Echoes of destiny

Chris, a young man dressed in a gray suit briskly walked out of an antique store by the roadside of the busy streets of Brooklyn. He was holding a small package he had visited the store to pick up.

He was standing by the side of the road waiting to get a cab to drive him to his next destination. However, at that moment , a white Rolls Royce parked right in front of him.

A couple of seconds later, a man who looked to be in his mid-forties, alight the vehicle.

At a glance, Chris instantly recognized the face of the individual approaching him despite the fact that the last time he saw this person was fifteen years ago. The man was none other than Elias Brown, the butler of the famous and prestigious White family that was based in Washington D.C.

Elias walked toward the spot Chris was standing and instantly bowed his head respectfully to greet him which was very bizarre and shocked everyone that was watching the scene.

The presence of an expensive and luxurious car like the Rolls Royce Phantom naturally attracted the attention of everyone that was in the vicinity.

They were all curious to find out which celebrity was driving the car. Although they were unable to recognize Elias when he alighted the car, they knew his identity wasn't simple seeing how he was dressed in an expensive suit and had a distinguished appearance.

Chris' eyebrows furrowed deeply to form a frown on his face. “What are you doing here?...How were you even able to find me here?” he said, questioning Elias in a cold voice.

“Master Chris, it is good to finally see you again after all these years. It wasn't a challenging task to find out your whereabouts.” Elias remarked, his voice filled with confidence.

Chris raised his eyebrows as he suspiciously stared at Elias. “Why have you been looking for me? Last time I checked, I no longer have any business with you people ” he questioned in an interrogative tone.

“I have been tasked with the job of informing you that you are being summoned back to the family. We have to return back to Washington DC as soon as possible.'

The White family ranked as one of the world’s most influential households, owning hundreds of assets worth several billions or even maybe trillions of dollars. The family was also a top echelon in every industrial sector and economy.

Chris was the illegitimate heir to the White family. This was an identity he had kept hidden away for many years while living his daily life as an average man.

He was a child born out of wedlock since his father, Charles White had an affair with his mother, Susan who was just a regular maid that worked for the White family and died during childbirth.

Although he grew up in the White family estate until he was fifteen but during that time he was never really acknowledged as a full-fledged member of the White family.

Chris never had a good impression of his father - Charles White who didn’t hesitate to throw him out of the White family and abandon him at the age of fifteen in order to achieve his selfish desire of becoming the helmsman of the White family which wouldn’t have been possible if he kept him around.

He understood that his existence was the flaw that affected Charles' credential of becoming the helmsman of the family.

Now, it was surprising that the same set of individuals who kicked him out were demanding him to return back to his family. It had been almost sixteen years since he had been exiled from the White family.

There was never a single time when his relatives including his father had been bothered about attempting to contact him in order to check for his well being all these years except so why the sudden change of character?

“What is the catch?” Chris probed knowing there must be a reason for his father to request his return with such urgency that even required the prestigious butler of the White family to handle himself.

“The patriarch is not in good health and your step brother is now a wanted criminal who has gone missing. The family needs someone to control its business empire and you are the only direct bloodline left.” Elias truthfully explained the dire situation of the White Family in a straightforward manner.

"You are kidding me, right?.....I have been exiled from the White family for sixteen long years and not a single relative including my father gave a shit about my wellbeing. I’ve already forgotten all about my ties with the White family so please go back and tell them that I don’t accept the invitation.”

With that said, Chris turned to take his leave.

Currently, he is mostly known as the live-in son-in-law of the Carter family.

The Carter family wasn’t particularly an influential household in the country and even within Brooklyn, at the very best the family could just be considered a reputable elite family.

Although Chris had consistently suffered utter humiliation at the hands of the Carter family and had experienced the bitterness of the world.

Nonetheless, he felt indifferent to all that. What was all that compared to how he had been chased out of his own family and abandoned by his closest kin?

As a result, being looked down on as a good-for-nothing son-in-law didn’t hurt him as much as being betrayed by his own family.

It was clear that his father's intention for calling wasn’t entirely pure. They were only inviting him back to the family to be their puppet so that they wouldn't lose control of all the white family assets to extended relatives since his father was gravely ill and his younger brother, who was supposed to be his heir had gone missing.

Elias was utterly stunned by Chris' irregular response. He expected that Chris would instantly jump at the opportunity he was being offered. After all, there was no sane person that wouldn't seize the opportunity to take control of the immense wealth belonging to the influential White family.

“Young master Chris, I beg that you reconsider your decision not to return back to the family. The family needs you at this time.” Elias pleaded with Chris as he hurriedly followed behind him.

Before Chris could respond, his phone soon started ringing. He pulled out from his pocket of his jacket and quickly picked up as soon as he saw that caller ID flashing on the phone screen belonged to none other than his wife, Evangeline Carter.

"Please, tell me that you are already at the Family Vila." Eva's cold feminine voice questioned Chris as soon as he placed the phone on his ear.

"I'm just twenty minutes away." Chris responded.

Eva hissed at Chris response

"What?!....Where the hell are you right now?....No, I don't even care about that just hurry up and get there right away." she ranted in rage and instantly hung up the call.

Chris sighed and turned to look at Elias. “I won't change my mind, Elias. Besides, I am quite satisfied with my current lifestyle. I don't care if the White family crumbles or loses its wealth so stop bothering me.” Chris deadpanned, persistently sticking to his decision. "If you will excuse me. I've got a party to attend."

Chris wasn't willing to allow himself to be taken advantage of so easily. He paid no attention to the words that Elias was uttering and took a cab to his destination leaving Elias standing at the side of the road in suspense.