DOCTOR’S LEGACY

Chapter 2

“You know what? You are making this hard for me,” Richard snarled, his voice shaking with rage. He pointed at the man. “I will disgrace you both for this. I will tell everyone in the hall exactly what disgusting thing you two are doing.”

Fiona rushed at him, grabbing his clothes. “Please, Richard. Don’t make an unnecessary scene. We will talk about this at home.”

Richard scoffed at the sudden change in her tone. A moment ago, she had been arrogant, proud, and merciless. 

Now she was pleading. Fiona—the most successful and admired granddaughter of the Collins Group. Something like this could destroy her reputation, and her grandfather, Mr. Collins, would be furious.

“You should have thought about that before running your mouth,” Richard spat, his voice laced with venom. “Stop being a bitch.”

Smack!

Richard’s cheek stung as Fiona slapped him across the face. His eyes widened in horror. “Don’t you dare call me a bitch!” she screamed. “For what? For stopping you from causing some stupid drama? And you think that gives you the right to insult me?!”

Richard held his cheek, horrified, lost, and burning with anger. She had just slapped him. His wife. He wanted to believe she was drunk, that she didn’t know what she was doing, but this was too far. Too clear she wasn't drunk.

The man laughed. “Look at you. You can’t even hit her back, because you know you’re too poor for it. Hahaha!”

Richard’s heart sank. He was truly powerless. The only thing left to him was to drag Fiona’s reputation down with him. His voice trembled as he said, “You chose this for yourself.” Then he stormed out of the room.

××××

Downstairs, in the hall, the moment remained calm and sweet. A soft song played in the background as people mingled.

Richard walked straight toward Fiona’s mother, Mrs. Johnson. He should have gone to Mr. Collins, but he didn’t want to ruin the old man’s mood.

“Ma…” His voice wavered as he explained everything he had just witnessed.

Mrs. Johnson stared at him for a long moment before finally speaking. “Well, we will take care of this when we get home.”

Richard frowned. “Shouldn’t you speak to her now? Shouldn’t you make her get her act together? What if someone else had caught her? Don’t you see how this could destroy her career, her future?” He was concerned—still, somewhere in him, about Fiona’s life.

But Mrs. Johnson only smiled. “Let her enjoy her moment.”

The air froze. Richard’s stomach dropped like stone. “What do you mean, enjoy the moment?!”

“Yes,” she said coolly. “You’re the one sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Let my daughter enjoy herself. We will handle it when we’re home.”

Richard’s anger boiled over. “I just told you I saw my wife, your daughter..cheating on me in the toilet, and you’re saying she should enjoy her moment?!”

Mrs. Johnson’s eyes narrowed. “Listen, Richard. How dare you talk back to me? You useless man. You caught your wife cheating and you couldn’t even do anything about it. And now you run to me, expecting me to fix it? Screw you. Leave me alone. It’s my daughter’s moment.”.

Richard’s chest heaved, his voice cracking as anger drowned him. “So that’s it, huh? You’re fine with her rolling around with another man while I stand here like a fool?!” His voice rose, drawing a few glances. “she spit on me, spit on our marriage—and you dare call it her moment?!”

Mrs. Johnson’s face hardened, her eyes burning. “Don’t you dare disrupt this party! Are you crazy? This is a celebration, not a place for your tantrums. What is wrong with my daughter, finally having sense, leaving you for a better man”.

Richard staggered back, stunned. His voice lowered, trembling. “Wait… you knew? You knew who that man was… that’s why you don’t care?”.

Mrs. Johnson smirked. “Yes. I know him. He’s a man who can buy your entire future with the snap of his fingers. Richard.”

Richard’s stomach twisted, bile rising in his throat. “So that’s what I am to you…  A poor nobody”. His voice cracked with grief. “All these years, I thought I was her husband… I did everything to help her career!”. 

His words had grown loud enough to draw more attention. Mr. Collins, 65 years old,  leaning heavily on his cane, shuffled toward them.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

Richard bowed quickly, torn between fear and desperation. His mind raced—should he say it? If he spoke, Fiona’s career, her image, her future would be destroyed forever. But if he stayed silent, his own soul would rot from the humiliation.

Mrs. Johnson stepped forward first. “He’s just a madman, Father. Speaking nonsense, creating drama where there is none.”

Richard’s jaw locked. His voice burst out raw. “I’m not mad, sir! I saw it with my own eyes! Fiona..your granddaughter…was in the toilet, getting fucked like an animal. I heard her voice, I opened the door, and I saw it!” His voice shook as he searched Mr. Collins’s face, for some justice, and burst of anger.

But the old man only gripped his cane tighter. A slow smile tugged at his lips. “Wow. My granddaughter finally did it. About time. I was wondering when she would take that step.”

Richard blinked. The words punched the air from his lungs. He swayed, as if his knees would buckle. The entire world seemed to tilt sideways.

Even Mr. Collins, her grandfather, the man who he thought would serve justice also knew?.

Richard’s throat closed. He wanted to scream, to rage, to claw at the ground, but only a broken whisper came out. “Even you… even you…you knew”

Mr. Collins scoffed and said, “You think I would ever be okay with my granddaughter being stuck with someone who has no future? Someone without a name, without a background? She can’t even show you to the public without feeling ashamed.”

Richard’s world came crashing down. His chest tightened as he stared in disbelief. Mr. Collins had always treated him with respect. Richard wasn’t just anyone; he was a researcher in the Collins Group.

 He was the one who had discovered the company’s best-selling product—the smooth skin cream that had taken the market by storm. 

He was the one who had developed a breakthrough cure for stage two cancer, the very treatment that had brought Collins Group international recognition.

Those two discoveries were the foundation of the empire they were celebrating tonight. And he had done it all through Fiona, to elevate her, to make her into somebody, a powerful figure.

And now, after everything..she had betrayed him.  cheated on him. And no one cared. Not her mother. Not her grandfather.