4|A Nobody

[Otis]

On the second day of Farrell's appointment as CEO of Haworth Incorporation, the media was all over it. Relentless praise was heaped on the thirty-two-year-old man. Finally, Dad could retire in peace.

The big celebration was held on the third anniversary of his marriage to Camari. Father didn't hesitate to dig deep into his pockets to invite and entertain thousands of guests at a luxury hotel. I was the only one not invited.

I turned off the television and walked to my bedroom. After bathing in the shower room, I headed for the sink. I climbed the small ladder provided to brush my teeth and shave. After getting dressed, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. If only I could choose the shape of my body.

I looked away, unable to bear staring at myself for too long. After breakfast, I walked out of the apartment. Jasper was waiting and walked with me to the elevator. He was my driver, bodyguard, friend, and informant.

"Farrell and Bella have started their act, sir," Jasper reported when we were in the car.

"Good. You win the bet." There was a vibration on the dashboard. "That's our bet money. My debt has been fully paid."

"You sound upset," he teased. "We can bet on something else. Take your pick."

"No. In ten years of betting with you, I've always lost. I don't want to continue wasting any more money on your silly dares," I refused.

He chuckled. "You should know your nephew better. He won't wait another year to leave Miss Gastrell. He and Bella are inseparable."

Although he was my subordinate, I didn't put any limits on our relationship. He treated me politely, but I didn't mind him being casual and joking. My life would have been monotonous had I met a rigid right hand.

"That stupid man doesn't love her," I argued. "I'm sure he loves Camari. I don't know what poison Bella has spread to make that stupid boy blind to his feelings."

"You want to bet?" Jasper looked at me through the rear-view mirror with a challenging smile. "Farrell loves Bella."

"Okay. It's the last one." I gave him a bored look. "What number are you willing to put up?"

"One million," he replied confidently.

"That's small money to me. But for you, it's your entire savings." I raised my eyebrows. "It's not that I'm patronizing you. Are you sure you want to bet that much?"

"Sure. So, you'd better prepare your money to lose again." He chuckled.

Upon arriving at the office building I had painstakingly built myself, I exited the car. I waited for Jasper to park the car by standing near the elevator. When standing beside me, he pressed the button to open the elevator doors.

Bruce greeted me politely as I passed by his desk. Jasper opened the door to my office, checked inside, and then let me in. My assistant followed us in and read out our activities for the day.

"This is the report you requested, sir," my assistant said as he placed a stack of folders in front of me.

"Good. Thank you." I picked up the top folder and examined it. "Is there any latest news from the tax specialist?"

"They will send a messenger this afternoon."

"Thank you, Bruce. You can go back to your desk." I smiled at him.

I read the report on Haworth Incorporation. My family's company had suffered many setbacks since it fell into Farrel's hands. That foolish boy was blind to business. He did as he pleased and made many haphazard decisions. He ignored complaints from shareholders.

The most painful surprise was that he didn't pay taxes regularly. My head throbbed at the figures listed that the company should have paid, but that stupid kid bribed the officials to manipulate the amount.

He had been lucky for the past three years. No one suspected his foul play. But how long could he keep their mouths shut? Someone would discover and investigate. The company my dad worked so hard to build could be ruined."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Haworth," said the butler with a concerned face. "Mr. Haworth senior is not available. He asked you not to discuss the company with him but with Young Master Haworth."

"You've said everything I've said, right? Farrel sent a fake report while I brought the original one." I held up the file I was holding.

He nodded slowly. "He trusted the CEO of Haworth Incorporation more than the CEO of a rival company," he replied reluctantly.

I took a deep breath and sighed loudly. What a stubborn man. He never wanted to listen to me just because I was born imperfect. To him, only his perfect grandson and late first son were worthy of his trust and ears.

However, he was wrong. I wasn't going to give up so easily. I had painstakingly collected the evidence. So I wouldn't leave before giving it all to him. Discussing this with Farrell was a waste of time because this file was proof of his carelessness.

"Unfortunately, I won't go anywhere before he meets me." I walked towards the sitting room.

"Sir, please don't do this," begged the butler. "Master will scold me if you're still here."

"He won't scold you." I entered the room after Jasper opened the door.

"Sir—" he pleaded again.

"Let him be." I heard Father's voice not far behind me. "Prepare some drinks for us."

"O-okay, Master," the man said politely.

Father entered the room and sat on one of the couches. His assistant stood not far from him. I sat on the chair across from him with the coffee table between us. Thankfully, he came to see me. So I didn't have to wait too long.

"This—" I put down the folder I was carrying.

"I told you, company business is Farrell's business," he snapped. He gave me a sharp look. "What do you want? Are you protesting because I chose him to be the successor to the family? Do you think you're better than him? Is that it?"

"No, Father. You have the right to choose anyone to succeed in the family. I—" I replied.

"Then don't ever come again. I don't want to hear you complain about Farrell and his decision on Haworth Incorporation. You're not a shareholder, so you have no right to have a say.

