The New Light of Hope: Books I to VI.

Chapter XXIII: It's Never Going to Happen.

TW:

- Mentions/use of alcohol.

Summer:

My family is really invested in business, especially my mother and so was the rest of my maternal relatives. My mother owned a few businesses and owned one that has been in her family for generations and before and after the death of my father, she became involved with cancer charities around Lucella; in 2018, my mother decided to introduce to Lucella another cancer charity to the country named "The Smith Family Cancer Foundation." In honor of my father for what would've been his 70th birthday– the goal of the foundation is to give support families whose lives have been affected by all types of cancers; from the elderly to the young and middle-aged and the money would be funded to scientists, doctors, and nurses to work towards the prevention, the diagnosis, and the treament of cancer in all of its forms. And when she passed away that same year, everything she had owned previously had been passed down to me, my brother, Adam, my nephew, David, and to my cousins, Joanna and Maximus. And the cancer charity in particular had been passed down to me along with two other businesses as well. But businesses have their fair share of struggles besides bankruptcy, rival businesses attempt to buy them out, or have little to no sales to give them the money that they need, many family businesses and companies will be met with long-time family rival in the country as well.

Rest assured, my maternal relatives were no strangers to family rivals.
…
Date: June 22, 2020.

On the same day BirchTail and I experienced what our powers had to offer for us, I came back, cleaned myself up, and prepared for the next day. Just as I was settling down for the night to prepare for the next day, my phone rang. I looked to see my phone screen with the phone number, "803-704-2008". And knowing who it may be, I picked it up and heard a slightly familar voice on the other end asking: "Hello, is this Summer Smith?"

Summer: "Yes, it is. Who is this?"

Warren (on the other end): "It's me, Warren Archdale. I apoligize for bothering you at this hour, but I am calling to ask you if you could come over tomorrow so we could discuss business. If that is all right with you."

Summer: "Umm… s-s-sure thing."

Warren: "Perfect. Meet me at my house tomorrow at exactly 11 a.m. to talk."

Summer: "All right. I will see you then. Good night and I will see you tomorrow."

Warren: "All right, good night."

Then we ended the phone call and now knowing that I had to meet up with Warren to talk business, that meant I would not be able to come to the forest that same day, but I would be sure to make up for what I did not do yesterday. I went to sleep that night, not knowing what I was about to get myself into the next day.

Okay, but, Summer I must ask: Who is this Warren Archdale and why exactly is he a family rival?

Summer: Warren? Oh, yes, Warren Scott Archdale, he is the son of the millionaire and founder and CEO of ArchdaleTech, Zachary Archdale who at one point in time, was the business partner of both my maternal grandfather, Reed Dawson, and Thomas Perkins, who was also another successful businessman in Lucella until his disappearence sometime in 2000 and then Zach and my grandfather had a fallen out sometime later in 2007, I think it was, and Zach made his own business and so did my grandfather, so did my grandmother, Susan Dawson, and even my own mother; several of them, as a matter of fact. But sometime in mid November 2010, my grandfather and Zachary started to become rivals when Zachary and my grandfather met each other for the first after their fallen out and Zach began to brag about how his company was more successful and was making more money than my grandfather's mechanical company or my grandmother's interior design company or my mother's oil and vinigar company, which were and are all still doing very well to this day as I speak and of course, no one took kindly to what came out of his mouth and I didn't either, even though I was fifteen at the time, I did not take it lightly just like everyone else and from there, sparked a rivalry that slowly began to simmer overtime– although they were our rivals, that did not mean that they hated us; they still respected us and when my maternal grandparents passed away, they came to pay their respects; they did the same thing for the paternal grandmother, Margaret when she passed away in 2012, and for my father, for my paternal grandfather, and even for my mother. But just because someone is your rival doesn't mean that he or she doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have a heart for you or for anyone in your family, they still show that they care even though they are not friends with you.
…
Date: June 23, 2020.