~Chapter
1: “Welcome to Los Angeles”~
I felt like my head had been smashed by a semi-truck…that’s
how bad it hurt right now. I mean GOD! What really are those “sedatives” that Joe
put in me…speaking of Joe everything was coming back to me a bit. I remember
walking home from school, being confronted by a strange man in a trench coat
claiming he located my family. Pfft as if I was an only child left alone to
die. And if they really where my family why did they abandon me? Next I
remember laughing like crazy cause that’s why I do when I get nervous or scared
I laugh and it makes me look like a psycho but I don’t care. Then that’s when
all the crazy shit happen like a gang of three to six guys surrounding me. I
tried to fight them off or run to but they caught up to me and knocked me out.
Then fast forward twelve hours later and I am in an abandon
warehouse somewhere in Los Angeles, California…holy cow! I’m in California!
Well right now I didn’t know where I was once again thanks to that maniac Joe
and his wonder drugs. I knew I had to be in a transportation device right now
because I was moving and I saw roads and trees pass by pretty quickly…from what
I could see lying strapped to the back of the seat of a car! A car! I tried to
get up only to be pinned down by rope. But this time I noticed the lack of
tape. I heard voices talking only to assume that they are those two idiots who
got me in this mess in the first place. Charles Rayford and Joe McKenzie. With
nothing else to do and I found struggling pointless I arched my head to the
passenger seat to listen in on the conversation. Did I mention I like to
eavesdrop?
“I’m glad this shit is over and done with now I can go
back to my cozy office and work on the homicides that have been popping up like
crazy now!” Joe says and waves his hands in the air…ugh I am stating this now
I. HATE. JOE.
“Joseph you should be thanking me from taking you away
from all those homicide cases. You’re a detective you should let the police
handle those cases” I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Charles roll his
eyes. He stopped and locked eyes with mine. Joe began to open his mouth only to
look into the direction of Charles’s eyes.
“Oh look the golden boy is awake” Joe says as he yawns.
I glare at Joe through the mirror. I swear when I get out of here the first
thing I am going to do is punch him in the jaw.
“Unless you want to use up all your sedatives today
instead of on someone who needs them I suggest you stop aggravating the boy!” The
car screeched as Charles made a wide turn and the outside turned from the blank
night sky and a half dozen cars to the eerie woods of a forest. I shuddered at
the sudden change in location as a loud grumbling came from my stomach.
“And besides” Charles began with a smirk on his face “I
would watch out before my little brother eats you” a glare formed on my face at
his statement.
“First off I’m not your little brother” I said in
response only to look at a hurt expression from Charles.
“Secondly I would take you up on that offer to bite Joe’s
head off” the frown on Charles’s face turned into a wide grin. Joe on the other
hand had horror written all over his face.
“As if I would let you eat me! I have a flood ton of
sedatives in here that could kill you within five seconds so I would hush up and
go back to sleep until we arrive at the mansion” I saw Joe pout as new
questions formed in my head: what’s the mansion? Well I obviously knew what a
mansion was but whose mansion was it and why was I going there? I decided not
to ask because I knew I wouldn’t get any answers so I just took Joe up on his
advice and closed my eyes and went to sleep.
It was three in the morning well according to the clock
on the dash board it was when I was awoken by the sound of car doors being
opened and closed as well as voices engaged in an argument. I couldn’t hear
them speak so well as their voices where muffled. I did hear the sound of
footsteps walking up a gravel path and a door to a house being knocked on…ARE
THEY LEAVING ME IN HERE? I did the most stupid thing I could do and sat up in
my seat only to be pinned down again making my already throbbing head ache with
pain. I groaned what seemed like hours until the doors opened up on both sides
of me as men in black suits surrounded the car. Its like stepped in a mob movie
or something.
“Your scaring the child Henry” I heard Charles say to
this mysterious Henry as everyone looked the exact same. My head continued to
pound and God I missed Joe’s wonder drugs to subside the head ache…please don’t
tell me I am becoming an addict already. If I mentioned this before than I mentioned
it again I. HATE. JOE.
My stomach grumbled again as a bodyguard or a guard of
some sorts grabbed my arms and pulled me roughly helping me out of car. More
like forcing me out of the car as, as soon I was out I tumbled to the ground
and heard some noises that was similar to laughing.
“The next person I hear laugh at the Young Master will
be fired do you understand me?” I heard a voice say it sounded like a man I
assumed it was this mysterious Henry person. And wait did he just call me the
Young Master?