"Besides, Haworth Inc. is not Precious Fund Corp. What does a small company owner like you know about a company as big as Haworth? Farrell has proven himself capable of leading it during his three years in the CEO position. You can't do that," he attacked mercilessly.

His words pierced my heart like a dagger. I felt a sting in my chest despite being accustomed to his harsh words since childhood. I didn't know how to filter his evil words so they would no longer hurt me.

"A company that's only been around for fifteen years is certainly no match for a company that's been around for fifty years," I admitted. "I'm doing this because Haworth's survival is my responsibility, too."

"You're not a Haworth!" he roared, startling me. "That name is attached to you because I made a promise to my wife. Never come again. The sight of you only disgusts me and reopens old wounds that have barely healed."

My hands trembled on my lap. I quickly held them to hide them. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm myself down. I counted to ten in my head and tried to think of something beautiful to ease my emotions.

"Sir, please take care of your emotions," his assistant advised.

"I came with good intentions. You'll be very hurt if you know what's going on with your company. I'm not at fault because I've told you what I know." I stood up. "I'm leaving, but I'll be back."

Since there was nothing else I could do, I took my leave. I had done all I could to save my family's company. If the person who started it didn't care, I would stop telling him about it.

"Don't ever come back," he growled. "I don't want to see your face again. Security won't open the gates for you. My only children are Arnold and Dorothy. You're a nobody."

He stood up and walked towards the door. His assistant looked at me and bowed slightly before following Father. I clenched my fists once they were out of the room. If I hadn't promised, I wouldn't have called him father either.

"Where are we going, sir?" asked Jasper when we were in the car.

"Home. Ask the maid to clear the table. I have no appetite," I ordered.

I stared at the big house I had left so long ago. It was my father's pride and joy, the first testament to the successful business he built with his best friend. I learned so much from him that I could establish my own company even without his help.

As the third child, I realized I had no chance of becoming my family's heir. Arnold, as the first son, was entitled to it. Therefore, I worked hard to support myself and eventually became the main competitor of Haworth Finance.

My father hated me even more for it. The door to reconciliation was firmly closed. Mom, who used to act as a mediator between us, couldn't persuade Father to let me attend family events. He broke off his relationship with me.

I looked at my two small hands, then at my feet. I didn't choose this body, but my father, brother, and sister hated me because of my condition. If a lot of money could change that, I was willing to work hard to improve my appearance.

"Sir, isn't that Miss Gastrell's car?" asked Jasper, breaking my reverie.

I raised my head and looked in the direction he was looking at. "Yes. That's her car." There was a sticker on the back left side of her car that made it easy for me to recognize hers. "You need to be polite to her. She's not Miss Gastrell but Mrs. Haworth."

"Farrell is divorcing her. So, I do the right thing by never calling her Mrs. Haworth." He shrugged his shoulders casually. "You just take it easy. I would never call her by her maiden name before your father."

The light turned green, and the cars at the front of the line began to move. But Camari's car was still in place. People in the same row started honking. Only then did the woman drive the car.

Jasper acted wisely by remaining patient, unlike the other drivers. That woman must have had a lot on her mind with Farrell's request. I'd be the same way if my partner suddenly asked for a divorce after three years together.

"What's that car doing?" asked Jasper moments after the car passed the intersection.

"Why did he stop Camari's car? Pullover, Jasper," I ordered. He stopped the car behind the other vehicle.

An angry-looking man was kicking Camari's car door. Crazy! Was that man out of his mind? Didn't he know who he was challenging? If Father discovered, that man would die this very second. He wouldn't hesitate to send in the bouncers.

Seeing Jasper catch the man and send him scurrying to his car, I smiled. It turned out he wasn't as brave a man as he acted earlier. Only a coward preyed on a vulnerable woman.

"Strange man," Jasper said as he put his seatbelt back on. "He was angry that Miss Gastrell took too long to move after the green light. I couldn't believe it."

"He stopped Camari, hit her window, and kicked her car door just because he got angry at the intersection?" I asked incredulously.

"I'll look into it. His behavior is suspicious." Jasper drove the car to the apartment building.

I threw myself on the couch when I arrived at my place. Everything I did to save the company from Farrell's hands was in vain. I'd even discussed it with an officer from the tax inspectorate to find out more information.

Things would only get more complicated if the fraud was left unchecked. I witnessed a friend's company collapse because of the messy tax and financial management. Officers who had never worked with him discovered the fraud and investigated.

The same thing could happen to Father's company. I could imagine the pain of seeing the results of one's hard work destroyed before one's eyes. Unfortunately, he didn't want to believe me.

"Good morning, sir," Jasper greeted me politely that morning.

"Good morning," I reply as I close the door and walk to the elevator.

"Regarding the man last night, I asked a friend to find information about the car owner. Nothing was unusual about his activity throughout the day, but I found answers on his cell phone." He gave his gadget to me.

I took it and read the report on the screen. I didn't know how Jasper could hack into the messages on other people's phones, but it helped me a lot along the way. My eyes rounded to read the message accompanied by the photo. The most surprising thing was the sender's name.