Chapter 2 Heir

“You did great speaking with our suppliers, August. You’ll have to teach me how to speak in Mandarin Chinese for our next meeting with them,” Owen Hanley said with a flashing gleam in his eye, proud of what he had witnessed during the business trip with his son.

Try as he might, August wasn’t able to hide his shy smile from that compliment. As they stepped out of their luxury private aircraft, he replied, “Thanks, Sir-”

Owen quickly cleared his throat and gave the younger man a stern look.

His son chuckled, “I mean, thanks, Dad. But I only thought it best to speak with them directly. That way, things won’t get lost in translation. Then we won’t have to deal with additional problems caused by easily-avoided misunderstandings.”

August felt a warm pat on his back as his father ushered him towards a convoy of cars waiting for them. Men in black suits and earpieces greeted them on the way and surrounded them. People around would have thought that the president had landed there.

After all these years, he could never get used to the opulence that went with being a Hanley. But what could August do? He was-

“This is exactly why you are my heir, son. The others would have just relied on people working under them without lifting a finger themselves. But you, you do the actual work and the results are more than satisfactory. Eden’s Mirage is lucky to have you as its next CEO. I’m sure you’ll do better than an old boomer like me.” Owen paused as his face mellowed from excitement to a satisfied somberness. “And I just know that your mother is proud-”

August cut him off as he opened the car door for his father. “You must be tired from the long flight. Why don’t you go ahead and have a rest? I’ll prepare the report from our meeting right away.”

Owen was sensible not to pry further into that touchy subject. Though, he insisted, “Oh, nonsense! I had everyone at home prepare dinner in celebration of your venture. You’re coming home with me this instant. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Not having the heart to say no to his overjoyed father, August sighed and was reluctantly wheeled off to the Hanley estate.

“Honey, there you are! What took you so long?” Julia Hanley’s high-pitched voice rang inside the vast halls of the billionaires’ estate. She walked towards the two incoming men with her arms stretched wide, lavish accessories dangling on each side.

Owen chuckled as he shares a kiss on the cheek with his wife. August, trailing behind him, looked away awkwardly. “A few hiccups during our meetings with the suppliers. But thankfully, August was there to save the day. Just wait until I tell everyone how he did over dinner.”

Julia let out a shaky laugh. Her botoxed face stretched even wider. “Oh, is that so? I’m surprised that August came home. I imagine that a young man such as yourself would have a lot of places to celebrate at after business trips.” Her tone was that of a curious matriarch. But hiding beneath it all was an implication that she preferred it if he wasn’t there at all. August recognized that much since he was in his pre-teens.

In fact, every Hanley he met was like that. Except maybe for his grandmother, Carilla, and a few cousins.

“I was the one who pulled him here. It’s been so long since we all had a meal together. Where are the others?” Owen asked, looking around for the rest of his family.

“Well, the kids are in their rooms and Mama is as always in her study. You know how she loves just sitting there and reading.” Julia helped Owen take off his suit jacket. “Dinner will be about half an hour.”

August was sure that his father would consume that time telling tales from their trip if he stuck around. Knowing that that situation would highly vex Julia, August decided to leave them alone. “I’ll go say hi to Grandma then wash up for dinner.” Not waiting for a reply, he used his long legs to get away as quickly as possible.

The property was situated in Northern Beverly Park with famous neighbors that August didn’t bother knowing. There’s a reason why celebrities choose this place. Privacy and security. Though for the young August, it felt like a prison.

So the moment he saved enough money, August went and looked for a condo to buy. His father begrudgingly agreed as long as August still came home from time to time.

Every step he took towards his bedroom was heavy as August’s exhaustion began to settle. “I wish I was in my actual room,” he thought. Even the softest pillow here felt like concrete. He could never really rest easy in this so-called family home.

He was walking past one of the many sunrooms when August heard mumbling. The voices grew clearer when he got closer.

“How thick-skinned could he be that he actually came here?”

“I know. It’s, like, is he that stupid to think that anyone in this family would accept him?”

It’s his younger siblings. Rather, half-siblings. Dion and Isla. Though for them, August was a bastard child who came in and swooped everything that was rightfully theirs. He was used to their words and glares so this was nothing new.

He only noticed that he had gotten too close when he felt the echo of their laughter vibrate.

“That’s enough,” a deeper voice warned them. It was Nathan, Julia’s oldest. He was only a couple years younger than August.

“But it’s true! You were supposed to be the one with Papa on his business trips, not him!” Isla shrilled.

“Yeah! You are a real Hanley and that bastard should know his place,” the other added.

“Dad already made his decision. It’s high time you two stop talking that way toward our brother.” August was impressed. Out of all people, Nathan should be the most angered by his mere existence. He was expected to inherit the company before Owen introduced to them his ‘bastard son’ who was hidden from him. But despite this whole mess, he was cordial with August.

