Chapter 4 - AN OATH THAT KEPT ME ALIVE

AIDEN

“Aiden Roberts speaking! Put Ron on the phone!” I gave my order to the woman I could hear on the other end of the phone line.

She was breathing heavily.

“Mr. Sinclair is in a meeting, I can’t...”

“Then get in the fucking meeting and get him out of there!” I shouted, banging my fist on the desk.

“One moment please...”

Useless employees! I thought, turning to the window admiring the rainy view over London.

As I waited for Ron to reply, my thoughts drifted to the woman I encountered earlier who had stolen my statue.I couldn’t resist being around her, drawn to her and it made me really curious.

Although I had labeled her as a thief and she had spent some time in police custody, there was still something that made me feel attracted to her. She looked so damn familiar.

I already had the statue broken into pieces in my office. After an investigation, the police determined the item belonged to me and returned it to me.

I couldn’t help but have a small smirk on my face. Without a shadow of a doubt, I was completely certain that at any moment she would stride through that door with a determined look on her face, ready to unleash her thoughts on me. Unlike women who believed in relying solely on luck, she was the type who preferred taking control of her own destiny.

“Aiden! How wonderful it is to hear from you, finally, my friend! What the hell are you doing these days?” Ron greeted me, sensing his mocking smile on his face. “Have you forgotten all about me and the fundraising we have been working on?”

“Cut the crap! We need to talk. I did it!” I gave him a quick response and then ended the conversation. The temptation was so strong that he had no choice but to come to me. The potential for him to make a profit from this business was not only substantial but also highly helpful. And he was a damn opportunist.

Every time I experienced success, my mind would drift back to memories of the past. I vowed I would not leave the past with such a terrible stain of innocent blood.

Moore’s refusal to accept giving the funds proved to be a fatal decision. My father had been keeping tabs on Moore’s activities because he suspected he was involved in some shady dealings. He had warned me countless times about the company Moore had and the dangerous situations he put himself in. My father believed that having more money would only enable his reckless behavior and potentially lead to disastrous consequences. However, when a life-or-death situation arose, my father’s stance remained firm. Moore refused to provide my father with the funds he needed, hoping that it would serve as a wake-up call for him to change his ways. Tragically, it was this very decision that ultimately sealed her fate.

I had witnessed firsthand the harsh treatment that Jason’s employees endured. Moore subjected them to long working hours, inadequate pay, and a complete lack of appreciation for their hard work. My dear father, who was one of Jason’s employees, faced this mistreatment until his premature death. It was a devastating loss for me, but I refused to let it break me. Instead, I channeled my grief into fuel for success. I worked tirelessly to achieve my goals and prove to myself and to my late father that I could overcome suffering. I excelled in my education, secured a reputable job, and became a respected professional in my field. Though the mark of the terrible treatment inflicted upon my father and his colleagues would forever remain with me, I found solace in knowing that I had made my father proud of my accomplishments.

The phone rang again in less time than it takes to count ten minutes.

“Mr. Roberts, Mr. Finn is here to see you,” my secretary addressed me with a very official and courteous tone.

“Let him in!” I instructed.

Ron’s entrance was as turbulent as a huge rainstorm on an otherwise sunny summer day.

“I am here, ready and willing. What is the good news you have to share?”

Taking a moment away from what I was doing, I found it amusing to watch him, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I politely requested the secretary to give me two cups of coffee. “You have the privilege of having such an amazing woman by your side and yet, you have done nothing to show for it.”

His eyes lit up with eagerness as he made a remark while watching my assistant.

“Cut the bullshit, man! That is not the main reason I asked you to come here. After months of careful planning, I could finally lure Jason Moore into my trap.”

Suddenly, an unexpected silence filled the air and lasted for a short while. Ron had a perplexed expression on his face and was struggling to understand what I was saying.

“Do you mean this seriously?” he asked.

“Yes, indeed, I am. Can you recall a single instance when I have ever made a joke about this? It’s been quite a while since I’ve been searching for him.”

“What have you done to him?”

Ron’s chair was already leaning back as he posed his curious question, his face full of curiosity.

“I made him experience the same treatment he had given others. Offering a less than ideal suggestion, he accepted it without considering the implications. I’ve had my eye on that company of his for quite some time now and I would really like to get my hands on it. I made him believe my less than ideal suggestion without considering the implications. At this moment, I am enjoying his company and... his daughter, Sienna.”

With great joy and excitement, I completed what my father had started and was very proud.

“Why did you target the daughter? I don’t quite understand,” Ron asked me with a suspicious glint in his eyes.

“It was my choice to do it because I wanted to. And because it was within my power. You’re aware of my father’s history and how Moore denied him the money that could have saved her. Now the situation has reversed and Jason Moore is no longer in control. He has not only lost his money but also his daughter, the most valuable thing to him.”

“I really look up to you, buddy. Why bother having a wife? Someone you’ve never met before. A complete stranger,” he asked.

