CHAPTER TWO
"Farther than the horizon, gallant as a stallion, his silhouette is my foresight."
Brian Stone, the rich philanthropist, and successful businessman, is a man behind the veil, who does the magic. He is 6ft 2in tall; he has short dark hair that has turned grey, and brown eyes that bewitch with a smile.
Brian is in his mid-seventies, the perfect gentleman, with a stylish and charming personality.
A retired entrepreneur, who is behind the creation of many successful humanitarian organizations.
Born in 1920 to Bill and Georgina Blanchester. Brian had an unpleasant childhood; he never wants to remember, so he prefers to keep them buried in his closet.
He grew up known as Stone because nothing does affect him despite the circumstances around him and many thought him to be insensitive.
However, Brian is a softie in matters of the heart but does not like to show it.
He never wants his father's name or his inheritance, nor has anything to do with him.
In his early thirties, he met his wife Sharon at a friend's birthday party. She looked so adorable in her flowing blue gown. He got so carried away by her beauty and charisma.
They got acquainted and became friends. They had great chemistry and fell in love, and they got married 4 months later. 6 months after their wedding, he joined the military. 19 months after their wedding, Brian left his wife to go serve his country.
Sharon works as a cashier at a local store selling cakes and pantries. She became distraught when he received his call up later for service, but Brian was gentle and assured her she need not worry.
Brian left the army 2 years later because he became delirious with the trauma he faced at war.
He returned home to his wife in Texas. He was broken, disheveled, hallucinating, frustrated, and petrified. He locked himself in the guest room for a week to avoid acting paranoid in his wife's presence.
A week later, he joined her in the bedroom, but it turned out to be hell and torture for him and his wife, who had to deal with the pain of seeing her husband act insane.
Each night he sleeps, flashes of horrid faces of the children and women murdered in a pool of blood haunt his subconscious mind.
His hands were cold and quivered, his jaw tightened and his body shook vigorously.
His hands gripped in between the sheets, he wakes up nauseous, spilling vomit all over his body. It was a horrid sight for his wife to behold, also to deal with his outburst.
His wife left the bedroom for the guest room. She could not deal with his emotional outburst any longer. She became hollow from worrying about what to do about her husband.
Brian was left alone. He had to fight his ghost and worst nightmares. His hair was scattered, eyes sullen, lips parched and dry. He started aging with his overgrown beards.
His body stinks, and he needs a bath urgently, but he refused to take a bath. He became delusional and speaks incoherently, but his wife never stopped believing in him.
She became so worried about his situation, not knowing what to do. He forbids her from getting help from his family, and this made her anxiety grow worse.
With the help of a friend, she got him a psychologist she could afford from her meager salary and savings to treat his disorder and pray for him at the chapel.
That happened 38 years ago, and with the support of his wife and therapist, he conquered it all. So, he decides to start his life afresh.
He looked at the sky, his hands covering his eyes to shield the reflection of the sun from hitting his face.
Brian remembers the beginning of his career as a successful businessman and father
He applied for a loan from several banks to start his business, but he got denied except for the STATE BANK which believed in his dream.
With the right business plan and investing offer, S & T CORPORATIONS becomes a reality.
Starting a new business can be tedious, but Brian put his total energy into learning so well. For 5 years, he worked tirelessly until his dreams became a reality as a successful businessman and millionaire.
He invested in stocks and bonds in the treasury bill market. He became a philanthropist afterward, with several NGO organizations he created.
Brian knew what it means to be poor. His mum was so poor that they could only afford to eat once a day. He is an illegitimate child of his father. His father abandoned his mother immediately after he found out she was pregnant, and his mother had to take care of him alone.
Although his father later searched for him and apologized afterward, he felt his apology was too late to change his life.
When his dad died, he left him a fortune, but Brian vowed never to have anything to do with his father or his riches. He later accepted the inheritance, which was his mother's last wish before she died.
So Brian invested his fortune into creating a charitable organization to help the poor.
He was named the businessman of the year. He looks tough on the outside, but he's a softie inside. He's an incredible softie when it pertains to his relationship with his wife and children.
A loving father and husband. He remembered when the kids came; he was away on a business trip and he was not available to witness their arrival,
But he had a loving wife who understood him and endured with him on all those travels.
