Chapter 3: The Argument
"There are thousands of people out there who will do anything to have the girls, but why me? Why did he have to choose me of all people?..."
"Hey, be mindful of your words. Don't forget that my Lisa and Marl are here," Madam Lawrence scolded. She immediately signalled a maid to take the girls away.
Madam Lawrence averted her attention to Brayden after the girls were gone.
"The only thing your deceased brother did was entrust his kids to you and look at you acting as if the world has come to an end," Madam Lawrence started, glaring at Brayden.
"Your elder brother was so good to you when he was alive. He loved and pampered you so much. Shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself for acting the way you did the moment you heard his last will?" Madam Lawrence scolded sternly.
"Also, you can go on living your reckless lifestyle. Their grandma is well and alive. I will take care of my girls," She declared, stood up and stomped out of the sitting room.
One by one everyone left the sitting room, remaining Mr Richard and Brayden.
"I know you think this is sudden..."
"It's not just sudden but Ethan's last will is absurd. I have never seen or heard anyone will his kids to another. This is my first time and I can't believe I happened to be the one in the centre of all this mess," Brayden voiced how he felt without sugarcoating the words.
"Ethan adores his two girls even more than ladies love gold accessories. Don't you think there must be a reason why he left his treasures in your care when his parents are alive and well?" Mr Richard demanded. He stood up and walked a few steps away from the centre table.
"And what better reason could there be if not that he wanted to take revenge on me for leaving him to handle the family business alone..."
"Do you really believe that your elder brother is like that?" Mr Richard retorted. He spun and gazed at Brayden, awaiting his response.
He wasn't surprised to see that Brayden couldn't reply because they both knew that the late Ethan wasn't the kind of person Brayden tried to paint him as.
"Ethan has always shown how much he loved you but never demonstrated the trust he has in you. Leaving his precious babies with you shows the level of trust he has in you. If I were you, I wouldn't let him down even in death. Remember, he was always there for you when you needed him in the past," Mr Richard admonished him sternly.
"You are saying all this because you are not the one in this dilemma," Brayden growled, strolling towards Mr Richard.
"Yes, I love Lisa and Marl a whole lot but you know my lifestyle. Apart from the fact that I frequent clubs and bars every night, I have never been a father before. I have no experience in raising kids..."
"Then learn it!" Mr Richard interrupted abruptly. He swerved and faced Brayden.
"Ethan never had experience in raising kids but you will agree with me that he was an excellent father to the girls. Since he was able to do it, I am sure you can also do that and even better. All you need to do is to open your heart and put in efforts and everything will work out well," Mr Richard advised in a sober tone.
Although he hated to admit it, Brayden knew everything Mr Richard said was the absolute truth.
Ethan never had plans to raise the kids by himself. If not for the incident back then he wouldn't have had to try so much to train the kids by himself.
Despite that Mr Richard spoke so much, Brayden wasn't ready to fulfil his newfound responsibility.
Yes, Mr Richard might have gotten Brayden to cancel his flight and stay back in Naviler Country but he didn't succeed at changing his mind.
Two weeks later, Brayden, who had been commuting from the hotel room he stayed at to the office finally returned home that evening out of the blues.
Brayden barely stepped foot into the house when he heard loud chatters and laughter coming from the direction of the living room.
"It's rare to see the house so loud. I wonder who is throwing a party," Brayden murmured, looking forward to seeing what was happening.
He took off his shoes at the door and changed into a pair of comfortable slippers before he approached the living room.
After taking two turns he finally arrived at the living room and the scene his eyes met wasn't what he expected.
His angry eyeballs moved from the laughing figures descending the stairs to the two girls playing with their toys at the centre table.
Seeing his mother's smiling face and hearing her sweet naughty laughter made him lose it totally.
"What do you think you are doing, Madam Lawrence?" Brayden's roaring voice echoed in the entire living room, startling everyone at the sound of his voice.
The startled Madam Lawrence lost her footing and almost rolled down the stairs if not for the timely assistance of the blonde-haired guy by her side.
"Hey, Brayden Lawrence, how dare you shout at your mother like that? Do you want me to have a heart attack…"
"Do you even have a heart?" Brayden yelled, his murderous glares shot at the young guy wearing a matching denim jacket and trousers.
"If you had a heart you wouldn't be doing this in front of Marl and Lisa," He muttered and strolled to the centre table.
When he reached where the girls sat he moved to their front and obstructed their view. He ensured that they didn't see Madam Lawrence and her companion.
"When you said you would take care of Marl and Lisa, I thought you were serious about it. Like a fool, I believed you. How stupid of me, right?" Brayden crackled, shaking his head in total disappointment.
"At that moment you reprimanded me and said that statement, I should have known that words like taking good care of someone were a luxury especially if it's coming from your mouth," Brayden said angrily.
"How could you speak to your mother like that…"
"What makes you think you can speak to me like that huh?" Brayden cut in sharply. His eyeballs turned murderous as soon as the guy by Madam Lawrence's side talked.
"Also, if you were taught so much about manners, shouldn't you know that it's disgusting to follow another woman's wife?... The nerves of you to even come to her house and do this nonsense in front of two six-year-old girls," Brayden groaned.
"Are you trying to train my niece to become like you when they grow up…"
"Brayden!" Madam Lawrence shouted, her bulging eyes almost falling onto the floor.
"Don't give me that look, Madam. I am way past that age where I get scared by it," Brayden hissed and tilted his head to his right-hand side.
"Mia!" He called at the top of his lungs. In less than two minutes after he called the name, a lady in a green and white gown hurried into the living room with a white wipe in her hand.
"Yes, Mr Brayden," She responded.
"Get the girls' stuff, they are coming with me right this minute," He instructed coldly.
"And what do you mean by that?" Madam Lawrence challenged, climbing down the stairs.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone