CHAPTER THREE

William drained the entire glass of champagne in a gulp before exiting the crowded living room into the less noisy corridor. On the flight, he was so excited about home but now he was here, the home was beginning to feel more like hell.

He could still hear the murmurings from the other room but he couldn't care less. Despite being a master of wealth, he believed that money wasn't enough reason for one to act like an asshole and that the guest deserved what was coming to him.

The door to the living room was forced open and his father barged in. William sensed his rage but refused to be shaken. He made to walk away when Mr. Reeds' thick voice made him halt in his tracks.

"What was that in there?" Mr. Reeds asked, shutting the door behind him.

"Why do you ask? Didn't you see how inappropriate he acted?" Williams fired back.

"And of what concern is that to you? That is a common maid…"

"I won't stand here and listen to you speak of her like she isn't a human being." Williams paused, surprised that he was defending someone who had insulted him barely an hour ago.

"Have you lost your mind?" His father yelled.

"No dad. I think you guys are the crazy ones." Mr. Reeds gasped. "Because I don't see how else you'll claim to throw some sort of welcome party for me when you and I know that this is only a means to gather rich folks and squeeze out their pockets in the name of donations!"

William knew his words would have an effect on his father but the part of his statement that had the most effect was hard to tell as his father's gaze lacked emotion. Mr. Reeds simply grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter. He motions to Williams and they move into the master bedroom.

"So how's your fiancée? I hear you two stayed together over in New York?"

"You heard the wrong father. Stephanie and I haven't shared a bed for months but I think she's alright." He said the last part more to himself. "But anyways, we're breaking up and we'll make it public as soon as possible."

"What?!" Mr. Reeds responded in rage. "Why would you do that? Do you know how much that girl loves you? Do you know how such a move could crush her heart?"

"Well, she should have thought of that before she abandoned me for some Russian millionaire," Williams said scoffing.

This angered Mr. Reeds even more. "How dare you try to jeopardize the relationship between this family and Stephanie's parents?"

"That's all you care about!" Williams threw his hands in the air dramatically. "You don't care if I love her or if she's hurting my feelings. She's just another opportunity for you to add to your wealth."

Unable to stand his father's prejudice, Williams scoffed and walked out on his father only to run into a face he had hoped he'd never run into. There staring as Williams closed the door behind him was his older brother; Kelvin.

As usual, they shared a cold silent gaze. The two brothers had never gotten along and Williams wasn't surprised that even with all the time he had spent away, there was still no love lost in his brother's heart for him.

"Who would believe a clown would try to act like a superhero one day?" Kelvin spoke sarcastically.

"Nice to see the dog finally got off the leash," Williams fired back. "If you don't mind I need to go attend to more important things while you can go kiss your father's ass."

Williams overheard his brother murmur incorrigibly but he kept walking on. It was no secret to him that Kelvin always thought him to be more favoured by their father and hence despised him.

At least Williams tried his best to make a name for himself while all that Kelvin did was roll up at all types of parties and clubs and squander his monthly allowances when he was not being incompetent at their father's company. How could Mr. Reeds prefer to entrust his fortune to a party bird over a well-educated businessman?

Everyone seemed to have been tasked with getting on his nerves but there was one person he knew could bring a smile to his face. It was his sister, Katie. He hadn't seen her since he arrived so he went back to the party in search of her.

Unfortunately, his mission was thwarted when family members and familiar faces tossed him across the room, everyone hungry for a piece of how his life was while he was away. He managed to scan through the crowd but when he couldn't find Katie, he sauntered up the stairs to her room.

The sound of the door creaking open startled Katie but when she saw the intruder was Williams, she got off the phone and engulfed him in a bear hug. Oh, how she had missed him! At least his being back meant she didn't have to put up with Kelvin's rowdiness all day.

"You promised to give me a call once you arrived!" Katie nagged, pouting.

"Sorry. Must have left my phone in my bag." He pointed towards the door. "One of those parties, huh?"

"I'm more than weary of such parties," Katie complained. "Never have I been in a room with so many fake smiles."

"I have an Idea. Perhaps we should go for a picnic or something. I was just reading about this nice place and I think we should get ready. Meet me downstairs in five minutes."

With that he was out the door and in a few minutes, he was in his favourite sports car waiting on his sister. As much as he was excited to take the car for a spin, he was overjoyed he could finally get to spend time with his sister. She caught up with him a few minutes later and they drove around town before heading off to some sort of hilltop on the outskirts of town.

Since he arrived, that was the first time Williams really felt welcomed home. Not just by the infectious smile on his sister's face but also by the town itself. Nothing seemed to have changed all this while he was away.

The record store at the end of the block still blasted jams, the old mall still hadn't sacked its cheery old attendant, and the time had proved to have no effect on the robust and cheerful aura of the town.

"I bet you missed home so much," Katie said, as they spread out on the trunk of the car, treating themselves to pizza.

"You bet, I did. I mean, New York is great but home is home."

"I guess your girlfriend didn't share the same ideology, did she?" Katie murmured, rolling her eyes.

"Katie you have every right to hate Steph, no need to hide." He licked the pizza crust off his fingers. "I still can't believe I almost began to believe something would work out for us even after she cheated on me the first time."

*I always warned you, Will. That girl always seemed to me as someone who'll run your pocket dry and leave in the long run."

She was right and it hurt that she was. Back then he had been veiled by infatuation to notice the dangers lurking in the near future. Not all that glitters is gold was a lesson that he learnt from that experience.

"I think it's about time we paid a visit to this Steph and taught her a lesson," Katie said, staring into the captivating horizon.

"Seems like you're ready to be thrown out of the family," Williams scoffed. "Need I remind you that our father doesn't mess with his sources of income? I told him I was breaking up with Steph. You should see the way he freaked out."

"Are you really breaking up with her?" Katie asked, concerned.

"I mean, yeah. She cheated again and this time I think I'm ready to stand up to dad."

He was. As it was growing late, they decided to head back but on the way, Williams couldn't stop thinking about what had happened that day. From his father's outburst to his brother's jealousy and even the incident at the party.

This was a part of the home he despised. The drama and chaos. But unfortunately, it was the same drama that had brought him back home but in his brief stay, he was determined to stay away from as much as he could.

All he had to do was focus on his aim which was to take a break from work a bit as suggested by Katie. He would try as much as possible to abstain from getting in trouble if he could. However, right then, nothing clutched his mind more than the wish to rest his tired bones which he didn't have the chance to ever since his flight.

As soon as he cluttered up the stairs leading to the floor of his room, he bumped into someone causing the tray in her hand to knock over but not before he caught her in his arms. When she raised her face, he stared at her in surprise while she looked back in shock and perhaps fear.