Heidi quickly found Bruno almost immediately after he finished his meeting with
Maximilian. It was obvious to her that her husband was in a rather good mood, which was not the least of what she was expecting.
Upon seeing his pregnant and loving wife concerned about him, Bruno grabbed her hand and twirled her around in a brief dance-like maneuver before hugging her close and kissing her. The act was even more unexpected than his gleeful demeanor, causing Heidi to make a comment on it.
“I’m surprised that a simple conversation with your brother could make you so happy; is there something I should know about?”
Bruno chuckled as he petted the woman’s silky gold hair before enlightening her about the conversation he had and why he was in such a good mood.
“That scoundrel actually tried to steal from me, but I put him in his place. It’s all good; besides, I leave him only to find my lovely and beautiful wife scurrying after me in a hurry. Why wouldn’t I be happy? Were you so worried about me that you must do such a thing? Shouldn’t you be in the kitchen ensuring our daughter’s cake is properly made?”
Heidi was indeed a bit embarrassed upon hearing such a thing. She honestly expected Maximilian to try something foolish and, in doing so, enrage Bruno. But he was instead in a good mood. It was truly a bit humiliating, as she had so brazenly run away from Bruno not long prior, citing a need to check on the kitchen staff.
Yet here she was, no more than an hour later, in the process of running after him. Yet she couldn’t be mad at Bruno; in fact, Heidi was certain that simply wasn’t possible for her. Instead, she spoke about what the security had told her.
“I ran across Paul earlier; he said that your brother Maximilian had dragged his wife and children out of the estate in a hurry. His face was red, so no doubt you must have given him quite the slap in the face for him to act so disgracefully. Are you sure everything will be alright?”
Bruno shook his head and sighed before admitting getting along with Maximilian was unlikely to occur and overall was a foolish endeavor to aspire to.
“Unfortunately, even as brothers, I don’t believe there is anything in this world that will ever compel the two of us to get along. God himself could descend from the heavens and decree it thus, yet Maximilian, I fear, would stubbornly refuse such a heavenly demand.
He is a foul wretch of low cunning and ruthless character. And frankly speaking, nothing good would come from involving ourselves with him and his family other than the most basic of pleasantries they are afforded as my kin.
Now come, darling, I’m sure our children are in need of our supervision.”
Just before Heidi was about to speak of her lament toward his poor relationship with his brother, a voice interrupted them, confirming that their children were well looked after. It was a voice that they were both all too familiar with, as it belonged to Bruno’s father, who shared the same name. He had a warm smile on his face as he spoke to his youngest son and the man’s wife, who he believed was the daughter he never had.
“Oh, my grandchildren are fine without the intervention of their parents. Elsa is currently looking after them. You know how your mother is, Bruno; she will make sure those little tykes of yours behave themselves.
But I fear Maximilian’s departure has left me with multiple questions. Would you mind if I speak to you alone for a few moments? If that is okay with you, my dear?”
Obviously, Bruno’s father was referring to his wife, Elsa, and not Bruno’s youngest daughter, whose birthday it was today. As for Heidi, she quickly smiled and parted ways for the two men to speak, referring to her husband’s father as if he were her own as she did so.
“Not at all, Father. Bruno, I will be heading back to the kitchen if Mother is taking care of the kids. If you need me, you know where to find me. Until we meet again, my love.”
After saying this, Heidi scurried off to do as she had voiced, while Bruno’s father grabbed hold of his shoulder and patted it thrice before expressing his exhaust with a heavy sigh and a voice filled with regret.
“What did that wastrel of a son of mine do now that would compel him to go scurrying off like a pitiful roach that has been exposed to the light without saying a word to his parents?” Bruno chuckled slightly as he thought about what he had said to Maximilian. He had promised not to turn the man into the authorities, but he had made no such vow in regards to their father. Because of this, he was more than willing to speak of what had been said behind closed doors.
Implying to his father as he did so that it was a long story and that he should prepare himself for it.
“How much time do you have, Father?”
The aging patriarch of the von Zehntner family narrowed his eyes, quickly reading between the lines, so to speak, as he ensured Bruno he had more than enough time on his hands to hear the full tale without actually saying it.
“I suppose we should find some place quiet to discuss this, shall we? Preferably away from potential prying eyes and unwanted ears?”
Bruno nodded his head before leading his father to his private office, where he had just spoken to Maximilian. He revealed the full extent of the conversation that was held in this very room not long before, but this time over drinks with his father.
When Bruno’s father came to learn of Maximilian’s unscrupulous plots and schemes, he was quickly enraged, making a promise to have his son learn a valuable lesson about such roguish behavior.
“That little shit! I help him get a position where he doesn’t have to do much work for a good paycheck, and this is how he repays me? By trying to steal the merit and worth of a greater man than himself and sully our family’s reputation in the process?
It’s good that you told me about this, Bruno. I will make sure that brat of an older brother of yours is never in a position to do as he has confessed to you. Do you have a phone here in your office? I need to make a quick call, and I am afraid it can’t wait…”
Bruno quickly motioned towards his office’s personal phone before assuring his father he was more than free to use it.
“By all means, I’ll pour us another few drinks while you make your call…”
After doing this, Bruno’s father had a lengthy conversation with various individuals in the government, ensuring that Maximilian was not only fired from his useless bureaucratic job at the Patent Office but also thoroughly investigated for potential theft of intellectual property.
Luckily for the man and his family, he had not acted upon his ill intents thus far and was thus only dealt a pink slip for his villainous schemes. And though Bruno didn’t realize it yet, his father would go the extra mile.
He would do this by cutting Maximilian off from any financial support that the family may have been providing him until he could redeem himself, and even mentioned how if the scoundrel dared to shame the family with any further criminal acts or conspiracies, he would be thoroughly disowned and would be forced to change his surname altogether.
When Bruno came to learn of Maximilian’s downfall that had been wrought by his own hand, Bruno couldn’t help but wonder whether or not karma was actually a cosmic force that affected all life in the universe, or if this was some divine ploy by God to punish the wicked with subtle actions that one could never be entirely sure he was responsible or not. What was the saying again? “When you do things right, people won’t be sure you have done anything at all?” Perhaps that was a philosophy Bruno should take to heart. Or maybe he would continue doing things the way he had already done so thus far in this new lease on life.