to be sure if the Gerald they were talking about was the same man that massacred his family…..

*******

Dressed in a pair of navy blue suit and his hair styled perfectly, Alex ventured into the office and his workers all stood up to greet him while his assistant rushed over to his side. He was a competent man who has been working for Alex the longest.

Murmurs of “good morning sir” could be heard from all around the room and Alex had to nod to them before entering his office. That single gesture made all his employees wonder if he was okay. The Alex they knew always had a stoic face on and never replied to any of their greetings.

“I have brought your coffee sir” Bruno, for that was his assistant’s name announced while placing the mug on the table just opposite his boss.

“I don’t take coffee” Alex wanted to scream but gently gestured for him to pick up the cup.

“What is your name?”

Bruno was surprised, he had worked with Alex for a good couple of years and he didn’t know his name? Really?

“Bruno,” he answered.

“Bruno, until I tell you otherwise don’t bring coffee into this office again”

“Yes sir” Bruno replied, “I will keep it in mind”

“What is my schedule like?”

“Mr Gerald called to have an appointment with you and it is slated for 11:30 am”

At the mention of Gregroy, Alex balled his hand into a fist. He was wishing that it wasn't Gerald, he didn’t know how he was going to react when he saw him.

“Clear all my schedule until then, I don’t want to be disturbed”

“Yes sir” Bruno bowed and sauntered out of the office, his boss was definitely not in a good mood.

After the door closed behind him, Alex stood up and walked over to the window. The building had sixteen floors and he was on the sixteenth one, everything looked exquisite but Alexander was not concerned about that one, he just wanted to meet Gerald.

He didn’t know for how long he had been standing there but the moment he heard a soft knock on the door he turned his attention to it and as the door opened his eyes opened wide and he clenched his jaw together.

This was the man who killed his family and him ten years ago on a Christmas Eve. This was the man who stole everything they had and he had the guts to even smile? Alex had the inkling to push him against the wall and give him the beating of his life, he wanted to do so many bad things to him.

“Hello Alex” Gerald’s voice filtered into his ears and Alex gulped.

He could see Gerald was living fine after snatching life away from his family, was he even a more rich man now? What the hell?

“Good morning Mr Gerald” on impulse Alex extended his hand for a shake, “it is nice to meet you”

Gerald gave a loud laugh as he took Alex’s hand,

“You talk like we haven’t met in a long while”

“Of course we haven’t” the big guy replied and studied him for a while.

Ten years ago, Gerald was nothing but his father’s business associate. He wasn’t even as rich and he had the most innocent looking face on earth. Who would have imagined that the man sitting in front of him now would be able to put a bullet through the heads of four people in one night and throw the body of the fifth person into the sea? That was ruthlessness on another level.

“I am so sorry about what happened to you yesterday” Gerald began to talk after he had settled himself on one of the extravagant sofas in the office, “I hope you remember everything now?”

Alexander’s lips curved into a smile,

“Of course I remember everything, I remember you the most”

Another laugh escaped Gerald’s lips as he leaned forward, “if you are trying to be hilarious, I can say you are learning fast”

The man in front of him arched his brows while peering deep into Gerald’s eyes, how he wanted to bash his head against his glass table.

His door opened again and this time Bruno entered with a tray containing tea.

“I have brought the tea sir” he gently placed it on the table before placing their individual cups in front of them, “enjoy” he added.

“Bruno always makes the best tea,” Gerald explained and sipped his tea. Alexander’s eyes were on him the whole time. This man even had the nerve to drink tea in his office?

“You may leave, Bruno” he gestured toward him and the man nodded before sauntering out of the room,

“What do I owe this visit ,Gerald?”

Alex didn’t know what he used to call this man before but not in his life was he going to address him with respect. This man was a murderer and should be treated as such.

After sipping his tea, Gerald leaned back on the sofa and rested his head for a while, he loved the tea.

“Clarrisa came home crying yesterday night because of you illness, I am here to check on you and also discuss the wedding arrangements”

Alex’s forehead creased into a frown as he heard what the murderer had to say, the audacity,

“Wedding arrangements huh?” He allowed the words to roll out of his mouth, then an idea suddenly popped up in his head.

“Why don’t we move the wedding date up a little?”

The old man almost jumped from his seat when he heard what Alex said, pushing the date up was not part of his plans.

“Why?” He made some gestures with his hands, “this was a date you even said your father would have agreed to if he was here”

At the mention of his father, Alex balled his hand into a fist. How naive Gerald was to think he was in front of the real Alexander chase.

“I am the one getting married right?” He asked after a while, his voice was laced with ridicule and mockery, “there is no harm if I decide to move the date up a little, even Clarrisa won’t have any problem with that”

“Hmmm” the old man was stroking his chin, “for how long?”

“As long as it takes Gerald” came his swift response and the look of horror on the man’s face gave him a little bit of solace.

“You promised to announce our partnership on the wedding day” Gerald was not okay with the idea at all,

“we have made all necessary arrangements”

Alex clicked his lips while picking up a pen from his pen holder, he then began to play with the pen.

“It seems you are more interested in getting a partnership with me than your daughter getting married, which is which?”

“Of course not” the old man gave a fake smile,

“Clarrisa’s happiness means more to me”

“Good” Alex leaned back on his reclining chair, “let’s see how it goes then”

There and then he already decided, if the universe was giving him another chance to right the wrongs then he was willing to take it. He didn’t know who the real Alexander chase was or anything about him but since he was him now, he was going to become Alexander chase and give Gerald the shock of his life.

Right now he was no longer Jayden Baxter, the fifteen year old boy who was brutally murdered, he was Alexander chase. The man who was going to bring Gerald to his knees.

“I will take my leave then” Gerald announced after a while and stood up, “Clarrisa will drop by the house later”

Alex declined, “tell her not to bother, I have a very busy schedule today”

“As you wish”

After talking, they exchanged handshakes again and the old man turned on his heel and left while Alex kept glaring at his retreating figure. How he wished Gerald would drop dead at that point but it was going to be too easy a death for him.

After he left, Alex rang the intercom and Bruno came rushing into the office.

“You called for me boss”

“I want you to give me all the details you have on Gerald, I mean every single thing. Am I understood?”

“Yes boss” Bruno nodded and sauntered out of the office to do his work.

Alex’s mind drifted to the man again, he was never going to know any peace again. Since the universe was also on his side of revenge, he was going to make the most of it.

The ringing of his phone cut short his musing and his forehead creased into a frown when he saw the caller ID. He just knew her yesterday but she was more annoying than a fly.

“Hello” he pressed the phone against his ear.

“How are you feeling now Alex?” Clarrisa questioned from the other end, “i just talked to my father and he said you look quite okay”

“Then I am fine” he hissed, “I have to go now”

“Dinner later?”

“I am busy”

“Okay, give me a call when you are less busy”

Without responding he ended the call and threw the phone on the table.

The nerve of the entire family, he was not going to let them live happily just like how his own family didn’t even celebrate Christmas that year.

“Pathetic”

He muttered to himself before throwing his laptop open. if he wanted to be Alexander chase, then he had to know everything about Alexander chase and become like him.