Return of the hidden heir

chapter 4: The beggar

Harlan wiped the blood that came out from his mouth with the back of his hand as the two men stepped away from him to look at the person who had dared to stop them.

They trembled in fear when they realized who the man was. No one messes with Jack, and a lot of times he had been billionaire's protector. No ordinary person can afford to make Jack his or her personal bodyguard.

"Sir, are you here to see us?" One of the men asked Jack in a trembling voice.

Without saying anything, Jack strolled to them and held the two men at once, he glanced at Harlan.

"What do you want me to do to them, young master?" Jack asked Harlan.

Harlan stared at Jack in surprise. Did Jack just call him 'young master'?

One of the men whose collar Harlan was holding burst into laughter.

"You must have made a mistake, Mr Jack. This scumbag here cannot be any young master, he isn't even fit to be my servant at home…"

Jack angrily released the two men, kicked them with his foot and sent them sprawling on the floor. They groaned in pain.

"I am sorry for coming late, Sir. I didn't know those punks would try to lay their filthy hands on you." Jack said, bowing slightly.

"Who are you?" Harlan asked, confused.

"I am going to be your secret bodyguard beginning from this moment, Mr Smith sent me, Sir," Jack said with his head still bowed.

Harlan had not agreed to being Mr Smith's son, but now, Mr Smith already sent him a bodyguard.He thought about how much his life would change if he agreed to be Mr Smith's adopted son.

Harlan nodded and muttered, "you are welcome," not knowing what else he could have said in a situation like this.

"You need to go to the hospital, Sir," Jack suggested.

Harlan waved his hand, "no need."

"Alright, if you say so. But those men, what should I do about them?"

Harlan smiled and reached into his pocket, he brought out a dollar note and gave it to Jack.

"I want them to give this to their mistress and she must buy something with it and show me what it is," Harlan said.

Jack wondered why Harlan was so weird. He had heard a lot about Harlan Smith, he had never for once imagined that he would be someone simple looking. Jack had thought he was meeting a young man dressed as much as his father's wealth and spoilt. Harlan didn't look like any of that.

"Only that, Sir?" Jack asked.

"Yes, and… the formality, can you drop it? It makes me quite uncomfortable."

"Sir?" Jack asked, eyes widened.

"What? Have I said anything wrong?"

"No, Sir, anything you want."

"Call me Harlan, I already know you are Jack."

"Sir?" Jack asked, shocked.

Harlan frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Sir, if I call you by your name, I might lost my job. I am comfortable with the formal, it is a part of my job," Jack said.

Harlan shrugged, "alright."

***

Harlan didn't have a blink of sleep throughout the night. Several times, he stood up from his bed and counted the money he had withdrawn in the bank over and over again. It didn't seem real yet. Mr Smith had told Harlan to think about being adopted as his son, but Harlan didn't think about anything, what is there to think about anyway?

He had concluded and he was ready to be Mr Smith's son. Thank God he was disowned by his parents some days ago, it seemed to Harlan as if things was working in his favour.

He took a deep breath as he got to the gate of the Keith and Mint Las firm. It was big, and he knew he would never have come here if not for Mr Smith, not even in his dream.

The gatekeeper assessed Harlan from head to toe as he was about to enter the firm compound. He had often heard that the most lucrative business these days is begging, but he had never thought anyone in his right frame of mind would come to the Keith and Mint firm to beg for money.

"Mr man, where are you going?" He asked Harlan sternly.

Harlan looked at the gatekeeper at once and smiled.

"Hello, how can I get to Mr Smith's office?"

"Look around very well, do you see any of your types here?" The gatekeeper asked rudely.

Harlan frowned slightly, "I don't seem to understand what you are talking about."

"How would you understand? Idiot. If at this age of yours, you can't provide for your basic needs, how would you manage to survive in the next twenty years?"

Harlan looked around, not sure that the gatekeeper was talking to him. He placed his hand on his chest and the word "me?" Formed on his lips.

"Who else is here if not you? You will only be here because of two reasons; either you are here to beg or you are here to see the lawyers. I doubt you are here for the latter. You must have come to beg, but let me make it clear that we don't offer financial support to people at this time of the month," the gatekeeper spat.

