Chapter Two: Arthur Rose

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a black convertible drives down a paved road towards a large mansion. The young man at the wheel wears a black suit, shoes, a red tie, and a white shirt underneath his jacket. He wears a pair of sunglasses that block his eyes from being seen as his blond hair flutters in the wind as he drives with the top down. In the seat beside his is a box encased in vividly colored wrapping paper with a red ribbon on the top of it.

The car arrives in the circular driveway of the large mansion. The driveway itself is made out of beautifully-colored cobblestone. The convertible comes to a stop in front of a set of granite steps that leads from the driveway to the door. The mansion itself has two floors, is made out of white bricks, and has eight tall windows on the front and back, and four on the sides. There are overlapping, black tiles that serve as the covering for the triangular rooftop.

The young man gets out of the car and walks up the steps. The minute he walks through the door, he takes off his sunglasses, revealing his teal-colored eyes, and is greeted by a formal-looking butler. The butler looks to be around fifty to sixty years old with brown hair that has hints of grey in it and brown eyes.

"It's been a long time, sir. Might I inquire about your visit?" asks the butler.

"I just came to see father and grab a few books for my studies," the young man answers.

"Very well then. The Master and Lady are in the study on the second floor. I shall continue on with my duties."

The butler walks away and the young man walks up the steps and to the second floor of the building. After moving through the halfways of the mansion, the young man steps through a wooden door into another room. The room had a shelf of books on both its right and left sides. On the end of the room, opposite to where the young man entered, there's one of the large windows of the house, so large that it illuminates the room itself. There's also a wooden desk in front of the large window. Finally, there's an older gentleman standing between the desk and the window, looking out into the garden as well as an older woman sitting down at a chair, looking out the same window.

The older man wears an outfit similar to the young gentleman, a black suit, red tie, white shirt, and fancy, black dress shoes. His hair is combed back, and is dark black in color with streaks of grey. His brown eyes glisten in the light coming from the window. The light also showcases the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes and on his chin as well.

The older woman wears a beautiful, white dress, decorated with flower-like designs all over it and dark blue flats. Her hair is a shiny, blond color, and in the light from the window, one can see hints of platinum inside of it. Her eyes are teal-colored, just like the young man's and like the older gentle, she also possesses wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

The older man turns to find the younger one in the door, "Arthur. It's great to see you, my son."

"Same goes for you, father. I was hoping to steal a few books from the library," Arthur says jokingly.

"This library is your's, son. You're free to take anything you want from it."

"Thank you, father."

Arthur is about to leave when his dad asks, "What do you have planned for today?"

"Well, I have the day off and it's Alexia's birthday so I plan on visiting her today, and spend some time with my little sister."

Colin's expression turns sour, "You should not waste your time on meaningless items like that. Your energy would be more well spent in your studies."

Arthur clenches his fist as a vein appears on his forehead, "Alexia is not an item, nor is she a waste of time. She is my sister, and your daughter. You are the one who needs to rethink your priorities."

"My priorities are straight. Alexia is not the heir to the empire that your mother and I have built, and you are. Thus, you should be more mindful of the expectations that are resting upon your shoulders, Arthur."

"We do not have much time in our lives, father. If I had a choice, I'd trade every penny that this family has ever earned if it means that my sister could live her life to the fullest," Arthur says with an angered expression.

"Then I have a fool of a son!"

"And I have a senile, old bastard of a father!!" says Arthur, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him.

As he storms out of the house with an angered scowl on his face, Arthur murmurs to himself, "I swear, if I ever become like that old man, I need to find someone who's willing to shoot me on the spot."