Jeremiah

It was a long walk down the hallway but I had barely noticed. Ever since I got Natalie's call, my head was spinning and my thoughts were all over the place. I had gone to Christian's house but I was late, he had already left. Anyway, Natalie was kind enough to fill me in on everything she knew, everything she had heard from his conversation with Susan and his phone call with the doctor. I didn't even get the chance to do and say all I wanted to Kora.

"Can we finish this conversation after school?"

That was the last thing I said to her before I took to my heels. I didn't even remember the bracelet until I was on my way to the hospital. Christian wasn't there either, he had left. His guards were though and they were getting ready to move Dad from the ICU. They weren't listening to me, neither were the doctors. Nothing I said perturbed them and all my attempts to stop them were fruitless.

Now I was at the one place I had sworn never to step foot in, the one place I had turned away from and avoided since the day I knew about my identity because I was scared that my older brother was going to see me worse than he already did, as a threat, the threat he was right about. I was at my father's company, I was at Benoil and I was finding my way to his office.

I stormed inside despite the attempt of his secretary to stop me. I couldn't care less.

My hands folded in a tight fist as my heart got heavier and my frown got deeper. I was upset, really upset and at that point, far from thinking straight.

Good, he wasn't alone. It looked like he was in the middle of a really small meeting seeing that I could count about three other people in the room besides him.

"We need to talk." I announced my entrance as I watched them stop what they were doing and turn to look at me. My eyes were focused on my brother's, I could care less what it was they were talking or thinking about, I watched Christian turn to me, his attention drifting to me, he was the last one. His eyes were glued to me and once he opened his mouth to speak. I knew exactly what he was about to say.

"Now." I pushed forward before he even thought of saying anything else. I knew about the harsh tone in my really demanding voice but I couldn't help myself. Christian had crossed the line, he needed to be stopped, he had to be stopped and if he wasn't going to ask everyone to leave, I was just going to go ahead and talk some sense into him in public.

The way Christian looked at me, he could tell that I was bringing all the smoke and I only gave him a second to decide how much he was willing to share. Did he really want me to tell all those people about the terrible thing he was about to do? About what he had done?

He cleared his throat and turned to his visitors.

"We would postpone this meeting till later." He told them. I exhaled and then shut my eyes for a second, I didn't have to watch them leave. I gave them exactly there seconds and then I started to march to the biggest table in the room. Christian was sitting behind that table, turning his eyes to the file in front of him so he could pretend I wasn't right there.

"Why did you do it?" That was the first thing I asked him immediately I stopped in front of his table.

"What are you talking about?" Now he was going to play dumb. He had his glasses in place, slightly above his nose and his eyes, buried in the booklet still.

"I just came from the hospital, they are taking Dad off life support and discharging him today. You ordered them to do it, Why?" My voice was trembling, it was probably because of the excessive rush of adrenaline through my veins. God, I was so upset. "Don't you know what it means? Are you trying to kill him?"

Christian paused and then exhaled. He raised his head to look at me.

"I get it Christian, I understand the grudge you have with father, I know you blame him for what happened just as much as you blame me, I do too but he's still our father. Don't you think you're going too far? What are you so scared of? Why do you have to kill Dad for it?"

"Do you know how much it costs this company to keep Dad on life support every hour? Do you know how much oxygen costs? Didn't you hear the doctors? They don't know when he's going to wake up, they don't even know if he's going to wake up. I have to prepare for the worst, we have to prepare for the worst. Do you know how much of a blow the worst case senario could cost us? Could cost this company? He's not even dead yet and the company shares are dropping, everyone is scared, they want answers. Benoil is at the point of self destruction and someone has to step up. Someone has to take over and save all our asses-"

"It's only been three days!" I yelled at him as loud as I could. I was literally panting for air. I could see the surprise look on his face as he stared at me. "He's not even dead yet. He's not dead yet and you're thinking about taking over the company? So much so that you're going to just let him die?"

"I'm not letting him die."

"Taking him off life support, depriving him of getting direct care and attention from the hospital is killing him. He is not going to last an extra minute. And please cut me that crap about saving money, we both know that Benoil out of father's many investments, is more than capable of placing Dad on life support and covering his medical bills without breaking sweat for a hundred years! This company makes tens of millions every single day, thousands by the second. You'd have to come up with a better excuse than that."

