ANTHONY MARCELLUS, THE SECRET BILLIONAIRE HEIR

Pricilla’s Story

Sir Winconstin filled another glass cup with whiskey and passed it to Tony, sitting back and relaxing on his sofa. He knew what he was about to do would turn the Marcellus family upside down but he didn’t care much, he was the head of he family and anything he said was final.

“What do you mean by your days being numbered?” Tony quickly asked out of curiosity, he just reunited with his father and now it seems like he wouldn’t be seeing the man for long, it was kind of heartbreaking even though he hadn’t known the man for thirty five years.

A grin curled up around sir Winconstin’s lips and he sipped at his whiskey first and then sighed heavily. He stared into space as he spoke.

“I’ve a disease that my money cannot cure, it was too late before it was discovered; maybe it’s because of the many marijuana I used to take and whiskey too,” he chuckled, gazing at the brownish liquid in his cup.

“I’ve cancer of the lungs, Tony, and my days on earth are numbered, at least that’s what the doctor says,” Sir Winconstin concluded and gulped down the remaining whiskey left in his cup.

Tony was a bit confused, a man who knew he was going to die anytime from now wasn’t even that worried, he looked as if nothing had happened and still drank whiskey. He looked beyond Sir Winconstin’s shoulders and his eye met Walker’s, he could now see the sadness in it.

“Just when I met my father and the universe decided to take you away again,” Tony whispered, bowing his head to the ground in disbelief, it was as if he was soliloquizing, but he wasn’t. He had many questions to ask the man, but hearing this news was discombobulating.

“We have more than enough time, Tony-“

“Was your predicament the reason you called me here? So if you wouldn’t die soon you’d leave me in the slums?” Tony suddenly felt enraged by that thought, he placed the glass of whiskey on the table and focused his angry eyes on his father.

Walker expected this to happen, he grinded his teeth as he watched.

“Your assumption is wrong, Tony. I didn’t bring you here because I was close to my death, I brought you when it was convenient for you and me and the family. No one knows who you are, it’s all to keep you safe, but now that you’re a grown up man, you do not need my protection anymore. That’s why it’s time to give you what is rightfully yours.” Sir Winconstin retorted, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Tony remained calm, as he tried to assimilate all what his father was saying.

“I know I took longer than expected, you’ve been a man since you were thirty, or even less. Forgive me for not bringing you in earlier than now.” His father apologised and started to pour himself another glass of whiskey.

“I’ve struggled for thirty five years, toiled to survive in this harsh world, from nothing I made something and then it crumbled again, if only I had just a little of your support; maybe I would still be a little comfortable now,”

“There’s no need to reflect on the past, Tony. The reality is now, and now you’re my son and I’m the richest man in Ohio which makes you one of the richest men also. You’ll have everything you need, you’ll be able to build any business you choose and show the world just how far you can go. This is your time.” Sir Winconstin urged, leaning closer to the table as he spoke the words eagerly.

Tony sighed and relaxed, his father was right. It was time for him to rebuild all what he had lost, the past was gone and he had to live in the present. Lilian had just made the biggest mistake of her life by divorcing him.

“You’re right, the past is gone, but I’d like you to tell me about my mother, what was she like?” Tony requested, picking up his glass of whiskey.

Just a few minutes with his father and he was already comfortable around him. Blood is really thicker than water, Walker thought.

Sir Winconstin wasn’t expecting that question, he didn’t like remembering Pricilla, every time he does; it breaks his heart. But he had no choice, it was his son asking. He had an obligation to answer every one of his son’s question.

“Pricilla was a beautiful woman, a fragile soul. You didn’t take after her, if not you’d be a scaredy cat,” Sir Winconstin giggled lightly and then continued.

“She was a kind person, and she was an orphan, her last name Frey was the name of her foster parents whom she ran away from because of their wickedness. She was working in an expensive bar, that was where we met and I fell in love with her at first sight even though I was married. “

“We had an affair, and I’d promised myself that I would marry her but Gina, my real wife, wasn't having it and swore to hurt your mother if I ever married her. I kept her somewhere safe and provided everything she needed when she became pregnant with you, it was then she showed me her grandmother. She was looking for her real parents but instead she found her grandmother who revealed to her that her parents were dead. The woman you call grandmother, is your great grandmother.” Sir Winconstin narrated, his thoughts travelling back in time.

“No wonder she seemed so old,” Tony muttered.

“Pricilla died giving birth to you, it’s something I’d never recover from; I still see her in my dreams till this day. I gave you to your grandmother because of Gina, if she could threaten a woman, she wouldn't hesitate to remove a child that would compete with her own child for my inheritance, so I kept you safe from her wrath.”

“However, now there’s nothing she can do. But I would advise you to be wary of her,” Sir Winconstin sighed and poured himself another glass of whiskey.

“Wary of who? Who the fuck is this, Winconstin?” Gina entered through the glass door and blasted the words on Sir Winconstin while looking at Tony with evil eyes.

Nobody knew when she came in or how long she had been around.

Walker was shocked, ‘when did she arrive?’ He muttered in his mind. Trouble looms….