Elm Creek: A Readymade Family, Volume 1

23

TWENTY THREE

The deal was not as quick and easy to conclude as Hâroon had been hoping. Charles Tyrell found several points in the contract that he wished to challenge. Hâroon had been prepared for these arguments by his supervisor, however, so he was not taken by complete surprise and was able to hold his own quite well.

The meeting did teach him a few things about Charles Tyrell though. It didn’t take long for him to discover Tyrell’s main incentive. It wasn’t a love for the animals or an interest in farming that drove him, unlike most farmers. It wasn’t even about the customers; it was the money. Whatever brought in more income was what Charles Tyrell pursued. He was the prime example of a big business “farmer” who had monopolized the industry to the extent that traditional family farms, like his own, were going bankrupt across the country and closing down. A man who had never worked the earth with his own hands or toiled under the sun until his muscles were sore and he dropped from exhaustion had no right to own a farm or run one. Hâroon could not recall disliking someone so avidly—except for maybe Lila. He and his father had done business with owners of neighboring farms many times, and none had been as self-serving, mercenary, and self-centered as Charles Tyrell.

Hâroon had the passing thought that this was the kind of farming life that would have appealed to Lila. The long hours and the dust and grime that went hand-in-hand with farm work had repulsed her. She hated having to look after the house as he worked from sunrise to sunset; and had never hid her disgust if he came in sweaty or dirty from working. If she had married someone like Tyrell, she would have been put up in a mansion that had no business existing on a farm, wouldn’t have to lift a finger to even cook or clean, could entertain and throw society parties as much as she would have wished, and probably wouldn’t have to worry about children since Charles Tyrell didn’t appear to like them. This lifestyle was the very opposite of the life Hâroon knew as a farmer’s son, but it would have definitely suited his entitled, self-centered ex-wife.

It took about an hour of discussion and arguing before Charles signed the contract. Hâroon had never been so relieved to end the business and hoped he’d never have to deal with him again. Hopefully Eckhart could find another employee to visit Tall Oaks when the time came to renew the contract, if the company wished to do so. Tyrell wasn’t exactly one Hâroon would wish to do business with long-term.

“I assume we’re done here,” Charles Tyrell said as he passed the signed contract to Hâroon.

Hâroon nodded, placing it in his bag to be returned to his supervisor at the earliest opportunity. He would probably stop by his home after leaving Tall Oaks. However, whatever relief he felt about finalizing the contract was short-lived. Just as he was closing his bag, the door flew open and the very same maid that had been assigned to watch his children stood in the doorway, looking quite panicked, and his immediate thought was Yusrâ and Ibrâhîm. He didn’t fail to notice that they weren’t with her.

“Mrs. Drew!” Charles thundered in outrage in a tone Hâroon thought no person had the right to speak to or address another person in. “You know you are not to come in here when I am busy!”

The woman hesitated a moment, obviously intimidated by her employer’s anger but then she pushed back her reservations to speak. “It’s the children, Mr. Tyrell! That boy is uncontrollable. You must do something!”

Charles turned to Hâroon, raising an eyebrow, his disapproval clear. “I knew allowing children would be trouble,” he grumbled as he pulled himself to his feet. “Scott, I think you need to round up your children now. We’re done anyway.”

The housekeeper sighed in relief and then turned to leave the room. “This way.”

The two men left Charles’s study and followed the maid. She led them to the library. The three adults walked into a disaster zone—even Hâroon was slightly shocked.