The Fire Within

Chapter 18 - Fury

Kevin swiftly got out of his car and slammed the door. His chest was rapidly rising and falling from the uncontrollable rage he was feeling at that moment. He jogged towards the front door of the mansion and rang the bell. When he couldn't hear anything from the other side, he rang again. And again. He was losing his patience each second he waited outside the door.

The door clicked open after the fifth time he'd rung the bell. A maid appeared behind the door and her face betrayed the fear that coursed through her body when she saw the look on Kevin's face.

"Where's my uncle?" He asked her rather harshly.

"Upstairs in his room. He doesn't want to see anyone-"

Kevin didn't care. He wanted to see his uncle. He pushed past the maid and made his way upstairs, taking two steps at a time. He went straight towards his uncle's room and tapped loudly on the door. When he didn't get a response, he tried the door. Fortunately, it was unlocked. He opened the door and peeked inside.

His uncle wasn't there in the room. He stepped inside and heard the shower running in the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed.

Impatiently, he ran his hands through his hair. Frustration and anger ate at his mind. From the moment he'd received that mail from his uncle, his mind had gone into overdrive. At first, it was a shock. Then came the anger. And finally, the hurt. He was completely kept in the dark about the developments and it pained him to think that his uncle did so. His uncle had never once taken a crucial decision without asking him first. What could have happened this time? He couldn't understand any of this. He wanted answers right away.

There was a click and the bathroom door opened. Robert stepped out in a causal t-shirt and sweatpants. He froze when he saw Kevin sitting on the edge of his bed. Then he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I knew you'd come, Kevin."

"Really? Now that's interesting. Is that why you told Greta you didn't want to see anyone?" Kevin asked his uncle with obvious anger in his voice.

"That wasn't for you. I thought Greta knew that." There was a slight pause. "I know you have questions."

Kevin stared at his uncle, trying to keep his anger in check. Yes, he had questions. So many that he didn't know where to start.

"You can start by telling me what the hell is happening." Kevin bit out sharply.

Robert closed his eyes as if it pained him to hear those words. Then, with great difficulty, he spoke. "I know you are very confused at the moment, Kevin. Your anger is justified. But please just listen to what I have to say."

Kevin let out a harsh laugh. He got up from the bed and walked towards his uncle. "I know what you're going to tell me." He said coldly. "You're going to tell me that it's another one of your save-me-from-trouble things that you had to do because you had no other choice. Then you're going to convince me that whatever you did was right-"

"Kevin, please!" Robert boomed loudly. Kevin stopped talking and looked at his uncle, still shaking from rage. His uncle had never raised his voice at him before.

Robert took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry, Kevin. I know you're upset. You have every right to be. But please understand, it had to be done. All I'm asking you is to hear me out."

There was silence in the room. Kevin's mind was spinning. He was still finding it extremely difficult to digest the news. He knew that if he listened to his uncle, he would surely be talked into agreeing with his uncle's actions. But he couldn't just walk away. It would hurt Robert a lot. And Kevin loved his uncle way too much to let that happen. Whatever it was, he would stay and listen to him.

Kevin walked back to the bed and sat down. "Just tell me why", he said weakly, not looking at Robert.

Robert walked over to the bed and sat next to Kevin.

"I'll admit I was a bit surprised when Fred came over to my office today. But he was all business. He laid out a very good proposition - one that was very hard to refuse. If you think about it, it's not that bad at all. The merged company could get the kind of publicity that we've never had before. It could even double our profits." He paused to let the information sink in.

"I thought you hated that man. I thought you suspected him of stealing our information." Kevin's tone was accusing.

"I still have my suspicions", Robert said darkly. "He wouldn't admit to them, of course. I know we have to be very careful. But I can't continue to remain like this. Look Kevin, I know you love Natalie. And I know you want to marry her. After that happens, Fred's going to be your father-in-law. You should know by now that I would do everything in my power to keep you happy. Even if that means I have to deal with Fred for the rest of my life." There was a slight pause. "And at that moment, this seemed like the best idea to put everything in place."

Kevin sighed and covered his face with his hands. He suddenly felt ashamed. Here he was, yelling at his uncle for doing something so significant for his own happiness. It was completely his fault. He should've known that his uncle's love for him was boundless. But, he hadn't told Robert about the problems in his relationship and his feelings for Natalie at the moment. At that time, it felt right. He didn't want to upset his uncle when he was already troubled about the break-in. But now, he felt like he should tell him, but he didn't want to. His uncle's selfless act had turned on another switch in his mind.

He didn't want to end things with Natalie anymore. In fact, he wanted to do just the opposite. He wanted it to work out. He decided he would do it just to make his uncle happy. That was the least he could do right now.

"So this was about my relationship", Kevin said quietly.

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's also about business." Kevin looked up to his uncle smiling. Only he could throw a joke in a serious conversation.

"But why didn't you discuss it with the board? Or tell me? Why take such a huge decision so quickly?"

"There are two reasons for that. One, because Fred didn't give much time. He was afraid that if I took time to think it over, I'd eventually turn down the offer. And two, my decision was pretty clear. When it comes to you Kevin, you know I can go to any lengths to keep you happy. If I'd told you what I wanted to do, you'd never allow it. And so would the board. And you know that. That's why I kept you in the dark. I'm sorry you had to hear it this way."

There was silence again. Kevin was still reeling from everything his uncle had said. While he was grateful for his uncle's kindness, he still couldn't trust Fred Adams. He didn't know what else Fred had in his mind. Maybe this whole merging business was a part of a bigger plan. One that ultimately ended in bringing down Harper Inc. Or maybe he was in it for something else. Whatever it was, the whole idea didn't sit well with Kevin. Coming down all of sudden and giving them very less time to think about this wonderful opportunity? It all sounded vague and unrealistic.

"I don't trust Fred, uncle. What if he has something up his sleeve?"

Robert smiled calmly. "Maybe he does. But before he tries something, we'll be ready with something up our sleeve too."

Neither of them spoke for a very long time. They were both immersed in their thoughts.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you before", Kevin said in a low voice after a while. "But you still didn't have to do this."

His uncle gave a broad smile and put his hand on Kevin's shoulder. "I'm glad I did it. You should be too."

Ten minutes later, Kevin was back in his car, driving back to his penthouse. He connected his phone to the car stereo and made a call. The phone rang once and then it clicked.

"Hey Kevin." Natalie voice held a mixture of surprise and happiness. "I wasn't expecting your call. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Natalie. Nothing could be better. I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the downtown club tomorrow?"

There was a pause. And then came Natalie's shrill voice. "Really? I can't believe this!" Kevin could picture the wide smile on her face. "Of course! I would love to come."