Christian scoffed.

"What is it you're so scared of?" I pushed on. "Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of our father? What is so great about being CEO that you're willing to throw your own father away?"

"Don't you know?" He glared at me. I listened, my heart beat moving in motion as I drew heavy breaths. Christian hit his hand on the table loudly and then stood up. "Don't you know why I'm like this? Don't you know the reason I'm like this?" He took a few steps towards me. "Who made me like this?!"

I knew where he was driving at. It was the same old talk all over again.

"You and father, you both made me like this. How can you blame me for protecting what's mine? For taking back what's mine? Benoil is mine! I've put everything into this company and he was just going to throw it away? To give it to you? An illegitimate son?" He chuckled and it made me so nervous.

"What right? Who said you can have my company? Who said it was his decision to make? Who said he gets to choose who becomes CEO?! This company is everything it is because of my mother, because of the sacrifices she made, because of me and it's only right her son inherits all she worked hard for, so why?!" He yelled. "Why would he want to give it to anyone else? Why would he give you equal shares with me? Why?! I'd rather die. I'd kill anyone that gets in my way. I'd cut off life support of anyone that tries to come in between me and my company even if it's my own father!"

I was so numb.
All my life I was used to seeing this side of Christian. This cold unapologetic side of him. The side that showed his hurt and pain but this time, it was different. I looked at him and all I could feel was disappointment. The person in front of me was not the person I knew. He wasn't the person I grew up with. This person was filled with nothing but anger and hate and it was eating him up with every word he spoke. He was breathing fast too.

"Even if it's you." He said.

I scoffed.
Tears were welling up in my eyes. I couldn't believe he had just said that to me.

"I never wanted the company." I had to remind him just in case he had forgotten. "You know I'm the last person that would ever want to take this company away from you. I made a promise to you in the past. I wasn't going to take anything that was yours ever again. I was going to know my place and stay in that place. I never expected or asked for anything. I never visited this company once, not even when we were younger and Dad made us learn a few things about ruling because I was scared you'd think I was scheming something behind your back. I stayed away from anything concerning the company's business or politics even when I didn't have to just because of you. How could you think that I am trying to steal it from under your nose-"

"Lies!" Christian yelled at me. "Liar! You think I don't know?" He continued. "You think I don't know what it was you and father were planning to do on the night he got shot? That he was setting you up to meet shareholders? That he had gone ahead to give you equal shares with me even when he promised to wait till your birthday? You think I don't know you both were trying to steal my company away from me?!"

I exhaled.

"Why would I stand still? Why should I stand and watch you two steal from me? Watch you steal from me again? Why must I have to share anything with you including my company?"

I shut my eyes for a second.
I was tired of it. There was literally nothing I was going to say that was going to change how he felt about anything, that was going to change how he felt about me so there was no need trying. At that point, I had seen the worst of him and I was done. I was done letting him walk over me.

"You know," I tried so hard to keep my emotions in check. "For a long time, I lived as your puppet. I didn't do things you liked to do, I didn't make foods that you liked to eat my favorites, I didn't go to places you liked because I thought if I just hated everything you liked, It was going to make the way you thought of me change, that if I just stood out of your way, maybe, just maybe you'd see the good in my intentions, you'd think that there was nothing of yours I could possibly want and things could go back to the way they were. I made myself believe that if I just went away and lived a very embarrassing life, caused trouble and lived like I was dead, it was going to make me deserving of being called your younger brother again."

He scoffed and then looked away.

"I did everything, made myself irresponsible enough to not be noticed as deserving of the CEO title or any title at all at the company, I pretended to hate being in class and going to school, I made sure I had bad grades and skipped classes even though I had never in my life failed a subject before I came to the mansion. Even when the classes were the simplest, even when the tests and exams were the easiest, I still ended up failing them intentionally because you asked me to, because I was scared that if people knew I wasn't as ignorant and dumb as I portrayed myself, it was going to take all the attention from you."

I exhaled.
"They were going to think I was smart enough to handle certain responsibilities, I was scared that if that happened, I was going to lose you forever. I lived a lonely and an extreme sad life, I did every thing you wanted. I let you walk over me, I went to that stupid school that is filled with arrogant rich kids and big time bullies, I was even going to give you all of my shares the second father had given them to me just to show you how much I hated being at war with you, just to make you like me again. Can you believe that?"

