Vindication of the Rejected Heir

Chapter 7

Declan exited the company building just in the nick of time. He had a 4 pm appointment with Lord Rowland, and he did not want to be late.

Mondays were usually hectic and today was not an exception. He had a couple of meetings with some investors, with whom he wanted to do business.

He had started his project to reestablish the company and everything was going well so far. Daniel had not shown up to work for days, but that was the least of his worries.

The only thing on his mind as he entered his vehicle was what Lord Rowland wanted to discuss with him. The old man had fallen I'll some weeks ago and was taken to the hospital where he was duly cared for with the company's funds.

Declan had made sure of that. Thinking about it, he had no reason to be angry with his grandfather. Daniel had been the root cause of everything that had happened, and Lord Rowland had acted out of ignorance of what was not.

Declan scrunched his face as the familiar antiseptic smell of the hospital hit him. He was used to it. He had undergone a couple of treatments in the last two years to aid his ailing health.

Lord Rowland was sitting up when Declan opened the door. He was talking to his nurse, a young ravishing beauty, as Declan would later describe her.

She had this air of comfort and peace around her, and her smile was breathtaking. Little wonder Lord Rowland was enjoying her company. When she looked up at Declan, his heart skipped a beat. She looked like someone he knew, but a more beautiful version.

She smiled at him as she ushered him in, and motioned him to a seat. Declan unbuttoned his tux and sat down, smiling back at her. His eyes held her for a brief second before she shifted her gaze to the report sheet before her.

"You must be Declan, his first grandson", she spoke first, with a sing-along tone, like music to Declan's ears. He would bask in this tone later.

He would think about her later when he headed home, had dinner, and lay in his bed. "Rowland has not had many relatives coming around but I'm glad you're here", she continued.

Declan only nodded. He knew he would stutter more than usual because of how he felt being around her.

"Well, his vitals are stable now, and he's feeding properly. He should be out of here by the weekend", she said with a small smile.

"Thank you so much", Declan finally spoke. She nodded at him, oblivious to his stammering self. Here was one person who paid no heed or took any special notice of his speech defect.

He was liking this angel. He watched her until she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Declan turned back to Lord Rowland, who looked at him with a knowing smile.

"She's such a nice girl", Lord Rowland said, looking away. Declan nodded in agreement. He barely spoke if there was no need to do so.

"Declan, I called you here to render my heartfelt apology to you for everything that has happened in the past. I was not supposed to leave you helpless and uncatered for when you needed your family around", Lord Rowland began, almost breaking down.

Declan just stared at him. He could barely utter a word.

"I've not been a good grandfather to you, and it's all my fault. I think this illness is my reward for how unfairly I've treated you in the past and I'm so sorry".

"Do not say that", Declan finally spoke up. "I know everything that happened was Daniel's doing", he said, consoling lord Rowland.

He listened as his grandfather told him everything that happened. Daniel had planned the whole thing from the start and had made Mary lie that he was not an heir in the family.

He had also not been to the hospital for a single visit and was away on one of his extravagant trips with Patricia. All these only fueled up the hatred Declan had for Daniel.

He would do everything in his power to ensure he got every single pound of flesh from Daniel. Different thoughts crossed his mind, but he already had a plan on how to make Daniel pay for everything.

"I want you to get married to Hannah", Lord Rowland said abruptly after a few minutes of silence. Declan was taken aback by this sudden decision. Nobody was in the right place to give him orders any longer.

"And who is Hannah?" He asked.

"My nurse. The young lady that was here earlier", Lord Rowland replied.

Declan jumped for joy within. But marriage was a very sensitive thing to talk about just yet. He wanted to get to know her more, court her, marry her and give her the world. He was up to the task, plus the girl was driving him nuts already.

"Why would you want me to marry her?" Declan asked.

"That girl is Patricia's sister, Paul's second daughter, but I know she's very different from her sister", Lord Rowland said in her defense.

Declan was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Hannah had a striking resemblance to Patricia, but she was more beautiful.

Marriage to her would be another way for him to find his way back to Daniel's life and deal with him the way he wanted to.

Here he was again, accepting a decision that was made for him by someone else. However, this was different. He wanted this. He wanted Hannah, and he was willing to take the bull by the horns and go out with her.

Declan heard the machine that sat beside his grandfather's bed beep abnormally. Lord Rowland suddenly began to gasp for air, and Declan rushed to get help immediately.

A medical team soon filled the room, just as lord Rowland went unconscious. They did a series of checks and confirmed that he had only slipped into a coma.

Declan was barely paying attention to whatever was going on. He was glad that his grandfather was going to be fine, but his eyes were fixed on Hannah throughout the entire exercise.

All her thick hair fitted perfectly into a tight bun, that bounced behind her as she walked. She was very focused as she helped the doctor out, and the concern in her eyes for his grandfather melted him.

When their eyes met, she looked inquisitively at him but he only smiled and looked away.

She was the last medical personnel to leave the room. His grandfather was stable, and she wanted to make sure that he was very comfortable before she started to head out.

Declan impulsively stood in her way, and she shot him a questioning look. He knew this was his chance and he hoped to maximize it.

"I know this is not the right time, but I would realy want to have lunch with you", Declan finally said, stuttering more than usual. He was excited.

Hannah looked at him, amused at his uneasiness. He had this gentility attached to his person and she wanted to know what else lay beneath this wrap of self-consciousness he had managed to create around himself. She wanted to get to know him better too.

"Let me have your card. I'll call you on the day I'm not working. We can have that lunch then", she answered.

"That's totally fine by me", Declan said reaching for his suit's inner pocket, where he had stacked a few of his business cards. Their hands brushed against each other as he handed her the card.

She had the softest hands, and he noticed her blush as she turned around to leave the room. He hoped she would call. He was catching feelings.

The legendary butterflies were filling his stomach. He laughed at his joke as he made his way out of the hospital.