Sitting among his masters

The large wooden table was covered in food, from barbecue ribs to vegetables, fruits, and soups, all perfectly cooked. 

All maids were walking on eggshells, knowing how important today was for the Rider family and one mistake would get them punished severely or worse.

“Bobby!” Madam Rider's voice echoed in the dining room, sending chills down everyone who heard it, and they all turned their faces away from her, leaving Bobby the only one facing her.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bobby replied with a deep bow, his voice trembling slightly at her cold eyes. 

“Do you know where Ethan said he was going?” 

“Well, no ma’am...”

“What do you mean by, ‘No!” 

Jumping slightly, Bobby stuttered out an apology. “I don’t mean to say that ma’am I just… well, I don't know where he could have gone…”

“He asked for two days' leave. It's been a week plus already and he's not back!” Madam Rider snapped, causing Bobby to flinch again, this time from fear. “That useless thing knows how to take advantage of people's kindness. But when my husband gets back, we are firing his sluggish ass!”

As Madam Rider turned to leave, Bobby grew nervous, not wanting his friend to lose his job, knowing Ethan needed the money to support his mother.

“Wait, ma’am. His father is sick, and they are using his bone marrow for the treatments that's why Ethan is not back yet.” Bobby blurted out, fidgeting with his shirt.

“What did you say just now?!” Madam  Rider growled, turning around slowly to face him, and was livid, her face was red with anger.

“I said, Ethan isn't here because his father is going through surgery... that's what the message he sent me two days ago said... so please don't fire him. He may be worthless to you, but Ethan needs this job more than anyone else because his mother is also sick.” 

“So, you knew that he wasn't going to be here for days now, and you didn't think it was necessary to report that to me?!”

Sealing his bottom to his top lip, Bobby looked down nervously, not sure if he should answer the question or not.

“Are you gonna answer me, you idiot?!” Madam Rider demanded, getting up closer to him, and the sound of her heels hitting the tile floor made Bobby jump.

“Yes ma’am, I'm sorry… but I didn't want him to lose his job... Ethan needs this job and he has a lot of responsibility...” Bobby tried to explain.

But Madam Rider wasn't having any of it, slamming a hand against Bobby's chest. She glared at him as she spoke, her words dripping with venom, “You and Ethan are fired!”

“Madam, please,” Bobby begged nervously. 

Narrowing her eyes, she turned to leave, but Bobby grabbed her wrist, and immediately, she yanked her hand out of his grip, and swung her palm for his face, but stopped when she heard, “Clara,”

Slowly, her hand lowered after hearing her husband's voice, and she gave Bobby a disgusted look before turning around to stare at Mr. Rider.

“Honey,” Madam Rider greeted with a small smile, walking over to him, and then she stopped in her steps when she saw Ethan appear in the doorway behind him. “What is he doing here... with you?” 

“Where are Savannah, Jeff, Jack, Tyler, and Austin?” Mr. Rider asked calmly.

“They're upstairs,” 

“Get them. We have a family meeting.”

When her husband turned to leave, Bobby's words rang in her ear as she stared between Ethan and Mr. Rider, and then she mumbled, “What is this about, Harrison?”

“Get the kids, Clara, and tell them to come to the study.” Mr. Rider ordered.

As she watched her husband turn to leave, she saw Ethan also turn to follow Mr. Rider's path out the door and she harshly called out, “Hey, you!!” 

Pretending like he did not hear her call, Ethan walked after Mr. Rider, but her scream stopped both men in their steps, “Ethan! Stop Right there!”

Calmly, he turned around to stare at Clara with a small smile, making her enraged to see how calm he was acting, and she lashed out, “Wipe that stupid smirk off your face and tell me where you think you are going?”

“Clara, stop asking bizarre questions and go get the kids.” Mr. Rider suddenly said, glaring at her, and she noticed how hard he was trying not to raise his voice. 

Then he turned to glare at Ethan, throwing his son a dirty look, annoyed that it had not been even an hour of him being in his life as his son and he was already creating this much problem. 

Embarrassed, Clara nervously looked over her shoulder at the servants and then back at her husband, giving him a cold glare before storming out of the dining room.

As Mr. Rider started to walk off, Ethan looked over at Bobby, seeing the worry in his friend’s eyes before following his father down the hallway. 

When they entered the large room, decorated with leather couches, a desk, and lots of pictures hanging on the walls and shelves of the Rider’s perfect family portraits, Mr. Rider looked at Ethan and commanded, “Shut the door.”

Calmly, he closed the door behind them, walking into the middle of the room while looking at his father.

“We both know that I would rather you not be in my face right now, and somewhere far away for my family's sake, but since you are headstrong about doing exactly the opposite…” Mr. Rider started to explain before taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack in the corner, “I can not disown you, but do not expect me to act like a father towards you. The title of my child is all you get…”

“Plus the benefits,” Ethan said, smiling widely, ignoring the warning in his father’s eyes. 

“Ah, yes, my wealth and money… you greedy bastard…”

“Don’t blame me for being ambitious, father-“

“At my expense-“

“What can I say… who doesn’t love to live a lavish life,”

Sighing, Mr. Rider shook his head and ran a hand over it before he continued to talk, “I see you becoming a worthless piece of crap I have to take care of… I will support your nonsense, just don't ruin my reputation with your stupidity and  foolish actions.”

“Yes, father,” Ethan said, bowing his head.

“Stop calling me that,”

“What?”

“Father,”

There was a brief pause as Ethan blankly stared at Mr. Rider, holding in his emotions, and then a wide smile tugged on his lips as he said, “Yes, sir.”

The sound of the study doorknob twisting caused Mr. Rider and Ethan to turn their heads to see Savannah as she opens the door wider.

The moment she and Ethan locked eyes, Savannah froze, seeing the scar on his skin, and knowing what she did, she forced a smile at him, yet anger flared within herself as she wondered if he was in her father's study to report her actions to him.

“Sav,” Mr. Rider said with a sweet smile, snapping her out of her nervousness.

“Daddy!!” Savannah  exclaimed joyfully, rushing over to her father and hugging him tightly. “Are you okay?? How was the surgery?”

Eyeing Ethan, Mr. Rider cleared his throat, looking slightly uneasy before smiling at Savannah and saying, “I am fine. It went perfectly.” 

There was a brief silence before Savannah broke it as she said,  “Mom said that you wanted to see us all. Is there something wrong?”

Just then the cracking sound of the door opening made the three of them look over their shoulders and saw Jeff walking in with Jack, Tyler, and Austin before Madam Rider stepped in to shut the door behind them.

“The kids and I are all here,” Clara  said, glaring at her husband, “what do you want, Harrison?”

“You all, please sit.” Mr. Rider said, gesturing to the couches in front of his desk.

As everyone sat down in silence, and the only sounds were that of the ticking clock on the wall, the tense mood in the room was thick.

However, when Jeff and his brothers noticed Ethan about to take a seat, the four scowled, and Tyler snapped, “Why the hell are you sitting down? I don't think my father was talking to you, fool! Now, stand the fuck up so we can get this conversation over with.”

“Tyler,” Mr. Rider warned sternly, glaring at his son.

Tensing up at his father’s glare, Tyler frowned slightly, lowering his voice as he mumbled, “Why is he even here… He’s a worker and should be out there with his kind, not sitting among his masters-“

“Also, he asked for two days' leave, disrespecting me by spending more than two days away, not telling me where he was, and I wanted to talk to you about firing him…” Madam Rider cut in, staring at her husband with angry eyes.

“Enough!” Mr. Rider bellowed, slamming his hand on the table in front of him, startling everyone in the room, including himself. “Ethan will no longer be working for us.”