Back to Her Home (Book-2)

Death

Clayris was driving home, her heart hurts, her eyes were stinging. She never knew something could hurt her heart. Eric was/is her only friend, weird how she cannot even choose if he is still her friend or not. When he chose to have her as a friend, she could not help but be weirded out but without her knowing he became a big part of her life. She came to know about ‘friendship’ from him, he is the only one who told her what friendship is? What friends do for each other? How friends sometimes become your family as well when years pass by? because you get used to their presence that when they are not there you feel the emptiness.

She got home; her mind was still on what happened. She did not notice how every maid and butler stopped to look at her knowing something is wrong. Without any word she went to her room, throwing her things on the bed, locking the door she laid down on her bed. She sighed; this is the first time she was not able to control anything. She is in the habit of seeing everything happening how she planned out but since she came back nothing is happening how she thought to be.

Without even knowing Eric’s words echoed in her head, “YOU DON’T HAVE A FRIEND”, “YOU ARE JUST AN EMOTIONLESS FREAK!!”. She cannot say that what he said was entirely false, but why is she emotionless or why she is uncapable of showing emotions is beyond her. She has been like that since she was a child, whenever she pondered over what she was feeling deep inside her brain hurts.

Clayris clutched her head in pain, she was in excruciating pain right now. Her limbs were trembling, the more she responds to emotions the more it hurts. Her hair stuck to her on her forehead because of how much she was sweating, her body was not able to respond properly as if her brain was shutting down. Getting up from her bed with great difficulty she walked up to her centre drawer, taking out a pain killer she swallowed it immediately. Collapsing on the floor, her vision darkened and she blacked out.

Jeffery knocked on Clayris’ room door but not hearing response, he left thinking she must need some rest from her journey. It has been months since she has gone out, she must have exhausted herself. Elisa looked at what just happened and narrowed her eyes, thinking Clayris must be working on the software she was informed about. She will have that software and then everything will be underneath her.

……………………………………….

Xavier has been working for about four hours non-stop, stretching his body he looked down at his phone and narrowed his eyes. Clayris did not messaged him that she has reached home. Getting up he walked up to Arthur’s office thinking she might have messaged him instead of him. Just as he was about to open the door his assistant Isabella called out.

“Sir, Mr. Arthur is not in his office”; Xavier raised his eyebrows in question. Arthur did not even attend the meeting he let it go thinking he was busy with all the work he already has piled up. Xavier knows he gives too much work to him; Arthur right now must be having around four projects under him that he himself is handling alone. He knows Arthur goes out to clear his head, but not when he has this much work piled up, or was he done.

“Where is he?”; Xavier questioned wanting to know what was such an emergency that he ditched all of his work and went out. Nothing much have happened today to make him so much tired.

“Don’t know Sir, Mr. Arthur never tells me where he is going. I am jus instructed to not to disturb him whenever he goes out”; Isabella repeated what she has informed Clayris. She knows Xavier knows about Arthur’s outing but he never asked.

“Since when was he gone”; Xavier questioned thinking something is amiss.

“Since twelve in the noon, Sir”; Xavier frowned, Arthur left just as the meeting got over but why? He shook his head; he should not deal Arthur as if he is a child. Arthur is now a grown up, and he has read that boys prefer their freedom and privacy. He is sure Arthur knows how to handle himself and if there is a need, Xavier is sure Arthur will call him.

He cannot deal with Arthur as he deals with Clayris, seeing he treats both of them as his babies but he knows that even though he still treats Clayris as a baby he cannot do that to Arthur, it might hurt his pride. What if Arthur thinks Xavier does not want to give him his freedom because he (Xavier) thinks he (Arthur) is irresponsible? Nope cannot do that.

Xavier nodded at Isabella, walking away he called Clayris directly. He frowned when she did not pick it up. Without wasting any second, he called up Jeffery who picked up his call in a ring.

“Yes, Master?”, Jeffery answered confused, Xavier only calls him when he is having emergency guests. But today was the deal day and Xavier never invite anyone on that day at all.

“Uncle Jeffery, Is Clayris home?”, Xavier answered hoping he is right. He is tensed because this is the first time in her twenty years of life that she has forgotten to message him.

“Oh, yes Master. Did she not message you?”, Jeffery frowned.

“No, she did not. Well it is okay she must be tired”; Jeffery agreed remembering how tired she looked when she arrived home.

Hanging up the phone, he sighed in relief. She must be sleeping or working on her software because she always keeps her phone on silent both of these times. He walked back to his office, worrying about Arthur at back of his head.

…………………………………….

Bartender was looking at Arthur in worry, he wanted to stop serving alcohol to him but manager denied. His manager ordered him to keep giving him alcohol if he asks him to do so. Weirdly every alcohol in bar today were very strong. Arthur was already slurring his words; his hands were trembling and his face was now all red.

He looked at his manager who just came in to have a look.

“Sir, we should stop him from drinking anymore”; bartender spoke to the manager eyeing the totally wasted man who was still going strong on alcohol. He is afraid that something might happen to Arthur.

“No, I have been ordered to serve Mr. Darwin as much alcohol as he wants. Seems like boss knows him. Boss also said that if we don’t, we both might lose our job, of Mr. Darwin complained of not having a satisfactory service”

Bartender narrowed his eyes; he does not think that a polite man like Mr. Darwin would ever make him an innocent man lose his job.

“Oneeeee morrrreee pleeassseee”, Arthur slurred his words as he hiccupped at the end of his sentence. He enjoyed the feeling of euphoria; he was not feeling any pain that he was having when he came into the bar. He does not have to think about his siblings, work, how pathetic he is. He always thinks about how his parents must be disappointed in him, they had two genius children and one was just a black spot in the name of ‘Darwin’.

