Challenging a Cold Heart

Chapter 20: Brothers

Luc's POV

"Luc, are you really just going to handover everything to your brother? He's still young and needs your guidance." Kei said probably for the twentieth time now.

I gave him an impatient look as I signed the last of my handover documents. I had come over to the Holden Headquarters to only handover the last of my responsibilities but ever since I've arrived, Kei had stuck close to me insisting there was something or the other that still needed my signature. I gave him the last batch of files he gave me to sign.

"Marc would do fine. Mr. Holden believes in him. The board believes in him unanimously and I believe in him too. He can do it." I repeated the same reply.

Kei finally settled back in his chair from across my desk and looked at me bleakily.

"I'll miss your dreary presence in the office." He said finally and I just shrugged.

I felt a sense of relief at being able to fully handover all my work in the Holden Group to the new Holden heir and my cousin Marcus. The snobbish elders of the Holden family liked Marcus better than me given that he came from better lineage as far as they were concerned. I couldn't care less about it. As far as I was concerned, I've got everything I wanted out of being the CEO of the Holden Group and now I wanted to move on. One thing that I couldn't achieve though was the Holden family's acceptance. I guess I was also to blame for it. I couldn't control my acerbic tongue with most of them. Needless to say, that didn't rub well with them. I didn't care about it anymore though.

"The staff wanted to throw a farewell party for you." Kei started and I looked at him.

"For god's sake, you stopped that didn't you?" I asked with a scowl.

"Well.." Kei started and I stopped him.

"You better stop it. I have no interest in baring my teeth for photos with random strangers who would want to pose with me." I said skeptically.

"I can stop them from taking photos and they are not random strangers." Kei said and I frowned at that.

"Hey, whatever you have planned, I am not participating in it." I said as I started collecting my coat and putting on the leather gloves on my hands.

"But why?" Kei asked, looking confused.

"I am not going to be the tyrant boss who suddenly became all smiles because he is leaving. I don't care for any of them and I don't like pretending. However, tell Marc some of them are deserving of promotions that I have delayed until when he comes in. Use your brain Kei. It's better if the outgoing boss looks like the cruel villain." I told him and he scowled at that.

"You always like to pretend to be the villain." Kei said in a peeved voice.

"Because I am." I said calmly as I came over to his side and grabbed his arms from both sides.

"Good bye Kei. Don't look so glum. I will still be your entertainment in board meetings." I told him. Someone knocked on the door and opened it as I looked at the door. Marc walked in and I grimaced. I had a feeling from the look on his face that he would ask me wait too.

"You came just in time to check me out of the room." I said and Marc frowned.

"Hey, you are really going to leave?" Marc asked me, his sky blue eyes narrowed in anxiety.

"What is this? Are you feeling bad for me?" I asked him and he scowled.

"I am feeling bad for myself. How the hell am I going to manage without you? Everything was going over my head in the derivatives model meeting. I am definitely going to screw up. I've spent a week trying to understand your financial model for the new exotic option. I am seriously getting into something I have no idea about. Do you really have to go Luki?" He asked me and I stared at him. Marc was probably the only one I could actually call a brother. I had brothers who were born to the same mother but they were more enemies than brothers. Marc though had always looked up to me and he was always protective of me.