Xander Cardin

The town of Linwood, in the city of Cincinnati was always blooming with a positive aura, that emanated from the colourful flowers, that blossomed in the lawn of every single household, attesting to the fact that, the elites of Cincinnati were true lovers of flowers. Even at night when the flowers had buried their heads in the peaceful tranquility of their petals, the queen of the night, Primrose, and other nocturnal flowers, were at hand to spray out their aromatic fumes, with fragrance so beautiful to the senses, even the fireflies came out to dance for them.

These beautiful scenery, and many more made the elites of Cincinnati, fall in love with Linwood even more.

On this cold stormy night, When the fireflies were warm in their chambers, and the Night jasmine had tucked in, their delicate petals, to evade the heavy drops of rain, loud cheers could be heard from the magnificent castle of Baron Alexander, the Famous Cincinnati Billionaire, whose reign as the city's pharmaceutical tycoon was undisputed by all. It was the tenth birthday of Cardin, his only son and heir to Xander empire. The occasion was being graced by elite dignitaries, the least in status, who was the governor of Cincinnati himself. It was laced with top officials from the presidency, ranging from Ministers, Army chiefs, and several Billionaires who were present, in show of solidarity to the young boy and his Billionaire father, who was a popular figure among the elites of the world. The roaring winds and heavy Rains had not deterred the guest from having fun, as loads of rare Champagne, distilled from the era of Napoleon were being served in enormous quantities. Their ongoing price of a million dollar per barrel was no one's headache, as it was served and splashed into the air, by the merry makers. The melodic sounds of classical music, from one of Mozart's record, had found a way to offset the heavy splattering of rain drops, against the castles roof, leaving just a serene melancholy of sounds, that were pleasing to the ears, unless for the occasional wails of thunder, which did, a good job in bringing drunk Billionaires, back to a short stint of soberness, returning them,back to finnese, as it ceased away.

It was now time for Baron Alexander to deliver his speech and also chip in a vote of thanks on behalf of Cardin, who was too introverted to subdue his stage fright. He flashed both of his fingers in the air, not to show off his diamond encrusted ring, but rather to signal Gueta, his personal sound engineer and famous American DJ, to halt the music, while he stood up, to grace the stage.

Looking sharp in his half a million Tuxedo suit, and his feet, balmed in the comfort of his million dollar crocodile shoes, encrusted with diamonds, He magnificently walked to the podium, amidst the cheers of his fellow Billionaires who styled him, as a fashion icon. He stepped on the podium and flashed a hearty smile at his spectators. The radiance of their happy faces, added more glamour to exquisite living room, which was, as big as a standard basketball court . It was adorned with exotic leather chairs, royal English carpets, a dozen chandeliers, that hung majestically from the hand antique painted ceilings, that combined excellent artistry and rare class. The electronics in the living room were the latest technologies from Apple inc, who led the world in the field of gadget. The hall sparkled brightly and generally smelled of musk, which was occasionally nuetalized by the smell of the expensive perfumes and cologne of various guests. So beautiful was the living room, it made many guests to really wonder on what heaven would look like if the parlor of the Baron, was as fulfilling as this. They could only ponder in awe, as they sipped more champagne, in gratitude to the benevolence of their host. The thunderous applause gradually went mild and eventually there was a peaceful silence that awaited the very words of the Baron, who had no problem watching their beautiful faces and luxurious attires.

" Once Again. Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Words would always fail me, in conveying the height of my gratitude to every single one of you for honoring my invitation, and joining me to celebrate the love of my life,and the jewel of my eyes, in person of Cardin Alexander Junior." Said the Baron and pointed his middle aged hand towards Cardin who Sat like a dummy, staring blankly at the guests. He couldn't believe that, the so called party which was supposedly thrown in his honor, was without a single mate of his, in attendance. The bored look on his face was pertinent enough to show his tiredness and irritation towards the whole event. He wondered what sort of birthday celebration his dad had thrown for him when he was the youngest person present. The least person who seniored him at the party was his cousin from Louisiana, who was older than him with about twenty years. None of his school mates were invited as even if they were, they most likely wouldn't have turned up. They saw Cardin as a pompous jerk, while their parents saw the Baron as a dubious go getter who had a high tendency of deploying unethical means to earn his millions.

