The Long-Awaited Heir

Chapter 11 Justice Starts

The next day, Matthew finished eating breakfast, which consisted of bread with scrambled eggs and orange juice. Still chewing, he got up to leave. His clothes were stained with oil from the grill, as usual.

The cell phone rang. Matthew rolled his eyes. It seemed like no one would leave him alone that day.

The caller ID showed the same number as yesterday.

Matthew smiled wryly and answered, “Hello! Am I speaking to Elaine?”

Meanwhile, Elaine was sitting at her desk, feeling the animosity. “Mr. Silva, I’m very sorry about what happened!” she said.

Matthew retorts, “Me too, Miss Elaine. I’m so sorry I don’t have the address or your real place of work to sue you. Because of your lies, I was humiliated and became the new Internet sensation!”

Elaine sighed before replying, “None of this was supposed to happen. I waited for you at Golden Letters.”

“But the kind secretary said you don’t work there.” Matthew scoffs.

Elaine decides to adopt the aggressive tactic, “Mr. Silva, I insist that some mistake has occurred. If you still want the assistant position, come by noon. Otherwise, the secretary was right to expel you, as we’re not in the mood to hire whiners.”

Matthew’s eyes widened, “What did you call me? A whiner? Well, wait for me! I’ll still take this company to court even if I have to take out a bank loan!”

Furious, Matthew hung up the cell phone on Elaine. He almost broke the glass when he left it in the sink and went to the bedroom in a huff.

Elaine hung up, now calmer and smiling. Still, with her cell phone in hand, she typed a message.

In Abner’s room, a message notification sounded.

Evan checked his device and smiled satisfied. He turned to Abner who was sitting at the desk.

“Mission accomplished, sir.”

Abner was somber, “Thank you, Evan. Do you mean to say that young Mr. Rocha was causing scandals at the Rectory’s reception as if he were a prima donna?”

“Sir, this young man doesn’t even look like his father!” Evan frowns.

Abner reached out and picked up the phone mouthpiece from the desk, “I think his father needs to know how his son is behaving.”

Evan swallowed hard. David is about to be punished...

******

In the main square of Sterling University, Matthew approached with a frown, meditating on Elaine’s phone call.

“I don’t even know if I should go to this place. I keep thinking that something is wrong because I don’t remember sending them my CV, I definitely don’t remember!” He thought.

Patricia approached him, “Matt? What was it this time?”

Matthew answered her a little agitatedly, “Patty, you won’t believe it. A publisher called me yesterday wanting to offer me a job as an assistant.”

Patricia was excited, “That’s cool, Matt! Did you do it?”

Matthew looked at his best friend with pity and said with a wry smile, “Haven’t you seen it yet?”

“Internet gossip? No time.” Patricia replied as she shook her head.

Matthew continued, “OK, you really are a great friend. No, they kicked me out of the lobby. But now the young lady who called me yesterday apologized a thousand times and insisted I come back today.”

Patricia encourages him with a light push on the arm, “Then you come back, and may everything work out this time!”

Matthew laughed heartily, “You make everything look so easy.”

“Maybe because things are easier than they seem. How is your mother?”

Matthew stopped laughing. So much going on... “That was another strange thing that happened yesterday. Supposedly, the Public Hospital was overcrowded and managed to transfer my mother to Andrade Clinic.”

Patricia’s eyes widened, “WOW! That’s cool!”

“With that, she recovered a lot,” Matthew states very suspiciously.

“Walt is a great friend,” Patricia commented.

Matthew snaps his fingers, “I’m suspicious it was him. But we argued this morning over my failed job interview.”

The bell rang. The college students who were around ran to the stairs.

“Take advantage of the fact that classes are starting to apologize to him,” Patricia suggested.

“That’s what I’ll do. See you later, Patty!” Matthew smiles at her.

On impulse, Matthew gave Patricia a little kiss on the cheek. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t have a chance to talk about it as Matthew had already run inside.

In another part of the square, without the two of them noticing, Cindy raised her sunglasses, showing a perplexed look.

When she was about to ask Patrícia, Clayton approached the waitress.

“How’s our friend Matt?”

“He got a job interview today.” Patricia smiles hopefully.

Clayton frowned, “But did I hear him say ‘see you later’? Does he intend to work here and get even greasier?”

“What is on your mind?”

Clayton puts his hand on his chin, “This young man needs to attend his job interview. Patty, if you know of someone else to replace Matt, let me know.”

Patricia smiled satisfied.

******

Matthew walked through the corridors. He began to observe the university students, who seemed afraid to speak or even face him. He frowned.

A group of young men broke up and parted as if they were unworthy of being in Matthew’s path. Another group of girls whispered, but this time not with contempt, but with fear. Matthew shook his head.

Then Matthew entered his classroom. The conversation between his classmates ceased almost immediately. Some stared at him, others lowered their heads.

