"I'm sorry, but you seem to have made a mistake. I am not who you are looking for," Alexander stated firmly.
"Master Caspian, even after ten years, I still would never forget your face," the elderly man insisted.
"The name's Alexander, now get lost," he replied with determination.
The white-bearded man paused, contemplating.
His name was Geoffrey, anc he was or rather, he used to be Master Caspian's butler.
He took a closer, more concentrated look at Alexander. His demeanor and appearance seemed vastly different and unrecognizable from the boy he once knew. He looked thinner, more disheveled, with overgrown hair, but his eyes… his eyes held a different story.
"Young Master Caspian, I know it is you," he said with a gleeful smile, bowing his head.
"The name is Alexander, Alexander Chase. The Caspian you seek of is long dead, at least to you all," Alexander retorted.
"But Master Caspian, you are needed back at home," Geoffrey insisted.
Alexander paused, his mind spinning. "I am needed? So you're telling me that I am needed by the same family that banished my mother out to the street like a stray dog?"
"We are sorry. I am sorry. I would have helped you if I could, but as you know, her banishment was way above my power and control," Geoffrey explained.
Alexander chuckled bitterly. "O yes, my dear old father. Tell me, what does he have to say about you coming to drag his bastard son back? Does he even know you are here?"
"Your father is dead," Geoffrey stated plainly.
Alexander froze. He had a retort for every sentence Geoffrey uttered, but this news left him speechless. He felt his tongue tied between his lungs.
Despite his hatred for his father, the realization of his death hit him hard. He hated his father, he hated him so much and often wished for the opportunity to kill him, but he never thought the old fart would die. He hated his father, but in the end, he was still his father.
"How did he die? You know what, I don't even want to know. Just get lost," Alexander managed to say, his voice strained with emotion.
Geoffrey persisted, addressing him as "Master Caspian."
"My name is Alexander, and I am not your master. The next time you refer to me as such, I will cut off your tongue and feed it to stray dogs," Alexander threatened, his stare piercing.
Shocked by Alexander words, Geoffrey realise one thing, Alexander was right, the boy he once knew was long gone.
"Okay then, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. We will get on our way now. Here is my card in case you need any settlement for this inconvenience," he said, handing Alexander his information card.
Alexander snatched the card from him and walked away, Geoffrey's voice trailing after him. "Your mother, what would she have wanted you to do?"
Alexander paused, turning slightly. "After what he did to her, she would have wanted me to kill the old bastard myself," he declared before storming off.
Walking back home, Alexander tried to push his encounter with Geoffrey out of his mind. But Geoffrey's final question and his response kept replaying in his head. 'What would his mother have wanted him to do?'
Of course, she wouldn't have wanted him to kill his father. Her heart was too pure for that.
He halted, raising his gaze to the clouded sky as it began to drizzle. 'What would she have wanted?' he asked himself, reflecting on his life.
His name was Caspian Alexander Chase, heir to the Stellar Nebula Conglomerate, one of the richest companies in the world. His life was good until it wasn't. His mother was banished from the Chase family while Alexander was away on a business venture. When Alexander got back, he was furious at the news and left the Chase Family Mansion in search of his mother.
But by the time he found her after many long years, she was in a hospital, diagnosed with colon cancer, and needed an immediate colorectal resection, which cost way more than Alexander could afford at the moment. It was during that time he met Luther Lockwood, Seraphina's father, through unconventional circumstances.
Luther Lockwood made him a deal; he promised to take care of all of Alexander's mother's medical bills in exchange for Alexander agreeing to marry his daughter. Alexander accepted without hesitation, and thanks to that, his mother lived for three more long years before her eventual passing.
Alexander blamed his father for everything his mother had to go through and vowed to never return or have anything to do with him or his company.
Lost in thought, Alexander realized he had reached home. With the car parked in the compound, Seraphina was back.
As he entered the house, a thunderous slap landed on Alexander's cheek.
"How dare you make a fool of my daughter in front of Lady Chase, you penniless brat!"
It was Caroline, Alexander's mother-in-law, the greatest thorn in his life as a live-in son-in-law. She blamed Alexander for her husband's and Seraphina's choice to marry him and detested him for his lack of wealth and status. To her, Alexander's existence was a constant reminder of her failure as a mother.
"Mother!" Seraphina yelled, pulling Alexander away.
"Why do you insist on protecting that gutter bastard? It's because of him that our family is looked upon with disgust. When will you listen to me and divorce him? Many eligible suitors would kill to take you away from his wretched hands," Caroline spat.
"Mother, I have told you a thousand times, I am never going to divorce Alexander," Seraphina asserted.
"I will not rest until you heed my advice!"
"Mother, my husband and I need to go to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow," Seraphina said, leading Alexander into their room.
...
In the room;
"Thank you," Alexander muttered.
"It's no problem, but I would appreciate it if you had better control of that loose tongue of yours," Seraphina scolded as she settled onto her bed.
"Understood," he replied.
"Good, you've been invited to the diamonds banquet held tomorrow," Seraphina announced.
"Okay, do you need me to get your wardrobe choice," Alexander replied, confused.
"I said 'you,' not 'me,' I wasn't invited, I was only asked to extend the invitation," Seraphina clarified.
"What? On whose invite?" Alexander exclaimed in disbelief. Who would invite him to a banquet?
"Jacob Harrington!" Seraphina replied.
"What!!" Alexander exclaimed in disbelief. Why would the King of Diamond himself extend an invitation to him?