RISEN FROM THE ASHES: GOD OF CHAOS

CHAPTER TWO

“Bianca!” Harvey called as he rushed down the stairs with an iPad in his hand. “I’ve found him. I’ve finally found him!”

Bianca Cameron was seated on the couch, her pale skin marred with bruises and her eyes darkened by circles from sleepless nights and maybe even a terminal disease. She twisted her head slowly towards her butler, Harvey, who was rushing towards her. 

“What did you say?” She asked weakly. 

Harvey paused as he saw her seated on the couch. 

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” he said, flaunting his British accent. 

“Oh, forget about that, Harvey. I figured if I’m dying, I might as well watch a couple of shows before I go,” she said, amusingly. 

Harvey frowned at that. It had been over a year since Bianca had been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. The doctors had stated that it was too late for treatment because she had been diagnosed much earlier. And so that sealed her fate. But that also fueled her passion for one thing: to find her son before it was too late. 

“So what were you saying?” She asked. 

Harvey withdrew the iPad. “Nothing. It can wait. I need to get you to bed.”

Bianca sighed. “You don’t have to treat me like an eight-year-old, Harvey. I can take care of myself.”

“No. It’s my job to take care of you, and I shall do that to my very best,” he said. 

Bianca chuckled. 

“There you go again, sounding so sweet,” she said. “So tell me. What did you find?”

Harvey contemplated telling her. He didn’t want it to be another burst like the last lead. Shs was getting worse each month, and he didn’t want to get her hopes up for nothing. His salt-and-pepper hair danced across his forehead as he nodded, his beard, infested with gray hairs, showing he was older than he looked, twisting as he spoke. 

“I think I’ve found him this time,” he said. “He’s in Manhattan. But he goes by the name Flynn Grayson.”

“Flynn?” Bianca asked,  shocked. 

Harvey nodded. “It also says here that he had served in the military for years. He’s a veteran as well.”

Bianca held her chest, her heart blooming with joy. Her boy, Kace. He was soon going to be with her again. The thought of it made her heart ache with joy. She rose from the couch to hug Harvey, but her knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor, her head bopping the tile before she passed out. 

“Bianca!” Harvey screamed at the top of his voice. 

   <<>>

The Hendrix’s annual family reunion was a ceremony Flynn knew well, having attended it a couple of times. He knew how expensive and exotic it was. Many families, not just the Hendrix’s attended this ceremony, which was why he was confused that he had been invited by Ava. 

He was standing by the door, his black suit rumpled and his jet back hair ruffled as he tried his best to look presentable. 

The door swung open a few seconds late, and he was surprised when he saw Ava standing by the door. She was dressed in a lavender dress that was filled with glittering stones that almost blinded him. Her blonde hair was combed neatly, and her blue eyes raked him in disgust. In her hand was a glass of champagne, and her lips, now coated with a crimson gloss, stretched into a smile. 

“Flynn. So glad that you can make it,” she said. “Come on. Come in.”

Flynn was confused. How could she be acting like everything was okay between them? Why would she even invite him to an event like this? But before he could ask her, she had already walked back into the house. He rushed in and went after her. Her steps were brisk as she rushed back to the crowd that filled their large living room, which seemed to have been turned into a ballroom. 

The chandelier lights lit up the party, and the crowd was filled with extravagant people of different classes. Their expensive colognes filled the air, and so did the jazz music playing in the background. 

“Are you going to tell me why I got invited?” He asked. 

“Couldn’t you have gotten something better to wear?” She asked, not stopping to face him. 

“Well, it was hard to find something nice after you confiscated half of my clothes as well.”

“Well. You can’t exactly blame that on me,” she said, waving towards a woman in the crowd. 

The woman’s face fell to disgust as she looked at Flynn. Flynn cleared his throat and knew exactly that he wasn’t meant to be here. 

“So why am I here?” I asked. 

“Because my dad wants to see you,” she replied, finally stopping. 

“What?” He exclaimed softly, but when he looked up, he saw his ex-father-in-law talking to a few people. 

“Flynn?” He called as his eyes found him. 

Flynn gulped hard as he stared at Austen Hendrix. He was a stern man in his late fifties with blonde hair that was heavily infested with gray strands. His ocean-blue eyes, which were identical to Ava’s, glittered in the golden lights from the chandelier. He was dressed in a beige suit, and in his hand was a glass of champagne that swayed as he laughed. 

“Mr. Hendrix,” he called softly. 

Austen walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. 

“I’m so glad you could make it,” he said. “Come. Let me introduce you to some special people.”

Flynn was confused by this. He was surprised that they were both acting like they hadn’t kicked him out of the house a few weeks ago. Austen introduced him to a couple who had a son about his age standing with them. He looked disgusted by his appearance, and so was the couple. 

“Didn’t he have something better to wear?” Their son, Axel, asked. 

They all burst out laughing, including Austen. “Well, since he lost his job, I decided that it was best to bring him here. I’m certain that someone here would see his qualities and hire him.”

“Doing something this good, even for your ex-son-in-law?” The mother asked, placing a hand on her chest. “I’m impressed, Austen. You really are a good man.”

Austen grinned. 

“Where does he work now? Burger King?” Axel asked, and everybody burst out laughing. 

Flynn clenched his jaw. He’d had enough of this. They all mocked him. He should’ve known that he was the reason he had been called here. 

“Excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave now,” he said, retreating from the couple. 

“Come on, Flynn. You know they didn’t mean it,” Austen said. 

“I’m sure he didn’t mean to dress like that either,” the woman said, and everybody laughed again. “He looks like a walking disaster.”

Flynn could feel his chest burning in rage. He turned around and found Ava standing before him. He shook his head at her and walked out of the party. 

As he stood outside, he yelled to the night sky at the top of his voice. He was going to make them pay. 

All of them.