Chapter Five

"Aren't you being dramatic over such little discussion?" Adrian questioned Cedric, as they both say down at their usual bar. Sharing a bottle of vodka.

Cedric ignored him at first, pouring himself a glass. Taking a deep breath after emptying the glass content into his mouth. "You are not in my shoes, don't act like you know how I feel." 

Adrian observed his friend closely, he could note the exhaustion on his face. He knew how worried Cedric was about the condition given to inherit the company by his father. It would have been easier if he was in his right state of mind, but only he could see through Cedric's happy facade. 

Some years back he had gotten involved with a lady when they were in their final years in college, Cedric loved Pasha like she was life itself. They were inseparable, if Cedric wasn't with him he would be with Pasha. Everyone on campus knew them together, Cedric was like a lost puppy when with her. 

Things started going downhill when he introduced Pasha to the rest of his family, Ryan Pierce had never been judgmental about anyone. But the first time he met Pasha he was totally against the union. He insisted Cedric was being fooled.

Ryan had called unto Adrian's father to help carry out a private investigation on who Pasha really was. Cedric got to know of it and he almost lost his mind at his father. Cursing and ruining everything that came in his way, seeing he wouldn't listen or accept the help. Ryan let him be, not interfering in his relationships again.

 Few months after the ruckus, Pasha announced to Cedric that she was pregnant. He was over the moon and couldn't keep the happiness he felt. He told his father about it, however Ryan told him to leave and never come back as he wasn't going to accept a bastard into his lineage. And told him not to return to his house, until he comes back to his senses. Cedric got furious over his father's insistence to not accept whom he loves. 

With the little money he had saved up, Cedric left his father's house not looking back to start a new life with Pasha. He had gotten a job with a startup tech company not too far from the house he and Pasha lived in. Cedric trusted Pasha with everything and let her in on every of his life secrets. He shared his account password and whatever that concerned him. 

He had been working for a year and was earning quite well without the help of his father, at this time Pasha had birthed a boy whom Cedric was obsessed with. Adrian had begun to love the boy, they had named him Ryan. Cedric still missed his father despite the feud between them. To be closer to his only parent left, he named his own son his father's name. 

Few months after Ryan's birth, Cedric had returned home to an empty house except for a piece of paper left on the floor. The letter contained Pasha's confession, she told Cedric of how dumb he was to think she loved him. Saying she had been in cohort with her lover to extort him of his inheritance. However, his father was too quick to note deceit, unlike him. She also wrote that Ryan wasn't his son, and she was dumping the name he gave the little boy for his biological father's own. 

Cedric felt dumbstruck as he held the letter, his phone message notification came on. Checking it, he realized all of his savings for the whole year had been debited and he was left with nothing. Adrian had arrived just in time to save him when he lapsed into shock. It was a hard time for him going back home to face his father.

 Ryan was thoughtful enough to not ask for the details of what had happened to him, instead he accepted his son back into his home. Cedric had immersed himself in work since then and had stayed away from socializing. He only spent time with Adrian and his brothers, he had promised to never have anything to do with a woman again. Only Adrian knew this. Cedric only has sex with random women as it seemed necessary, they all seem the same to him.

They both of them let out a sign at the same time, they must have been having the same thought. 

"Why would dad do this to me?" Cedric blurted out, sounding frustrated.

"He just wants the best for you." Adrian said, trying to make him see reason.

"How does marriage imply the best for me?" Argued Cedric.

"You are thirty- five Cedric, you should be planning to or be married by now. I have been married for two years now, aren't you ashamed?"

Snorting, "congratulations to you. But I still don't give a fuck!"

Adrian inhaled, trying to keep his breath steady. "Your father just wants to have grandchildren too."

"This is why he has other son's, Oscar and Eric are matured men too. If he wants children badly, he could adopt some. He has enough money to do that." Cedric insisted.

"You know you sound unlike you right now? Don't you want the company anymore, after all that you have done to take it that far?"

"If it has to do with me getting involved with a woman to do so. I would rather forfeit it all!" Cedric refuted with finality in his tone. Grabbing his jacket, he walked out of the bar not looking back at Adrian.

Adrian sighed beckoning to the bar man, "my bill please." Making payment for the drinks they had, he rushed out to find Cedric. But he saw the car tail making a corner by the end of the Street. He had left in anger, it was taking every control he can muster to not beat some sense into Cedric.

 Cedric was living an obvious miserable life and he had refused to admit it to himself. Pulling out his phone, he tracked his location to be sure he went home directly before getting into his own car driving home. His wife was waiting up for him.