Henry's Father

As Henry exited the room and prepared to leave the restaurant, his attention was drawn to a group of boys and girls entering. Among them, one boy stood out with his brown hair and an air of arrogance that marked him as the leader. Henry's heart sank as he recognized the familiar face of Ricky and his group. Inwardly, Henry cursed his luck, thinking, "Why do I have to run into Ricky and his gang today? It's my day off, and I don't have the patience to deal with these bullies." 

Ricky is the name of the boy with brown hair leading the group. Despite being a freshman like Henry, Ricky exudes an aura of entitlement and arrogance, fueled by his family's wealth. His gang members share similar backgrounds of privilege, which they flaunt by belittling ordinary students. Henry is their prime target, perhaps because of his stoic demeanor that refuses to bow to their intimidation tactics. Instead of deterring them, Henry's lack of reaction seems to goad them on, leading them to escalate their efforts to mock and humiliate him publicly. Henry's strategy is to avoid conflict with them and minimize interactions as much as possible, preferring to ignore their antics. However, he harbors a deep dislike for Ricky and his gang. Daniel and Georgie share Henry's sentiments towards Ricky's group, finding their behavior equally distasteful. 

Henry paused in his tracks for a moment, contemplating his next move. Instead of proceeding towards the potential confrontation with Ricky and his gang, he veered off in a different direction, making his way towards the washroom to avoid any unwanted encounters. 

After a brief interlude in the restroom, Henry emerged from the restaurant and made his way to a nearby supermarket. There, he meticulously gathered all the items listed by Lucy, methodically placing them in his shopping cart. Once he had everything he needed, he made his way to the checkout counter, paid the bill, and exited the shop. 

Outside, Henry hailed a taxi and loaded all his purchases into the vehicle. As the taxi set off, Henry settled into his seat, donning a pair of earphones. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be enveloped by the soothing melodies of his music playlist. Amidst the melodies, his mind wandered, consumed by a myriad of thoughts and contemplations. 

As Henry sat in the taxi, lost in thought, his mind drifted back to his own identity. He pondered the weight of his surname, Harrison. Recollections flooded in, recalling the laughter that erupted on his first day at university when he introduced himself as Henry Harrison. The prestigious connotation attached to the name was undeniable, largely due to the vast empire of the Harrison corporation, masterminded by none other than Samuel Harrison himself. The very mention of the name seemed to carry a weight of wealth and influence that permeated society. 

In that classroom, amidst the laughter and inquiries, Henry feigned detachment from the powerful family name. He brushed off any insinuations of familial connection, claiming it to be a mere coincidence of surname prevalence. Yet, the truth he concealed beneath the facade was a closely guarded secret—Samuel Harrison was not just a distant figure of corporate prominence; he was Henry's father. As the rightful heir to the Harrison legacy, Henry held a substantial 8% stake in the corporation, a fact known only to himself and the intricate web of executives that governed the family fortune. Despite his immense wealth and privilege, Henry chose to keep this aspect of his identity veiled, even from his closest companions, Georgie and Daniel. 

Besides, he never wants to claim to be the heir of the Harrison Corporation because he does not like his father. His father is a heartless bastard. He only cares about himself and never once took care of him as a responsible father. When his mother died, at the time when he needed him the most, his father, Samuel Harrison, was spending time with his different girlfriends. He didn't even attend his mother's funeral. He thinks that giving a child money is the way to fulfill his responsibilities as a father. 

After his mother's death, due to loneliness, as a child he started taking drugs and became an alcoholic. He even stopped going to school, but his father didn't even care. Day by day, he started becoming more reckless, and due to his recklessness, one day he got into a car accident and killed someone by mistake. When he was arrested by the police, the first thing he wondered was what his father's reaction would be. Would he scold him or would he be angry with him? And after showing his anger, would he try to save him from jail? But the thing he expected did not happen, and the only thing he got from his father was endless indifference towards him. When he was on trial, his father did not even come to see him once and sent his secretary and appointed a lawyer for him. But since he was only 17 and not an adult when this accident happened, he only had to serve 3 years in prison. He was really heartbroken when his father never once came to jail to see him. 

While he was in prison, his best friend came to visit him. During the visit, there was an incident that deeply affected him, leaving him feeling profoundly guilty about the accident he caused. When he was released from jail, he was determined to start his life anew. He decided to resume his studies. Before his mother died, he was a very good student, consistently ranking within the top three of his class. However, after her death, he began skipping classes, and his grades plummeted. His academic performance suffered so much that he couldn't even advance from one class to another. Without his father's connections, he might not have even been able to complete his schooling and obtain a certificate. At that time, however, academic achievements were not a priority for him. He was deeply entrenched in drug addiction and had little interest in pursuing higher education. He had no desire to attend university. 

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Hey everyone, 

Apologies for the delay in releasing the next chapter. I fell ill unexpectedly after my journey and though I'm on the path to recovery, I'm not fully there yet. This chapter was mostly written before I got sick, but it needed some fine-tuning before I could share it. Feeling a bit better today, I've ironed out the kinks and decided to release it. It might not be my best work, but I appreciate your patience. 

Also, a heads-up about the book: there will be some adult content in future chapters. I'll clearly mark those sections in the titles so you can skip them if you prefer. I'll do my best to maintain the overall quality of the story even with those parts excluded. 

Lastly, if you're enjoying the story, please consider supporting it by voting and leaving positive reviews. And if you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to drop a comment. 

Thanks for understanding.