The Rise Of A Porter

Arnold just stood there in disbelief. Not because Nathaniel offered him the head's position, but because he had failed to understand what Arnold was trying to say to him.

"I don't think you understand what I'm saying, sir." Arnold respectfully replied without any hesitation, "First I was part of the flying swords. I got into mess and, next, I got invited to your family, which I'm grateful for. It changed my life in ways I never thought were possible. But now I think it's time for me to be alone. I mean no disrespect but frankly, I've had enough of the family as well as the syndicate and their senseless rules. Someone like me is better off in the Eastern part of the country than here. That's why I don't think I can work with them anymore. Also, I don't think I can trust the other families after the stunt Andrex pulled off."

Nathaniel was a bit disappointed but he quickly gathered his thought. He was fairly sure that Arnold would accept his offer. After all, it was a prestigious position to be, even after the smear campaign Nathan had launched against it ever since accepting the position. Nathaniel was now wondering whether he made a rushed decision by choosing Nathan to be his heir instead of someone else. 

Never in a hundred years had Nathaniel thought Arnold would reject his offer so boldly. But Nathaniel wasn't upset about this turn of events, rather the respect he had for Arnold increased immensely. 

'If only I could adopt you to be my heir...' Nathaniel smiled as the thought popped up in his head, 'Or if Nathan had a fraction of your talents and character, I wouldn't have to come here time and time again to clear his mess. *sigh* I guess it's too late for these hopeful thoughts.'

The two of them went outside for a walk. Nathaniel didn't make any more attempts to make Arnold stay in the family. It was true, Arnold sometimes made rushed decisions like anyone else. But this time Nathaniel could feel there was something different about Arnold now. It almost felt as if he had been planning to leave the family long before all this mess happened. 

"So, what's next?" Nathaniel asked. 

"I'm thinking about leaving for some days to handle an unfinished business in China," Arnold mumbled while looking at the bright sky.

The weather had improved considerably than yesterday, or maybe Arnold felt like that because he had a clear insight on what he was going to do next. And he chose to do something that he should've done a long time ago. 

"Sudden plan?"

"Nah, I've been thinking about it for a long time. But there were always other things I had to take care of. I doubt I have to take care of anything else here, but in case anything comes up, don't hesitate to call me. Even if I've decided to leave the family, I'll never abandon the people I care about."

Nathaniel smiled gently while nodding his head. He was thankful to Arnold for saying those words. It wasn't the outcome that he had expected, but still, it was more than enough for everyone to live peacefully. After all, Arnold was just a call away.

"What about Nina and Nicole?" Nathaniel asked him again, "You should talk to them about leaving before you leave, unlike when you left for Rio. I still remember the fuss the two of them caused after she realised you were gone, haha. Maybe it's because they feel safest when you're around. Well, not only them, everyone does."

"Yeah, I'm planning to do that once everyone is done inside. The room is crowded as it is." 

"If you don't mind, there was another matter I wanted to discuss with you." Nathaniel's voice turned serious, "Who do you think would be most suited to replace Nathan as the head?"

Arnold turned his head sideways to look at the man he respected the most after his father. Arnold was... Confused. He was leaving the family so he didn't want to do anything with their internal matters, he thought he had made it clear beforehand. 

"Don't give me that look, Arnold. I know what you're thinking." Nathaniel smiled once again but this time his face was shrouded with sadness, "Nathan failed all of us and he'll have to repent for it. I didn't ask you to be the leader to make it up for the troubles Nathan caused you or to force you to stay. No, because I know no matter what we do it won't do you any good. And at this point, I'm not even sure if we can do something either."

He continued, "In my opinion, you're the first person I'd want to lead the family in my absence. But since that's not possible, I wanted to know who do you think is the next best choice? I'm asking you because now you're an outsider and as an outsider, you can give me your honest opinion on the matter."

"Well... That makes sense. Just a little bit but it does." Arnold replied while massaging his forehead.

He wasn't completely buying what Nathaniel was telling him but Arnold respected Nathaniel so he couldn't outright refuse to offer his two cents. Still, he had quite a few people in mind who could be the right fit for the job. But he wanted a leader whom he could trust and not just anybody. Especially after what happened to Nina. Suddenly a name popped up in his head. 

"How about, Allen? He might not be an S ranker but believe me with your guidance he'll become a better leader than Nathan and maybe even you." 

It was Nathaniel's turn to think now. It was no secret Allen was his son and his attitude towards both the family and his work had changed considerably since he started working for Arnold and for the better. Arnold was the one responsible for the change Allen had undergone. Nathaniel didn't know how Arnold managed to do it but he wasn't complaining. 

"Now that I think about it, I've been unfair to him for quite a while. This would be a good opportunity to mend our relationship and also, no one will question about it if the current head was replaced by his brother." Nathaniel smiled, "Since they're both my sons, we can say Nathan did his part as the head of the family and now it was Allen's turn. Brilliant idea, Arnold."

"You're reading between the lines, sir. I didn't think all about that. It's just that I trust Allen with my life, so obviously he was a prime candidate to be the next head. In my opinion."