Hey beloved readers, by now you would have seen the change of cover and title. A follow author advised me change the book cover and possibly the title as the former ones looked less attractive. I hope y'all like the new taste.
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The stars spread like a blanket in the sky. The moon stood, guiding its light to the earth. The weather was colder than it was during the day-- not just because of the absence of the heated rays. There was a heavy downpour minutes after Fred dropped Diva at her house.
He noticed the light showers on time, and drove off in the cold breeze that carried dust, but could not alight the car when he reached his abode. The rain that started drizzling in his Uncle's house was now falling heavily, trapping him in his car without an umbrella to come out.
It was 10 pm when Fred entered his house. The rain reduced much enough to let not only him into his house- the people he had seen standing under the shades of shops and trees would now get to their destinations safely. He thought so.
Now seated in his study with a change of clothes, damp hair, and a cup of coffee at his side, Fred turned in his chair. The ceiling fan that clung to the ceiling rotated in accord with Fred's chair movement synchronizing with it. He did not stop until he felt his head having a mind of his own. Standing, he reached for the bathroom. He was alone in this.
Alone?. Fred frowned as he punched the wall he collided with. He hated that feeling. The feeling of loneliness. He hated it so much. Funny enough, it was a constant feeling in his life- that which he associated himself with, right from childhood. He leaned on the wall and broke down in tears. There was a crack in the place he had hit, he missed that tiny detail.
Hatred, and anger, were the major feelings that occupied him now. He slumped to the ground and tugged at his hair till he felt a pounding headache. More tears gushed down uncontrollably.
Smoke enveloped the room, building from where he lay on the ground away to the ceiling and the entire room. The fire alarm went off, and the siren sound filled the study, yet Fred did not stop wailing vulnerably. Nothing happening in the room seemed to be to his cognizance.
He rose his head after a while and looked up
The floor-to-ceiling tinted window was not much of a barrier to him as his eyes looked through it and outside. He had stopped adding sound to the crying, only the crystalline fluid fell from his reddened eyes.
'Rest in peace, brother'. He whispered in his hoarse voice.
Fred sighed when he looked around and recalled it was the same place he had sprawled the day he heard of his brother's accident. He hissed in anger and crashed the empty standing vase by his side to the ground. It was not glass or made of any breakable material, so it just fell to the ground and bounced.
***
A few days ago, around the time when he visited Diva in their mansion. Fred was informed that his younger brother was involved in a plane crash.
The second son and his younger brother, Prince Fierce who was known to be a traveler had just embarked on a three-day tour with their kingdom's private jet and met his doom when the plane caught fire in the air and crashed to the ground.
According to the informant, he was rescued as the only survivor and rushed to the hospital. It was a very critical condition and his brother had slumped into a coma afterward. That day for the first time in fifteen years he held his rosary and prayed the sinner's prayer. Praying for the recovery of his brother. His loneliness always disappeared each time Fierce was free and not on the road.
Today, as he listened to the bad news the same informant gave to him, his heart shattered. He could not visit his brother because his father refused him. Ever since his banishment, he was not allowed anywhere close to the kingdom. Even as the first son he was denied the benefits of a firstborn son talk less of the advantages of the Crown Prince. He was named 'worthless' and 'useless'.
The vibration of the phone on the table moved him from the floor to the table.
Fred furrowed his brows as he saw the Unknown caller's identity on the screen.
'Fred, where are you?'. He froze in his spot as he heard a very familiar voice. The voice of his father.
His father, left with no other option than to confer the responsibilities of the Crown Prince on his 'worthless' and 'useless' son, called him up immediately.
Now that his favorite son is dead, he remembers he has a first son. Fred hissed, bringing the phone to his face before tossing it aside.