Joshua started walking. I was following him. I was not getting how to react after hearing his revelation; there were so many questions that were popping in my mind back to back, and I knew he had not yet ended his side of the conversation; it was just a 'clip', much more to go, and from just a clip, I was dumbstruck at what would be my situation at the end of this conversation. I started to sense a bad feeling; this conversation was not going to end in a good way.
Joshua stopped in front of a tomb named 'Veronica Miller'; she was just 'six' when she died. Joshua turned towards me and spoke, "She was my younger sister." Ok, one more disclosure: what the hell was going on? He had two total siblings. I have had Facetime with his older sister a few times, but he never mentioned anything about another one. Practically, he got one, but he didn't take Veronica's name at least once, and what about 'surname'? He was 'Winfield' right? "You never mentioned your young sister; you are Winfield, right? I mean, surname." "Oh, sorry, my apology. Let me introduce myself to you with my real name. I am 'Joshua Miller', son of 'William and Victoria Miller'. My dad was your dad's subordinate when they were working together. You should ask your dad about mine. 'Miller's surname, sure enough, lots of memory, things that he is hiding and done, will gush down to his brain". This is not at all going well. Something fucking bad happened in the past for which I had no clue. "And the person, Thomas," "He is my dad's secretary; I didn't introduce you to my real dad, or else everything that I had planned would go in vain, right?" "Ok, what's going on, Joshua?" "Did I ever mention how sexy it sounds when you call me by my full name, and it will be even more sexy if you add my surname? and I know this was not the right time for these things. I am only testing your patience, trying my best to prolong the conversation as it will be our last." That fucking took me off guard. What? Our last conversation. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he breaking up with me? I mean, what the hell have I ever done to take such a step? "I am responsible for the problem created in the company; it's too late; nothing can be done. The company will be declared bankrupt, and my dad bought more than 50% of the shares. Your family will come on the street; everything has been snatched; your bank account is frozen; every property of Russell's belongs to Miller's concluding part; nothing will be left. I have made sure of it; trust me and my deepest condolences for your coming days." "Why, is it anything to do with my dad and what he has done?" "Gray, you should question things when it is necessary, or else you will be kept in the dark for the whole of your life, as your dad kept you all these years. Okay, let me pique your curiosity. Mr. James Mathew, founder of Russell's Company, formerly known as Mathew's, had no kids and didn't give a thought to adopting any, so when Mr. James Mathew became old, he thought of retiring from his position. After discussing this with board members, he decided to hire a prominent, hardworking, and outstanding employee from his company. When he thought of hiring from the company after thoroughly discussing and considering previous achievements, he finalized two names: one was 'Benjamin Russell' and the other was 'William Miller', yes, my dad and yours. One thing Mr. James didn't know was that most of your dad's achievements belonged to my dad; my dad never argued or pointed out any of this; he let go, which only boosted your dad to take the next step. Mr. James called both of his employees to the cabin and shared his plan; obviously, both were thrilled. He also informed them that he had not finalized a name and that, before retirement, he was going to do that and would retire. Your dad had a clear picture of how he was able to reach top-level designation, and he knows very well that my dad was a genius; no matter what, he couldn't compete and win over him. He didn't want to miss the opportunity. Who in the right mind would miss this opportunity, status, luxury life, power, and respect? Both were one step away from these things, just one step away from complete life changes. Your dad came up with a master plan for removing the competitor from the competition, and when my dad was going on a business trip along with my mom and sister via road, he met with an accident. The result was that my sister died on the spot, my mom was still in a coma and didn't know whether she would be conscious or not, and my dad lost his leg. The person responsible for destroying my family was your dad. When my dad recovered, he was devastated and wanted to give up on his own life. After seeing me and my elder sister, he gave up on that idea. Thank God for that, but something was not sitting well with him, so he hired a private investigator who collected enough proof against your dad. He could have handed over everything to the police, but after he lost so much, he didn't want to take any more risks. Next thing, he left the country by taking us. When I turned 12, I came to know everything. My dad didn't even bother to share anything because he knew very well. I wouldn't let go as he did; no matter what, I would make sure to taste their doings, and from that point in time, I started planning everything, as I said before, pin to pin. When I came to know everything, there was this urge to give every proof to the police and to send your dad to prison forever. That would be nothing compared to what he did to us. I wanted an eye for an eye. What's happening is exactly as I had planned, dropping from straight from the top level to hell. The enjoyment I am finding at present I would not get if your dad was going to prison, don't you think? I have even made sure everything would be printed in the newspaper with a family photo, it would get telecast in every broadcast, and not to forget social media. Trust me, the coming days will be worse. I have made sure of it." It took me a few minutes to digest everything and conclude that my dad was a bloody murderer. To reach this position, he took someone's life. That's pretty scary. How can he drop himself to such a level, and I didn't have a clue till now? What will happen now? Yeah, he made sure to snatch everything from us, which I am least bothered about. My main concern was about 'us'. What about us? What was he going to do about our relationship? Was it a dead end for both of us? But how the hell was I responsible for my dad's actions? "I don't know what to believe or what not to believe, but what about us, Josh? I mean, are you going to break up with me?" What do you think, Gray? Common, don't be such a dump. Do you really think I had any feelings for you after hearing everything? Please take a break. You were not my target. At first, I thought of approaching your sister, who was so easy, but through her, I couldn't get closer to your dad, and through you, everything went smoothly. Thanks to you, trust me when I say this from 'Day 1' I was just using you, nothing else. Every second, your bloody face was a reminder of your dad's crime. How the hell was I going to feel anything towards you? Whenever I was around your family, how hard it was for me to control my anger, which was erupting like a volcano. Do you have any fucking ideas? By keeping everything in check, I maintained a relationship with you for fucking more than 4 years. The agony I felt daily remembering my sister, the agony of seeing my mom, who is in a bloody coma and could be on death bed any second, and my dad, who is crippled and now uses a wooden leg sometime when he limps. Can you guess how I was suffering by staying under the same roof? This pretentious life, especially with you, I am so done. I am moving overseas because of my dad's strict order, which I can't ignore. I am not coming back forever, and best of luck for your coming days. You people deserve every ounce of it. Goodbye Gray, and thanks a lot; without you, things wouldn't be so easy'.
I was standing in the same place in shock, and the ache that was erupting was making everything worse. He came like a storm, swifted my world upside down, and vanished. Joshua was gone from my life forever, never coming back. His words before disappearing. I was standing in the same spot; my whole body was numb, and my only question was why I needed to face the consequences after the storm. My knee gave up. I was on the ground, and tears were flowing. I was miserable and didn't know how to control or remove my frustration. I was the son of a murderer. Can my dad murder someone just for fame, status, and money? How can anyone be so cruel? He was responsible for destroying a family, and how the hell was I responsible for my father's doing?