The Secret Heir Return To Wealth And Love

After another grueling forty-eight hours at the office, Jacob finally made it back home for dinner.

"The doctor recommended an acupuncturist who's made a couple of house calls for your mom in the past few days. She's been a lot more lucid," Graham remarked, looking noticeably better himself. Jacob slurped his soup and then dug into the meal with gusto.

An acupuncturist...

Larkin was a name that even in the acupuncture circles was well-regarded.

The Carter family, with their profound knowledge of Eastern medicine, had quite the knack for it.d2

"Easy there, son," Graham said softly. "The company didn't get like this overnight, Jacob. You can't rush things. Take it slow."

Jacob was pushing himself too hard. It was the talk of the town, and word had reached Graham's ears.

"Dad, I can't stop now," Jacob said, his eyes downcast. "Whenever I have a spare moment, the agony is unbearable. Her memory is in everything here."

Graham's hand trembled slightly, filled with guilt. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable to offer any words of comfort.

"It's my fault, forcing you to come back."

"Let's not talk about that," Jacob shook his head.

Graham sighed inwardly and shifted the conversation, "I've had quite a few visitors these last couple of days."

"Yeah?" Jacob nodded, showing interest.

"Sanderson's son and daughter both stopped by."

"Dad, I only dealt with Sanderson himself. That was mercy enough," Jacob said calmly. "Sanderson's family played no small part in the harm that came to our family. They're not clean by any stretch. If I went after them, they'd end up worse off than Sanderson."

Graham pondered for a moment before replying, "You have your plans, and I'm behind you all the way. Once your mother is a bit better, I'm thinking of taking her on a trip. I'm tired of all these sordid characters."

"A cruise, maybe?" Jacob suggested, putting down his fork. "I came across some brochures recently. There's a 200-day cruise next month. I'll have someone arrange it for you."

"That does sound like fun."

"Yeah," Jacob nodded. "Erica loved the idea of a cruise. She always talked about going on one with me, but we never got around to it." Graham's smile faded once more.

"Go and enjoy it!" Jacob stood up. "I've got to head out to the factory in the next town over. I won't be home tonight. Let Mom know for me." "Leaving already?" asked Graham. Jacob had been home for less than an hour.

"Yeah, I've got the cruise sorted. I'll have Michael coordinate everything for your trip." With that, Jacob was out the door.

Graham stood in the doorway, watching Jacob's car disappear into the night until it was swallowed by the darkness. He let out a long sigh.

The butler approached. "Sir, it's good that the young master is so devoted to his work. Isn't that what you always wanted?"Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Graham shook his head, his eyes red-rimmed. "Jacob still hasn't forgiven me... or Lenora."

"That can't be true. In the end, Ms. Lawrence was an outsider. The young master is just not seeing things clearly. Given time, once someone new comes along, he'll get over this hurdle." Graham did not reply. He knew it wasn't that simple.

Whether it was forgiving him and Lenora or finding someone new, neither would be easy for Jacob.

He said he couldn't stop now, that he was haunted by Erica Lawrence's memory everywhere.

Graham felt a pang of sadness at the thought.

He stood there for a while longer, and then Lenora woke up.

Excited to hear Jacob was home, she brought out two jewelry boxes.

"Jacob's gone to the factory. He didn't want to wake you," Graham reassured her.

Lenora looked down at the jewelry boxes in her hands, disappointment clouding her features. "I wanted him to give this bracelet to Erica. I took so long to choose them. They're shiny and would have looked stunning on her wrist!"

Graham's heart ached.

It's true what they say - One wrong step, and every step that follows is off track. And sadly, there's no turning back.