“Release him now who knows what that idiot Joe put him
through!” If my head didn’t feel like hell right now I would give that man a
high five. He like me hated Joe…or Joseph which was his real name apparently. The
man who helped me out of the car took a pair of scissors and cut the rope around
me. I again did something stupid by springing to my feet only to fall back down
on the ground do to the blurriness of my vision.
“Don’t just sit here help the Young Master up!” a
different guy helped me up and steadied me as I walked up the pathway and into
the door. I wasn’t able to see the outside of the house to know it was a pretty
huge mansion. The foyer was the room that we walked to and man was it a sight to
see. There was gigantic chandelier hanging from the ceiling it was gold plated
with what looked like candle holders but was actually just light bulbs. A massive rug in the middle held a single
table with white flowers and similar tables sat adjacent to the big white
fireplace. To top it all off to my right a gigantic spiral stair case led to
the second and I assume third floors. I closed my mouth which had opened and
squealed like a little girl who just saw her favorite boy band in concert. Gosh
I needed to get a life.
I heard a cough and footsteps which snapped my head back
to the situation at hand. I had been kidnapped and was now in Los Angeles,
California and so far my “brother” Charles and that psychopath Joe was nowhere
in sight. The only person who stood before me along with about eighteen guards
along the wall was an older man with salt and pepper hair as well as a white
mustache. He looked to be about sixty to seventy years old maybe older. I
looked at him and realized I was sitting down on a gold and red couch. I tried
to sit up but the dizziness had overcome me. The older man snapped his fingers
and a maid with brown hair came in with a tray filled with those mini sandwiches
with cucumber and ham and such. Well I hated cucumber but I was to hungry to let
all this perfectly good food go to waste. As the maid began to pour tea…I hate
tea but oh well I picked up one of the sandwiches only to eat another and
another before the old man began to speak.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying the food. I forgot to tell the
Head Maid that you were allergic to cucumbers” the old man said as I picked up
another tiny sandwich this one with ham and mayo. Before I bit into it I began
to speak “I am not allergic to cucumbers” I stated before taking a bite.
“I just hate them” I said through a mouth filled with
food. The old man laughed assuming that what I had said was funny which I didn’t
find that amusing myself. I grabbed the cup of tea which turned out to be Green
tea which I didn’t mind since I could eat or drink anything I could get my
hands on right now.
“I am sorry for the late introductions Young Master but
my name is Henry and I am the Rayford family’s personal butler as well as
master of the house. I also want to apologize for the way you have been treated
I understand that Sir Joseph has been a little rough with you?” he asked and I
nodded I hated Joe and I hated that he called him Sir Joseph. Bleh.
“I know that you have many questions for us and before
you ask them I would like to inform you that you are the lost master to the house
of Rayford and the sole heir to Rayford Enterprise” I put down the sandwich
that I was eating. Me the sole heir to Rayford Enterprise? WAIT RAYFORD
ENTERPRISE!? Everybody who is anybody knows what the company is. Founded nearly
a decade ago yes only a decade back in 2010 the company has become the oil
tycoon everyone envies. The company has been so successful they have branched out
to other mediums such as real estate and commercial businesses. Me the sole
heir that wasn’t possible…was it?
“That’s a funny joke old man. I thought the oldest son inherited
stuff like that and clearly if I assume Charles is the oldest where I am
concerned” I pick up the sandwich I was eating and took two more bites only to
realize that was the last one and frowned. Henry frowned and snapped his
fingers before another maid walked in with a plate of pasta and I found my
mouth watering. She took out a chunk of parmesan and started grating it on my
plate. I held up my hand and she stopped and walked out the door. That’s when I
began to devour my plate man I was hungry.
“Your older brother is currently running the business but
a few months ago with Avery Rayford fell ill he came out with a secret that only
those in the household know. That secret is you Marco” I looked up from my
plate in confusion.
“That still doesn’t make any sense!” I began to whine as
my pasta fell out my mouth.
“Obviously Charles has to be what five or six years
older than me! Therefore he gets the inheritance and the business…well I assume
there is inheritance. Since he is the first born son” I stopped eating to look
at Henry’s reaction. Only to hear him let out a sigh of frustration.
“Charles is the oldest son but not the heir to the
Rayford Empire. YOU are the heir as you are Avery’s only child” my mouth gaped
open as I heard the news. Like I stated before everyone knew who Charles and Avery
Rayford where two men who would make even a mafia boss cry.
“W-what does that mean?” I said as my hands begin to
shake as I realized what he just said. And if I am correct that means that
Charles is not Avery Rayford’s son he is not my brother. Half-brother maybe?
“You are the only son to Avery and Sophia Grace Rayford
and their son Charles is adopted” the only thing I could do in the situation
was laugh.