Richard's POV
At first, I did not want to answer the weird man who had just arrived. He didn't come alone; he had other people accompanying him. They seemed so professional, like they were men in black, and they looked too good to know me at all. They moved closer to me, and the man muttered again, "Aren't you Richard Holston from the Holston family? Is that not your mom and dad murdered on the ground? I am only here to fulfill my part of the bargain your parents made with me."
I stood up instantly. At that moment, the police had already come, and they were slowly packing my mom and dad's bodies into bags. I looked around and felt utterly shattered. But I knew I still had to talk to them; I had no choice after all. I nodded, and then they walked with me into their very professional and expensive car.
"Where exactly are we supposed to go?" I asked as I entered the car, expecting them to at least drive me somewhere. But we were just stuck there. The man sat in the back seat with me and pulled out some documents. The car was so lavish that it created extra space for me, and a document lay on top, accompanied by a very professional pen. At the top of it was "Rex Corporation."
I was confused. Who exactly owned this company? I had never heard the name before, and I knew nothing about it. The only family I was familiar with was the Jane family. I had worked for their company for years, so I was surprised to see this.
I looked at the man with a furrowed brow, a bit confused as he chuckled. "Of course, I understand you'd be a bit confused, and I am so sorry that your parents never explained it to you. I was only told to bring this document to you the day they died. The minute I heard the news, I sped directly here to inform you. I am so sorry for your loss. But the truth remains the same: the Rex Corporation belongs to you. Not just that corporation, but other non-governmental organizations your father maintained. The same goes for your mother. All of it is under your name. You own an empire. You own empires," he said to me.
I was so surprised that I couldn't even process what he was saying. It felt like he was just babbling gibberish at me because I was in shock. Yet I tried my best to remain calm as he lifted the pen and handed it to me.
"We are only responsible for signing the documents over to you and giving you the warning your father wanted you to have. That is, to be careful of the enemies that you will have around you. The world is not as easy as you think it is. If you really want to run this corporation, you need to be very careful about everything. I'm sorry for your loss, but your father had enemies. The minute they saw that he was going to sign his whole property over to you, they started taking action. They are the reason for your parents' deaths. You will find out who they are; it is all up to you," he warned.
Feeling even more confused and congested in the car, I wanted a place where I could pace around and try to process what they had just said. I faked a smile at them while I continuously pinched myself to ensure I was in reality. I wanted to determine if everything was an illusion or if I was just imagining things because I had left Jane and yearned for a supernatural wealth like in the movies.
"I don't believe anything you just said. Everything you just uttered to me is gibberish. I don't believe a word you say. You can't just come here and tell me I own a corporation when my parents have been broke for ages. They literally abandoned me because they couldn't cater to me. I lived my life struggling from hand to mouth, and then you walk up to me and tell me I own a company. I don't own any company. I have no company. Don't give me illusions and feed me fake words that I will not believe," I insisted, trying to open the door, but it was locked instantly.
"We are not here to force anything on you. We are here to offer you your father's lifelong wish, lifelong wealth. Something he wanted you to have so you could take care of yourself. You can't just push it away like it's nothing. It belongs to you. You just have to find a way to make sure that it all works out," he explained.
But I felt even more confused. "You can't just come to me after my father is dead. After I can't ask him for an explanation, and tell me I own some kind of wealth and I have enemies? I don't care. I don't want it. I just want my life back. Please. I don't care about the vast corporation empire or the fact that he chose me to lead it. All of a sudden, I should lead a world I know nothing about. My parents were never rich. They were broke. They were broke right from before I was born," I insisted, trying to convince myself that everything they were saying was fake.
I wanted to believe I could be better than Anna, that I could show her I was worth more than her betrayal. The man noticed I was in a tight emotional situation, and as he moved closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulder, it immediately reminded me of Stewie.
"I am not here to force you. I'm only here to give you a chance to take over your company. You have been given the opportunity to lead your father's vast empire. You just have to sign the documents. Even if you don't want to be the one doing everything on your own, you can give it to somebody else while you stay behind closed doors and work from the shadows," he suggested.
As the reality of my situation began to sink in, I felt a determination growing within me. This was clearly my reality now; this was no longer an illusion. I picked up the pen and signed my name below it, and he smiled.
"I just have to warn you: this new role comes with powerful enemies."