Karl Gordon Is Back

Chapter 5: What Is Wrong With Karl?

Karl returned to the house in the late afternoon, the sky already dulling toward evening. He went through the document over and over again.

A quick G****e search and he realised Ruchi Emold was a ghost, nobody seems to know what she looks like and somehow he needs to get her to sign a contract with Gordon Empire.

Karl's gaze flickered back up and his steps slowed. The driveway was occupied, which told him everything he needed to know before he even stepped inside.

He'd forgotten about all the drama that happened at the office.

Voices carried from the living room all the way out to the front porch.

Rita’s voice cut through the space like it always did when she believed someone owed her something.

A slow smile touched his lips, more amused than angry, and he stepped closer to the front porch before pulling a stop.

Karl glanced down at the brown envelope and at the door.

It's best they don't know what he's been up to. He tucks the envelope under his cardigan then removes his shoes at the door and steps inside without announcing himself.

“Speak of the devil!” Rita yelled in irritation.

Karl hadn't even taken two steps into the house when Rota technically screamed at him.

“There he is.”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done today?”

“How could you embarrass her like that?”

The living room was full.

Melody stood at the center of it all, eyes red, leaning slightly into her mother, Sara, who looked at Karl as though he had personally committed an unforgivable crime.

Beside Sara stood her husband, Jay, arms crossed, jaw tight, clearly prepared to lecture. Rita hovered close to him like she was ready to throw him a slap, one he intends to return in full force if she dared.

And Caden stood just off to the side.

Head lowered. Hands clasped in front of him like a man awaiting forgiveness.

Karl closed the door behind him slowly.

No one offered him a greeting. No one asked how he was. It had always been this way with the Parks. They saw him as some nobody their daughter chose to date and that he was leeching off their daughter.

Melody was the one leeching off him.

Sara spoke first. “How could you make Melody cry like that, Karl?”

Karl looked at her calmly.

Jay followed immediately. “You embarrassed her in front of her entire staff! Do you know how self depreciating that is?”

Rita scoffed. “Why are you so surprised Dad? Melody literally helped his lazy ass and he thinks he can treat her however he wants!”

Melody didn’t look at him.

She kept her gaze lowered, shoulders trembling just enough to sell her performance.

Karl shifted his weight, his arms folded as he studied her. Why was she playing the victim? She clearly was going to embarrass him if he proposed to her but here she was pretending that ring meant something to her.

In his past life, this would have been enough for his heart to melt towards her, this was enough to make him feel guilty.

Right now, he felt nothing.

Caden cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Karl,” he said gently, like a friend stepping into a misunderstanding. “This is my fault. I should have given you better advice on how to go about this.”

“No, this is not your fault Caden!” Rita cuts in, already walking towards him. “He chose to embarrass my sister and he should be lucky you chose his broke ass as a friend.”

“Yes.” Sara added, “You've been a better friend to Melody than his sorry ass has been to her as her boyfriend.”

Karl chuckled, woah.

Caden was playing that card again. How come he'd missed this in his past life? Those should have been a reason to end his friendship with Caden but he hadn't noticed.

“No. This is still my fault. I’m sorry,” Caden continued as he turned to face both Sara and Jay. “If you want to be angry, be angry at me.”

Karl stared at him for a long moment.

Then he tucked his hands into his pockets. And laughed.

It wasn’t loud at first, just a short breath of disbelief that slipped out before he could stop it. Then another. And another. Until the sound filled the room, cutting through the tension.

Everyone froze.

Melody lifted her head, eyes wide. Sara frowned in confusion. Rita’s anger faltered.

Caden stiffened.

Karl laughed harder, shaking his head slowly as he looked from one face to another, taking in the expressions, the absurdity of it all.

“This is impressive,” he said finally, voice steady despite the laughter still lingering in his chest. “You rehearsed this, didn’t you?”

Jay shot up to his feet. “You think this is a joke?! You embarrassed my daughter, proposed to her assistant and you think this is funny?”

Karl faced Jay, a man he hadn't dared to look square in the eye in the past because he wanted more than anything to be accepted by this man.

