Stand by me

38. His past.

Alfred was born into a family of international business tycoons. Not only was his father, Ramirez Hill rich but his mother was too. But the two were so engrossed in their pursuit of wealth that they neglected their child and they didn't even notice that he had autism. 

Alfred's childhood was spent hiding away from others and locking himself in the room. His parents also added pressure on him to be the best in school just to show off their son's high IQ. Alfred always figured things out for himself so he started making things in his room. 

His classmates called him a nerd but a smart one indeed. Despite being good in many fields, he was apprehensive of joining any competition. This went on until he graduated from business college in the States, the course his parents chose. Not that it stopped him from diving more into computers and technology. 

During a tech fair, Alfred finally found three friends who had the same idea as him. Stone, who was older than them adapted to engineering. Jaleel, who was his age mate and more into cyber security, and Farah who was younger and a hacking genius. They worked together on many projects which got great recognition and had plans of starting a high-tech company together. 

Things started becoming rough when in an elimination competition, Stone was eliminated in the first round. Even though the others were eliminated later on, he still felt angry that he was the first to be. It turned into a heated argument and even as Jaleel and Farah tried reasoning with him, he accused Jaleel of being too secretive of his codes but shared it with Farah because they were of the same religion while Alfred was his best friend, which wasn't true. They all agreed to work together but still had their secrets and Jaleel had to keep his since he dealt with security. 

He accused Farah of supporting Jaleel for the same reason and she supported Alfred because they were in a relationship. Alfred tried to reason with him but he accused him for being arrogant for always winning and that he would never be who he was now if he hadn't met them. Despite their trials, he ended up going solo. 

In the next competition, Stone used an underhanded method and stole ideas from another group and when he was in the finals with his ex-teammates, his deed was exposed and he was arrested. They only heard later on that the man had escaped. 

Jaleel got a job and even though he didn't tell Farah and Alfred where, they understood that his job must need secrecy. Alfred met a great trial in his life when he told his parents of his desire to marry Farah. They didn't agree with it at all because of her religion and this made him finally break all ties with his parents. With his best friend as a witness, they got married. 

But fate had more install on him as the happiness in the marriage only lasted a month. He didn't know what got into his wife as she started acting unruly. The bad characters she shunned before because of her religion, she indulged in them now and when he started talking to her about it, she complained that he was oppressing her. Alfred tried to understand what she meant but she became rude and her behavior was worse. 

All hell was let loose when she found out she was pregnant. Even when Alfred was happy, the first thing Farah did was hit her stomach constantly while crying that her life was ruined. 

That day, he caught her with a contraceptive and immediately flung it out of her hand but she laughed since she had taken it already. Alfred had to rush her to the hospital and luckily, the child wasn't aborted. It took all of him to beg her not to abort the child. Farah eventually agreed to give birth to the baby. Not like she took any safety measures and he has to stay vigilant all the time. 

She gave birth to Joseph but had no intentions of taking care of him and even hurled insults at her son. When she finally threw him on the ground in an attempt to get rid of him, all the patience Alfred had snapped and he got her arrested. 

Alfred rushed Joseph to the hospital as he watched his baby with a bandaged head connected to a tube and live safer, he couldn't help but break down. He watched how his son had seizures and had to stay in the hospital for almost a year. 

He got a nanny to help him out and it broke his heart how his son would sit while the food slipped out his mouth. It took a long time before he started becoming normal. Alfred got ties with Jaleel because he felt that the crime Farah did affect all the Muslims around him. He grew up with no one and when he trusted someone, they broke him beyond repair. He didn't trust anyone and in just four years, he built Hill Corp to what it was today. 

Some people are born soft and they ride a roller coaster of fate and it makes them cold as ice. Is it their fault or have they failed their test? Will they win on their own or will they find someone who will assist them? 

……

"Do you think that it's Alfred's fault that he is like this?" Old Xav asked with a painful sigh. Safiyya shook her head and blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes. You can't judge a book by its cover but it's human nature to be like that. You never know the reason behind another's behavior until you find it. Even though she didn't get her father's love, at least her Ammiy was there to support her. She didn't let her have a painful childhood. If a broken home can destroy a child, she doesn't want this to happen to Yousef. 

"I know that it's a selfish request but I hope that Alfred will be able to see the light of the world again," Old Xav said as the car stopped before a silver gate.  

She gave him a tight lip smile. "Sir Alfred has been tested a lot in life and it shows just how much Allah loves him. I just hope that he can pass it successfully," Her mind told her that these were words from the prophet but she couldn't help but hope for the best. 

Safiyya glanced at the gate and on the walls were security switches. It blinked of blue light before the gate silently opened. She was greeted with the sight of a white modern building. It was a small mansion with a defined design and flat roofs. There were flower bushes aligned beside the wall and she could see Alfred's car by the side. 

Old Xav parked the car and they came out. The front door to the house opened and the father and son duo came out. Joseph was in his uniform while Alfred wore a grey suit. He raised his head and his eyes met with Safiyya's and he gave a brief nod before bending down and saying something to Joseph. The boy turned around and beamed after seeing his mummy. 

He rushed down the stairs and ran toward her. She opened her arms and hugged him. 

"You came," he raised his head and smiled at her. 

"I promised right?" Safiyya smiled when Alfred walked over. "Good morning," she greeted politely and he hummed in response before speaking to Old Xav. "Thank you old Xav," 

Old Xav waved his hand.

"No problem Alfred. Joseph?" 

Joseph turned his head and Old Xav smiled at him. "Have a nice day and be a good boy okay?" 

"Okay, Old Xav," Joseph bobbed his head. 

"I'll take my leave," he said and entered his car to leave. 

"Let's go," Alfred said and walked to his car. Safiyya held Joseph's hand and they entered the back seat after Alfred opened the door. He stirred the car and drove out of the house.