Harem Mage Son-in-law

Chapter 3

"Tristan? Are you the one my brothers have been talking of?"

He first paused. The voice continued. “You look so younger than I'd thought.” 

His blood went cold. His head cocked to the side. “Wait first…..,” he thought, eyes furrowed. “This voice sounds familiar.” He said within himself, paying even closer attention, eager to hear the woman speak again. 

“I'd flown here to represent my fiance who suffered a heart attack in the course of the journey and has been flown back……” 

He trembled, gasping for breath. His fists balled so tight as he spun around in a flash, locking eyes with the woman he never expected to meet here. 

“My fiance died, so I rushed over to take his place.” 

Tristan recalling the lines of events, the conspiracy shook his head slowly, sinisterly, against the hard beating of his heart. 

He wanted to lunge on her in that shock, to hit and strangle her to death but the sweet, lofty voice came up again, asking. “What's wrong sir, are you alright?” 

By her very tone, nothing was wrong. She wasn't even bothered by his death. 

“Really?” Tristan said in shock, beating his chest in imagination to give her hell. Upon making up his mind, he lifted his face in a fake smile, shaking his head, but this time in denial. 

“Nothing! Nothing at all!!” He snapped. “I was just…..just…..” But quickly set up a serious face. 

“You're the Clarkson’s heiress right?” His eyes furrowed as he pointed his fist in great concern at her. She quickly nodded. “And your fiance is dead?” His lips sprang wide apart. 

Freya nodded, happy her tale was believed. “Yes, yes.” Fake grief rushed over her facial features.

“Since she has decided to play chameleon, I'll play the green snake in the green grass.” Tristan concluded. 

“Sorry, this is so sad.” His voice cracked. He moved forward to her, stretching his hand in a handshake.. “I didn't even know it's you from the start.” He maintained the shock. 

“I was hoping to meet Mr. Luis and his business associates.” 

“It's really sad,” she slid in. 

“And you know……my sisters…….they love to play too much prank which is why I didn't even turn.” 

“Oooh really?” Freya giggled and Tristan sneered at him in his mind. 

“Look at someone's whose fiance just died.” It told she didn't even love him from the start. Tristan cried inside of him. 

But good thing it didn't even take long for him to get the information he wanted confirming. Freya was indeed the incitee to his assassination. 

“Don't worry. You'll see hell.” He growled within amidst the faked pleasantries. 

“Sorry for your loss,” Tristan repeated again to make his sympathy more believable but Freya waved her hand off in a leave-the-topic style. 

“I mean he's gone, what can we do? My family has already begun arranging me with Jayson, my proposed new fiance. He just returned from abroad. A childhood family friend.” 

Tristan’s eyes almost flared wide open and his jaw dropping but he quickly pulled control in. 

He couldn't believe she was saying this after investing all his life-savings in the company, working tirelessly day and night to oversee the platform’s launch while she kept traveling claiming to get overseas connect ahead of the official launching. 

Little did he know. 

Now Tristan saw it all. She may have always gone to be with Jayson in all of her abroad business trips. Going on all those trips but bringing no valid reports back. 

It was always she had met those top companies and they will update them soon on their investment deal. He would wait and wait, yet no response would come. 

Everything cleared in his eyes just now. He smirked, coughing out a slight smile next. 

“You've entered my trap, I'll deal with you.” He affirmed but Freya was yapping, trying to convince him not knowing she was speaking to her ex-fiancé in his new body. 

“What's with all these wounds? Who did these to you?” The sharp, sudden voice laced with shock crashed into his thoughts. He trembled, staring at her, then his entire body and straightening in shock. 

It was obvious she just noticed. 

Seeing the sad face she made, Tristan only laughed inside of him. “You didn't pity your fiance after all his sacrifices to you and your family, is it me you will pity?” 

He was certain she just remembered he hadn't sympathized with him over his injuries and decided to play sudden shock. 

Same way she played over Luis’ death, he laughed it off. “Nothing to worry about, I just fell off a hill while hiking and scraped off my skin. I wash up and apply medicine.” 

“Can I do that for you?” She asked. Tristan froze briefly, then burst out laughing. 

He shook his head. “My family doctor will do that.” 

“She believes her fake care here will get the deal sealed faster?” Tristan laughed long but outwardly he maintained the composure. 

Freya was going to steer up another conversation with Tristan when one of his sisters, Camille, the second born and best friend approached, running to him Un sighting his state.  

"Oh no Tristan. They bullied you again, those bastards." She already said faster than Tristan’s wink to shut her up. 

He smiled. “No one can bully me,” he lied to suit what he told Freya, whom he turned now to see was frowning with jealousy. A chill sensation cascaded over his chest. Sliding his hand over Camille’s waist, he went with her not even saying a word to her. 

