Bart Vanderbilt walked out of the meeting room with his mind and body completely exhausted.
He had to catch a carriage deep in the night to transport him to their guest house while out of town.
Some of his maids and butlers greeted him as he walked inside the house, but he just gave them a curt greeting and immediately went into the master bedroom.
He opened the door and saw that his wife, Lylia Vanderbilt, had just finished bathing herself in the washroom. There was an amazing floral scent coming off her body, and it was enough to erase the stress and fatigue in his mind.
"Honey, this Reborn soap and shampoo is amazing as they say!" Lylia praised as she dried off her hair with a towel.
"Honey, you know they're our competitor, right?" Bart said with a bitter smile.
Even though the Reborn company was starting to affect their business, he couldn't help but praise their amazing products. His wife was obsessed with their cleaning products, while he himself was also a fan of Reborn chess.
"You don't care about that, right?" Lylia said, snuggling towards his arms.
Bart smiled. "Yes. As long as we have enough money to live comfortably, I am more than content with this life. I don't need to contend with my brothers and sisters for the entire Vanderbilt wealth."
Lylia smiled and hugged him even tighter in their bed. This was the reason why she loved him in the first place.
"Can we go home soon? I miss my dear boy so badly…"
It had been almost four long months since she pinched his adorable cheeks and she was starting to have withdrawal symptoms.
"We'll be home soon. As soon as this business with the Reborn company is finished, we can go."
The two went silent for a moment, letting the candles flicker in their room.
"Honey, I'm worried about what will happen to our dear Michael."
Bart took a deep breath. Because he decided that he wasn't going to fight for the inheritance, it meant that Michael wouldn't have the same financial support as he did now.
After all, once the inheritance was given to someone else, they would now control all the business of the Vanderbilt family, including the ones that Bart was currently managing.
This meant that Michael wouldn't have much of an inheritance to take when he got older.
This was one of the main reasons why Bart worked hard every second of every day. He wanted to build at least a sizable inheritance for Michael to receive, even if it meant that he would have to work away from home all the time and have no time to spend with him in his childhood.
"The money I saved up will be enough to get him through life without having to pay for anything. All his school or training expenses will be covered," Bart assured.
But this did nothing to alleviate a mother's worry.
"Still…I want Michael to have the best life in this world. He's a Vanderbilt! He shouldn't have to worry about money at all. Is there anything we can do so that your father will save at least some of the inheritance for our Michael?"
Michael had a lot of relatives who were much older than him, meaning that if his grandfather did leave some inheritance, it would only go to his older relatives.
But, if there was anything Bart knew about his father, it was that he valued skill above anything else.
"There is a way…If Michael shows some kind of talent in the sword, magic, or anything else, then my father would have a reason to leave him a sizable inheritance."
However, impressing the man who built the Vanderbilt name from the ground up was a hard task to accomplish.
If Michael wanted to impress his grandfather, then he would have to be a genius of unparalleled heights.
"He has my genes. He's bound to be talented in Earth magic," Lylia said, with hope building up in her eyes.
"Yes dear," Bart said as he caressed her hair to comfort her.
Even though he said that, he knew that the chances of Michael becoming an unparalleled genius in Earth magic were slim to none.
Even having the potential to be a 6-star mage wasn't enough. He needed to have the potential of a 7-star wizard.
But even geniuses fail to reach that stage.
Their only hope was his awakening once he turned ten years old. Only then would his talent manifest and hopefully be enough to impress his father.
…
…
…
The days passed and things finally settled down enough for Bart and Lydia to return to their estate.
They were out of their home for a total of four and a half months, but for Lydia, it felt like years. Her hands impatiently tapped the window of their carriage as it waded through the forest. Then, as the trees started to thin, she finally caught a glimpse of their home from afar.
Her smile widened as she imagined her dear Michaek welcoming her home with a big hug.
But as she gazed at their mansions from afar, her smile slowly curved back down.
Even though the estate looked superficially the same as it did when she left, it felt like everything had changed. There was a certain atmosphere in the air that she couldn't explain.
Her mother senses were tingling. She was feeling jealous of something even though she hadn't even seen what was wrong yet.
"Is something the matter?" Bart asked.
Lydia then pointed out the window. "Did you ask someone to create that strange-looking building?"
By the side of the mansion was a stone structure that was steaming from the inside out.
Bart squinted his eyes and noticed the hot springs as well.
"No. I didn't order anyone to build that. I don't even know that that is."
They were so close to the mansion at this point that they could see the maids and the butlers lining up near the entrance to welcome them back from their long journey.
Seeing their heads down, Bart and Lydia knew that something was suspicious going on.
The carriage slowly stopped and they walked out its door.
"Welcome home, sir and madame!" the maids and butlers announced altogether.
Lydia ignored them and immediately asked the most important question.
"Where's my little boy?"