The dinner finished with Joseph leaving the table but Tom made sure to stay and finish his food, he was so famished after all and he wouldn’t let the discussion on the table rob him of his precious food.
He went back to his room for the continuation of his office work when he met Joseph rolling on his chair behind the table.
He ignored him and opted for the bed instead before remarking “I don’t think we are close enough to wait for each other in our rooms without permission” but Joseph scoffed.
Standing to his feet and circling the chair before moving to etch his buttocks on the edge of the table for closer communication with Tom, he started to talk about how Tom was never accommodating.
“You have always been like this, you were never open to me. You were always anxious of being in the same space with me and you wouldn’t even spare me a glance, was I that much of a threat to you?” he questioned and Tom cackled before sitting upright. “You? A threat? Why should I see you as a threat? You were the one that never opened up to me! You were always gatekeeping anything you own and created the boundaries. I was never anxious of being in the same space with you, I only respected your wish of staying on my lane” Tom slammed and he nodded for a bit.
He stood up and moved closer to Tom who was staring at him without breaking his gaze for a seconds. He leaned on the bed by supporting his body with his two hands placed on the bed frame, the look in his eyes boiling to coldness and filled with a challenging aura. “You should hand over the fabric company to me just like father has said earlier, don’t make me fight for it” he spelt out with ice attached to each words, his voice was cold and threatening but Tom wasn’t fazed a bit.
Tom only scoffed at his behavior and also looked into his eyes to respond “If you want it just like I have said, you will have to take Shellhouse mall first and if you want to take Shellhouse then you have to take me. It’s better you don’t start any unnecessary war and just manage your Holland Chemicals, you are a chemical engineer after all so it suits you” with a firm voice, he would never be shaken by his threats.
“If I could remember, Shellhouse was the lowest subsidiary when father passed it on to me, it was a cross that was meant to mar me and blame me for its shutdown but unfortunately, it survived, thrived and blossomed beyond everyone’s imagination. Funds were never released for me whenever I demanded for one, why? Because it was always considered a waste of money. Guess who now owns the largest proportion for Holland group? Shellhouse mall! If you want something then you have to prove yourself more powerful than that thing. Don’t covet my position, I didn’t make it in a day. There are many subsidiaries you can take on in Holland and you will do just fine, I will never sit idly and watch snatch whatever is mine, not you or even father” he added with anger rising in his voice making Joseph speechless for a while.
The silence in the room was very tense as they glared at each other to the extent that a pin would make a gong sound if it was dropped in the room. Thanks to the timely intervention of Anita who brought a plate of fruit over for Tom who would be working into the night. She was confused about what was going with their postures and deadly stares but they were quick to caution themselves and stopped the bickering.
Joseph turned to see Anita with the plate of fruits in her hand and remarked “You sure work a lot for someone who is grownup and can get what they want by themselves” before brushing himself past her angrily and the plate went flying in the air with the fruits scattering all around the room.
A loud gasp escaped Anita’s mouth at the sight of what just happened between her and Joseph but Tom was swift to act by catching the plate that was about to hit her leg. “You should be careful, why are you doing this in the first place?” he yelled and sighed as the feeling of guilt took over him immediately, she was doing it for him obviously in the first place.
He guided her to the bed and helped her sit down to calm down before proceeding to pick the scattered fruits across the room. “Why don’t you just hand it over to him instead of fighting over it?” he heard her softly say and his hand seized for some seconds before he resumed the fruit picking.
He picked the fruits in total silence before walking to face his mother with a rising chest that was filled with anger, “I will never give it up, not like that. If anyone want that company, then they will have to take me out first. You were there when I worked myself to the bones to make sure it is where it is today and now that it’s thriving, he wants to take it away? No way! That would be over my dead body” he spat out and Anita could only sigh in agreement.
Of course, she witnessed everything. How Tom worked himself to the bones, countless sleepless nights and disappointments, times he would cry himself to sleep and times he wanted to give up. Her shoulders were his crying temple and he almost gave up on himself before it worked out. It definitely is wrong for anyone to covet his position but what could be more important than his life?.
Softly reaching for his hand, she stared at him with motherly gazed filled with love. It was everything a mother would give her hurt child. She knew he’s at a junction where everything he owns is Shellhouse and it has become part of his life, if she tries to persuade him that his life is more important so he should give it up then that means she’s trying to rip everything away from him.
Tenderly looking at him as she rubbed her thumb on his hands, she gave her own piece of motherly advice, “If it’s too hard, always remember my shoulders are your temple”. That one statement bodied every emotions she was feeling and conveyed every comfort he needed at that time. She was not creating an option for him, she was leaving him to deal with anything he decides to do and showing her full support for him but she knows that no matter the option he might takes, it will surely get ugly and tiring at some point.
Tom’s heart received the words with a sting of pins, it pierced through the fleshy organ. He could understand the pain of the helplessness of his mother but it was a decision he has to make and he was glad that she could understand.
She left the room with the plate after promising to bring a fresh one for him, he wanted to tell her not to bother but kept quiet because that was her own way of showing support, if he rids her of that then it would be brutal to her already broken heart.
As soon as Anita left the room, Amber’s call came through and he requested that they switch to a video call to see her environment. After confirming that it was befitting and comfortable, he told her to eat and rest up.
“I hope there is no problem at the company, I made sure I attended to the urgent needs but I am not sure if any issue arose in my absence” she narrated and he told her to put her mind at rest, there is no issue at work.
“I met Lawrence earlier and he’s very considerate, I don’t think I will have any issues with him throughout my stay here. Everything will work out fine as long as we stick to the script” she informed him and he smiled a bit in relief before muttering a low “I am happy to hear that”.
“Don’t forget that you can pull out if it becomes too hard, you shouldn’t bear it yourself” he told her and she only replied with a short silence before saying “I will rest for now and update you later then” and disconnected the call.
Up until that evening, Tom was still skeptical about if he made the right decision of sending her off in his place but with the look of things and what might happen to him in the nearest future, he indeed made the right choice. Even if he ends up losing the battle on this end, then he will have a name to embrace at least. His shadow, UMBRA.