9:23 PM. Location, Evening Diamond Restaurant. May 12, 2017
A grand and luxurious restaurant only reserved for people of high class.
This one night in particular is special.
Lots of influential figures from different countries, large companies and institutions were held together in this event to witness the launch of the latest technology that used energy never seen before on earth.
Cars filled the parking lot, people walked gracefully on the red carpet leading to the restaurant. It was a spectacular sight.
The mysterious energy being advertised by the company X Maestro Energy is something that caused everyone to lose their minds over it.
It has the ability to replace nuclear power plants and stop the usage of fossil fuels. And not only that, it is capable of powering an entire country for thousands of years. And of course, it is something that anyone would be interested in.
X Maestro Energy had openly shown its effects to the public and they went hysterical for it. The implications of this energy is something that could change human history as a whole.
Gerald, the son of the renowned chemist, Daniel Greenwood who cured cancer, created a way to prevent dementia, and managed to create a way of using one's cells to create an organ out of it.
In short, he's a life saving badass.
But Gerald, he's quite bored out of his mind since he's really not into these types of social gatherings. But hey, it's his father's orders, what the hell can he do?
As he stood alone in one corner of the venue like a chess piece looking at the floral patterns of the floor that alternated between gold, purple, blue and white, a beautiful and dashing woman approached him.
She was wearing a purple dress with red roses hanging by her left collarbone. Her hair was smooth and her smile was gentle and comforting.
When she got near Gerald, she asked him, "Gerald, how long are you going to stand there? Come, go and meet some people over there. You don't want to look lonely since it doesn't fit someone as handsome as you." She giggled.
"Mom, I don't want to talk to anyone today." Gerald sipped on his juice. He prefered non alcoholic drinks since he always liked the flavor of fruit juice. And because he wants to remain sober.
She pouted and pulled his arm. "Oh no no no no no, you barely even talk to anyone. You need to socialize Gerald, it's not fun always being by yourself." Carina pulled him off the corner.
"Alright, I'll talk to someone.." Gerald raised his hands and gave up. He looked around and saw a woman around the same age as him.
"That's the spirit." Carina laughed as she watched Gerald walk away.
The woman he approached is named Cherry Vismont, the daughter of someone who owns one of the most famous machine manufacturing companies who also has a good relationship with Daniel Greenwood.
She wore a white feathered dress with a slit in her left thigh, showing her smooth skin and her defined legs. She swirled the wineglass on her hand before taking an elegant sip.
When Gerald got close to her, he introduced himself by saying, "I'm Gerald Greenwood. Would you like to have a chat, miss Vismont?"
Cherry looked at Gerald and smiled. "Sure, what would sir Greenwood like to discuss with me?" She eyed him discreetly like a vigilant hawk preparing to react once he did something.
Having not noticed her piercing stare, Gerald asked her. "I've heard that you're taking over your father's company when he finally steps down. If that's the case, what would you do after that?" Gerald had some prior knowledge of Cherry, so he asked something related to her father's company.
Seeing that Gerald wasn't there to get flirty with her, she eased up a bit. "Once I take over the company, I'd consider arms dealing." Cherry sipped on her wine as she spoke casually.
"Oh? Bold choice." Gerald didn't really show that much reaction to it.
Cherry noticed this and said, "I didn't expect that you'd show little surprise to a lady participating in such a brutal market."
"It's just enviable that you aren't forced to take over your father's legacy." Gerald's smile concealed some of his unwillingness towards taking over his father's company.
Cherry looked at Gerald twice before saying, "It seems that it's true that you aren't interested in being the next Daniel Greenwood."
"It's not my thing. I prefer stepping into the music or animation industry." Gerald shook his head.
"Well, if it makes you happy, then why shouldn't you pursue it?" Cherry looked into her wine glass and added, "Your choices should be something that you are really invested into. If not, then you'd probably regret stepping on it and wallow in despair."
"For a beautiful lady, you speak quite darkly." Gerald laughed lightly.
"Is it unfitting?" Cherry calmly gazed into his eyes, waiting for an answer.
Without any signs of fear, Gerald said, "No, in my opinion, it makes you even more beautiful."
Not expecting that type of response, Cherry smiled coquettishly. "Oh sir Gerald, you flatter me." She sipped on her wine and said, "I have a request for you."
"And what is that?" Gerald raised an eyebrow.
"Would you like to continue chatting with me? I barely have anyone to talk to at this party."
Gerald agreed. "Sure."
..
Carina watched Gerald chat with Cherry and smiled with a warm feeling in her heart. She sighed to herself and said, "If only Daniel wasn't too adamant with Gerald following his footsteps. Maybe Gerald would've done something that actually makes him happy."
She went to find and talk to Daniel when she heard someone shriek in fear.
Turning her head, Carina saw a group of men in black with guns.
The man in the forefront pointed his gun at Stanton Reise, a fat businessman who has a bad reputation for being corrupt and shouted. "Fuck you Stanton!"
