After a few days of our small trip, Gray was completely behaving normally. The doctor's suggestion worked out.
Once we started living in the same room, I got to know various habits that he had developed over the period; no wonder he would always lock in his room when his day was off. He is addicted to games, comics, and anime. For now, I could only find that much in my busy schedule, and I bet there are more. Trust me, I was perplexed when I found out and even more annoyed. Anime, like seriously.
How the hell would he get the latest version of games? Newly published comics and anime were beyond me. But once the book reached his hand, he would never go to sleep without finishing it. I had snatched the book so many times and made him sleep, but my act was in vain when I found out he was reading the same in the middle of the night by covering the blanket. Give me a fucking break.
These acts were pissing me off, like really pissing. What the hell was his age, and what the hell was he fucking doing? We had argued so many times on the same topics, and it was getting backfired by telling me to mind my own business. I have told him to change his path and think about what he wants to do. I was ready to pour money in, but he was not giving dam to any of my words.
My dad was not staying at the mansion but would make frequent visits. I am praying that the same thing will be followed by my sister too, and I don't think I will be that lucky. Gray and my sister's quarrel has become casual; they can't swallow food without bickering at each other. They would always make sure to drag me when they were bickering over spatting; most of the time, it would be Gray.
After getting the deal worth millions of dollars, Joshua's name was floating everywhere. We really don't discuss anything about the company, but I will watch the news for any updates regarding him. His admirers and followers both increased. He has started giving so many interviews on business channels and in magazines that he has become a cover page. I am not jealous of him; I was always one of his admirers, but when I compare myself, I feel totally trash in front of him.
When I was at the mansion, meeting his dad was inevitable. Whenever we were facing each other, he would treat me as air, with no acknowledgment or anything. I would never make any effort to talk to him because of many reasons. I would try to avoid clashing with his dad, but when I did, I would immediately bend my head and pass on. In Thomas's case, he did acknowledge my presence by nodding his head whenever we would meet beyond that nothing; no words were spoken.
These days, Joshua is forcing me to think about my future. And in return, I would question myself: What do I want to become? About my career: He got a point, no doubt, in that, but when I knew the answer, everything would be easy. I don't know what I want to be. In the past, I never gave a thought to my future, as it was predetermined. And also, I never got inspired by anything so that I could decide about my path. I had questioned myself so many times but ended up finding no answer. I am 27 and still don't know what I want to become. Why I feel ashamed for facing my friends was one of these reasons. Joshua is ready to pour money in, and money is not a fucking problem over here. What's the use of money when you don't know what you want to become? What are your interests? Bloody goals.
I needed help, but I was not getting it. How can anyone help with this matter? I had given up on everything. Why the hell did I need to think I was not getting it? I am content with my life. What problem did he have with the way I was leading my life or with my career? I am working somewhere. Yeah, it's not worthy or fit me in any way. Whatever may be the case I was ok. Why the hell was he bloody, forcing me to think about the subject I left years ago?
Cracking the deal was one thing, and getting investors was another. I needed investors who would invest in this project. I would get it easily; that was not a hard task, but I wanted to be choosy this time. I want to give a chance to young people who are worthy and have the potential to carry out this project with me.
I started attending more parties to meet new investors. At one of the parties, I met one of my admirers, Mateo Carter, 21 years old. He was a self-made billionaire at a very young age. He set up his own company, and it has turned into a billion-dollar business at present. I was his inspiration, and he was always aspiring to meet me. We started conversing ourselves.
Mateo started by giving a brief history of his struggling days and how he overcame them. About his passion for running a company, becoming a business magnet, and how I was his inspiration. He was desperate to meet me, and according to him, today was his lucky day, and I couldn't agree less. I couldn't believe at such a young age Mateo had achieved so much, and I was really impressed and proud of myself for being someone's inspiration.
I was a good face reader, and it was evident Mateo was affected by my charm. It was soon to be my point of view on that. This was nothing I got used to, and giving in to this depends on so many things, and it could wait.
Recent developments in my life were a little too much to digest. This recognition was kind of annoying, but at the same time, I was enjoying it too. I had worked hard for everything to reach where I was. So, wherever I was headed, success was following me like a shadow. Everyone will work hard, but they won't be successful. I was, and I am very proud of it.
One meeting led to a few more, and Mateo finally became my investor. Meetings often, parties—one thing leads to another. I and Mateo end up having sex. At some point, I was attracted to Mateo sexually, so yeah, I gave in. Sex was awesome with Mateo for a few hours; we were in another world, and as I guessed, Mateo was good in bed too.
By saying goodbye to Mateo, I made my way to the mansion. After entering the room, I saw Gray, who was sleeping on his side of the bed. Guilt passed through me for no reason. It was not like we were committed or anything, but I felt guilty for no apparent reason. For some reason, Mateo's scent all over me was annoying while I was watching Gray. I made my way to the bathroom to take a shower. After taking one, I was beside Gray, hugging him, and I made up my mind not to repeat this mistake nor to confess anything.
My mind again started wondering about Gray's career and his ignorance. I was not getting what I needed to do to motivate him more. I hate it every day when he goes to that small restaurant to work. There was this urge to do something, to make him fire by talking with that asshole owner, but I don't think I would get the expected result from it. Maybe things could get worse. The way Gray was, I needed to think a hundred times before making any move.
