Blood Domination System

04. The Mysterious Inheritance

The words of Mr Awopegba did not make sense. It did not matter how he looked at it, there was no justification for that. 

Why would his father, after making sure he had no direct touch with the inheritances because of a certain guardian and some legal age clause, now leave for him a piece of ring?

Some ring that he could fucking buy himself? And on top of that, the ring was not even pretty. It was not exactly the type he could take out and say, hey, my dad willed this over to him.

 It was pretty much thrash, just like something you picked on the wayside because it happened to catch your fancy. But not really because you need to. You just pick it up and then  throw it away once you're done examining it. That was just how the ring struck him.

"You are serious?" Lekan asked the lawyer, holding the box in his left hand while holding out the ring to the air. "This is what my father gave to me? This is not some kind of joke, is it?" He asked, looking from Uncle Desmond to Mr Awopegba who merely shrugged at him.

"Your father was a mysterious man," Mr Awopegba shrugged his shoulders even as he looked back at Lekan. "...For most of it. But, that is what he willed to you. And that is not something I understand. It is just what he wanted."

"You sure?" Desmond said, standing up and dropping his wine glass on the top. He moved to Lekan and then narrowed his eyes, watching the ring carefully. "Give me that. Let me see."

Dumbfounded, Lekan did not say a thing as he turned to the side and handed the ring to his Uncle. He was rather too shocked for words to express how he felt at the very moment.

"Maybe there is some kind of value in it." Desmond replied shaking his head as he held the ring to the ceiling lights.

The ring was black for most of it. It appeared as though it had been greased or covered in soot plating or something along that line. Some parts of it had some silver streaks which betrayed the overlying layer of black as to the true color of the ring but other than that, the ring was ordinary.

Scrap metal, Desmond surmised, that was what the ring was worth. But then again, why would the Father give that to his son? Especially a father who was a multimillionaire in the first place.

What was really behind the scenes as on it? He pondered, knowing fully well that his brother, the late father of Lekan, would never fully bequeath such a thing to his son, if it had no true value.

But what the value was, he did not know.

Desmond blinked.

"Maybe there is some value in it. It could be silver or that sort of thing. Maybe if we just scrape off the grease plating, we could..."

"Does that look like it is worth anything? Uncle Desmond?" Lekan asked dryly. "Even if we want to deny it, I cannot help but think that this is some kind of joke only you would want to..."

"What are you saying... Young Man.." The voice and the facial of Desmond deepened and darkened simultaneously. "Are you accusing me of altering the will of my late brother?"

Lekan shrugged and scoffed. "Who knows? You both may have some kind of..."

“You brat…” Desmond shook as he brought his open palm dangerously close to the unmoving, defiant Lekan’s cheek.

"You both, easy now. I can assure you that this will has not been altered by anyone so far so good. It is exactly as it was written by your father. And it is one that I have kept locked in a safe. away from prying hands and from those who may have malicious intent..." Mr Awopegba sighed, lifting a finger into the air.

"Let me guess, this safe was where? Remind me, your house?" Lekan scoffed, folding his hands across his chest.

"Bank!" Mr Awopegba replied, his eyes narrowed.

Silence reigned in the house as they each boiled over the whole matter.

 Mr Awopegba on his part was thinking about how much of a brat that the son was. But then again, he shrugged his shoulders, this was a job and he had to make sure he carried it out, notwithstanding how the heir was treating him.

"Speaking of which, You have a note. Some kind of a user manual for the ring." The lawyer added, sighing as he reached into the briefcase which was still on the stool before him, on which he had put out the Will papers. He dipped his hands into a side pocket and reached in for a white piece of envelope. With it in his hand, he sighed one more time and then handed the paper envelope over to the son of the late client of his.

"He wanted you to have this with it." The Lawyer said even as Lekan reached for it.

The moment his hands touched the envelope, Lekan felt a wash of familiarity over his body. Like he had touched the envelope or something like that. He frowned at this feeling, unable to shake it off as he blinked. 

