Heir Of The Blackwood Legacy

“Can’t we just go and beg my mother?” Felicia Feathering looked to her husband but he didn’t reply. “You need a job. We can’t keep living like this. I can’t take it anymore. It’s too much for me.”

Mark Julius gazed lovingly at his wife, Felicia Feathering, as she blurted out while preparing breakfast in their small apartment.

“For me? Please?” Her eyes were pleading. “We might end up dead before we even realize it. My family is very rich and I’m sure they would help us out.”

Felicia’s elegant features and radiant smile belied the worry lines etched on her forehead. Mark knew she was troubled, and he couldn't blame her. Their situation was precarious, to say the least.

“You know your mother hates me? Last time I asked for her help, you know what she did?” Mark closed the gap between them. “How can we be sure that if I ask for her help this time around, she will assist?”

Despite his best efforts, Mark had been unable to find a job. It was as if the universe was conspiring against him. Rejections piled up, and his self-esteem began to dwindle. Felicia’s family, with their immense wealth and influence, only added to the pressure.

“It won’t hurt if we try?” Felicia's face fell. “I know it’s difficult the way my family treats us. But what can we do? There’s no way you can find a job in the city? You said it yourself, no place wants you to work for them.”

Felicia stated the obvious, relaxing her hands on her hips, tiredly.

“What do you want me to do now?” Mark sighed defeated. Felicia approached him with an anxious expression. "Mark for us to remain together, I think it's time you speak with my mother about a job."

Mark’s heart sank. He had avoided this conversation for months, knowing Felicia’s mother would not hesitate to use her power to crush him. But Felicia’s words struck a chord. She was persistent and he didn’t like it.

If he didn't find a job soon, he risked losing the love of his life and all he had built together with her. She didn’t have a choice.

“Alright!”

With a heavy sigh, Mark agreed to meet with Felicia’s mother. As they arrived at the grand estate, a bigger mansion in the middle of the city, Mark's anxiety grew.

The opulent decorations and immaculate gardens only served as a reminder to Mark of how powerful and rich Felicia’s family was.

What awaited him?

They were ushered into the mansion by servants at the entrance. Mark's body shivered when his eyes locked with Mrs. Feathering.

Felicia’s mother, a poised and calculating woman, greeted them in her lavish study. Her gaze pierced through Mark as if sizing him up for a challenge.

“Greetings, Mrs. Feathering.” Mark bowed slightly. The woman's gaze fell on him in silence before she spoke up.

"So, you're the young man who has captivated my daughter's heart," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "I must admit, I'm disappointed. You have no job, and no prospects... what exactly do you bring to the table, Mark? Now you’re here standing before me. To what? Do you have no shame at all?"

Mark swallowed hard, his mind racing. "It’s not how you put it, ma’am. I'm trying my best.”

The woman chuckles.

“Well, you have to try better! How can my daughter stay married to you? Can’t you see? We are rich!”

The woman boasted but Felicia called out.

“Mother!”

“What? Have I said something wrong?” Mark's teeth were greeted against each other. He rushed to his knees.

“I'm willing to work hard, ma'am. I just need a chance to prove myself."

Felicia’s mother raised an eyebrow. "A chance? You've had chances, Mark. And you've squandered them all. I'm not sure I'm willing to waste any more of our family's resources on you."

Mark felt a surge of desperation. He knew he had to think fast or risk losing everything. This was his only chance to right his wrong and make up for what he had lost.

"Please, ma'am," he began, his voice laced with determination. "I'll do anything. Just give me a chance to prove myself, and I swear I won't let you down."

Felicia’s mother leaned back in her chair, a sly smile spreading across her face. "Very well, Mark. I'll give you a chance. But be warned: if you fail, you'll be out of our lives for good. That includes Felicia"

Mark nodded a mix of relief and trepidation washing over him. What had he just gotten himself into?

As they left the estate, Felicia clutched his hand, her eyes filled with a silent plea. She kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks for this.” Mark knew he had to succeed, not just for himself, but for his love, and their future.

But as they walked away from the grand mansion, Mark couldn't shake off the feeling that he had just made a deal with the devil herself...

The next day,

Felicia’s eyes widened as she gazed at the positive pregnancy test, she had just taken. Tears of joy streaming down her face. Even though things weren’t going as they had planned, she was happy to be pregnant.

She longed to share the news with Mark. But when she got to the sitting room, he had left the house in a hurry.

She quickly picked up her phone and texted him.

“Surprise…surprise, Mark, I’m pregnant!” She sent the message hoping to receive a quick reply but it was marked as unread.

Meanwhile, Mark's past haunted him. He had been adopted by Victoria Feathering and Reginald Feathering when he was just a child, after his biological parents' tragic death.

But instead of a loving home, he found himself in a cold and unforgiving environment. Victoria and Reginald treated him with disdain, always reminding him that he was a charity case, a burden they had taken upon themselves.

As he grew older, Mark's feelings of inadequacy intensified. He was constantly compared to their biological daughter, Felicia Feathering, who was pampered and spoiled. Mark's every move was scrutinized, and he was never good enough in their eyes.

When Felicia Feathering fell in love with Mark, Victoria and Reginald were appalled. They saw Mark as beneath their daughter's status and did everything in their power to keep them apart. But Felicia Feathering’s love for Mark only grew stronger, and she eventually married him against her parents' will.

Victoria and Reginald's resentment towards Mark deepened, and they made sure to remind him of his place in their family. They saw him as a lowly outsider, unworthy of their love or respect. Mark's adoption, once meant to be a kindness, had become a constant reminder of his inferior status.

As Mark navigated the challenges ahead, the weight of his past bore down on him. He knew he had to prove himself, not just to Victoria and Reginald, but to himself.

As he was seated in the interview room, his phone lightened. It was a text from Felicia, stating that she was pregnant. Instead of a smile, his face fell.

How was he going to take care of her and the unborn child? He hadn’t even gotten a job to live up to the reputation of her family and now he was going to be a father?

He didn’t reply to the text. Little did he know, Felicia Feathering’s pregnancy would soon change everything...

As Mark exited the building to which he had gone for a job interview, the weight of his past encounter with Victoria Feathering was still fresh in his mind. He had once asked her for a job, hoping to prove himself and earn her respect. But she had laughed in his face, her eyes gleaming with contempt.

"You think you're worthy of working for our family's company?" she had sneered. "You're just a charity case, Mark. A poor orphan we took in out of pity. You'll never be good enough to work for us."

Mark had left the estate that day with a heavy heart, feeling like he'd been punched in the gut. He had never told Felicia about the encounter, not wanting to burden her with his pain.

As he walked away from the estate, his phone rang again. His hands swiftly dipped into his pocket as he looked at the screen of his cell phone.

It was a call from an anonymous number. Who was this exactly? It was the same stranger's number that had flashed him days ago, this time Mark declined the call once more.

He didn't recognize the number, and he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else who might be calling to rub salt in his wounds.

Little did Mark know, the mysterious caller would not give up easily. And their call would change everything...

The phone rings again.

“For Christ's sake!!!” Mark sweared. “Who the fuck is this!” His voice thundered as he picked up the call.