Matthew, suspicious, sat down at his desk. Walter was equally perplexed.

“I would normally apologize for being rude early in the morning,” Matthew turns to Walter, “But you’ll have to explain to me what’s going on first.”

Walter whispered, “Didn’t you know?”

Matthew snorted and turned forward, having no patience for beating around the bush. If no one wanted to say what happened, that was fine.

The current professor, a man in his forties and a little overweight came in and was surprised by the funereal silence. He saw Matthew at his desk and smiled slightly.

“I can see that everyone got the message. From today onwards, no more gossiping about your colleagues on the university forum. And if you ask my opinion, the dean’s office and Mr. Sterling did very well.”

Matthew started putting 2 + 2 together.

He raised his hand, “Professor Freitas, what did that mean? The conversation about me and Cindy...?”

The surrounding students became uncomfortable and murmured.

A colleague said, “Does he really have to rub it in our faces?”

“It’s what you deserve!” Walter exclaims irritably.

Freitas asked for silence, “OK, quiet you all! It seems that Mr. Silva is not aware, as I don’t see him frequenting the forum. Mr. Silva, the owner of this educational establishment announced that gossip about students’ private lives is prohibited. That thread about you and Miss Cardoso was deleted and the user who started the chat was banned.”

Matthew’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

******

Abner is in his room, typing something on the computer slowly, afraid of damaging his fingers due to his age.

Suddenly, he hears the terrified secretary’s voice, “He’s very busy, young man!”

“He’ll answer me!”

Abner was startled and stopped typing, becoming alert. He recognized the owner of the voice.

Matthew came in out of breath. The secretary appeared behind, fearful.

“He can stay.” Abner waves his hand.

The secretary nodded and left. Matthew strode over to the desk.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Matthew’s voice was shaking with anger, “Don’t you realize that the more you help and protect me, the more I earn the wrath and envy of the entire university campus?”

Abner leaned back in the upholstered chair and crossed his fingers, looking at Matthew with interest, “Your point of view is interesting. A person, if he wants to live in peace, must let envious people mistreat and humiliate him without waiting for the person to retaliate.”

Matthew feels knocked out by the logic, “T-that’s not exactly what I meant...”

Abner smiles smartly, “Mr. Silva, what made you think that the decision about the forum is directly related to you?”

Matthew was taken by surprise. He froze the words, “I...”

Abner seems to be amused by the young man’s perplexity, “You hadn’t stopped to think about that, huh? Well, what I did was purely to maintain order at my university. I heard that Miss Cardoso is going out with an important journalist, and if he finds out that his girlfriend is being humiliated by people at Sterling University, things would get ugly on my end, don’t you agree?”

Matthew swallowed hard, “I agree... You’re right. I had the absurd idea that someone would do something decent for me.”

Abner suddenly frowns and retorts somewhat sternly, “Never allow those thoughts to permeate your mind, boy. You are capable of going far in this world, and you’ll find people who love and support you.”

Matthew was startled, “OK, Mr. Sterling... I should be thanking you for deleting that conversation. I also didn’t like that they involved Cindy in this nonsense. If we’re no longer boyfriends, that’s no big deal. Forgive me.”

“Go in peace, my— son...”

Matthew smiled apologetically and left.

Abner took a deep breath. He almost said ‘My grandson’.

Hours later, in the main square, Clayton was shaking his index finger at Matthew.

“No way! I suspected you wanted to show up. You’re going to this job interview!”

Matthew despairs, “Mr. Saldanha, who will prepare the snacks?”

“I’ll prepare.” Clayton points his finger at his chest, “And Patty is going to help me hire another grill cook. Go get that new job that promises to pay more than me! Your mother needs it, my friend!”

Matthew shook his head, smiling. He felt like everyone decided to push him out of the bubble he found himself in...

******

Now at the entrance to Golden Letters, Matthew stood, smiling defiantly. Who would dare stop him this time?

After passing through the revolving door of the lobby, Matthew continued to smile arrogantly at the receptionist.

She froze and gaped so wide that an apple could easily pass through her mouth.

“But what are you doing here?” she asked in a high-pitched voice.

Matthew finally noticed the movement of her arm, “Don’t even think about pressing the button under that counter! I came to be interviewed by Elaine to work as an assistant!”

The receptionist replied, “In those clothes? NEVER! And how many times do I have to tell you—”

Matthew added, “— That no Elaine is working here? THIS Elaine?”

Matthew took out his cell phone and held it out for the receptionist’s view.

The unfriendly woman’s eyes widened when she saw Elaine’s profile on a social network showing several photos of her interacting with Golden Letters employees and writers, proving that she worked at the company.

She is surprised, “I... don’t know what...”

Elaine finally appeared with a funereal expression.

“Mr. Silva, very pleased to finally meet you. It seems that today we will correct an injustice.”

The secretary still didn’t understand what was happening...