“Mum and Dad are back,” Sharon said excitedly peeping from the door.  Mike had settled quite well in the house, he had put his books on a shelf, his clothes were arranged neatly in the closet, and his art was carefully placed beside the bed.  He was still looking for the best place to set them in. Sharon jumped inside, and settled on the bed, for someone who had not seen him in the last fifteen years, she felt way too comfortable with him.  Maybe it was just the fact that they were siblings.  

Mike wasn’t ready to face his parents, so he focused on looking for a perfect place for his art.  Sharon picked one up, “What are these?” She shook it. “Is it some kind of paper?”

Mike smiled, “It’s my drawings.  Do you want to see it?” He would rather do anything than go to his parents.

She nodded excitedly.  It was really great to have someone else in the house.  Mike sat carefully beside her while he opened one.  Her gaze was fixed on the drawing, “Wow! You are really good.” She touched the drawing carefully. 

“I know.” He shrugged.

“Do you sell them?”

He collected it back and carefully wrapped it back.  “I don’t need money, plus they are just for my eyes.”

She pouted, “You must be joking.  You mean no one has seen this before.  You are keeping this beauty all to yourself.”  He nodded.  “Not even that friend of yours that came back with you.”

“Not even him.”

She smiled at him and he couldn’t help smiling back.  “It’s almost time for dinner.  Get dressed up.”
She said and excused herself, “See you down in a bit, bro.” then she was gone.

Mike sat on the edge of his bed, he pick a drawing wrapped with a blue cover.  He carefully opened it; it was a drawing of his parent.  One of the best pictures he could get online. They were smiling in the picture, if only they could smile at him this way, it would have been amazing.

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for whatever he was going to hear.  At least Sharon and Steve would be at the table, it would be less brutal. He couldn’t believe he could easily find his way into the house after all this year of absence.  

Everyone was already seated at the dining.  Mike stopped to take in his father’s look after years of seeing him just on television and reading news about him.  He was finally seeing him again.  His mother stood up to give him a hug, “Welcome home, son.” She patted him on the back once and went back to her seat.  Mike dragged his feet slowly until he got to an empty seat, “I’m back, father.”

His father nodded, “Can we eat now?” 

His mother nodded and started dishing out the dish.  Steve gave him a tight smile and mouthed, “It’s going to be fine.  Don’t think about it too much.”

Mike felt anything but comfortable in the dining.  His father acted as if he wasn’t there while he listened attentively to every word of his younger sister.  He wanted to know precisely what he had done wrong to deserve this treatment, but asking his father about it was a futile mission.  He was going to ignore him, just like he did every time he asked serious questions pertaining to his life.

Every other person was conversing except him.  He drowns out their words by focusing on the words in his head. It doesn’t matter if his father cared or not, he was going to inherit the properties, he was going to manage it perfectly, and his father that had always ignored him would have no choice but to give him the accolades he deserved. That way he was going to gain back his father’s love, respect and trust. 
“Mike, come to the study after you are done eating.” His father said and stood up from the table.  Mike had barely heard the word as he had not been listening to the conversation around him.  It was Steve that tapped him and gained his attention back. He whispered to him what his father had said.

The moment he heard that the little appetite he had was gone.  He excused himself from the dining and moved towards the direction he remembered as the study.  The house was quiet than it used to be, there weren’t lots of maids running around to do their duties like they did when he was a little boy. There were always noises and there always seem to be someone somewhere. Rowan had said a lot of changes were made, maybe laying off some of the maids was part of those changes.  

When he got to the study, he rubbed his hand on his knee.  He was hardly afraid of people, but he wanted recognition from his father.  He knocked on the door once.  Twice. His father’s deep voice followed, “Come in”

He walked in and shut the door behind him carefully, he moved to a chair that was a bit far from where his father was sitting, “I’m here, father.”

His father put down the newspaper he was reading and focused his attention completely on him. “How was your journey? Hope it wasn’t stressful?”

A ray of hope flutters in his stomach; his father still cared about him. He smiled, “It was nice.”

“I hope you learnt something because you are about to take over the company.  The reason I sent you abroad is to know how to survive alone when there is no one looking out for you.  I want you to be strong and able to make decisions yourself without being influenced by others. I hope you have learnt these things over there.”

Mike was silent.  He wasn’t sure if he had learnt exactly what his father wanted, but he had learnt lots of things.  He had learnt that people associated with you because of the family you come from.  He had known that no one really cared deeply about others.  He had also learnt that the most important person to him was him.

His father continued, “My father had this favourite saying, ‘A man is not a man until he has a family to take care of.’ I know I have sent you to learn the harsh realities of life, but before you can take over the business.  You need to get married first.  You need to know the true meaning of responsibility; they have to be someone relying on you in this life. That’s why your mother and I had made it our responsibility to find you a bride.  You will be getting married by the end of this month.”

He took back the fact that he thought his father cared.  Yes, he got that they wanted him to get married to this strange young lady, but the end of a month was too short for him to make such life changing decisions. 

“Dad…”

His father raised a finger up to stop him, “It is not up for debate.  I have decided on it and it's final.  I need you to take over the company as soon as possible, and you can only do that when you are married.  You will go and see the young lady and her family tomorrow.  Her name is Amelia, don’t mistake her for her sister. We think she is the perfect girl for you.”

He wasn’t going to accept that without a little fight from his side, “If this is just about getting married and having responsibilities, I will prefer to pick my choice myself.”

His father shook his head negatively, “This young lady is different from the ladies of this generation.  And you don’t have time to go around dating and all those stuff.  She is the perfect fit and she will be the one you will get married to. No argument.  You are excused. Don’t forget that you have to go visit her tomorrow.”