Confined Four Years

Where the Heart Lies

~~~~~Marcus~~~~~

            Soon, Marcus could prove their intent and could set Julia free, he thought, watching the pair as they discussed Julia’s business. Even now, she looked happy at his side and that made Marcus feel irritated, but he made a promise that he would not interfere. Sophia cried out, so he watched as Zachariah stood to walk over to the bassinet. Julia had her eyes on him as well, and Marcus watched as he lifted the three-month-old from the bassinet with a gentle smile on his lips. Zachariah grew immensely while working for Julia, but to see him turn into such an amazing man. Marcus felt a little conflicted.

            In his heart, jealousy was at war with the desire to see Julia smile. Marcus watched as he walked back over to Julia, the baby in his arms, and she looked at him with that radiant smile on her lips that eased the jealousy a little. This entire situation is for her. Marcus kept repeating those words in his head repeatedly until it stuck, but the unease he feels seeing the two of them standing side-by-side would not fade easily. His eyes moved away to look at the floor, immense sadness curling through his heart at the thought that soon, this life they built would be over. Julia does not love him and never will. Her heart belongs to Zachariah.

“So, are you enjoying learning under Julia, Zach?” Marcus asked, wanting to interrupt their conversation. “She is as excellent at teaching as she is at being a mom and company head.”

“Yes, I’ve learned more valuable knowledge from her. Oh, and that reminds me. I told Julia yesterday, but forgot to mention it to you.” Zachariah looked at Marcus as he spoke with a bright grin. “Thanks to learning from Julia, I plan to pursue a degree in Computer Development. It’s fun to do the coding in my coursework and build websites. I plan to keep it up.”

            Marcus looked him up and down with a smile on his face. He stood tall, clearly proud of how far he came in the months he spent learning under Julia. Now, perhaps, it would be an excellent opportunity to invite him to Estates Realty to see what he thinks about that kind of work. Marcus nodded, confirming his decision when Julia walked towards the kitchen to prepare lunch. He motioned towards the leather sofa, wanting to discuss the idea with him. If Zachariah agrees, then that is more experience he can get without working too hard for it. Marcus’s mind went to Julia again. Perhaps there is another reason he wants to do this.

“Now that you’ve learned a bit from Julia, it’s prime time you learn from me as well.” Marcus clapped him on the shoulder as the two took a seat on the sofa. “Some practice running a business will help you in the future as well.”

            What he can do for Zachariah is help him become a better man, one that can support the woman he loves, since that is what he wants to do. He seemed shocked by Marcus’s offer before falling silent. Once he said what he felt he needed to, he simply waited for him to agree. The scent of chicken floated to the brothers from the kitchen, reminding him of lunch, and the giggle of children caused my eyes to move towards the twins where they sat playing with building blocks. Marcus hated the twins got involved in this life because of people that are only interested in them because of their future value.

“Do you think I can handle it?” Zachariah asked with a wry smile. “I don’t want to fail.”

“You’re my brother. Of course, you can.” He replied with a firm nod.

            Marcus had no doubts about Zachariah’s ability because he saw it himself. The younger man would push his limits to do what he needed to, and that was a respectable quality to have in the real estate business. Not only that, Marcus watched Zach with the kids and could tell he had the makings of an excellent father as well. Of all his brothers, Marcus knew which qualities they had best because he watched over them all these years. Zach had plenty of wonderful talents that would help him succeed in anything he wanted to do. And if he could, Marcus wanted to help him get there.

~~~~~Zachariah~~~~~

“Mister Thomas, here are the reports you asked for.” Zachariah watched the receptionist hand some documents over to Marcus. “Is young Mister Zachariah here to learn about business from you?”

“Yes. Please gather the internship paperwork for his college. Even in a Computer Development course, interning at our company will be beneficial to his education.” Marcus replied, taking a seat at his desk. “I will train him personally.”

            Zachariah had to wonder if Marcus had enough time to accomplish that. Another knock on the door startled him from his thoughts, and Trevor walked in, a full business suit covering his form. All three of Zachariah’s older brothers worked, in some capacity, for Estates Realty. Marcus was the CEO, of course. Trevor was a lawyer, and Aiden was the head of the financial department. Many in the business world knew about the Thomas brothers, but Zachariah rarely thought of them like that. After all, the four of them grew up together, so he knew them personally. Trevor glanced at Zachariah before looking back at their eldest brother.

