The Good Husband

The Beaufort estate remained quiet. And so when Harold's palm made contact with Jude's cheek, the slap echoed through the entire property. "Darling!" Elena gasped as she hurried over to stop her Husband from giving Jude another slap. Henry and Hayden restrained themselves to get involved. They knew better than to get on their father's bad side and sympathizing with their youngest brother right now would only fuel it. "Take the newspapers away," Hayden instructed their butler.  Every help in the room picked up the scattered pieces of pages. On the front page, a blind item anticipated being revealed the following day hints of a son from a well-known family getting one of their maids pregnant. Bullets of information point to the Beaufort family. If one was casually reading it, they wouldn't catch sight of the clues practically waving it in their faces. But if one belongs to the world of 1% where everyone knows everyone, there was no one else to take suspicion of aside from the youngest Beaufort. More than celebrity scandals, news like this has a catastrophic effect on wealthy families. Harold and Elena have seen families after families brought to their knees to never recover from a scandal. The old money Singh's of India, the Jones-Smith of US, the Zhang's of China - all of their reputation had gone to flames overnight and their names reduced to ashes the next day. It was the same old story from the same newspaper that now threatens their downfall. It would start with news about an illicit affair, embezzlement, or domestic abuse headlined as a blind item followed by a reveal the next day and the months to follow would be the featured family, declaring bankruptcy or worse, shunned from their society, never to conduct business among the golden circle of the higher echelon ever again. Harold sat down, clutching his head. His family known for running the logistics empire in Europe for generations is now hanging on a thin sheet of a newspaper. It's only a matter of time now before he receives a call from the board of directors. Just when he had planned the expansion on Asia, this blind item pops out to end them. In his mind it all made sense, Jude sneaking late in the night and into the first floor, Elena firing the maid the very same week, and Henry transferring money to a bank account which he could only assume is a bribe so the maid would not speak to any news outlet. He had been reckless to let it all pass by and now they are all facing the consequences that will lead to their demise.  Elena rubs her husband's arms to soothe him. She herself was having palpitations from the thought of the blind item breaking out tomorrow. She can make calls to the owner of the infamous publication house but that would only implicate them even further. "Dad I swear it wasn't true," Jude uttered meekly trying his best to sound convincing. He looked around the room, his brothers had already made up their mind on which side to take. His own mother shook her head in his direction, telling him not to push the argument. "-out of my sight," Harold told him with a firm voice. "Dad-" "Jude! Head to your room while we think of something to resolve this mess you got us in." Elena interrupted him. Henry ushered him out of the dining area and Hayden closed the door behind him. Jude, for most of his life, has always been alone. He was aware he wasn't as smart as Henry or as reliable as Hayden and as a result, his parents' attention and affection are hard to come by. Hayden, his oldest brother has married into a noble family, a direct relative of the monarchy of England. Henry, his second older brother runs their business alongside his father. And of course, his mother, involved in foundations and charity had upheld their family's name and reputation to the highest pedestal. Everyone seems to know their own place, except him. He grew up confined in the walls of their estate, unlike his brothers who had the freedom to go out, he only gets to see other people when there is a gala or a fundraiser event. So when he reached the legal age, Jude decided that he was going to do things his own way. But things went quickly everywhere except the way he wanted it to be. Last month, he was photographed in a bar fight that his mother had to fix by bribing the paparazzi. Last week, he was also seen with a model who his mother had also decided to pay to make her go away. Everything he does is always one step away from lighting their family on fire in everyone's eyes. Before he gains the playboy reputation, dragging the rest of his family with him, and before the news outlets get a wind of his activities, his father decided that it would be best for Jude to disappear for the time being. And just like that, Jude was once again, confined inside the walls he grew up in. The door behind him shut just when he could try to say another word. Jude balled his fist. He went upstairs and inside his room. He felt empty and cornered. He wasn't even given the chance to defend himself. "Whatever I do and say will be held against me." He whispered, defeated. His heart sank.  "I can be like Hayden too. I can go along with what they want me to do." He said to himself.  "I can be like He-" He paused and sat on the bed, "- I can never be like Henry." He laid on his back staring at the white ceiling. He bit his lips when it began to quiver, attempting to stop himself from crying. If only he hadn't given in to what the new maid promised him he wouldn't be in this situation. But regrets are meant to come once everything has been done. And remorse even later. Jude lost himself in his own thoughts. He didn't even notice it had already gone dark outside. A knock on his bedroom door had prompted him to stand up. Hayden popped his head inside.  "You should come down. Mom and Dad have something to tell you." It was enough to send Jude spiraling.  "W-what-" "Just come down." Hayden interrupted him, almost impatient. Jude nodded reluctantly. Every step he took down the stairs matches the pounding inside his chest. He was thinking about what they had come up with now to make the situation go away. Or if they thought of one. He just knew something bad was about to happen. For once the paintings of his ancestors along the wall that he was so scared of when he was a kid looks at him with pity in their eyes as if they know what was going to happen next. The dining room door was open. His family was murmuring amongst themselves. Jude stopped in front of them, his hands clamping up. Hayden had to nudge him from the back to continue walking.  "Sit down." Harold began. Jude did so obediently. "Your mom and I found a solution for this mess." He remained quiet. He could feel a lump in his throat and his feet had gone cold. "We are going to announce your marriage tonight." As if a bomb had gone off, Jude's entire surroundings turned inaudible.  "This is the only way we'll get through this." Elena went to him and patted his head. "Who- To whom will I be- m-married to?" Jude swallowed the air stuck in his windpipe. "To a Romanov." She answered delightfully like it was enough to enlighten Jude about the entire thing. There were a few distant descendants of that Russian royal blood and if he wasn't mistaken, Jude could recall a couple of ladies about his age who are still aren't wedded. But the next thing he heard from his mother sent off an even louder bomb inside his head. "To Ivan Arvo Romanov." Not only was he getting married by force in his early 20's, but he was also getting married to a man. A man who he had only met twice but had come to despise.  He looked around the room for confirmation. And it was written in their faces, ecstatic and relieved, his parents were even excited in the thought of one of them marrying a Romanov. Jude's heart dropped to the floor. Truly, this is gonna be the wedding of the century.