As Arthur entered Jerome Brunton's office, the contrast made his eyes squint. The outer modern office completely turned to the warm, Victorian style waiting room with deep red coloured wallpaper and mahogany wooden panels and the hardwood floor. The lighting was also warm making the entire place glitter.
These kind of places gave him the creeps, like he's in a horror film. His grandfather's office and study were all modeled in the victorian design too.
His grandfather was the most brutal and heartless man Arthur has ever known. He still remember the blood-thirst in his eyes as he commanded to shoot down a five year old girl, just because her last name was Brunton and she stepped inside his territory.
Jerome Brunton... He is no Saint, he knew. Arthur knew how he treated his son-in-law Talia's father and that day... his words were extremely hurtful towards Talia. And there are rumours floating around that Jerome killed his grandmother in the past. Credible rumours.
In short, both men were terrible and lived by their own rules with the intent of bringing the other down. But if there was a competition between who is the most ruthless, his grandfather will take the prize with a great margin. He could say Jerome softened up these days and wanted peace. This peace between the two families, wouldn't be possible if his grandfather was still alive.
Arthur walked passed the waiting room and opened the heavy door to see the man in his early seventies, wearing a burgundy tailored suit, sitting on the brown leather chair in deep contemplation.
"Sir, you should be home resting," Arthur's said with his tone a bit soft. Even though he addressed him as 'Sir', there was a slight affection that one would give an elder in the family in it.
"Yes, yes..." he shrugged. He's been hearing that a lot lately.
"But Artie, What did she say?" Jerome almost stood up and his gold rimmed spectacles slipped and Arthur went and helped him sit back.
This man has renal failure and one of his kidneys is not functioning at all and the other kidney's functionality is rapidly declining and he is in dire need of a kidney transplant. His heart is not that strong too and he is taking medications for it.
Arthur must say he admired this old man. Sitting in a dialysis for hours each day and then he comes and sits in his throne for some time creating the best illusion of his good health just to keep the stocks from falling... The sheer will power needed to push through it... He truly admired him.
"You know her... Stubborn as a mule!" Arthur didn't say much as his heart hurt remembering the hurtful words she said. But he knew Manager Strauss' little stunt has already been informed to Jerome and he also knew of the phone call.
Scary how he knows it all! No wonder his company dominates the economy. I surely need to learn a lot from him.
" I'll be leaving and..."
"Take as much as time you want and... Please come back with her. I just want to look at her once and hand over everything in her hands before...."
"Grandpa! You'll be fine... Don't be pessimistic. I'll bring her back, " Arthur interjected before Jerome continued, holding his hand. He could see the blue eyes of Jerome that didn't lose it's lustre even at his age, filling with tears.
"I trust you" Jerome said and after making sure Jerome is composed, Arthur left the room with an unreadable expression,placing his hand inside his trouser pocket.
Jerome say the straight back of Arthur leaving and his eyes filled with tears once again.
"Annabell, see how I'm alone... Do you think I deserve it?" his finger traced over the oval shaped silver rimed photo frame that held the picture of his wife and a tear drop rolled down his cheek.
Another photograph of his only granddaughter sitting in his lap when she was three was there. His grand-daughter used to love him the most... Well, almost the most... Next to that Lockhart boy and he'd take her wherever he goes. This one was taken in this very office he is sitting now.
He looked around and not much have changed, but this child.... She doesn't love him anymore.
Beside that photograph in another photo frame, there was a picture of a happy family of three. He picture that was taken on Talia's fifth birthday celebrations. The last proper photograph she took.
Maria, Talia's mother, wearing a deep purple coat dress and a matching hat was hooking her arm around her husband Robert. The child standing in front of them had the purest and dashing smile one would ever have the fortune to see... The smile of a happy child.
"My dear Maria... My sweet sweet child... Are you looking down on me with condemnation in your eyes... I failed your daughter... I made her lose that innocent smile forever..."
His shoulders shook as he cried.
That fateful day, sitting at that long dinner table, he said some cruel words to her. That day, he was made to dine with the man who had a hand in his daughter's death and have talks for peace.
Talia who was just five and just recovered from pneumonia was crying uncontrollably sitting beside him. She was almost brought back from the jaws of death. He didn't want her to get sick anymore.
He was mourning for his daughter and was crying silently while the child was mourning for her mother with tears. Tears that hurt him mentally and tears that would hurt her physically making her more sick.
He remembered the sneering laughter of the man who took his child from him and his granddaughter coughing as she cried. Losing his composure, he said those cruel words to her.
"You purple-eyed monster who killed my daughter, will you just shut up!"
That child, just stopped crying immediately and with her face still wet with tears, gave a smile, with her pretty eyes filled with tears... The smile that broke him. The ugliest smile he has ever seen. It did not make her look ugly, it made him feel ugly for being idiotic. He was stunned and didn't know how to set that right. He didn't mean it. True, he felt a little mad at her for crossing the creek that made him reduce the security details for his daughter who was taken to the hospital so that there will be some who searched for his granddaughter, but... He never held this little child responsible for her mother's death.
It was Cyrus Lockhart who then picked up that girl and he heard the most heartbreaking words out of that little child's mouth that day.
"Cyrus, I might actually be a monster who needs to be kept in chains..."
"I'm sorry sweet Mary-Ann..."
He hugged the photograph and cried. But words were spilled and it can't be taken back and words did hurt that poor child who was already depressed with the loss of her mother. She lost her smile that day. She smiled often as he noticed, but none of those were the same smile she had when she was with her mother.
But he later saw that smile once, accidentally on her... When she was with that Boswell boy, during high school. Not even realising she was being followed, those two were walking hand-in-hand, with him saying something and her.. Laughing...brightly!
"My dear child... I just wish you keep laughing in your life"
Jerome still don't understand why she is refusing to accept Arthur whom she loved. After she made a big mess, when there was a chance for permanent truce between the two families, he only agreed to it since it was Arthur who'd be marrying her. He didn't care about his company or the economy and he only cared for her happiness and that's why he agreed for that wedding. But why did she leave?
And Arthur... He loves her and that's all Jerome cared for. In the absence of Cyrus, he entirely trusted Arthur.