Return of the supreme Consortium heir

Chapter 2

Brandley arrived at the Morgan's club house. He knew he shouldn't be there but he had no choice. Saving his relationship with Via was more important to him and being almost sure that his coming to the club house was a mistake, he considered it a risk worth taking.

Standing at the entrance, Brandley could hear his heart pound. It was almost like everyone present in the club house that evening were his greatest nightmare. Marcus and Norman were there with their wives and it was good enough reason to be apprehensive. His step father Jacob was his usual self, barely smiling. Everyone seemed to be having a good time except his mother Stella. The only person who was absent from the party was his half brother Alex. Alex had been in Paris for over six months on a luxurious vacation in preparation for his coming over to take over the chains of businesses that belonged to his father Jacob Morgan.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Brandley summoned the courage to interrupt the party and make his request.

Jacob, in the whirlwind of the momentous gathering heard a voice call out to him. It was the same voice he didn't want to hear.

"Good evening, father," Brandley greeted. 

There was a sudden quietness in the room as fixed their gaze on him.

Stella could already smell humiliation brewing. Of all the days that Brandley had to come to the club house it had to be on that fateful day. She wished he had called her before coming, then she'd have told him to come some other time.

"What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something important with my friends?" Jacob added, his tone growing increasingly furious.

"I'm sorry, father, I..." Brandley began, but Jacob cut him off with a harsh retort.

"I'm not your father!" Jacob yelled, his voice echoing through the room.

Brandley cringed at Jacob's outburst but he quickly corrected himself. "I'm sorry, stepfather," he murmured in embarrassment.

"That's better. So why are you here?" Jacob demanded. 

Brandley hesitated, his nerves getting the best of him as he struggled to find the words to express his purpose for being there. With everyone looking at him, he knew he had to chose his words carefully.

"Will you say something? You're interrupting a momentous gathering. Right?" Jacob asked, turning to his friends.

"I... I came here to ask you for money," Brandley finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper as he braced himself for Jacob's reaction.

The room filled with laughter, which really didn't come as a surprise to Brandley. Being humiliated by his step father and his friends wasn't new. He could only imagine if Alex was there too.

Jacob, still chuckling, leaned forward, his expression mocking as he asked Brandley to repeat himself.

"I...I... I came here to ask you for money," Brandley repeated, causing Jacob and his friends to erupt into laughter once again.

Jacob's laughter subsided, replaced by a stern expression as he addressed Brandley. "I don't know what you're thinking, Brandley, but I don't grow money on tress that you can just come to get whenever you feel like it. And if I may ask, how much do you need?"

"It's $150,000," Brandley replied, his voice faltering slightly under Jacob's piercing gaze.

"$150,000?" Jacob repeated incredulously. "And what on earth do you need that amount of money for?"

"It's for something I need to do before next week Friday," Brandley explained.

"$150,000 is a large sum of money, Brandley, and you don't just expect me to hand it over to you without getting something in return.

"I'm ready to do anything," Brandley blurted out. 

"Whatever it is, I'm ready."

"You really can do anything?" Jacob taunted sarcastically.

"Yes, stepfather. Anything,"

Jacob's laughter filled the room as he extended his shoe towards Brandley, a mocking grin on his face. "Then lick the sole of my shoe. Take, lick it!" he commanded.

Brandley felt a surge of shame rise within him as he stared at the shoe before him, the laughter of Jacob's friends ringing in his ears. There was no way he'd lick his step father's shoes. It was too much.

But Jacob wasn't finished yet. "Wait a minute. I think licking just the sole of my shoe isn't enough to earn you $150,000. Mine alone is $50,000. If you want to earn the full amount, you'll have to lick the soles of all our shoes," he declared, his eyes gleaming with malice erupting into another outburst of laughter from his friends.

Brandley's heart sank even further as he realized the extent of Jacob's cruelty making him wonder why on earth his mother would agree to marry a man like Jacob. All he was asking for was $150,000 and he had to be humiliated yet his half brother Alex was always receiving a weekly allowance of $2,000,000. 

The tears he had been trying to hold back since he arrived found their way freely down his cheeks. It's been over twenty years and nothing has changed about his step father, instead he was becoming worse. He was still the mean and callous stepfather he had always been.

Stella tried to hold back her tears as she watched the scene unfold before her. Watching the cruel treatment of her son by her husband and his friends, made her realize how much she had failed Brandley as his mother but she dared not intervene, else, she'll have to answer to her husband. Unable to do anything, she just stood where she was crying and blaming herself for all of Brandley's misfortune.

Her life would have been better if she had remained married to Brandley's father. She couldn't shake away the guilt that overwhelmed her for having failed in being a good mother to Brandley.

Brandley knowing fully well that his request will never be granted blamed himself for coming in the first place. As he left to ponder on what to do next to meet Via's demand, his phone buzzed signaling a received text message. It was from his mother Stella.

"Hello son, meet me tonight at our guest house. I'll give you the money," he read.