From Rejection To Redemption

As the first frost of winter began to frost the air, the scenery took on a melancholy hue, seemingly devoid of vitality. Despite this, the public's proclivity for idle gossip continued unabated. The city was buzzing with the news that Henry Scott, the second son of the illustrious Scott family, had gone missing. Whispers of familial sabotage circulated, as did other rumors of abduction, and the young man vanished without a trace.

With each passing day, the story became more elaborate, to the point where Matthew, Henry's father, became enraged and slammed his hand on the desk, berating his nearby secretary, "A bunch of incompetents, can't even find him after all this time?" If Henry cannot be located, the project is doomed."

"I fear Master Henry's situation might have something to do with Mr. Wilson," the secretary speculated, knowing his volatile temperament, “It's impossible for us to find any leads unless he gets involved."

"Do you think I need you to tell me that?" raged Matthew.

"I'd like to know where he is. Jason, my damn son, is to blame for everything. He foolishly collaborated with James Beaumont just as the project was about to be completed, endangering Henry."

"If we manage to find him," the secretary cautioned, "I suspect Mr. Wilson won't let Master Jason off the hook."

"If William Wilson can hide Henry away, so can we," Matthew reflected with a perceptive gaze. If we have Henry, we can utilize William for the project."

Someone else mentioned in the conversation that they were dealing with a similarly tense situation.

Henry was depleted after yet another failed escape attempt from the mountain mansion. When he was apprehended by William that night, he was shackled to the bed and watched over without a moment's rest. He cursed a lot and struggled a lot, but nothing worked.

In the end, both his spirit and body were exhausted. He lay there, a lifeless husk staring at the ceiling, unconcerned about William, who sat nearby watching him.

William remained silent, minimizing his presence so as not to disturb Henry. He sat by Henry's side in silence for two days, occasionally leaving to attend a call only to return and continue his silent vigil. Henry didn't pay him any mind, didn't give him a glance, and didn't say anything, but the feeling of being constantly watched was anything but pleasant.

Henry awoke on the third day to an empty room. By noon, William had arrived, carrying a small cake. He recalled the delicate animal decorations on the cake, but there were no words written on them. He gave it a dismissive look, not paying it much attention.

Unfazed, William sat down and silently sliced the cake, his eyes filled with hopeful anticipation as he waited for Henry to accept the offering. That hopeful expression, so prevalent in the early days of his pursuit, had faded over time as a result of repeated disappointments. He hadn't seen it in a long time.

The offered slice triggered troubling memories. It reminded him of William's previous birthday, when he had unceremoniously thrown a similar cake into the trash, only to return to find it reassembled haphazardly on the table, a small piece missing. The staff had told him that William had eaten the discarded cake alone.

Henry was disturbed by the image and turned away, not wanting to revisit the past. He owed nothing to William, who had forced him to stay.

William remained calm after several minutes of fruitless offerings, as if expecting this.

"Aren't you curious to know what we're celebrating?" he asked softly.

"It's my death. Don't forget to eat it, my dear "Heny". You are not required to attend my funeral. Let me call you "Heny" just once; I've been meaning to do so for a long time."

He smiled gently and reached out to touch Henry's head, saying, "Goodbye, my dear Henry." This time, Henry was too shocked to avoid his hand.

Henry was startled and jumped up to confront William, but he was already gone. Panic welled up within him, a sensation he didn't recognize.

"William, what do you mean...?" he asked for the first time in three days. Is there anyone here? Anyone? I need you to explain, William Wilson." The only response was silence, his limbs chained, preventing him from fleeing, and no one to answer him.

As night fell, a small part of Henry hoped that William would return with dinner, as he always did. If he did come, Henry might think about eating his food just once. He convinced himself that William would return. Henry's gaze had been fixed on the door since his departure, waiting for the familiar figure to reappear.

Sure enough, by dinnertime, the door had swung open. Henry scoffed at himself; clearly, William had only pretended to leave to see how Henry reacted. But before he could finish mocking his own gullibility, another figure entered. It took him a while, and it wasn't until the newcomer spoke that Henry realized it was Liam Miller.

Liam's voice jolted him back to reality: "Henry, I've come to save you." He then took a key from his pocket, intending to free Henry from his shackles. An unnamed fear grew within Henry as he watched the movements. Liam, what was the reason? Where had William gone?

"How did you get in here?" he asked, snatching Liam's hand from fumbling with the lock. William would never let you in here."

"You don't need to worry; it was difficult, but I found a way in." His only response was an evasive murmur, and the hand didn't stop. Damn, William is a jerk; how dare he confine you like an animal?"

His heart was already pounding, and not receiving the desired response only added to his agitation. "I'll ask you again, Liam, how did you get in here? "Where has William gone?"

