The unclaimed heir

The chandeliers in the ballroom do not shine for everyone.

Atleast, they have never shone for me. I stood near the edge of the hall where light barely reached, close enough to see everything, but also far enough to not be seen.

That was my place in this house.

I am a shadow but with a name even if no one bothered to pronounce it properly.

The air in the room was heavy with perfume, expensive fabrics, and laughter that didn’t belong to everyone equally. Glasses clinked softly in the distance, blending into the low hum of conversations that rose and fell often.

I stood alone, unable to belong anywhere in the gathering.

“The capable brother will take over after Mr Mont retires”

Someone said behind me, laughing softly with the other men. There was agreement in their tone. Certainty. Like they were discussing just another forecasted weather. I didn’t bother to turn, there was no point reacting to things that had already been decided.

Across the room, Adrian, my brother stood exactly where he always belonged, the center stage. He wore a confident smile, a red tailored suit and a perfect posture. Applause followed him like a trained animal.

I could see my father too.

Richard Montgomery. He stood near the inner circle of investors and board members, speaking with the ease of someone who never had to wonder if he belonged anywhere. He didn’t look at me once, not even accidentally. It was impressive how easily a person could erase their own blood. And it wasn’t by ignorance or distance, It was by choice.

“Are you going to stand there all night?”

The voice came from behind me, it sounded old and confident

I turned slightly.

“Yes?”.

He paused then gave a small smile.

“You’re Richard Montgomery’s son, aren’t you?”

That question always came but it was never curiosity, it was always comparison.

“Yes,” I answered again.

He studied me for longer this time.

“You’re sharper than he looks,” he said.

I wondered who he was referring to and he seemed to have read my mind,

“Your brother”

That was the first honest thing anyone had said to me all night. I was sharper than Adrain, I always was. Even academically.

But that was exactly what my dad hated about me,the son of a maid.

The man reached into his pocket and handed me a card.

“Call me after this. I like those eyes”

I took the card from him, not because I believed it meant anything, but because people like him didn’t speak to people like me unless there was a reason.

I barely admitted it, but I was curious about what he meant when he said he liked my eyes.

Maybe there could be something different about me alas, maybe if he sees it, my father would see it one day.

“Don’t waste it,” he added, before walking away.

“Mr Grey”

I stopped him, surprising even myself.

He had a smile on his face. Like he had expected it,

“My eyes?”

“Yes, the look in your eyes”

He moved closer, patted my shoulder before he walked away.

For a moment, I looked at the card. It was just a simple piece of paper but it wasn’t. I slipped it into my back pocket.

Maybe it was a mistake or maybe it was a new beginning. I had no idea.

But in this house, they often looked the same.

“Ethan.”

The voice behind me was colder.

I already knew before turning, it was my father.

He stood like he owned even the air around him.

And maybe, he did.

“Who were you speaking to?”

I met his eyes.

“A guest,” I said.

A muscle in his jaw tightened slightly.

“An important guest,” he corrected.

Silence stretched between us.

He looked at me the way one looks at something they plan to discard but haven’t decided where yet.

“You don’t speak to people above your level.”

I almost smiled.

I lived by rules all my life, I disappeared behind Adrain, and never got ahead of myself but this was new.

“I didn’t realize there was a conversation hierarchy,” I said.

A flicker of irritation crossed his face and Adrian appeared behind him. He always knew the right time to appear. Like he knew I would eventually do something wrong just by existing and it was so darn annoying.

“You embarrassed the family,” my father said quietly.

I blinked once. “What did I do?”

I didn’t go against any rules and I wondered just what I had done wrong, this time.

“You will stay out of sight for the rest of the evening,” he said.

It was not an order, it was a correction. As if I had misbehaved like a child.

A child?

No

Something less than an animal and then he turned away just like that.

Adrian passed me as he followed him, he didn’t look at me, he never did. Not when we were younger, not now and maybe not until I die. I stayed there a moment longer, watching the room continue without me.

Actually the room never stopped. I was irrelevant in it. I walked away with my head down, there was no point in trying. My existence only mattered when I made mistakes, and then only long enough until I am corrected. I stared outside, beyond the noise and merry, I wanted to walk away, blend with the darkness if I can, or better still, disappear forever. Maybe walking deep into the forest. Just maybe I’ll be killed by an animal.

Then at least, I’ll die feeling worthy of the animal’s time. It will be a blissful death.

But I couldn’t end up that way,

Not when someone still believes in me.

I couldn’t disappear while she still called my name softly even in her weakest moments, as if I was the only reason she’s trying to stay alive. J cannot disappear when she is the only one I have and I am the only one she has.