After 5 years, he cut back on his travels and devoted 6years of his time to his wife and kids:( Josh and Lance) Sharon was pregnant again, expecting their next child.
Lance and Josh came the same day, his first sons. They both gave him joy that his heart could not fathom. They looked so alike that no one could tell.
They both are dark-haired, the same height, have skinny legs, and pink lips. He spent the holidays with his boys, by the beach house on Bloom's islands.
He loved going there with both Lance and Josh. The twins loved to swim, but he their father was afraid of the deep waves. He stayed back and watched the boys play in the water.
His face lit up with a smile as he remembered Lance's pranks and mischievous plots to get more attention than Josh. Josh was easy-going, while Lance was tough and calculated.
Lance loves new exploits with adventure so much that he would do anything for a discovery. This irritated Josh so much. Irrespective of their differences, they got along so well.
They loved to build sandcastles. Lance built structures that were unbelievable for a child. Brian always believed Lance would do great as an architect and chairman of his company one day.
Brian is the brain behind the creation of hundreds of charity organizations. He has saved the lives of abandoned children and abused and maltreated women all over the world.
This is a task, a responsibility his heart relishes, and he wishes his two sons will be his successor.
He loves being a part of his children's lives; he has watched all 4 of his kids grow (Josh, Lance, Dorothy, Natasha.) and they make him a proud father.
Sweet memories flood over him as he stood transfixed in the cemetery.
He looks back to see hundreds of tombstones lined after each other. God understands why he never thought Cynthia's exit would be so soon. He wishes he could take the pain off Lance, but Lance prefers to suffer alone.
He steps further towards the monument of his daughter-in-law.
He recalls when he first met Cynthia. Lance grew so excited. He did nothing but talk about the woman who stole his heart.
He remembered it like yesterday. Lance came into his study with his mum, smiling and happy.
"Dad, I have news to share," Lance says excitedly.
"What's cooking, son?" he asked, staring from mum to son.
Lance opens his mouth to speak but his mother cuts in and said,
"Oh, Lance, don't be so quick to spill the beans to your dad. Let me be the one to tell him the headlines first."
Lance rolls his eyelid and says: "ok mum"
Holding his fingers to cross over his mum's finger, he says,
"Promise me you will do me the honor of telling dad the whole details."
"Sure, son, but let me tell him the headlines while you tell him the remaining details." she winks at him.
Stepping away from Lance. She goes to sit beside her husband, and she places her arm on his shoulder. She looks him in the eye and says,
"Well, honey, our son is a man now. He's in love and he wants us to meet her."
He remembered he laughed so deep; he stood up from his seat and hugged his son.
"Oh, my goodness, who could have thought.... well, am happy for you, son. "
"Thanks, Dad, thanks mum," Lance says, hugging them both
He dipped his hand into his knack sack. Lance brought out a picture of a blondie with blue eyes with the brightest smile.
He gave the picture to his dad and mum, "Here is Cynthia dusk." He speaks.
"She's so beautiful!" they both exclaimed. They laughed at each other for speaking the same word at the same time.
Brian extended his hands towards his son, and gave him a handshake, and says,
"Well, Lance," congratulations, "she's a real beauty."
"Thanks, Dad," Lance said
"Son, can you tell us more about her? Her family? Her background?"
"Is she from the same college as you are in?" his mother asked.
Lance raises his left eyebrow in amusement, not knowing how to answer his mum's questions all at once.
Sharon, sensing her son's confusion, says,
"Don't think I am trying to pry into your affairs, son, but am excited to know who this beautiful lady that makes you so happy is."
"It's ok if you don't want to talk now. I believe you are mature enough to do what's best for you.". Sharon said.
"Can I say something dad, I would like to invite her for dinner, so you can get to meet her and know her better," Lance speaks.
"Oh, my!" "That's a wonderful idea," Sharon said
Immediately, she strikes the bell on the study table. Some minutes later, the housekeeper appears.
"You call for me, ma'am." She speaks.
"Yes, Vivian, we are having a special guest for dinner, and I want you to make sure everything goes well as planned. Make sure there are enough flowers...…."
"A minute, Vivian," she says, looking at Lance
"What flower does she like, Lance?" she asked her son.
