Billionaires At War

CHAPTER III

Harrison pulled around the fountain, he stepped out of his car and grabbed his suit jacket from the seat behind him. He handed his bag to the maid who came out to help him, and together they walked into the house.

When they first bought the mansion, it was a temporary home, as his father planned to build another house for his mother. After a few years of living in it, neither of them wanted to live anywhere else. It wasn't an overly large mansion. It had a generous amount of bedrooms, a small garden and a swimming pool at the back. Everything felt larger, now that it was mostly him, his mother and his aunt—actually a friend of his mom, but she slowly became a large part of the family. There were only a few maids around since his mother decided she didn't need too many. She wanted to handle more things around the house, believing that having more to do would be a good distraction.

Emilia Clark, his beautiful mother, was a woman of a few words but many opinions. As he grew, he became familiar with his mother's style, usually baggy from her waist down and fitted from her waist up. She was modest with her jewels but still managed to make the simplest outfit look classy and graceful. His father had always been proud to have her on his arm, and with good reason, she was a charmer. Though a relationship was not always on Harrison's mind, he always admired the relationship they had, wanting something like it for himself when the time came. It broke his heart to see her without his father.

He smiled to himself as he leaned against the door frame, watching her. She worked in the kitchen with the cooks, sorting out what they would have for dinner.

It grieved her when his father died, another blow to her heart. She smiled a little more now than she did when he first arrived home, which made him happy. Aside from the brighter colours she spotted, her hair was also in curls, which meant she went out to the salon. He liked to see her going out because staying within the walls of their house would only serve to drive her insane.

"Hey." He whispered, walking around the table to hug her. His mother laughed, propping her chin on his shoulder and patting his back heartily. "Good evening mom."

"Indeed." She squeezed his arms and took time to take a good long look at him. She fussed with his hair, then tracked her fingers under the skin of his eyes, her disapproving headshake letting him know he was in for a lecture. "You need to stop working yourself like a mule."

He sighed, kissing her on the cheek before sinking into one of the chairs, bracing his hand against it. "You sound like Josephine."

"Then she and I can agree on one thing. I know exactly how much your father's company means to you, but it doesn't mean you should work yourself to death. Taking a break now and then can be more refreshing than you think."

"You are preaching to the choir. Nothing I want more now than to fall asleep. Yes," he moaned under his breath as he rested his cheek against the table, murmuring his pleasure of the cool surface against his face. "I could sleep right here."

"Tough luck." His mother snapped her fingers above his ears and helped him to his feet. "Go upstairs and wash your face. Dinner is ready. Flora will be late, she had to check up on her son."

"Something wrong."

"She will let us know when she joins us for dinner today. You go, get yourself out of these clothes and into something more comfortable. I'll finish setting the table here."

Harrison didn't waste any time. He bounded up the stairs with whatever energy he had left and walked into his room, tossing his jacket on his bed. Harrison stripped out of his shirt and walked into the bathroom to splash some water over his face. He slunk his arms over the sink in exhaustion, using a damp towel against his neck and shoulders. Every muscle in his body was sore from sitting most of the day.