Liam refused to look him in the eyes and responded, "Can we talk about this later, after we get out of here?" "Are you in any pain?"

Henry's heart was filled with dreadful coldness as he tried to convince himself that William would be fine. William could always find a solution to any problem because, after all, he was William. William, in Henry's opinion, was an arrogant man who excelled above others. Injury and defeat were simply not associated with him.

After his limbs were freed, he was dragged away by Liam, who said, "Henry, I'm taking you to the hospital."

Who was injured? William never hurt him; he was always there to protect him. Even when he ran away, William was never angry; he always looked after him himself.

With his mind racing, he shrugged off the arm pulling him along. Henry challenged Liam, "Either tell me how you got in here or stay the hell away from me."

"Henry, since we're about to get married, why don't you..." Liam's pitiful words were cut off abruptly.

"Shut up; we don't have any relationship." If you continue to spew nonsense, don't blame me for losing my cool." Suppressed emotions erupted in a flash, and he kicked Liam square in the gut.

Liam collapsed in agony. "If you won't tell me," Henry said coldly, "I'll find out for myself."

"There's no need to look any further; William is no longer alive!" "Wake up, Henry; you're free now; he can't bother you anymore." Liam nearly screamed.

Dead? Henry felt as if all of his strength had been sapped from him; his legs wobbled, and he turned around, his eyes wide with disbelief, and asked, "Did you kill him?"

"I don't have that kind of courage," Liam scoffed. "I merely expedited the process." His gaze was expectant, looking towards Henry, but Henry was no longer paying attention to him.

He ran out, not knowing where he should go or what to look for. It took him two hours to find William's house, but it was too late to say goodbye.

The ER doctor, who was also William's friend, approached, his face sinking as he looked at Henry coldly. "Will asked me to tell Liam to come pick you up, and he also sent a key."

Henry was taken aback. Just before the car hit him, he heard the man in front of him say over the phone, "Make sure that guy gets there in time for dinner; don't let him go hungry."

The last thing he said in his life was that he was worried about going hungry.

Three days had passed since William's death, and many people had come to this place to mock, even curse, him. The majority of them were William's friends and relatives, some from the Scott family, and even strangers. Only then did Henry realize how many things he had never heard before.

The housemaid wiped her tears away and told him, "The last cake given to you was personally made by Master Wilson; he took a long time to learn how to make it."

"Master Wilson locked you up to protect you from the schemes of Jason Scott and James Beaumont, who wanted to take your life." said his bodyguard, Robert Palmer. He didn't have much time to find the true mastermind, and you didn't believe him or accept his protection."

Daniel's older brother spoke to him, revealing that their father had taken advantage of him in a deceptive exchange, forcing William to help the Scott family unconditionally. Daniel, on the other hand, was unaware of these events.

William's doctor informed Daniel that his excessive control and extreme possessiveness were the result of a childhood psychological condition exacerbated by complications from a brain tumor. It would have an impact on his temperament and daily life, causing unbearable headaches during episodes, and, in more severe cases, he would be unable to restrain himself from harming himself or those around him.

During an argument, Daniel saw William writhing in pain and clutching his head on the floor, but mistaking it for a theatrical act, he walked away without looking back or calling for help.

William's mental state deteriorated further over time as a result of his father purposefully switching his medication. He passed up the only surgical procedure that could have helped him and stayed by Daniel's side. The repeated incidents of provocation by Daniel, who had only a few months left to live, exacerbated the situation.

Ironically, William was someone with whom everyone desired to have a good relationship, and Daniel had taken full advantage of him in his ignorance.

Henry's fear and anguish were heightened because he loved William. The sensation of suffocation in his chest was more distressing than the loud crying. Daniel no longer wanted to leave now that he had escaped his grasp.

Daniel was also informed by the lawyer that William had left him the entire Wilson estate, including shares and executive control of the company.

While Henry had never competed for anything, his relatives were constantly plotting, exploiting the situation to seize the family's assets. Henry's life was in danger, not to mention the life of the person he loved.

William also left a letter, which Henry refused to read. Days later, in the once-imprisoned mansion, Henry sat alone in the spot where William used to sit, staring in the same direction. When it got dark and William didn't turn on the lights, Henry mustered the courage to do it himself and retrieve the letter. His entire body trembled after reading it, and he desperately bit his lip to regain control of his emotions, not wanting to cry.

He walked into the study, following the letter's instructions to locate William's diary. Each sheet was blurred and soaked with his own tears as he flipped through its pages until the last one. Henry trembled, raising his hands to cover his face and crying freely, like a child who had lost their most prized possession.

As he looked out the window, the setting sun cast a blood-red glow. It was similar to Henry's constricted and numb heart. "William, you truly are so cruel," he said to himself.