𝐕𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 13 : Whispers of Weakness

Alexander

The growing bond between Scarlett and me didn't go unnoticed by my employees. There were whispers in the hallways, hushed conversations that ceased when I entered a room. I was aware of the speculation, but I didn't let it deter me. I was determined to show Scarlett that my feelings were genuine.

One day, I overheard two employees talking. "Have you noticed how Mr. Blackwood has been acting lately? He's softer, less intimidating."

"Yeah, it's all because of that girl, Scarlett. Can you believe he's getting weak just for a girl?"

Their words stung, but I knew they didn't understand. My responsibilities were immense, and showing a softer side didn't mean I was weak. But I couldn't deny that my relationship with Scarlett was changing me, making me more human, more vulnerable.

The head of the company, my uncle Henry Blackwood, was a formidable man. He had taken over after my father's tragic death and had steered the company with an iron fist. He had high expectations for me and made it clear that any sign of weakness would not be tolerated.

My father had died under mysterious circumstances when I was young. The official story was a car accident, but there were whispers of foul play, of secrets buried deep within the Blackwood legacy. It was a shadow that hung over me, a reminder of the dark side of power and wealth.

One afternoon, Henry called me into his office. His gaze was steely, his expression unreadable. "Alexander, I've been hearing things. About you and a certain employee."

I met his gaze, refusing to back down. "Yes, Uncle. Scarlett Hayes."

Henry's eyes narrowed. "Be careful, Alexander. Emotions make you vulnerable. And in this business, vulnerability can be deadly."

His words were a stark reminder of the world I lived in. But I couldn't turn my back on Scarlett. She was worth the risk.

I held my uncle’s gaze, my resolve hardening even as his warning echoed in my mind. Henry had always been a man of few words, but each one was chosen with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel, meant to cut through any facade and expose the truth beneath. His concern was clear, rooted in the Blackwood legacy and the weight of expectations that came with it. But for the first time in my life, I found myself willing to challenge those expectations.

“You think I’m letting my emotions cloud my judgment,” I said, my tone steady but firm. “But what you see as a weakness, I see as a strength.”

Henry's expression didn't change, but I could sense the subtle shift in his demeanor — a tightening of the jaw, a narrowing of the eyes. He leaned back in his chair, studying me as if I were a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. “Strength?” he echoed, skepticism lacing his voice. “Love makes men do foolish things, Alexander. It blinds them to the realities of the world. It makes them soft.”

I could see where he was coming from. In the cutthroat world of business, any hint of softness was often viewed as a liability, a crack in the armor that others could exploit. But Scarlett wasn’t a liability; she was the one thing in my life that felt real, something that wasn’t dictated by profit margins or quarterly reports. I had spent years cultivating an image of power and control, but the truth was, I was tired of the mask. With Scarlett, I didn’t need it.

“I’m not blind,” I countered, leaning forward slightly, my hands resting on the edge of his desk. “I know exactly what I’m doing. Scarlett isn’t just some infatuation or passing fancy. She’s different. She challenges me, makes me see things in ways I never have before.”

Henry raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “And that’s precisely what worries me. The Blackwood name carries weight, Alexander. You’re on the brink of taking this company to new heights, but if you let yourself be distracted by —”

“She’s not a distraction,” I interrupted, my voice sharper than I intended. “Scarlett is part of the reason I’m pushing so hard. She deserves more than what this world offers her. And I’m going to give it to her.”

There was a brief silence as my words hung in the air. Henry’s eyes never left mine, and for a moment, I wondered if I had crossed a line. But then he sighed, a rare gesture from a man who rarely showed any sign of weariness. “You remind me of your father,” he said quietly, the admission carrying more weight than I expected.

I stiffened at the mention of my father, the man who had loomed large in my life even after his death. The details surrounding his demise had always been murky, with more questions than answers. It was a wound that had never fully healed, a constant reminder of the dangers that came with power. My father had been a brilliant man, but his brilliance had also been his downfall.

“What happened to him, Uncle?” I asked, my voice low, almost hesitant. It was a question I had never dared to ask outright, fearing the answers I might receive. “The truth. Not the story they fed the public.”

Henry’s eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place—regret, perhaps, or maybe a reluctant respect. He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Your father was many things, Alexander. But above all, he was a man who cared deeply for those he loved. That was his strength, but it was also his weakness. He trusted too easily, believed in people who didn’t deserve it.”

My heart pounded as I absorbed his words. It was more than he had ever said about my father before, more than anyone had ever dared to say. The official story had always been a car accident, a tragic end to a life that had burned too brightly. But I had always suspected there was more to it, something darker lurking beneath the surface.

“He didn’t die in a car accident, did he?” I pressed, needing to know, needing the truth.

Henry hesitated, his gaze shifting away for a brief moment before returning to mine. But Henry shook his head. “That’s not something you need to concern yourself with right now, Alexander. What matters is that you learn from his mistakes. Your father was too trusting, too willing to see the good in people.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a vice. Scarlett’s face flashed in my mind, her soft smile, the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention. I had let her in, let her see parts of me that I kept hidden from the rest of the world. But was I making the same mistake my father had? Was I setting myself up for the same tragic end?

I left his office with a heavy heart, my mind racing with the revelations I had just uncovered. My father’s death had always been a dark cloud hanging over me, but now it felt like a storm, one that threatened to consume everything I had worked for. Scarlett had become a beacon of light in my life, but I couldn’t afford to let that light blind me to the dangers that still lurked in the shadows.

As I made my way back to my office, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my uncle’s warning was more than just concern for the company’s future. There was something else there, something unsaid. I had always respected Henry, admired his strength and leadership, but now I found myself questioning everything I thought I knew about him. If he had kept the truth about my father’s death hidden from me, what else was he hiding?

When I reached my office, I sat down at my desk, the weight of my responsibilities settling heavily on my shoulders. I had come this far by being ruthless, by never letting anyone get too close. But Scarlett had changed that. She had made me question the life I had built, made me want something more. But in doing so, she had also made me vulnerable in ways I had never been before.

I knew what I had to do. I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way of my responsibilities, but I also couldn’t turn my back on the one thing that made me feel alive. Scarlett was worth the risk, worth the fight. But I would need to be careful, to navigate this new territory with the same precision and strategy that had gotten me to where I was today.

I would protect Scarlett, even if it meant making sacrifices along the way. And I would uncover the truth about my father’s death, no matter what it took.

As I stared out the window, the city stretching out before me like a sea of possibilities, I made a silent vow. I would find a way to have it all — the company, the power, the legacy. But I would also find a way to keep Scarlett by my side. Because in the end, she was the one thing that made all of this worth it.