5. Home sweet family

"Zack, you came back?" the woman rushed to hug him. "You are back home, for good, right? And you are finally going to take back your rightful place," the woman whispered the last part.

"Nice to see you too after so long, mother," Zack hugged her back.

"Come on everyone, let's get back inside." Grandmother ushered everyone back in while Zack's mother let go of the hug.

"Grandma, did you really make us prepare a special dinner to welcome your fugitive grandson back?" Mackenzie, the 21-year-old slender girl with blonde hair said as they all turned to go back inside.

"That is no way to talk about your cousin, young woman," Grandma scolded, walking towards her family and towards the house, using her walking stick as a support. "And this fugitive son would work in the company to prove himself."

"Ohhh! Brother is not going to be happy about this," Levi, the 14-year-old teenage boy with chestnut brown hair, shook his head. "What do you mean? And Zack is the oldest here. So I expect you all to show him some respect," Grandma continued, and soon, their voices faded away, leaving Zack with his mother, who held his hand in hers.

"I am so glad that you are back," Marissa smiled at her son. "Now I can finally feel like I have a place here."

"Mother," Zack pulled his hands away from hers. "It's been five years. Aren't you going to ask how I've been?"

"You are right, it's been long. But remember that you also left on your own terms, so don't expect me to cry. I probably knew more about your life while you were away than you did," Marissa shrugged. "I'm just glad that you are back in your rightful place. The humble life doesn't suit my son at all," She ruffled his hair. "You look like you've gone through the worst, and you also smell like sh*t," Marissa wrinkled her nose up.

"I can't believe Grandma was nicer about it," Zack looked up with a sigh.

"Well, that old woman is dying, of course she has to be nice," Marissa linked arms with her son, pulling him towards the house. "Now let's go pull you a nice bath. Grandma prepared this dinner especially for you, so make sure to wash up well and wear really nice clothes."

As they entered the house, Marissa walked with her son towards his room.

"Even though the girl is a b*tch, I can't believe she didn't even bother to take care of my son," Marissa said with a pout. "But don't worry. I have put up a list with all the good girls from very nice families."

"You mean well off," Zack corrected his mother as they stopped in front of his room. "Sounds the same thing to me," Marissa sang, opening the door to his room and they walked in.

Zack breathed the scent of his room. It had been kept the same all through the years even though he was away. The opulent room exuded luxury and class, with lavish furnishings in different shades of gray, consisting of a king-sized bed with lush beddings, a coffee table on top of plush carpets at the center, surrounded by dark gray sofas. On the painted walls were priceless abstract paintings, posters from his hobbies and pictures from his youth. At the far end, a grand piano sat in front of a floor-to-ceiling window which offered a breathtaking view of the city skyline while the whole room was illuminated by a round chandelier.

The whole room, with all the details, screamed a life of unparalleled privilege and indulgence.

Some memories began to present themselves to Zack, but it was such a long time ago that he was no longer affected by them.

"Go shower right now," His mother let go of him. "I will be back in a bit."

With that, Marissa turned and left, leaving Zack with a silent space. He stripped off his shirt and jeans and laid them neatly on the bed before entering the bathroom, going straight for the shower and letting the hot water drizzle over his body. The reality set in. That he was now home and there was no going back. 7 minutes later, Zack turned off the shower, put on a robe and walked out of the shower mindlessly and was about to head for his walk-in closet when he noticed his mother sitting on the bed looking at something like pieces of paper.

"Oh you are out," She looked up and simultaneously stood up, picking up something beside her before heading to where Zack was standing. She stood in front of him and Zack noticed the clothes she was holding. "I picked out clothes for you. Had to change your whole closet by the way. Your old clothes wouldn't fit you anyway," she handed Zack the clothes, and he looked at her skeptically. "And don't worry, I didn't go over the top. I bought you very simple clothes," she assured him. "Except the suits and tuxes. You will need those to make an impression," Marissa smiled, impressed with herself.

"Thanks for thinking about me mother," Zack turned to go change into new clothes, but his mother stopped him. "Oh! And your clothes go straight to the trash. Although I was able to salvage something good out of them," Marissa raised two golden tickets to his face.

"Were you planning to take some undeserving person on a date?" She quirked her eyebrows up.

"Oh god!" Zack groaned, remembering what plans he had for the tickets.

"Well, all hope is not lost yet. You can still make use of them. How about you take Chris with you?" Marissa suggested.

"Are you sure about that?". Zack looked at her pointedly. "Well, he's been in the company longer than you have. And even if grandma favors you, it won't be the same as it was before."

"So I get close to Chris, to know the hang of things?"

"Bingo!"

"Do you even think about me?"

"Of course I do. While you are at it, you can get over your heartbreak. Have some fun and meet someone hot," Marissa winked.

"Good lord," Zack let out a sigh as he left to change his clothes. "Hurry! We can't keep them waiting forever!" Marissa shouted after him.

3 minutes later, Marissa and Zack entered the dining room. Sitting at the head was grandma. On her right was uncle Elliot. Next to him was his wife Irene, then MacKenzie and Levi.

On the other side, Zack sat down, followed by his mother and then 13-year-old Sawyer, Zack's younger sister.

"Thank God!" Mckenzie groaned. "I thought the food was going to become stone-cold before you finally appeared."

"Are you back to take over the company?" Levi asked curiously.

"Don't speak like that Levi," Irene scolded him. "Your grandma is still in her prime. And she has your brother by her side to assist." "Speaking of your son, I don't see him here," Grandma spoke sternly. "I clearly told him we would have an important dinner."

"Uh well, Chris said he had a very important client to attend to. You know he does everything for the good of the company. Oh! My son is out there working so hard when he can be in this warm place with his family," Irene let out a sad sigh.

"How's life been, son," Uncle Elliot asked his nephew. "It's rough on either side," Zack replied. "Alright everyone," Grandma used a spoon to click her glass. Bringing everyone's attention to herself, she spoke.

"Let's dig in!"