Unfinished Business: Branded for Revenge

The Beginning of the End

Alexander Nixon

They say when you lose someone you forget the sound of their voice but every day I can hear Anthony in my head. Laughing, chatting, arguing. I would be lying if I said I don't miss him, like it or not sometimes I do. However, it's not easy to overlook the type of person he was. Quote troublesome and always had been, from we were younger up until the day he took his last breath. It was a lot to handle and somehow I managed to tolerate him until that day. Sometimes I wish I could forget about that day, it holds a series of unfortunate events, which spiral out of control. At first, I kept his secret and now he's my secret.

I was never okay with what he did but my parents insisted we would help him out, he promised that he would clean his act up and that would be the last time but as you know it was not. I should've never lied for him, we should've let him suffer the consequences for his actions. Instead, they babied him, covered for him, like they always do, and who invariably pays the price? I do. It was always Alexander to be blamed for his actions, never Anthony to be blamed for what Anthony did. It's always 'you were supposed to watch him,' 'you know that's the way he is,' 'you should have stopped him.'

Anthony came first, in every way you think. They always put his needs over mine and he is the firstborn. They would use the excuse that I am much more mature than he is therefore I never needed as much attention. No matter how much time I spent with my parents they never attended to me like they did Anthony. I remember when I would be stick to my father like glue as if we were literally attached. This is how I came to be the new CEO of Nixon instead of Anthony. I invested so much of my time, threw away my childhood just so I could be closer to my parents. So I could show them I am following in their footsteps and grooming myself to be the type of man I assumed they wanted me to be and where did it get me? Nowhere, no matter what I did or accomplished Anthony was still their favourite. Nothing I did matter because they were always too busy with Anthony—and whatever mess he got himself into. Maybe that's why I did what I did, maybe as I pulled that knife across his throat my reason was deeper than what he was caught doing. Maybe all that built up anger and resentment overflowed within that moment. The sad part is that even though he's no longer walking on the face of this Earth they still put him before me.

"Mate? Are you hearing me?" Raheem waved his hand across my face.

"Yeah, what were you saying?"

"You never heard a thing I just said?" He kissed his teeth and leaned back on the couch. I invited him to my office to have a conversation or to give me advice rather. "What are you thinking about to space out like that?"

"Don't worry about it, I apologize, repeat what you said earlier."

He didn't start talking right away, he sat staring at me as if he were trying to read me, this just had us sitting in uncomfortable silence.

"Alex, you have been dealing with Olivia for quite some time now."

"Yeah but that means nothing, " I shrugged not seeing the point he's trying to make.

"I wasn't finished, how do you feel when you're with her?" He raised his eyebrow and leaned forward.

"I don't know."

"You didn't even think about it!" He laughed at my response. "Are you sure you're not allowing yourself to feel something for her? What if you genuinely like her but you refuse to say so because you're still stuck on. . . what's her name? Natalie."

"Her name is Nayeli." I snarled.

"Nayeli, " he repeated. "My apologies mate, " he chuckled.

"I'm sorry, " I let out a small laugh realizing he said the wrong name on purpose and also, because of how aggressive I responded. "But no. . .yes, I don't know. Maybe."