“Zach is doing some training here?” Trevor did not seem surprised by this, but Zachariah knew he was. “I thought he was only training under Julia.”

“No, the agreement we had with mom and dad was that he would learn from the both of us.” Marcus replied, motioning the youngest to come over to him. “First, we are going to teach you about the financials of Estates Realty. I’ll be calling Aiden in shortly to work with you on that.”

“So, I’ll be working with all three of my big brothers.” Zachariah stated, turning to look at Trevor. “Reminds me of when we were kids, to be honest.”

“You’re right. We haven’t all worked together on a project in years. I think the last time was when we were all in grade school.” Marcus said, causing Trevor to laugh. “Miss Martha, can you send Aiden in here when he is available?”

            The secretary nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Zachariah shifted awkwardly, reminded of what Trevor asked a few weeks ago. Of course, Marcus already felt pretty sure of where Zachariah’s feelings were, but the fact Trevor knew means someone must have told him. He walked over to Marcus and looked at the paperwork he held, hoping to distract himself from Trevor’s eyes. His brothers, Marcus, Trevor, and Aiden, were all successful, and though he was close in age to Aiden, Marcus was eight years older than him. The numbers on the page would not register in his head despite his best attempts, and he heard Trevor sigh a little.

“How are Julia and the twins doing? And the little one?” Trevor asked as he looked at Marcus, causing Zachariah to freeze. “I can understand why you didn’t tell mom and dad, especially after the party last time, but did you really have to hide her from me?”

“They’re fine.” Marcus replied, clearly not wanting to discuss this, and Zachariah could understand why. “The same as always.”

            It was a cold shutdown, the usual for Marcus. There is, of course, that Sophia was not Marcus’s child, but how did they all think Marcus loved Julia? Looking back at it now, anytime someone asked after her, Marcus never said much. It should have clued the brothers in or something, though the brothers only ever believed what their parents told them. In some ways, they were just as guilty as their parents were for being oblivious. Julia especially avoided going to family get-togethers, even though she became part of the family when she married Marcus. Zachariah let out a soft sigh, hoping neither of the brothers caught it.

“Is Julia coming to dinner this weekend?” Trevor asked when Aiden popped his head into the room. “We haven’t seen her in a couple years and as her brother, I’d like to talk to her.”

            Of course, he thought, glancing at Marcus. There is no way those two cannot tell that something is off with the fact that Marcus does not bring his wife around the family. If only they knew the truth as well. That Julia and Marcus only married because of the blackmail. That the reason the twins even exist is due to it as well. Zachariah looked back down at the paperwork when Marcus offered it to him and released another quiet sigh. He will not be the one to tell them the truth, but he hated that this resulted from their parent’s greed. A wonderful woman, forced to marry a man with no love in his heart. It was definitely unfair.

“Julia already has plans for this weekend.” Marcus stated before walking over to Aiden. “I want you to train Zach on financial management. Also, some numbers here look a little weird. Teach him how to spot those differences.”

“Honestly, big bro, I don’t see how Julia puts up with your cold personality.” Aiden said with a chuckle. “She must be a braver woman than I thought.”

            She was. Zachariah knew she was a very brave woman, and wanted to tell his other brothers so, but kept his mouth shut. He still could not let himself believe he was a suitable match for the older woman. He tried to focus on the things Aiden was telling him, but his mind remained stuck on Julia. On the last time he saw her that morning, before they left for work. Today, she wore a pink turtleneck and dark blue jeans, and the fresh look on her body remained clear in his brain. Aiden snapped his fingers a few times in Zachariah’s face and he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“You were in the clouds, eh?” Aiden asked with a laugh. “Must be tough to get any sleep with a baby that small in the house.”

“Huh? Oh, Sophia sleeps through the night, so there’s no problem there.” Zachariah replied, tilting his head as he spoke. “I was just thinking about blue jeans.”

“Blue jeans?” Trevor questioned with a dumbfounded expression. “Oh. Do you miss your jeans? I see Marcus put you in a suit today.”

            If that was what they wanted to think, Zachariah was fine with it, but a glance at Marcus told him the truth. Trevor and Aiden may not know, but Marcus does. They just saw her this morning, after all. Zachariah averted his gaze from his eldest brother and looked back at the paperwork, doing his best to find the discrepancies Marcus mentioned. If someone was stealing money from the company, he would do his best to help his big brother find it, though Zachariah had an idea as to where the money was going. Clearly, Aiden did too, if the expression on his face was any indication.