I swallowed hard.

"Looking at you now, I regret it. I tried too hard. There's nothing I can do to change how you feel, nothing I do is going to make you trust me. I know that now. You're going to see me as the only thing you've ever seen me as; a threat, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of sacrificing my life for you, my happiness. I'm tired of putting up with your selfishness."

"So what? What are you trying to say?"

"I warned you didn't I? I told you you could do anything to me, hurt me as much as you like but never go after those I care about. First you went after Kora when you tipped the FEDS about her case and then you tried to send my mother away, and now Dad, I can't let you keep sacrificing those that matter to me just to feel better about yourself."

"If you're trying to say something, just go ahead and say it." He told me. "Say it!"

"From now on!" I snapped back at him, looking him right in his eyes. "I won't care how you feel. I'm not going to run away or hold back anymore. From now on, I'm not going to let myself feel guilty for what happened years ago. I'm going to live for me and do what I want. I'm not going to run away from my responsibilities. Kora, my mother, they are my people and I am going to do everything to protect them from the likes of you and father. I'm going to live my life how I want, I'm going to do what I want and I'm going to enjoy doing them and then I'm going be exactly who you've always wanted me to be. I'm going to be your rival. I'm never giving you my shares, let's see you become CEO without them. I'm going to take everything from you, the one thing you want the most if it's the only thing that's going to bring you back to your senses. I'm going to take this company and do what I want with it."

"How dare you?"

"What?" I widened my eyes. I could notice the fear in his eyes. "Are you scared that I might be a bigger competition? That I might actually win?"

Christian's frown got even worse.

"I won't play your games anymore." I sniffed. "I'm going to take father and look after him. I'm going to help him through his recovery. I'd take full responsibility of him. You don't have to do anything anymore or worry about him. I'd take care of everything. I won't abandon him and leave him to die just like you have."

"Who do you think you are?" He asked me. "You think you can go against me? You have no one, no connections. You're an illegitimate son, that's all you're ever going to be, a complete mistake that should have never been born. Do you actually think the board is going to accept you over me when they find out? Choose you? Let you become CEO? Someone like you? Someone of lowly birth? You're no match for me. Never have, never would be."

I ignored him. Even though most of his words were right, even though I had no idea what I was about to do, I still chose to ignore him. I couldn't let his words get to me."

"Good luck trying to be CEO." I told him. "I'd see you around, brother."

Those were my last words. My last words to Christian. I had said a lot and I had said enough and at that point, the only thing that mattered was getting to the hospital.
I turned quickly and then stormed out of the room.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Lady K

Time out!

Lilian understood what the blown whistle meant. She needed the break herself before the next round started. She turned around, signaling her help to come forward with her gym bag, the little lady responded. Playing the tennis was the only thing she did when she felt like she needed to get her head straight. Thanks to the new friend she had made who had introduced her to her club, mixing with the other elite wives was particularly easy.

She let a wide smile spread on her face as she returned her water bottle back to her help, straightening her face cap.

"Looks like you're really energetic today."
Her smile grew wider as she turned to the older woman at the other side of the long table, smiling right back at her. "You won this round. You got better than the last time we played."

"Better?" She asked her, picking up her tennis ball and getting in position to serve. "I've always been good at tennis."

"It's a good thing you joined our club, you play well. You could score a good one for us in next weeks' city women games competition."

It felt good to hear those words, to feel accepted and a part of something. That was one thing Lilian didn't get all the time. It made her cheeks redden. With all the crazies that had been going on in her family, in her life, between her and Peter, this was exactly what she needed, another life outside that house that didn't revolve around taking care of her children and shopping all the time. She needed friends, a sense of belonging to the outside world.

She couldn't even remember the last time she spoke to him since after what had happened. She barely even slept in the room.

"Oh,"

she raised her head back to the woman. She could notice how her gaze was looking towards the entrance right behind her.

"They are here."
The rest members of the club.

Lilian had been dying to meet all of them. She couldn't wait to introduce herself as their newest member. She had been dying to be a part of this particular club because unlike the other ones, the Ruby's women club happened to be the biggest and most popular in the state. They had their roots everywhere and branches in all thirty six states. They were the wives of the biggest boys in the country, wives to owners of oil wells, fashion companies, big time politicians, you name it. Ever since she got inducted into the club a week ago, she never really got to see the top women of the club. This was her chance. Her chance to meet them, her chance to give a good impression.