Stanton was then shot by hundreds of bullets.
The gunmen didn't stop with Stanton and decided to shoot at the guests since they knew that they weren't going to survive anyways.
And because of this, Gerald watched in horror as Carina was pierced by bullets.
"NOOO!"
…
March 12, 2027, Greenwood manor.
Gerald woke up and looked outside the window as his body was sweating profusely. These past few days haven't been great for him.
BEEP BEEP BEEP…
He gasped for air as he turned off his alarm clock.
"Ahm.. stupid nightmare.." Gerald wiped the sweat off his face.
He got out of bed, folded the blankets, arranged the pillows and put on his slippers and made his way out of the room.
An old maid greeted him by the door. "Good morning sir Gerald."
"Morning auntie Carmen." Gerald politely addressed the old woman and gave her a courteous nod and said. "How's dad?"
"Oh, you know him. Always on his work." Old lady Carmen sighed. She looked at Gerald's tidied up room and smiled. "You always do the work for us even when it comes to small things like these. I can clean them up for you too, you know?"
Gerald laughed. "For little things like these? I think I can do them myself.. Alright, I'll be heading down now." Gerald walked towards the stairs and waved his hand towards the old lady.
Carmen waved back and a butler in his thirties walked towards her.
He had a receding hairline and a long nose bridge.
"Sir Gerald is definitely my favorite when it comes to rich people that I've worked for. He does things for himself even though it's our job to do so." Andrew laughed. "You don't see that everyday, don't you?"
"Sadly, such a nice boy was not paid attention by his only father. And after what happened ten years ago.." Old Lady Carmen sighed as he looked at Gerald with pity.
Andrew clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, with a father like that, I'm actually surprised he turned out good. If he was like the other rich kids who had little attention given to them, they would be so goddamn spoiled."
Carmen laughed. "Let's get back to work. And please, mind your language."
Andrew jokingly saluted like a soldier. "Yes ma'am!" And then he went back to the kitchen.
...
Gerald walked towards the bathroom to wash himself using the sink. He then wiped his face using a towel nearby.
Gerald greeted many housekeepers along the way and went to the dining room.
There, his father was busy with his work as usual.
Gerald sat at the opposite side of the table and ate his lunch which were pieces of ham, eggs, peanuts, and of course the only thing that binds them together...
"Rice."
Gerald ate and scraped his plate with his utensils from time to time in order to see his father's reaction.
However, too engrossed with his work, his father didn't even notice him until now.
Gerald tasted bitterness in his mouth. He quickly finished up and drank warm water.
He quickly left afterwards.
...
Daniel Greenwood never even noticed him from beginning to end.
Gerald put on casual clothing and went outside to their private park. He wandered around and finally reached a gravestone.
"Here lies Carina Greenwood, 1976 - 2017"
Gerald placed roses on top of her grave. He then sat next to it and he started talking.
"Dad didn't talk to me again.. I don't get it. I know he wants to keep helping the world.. But, does he really have to ignore his own son?" Gerald's eyes were getting watery as he spoke out his frustrations.
Using his sleeve, he wiped his tears off. "And as his son I was always interviewed by the media, asked about various things like, do I want to follow my father's footsteps? What will I do to achieve my father's legacy? Am I going to be as great as him one day?" Gerald clenched his fists.
"I always felt like I had no path to follow, my dreams had no meaning... It was always my father, his inheritance, his legacy to own one day but no one asked me if I even wanted to get all of it!"
"I always felt chained to him. I never felt that he even loved me. I was just there to answer interviews, look good for photoshoots, nonsense commercials and always had to look good for the public... I never had a face at all." Gerald curled his legs and started crying.
"However I went past those because you were there. You were always there for me... I felt loved, I felt important and unique and I didn't feel like I was just blindly following a path I never wanted in the first place. So why? Why did those demons have to shoot you instead of him? It's unfair." Gerald looked at his mother's grave.
Drop ...
Drop ..
Later, many more droplets of water fell down from the sky.
Gerald got up and went inside the manor before he got soaked in the rain.
When he opened the door, a butler gave him a towel.
"Thanks for the towel Chester." Gerald gave the towel back to him.
The butler named Chester who had a kind demeanor, freckled cheeks, brown hair and green eyes shook his hand.
"It's no biggie." Chester then shrugged. "The weather reporter said that it's going to be raining heavily for a while, so I hope that sir Gerald stays inside so that you won't get drenched."
"Really? Bummer..." Gerald frowned.
Noticing the change in Gerald's expression, Chester spoke. "You know, your mom wouldn't want you to frown like that. She would've wanted you to smile more."
"It's hard without her.. I really don't know if I can keep doing that." Gerald showed a bitter smile instead. Even worse than before.
Seeing that his consolation wasn't working, Chester immediately changed the subject. "I took Porter to a bath and now he's clean and fluffy. He wagged his tail too much in the shower, so I may have gotten a bit wet." Chester pointed to his soaked hair.
