Chapter 4: The Consortium

"Come with me George, There is something that I must show you, It is time for you to meet them"

"Meet who?" 

George asked as he gently pushed his wheelchair for him. 

Jeremy smiles, George had not realised that the wheelchair has a control button, nevertheless he enjoyed having his Grandson do it for him. 

"Where should I take you?" 

"To the Garden" 

As George leads Jeremy to the Garden, the cold breeze sinks through their skin. 

"Who are we here to meet?"

"Your parents, George, they are buried here" 

Jeremy pointed to their grave. George stared at their epitaph. His hands quivered. 

"Your parents were buried together, they died in this city, No one knew it would rain that day, They had just finished meeting up with the private investigators that morning, your father had a meeting and your mother tagged along. They were inseparable you know, they searched for you not knowing that you were just nearby, just around the corner"

George was sad, he would have been glad to meet the beautiful couple buried in that grave. As he moved closer, he lowered down, his fingers running on my epitaph. 

"My parents"

His Grandfather nodded. 

"All your father ever dreamt about was holding you in his arms, and teaching you how to play soccer, while your mother never stopped holding your clothes very close to her heart every single night, she wanted to be the one who packs your lunch bag till she sent you off to college, they loved you George and I wish they were here to see how you've turned into a man"

"I would have loved to meet them as well" He wiped his tears.

"There is something else you must know" 

"What is it, Grandfather"

"I wish I had more time with you my dear Grandson"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm about to die, George," 

Jeremy said firmly, leaving George Shocked and saddened. His poor heart was ripped right out of his chest

"Please don't say that"

"That is the truth, George. However, I want you to know that I have no regrets because I found you, my only heir"

"Stay with me George, I will leave here but I want you to accompany me"

"Accompany you to where? Wherever it is, I will go with you"

"Stay with me in my last moments, my last days"

"Of course, you don't have to ask twice, I will stay with you just don't die"

Jeremy wished the situation was different but he fulfilled his promise to his son and daughter-in-law and he was satisfied. 

"You will have more fun without this sick old man"

"I will always need this old man, you are the first"

"The first thing?"

"The first that I called Grandfather"

A lot of emotions run through Jeremy's eyes. 

"Come here, boy"

As George closed the space between them, Jeremy cupped his face. 

"You will make me proud, I just know it, I have never felt something so strong with anyone not even your father, which is why whatever comes your way, I want you to accept it, accept everything because you deserve it all, they belong to you, they have always been yours and if not for what happened, they will be no need for us to go through this process"

"What are you talking about?"

"Right now, all assets are being transferred to you, George, You are the owner, it has always been, it was delayed but not denied"

George accompanied his Grandfather as he had got on a video conference with his lawyers as they discussed the transfer of Jeremy Hawthorne's assets to George, he was going to be the sole heir to the Hawthorne Consortium. 

The Hawthorne Consortium was richer than George even imagined, they held shares in many companies in the city and across countries and owned many top companies that George had only seen in magazines. 

That wasn't all, they had many assets; lands, buildings, real estate, artworks, antiques, cars, gold bars and silver, ranches, fields, and aircraft. 

They equally owned chains of restaurants, hotels, malls, seaports, and pharmaceuticals, and even also dominated the tech world. 

For the next couple of days, George was preoccupied, he was astonished to discover that his Grandfather spent all his years building his wealth and investing in almost every sector, from business to  Tech, Health, Food, and even Transportation. 

They dominated the world as they had branches in all countries.

As George stayed with his Grandfather, he was equally learning a lot of things about the business and doing his own research. 

"Ugh," 

Jeremy groaned.

"What's wrong with you?" 

"I need a break, I'm so tired George, I just want to rest right now" 

Jeremy glanced around. 

"I wonder where Patrick has gone to, I want to lay down"

"I can take you to your room" 

George admitted staring into his eyes. 

"You know you don't need Patrick to get to your room, I can help you out whenever you want"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes Grandfather" 

George helped him get on his wheelchair, gently pushed him back to his bedroom and tucked him into bed.

"You don't worry about anything and just sleep, Grandfather, When you wake up I will be right there with you"

"Thank you George" 

Jeremy Hawthorne whispered.

"You don't have to thank me all the time"  George shot a smile at him. 

"I have to, you are taking care of this sick old man, might be a burden" 

His Grandfather coughed.

"You are not, you are the best thing that ever happened to me in a long time" 

George admitted before leaning over and kissing his forehead. 

"Sleep tight, I will be here for you"

As George left the room, the glee on his face could not be contained. 

However when his Grandfather's words echoed in his head, he frowned, and his eyes grew sad.

"Just when I am happy that I finally found my kind Grandfather, it turns out he was going to leave me anytime soon" 

His heart was saddened, his face downcast

He runs his hand through his face wishing that there was something that he could do for him, he doesn't want to be alone, not when he just found him and wanted to have so many memories with him. 

However when he remembered his Grandfather's words, his eyes sparkled once again with hope, he was excited that he was going to be one of the richest people in the world.

Glancing around the house, his eyes fall on the expensive Chandeliers, and cars parked in the driveway, expensive vases. 

Fear engulfed him as sweat crawled up his forehead. His hand quivered and he ran his hand through his face, The thumping beat of his heart was so loud that he feared anyone would hear it.

Staring at the reflection of himself through the mirror, anxiety dwelled on his face and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He runs his index finger on his face down to his neck as he saw it all.

"I'm just a peasant designer, I'm just 

George the orphan, George the loser, the ultimate failure who shouldn't show his face to the rest of the world ever again," 

He said to himself. 

"How can I take over  Hawthorne Consortium? Can I undergo such transformation and become the Heir to the Hawthorne Consortium in just a few days? Can I do it?"