She kept her smile focused as she turned around so she could see the women as they walked towards them but her smile didn't last long. It turned to a frown immediately she saw her. She looked away quickly, turning back to the table. Her hands started to tremble and her heart began to beat really fast especially when the women got closer.

"Amanda." The woman smiled, walking to meet up with them halfway, a few feet beside the tennis table.

"Oh, Shola,"

"It's a good thing you came. There's someone I'd like to introduce you too."

Lilian bit on her lip hard as she pushed her face further away from them, shutting her eyes and hiding away.

"She's the newest member of our club and she plays the tennis really well. She could represent us next week at the games."

This wasn't what she had expected. Of all people she was hoping she bumped into, Amanda Richards was not one of them.

"Lilian?" The woman needed her attention but Lilian wasn't sure she could give it to her. Amanda turned. She was trying so hard to catch a glimpse of who it was the woman in front of her was referring to. Not just her, the other women that had walked in with her too but Lilian kept hiding.

The woman frowned. She couldn't understand why she was acting really strange. Lilian turned to them quickly and then bowed slightly, giving Amanda two seconds to catch a quick look at her.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I need to use the restroom, please excuse me." She turned her head slightly so the younger girl behind her could accompany her with the gym bag. Amanda scoffed as she turned to leave. She took a step and another one towards the exit right before-

"Nice to see you again Lilian." Amanda's voice brought her to an abrupt halt. She froze from her head to her toe while Amanda had her eyes focused on her. "Or should I rather call you Miss P?"

Lilian let out a weak exhale. One of her worst fear had happened, she had spent eighteen years running from it and the world was pulling her right back to her worst nightmare. How could she have recognized her? Lilian had done all she could to be slightly different from eighteen years ago. How on earth was this possible?

There was no point running anyway. There were a lot of people watching, people she really wanted to be friends with. She knew the least she had to do was act brave and grown, handle everything professionally and maybe, just maybe, nothing terrible was going to happen. She took a deep breath and then turned to Amanda.

Amanda scoffed.

"It's nice to see you too Amanda."

"You know, I could barely recognize you the other day at our lawyer's office. You brushed up pretty well." The smirk on Amanda's face was really huge and scary.

"Eighteen years is a long time." Lilian was trying so hard to keep her dignity in tact. "Growth is inevitable."

"You two know each other?" The woman had to ease the really tensed atmosphere. The two ladies stayed glaring at each other, no one was going to answer her question. She chuckled nervously and then turned back to Amanda. "Of course you do. Lilian's daughter goes to the same school with our kids. I heard she and your future son in law are pretty close too." She turned to Lily . "What is her name again? Kora?"

Lilian didn't bulge.

"Kora?" Another woman added. "Isn't that the name of the girl that kissed Jeremiah at the gala?" She asked. "Sonia told me that they are really close. There are rumors that they are even dating."

"I see." Amanda didn't take her eyes off Lilian. She was staring at her so hard, her smirk was flickering and it made Lilian really uncomfortable, too uncomfortable. She didn't like the way the air was starting to feel so thin.

"I'm sorry." She announced to the ladies. "I suddenly don't feel so good plus I have to pick my son up from the daycare. I should get home."

She turned and signaled the maid who was holding on tightly to the gym bag. She understood perfectly. Lilian didn't wait for their approval, she couldn't. She started to find her way away from them.

There was no way in hell Amanda was going to let her leave like that anyway. She had barely taken a step when Amanda rushed as fast as she could behind her, pulled off her cap and then grabbed her by her hair. Everyone began to gasp as she pulled Lilian from side to side while Lilian tried to pull her hand away from gripping her hair so tightly.

"How dare you?" Amanda asked her, pulling even harder. "How dare you come back after all these years? How dare you show yourself in my face after all those years? Are you stupid?"

"Let go of my hair." Lilian tried to pull her hand away. "Let go of my hair Amanda and we'd talk."

The first woman rushed to them and slowly grabbed Amanda's arm.

"Amanda, what has come over you?" She asked her. "People are watching, get yourself together."