Gerald laughed. He knew this was a way of Chester's talking to divert the atmosphere. "Alright I'll get Porter."
...
Gerald walked to Porter's playhouse and saw the big white ball of fluffy hair rolling down the slide repeatedly.
"Oh that's Porter alright.." Gerald walked towards the playhouse and rang a bell next to him.
Immediately, Porter stopped to look at the gate to see Gerald. He pounced over and landed unsuccessfully on his face. He failed the landing.
Gerald saw this big hairball face first on the carpet.
"Hahaha, you always manage to make me laugh." Gerald carried the big dog with a bit of difficulty and walked him around the manor.
Before being trained, he used to leave a big mess that gave the housekeepers a lot of headaches.
But now, he's as polite as his owner with an extra bit of clumsiness once in a while.
Gerald went to his huge gaming room and played with Porter.
It was absolutely luxurious. He has a bowling alley, a smoothie fountain that was barely touched ever since his mother passed away, A huge flat screen gaming setup that will make many gamers drool with envy, and a miniature golf course in the mix as well.
That was only a fraction of Gerald's gaming room. A big flex, honestly.
He played catch with Porter on the smooth floor and even played hide and seek later. Porter isn't great at hiding but good at seeking since his tail always sticks out.
The two ate breakfast after playing for a while.
...
"Porter, want this pizza?" Gerald called over the fat fluffy monster that is Porter.
"Woof?" Porter showed no interest.
"Alright, how about this piece of meat?" Gerald pulled out a piece of his meal towards the dog.
"Woof." Still no interest from Porter, but at least he stuck out his tongue cutely.
"Okay, how about this apple slice?" Gerald was running out of ammunition to try to appease the beast."
Finally! The beast was interested in a meal.
Porter quickly gobbled up the apple… including Gerald's hand before spitting it out.
Gerald laughed at his friend's actions. He went ahead and tickled Porter's stomach with his hand filled with saliva.
But how could the beast let this happen?Porter counterattacks and bites his other hand! Of course, he's not really biting it for real. Otherwise we wouldn't have a main character this early in the story.
The man and the dog played for an entire afternoon.
Ring!
Gerald's phone rang.
"Hello?" Gerald picked it up.
"Gerald, you have another commercial to shoot at 3 PM. Get dressed right now, I'm waiting in the car." His father's indifferent voice came from the other side.
Gerald hung up and sighed. Porter tilted his head worriedly at him.
"Oh I'm fine..." Gerald's eyes lightened up a bit and cheered him up. However, Porter knew that his friend was just trying to hide it from him.
He carried Porter back to his playhouse and got dressed up. He put on a striped polo shirt, black pants and a pair of blue sneakers.
Walking out of the gate, he was escorted by Chester towards the car with an umbrella.
There, Gerald saw his father waiting at the back seat.
Gerald's mood was obviously negative towards his father.
He got in the car and during that time, the father and son never spoke to each other.
After the car started moving, Daniel looked at Gerald and said. "The shooting will last from 3 PM to 7 PM so you can't fall asleep."
"Mmm.." Gerald looked outside the window without looking back.
"Did I teach you to put on this attitude Gerald?" Daniel said with a cold tone.
"Teach me? Since when did you teach me anything?" Gerald scoffed.
Daniel narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what kind of attitude you're showing me right now, but I'll tell you right now that it is something that I don't like."
Gerald turned around. "You're always like this anyways.. If you don't like it, you want it gone without even caring about it." Daniel's face was starting to get angry, but Gerald continued. "Actually, let me rephrase that, you never cared about me anyways."
"Enough! If I never cared about you, you would've never had this kind of life!" Daniel shouted in anger.
"Do you think I wanted this life?! I only wanted a father, yet mom was the only one who could give me that feeling! Honestly, she's more of a father than you ever were to me!" Gerald retorted.
"I'm doing this for you to live smoothly, yet you talk to me this way? If I never worked this hard for you, the food you're eating at my house wouldn't even be there." Daniel turned his head away with no intention to continue further.
"Tsk." Gerald faced him the opposite way and waited for them to reach their destination. On the way, he watched the city buildings and cars pass them by. He saw water droplets slowly slithering down the windows with an uncomfortable feeling being in the same proximity as his father.
The driver watched the entire thing but chose not to speak, lest he gets himself in trouble.
...
After a few minutes, they finally reached the studio.
A huge building towered in front of them. From a glance, people could tell that a very rich company was behind it.
Gerald opened the car door and was about to walk out. But when he was about to go any further, Daniel spoke.
"Don't ever talk back to me ever again like that. Got it?" Daniel looked at him for a moment before looking away.
Gerald mumbled. "I really wish that you were the one who was shot at that time instead."
SLAP!
Daniel pulled his hand back and said, "Driver, let's go. Pick him up at 7."
With a sneer, Gerald quickly got out of the car.
The car drove away leaving Gerald who was holding his right cheek.
"I'm glad you heard it." Gerald turned around with a scoff and walked towards the building.