Harlan took a deep breath and stared at the gatekeeper.

"What makes you think I am here to beg?"

"See, Mr man, I will just advice you to go home and stop proving as if you are here for something important. Let's not make a scene here."

Harlan was embarrassed as he noticed some people giving him disapproving looks. He stared at the gatekeeper.

"I am here to see Mr Smith," he said.

"Hey, Robinson, come and take a look at this funny beggar," the gatekeeper yelled out to his colleague who came quickly to where Harlan was.

"Can you believe the joke about this beggar pulled? He said he is here to see Mr Smith after he realized that I already knew he was here to beg," the gatekeeper sneered.

The two of them burst into laughter, falling against each other. They laughed until their sides ached. Harlan was getting angry, he tried to keep his cool as he was being called a beggar.

"You know what?" Robinson asked the other man.

"Huh?"

"If he had said he was here to see someone, take for instance, one of the cleaners here, I would have allowed him to go inside and beg for all I cared, but he just busted out and said…"

"'I am here to see Mr Smith'" the gatekeeper mimicked. And the two of them laughed again.

"You know where people like you can see Mr Smith? On the television," Robinson said.

"Oh, Robinson, you are missing it. If This beggar has a television at home, he would have sold it before now," the first gatekeeper sneered, and again, they both laughed.

"You and right. But, the only place he can see Mr Smith is in the newspaper, nothing more."

"Let's cut this, Robinson. This boy just made my day," the first gatekeeper said and was starting to go back to the gate when Harlan's voice stopped him.

"Get ready to receive your sack letter today, people like you are not meant to be at the front place of an organization as good as this," Harlan said.

The gatekeepers looked at each other, amazed at Harlan's boldness.

"It seems you want it roughly, and I will do just that. Get out of here!" Robinson bellowed.

By then, people were starting to gather and there was whispering as each person in the crowd explained to the other what he thinks was happening.

Harlan took his phone, trying to find a way to get Mr Smith's number. No doubt, it would be on the internet, but how to get his real number was the problem.

"You seem to have forgotten that just a word from me can earn you some years in prison, if not your lifetime," the first gatekeeper said angrily.

"Just wait, and I will show you how you are going to get sacked before the next two minutes," Harlan said under his breath.

"He seems to be cursing," someone in the crowd said, above whispering.

"He must be insane to come here to beg for money and be this brave," another person said.

"Hi, guys, I have an idea. Instead of this 'boy' continuing to continue staying here and causing a scene because he has not eaten for the past few days, why not help him out? Whatever amount you have, just give him so that he can take his filthy legs out of here," Robinson suggested.

Harlan cursed under his breath as he searched for Mr Smith's number on the internet.

"That is a good idea," someone from the crowd said.

Almost immediately, people began throwing money in Harlan's direction. His face was red in embarrassment. He knew the gatekeeper would not allow him past the gate and he didn't want to go back like this, it would make him really the beggar he has been painted to be. He was getting nervous as the minutes past by and he still couldn't get anything that looked like Mr Smith's number.

"I think you have had enough, don't be too ashamed to pick the money, it is yours now," the first gatekeeper said scornfully.

***

Smith had been nervously waiting for Harlan since the daybreak. He didn't even take his breakfast before leaving the house and heading to the office. He swirled the executive chair around again and glanced at the wall clock. It was past eleven and Harlan was yet to show up.

He stood up and paced around. If Harlan decides not to come, then things are going to fall through for him. He sighed and glanced at the time once more. Harlan didn't seem like someone who wouldn't come early if he wanted to come.

Maybe, Smith thought, Harlan would nott come after all. He shook his head at the thought.

"He would surely come, he isn't that rich to turn me down, he will come," Smith convinced himself.

Trying to make the time go quickly, Smith went to the television connected to the CCTV camera at the gate. He frowned when he saw people gathered there.

Smith pressed a button, and almost immediately, someone knocked and opened the door.

"Sir?"

"What is happening at the gate?" He asked, with his eyes fixed on the television.

"At the gate? Nothing, Sir," his personal assistant said.

"What's with the crowd then?" Smith pointed to the screen.