“This may not be a disastrous dinner then,” August realized as he walked off.

After freshening up, he quickly stepped out of his room to Carilla’s private office.

With two knocks and a “May I come in?”, August entered the old woman’s space with delight.

He watched as she whispered into her phone and hurriedly pocketed it. “August! Welcome back, dear!”

>>>

“So you’re saying that this will be your last job with the group?” May, the newest member of the team, asked Evangeline.

“I’m saying that this will be my last as a grifter ever,” she replied. Evangeline wouldn’t have returned even if they targeted the most handsome or richest person in the world.

But the heir to Eden’s Mirage, that was a different discussion. Evangeline had a lot of unanswered questions about his brother’s time while working with that company. Including why they didn’t look after Cody when he was diagnosed with cancer. Even as he was buried, they didn’t hear one word from them except for a wreath with a card saying that it was from the company.

A large contrast to how his coworkers described him. “He was a vital part of the company. Cody had always been the employee of the month.”

One would expect that the biggest prop and effects company that catered to the majority of the entertainment industry around the world would at least honor such worker.

May thrusted her lower lip up. “Aww. I’ve always looked up to the woman they call ‘Mistress Loki’. You picked a great name because  I heard you’re so good at tricking people and changing your appearance! I mean, it’s one reason why I became a con artist. To see you in action!” She rambled like a child describing a superhero.

Evangeline could only chuckle stiffly.

Fortunately, Hugh saved her from the unraveling fangirl. “May, we don’t choose those names. Once you’ve made yourself known to them, people will give you one. But we don’t call each other those labels. It’s better to just call her Eve and me, Hugh.”

May nodded with her mouth slack. She said under her breath, “Yes, of course, ‘Modern Hermes’,” referring to Hugh’s epithet.

The man and Evangeline shared a tired look, both amused and alarmed that they were that well-known in their community.

“Alright, settle down. Let’s get to business!” Damien stepped inside the room. Having eavesdropped at the trio’s conversation earlier, he faced them.

“Don’t worry, May. Here, we don’t speak so assuredly. You may yet to see more from our Eve in the future.” He winked at the young woman. May thought she was about to pass out from the group leader’s magnetic presence.

Evangeline supported her by the arm and scoffed, “Don’t believe a word he says, May. You’ve got to learn to see beyond distractions.”

The other members joined in as they began to discuss their plans.

“Everything you have to know about August Hanley is in the file Hugh sent you. It’s not much knowing how private the Hanleys are with their business and personal lives. That is why we’re sending Eve right away to do as she always did,” Damien explained. He looked at Eve, challenging her to say something but the latter chose not to speak.

May piped up with animated actions, “Is she going to show up as a socialite or maybe a foreigner with royal blood?” These were identities Evangeline had used before.

Hugh was the one to answer, “We discovered that August doesn’t run around the same circles as other rich guys. He prefers the humbler side of things so that’s how we’re going to approach this.”

This was what made Evangeline feel anxious about this whole operation. While risky, it was easier to pull off being related to the Spanish monarchy or being a businessman’s illegitimate child. She could simply fabricate any stories to get her out of trouble and questioning. She discovered that people would often believe the upper class right away, no matter how improbable their narratives may be.

But acting as just another regular person was complicated. There were nuances to it that a person faking would immediately stick out like a sore thumb.

May whined, “That’s weird and boring. The Hanleys are billionaires though, right? Why would August be so different?”

For once, Evangeline agreed with her. This August guy should have been molded in the same form as the others. What separated him from the other entitled snobs?

Damien replied as he clicked on a small remote, “That’s what we’re going to find out.” Slowly, a picture of the target beamed out from the projector and a full picture of August Hanley smiled at them.

“Damn, he’s handsome.”

Another thing Evangeline could agree with. Electrifying gray eyes seemed to see through her. Defined nose and cheekbones that could be mistaken as that of a Greek god. His thin lips grinned into perfection, able to make anyone giggle like a teenage girl.

Evangeline snapped herself back before she could describe him any further.

To break the silence created by August’s appearance, she got Damien’s attention. “You haven’t told us about the client yet. And why are we only planning our first contact? Shouldn’t we plan through till the end?”

Damien smirked that devious smirk that told Evangeline he was up to no good. “This time, the client wants to remain anonymous, even to you. And what the client also wants is to do this step by step. We’ll discuss our next action depending on how your first meeting with him goes, Eve.”

Eve’s uncertainty doubled. She had begun to doubt if this was a good idea when the image of her brother flashed inside her head.

It seemed as if her determination won over as she said, “Fine. Let’s get to it then.”