His Unloved Wife

CHAPTER 7

Carl went out onto the balcony to get some relief from the stuffy atmosphere of the gathering. He felt the refreshing night air sweep over him, providing much-needed relief. Tucked up in his thoughts, he leaned against the railing.

The stillness was broken abruptly by a voice. "You're right there! We were beginning to fear that you had permanently left us behind."

Carl turned to find his parents standing there: Richard, his father, exuding his customary aura of control, and Emily, his mother, looking sophisticated in a dazzling gown. He felt a rush of emotions, including relief, fear, and a strong desire to win his parents' favor.

His voice strained, "I just needed some air," he answered.

Emily, ever the observant, sensed his discomfort. "Everything alright, son?" she said, her voice tinged with worry.

Hesitant to reveal himself to them and shield them from the chaos of his life with Angela, Carl paused. He parted his lips, but it appeared as if his words got stuck in his throat.

"Well?" With an irritated tone, Richard nudged. “This is a night to celebrate, isn't it? Now at last, you have the CEO position of your own. All of us are very proud of you”.

Carl looked at his parents, pride engraved on their features, but something didn't seem quite right. The happiness seemed artificial, even dramatic. He made the decision to look a bit closer. "So, how do you feel about... Angela?"

His query had an aura of uneasiness and tension hanging in the air. Emily gave a little cough, her eyes fluttering nervously. She said, "Angela seems very... nice," but she was apprehensive. "We haven't had the chance to interact with her much yet."

“That reminds me”, Richard said, clearing his throat. “How is your beautiful wife doing? She should be here at your side, isn't she?”

Carl was filled with a sudden annoyance. He acknowledged, "That's the problem," and proceeded to describe in great detail his altercation with Angela. He described her disobedience, her bitterness towards the agreement, and her unwillingness to go to the function.

Emily's expression flickered with disgust as he spoke. Her lips were firmly pursed in a nonverbal rebuke of Carl's bullying ways. But Richard remained expressionless, staring at the glistening metropolis below.

Carl concluded, and they were suddenly enveloped in a thick quiet. Emily finally said something, disappointment evident in her voice. "Carl, a union based on such hostility is certain to fail. You must both have effective communication skills and empathy for one another."

Richard gave a throat clearing. “But for the sake of the business's reputation, appearances must be kept up. You must figure out how to put on a unified face, even only in public."

Carl let out a sigh as a wave of hopelessness passed over him. Between Angela's intense independence, Damon's hostility, and his parents' expectations, he felt imprisoned.

Emily kindly said, "Maybe we can talk to her. Perhaps there's room for compromise."

Carl felt a spark of optimism burn inside him. Perhaps his parents had access to Angela that he did not. They were distinguished from him by their diplomatic style and cool head, which stood in sharp contrast to his own impatience.

He said, "It's worth a try," as he felt a little burden leave his chest.

Richard abruptly cleared his throat and became more serious in his speech. With a note of nervousness in his voice, he remarked, "Carl, there's something else you need to know."

Carl knitted his brow. "What is it?" he said, feeling a hint of dread setting in.

For a few while, Richard paused, looking from Carl to Emily and back again. "It's about your... inheritance."

Carl was uneasy when he heard the term since it seemed so weighty. He was aware that Damon and him were at odds over his inheritance, but could there really be more?

Richard apologized, saying, "There's more to the story than we initially told you." "There's someone else who may have a claim..."

The small optimism that had sparked inside Carl was shattered by the discovery, which weighed heavy in the air. His inheritance, the very thing that had made his marriage to Angela possible, was now in question.

With a voice tense with shock, he repeated, "Someone else? Whom? How could they possibly make a claim?"

Emily moved forward, stunning everyone with her forceful touch. "There's a young man, Marvin," she said, using a sympathetic tone. "He claims to be your father's son from a... previous relationship."

Carl sneered. "A son in hiding? That is ridiculous! Something like that wouldn't be kept under wraps for all those years, Dad."

Richard let out a sigh and gently sagged his shoulders. “Sadly, there's additional. Years ago, Marvin's mother sent your mother a letter threatening to reveal the affair unless we reached a sizable settlement."

Carl was filled with rage. "Threat? How were you able to let them off with it?"

Unshed tears filled Emily's eyes. “ Carl, we were scared and inexperienced. We didn't want Damon's or your future to be destroyed by a controversy."

Carl gave a shake of his head as the realization hit home for him. "So, this Marvin... what does he want now?"

Richard gave a throat clearing. "He has declared openly that he is the rightful owner of the Regaleon empire and has just returned to the nation. He's even threatened us with a lawsuit."

Carl felt an icy sense of foreboding. This was turning into a nightmare. His parents had been keeping a secret from him for years, and now it threatened to destroy both his business and his already precarious marriage.

With a voice that was almost audible, he questioned, "What are we going to do?"

Emily gave him a tight squeeze. “We'll handle it together as a family. Our attorney, Jason, is currently investigating Marvin's allegations. Hopefully, we can come to an agreement before things get out of hand."

Carl was less sure about himself. Marvin's very presence placed a pall on his inheritance and his whole future.