Revenge and Redemption: Aaron's Tale of Resilience

Chapter five

 Aaron struggled to adapt at first to his new status.

His grandfather had been very insistent and vehement on him learning everything he possibly could within a very short time frame and it was now Aaron who understood why the old man was in such a hasty rush. Half a month after that fateful night that turned his life around, he was standing in the garden where his parents had been buried but it wasn't his parents he came to mourn this time, there was a fresh grave. 

  

The last relative he had was gone and although it was short-lived, the sort of love and care his grandfather had showered upon him made Aaron feel like he belonged somewhere. The old man had helped him develop himself and Aaron knew who he was and how powerful he had come to be.

This was his dynasty, the consortium was his now, but there was an emptiness in him as he stared at the embellished grave of his grandfather. The old man's last words before he had given up the ghost reverberated in his head,

  

"Aaron, you've had it tough in this cruel world, and now you have to be tough too. Seize opportunities by the horns, if you're making a decision and you're sure that it's the right one, do it with no hesitation, and take that decision ruthlessly regardless of who gets affected...Never forget, that everyone here is loyal to you. 

Adolph, Adolph will never leave your side unless under the circumstances of first and that goes for everyone...the world is yours...You haven't learnt enough my dear son...You haven't and you can't, there's no limit to what you can learn so keep learning...And never forget the blood flowing in your veins..." 

Aaron closed his eyes and looked up, taking in a deep breath as he did, he became lost in the moment. He felt one with them, his parents he never knew and his grandfather he had only known for two weeks.

 Aaron was alone again, a lonely orphan, but he didn't cry, the owner of a consortium couldn't cry, he had to be as tough as a turtle's shell. His grandfather had told him just how ruthless his countless oppositions could be, Aaron knew he had to be tougher than them all. 

 He felt a soft, delicate hand on his broad shoulder and he knew who it was instantly. It was Helen, his assistant whom he had become very fond of over the last two weeks. Helen was Adolph's granddaughter and just like her grandfather had been the personal assistant to Mr. Churchill, his grandfather, she took up the position of the PA of the new Mr. Churchill, Aaron. 

The first day he met her, he took a liking for her instantly because she was intelligent, quick-witted, and very open-minded. She was also very attractive but that wasn't what drew Aaron to her. 

They bonded well, she was palpable and easy to understand and Aaron didn't refuse when Adolph suggested the idea.

"Mr. Churchill, we have to leave now." She said in her soft, yet metallic voice. 

"Already?" Aaron asked without opening his eyes.

 "Yes, the meeting is scheduled for the next five hours. The drive to Kingston could take up to two to three hours and you'd need time to rest before the meeting."

  

Kingston City, Aaron thought, the same city that had treated him so harshly, the city that had chewed him and spat out his ruins, he was going back. But he was going back different this time, he was a better man, no, that wasn't accurate enough. He was one of the best, richest, and most powerful men in the world right now. 

"Alright, Helen." He said, finally parting his eyes open. "Let's go."

 Helen had been very helpful to Aaron as time went on, all he needed to know about the consortium, she showed and educated him on it. She had an answer to each of his questions and that had Aaron wondering if she had been studying the affairs of the consortium from a young age. He was glad the first branch of this huge conglomerate he was visiting was in Kingston, at the back of his busy mind, loomed a cloak of revenge. 

Though at Kingston it was just a branch of the huge consortium, it was one of the richest and most powerful companies in Kingston. A fleet of cars was already parked in front of the massive mansion, waiting for the new boss, the last surviving Churchill who owned it all. The sun smiled down at him, unlike the gloomy rain that had battered him on his first night here. Aaron took it as a symbol of his bright future and it spelled doom for all those who had done him dirty.

 Meanwhile, in Kingston City, at the company's branch, there was tension and anxiety. Mr. Cannon, a manager of the company Aaron had been unjustly kicked out of, waited in the conference room. There were various representatives of other companies, this was going to be a huge deal for the company if he could secure it. When it was his turn to negotiate with the shareholders and the manager of this huge company, an announcement was made.

  "Please all staff should move to the lobby on the ground floor with immediate effect!" 

 A loud voice came booming through all the speakers in the seven-story building and the negotiations with Mr. Cannon were completely forgotten as everyone rushed to the ground floor. 

"What the hell is happening? How could they abandon a business meeting so casually?" He wondered with a tinge of annoyance. 

He had missed his chance and he wasn't sure he would get a golden opportunity like this again, but his curiosity was also burning and he decided to find out what the whole madness was about. The employees spewed out of the lobby and were standing outside, impatiently waiting for the arrival of the new boss. 

 They chattered away with excitement and curiosity, "Who was the new Mr. Churchill?" 

 "I could have sworn they had no surviving member!"

 "Did you attend the grand burial?" Those were the discussions that went around. 

Finally, Aaron's eye-catching convoy of cars came to a synchronized stop in front of the company. Silence, absolute silence as the door of the only limousine in the convoy was held open by a guard. Then Aaron slowly emerged and Helen, who had been waiting, joined him at his side. Awes and gasps of disbelief went around the employees, they couldn't believe how young their new boss was. 

"Damn! He's so dreamy!" 

"Oh my, I'm going to be freaking drooling!" 

Aaron's presence carried power and that affluence that went with the powerful, he walked confidently and that was what enthused everyone. Mr. Cannon sprinted at the new, young chairman of the company and he squinted hard at him. 

 "How come he looks so familiar?" He wondered, picking up his memory furiously. It was hard for him to recognize Aaron, he looked way better than he did two weeks ago, and he didn't wear rags anymore. What made it more difficult for Mr. Cannon to catch a glimpse of recognition were the dark sunglasses that perched on Aaron's nose. 

He shrugged with disappointment and the only thing on his mind was the tedious procedures it would take to set up this deal.