Simultaneously, his hand hovered at the edges of the envelope. Refusing to move any further to grab the envelope even though he was a few inches from it.

This action made the two others in the room frown slightly as they exchanged glances with one another.

"Take it, come on." Mr Awopgeba said, urging the blank faced Lekan.

"What is wrong?" Uncle Desmond looked at Lekan's face and then to the envelope and then to Lekan, frowning as well. "Take it..."

At the words of the two, Lekan frowned also and then blinked, color coming into his eyes. He blinked, sniffling before shaking his head. "I am sorry. I just felt like this had happened before and.. And.."

"Oh boy! You must have suffered from the loss of your parents." Desmond sighed , shaking his head.

"IT IS NOT THAT!" Lean erupted out in rage as he turned around to his Uncle. "It is not that." He repeated again, tears running down from his eyes.

Silence descended on the room once again as each party watched the other, hesitation in their eyes.

For some long minutes, the sound of the clock ticking by and by became the only sound present in the living room.

 Up until the lawyer decided to break the jinx one more time.

"Whatever that is... I can assure you, this has not happened before." The lawyer scoffed, chuckling. "I mean if it has really happened before, do you think I would come down here to see another of your childish tantrums? I mean, I’d rather drown in the Atlantic than come here for this." He laughed, shoving the rest of the envelope into the still waiting hand of Lekan.

"Now, if you please, I believe that there is some message inside of that for you." Mr Awopegba said with a sly smile on his face.

Seeing that face made Lekan feel rather uneasy as he looked from the lawyer to his uncle, his eyelids blinking repeatedly. After a second or two, he looked back to the envelope and then shrugged, shaking his head afterwards.

What more mystery did it hold?

"I will be taking my leave now. I suppose you know what to do, in the meantime, Mr Desmond. And if you are having any difficulties, as regards the inheritance and you asthe guardian, you know where to find me." he said and sighed once again, shuffling the papers together before zipping them all up in his briefcase.

Lekan grimaced now as he watched. In his eyes, he saw two versions of Mr Awopegba, the lawyer, as he was packing his things up. And right there in the same place, distorted versions of the lawyer that kept phasing into the same spot and then phasing out of the same spot.

"I swear, this has happened before." Lekan muttered to himself, fisting his hands over the envelope that was in his right hand. "I swear it has. But where have I seen something like this?"

"Here, take your ring." Desmond nudged him by the shoulder, stretching out the ring in  his left palm, which was opened flat.

Lekan picked it out of his hands, watching as his brother walked past him, even as the lawyer got up from his seat. And with the two of them standing now, the lawyer waved a bye to Lekan which he did not return and then the two men began to walk out.

"You cant be serious, can you?" Lekan sighed, watching them leave the sitting room. "Dad, you really cannot be serious. What the heck is this?" He muttered now, holding the envelope to his face. He watched  it with scrutiny, the ring in his right hand while the envelope shared the same hand on his left with the small jewelry box.

After a second or two, he sat back in the chair and then placed the jewelry box on his right thigh. Then the ring followed, as well. 

Once he’d done that, Lekan took a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart. He’d find out in no time, he assured himself. No need to rush, he mentally said to himself but yet could not stop the blood rushing through his veins.

He was weirdly anticipating something. Like this was a turning point of his life. Yet, he could not pinpoint it. He just knew. 

And like a beast on prowl, Lekan rapidly tore it open without first giving thought to using the flap.

A little piece of paper fell out of it, drifting slowly to the ground. Upon sighting it, he stopped his rampage,thoughtfully waiting as the paper touched ground. 

Bending to pick it, his vision blacked out for a while forcing him to shoot back up, a tight frown on his face. Swallowing he tried, this time, slowly reaching for the paper. 

His face darkened as he held the paper to his face. It was his father’s handwriting. 

Yet the paper was so plain and it had only three words on it. 

His pupils darted across the length of it, raging fire burning deep within his heart as he read and reread the words, and each time he did, his frown tightened even further.