The family of four had kept shedding tears for some more time, till their mother, Serena, finally wiped away her latent tears and looked at her children with a smile.
"Mother, let's go home..." Lex muttered with red eyes while his sisters nodded beside him. Seeing this, a wide smile filled Serena's face as she spoke.
"Of course, just wait for me to settle this meeting."
Just as she said, another voice was heard.
"There is no need, I will deal with it all…" Hearing the voice, Serena raised her head to see her father-in-law, the great General Helman Mervick, walking into the room. As he did, the rest of the board members stood to their feet, their respect oozing out of them as they gave a bow to him.
Helman gave a light nod to them until he reached the centre of the room. His very presence commanded attention, his broad shoulders imposing, and his appearance handsome as always. His eyes then focused on his remaining family as he spoke.
"I will be taking the lead for some time."
His words resonated in the room, and no one had the guts to say no to him, not to one of the most powerful people in Metheria and the world.
"But why are you here, grandfather?" Serena asked, her voice turning softer. Hearing this, Helman smiled as he ruffled Lex's hair a bit.
"It's this one that called me here; he begged me to come here and take the business head position back so that you can spend some time recovering and rebuild the family."
Helman's words made Serena's eyes widen as she looked towards her son, who gave her a sheepish smile, quickly bringing warmth to her heart.
"With Meneivra holding the fort, I will be able to take some time here and give you the rest that you deserve."
Saying this, Helman went forth to lightly ruffle Serena's hair, his gaze of care turning gentle as he spoke.
"My son would never want to see this. If he were here, he would gladly try his all to keep this family together, so don't let yourself go off the deep end."
The last of his words carried deep meaning, to which Serena nodded her head. Her eyes focused on her three children as she held them close to her, then turned towards Sandra, her guardian, her best friend, and someone that she considers her sister.
The two of them didn't need any words to communicate as Sandra nodded her head. She turned around to lead the way as Serena followed them with her children, her hands holding them all together as she looked at them, finally noticing all the gazes of her kids being dark and weary, mirrored by her own.
Without any words, the family left the hall, soon entering the lift. Everyone quickly reached the floor, where they were joined by the security detail, including Serena's personalised security team, and they were all ushered into the limousine.
Entering the limo, the twins took both sides of Serena, while Lex sat on her lap. They huddled together tightly as they started their journey back to the mansion.
'Well, the first part of this went well…'
Lex thought as he sat on his mother's lap. Things might have looked easy, and that's because it was. His mother was drowning herself in her work to shield off the pain and to hold her madness at bay. With the loss of his father, that anchor had disappeared.
And above that, she wanted to keep the family business safe from all the vultures in the sky to protect her children. Hence, her mind became fully consumed by the desire to get everything right, effectively clouding her mind with work.
All that was needed to break this was to have a heart-to-heart breakdown of true words with the kids. In the past, Lex was heartbroken, and the twins were lost to their own devices. No matter how much Sandra tried to be a mother, some things required the real one.
It's the pain of loss and betrayal that the kids felt that led them down the roads they walked. Just one step was needed, and things could have changed. From an objective point of view, this could be seen as the fault of his mother, who had drowned at work.
But the power of sorrow is haunting, one that could break even the smartest of minds, and one that Lex had used very well in the life that he led.
'Now I need to be their favourite.'
To his mother, he should be her favourite son and child. At the same time, he should take the position of the anchor that his father was. He should be the one capable of holding back all the madness within his mother, thus effectively gaining control over her.
Regarding his sisters, he, too, should gain their complete and utter love, one of fascination and desire.
In retrospect, leaving things be would have been the best option. Without the love of their mother and the drowning feelings of their mind, he would have easily become the only light at the end of their tunnel, making him an indispensable part of their life, thus gaining a leash over his sisters.
'But that would have led to the same scenario as in the past…'
He might gain his sisters, but there would have been a very real chance that his family might fall apart, just like in the past. For his plans to succeed, he needs his family to stay together, not just strong. For now, he has already taken his family towards that step, but it's not over.
'For there still exist leeches that I have to take away from my family.'
Right now, he can't dabble in the business side of the family, but what he can do is use the shock of his father's death to build a greater springboard for himself. After all, the death of a loved one can change you, right?
What better way to show that than he, Lex Mervick Hamilian, can change and grow until he becomes the greatest businessman who would surpass his father?
By using the ideology of following in his father's footsteps and the desire to improve, Lex could start showing his 'genius' self to the world. Not now, but he can indeed begin all this in a two-year time frame. By then, things would have settled down, and he could begin his true plan to take control.
'Urgh!' Suddenly, the feeling of his insides churning filled Lex as he felt blood fill his mouth, his expression turning taut. A grunt escaped his mother, quickly grabbing the attention of the passengers in the limo.
"Son, are you okay?"
Serena asked urgently as she lovingly held his body. Hearing so, Lex swallowed up the blood in his mouth as he replied.
"I'm fine, Mother, just a stomach ache."
He replied, to which the concern on Serena's face only deepened.
"Look up the central hospital and get the best paediatricians and doctors on hold."
Serena commanded in a cold tone.
"Already on it."
Sandra replied as she took up her phone. Besides Lex, his two sisters held his hand in concern, to which he gave them a light smile.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
They nodded their heads, yet their hands held onto him tightly.
'Good, looks like they are getting more dependent on me…'
As he thought so, the pain hit him again. The agonising feeling of his soul not matching his body, even after all he chipped away, bringing his body down.
'I also need to get there to be accepted by him…'
Lex would need to get there within the five-year time frame, most usefully by the time he turns ten. It would be the age of change, a timeframe perfect to get that. If he is successful, then all of this would definitely be worth it.