Manager sighed and handed him the whole bottle much to bartender’s worry. He is not liking this, why would someone just keep on serving a person alcohol when he is this drunk? He has never met the boss but he for sure knows that boss is not friend of this person.

Arthur’s happiness seeing the bottle was beyond anyone could imagine. He started drinking from the bottle. By now the burning sensation has vanished, and now even his brain was not responding properly. He wanted to stop knowing this is not good but he could not, he just wanted to keep drinking because once he stops and becomes sober, he will have to deal with all his emotions. He worked very hard in his school but could never catch up to Xavier’s school record, how can he even think of comparing himself to Clayris. He remembers how his teachers would give him a disappointed look when he came third. He never came first or even second, he was either third, fourth, or fifth. His teachers always used to say that he should learn from his elder brother, who was an ideal student good in sports, excellent in studies. He was average in sports, good in studies; he was never excellent in anything than came his sister who never did anything below excellent.

*Sip* he sighed, he did all he could, he worked hard. He gave his all, but he was never excellent. If he is being honest with himself, then he hates Clayris for being so perfect. He hates that he could never compare to her. He hates how people only see Xavier and Clayris in Darwin family not him. It is as if he is not a ‘Darwin’ at all. He did consider this possibility but found every proof that proved him being the ‘biological’ son of Darwin couple.

He has come to a point where he would feel good if he was adopted, he could have used that he is not blood-related that is why he does not have Darwin’s brain at all.

*Sip* he does not know why but sometimes he feels like he should have not existed, that he should die because he is just so useless. But he stops thinking that his parents won’t accept him in afterlife, they would deny having such a failure of a son. He chuckled self-mocking himself, why could not ever match his siblings.

*Sip*, he remembers his friends, whom he met in Asia, where he attended his college. Those were the best times, no one compared him to his siblings. No one was thinking him as ‘brother of Xavier’ or ‘brother of Clayris’ no he was just ‘Arthur’. Even if he was just ‘good’ he was appreciated for being ‘good’, he was appreciated for trying his hardest. He was appreciated for being himself.

*Sip*, he wants to go away from here, from his ‘family’, he wants to meet his friends who love him for him. His friends have their own problem but they never let it come in between of their friendship. He closed his eyes, maybe he should leave for Korea, he is sure Xavier would allow him a vacation because it does not matter if he is here or not. Xavier might not even make him look into Darwin’s industry branch in Korea, because he cannot make important decisions at all.

He looked at the bartender who was looking at him with worry, *Sip*, he chuckled thinking that how this bartender must be comparing him to his excellent siblings. They would never drink to this extent where they are numb and cannot think of anything. Arthur by now was barely keeping his eyes open, he chugged the whole bottle in hurry making the bartender look at him with wide eyes.

Just as Arthur finished the bottle, he fell off the chair, making manager and bartender come from behind the counter to him in hurry. Bartender looked how, Arthur was now having difficulty in breathing, his lips was starting to turn blue. He was trembling and his eyes was rolling back to his head. Bartender eyes widened, without a delay he picked up Arthur and ran out leaving the shocked manager behind who did not know whether to be surprised by Arthur collapsing suddenly or his bartender being so powerful to pick up a full-grown man and running like it was nothing.

Bartender made Arthur lay down on the back seat of his second hand ford and without any delay he drove away his car, not caring how many speed rules he broke on the way. He cannot let a man die in front of him just because he was too much of a coward to deny his manager’s order to keep on serving alcohol to Mr. Darwin. He needs to get him to hospital fast. He heard sirens following him behind, he looked at his rear-view mirror and frowned, two police cars were behind him wanting him to stop.

“s**t”; he looked back at Arthur who was not doing good, sighing he shook his head.

“f**k it”; he stepped on the accelerator and increased the speed making the cops to do the same. The hospital was not far away just five minutes more and they would be there. Thankfully the hospital was on his left side just before the ending of the road, because the ending of the road was now blocked with multiple police cars.

“Stop the car, or we will shoot!”; one of the police man shouted from the megaphone but he just turned left entering in the emergency entry of the hospital. He stopped the car and walked out shouting at top of his voice.

“IT IS AN EMERGENCY!!! HE IS DYING!!”; bartender was taking Arthur out of the car, doctor on the duty did not care how police was just chasing this guy. He walked forward and asked nurses for the stretcher. They placed Arthur on the stretcher and rolled him in fast, Emergency oxygen mask was put on his face as doctor asked the bartender to come in with them.

Arthur was handed over to more experienced doctor for medical treatment and was rolled in an operating room without any delay. Police entered the hospital and was about to arrest the bartender where the doctor who helped Arthur on the stretcher came in.

“Police officer, what made you come here?”, the officer looked at the doctor with frown, this doctor was standing between him and a person who broke the law. But he knows he cannot take any harsh action otherwise it will be bad.

“He needs to be arrested”; Officer said pointed at the bartender who was now pale, he used all his courage now. He does not want to be arrested; he was just saving a life.

“Officer this hospital main investor are Darwins you know that right”; Officer frowned, of course who does not know them. They are the only business family who respects law and never had any connection with the mafia. He was about to speak as the doctor continued.

“This man here, just brought Arthur Darwin who was dying in here. He broke the law to save a life Officer. If he would have delayed, Arthur Darwin would have died”; Officer eyes widened as he looked at the bartender who was trembling in fear.

Officer narrowed his eyes, was he wrong about Darwin family. He looked at the man as he started asking the question.

“What is your name?”, Bartender looked at the officer as he replied. “John Martinez”