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- If there was one thing that Trevor Dryden taught his oldest child and only son, it was that family is duty. And through time, the next lesson was learned: a man’s duty is his honor. Samuel was the oldest of the Dryden siblings, and therefore had the responsibility to look out for his younger sisters regardless of the situation. That, on top of the expectations of his father, pressed Sam from an early age. In every manner of speaking, Samuel was the model son. He excelled in school, showed a keen interest in the family business, and was the apple of his mother and father’s eyes.
- While other siblings, like Beth, had bucked their father’s expectations for the family, Sam saw the opportunity before him as an awesome responsibility, and he was desperate to uphold it. There was never a misstep, poor decision, or reckless antic to be spoken of as he came to maturity in their family home in Wilmington, and when it was time to choose a university for his undergraduate, he was happy to carry the family mantle and attend Duke University, naturally majoring in business. He was an eager student, acclimating well to a vibrant social and academic life. And for those four short years, his worldview was a bit wider.
- Although, Samuel was never truly that far from home, and certainly not when Beth needed him. He was always the reliable sibling when she and her friends needed booze for a ridiculous high school party, her firm call in the middle of the night to come and pick her up so that their parents wouldn’t get mad, even if it was a two and a half hour drive back and forth. In the end, they knew neither Grace nor Trevor would question their darling boy’s return home, if only for a weekend.
- Samuel had always had great aspirations for his life, even if that didn’t necessarily mean traveling the world, or moving far away to have space from his family. In truth, it meant coming home to help his father with the family business, and there was no mistaking he was good at his job. When it came to the Dryden siblings, Sam would always be the unifier. It all harkened back to his father’s teachings, even if Trevor hadn’t honored the belief in its truest sense over the years. He would always be there for his sisters, and particularly for Beth during her pregnancy after Martin had left. And truly, Ellie’s birth was the first great blessing in Sam’s life.
- But it wasn’t always easy being the glue. Always expected to be the pillar of strength and fortitude, it was only behind closed doors that he could let himself feel the strain and effort it took to be the golden boy. After having reached the age of thirty, Sam was coming to realize that life was rather difficult lived in an emotional solitude. A workaholic by blood, it was perhaps only due to proximity that he’d eventually grow to have an intimate relationship with his assistant. But after a while it grew from convenience to… love.
- Sam was quickly ensconced in the office tryst, the thrill of sneaking around, of running off on weekends away to the family lake house for privacy. It was thrilling to have something all of his own, even if he knew that, at the least, his siblings would support his happiness. But no one has ever really outsmarted Trevor Dryden, and it was on one of those weekends away that his father confronted the both of them. Right before Samuel’s eyes, Trevor offered her an ultimatum: stay with Samuel and have to leave Dryden Corporations Inc., or take a $100,000 bonus and move to their Singapore office. For Trevor, it was to show Sam that her affection was not truly for him, but for the money he had, and the empire he one day would run. But for Sam, it was the ultimate betrayal, and eventually, a crushing defeat. The woman that Samuel was beginning to believe was the love of his life accepted the offer of money and a transfer, and it was the last time he’d laid eyes on her.
- After that, Sam’s rose-colored glasses for his father and the family business were shattered. It was difficult, and ultimately impossible to forgive his father for preventing his first opportunity at honest happiness. Electing to take a year away to help open their Dallas office, it was a welcome respite from having to face his father directly every day. As close as he was to Beth, he found himself able to articulate his grief without admitting the secrets he’d kept from her, and it all felt too selfish a burden to place upon her as she was raising a newborn.
- Four years have gone by since the incident, and Samuel was beginning to realize that when it came to Dryden Corporations, not all that glimmered was gold. His misgivings of the intentions of the company, and his father, were starting to form a sinkhole in his chest that he was still unsure of how to remedy. If Trevor had been willing to do what he’d done to Samuel, what else had he done in the name of ‘family’? And if he was capable of such selfish acts to those he loved, what would he do to those who’d wronged him in business? These were the questions that kept Samuel Dryden up at night, wondering when he’d finally be able to feel like he could breathe again.
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