“I had a single encounter with her approximately ten years ago. She was about thirteen years old then. She stirred no emotion in me. In any case, I don’t see myself being faithful to a wife or marriage if I get married. This is strictly for business,” I laughed, feeling pretty good about what I was about to do. “Trust me, this plan is carefully planned and organized. Nothing more.”

“Alright, if that’s what you’re saying. Are you planning to meet her soon?”

“I assigned that part to that incompetent Jason. I’m hoping he won’t jumble this up.”

I was contemplating the consortium’s backyard and Jason Moore’s wealth at the same time. Jason’s stupidity was actually gonna help this commercial region grow faster.

I suddenly remembered the image of his daughter with freckles. Her eyes were as deep as wells, and sparkled like diamonds, and she had a wide, innocent smile. Sienna Moore’s appearance.

“What did you do to ensure you profited from this venture and Moore had to bear the cost?” Ron’s voice cut through my vivid imaginings.

“I offered to help him out of the mess he was in with the company,” I said, and turned to face Ron. “He’s unaware that I am Roberts’ son, the same Roberts that he ridiculed throughout his career while employed by him. As soon as I realized he was in trouble, I jumped at the opportunity. The idea of creating a shell company to liberate him came to me. When the time came, the company established based on my suggestion didn’t generate any funds to help him, so Jewel ended up in total bankruptcy. He didn’t have the opportunity to declare it before IRS agents pursued him for his fraudulent actions. He lost a lot of money. When the stock went down to a few pennies per share, I saw an opportunity and bought it all” I ended with a victorious feeling and a grin on my lips.

“So you practically bought Moore’s company. Does he have an understanding of who the buyer is?” Ron queried.

“Obviously, he doesn’t. Have you gone mad? He knows that I was the right guy for him, but it wasn’t the best time. He requested my help, and I was there to offer it.”

“What’s the story with his daughter? I doubt you will remain married forever. Aiden Roberts doesn’t like the idea of cohabiting.”

“Sienna Moore is a whole other tale. She is the target of my wrath. I’m getting my fix from her, but I won’t be able to escape her anytime soon, to her dismay. Her father was desperate for money and gave away his daughter. Some father he is. But I don’t fucking care as long as I have my way”

“Sounds like you know what you’re up to! I, however, have a really important meeting that I can’t afford to miss. It will benefit your foundation greatly. Your words pleasantly surprised me, though. I figured you wouldn’t let me down,” Ron wrapped up and then shook my hand before departing the office.

I kept myself company with my thoughts. Oh, and the kinds of thoughts I experienced! I was feeling so overwhelmed by the amount of things I had to do for the upcoming period that I couldn’t decide where to start.

I’m pondering starting an interaction with my future bride. Not like most men. I had no joy at the thought of marriage.

It was merely a business transaction.

I refused to let any woman into my heart, no matter what, since I was unfamiliar with the concept of love. Sienna Moore was not particularly thrilled to be marrying a man she had no recollection of. In truth, she didn’t think she knew me.

She was a part of a distinct scheme, one that had to do with me. As far as I viewed it, she was merely a pawn on the chessboard. My chessboard, one that I controlled.

I still had a vivid image of my father in my mind. That face, broken by the load it carried. His frightened eyes filled with desperation when we had no food to eat during the days when things kept getting worse.

And as if things weren’t already awful enough, that cruel sickness found its way into my mother’s body and slowly shut it down. I could do nothing as I watched her gradually fade away.

We didn’t have the money to keep my mother’s treatment going, so I could only stand by helplessly as cancer took hold of her and eventually killed her.

I remember the day my mother died like it was yesterday. It was a dark and stormy night, and I was sitting by her side, holding her hand as she took her last breath. I felt so guilty for not being able to save her, for not having enough money to get her the treatment she needed. We were poor, and that poverty had spoken its last word in the end, taking my mother away from me.

In the days that followed, guilt and anger consumed me. Guilt for not being able to provide for my mother, and anger towards Jason Moore, who failed us. I vowed I would rise from my own ashes and be reborn, that I would never again be powerless in the face of poverty and injustice.

I started working harder than ever before, pushing myself to the limit to achieve my goals. I was determined to succeed, to prove to everyone who had wronged me I was capable of greatness. And with each minor victory, I felt myself growing stronger and more confident.

Since my mother’s passing, I have felt compelled to achieve greatness. She was an amazing woman, and she deserved far more than the cards life gave her. But the man who signed her death sentence, he was the one who really lit a fire in my heart.

I was just a kid back then, but I remember it like it was yesterday. The doctors had given her a death sentence, and there was nothing we could do but watch her suffer. But it wasn’t just the disease that killed her. It was the man who denied her treatment, the one who held the power to give her a fighting chance.

I swore right then and there that I would make him pay. I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I knew that someday, somehow, I would make enough money to humiliate him. And that’s exactly what I did.

This kept me going, and I made a promise to make sure Jason Moore was responsible. The woman in his life would be the one who would bear the brunt of the consequences. I would outdo him and take his daughter as my own.

An eye for an eye!