Amanda looked at her and then turned around. She was right. How did she let her emotions get in her way again? There were a lot of people watching. She rolled her eyes and pushed Lilian, letting go of her hair too. Lilian's maid rushed to her to help her get herself together while Amanda hurried to her and then slapped her.

"Amanda!"

"How dare you?" Amanda wasn't done yet. "So seducing my husband and ruining my home was not enough for you? You're making your daughter walk in your own footsteps ? You're trying to get her to ruin my daughter's life? Are you some sort of a plague?"

Lilian took a deep breath. She could feel the stinging pain from the scratch on her face from Amanda's finger nails.

"Why didn't you just die those years ago? Why are you back? Why are you trying to torment me? To ruin my life? Why do you keep trying to come in between my family? Do you know what you have put us through? Do you know what your daughter is putting my daughter through? Why do you two go after things that are not yours? Are you cursed?"

She pushed Lilian hard, punching her arm in the process.

"Answer me!"

"That's enough Amanda." The woman tried to pull Amanda away but she was just too upset to even listen. She pulled her arm out of hers.

"What kind of a woman are you?" She asked Lilian. "What kind of a mother? How are you raising your daughter to be the exact kind of person you are? How can you do that to your own child? How can you make her into your own reflection? Causing havoc and destroying other people's happiness? Hurting people and going after things that don't belong to her? My daughter was fine, her engagement was going perfectly well before you and that evil daughter of yours showed up. Do you have any idea what your daughter is doing to my child?"

She pushed Lilian again.

"To my poor baby?"
She exhaled. She needed to catch her breath.

"You must be so proud of yourself,  you even had the audacity to show yourself here? To show yourself in my premises, in my building, in my club and ask to be a member? You? A complete nobody?"

She turned to the other women.

"Is this some kind of a joke?!" She yelled at them. It made them shake a little bit.

She stomped her feet once and then placed her hands on her hips, trying to catch a deep breath. She turned back to Lilian.

"Over my dead body." She finally said. "If you're ever going to take anything else from me, It's going to be over my dead body. Get out!" She ordered.

"Amanda."

Lilian was so embarrassed, too embarrassed to even look up.

"I don't want the likes of you in my establishment. I don't want your dirty wretched feet on my grounds or your filthy hands on my things." She grabbed the bat from Lilian.

"Get out!"

Did she say her club? Did the Ruby's women club belong to Amanda? Did the floors she was standing on belong to the Richards? Was she the famous president she heard about? Amanda was the leader of the club she had been dying to be a part of? Lilian went on her knees immediately. That was her last resort, she couldn't leave the club now, not after all her efforts to be a part of it. If she wanted to gain enough power, enough power to start her life over properly this time, this was her last resort. Her only resort. The exposure being a part of the club was going to give her was everything she had ever wanted. Her sins were gradually catching up with her.

"Amanda." She rubbed her palms together. "Amanda, Amanda please, please don't kick me out. I'd do anything."

"Are you deaf?" Amanda glared at her. "Don't you know what get out means?"

She turned to the other woman who happened to be the Vice President of the club.

"Shola." She begged too. The woman exhaled and then looked away. It was obvious her hands were tied and she didn't know what to do.

"Do I need to call security to throw you out?"

"That's not necessary." The woman stood in between them. "I'll make sure she leaves, just let her be. Please."

Amanda paused for a minute. She eyed the woman for a long second and then exhaled. She had succeeded in calming herself down and had come to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it.

"I don't know what you do anymore Shola." She told the woman. "Get this woman out of my building or I don't know what I'd do."

Amanda walked away and the rest of the women followed. She waited, she waited for them to be far gone right before she turned to Lilian. She bent over immediately so she could see her properly.

"Are you okay?"

Lilian exhaled.
She had no idea, she didn't know how she was supposed to feel especially with the way everyone had suddenly stopped what they were doing to look at her and the scene Amanda had caused. She was hurt and embarrassed, really embarrassed and most of all, she had lost the club. There was no way she could ever be a member now.

"You have nothing to worry about." The woman told her. "Just go home for now and I'd talk to Amanda on your behalf okay?"

Lilian had tears in her eyes. She was barely listening to a thing the lady said. She had her eyes and mind somewhere else, her memories flooding her head immediately.

She shut her eyes for a second and then drew a deep breath. It was over, she was done for.