The Royal Contract

Chapter 563: Dying legacy

“Excuse me, Sir, I hate to interrupt. But...” A man knocked before showing his face by the door. “Sir, someone is looking for you on the floor.”

Troy looked up from the papers he had been working on, dropping the pen on the side. On the other hand, he just scratched the back of his head, apologetic for his interruption.

He was instructed not to disturb his boss since he planned to finish early today. But he had no choice since the man downstairs seemed determined to see the owner of the establishment.

“Who was it, Ryan?” He said exasperatedly, breathing a heavy sigh. He pulled on his tie to loosen it more and started rotating his neck to unwind the tension on his muscles.

He did not want to shout at his assistant, that was just not his style, but he was irritated that he had disobeyed his order. Usually, he could rely on him to do his job.

He was still halfway from finishing his work, and he only had less than an hour to do it upon checking on his watch. He had plans for tonight, and he did not want to be late.

“He said that he is your father-in-law?” It was more of a question than a statement.

.....

He actually did not like the man when he came to talk to him. The arrogant man walked inside the club like he owned the place, ordering everyone around, saying that his son-in-law was their boss.

When he had calmly explained that his boss was not available at the moment, still the uninvited guess demanded to see him. The man kept saying that he should call him immediately and inform him of his presence.

“He said his name is Mr. John Richards. He wanted to see you right away.” Ryan continued with confusion and some hesitation when his boss remained quiet. “He had been creating a scene on the floor, so I decided to inform you.”

He would have laughed at the outlandish claim of the man, knowing that his boss was single and had no known girlfriend, especially not a wife.

But he could tell that the visitor of his boss did not look stupid or crazy at all. He seemed to be someone important that he could not risk offending.

In his line of work, his primary obligation was assuring that the needs of each client were dealt with. Especially those who were classified as valued customers.

“Shit.” He uttered in surprise, not expecting that the man would have the nerve to step into his territory and disturb his business.

He momentarily closed his eyes to relieve some of the tension that suddenly flooded his system. He was already feeling frustrated a few minutes ago. Now, he was on the edge of his temper.

He never liked the father of his bride. The pompous old man already judged him not worthy of marrying his daughter when they had first met. He did not even give him a chance to prove himself to him.

Not that his approval was relevant in their marriage. But he was hoping that even if the matrimony was a fake one, there would be lesser complications to deal with.

“Sir, are you married?” Ryan questioned his boss, seeing his unusual reaction.

Usually, his boss was calm and collected even under extreme pressure. But he seemed to be on the edge of exploding at the moment.

He was uncertain if he should believe the man outside about his assertion that his boss was already married. But judging from his reaction, Ryan concluded that it might be true.

“Yes,” He finally admitted to his assistant, pushing his chair away from the table to create some breathing space. “Now, would you go and bring Mr. Richards here.” He said before turning away from the man to stare outside his window.

He had no plan or the time to explain to his assistant about his married life. He was already on a tight schedule. The last thing he wanted was to create another fiasco if he kept the man waiting for another minute.

He had tried to separate his personal life from his work. He had never brought Tyra anywhere near his business, not because he did not want to. But because he knew that eventually, they would go on their separate ways.

That was their arrangement, and he did not want to break the rule. Tyra also avoided putting him in the limelight, so nobody seemed to care that he was her husband.

“Yes, Sir.” His assistant answered, still shocked by his admission that he was already married.

Although he had only worked for his boss for a short time, he was not aware that he was hitched. He never once mentioned that he had someone special in his life.

There was no indication that he was married. He would have noticed it, but his boss hid it well. He almost thought that there must be something wrong with him since he never dated.

“Please, Ryan, don’t mention any of this to anyone,” Troy instructed his assistant. Ryan promised before he continued on his way and left him in peace.

Once alone in the room, he quickly walked to the window and stared at the darkness that enveloped the city. He wondered what brought his father-in-law to his doorstep. What could he want now?

Then, he remembered that John had mentioned something about an investment. He contemplated if he was planning to cash in on his promise to look into it.

“Troy.” A heavy thick voice echoed in the walls of his office as the man who was now part of his family walked further inside the room. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by unannounced.”

The man walked confidently inside the room with his eyes roaming around every corner of the room. He seemed to be assessing the place, evaluating his son-in-law, based on his taste in decorations and furnishings.

He could tell if the man was worth his while if he had an exquisite preference for the arts and fashion that surrounded him.

As of now, the man, his daughter married, was nothing but a cheap scoundrel who wished to be part of them. He finally concluded from his initial estimation.

But he could not show his distaste for this lowlife human being because he had something he needed from him. He planned to use him until such a point that his daughter realized that he was not worth her time and left him.

“Not at all.” He answered back, offering him a seat that was adjacent to him. “I admit. It is quite a surprise. I hope your purpose is nothing serious.” He was not beating around the bush with this man.

He had sensed that the old man wanted his daughter to marry someone from his associates. A man who came from a wealthy background and old money. Someone who belonged in their class.

So, he could only ponder what the man was doing in his presence, pretending that he was glad to see him. Unless his earlier assumption was correct. It had something to do with money.

He had heard despite his appearance, his father-in-law was having some difficulty in his company. He needed fresh capital and investment to salvage what was left of his dying legacy.