Grandpa Miller

Gary and his father had long left when Maya moved to the dining room with her parents to have breakfast.

It seemed that her siblings were occupied with other plans so it was just them at home that day. She was glad that they didn't have to witness the shit show that unfolded in their foyer so early in the morning.

"Dad, there is more to Gary's dirty laundry, isn't there?" Maya asked her father as she took a bite of her breakfast.

Edmond nodded and sighed.

"Maya, don't press for answers," he told his daughter. "I made a promise to your uncle a long time ago that I wouldn't tell a soul. Gary might be a dirtbag, but your uncle still has some redeeming qualities."

Maya nodded, knowing not to press her father for answers when he already told her not to ask any further.

"I just hope that his secrets don't drag us all down," Maya continued to eat, playing with her food as she allowed her mind to wander.

"I hope so too," Edmond said as he held his wife's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

Caroline answered him with an encouraging smile and nod that Maya saw as she lifted her head from her plate.

It seemed that whatever the secret was, it was enough to worry her father.

"Maya, everyone has secrets, things we don't want people to ever find out," Caroline reminded her daughter. "Even you have—"

Caroline's statement was cut short when the butler entered the dining room with an urgent message.

"Master Miller wishes to see you and Maya at the office, Mr. Miller," the butler said with a worried expression on his face.

This man had been working for the Miller family and had taken care of four generations. They weren't as big or powerful as the Wright family, but they were still an old and noble one.

"Dad," Maya said, looking at the man that sat to the right of the head of the table.

Edmond nodded as he placed his utensils down and stood up, signifying that Maya should do the same.

"We shouldn't keep your grandfather waiting," Edmond said, giving her a kind smile. "He went to the office today, he should be waiting there for us. Let's leave in ten minutes."

Maya nodded and did as he asked, quickly dressing and applying light makeup on her face. Her grandfather always told her, no matter what she always had to be presentable.

She looked around the messy room and sighed, as much as she didn't want the maids to do all of the cleaning, she was in a rush.

As agreed, within the next ten minutes, Maya and her father were seated at the back of his car being driven to the Miller family's office.

"Maya, remember, you don't have to do anything that you don't want," Edmond reminded his daughter as the towering skyscrapers of Arlington City came into view.

"It's alright dad, I don't think Grandpa will demand anything bad from me," she replied.

The car dropped them off at the entrance of one of the smaller buildings, it had about twenty stories, and at the top was the CEO's office where Maya's grandfather was waiting.

Maya wasn't nervous about meeting with him, he always favored her over all of his grandchildren, making others such as Gary jealous.

The old man had inherited the family business at a very young age when tragedy struck his own family, leaving him an orphan to take care of his siblings. He had to grow up earlier than his peers and he was probably one of the few left managing their family businesses.

"He is waiting for you," her grandfather's long-time secretary said with a smile as she led the father and daughter pair through two heavy doors that lead to the CEO's office.

Behind a large oak desk sat Maya's grandfather, a man in his late seventies looking younger than he actually was.

"Harold called," the old man said as he waved his hand, dismissing his assistant and secretary, who both bowed and left.

"He came to the house after you left," Edmond told his father.

"So you knew?" Maya's Grandfather asked as he looked between the two.

"Yes," it was Maya that answered him this time. "But Grandpa—"

The old man raised a wrinkled hand, telling his granddaughter to let him finish speaking.

"Three companies have already called asking to cancel their partnerships with us," he explained. "Another four have called asking to set up meetings with me. I suspect that they want the same thing."

"Grandpa—" Maya groaned.

"That's not all, Maya," the old man said in a stern tone as he massaged his temples. "Two of your cousins' fiances' families have come calling, asking if they should be concerned about their children."

Maya sighed and nodded, waiting for the old man to finish what he had to say.

"Whatever is happening needs to end," the old man declared.

"Grandpa, this is all Gary's doing, I don't know why you've called me here," Maya tried to reason out. "There is nothing I can do if Gary chooses to offend someone as important as the President of DLR Enterprises."

The old man nodded as he listened to Maya in earnest.

"But if rumors are to be believed, you can do something to fix it," he said as he pointed at his granddaughter. "Why would I call Gary and Harold over when I can just ask my more capable grandchild and son over to help me? So tell me, Maya, is there any truth to the rumors? Did the President of DLR Enterprises seem interested in my more than capable granddaughter?