Chapter 286: Breaking the shackles of legacy
Rhys
The look on my grandfather’s face was the absolute best I had seen in a while. His eyes widened significantly, stretching wide with a rare, genuine flash of shock that completely fractured his usual stone-cold composure. It was a beautiful sight.
"Raymond isn’t here," he stated, recovering his rigid posture. "There must have been a pressing reason why you came all the way here to find him, so let’s have a word in my office. I have been meaning to talk to you."
"Why not, grandfather? I also have something to discuss regarding Raymond."
Linda’s eyes widened next, and she quickly placed a trembling hand over her chest. "What happened to my son? Is he alright?"
I gave her a deeply questioning look, my eyes narrowing in sheer disgust. Why the hell was she acting as if she actually cared about the well-being of any of her sons? She had abandoned one at birth to suffer, and she had utterly spoiled the other into a corner—yet she still managed to fail miserably with both.
I ignored her completely, stepping right past her and climbing the stairs to follow after my grandfather.
"Where is my father?" I demanded the exact moment we entered my grandfather’s private study.
As I walked in, my eyes automatically wandered off to the rows of trophies and accolades lined up on the heavy wooden shelves. It instantly reminded me of the time when I had ruthlessly smashed some of those very awards, nearly sending my grandfather to an early grave from pure rage.
"Richard left for the company. There was an urgent issue we had to resolve, thanks to your scandal and your brother’s."
I frowned deeply at his words. "My scandal? What scandal are you talking about?"
My grandfather didn’t answer me immediately. Instead, he slowly moved behind his desk, sinking into his grand leather chair before lifting his chin and pointing his cane toward the empty seats opposite him.
I sat down across from him, crossing one leg over the other with complete indifference, and then asked the question yet again. "What exactly do you mean by my scandal, grandfather? I am not sure I have done anything wrong."
He cleared his throat roughly, his expression hardening. "Your Omega coming out, the new owner of the Northern Avalanche, your brother failing to make the team, and now the sudden news of your Omega’s pregnancy? You know damn well the disastrous effect this will have on the Calder name," my grandfather stated sharply, hitting his cane heavily against the marble floor.
Before I could even think about responding to his ridiculous claims, my phone started ringing loudly in my pocket.
When I pulled it out and saw Kayden’s name flashing across the screen, my heart gave a sudden, hard pound against my ribs. I couldn’t help but wonder why he was calling me so soon.
What could have happened? I pondered, anxiety briefly threatening to creep back in.
My grandfather opened his mouth to say something else, but I instantly held up a sharp hand, cutting him off completely as I pressed answer.
Months ago, I wouldn’t have dared to do something so rebellious; I would have immediately silenced my phone and submitted to his authority. But things were entirely different now. I was different.
"Hello Kayden, are you back at the penthouse?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.
The instant my grandfather heard me speak Kayden’s name, I saw his heavy brows shoot up, his face twisting into an immediate, bitter grimace.
"Yes, I am, but Raymond is also here," Kayden’s voice came through the line.
"Oh, he is there?"
"Yes, he said he hadn’t returned to the mansion ever since that day, so I wanted to know what is happening. Are you alright?"
I heaved a massive sigh of relief, a weight lifting from my chest as I realized I wouldn’t have to waste another single second inside this suffocating estate. "I am fine. I will be there soon," I told him softly, ending the call before turning back to face the old man. "Well, it seems that your dear grandson is in my home as we speak."
My grandfather’s brows furrowed deeply in absolute confusion. "What are you trying to say?"
"You heard me right, grandfather. I said that your dear grandson is at my house. He came to me a few days ago, right after finding out exactly what kind of bitter, hypocritical mother he has, and just how utterly ridiculous this entire family truly is."
"Oh, so he told you about Linda, did he? I never knew that your bond was as strong as that, especially when I spent years making sure you both were trained to be rivals rather than brothers."
I scoffed loudly, uncrossing my legs and placing both of my hands flat on the desk, leaning forward.
The twisted little discovery my grandfather was trying to use to taunt me was something I had actually found out a long time ago. I had always known that he was deliberately training Raymond, constantly planting venomous words in his head to make him view me as an enemy instead of his own flesh and blood. But now, all of his great, calculated hard work had turned out to be absolutely nothing, because Raymond had come back to me anyway.
"I know you are sad, grandfather," I began, standing up from my chair and slowly pacing around the large room, looking at him with mock pity. "I wonder just how much it costs your precious legacy and your company when my so-called scandals keep reoccurring every single week. I know you must have thought about pulling your hair out in frustration, but you can’t because..." I chuckled lightly, shaking my head. "...because you would lose the last few gray hairs left on your head."
My grandfather violently slammed his cane against the floor. "You have grown far longer wings than before, Rhys, if you are no longer afraid to openly mock me! Do you have any earthly idea what your reckless attitude has caused me?! You announced your engagement, you went completely behind my back to keep that Omega in the Northern Avalanche, and now he is pregnant! It is costing me so much! This is not the Calder legacy my ancestors left behind. No child of a Calder is ever born out of wedlock! Never!"