Take off your Hijab (Rewriting)

Fractured Connections✅

"A legacy without love is a house built on sand. You can stack all the wealth and power you want, but if your children feel like strangers, all you'll leave them is a hollow inheritance."

THIRD PERSONS POV

In the dim light of the study, the scent of polished leather mingled with the musty aroma of old books. Armand Perez leaned against the doorframe, watching his brother Xavier hunched over a desk piled high with papers. Frustration simmered beneath Armand's calm exterior; he couldn't understand how it had come to this. The ambition in his elder brother that once inspired him now felt like a barrier, separating them.

"Hey, Xavier," Armand said, steadying his voice against the tide of concern rising within him. "Why don't you consider bringing Zach and Samantha back down to France sometime soon?, I can invite my family over so we can all hang out."

Xavier barely glanced up, eyes scanning the documents with a relentless focus. "They're fine where they are. Stability is what they—what we all need, not all these unnecessary distractions," he replied, irritation simmering beneath his words.

Stability. Armand swallowed hard, the word sticking in his throat, evoking memories of their own childhood, filled with laughter and shared dreams that had slowly faded under the weight of expectations. "But at what cost? Zach's growing up, and he needs a father, not just a ATM machine. And Samantha—yes she's a bright girl, but she still needs to feel like her family cares about her. yet here You both are just pushing them away...like they're worth nothing to you"

"Xavier's jaw clenched, the flicker of doubt barely visible behind his steely gaze. 'I am their father,' he snapped, the words echoing in the silence, their weight pressing down like an unyielding stone. Armand could see it—the way Xavier held himself, tight and defensive, like a fortress against the world. Memories of their mother's warmth reminded him of how Xavier had once been—full of dreams, not just for himself but for their family.

"You're missing the point here, brother" Armand pressed, his voice softer now, tinged with urgency. "Comfortability doesn't equal love. They want to feel your presence in their lives, not just your financial support. They need memories, not just stability."

"how Isn't that enough?" Xavier finally asked, vulnerability creeping into his tone. "They already have a roof over their heads, food on the table, surely that must be more than enough."

"I—alright, fine," Armand relented, shaking his head at his brother, whose stubbornness felt like an unyielding wall between them. The frustration bubbled beneath the surface, urging him to find a different approach. He took a breath, steeling himself to reach through the stone façade that had come to define his brother's heart.

"But what if that makes them grow up to resent you?" Armand countered gently. "What if they grow up feeling they had to fight for your attention? Especially Zach. He's still grappling with the trauma of losing his baby brother, hell both of them are and You think material things will be able fill that void in their lives, you think that sending them away would help them in anyway?"

Xavier stiffened at the mention of Zach's brother, his last child the words casting a heavy shadow over the conversation. A flicker of grief crossed his features, quickly masked by irritation. Memories of laughter and warmth faded into haunting echoes of absence, which he shoved aside, just as he had done with his own feelings. "I'm doing the best I can," he snapped, defensiveness creeping into his tone. "If they need me, they know they can reach out. It doesn't always have to be through me— they can talk to their mother or my assistant, and I'll get back to them. But right now, I just don't have the time to give them my full attention, Armand."