Cardin yawned, feeling rather tired from his father's speech. It was already past eleven PM and the drowsiness in his system was beginning to get the better side of him. It hurt very much to swallow the fact that yet_again, his birthday had just been another avenue, for his father and his cronies, to meet and discuss all the new strategies to make more money. Deep down the minds of most guests_ they cared nothing about his new age and didn't bother if he failed to live to his next birthday. What mattered to them was safeguarding their ties with the Baron.

Soon the applause was over and the Barron continued with his speech.

" Ever Since Evelyn, Cardin's mum, left me all alone in this cold world. I have strived very hard to be there for my boy as much as I can. When he was born, I promised myself to be the best father in the whole world, a feat which I can proudly say I have lived up to. Hehe." Said The Baron with a soft giggle as he gazed at his son who nodded tiredly in agreement to his father's claim, just to get the old man to end the party in time.

" Being a single parent has not really been easy, especially when one has a lot of business to handle. However I can't be any less grateful for my boy. One don't get a better son than Cardin. I mean the young man is so well behaved , he makes parenting look so easy. Ladies and gentlemen, I do not brag when I say that, i'm yet to see an obedient boy like my little man over there. He may be introverted, yet he cares about me alot. It's just like we share a single heart with this young man. I will like to use this medium to read out a little something I wrote for him. Well, you all know how bad I am with literature. It's a rocket science." He said as the guest giggled at his gesture.

He smile and continued. " Dear Cardin. My son. You have been, and will always remain a priceless gift in my life. Ever since you came into my life, you became my comforter and my best friend. I may be bad at poetry, I may not always take you out to watch the soccer matches you love so much, but I want you to know that,I love you very much son. My prayers for you tonight and forever, is that you shall grow in good health and surpass me in wealth, power, and Wisdom. Your Loving dad. Baron Alexander." Said the Baron, in a tone that stirred up the emotions of everyone present, with an exception of those who were too drunk to comprehend what he had been saying. His Speech had subtly brought out a genuine smile on Cardin's face. He knew his father could be a jerk atimes, going too hard on him, to perform at the top of his capabilities, at every single touchpoint in his life. He was still very glad to have a father, who had no problems with running to the moon and back, just to make him happy. He was doused with expensive gifts and loads of cash that he didn't even need. These words of his father had hit different tonight, as it singled him out, making him feel like a prince in the castle. He gazed at his dad in glee as the applause faded away.

" Oh well. I know I have kept many of you here for too long. Oh my God it's almost twelve o'clock . What a great time we had. We could grow old here and we wouldn't even notice. Hehe. However I want to give the young celebrant the opportunity to come up here and thank you all for attending this glorious occasion in his honor. The young man may not be happy because his cookies _ munching mates are not here to sing any birthday lullabies for him. In the future, he would turn back and and realize that eagles are king of birds because they were trained to fly on the peak of the highest mountains and not over the flowery meadows like butterflies do." Said The Baron as he his last words were met with another loud waves of applause from his guests, who were in support of his notion.

Cardin Smiled and walked slowly to the podium to join his father. At Ten he was almost as tall as the Baron, having taken over his mothers athletic physique. He was a handsome lad who looked fabulous in his outfits, which were a stunning replica to his father's. The applause from the guest had elated him the more and even though he did not really have a speech written down, he didn't care as he felt, a simple "thank you", was effective enough. Just at the instance when Cardin had opened his mouth to speak, there was a piercing knock on the beautiful door which was rather magical to the perceptions of the guests, as it was low pitched yet piercing to the ear drums. The knock was heared again, this time, overshadowing the pelts of raindrops, and the murmuring of the guest in the living room. The sound of the knock brought everyone to a shocking bewilderment, till they turned towards the door of the living room, which led to the compound of the castle.

" That's quite a knock if you all agree with me. Hehe. Relax and feel at home while I check on who it is, that dares to invade our privacy." Said The Baron and headed straight for the gold plated door. He placed his thumb print on the censor scanner, sending the door sliding wide open at the same instance when the lightning, had casted a blinding flash over the castle, Causing all the guest and the Baron himself to shield their eyes, from the intense light of the strike. He opened his eyes immediately and was met with quite a sight , that was shocking to the Baron and everyone who could see.