PRICE OF REGRET

CHAPTER 2 – The Return of the Foremans

Rain blurred the city lights into ribbons of gold and silver as Jake sat in the back of the sleek black car. The driver hadn’t said a word since picking him up. Everything felt unreal, the phone call, the address, the tone of authority in that old man’s voice.

He kept his eyes on the city outside, every reflection in the window a fragment of the man he used to be, and the stranger he was about to meet.

The car stopped before an iron gate. Beyond it stood a mansion carved into the hillside, old and proud, every window glowing faintly through the mist.

The guard at the gate took one look at Jake and nodded, pressing a button. The gate opened without a question. Jake frowned. “You know me?”

The guard smiled faintly. “Everyone here knows who you are, sir. Welcome home.”

Inside, the air smelled of cedar and history. Gold-framed portraits lined the marble walls, men in tailored suits, women in pearls, all wearing the same cold eyes.

“Mr. Foreman is waiting in the study,” said a butler, bowing slightly.

Jake followed, shoes echoing against the floor. When the double doors opened, an older man stood by the window, cane in one hand, gaze sharp as a blade.

His hair was silver, his posture unyielding. “Lawrence Foreman,” Jake said softly.

The man turned. “You have your mother’s eyes,” he said. “And my father’s stubbornness.”

Jake crossed his arms. “Why now? You’ve known where I was for years.”

Lawrence smiled, a thin, practiced curve. “I respected your mother’s wish. She wanted you to grow up away from the Foreman name. Away from the rot.”

Jake’s brow furrowed. “Rot?”

“Power,” Lawrence corrected. “It poisons everything it touches. Even blood.”

Jake’s voice hardened. “Then why call me back?”

“Because I’m dying,” Lawrence said simply. “And this empire needs an heir. Someone who isn’t rotten yet.”

Jake blinked. “You think that’s me?”

“I know it’s you. The others… they’ve been fighting over scraps for years. You were the only one who refused to kneel for money or status. That makes you dangerous. And it makes you perfect.”

Jake gave a bitter laugh. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.” Lawrence leaned forward, eyes sharp. “You’ve spent years being humiliated by a woman who couldn’t see your worth. You stayed loyal, patient, silent. That kind of discipline can’t be taught, it’s born.”

Jake’s jaw clenched. “Don’t use her to flatter me.”

“I’m not flattering you,” Lawrence said coldly. “I’m reminding you who you are. And who you could be.”

He walked to a cabinet and pressed a button. A section of the wall slid open, revealing a massive screen. City maps. Corporations. Data streams.

“This is the Foreman Conglomerate,” he said. “Seven industries, eighty-seven subsidiaries. And all of it about to fall apart unless someone steps in.”

Jake stared, half-intrigued, half-overwhelmed. “You’re serious?”

Lawrence tapped his cane. “Your signature alone could shift the markets by morning. But before that, you’ll have to prove you’re ready.”

Jake frowned. “Prove how?”

“By facing them.”

“Who?”

“The rest of the family,” Lawrence said. “They don’t know I’ve called you back. And they’ll see you as a threat.”

Jake took a slow breath. “So this isn’t a welcome, it’s a war.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Lawrence’s face. “All power is war, son. The question is whether you’ll fight to win… or walk away again.”

For a long time, Jake said nothing. The weight of the offer pressed on him like the rain outside. He thought of Daniela, her sneer, her lover’s smug face, her family’s laughter at his expense.

He thought of every night he’d swallowed pride for love that was never returned. “I’m not your pawn,” Jake said finally.

Lawrence’s eyes glinted. “No, you’re not. You’re the new king. You just don’t realize it yet.”

Jake turned to the window, watching the storm lash against the glass. For the first time in years, something dangerous stirred beneath his calm, purpose.

He looked back at Lawrence. “You want me to fight them? Fine. But I don’t do this for you.”

Lawrence nodded once. “Then do it for yourself.”

A knock interrupted them. The butler stepped in, his voice low. “Sir, they’ve arrived.”

Jake turned. “They?”

Before Lawrence could answer, the double doors opened again. Three figures entered, two men and a woman, dressed in designer suits, confidence dripping from every gesture.

Their eyes landed on Jake, curious, then cold. “Who’s this?” the woman asked, voice smooth as glass.

Lawrence straightened. “Your cousin. The real heir.”

A tense silence filled the room. The tallest man laughed softly. “Him? The ghost boy? The nobody?”

Jake met his gaze without flinching. “Get used to the sight.”

The woman smirked. “Bold. But let’s see how long that lasts.”

Jake stepped closer. “Try me.”

Lawrence raised a hand, his tone final. “Enough. You’ll all have time to… reacquaint yourselves.”

He turned to Jake. “Tomorrow morning, we begin. There’s a board meeting at Foreman Tower. Everything changes then.”

Jake nodded once. “I’ll be there.”

Lawrence’s voice softened. “Good. But remember, once you enter that room, you can’t walk back into the life you left behind.”

Jake met his grandfather’s gaze. “That life’s already gone.”

Later, when the others had left and the storm quieted, Jake lingered in the study, staring at the flickering map on the screen. His reflection hovered beside the digital empire, half shadow, half promise.

He reached out, touched the glass, then froze. In the corner of the map, a hidden section blinked red. RESTRICTED FILE – PROJECT ASCENDANT.

Jake frowned. “What’s that?”

Lawrence’s voice came from behind him, calm but edged. “Something you’ll learn about soon enough.”

Jake turned. “Why hide it from me?”

Lawrence’s eyes held something cold. “Because some truths, Jake… can destroy even kings.”

The screen flickered once, then went dark, leaving Jake alone with his reflection and a question burning in his mind. What kind of empire had he just inherited?