Король и корона

SERA

The question slipped from Reggie Blackwood's mouth, accompanied by a lopsided smile that did not reflect the weakness of his body. Even with a pale face and frequently interrupted breathing, the old man still carried an aura of power.

Sitting opposite him, I was transfixed. My hand holding the teacup suddenly felt too heavy, and silence crept into the room like fog.

“Of course I'll drink champagne with your corpse,” I said after sipping the tea, trying to cover up my anxiety with a joke. 

A crisp laugh escaped the 66-year-old's lips. “Good idea,” he commented. “Who else are you going to drink with anyway?”

I finally let out a long sigh, feeling tired. “You're being overly dramatic, Reggie. Your health is already much better. The doctor said—”

“That pretentious man just wants me to survive longer.”

“That's what a doctor does, isn't it?” I did not expect there to be a tremor in my voice, even though I wanted to sound cynical.

“Sera, I'm serious. I didn't call you in between your busy schedule to talk about my health.”

I made no further comment, just looked at him silently. For some reason the turtleneck I was wearing began to feel so suffocating and itchy. 

“Why didn't you ever ask me why I adopted you?” asked Reggie. The topic that we had not spoken about for years was suddenly brought up. And that meant, I knew that our conversation was really going to get serious. And this was about our relationship, not business or anything like that.

“Because I couldn't question your decision in the first place,” I replied, not entirely lying.

“But do you ever wonder?”

Yes, often. On certain nights over the past 16 years, I would think about it. And more often than not, it was in the form of my gratitude. “I told myself that it was because I'm pretty and the smartest one in that place.”

Reggie laughed. “Well, that's not wrong.” He took a deep breath, then leaned forward. “But another reason is that it's as my penance. On the other hand, I know you are indeed suitable for the Blackwood family.”

“Penance?” I never thought that would be the answer to my question from those few nights.

“There's so much I could forget but that four people.”

“You killed four people?” I snapped, which made Reggie laugh again.

“No, silly. I mean, there are four men out there who have my blood running through their bodies. Four men who don't even know each other—and have never met me until the past few days. They are my sons, Sera. The sons of four different women.”

“You're joking, right?”

“I don't even take million-dollar business decisions this seriously.” Reggie leaned back in his chair, exhaustion evident on his face. “And they're coming here. I've called them all, and you'll meet them at dinner tonight.”

There was a moment of silence.  My mind was spinning wildly. Almost everyone in this town knew that Reggie in his younger days was an adventurer, a love adventurer to be more precise, a womanizer who captured the hearts of many women. But, four sons from four different mothers... I never imagined that. That's way too much!

 “Why didn't you tell me earlier? This is too sudden.” I emphasized my voice, before finally remembering something important. “Wait, do they know that I …?”

“Of course.” The old man smiled faintly, shrugging casually. “They know you're my adopted daughter. That you have an important role in Blackwood.”

“You know I love you, but this is crazy, Reggie.” I leaned closer, looking at him sharply. “They must think I'm just an appendage. Or worse, a hindrance!”

“Ah, they won't dare.” He chuckled, but a cough followed, forcing him to stop.

“You can't be serious about this. It's a matter of blood and legacy. Money and power. They'll be battling each other before you have a chance to introduce them properly!”

“And that's where you come in,” Reggie commented calmly.

The large window in Reggie's study suddenly caught my attention, as if calling me to jump out of there and leave this nonsense behind. “I'm not a martyr, Reggie. And what if I fail?”

“You won’t, I believe in your abilities. You've been a Blackwood longer than any of them, and you know what that means.”

I swallowed. My breathing was getting heavy. “So, what do you want from me tonight?”

“It's simple. Don't let them kill each other at the dinner table.”

“That's madness.”

“All great things start with madness, my dear. Now, prepare yourself. They'll be here in a few hours, and I don't want this first dinner to turn into a battlefield. You are my strength here.”

I closed my eyes, trying to digest everything. When I opened my eyes again, Reggie was leaning back casually in his chair, with a small smile indicating that this conversation was over.

I had no idea where Reggie's plans would take me this time. However, one thing I was sure of was that after tonight, my life would never be the same again.

***

Dinner time had come. Grant, the majordomo of the Blackwood family said that the “guests” were waiting at the dining table.

I stepped up to the table, feeling the attention on me. The first man seated directly in front of me, with a firm jaw and a serious face, was dressed perfectly in a suit like a CEO. His dark blonde hair was neatly combed back, while his sharp blue eyes stared at me with slightly raised eyebrows, as if judging, but then he covered it with a faint smile.

To his left, the second man smiled in a softer, more open manner. Although his slightly glazed eyes revealed a hesitation that he could not hide, as if he was unsure of how to behave. He was wearing a slightly rumpled casual jeans jacket, with his blonde hair looking a little messy.

Shifting to the left again, the third man smiled in a warm way. His broody gray-brown eyes were full of serenity, as if he was a counterbalance in the midst of this tension. He was wearing a plain white shirt with the top two buttons undone. His eyes looked at me softly, as if he wanted to talk, but preferred to remain silent and respectful of my presence.

And finally, the fourth man sat in a more relaxed manner, but there was tension all around him. His smile was slightly lopsided, with a slightly more intense gaze than the others. There was a mixture of anxiety and tension that was hard to explain there, but I felt like there was a part of him that wanted to fight, while another part just wanted to give up. His black outfit, which seemed like a spontaneous choice, even gave me a slightly interesting impression.

After meeting the Blackwood Brothers—I decided to call them that from now on—there was one thing that immediately intrigued me. I was curious—curious to death—about Reggie's appearance when he was younger. Because, gosh, just look at his four sons: they're all incredibly handsome with their own distinctive features. I no longer doubted that Reggie was a lady-killer back in the day.