Chapter 6

Fred decided to visit the Brown Mansion and pay his in-laws a visit after dinner. The moment he entered through the doors, all the eyes fell on him with a look of disgust.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Britney shrieked, walking towards him with sloppy footsteps.

“I came to meet you all,” Fred answered sweetly. As if it was a daily occurrence in their lives. “And I wanted to talk about Veri-”

“How dare you!” Mark bellowed, interrupting him. “You crashed my birthday party, didn’t even care enough to bring me a gift and then asked me for more money? How dumb can you be? After all of which, you had the audacity to walk in here again?”

Fred gulped. “I - I just wanted to -”

“We don’t care what you want. You need to get out!”

“We don’t need filth like you in our house. You are nothing but a disgraceful rat who needs to be shown his place.” Kevin added.

Hearing these words, anger rose in Fred. ”You are not even a part of the family yet, Kevin!” He shrieked.

Kevin was near him at once and grabbed his collar. “I am a part of the family more than you are! I just don’t have to live with them because I am not a poor, broke low life who cannot afford his own house!”

“Kevin,” Mark said sternly, walking towards the pair. “This leech is not worth your time. He is too dumb to even understand what he is talking about. You are one of the most important parts of our family. And as or you both,” he said, looking at Rose who was watching silently from above the stairs, “Leave the house.”

“Excuse me?” She cried. “Grandpa, please don’t do this…”

“Get the hell out of my sight!” He shouted.

Fred wanted to fight back, and wanted to tell him that with the amount of money he has, he can buy all of their companies more than 100 times. And still have more than enough money left to start another company like Kodam but he knew he had to wait for the right time.

So instead of saying another word, he went upstairs and gently pulled Rose along with him, made way to their bedroom. He knew that it was time they moved out. And he was ready to convince Rose for the same.

“What was that?” Rose shouted, the moment he closed the bedroom door behind him.

“What was what, love?”

“That thing you said to Kevin… and the least you could have done was get something for grandfather while coming back! And now all thanks to you, we will have to leave! This is not what I had signed up for!”

Fred felt himself getting angry again but he knew Rose was right. She deserved better and he would give her that better. But at the same time, he was tired of her temper tantrums. One moment she would be all sweet and supportive and tell him how much she loves him and the next, she would lash out at him and pin all the blame on him.

“Rosey,” he said, trying to calm himself and his wife. “I am so sorry, my love. I did not have enough money… but I promise things will be better soon. They are being unfair with you and it is all my fault but I promise we will leave from here as soon as possible.”

“And go where?” She asked, sitting down on the bed with her face in her hands. “We don’t have any money or a house where we can stay.”

“We’ll figure it out… we’ll figure out everything… Just give me some time.”

He moved closer to her and enveloped her into her arms, resting his chin in her head. “We will figure it out, Rosey. And have our own house…”

“I want to have a baby, Fred,” she said, nestling closer into him. “I want to start trying. I just don’t know how we will manage it though, with such a low income that grandpa gives us, I – I am not sure…”

“We’ll be just fine and we will figure this out… I want to start a family with you, too.”

“And just so you know,” she said, looking up at him. “It is not your fault. It is just life.”

“But I could not tell -”

“You don’t need to tell, I can feel your heart. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he sighed.

As they got ready for bed, Fred tried to decide if he should tell his wife about his father not. About his now billionaire status and the Kodam Company. That would change everything for them and between them.

It would give them an opportunity for a better life. One that was away from all the ridicule and humiliation. A life where their baby would grow up knowing love and care, not insults.

At the same time, he desperately wanted his mother to gain consciousness so that he could talk to her about his father. About everything. Since growing up alone, he had understood the importance of family and wanted to be the best father he never had. He wanted to give his family the most wonderful life.

He realised that he still had so many questions to ask his parents that it would be unfair to tell Rose half-truths. And so he decided to wait till the right time to tell his wife.

But until then, he would quit Verizon and bring down the Brown family along with their precious company. He would destroy everyone else who had ever uttered something bad about him and rose. Then, he would make sure that that is where they remained. Down.