Four
700 Words
“Come over here more often, Eliot” his father said as they sat at opposite sides of the table, having dinner
“I’m very busy with work, father” Eliot responded
“You were not busy when I called you earlier” Elias said with a smirk on his face. He obviously knew how busy a day at the office could be but he was trying to lighten the mood
“That…that was different, I needed to clear my head” Eliot responded as if trying to defend himself
“Oh I know, I didn’t mean that” his father responded after which they sat in a comfortable silence, just eating their food.
“You called me over because you had to discuss something with me, or so you said” Eliot started, breaking the silence
“Yes, I did but we would get to it after dinner. For now, let’s enjoy our meal together” Elias replied with a slight smile on his face
“Or are you in a rush to get back?” He continued
“No sir” Eliot answered simply, he knew better than to try and contend with his father’s decision
After they were done eating, the maid cleared the plates from the table and Eliot just waited till his father started the conversation
“I wish your mother was here, she would have been in a better place to say this” Elias said, avoiding eye contact with his son as tears filled his eyes in remembrance of her
He didn’t want to bring her up but knowing how much Eliot loved and missed his mother since her passing, he knew involving her would make it easier on him to inform his son
Eliot held his father’s hands and looked away
“We had an agreement with Belmont group long ago and now is the time to fulfil it” Elias started
Eliot just nodded slightly in response, urging him to continue
“You are getting married to the daughter and heir of the Belmont Group, Naya” his father said in one breath, finally making eye contact with him
“I am not” Eliot finally spoke as he removed his hands from his father’s hands and stood up from his seat, making his way to the door
“For your mother’s sake” Elias said and Eliot stopped right before the front door
“Please hear me out for your mother’s sake” he repeated
Eliot knew that his father was up to something when he mentioned his mother earlier and he wanted to walk out the door regardless but he just couldn’t move further after hearing what his dad just said. He turned around on that spot and folded his arms across his chest as raised his eyebrows as if giving his father permission to speak
‘This would be even more difficult than I thought’ Elias let out a heavy sigh as he thought out loud
“She always talked about how she would be the one to break the news to you when the time comes because she knew she had a way with words you would listen to her regardless” his father started and Eliot just stared at him
When Eliot didn’t respond, he continued
“It was an agreement Everett had with Belmont Group long ago, we did better together, we pulled numbers and topped the charts together, they’ve saved us from major setbacks. It seemed like a good way to establish the relationship between both companies”
Eliot still didn’t say anything, he just stared at his father without emotion
“That’s okay” he said finally breaking the silence
“It is?” His father asked
“Yes, I would marry her, whoever she is. An agreement is an agreement so I would do it to save face” he said again
Elias was shocked, he was definitely not expecting it to end so soon but was grateful it did
“I’ll be on my way now, goodnight father” Eliot said as he walked out the front door and to his car, not even waiting for a response from his father
- Writer