“You don't want me to marry your daughter. You know it. Why the fuss?”

Rita chuckled in disbelief, “You still don't know what you did wrong? You humiliated my sister!”

“Better that than becoming your in-law, no?” His eyes went to Rita.

Silence.

“It's almost like there's something I have that you all desperately want..”

Sara burst into laughter, “You? You think we want something from you?! We allowed your sorry ass to date our daughter and here you are being an absolute bastard!”

Karl's eyes went to Melody, she shared a glance with Caden discreetly. That was all he needed to know this was their plan.

Karl shrugged, “Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore. I humiliated your daughter, that's enough reason to take back your consent no?”

Jay gritted his teeth, “You insolent son of a…” he raised his hand to slap Karl but he remained in the same spot. His eyes landed on Jay, cold and unwavering.

“If that hand touches me, you'll regret it. I promise you that.”

Jay's hands froze mid air, the look in Karl's eyes was murderous, something he's never seen before.

His hands went limp on his side as awkwardness slipped in.

“Karl.” Caden cuts in, “Melody is ready to forgive everything you've done. She just needs you too..”

“This is a family matter..” Karl said as he turned to face him, “Why are you here exactly?”

Caden lets out an awkward laughter, Karl has never spoken to him in such a manner.

“I'm just trying to help.” Caden said.

“You can help by walking out the door.”

The room went dead silent.

Caden glanced at the door and back at Karl, “Are you serious?”

“Who do you think you are to kick him out of the house?!” Sara snapped as she got on her feet.

“This is my daughter's house and whoever she wants stays in this house!”

“I can't believe the audacity of this man!” Rita snapped, “You’re jobless. You’re living off Melody. This house..”

She gestured sharply around the room.

“This house belongs to my sister. She could kick you out tonight if she wanted to.”

In his past life, he never said a word when they called him jobless (even though Melody’s business was being run with his money) or threatened to kick him out of the house even though the house was his. And under his name.

At least he did one thing right in his past life.

Karl smirked.

He turned slowly to Melody. “Is that true?”

Her breath hitched.

“Is this your house?” he asked calmly.

Melody opened her mouth but no words came out. Her brows creased, what the hell was wrong with Karl today?

Her eyes flicked toward her mother, then toward Caden, then back to Karl. Her lips parted, closed, parted again.

Rita frowned. “Of course this house is her! What sort of dumb ass question is that?”

“I asked you a simple question,” Karl said to Melody. “Is this your house?”

Melody’s fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeve. “I… Karl, why are you doing this right now?”

“That’s not an answer.”

Caden stepped in quickly. “Karl, this isn’t the point. The point is…”

Karl glared at Caden, “I told you to leave, didn't I?”

Caden took an unconscious step back, Karl didn't look like Karl..

Karl looked at Melody again, eyes cold now, stripped of the warmth she’d grown used to exploiting.

“I don’t care what lies you tell your parents.” Karl said plainly.

Melody recoiled as though slapped.

“That seems to be all you’re good at anyway.”

“Don’t you dare speak to her like that!” Caden snapped, stepping forward.

Melody’s face twisted in fury. “How dare you…!”

Karl didn’t move.

“I’m exhausted,” he said, cutting through the noise. “I’m going to bed.”

He turned toward the staircase.

Rita rushed forward and blocked his path. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Karl stopped.

Slowly, he turned back to Melody.

“You should tell your sister to move,” he said evenly. “Or I’ll tell everyone here exactly what you don't want them to know.”

Melody’s heart slammed painfully against her ribs.

She knew, she had always known.

She looked at Karl, and for the first time that night, fear crept into her expression.

“Rita,” she said quietly.

Rita scoffed. “What?”

“Move.”

Rita stared at her in disbelief. “What? No! We need to kick this asshole back to the streets where he belongs!”

“Move,” Melody repeated, sharper now.

Rita stares at her in disbelief, what is going on?

Karl walked past them without another glance and headed upstairs.

“What was that, Melody?” Sara snapped.

Melody looked away, unable to speak. Her eyes glanced up the stairs where Karl was, what the hell is going through that bastard's he