Freya turned dumb, puzzled at the sudden switch in attitude but Tristan barely spared a look. She stood, wondering what she did wrong. It was as if she suddenly turned invisible. 

Meanwhile, Camille here got really worried and anxious over Tristan. “She begged me to talk to you to accept their investment deal. Why did you leave her like that?” She too was shocked. 

“Investment deal?” Tristan asked, sensing something off. “Why begging?” 

“Yes, they need support from us to help their bankruptcy.” Camille said. 

“Bankruptcy?” Tristan trembled. “How can a new company I……” Words failed him as he suddenly realized. Camille stared with a puzzle at his face. 

He shook his head to refute it. “I mean a new, fast rising company I just heard came up…..is now…..bankrupt?” His face twisted. 

Camille was amused at the sudden extreme interest at Luxville which she interpreted as he being concerned whether the money they will invest will make profits or fail. But inside of him, he was hurt at the sudden bad condition of the company he just established.

Did Freya and her family who run the finance hide anything from him? What could a new company lose money to so as to go bankrupt? 

Jayson came to mind. 

Did they use the money to sponsor him abroad and he didn't know? What happened to all his sweat now? 

He was worried, and at the time he was excited. He was the heir of the Harold’s here, basically in charge of everything. The Harold’s were busy with other new companies they were establishing abroad. 

Here was his chance. “I'm gonna steer the wheel to my will.” He swore. 

“So are we buying their request?” Camille asked upon hearing no response from him. “She's with her brothers.” 

“Let them wait!” Tristan flung his face nonchalantly. Camille gulped, but before she could say anything next, he cut in a question. 

“Where's Avery and Eva?” Tristan asked. 

“They went out. Avery had classes today while Eva went shopping.” She replied. 

“Okay.” 

Camille’s shot went back to his injuries. Her fingers brushed over them gently, while looking with sad eyes at him, then she whispered to him. 

“What happened to you? Come on, tell me.” She whispered. “Sorry, I asked in front of her.” 

“It's okay. It was just a fight with the bullies. Today, I decided to stand up for myself.” He parted his lips, forcing a smile. He said this to assure Camille who has been worried over his bullying with some elite students of the college they attended more than other of his sisters. 

They all knew he was being bullied in school because he was a scholarship kid and therefore they thought he was a poor kid, particularly as he identified as an orphan. He was permitted to pick second and third name of his choice. So his bullies believed that even they kill him, no one would come out to fight for him. 

What made them believe this even more was how he was never seen with the Harold’s sisters who were his adoptive family. Sir Harold and Madame Madison Harold, his wife decided to keep his identity secret until he married one of their daughters in the future and become the official CEO as it's common for most heirs of big companies. They remained secret for security purposes. In his case, it wasn't helping but he had to endure. 

“I've tried to convince mom, dad and you to break the protocol and reveal your bullies so they leave you alone. I hate all these……how you are bullied.” Her voice cracked and her eyes moistened with tears. 

Tristan patted her back, smiling at her. “No, not yet. We will be okay.” He slid in a compliment, what he had never done before. 

"Your makeup is perfect today. Is it because of the Clarkson’s brothers? Crushing on any?” He teased her to her greatest shock. She frowned, stamping her foot in an effort to stop him. 

She almost said, “You know I only love you.” 

Tristan smiled, he knew it all. He was doing it on purpose. To distract her further. 

In that moment, Tristan made witty gestures and glid off her side to go treat his wounds from where he'd head straight to his room to relax. 

“What should I tell her….them” Camille shouted before he disappeared off sight. 

“Wait for me!” He shouted back, then growled silently. 

“Who cares about them? Let them suffer.” He hissed. “Once they've suffered enough…..I'll step in……then I will achieve my aim.” 

“Not even those asshole brothers of hers will escape my grip.” 

He'd bathed, gotten his treatment and was now about to sleep. Just then, two steady knocks interrupted his thoughts.

“Who's that?” He growled hard against his chest, suspecting it related to Freya and her brothers. 

"Mom is back, Dinner at 7." Camille announced through the door. In a matter of a few seconds, Tristan slid in a long sleeve shirt and a pair of trousers covering the bandages on his body. He did not stares or questions from anyone. 

Camille peeked at him with a shocked look, Tristan had this exciting glow on his face. 

“What's making you so excited?” She couldn't afford to withhold her question. 

“Nothing,” he answered. “Come, let's go!” Grabbing her wrist, he strolled down the hallway to the dining room to meet his mom. 

At their arrival, the dining table was all set. Freya was spotted next to Madison, his mom, like they were discussing something.

"Tristan, you’re here." She said as she lifted her face. 

“Mom?”