"White orchids and red roses." He replied.
"That's perfect!" Sharon exclaimed.
"Get our son a bouquet of red roses and white orchids. Also, have some flowers on the table. I want her to feel welcomed in her home for the first time. "
"Prepare the best cuisine and bring out the best wine from the cellar and have it put in ice. I want everything to look perfect when she arrives."
"Yes ma'am," Vivian nods.
"Excuse me, ma'am," she says, and she leaves to prepare the dinner
Lance and his dad laugh. "I don't know how you do it, honey, but you are good at it."
"it's time you started an event planning company; we will all support you, honey," Brian says gimmicky.
"Oh, Brian, come off it," she says, kissing him on his forehead
"Here go the lovebirds," Lance says.
"I better be on my way...." Lance stands up, leaving his parents to their conversation.
His mind drifts back to the present. Brian looks frail and exhausted. He stands at the tombstone of his daughter-in-law Cynthia. He could not take his eyes off the engravings on the stone: "Beloved wife, daughter, mother, and sister. Cynthia Dusk Stone."
He looks up into the sky, staring at the deep blue sky like he was waiting for an answer from the heavens. He holds his breath for a second, releasing it with a deep sigh. He looks at the tombstone with a smile on his face and he says,
"I know you are in a better place, and I know you are watching from above over my son and granddaughter {your daughter.}"
"Keep on resting in the bosom of the lord Cynthia. I know we will meet again someday. We all miss you."
He takes two steps backward and takes a bow to honour the memory of the dead. He leaves the cemetery to meet Lance and his granddaughter at the park.
THE STONE'S MANSION
From the chapel to the country hill, Brian, his son, and granddaughter all sit at the back of the limousine.
They head to the stone's mansion; Lance is engrossed in a deep conversation with Hudson on the phone.
It is a heated discussion between them both, so his father watches over Emily as she sleeps.
Towards the far side of the west lane road, one can see the enormous view of the mansion sitting on a hilltop.
After his retirement, he bought this mansion. He has always wanted this from the beginning, but he had a bigger call to honour and spent most of his time away from home.
He prefers the serenity of the countryside, in contrast to the buzz and hassles of the city. So, when the offer of this mansion came by the time he will retire, he had to take it
Lance ends his conversation with Hudson (chairman of VERTEX HOMES AND ESTATES) Hudson loves getting things done in a jiffy. He's a real ass, as Lance likes to say.
He heaved a sigh of relief. "Phew! that's a long talk," Lance says
With a big frown on his face, Brian says,
"I warned you not to collaborate with him. He's a real ass, but you insisted, there you have it now."
"What can I do, Dad?"
"He brought me an incredible, magnificent offer, and I cannot refuse it. Now I want it to be over." Lance replies.
Lance says he was going on a break with Emily after the project.
Brian chuckles and says: "that will be good for you, you've been working too hard these days. Your mum and I are getting worried about you Lance," He places his hands in his hands, giving them a soft squeeze.
"Am fine dad, I need to deal with this alone myself," he says
"I will love it if you can bring Emily here when you are less busy, so we get to spend time with her, too." Brian chips in.
The chauffeur swerves towards the steep side of the hill extension of the road that leads to the stone's mansion. The entrance gate of the mansion appears a few meters away from the road. A few minutes later, they arrive at the main building.
Brian picks up his phone and calls Sharon. "Honey, we are home!"
"We will be with you shortly."
He puts his cell phone in his pocket and winks at Lance
"she's in for a surprise. I never told her you will be coming."
Lance smiles mischievously and replies, "Sure dad! she's in for a surprise."
They arrive inside the mansion. Lance and Brian left the limousine with Emily in her father's arms. The door swings open as they approach the main door. An aged brunette woman appears...
"Oh, my goodness!" she exclaims. "This is a surprise, Son…. is so good to see you, Lance." She screams; she looks from Lance to his shoulder. She says, "Oh my!"
"You brought Emily. that's so good."
"Happy birthday, my dear girl."
She stretches out her hands into the air, waiting for Lance to give Emily into her arms.
Lance places his index finger on his mouth and says: "she's asleep."
She quiets down, holding in all the excitement she feels. She looks from Lance to her husband.