I have become an inspiration for many, except for him. Everyone can't be inspired by everyone. His social circle should be changed. If he is surrounded by people who have achieved something in life, maybe some story will motivate him. I should start taking him to the parties. Yes, that's it. I should do that without any further delay.
I started dragging Gray to every party. He would never agree, but I would always get my way. We have attended nearly 5 to 6 parties, but the end result has always been the same. He was not socializing; he was always making annoying faces, which made it hard for anyone to approach him. If they approach, Gray make sure they don't stick for more than a few minutes. He would end up sitting in some corner, sipping drinks, with the same expression on his face. That would always result in a round of fighting between us after reaching home. I was not getting what else needed to be done.
Everything would end when we were in bed, but these days that was not working.
We were at a party, and leaving Gray on his own, I made my way to meet a few people. When I was busy conversing with one of my friends, Mateo showed up. I didn't expect his presence, but it was a high-end party, so there was a possibility. After that one-time hook, I didn't meet him until today. "Hey, it's been a long time." "Yeah, busy with a project." "I want to believe that as your reason. You know I was looking forward to calls or at least messages from your end. Till today, I didn't get any. Did I do something wrong?" "No, no, you didn't. It was a one-time thing; don't take it as a big deal. I won't go beyond sex with anyone." He was hurt, and again, what was he expecting from a one-night stand? He is 21 years old; he should start learning to deal with these things. "Because of him." He was pointing at someone, and I followed his gesture. He was pointing at Gray, who was sipping his drink alone. I raised a questioning eyebrow. "Well, your PDA was everywhere. With others, you would be discreet, but not with him. And yeah, I had done some research on your past life out of curiosity and got to know many things." "Are you a stalker?" "No. I was into you, so I couldn't help it. After your PDA, out of curiosity, I started digging for some information." "Well, what did you find out?" "Nothing much; everything was already on the internet. So, you didn't answer me because of him?" "No, not because of him. I don't deal with feelings. No strings attached; that's my agenda for this life. In respect of Gray, as you already know, I want to make up and see to it that his future is bright and shining. That's it." "Oh, ok, I didn't think that way. So, what is he doing nowadays?" "Working in a restaurant." "As what?" "Waiter, cleaner, I don't know exactly." "What?" He was shocked. Who wouldn't? "Why? He has a good education, right? He can do anything with that certificate." "Yeah, but he doesn't know what he wants to do." "Please tell me you are kidding. He is 27 and still has not figured it out. Crazy, how on hell is that even possible?" I saw Gray, who had not moved an inch from the same place, holding the same drinks and having the same annoyance on his face. For some reason, I felt resentment against Gray. I was doing so much, ready to pour money. Why the hell he was stuck in that shitty place was beyond me. The person in front of me came from the trash; he is fucking only 21 and has achieved so much, holding the title of the youngest self-made billionaire. I could only conclude that Gray was lazy or not interested in achieving more in his life. "Strange right." "What?" "He is 27 and still stuck. You know, when I turned 5, I had a dream of running a company that gave jobs to thousands of people. When I turned 10, it was strong, but still, my mind was gullible. You know it happens. When I turned 15, I made up my mind strongly and started working on it at that age itself. Now I am 21, and the result is in front of you. You know there should be a strong desire to achieve things, or else I don't think there is any use in living the way we are. There must be some passion in everyone's life, don't you think?" Always, this guy impressed me a lot, and yeah, every word was correct. Ambition, the desire to achieve something, should be there in everyone's life. There is nothing wrong with fucking dreaming. "He needs more time, I guess." "I hope he doesn't take forever." That was a mockery, and it ended up pissing me off.
By the time the party was finished, I was holding the same anger. I tried to calm myself in many ways, but it was in vain. We were in the car, and the whole ride we didn't talk. After reaching the mansion, I made my way straight to the bathroom to take a cold shower. I needed this, or else I would lash out anytime at Gray. After taking the shower, I came out. Gray is sitting on the bed, scrolling his cell.
"Gray, you are not a teenager anymore. Start acting like an adult. Like seriously, you should think about your future." "I am fucking doing that." "Yeah, do that with dedication; you might come up with something. I am ready to pour money, come up with something." "As I said, I am thinking." "You know you should think hardly. Give a dam break to every other thing." "Why are you forcing me so much? It's fucking my life." "Stop saying that, and you are 27 for fuck's sake. Do you want to be a waiter for the rest of your life? Whenever I meet anyone, it feels good when they say I have become their inspiration. I am not telling you to get inspired by me, but at least give it a try. If my money is wasted too, I don't care. Come up with something; that's all I am asking." "Listen, Josh, I had left this topic way back. These days, I am thinking, but I am not inspired by anything. So, stop pressurizing me." "How many more years do you want to be this way? Fucking waiter." "Well, I am ok with the way I am. I am not fucking harming anyone." "You are ok as dying as a waiter? Like seriously. Is it wrong that I am expecting you to achieve something in your life too? I can understand those past years. But what about the present? Why can't you think about your future? I am really not getting the exact problem over here. Why is my career so important to him? "Why are you silent? You always want to retaliate, right?" "Listen, Josh, when I come up with something, you will be the first person to know. Till then, don't bother me with the same question." "When you take your life seriously, then I might lessen my intervention in your life, right?" "I am done for the day. You should sleep now."
Where the hell I was going wrong was beyond me, and I was also done for the day. I took my side on the bed and was off to sleep.