Chapter7:ShatteredSilence
1085 Words
The meeting room was unusually still when the last words left Mr. Garcia’s lips.
The long mahogany table gleamed under the ceiling lights, but to Miguel, it felt like a mirror reflecting his humiliation at him.
He had walked into the room determined, prepared, even hopeful. Hours had been spent fine-tuning proposals, rehearsing his delivery, and ensuring every loophole was covered. Yet, with each idea he presented, his father’s face grew stiffer, his eyes colder.
“That will not work.”
“No, the figures are not convincing.”
“Perhaps it’s better we wait until Mateo is available.”Mr Garcia said without sparing Miguel a glance.
The last sentence stung the deepest.
Miguel clenched his fist beneath the table, his knuckles white.
“Mateo. Always Mateo” he soliloquized
Even now, when his brother was confined to a hospital bed after the accident, it seemed his shadow was still enough to eclipse Miguel entirely.
“Maybe I would have ended his life, the accident was not sufficient to erase him for a while,” Miguel thought to himself
The meeting ended with a firm bang of the gavel.
“We will adjourn until further notice,” Mr. Garcia announced, his tone sharp and final. “There’s no need to make hasty decisions without Mateo’s input.”
The board members murmured among themselves, a few exchanging sympathetic glances in Miguel’s direction, but none daring to voice what lingered in the air: Miguel had been dismissed, diminished, disregarded.
He stood there, his chest heaving with restrained fury, while his father gathered his files with the calm precision of a man who had already made up his mind.
“Father,” Miguel began, his voice tight, “you didn’t even give my suggestions a chance” his voice trembled with emotion
Mr. Garcia didn’t even look up. “You’ve done what you could. But this family’s future requires more than half-measures.”
Half-measures.
The word detonated inside Miguel’s chest.
As the boardroom doors closed behind his father, Miguel remained rooted to the spot, every nerve in his body aflame. His jaw locked, his thoughts spiraled, and he pressed his palms against the cool wood of the table as though steadying himself against a storm.
The truth was inescapable now, more glaring than ever: no matter how much effort he poured in, no matter how much he bled for recognition, it was never enough. His father had already chosen who mattered most.
A bitter laugh slipped through Miguel’s lips. “Always Mateo,” he whispered into the emptiness of the room.
Miguel sat at his office, his eyes fixated on the scenery visible through the glass-to-floor window.
The lines on his forehead creased as he was reminded of his father’s preferential treatment.
Despite the ideas he suggested at the meeting, none of them was valued.
His eyes darkened, his eyebrows pulled together tightly, forming deep lines on his forehead.
Interrupting his thoughts, his phone buzzed.
He narrowed his gaze at his screen, it was Mateo, his lips curled with frustration.
The lines on his forehead creased as he stared at the screen.
Anger churned violently inside him, cracking open memories he had long tried to bury. He could see it as clearly as if it were unfolding before his eyes again, the countless times his father had pushed him aside, choosing Mateo instead.
His mind took a trip down memory lane,
The stadium lights burned bright against the twilight.
Ten-year-old Miguel stood on the pitch, dust on his cheeks, his small chest puffed with pride. He had just hit the winning shot, the one that sent his team into victory.
“Daddy! Did you see that?” Miguel ran toward the bleachers, eyes glowing with excitement.
But Mr. Garcia’s gaze wasn’t on him.
It was fixed on Mateo, who hadn’t even played. Mateo sat on the bench, fiddling with the glove too big for his hand.
“You’ll do better when it’s your turn, Mateo,” their father said, patting his shoulder. “You’ll be a natural.”
Miguel froze, his smile faltering.
He had just won the game, yet his father was already dreaming of Mateo’s future. His triumph evaporated into silence.
Interrupting his thoughts, his phone whizzed.
He lowered his gaze at his phone screen, it was Mateo.
His eyes dropped in disappointment, and he sighed in disgust.
After much hesitation, he picked up his phone
“Hey,” Mateo said in a deep hoarse voice
“Hey,” Miguel said with a frown forming on his face
“I heard about the meeting, How did it go?”
The question triggered the anger he had been trying to control
“It was adjourned” he snapped at him
“What do you mean it was adjourned?”
“Well, since you couldn’t attend the meeting, Dad adjourned it till whenever you are back on your feet” he raised his voice slightly, his tone sharp
Mateo readjusted his position on the bed
“The meeting would have gone on without me. Besides the Doctor told me to take a break from work, so I’m going to be away for a while”
“I don’t know how long it will take” He added
After a pause
“But you can handle things in my absence right?”Mateo asked, his voice gentle
Miguel remained silent as thoughts ran through his head
“What did Mateo take him for? A replacement in his absence? He wasn’t even sure if he was competent enough.
What did he think of himself?
His mind raced as his eyes darkened with anger, and he clenched his fist controlling himself from exploding
“Hello, are you still there” Mateo asked as he wasn’t hearing any sound
“Yes I am, I was deep in my thoughts” he replied
“How is Remi and the little boy ?”Mateo’s lips curved in a smile
“They’re all good” He replied
After a comfortable silence
I was busy before you called so I would like to go back to what I was doing” He frowned again
“Sure thing Yh,” Mateo said
Miguel immediately hung up, tossing his phone far from him.
“Fool,” Miguel said
“You don’t know what is in stall for you, that’s why you are still able to talk. By the time I’m done with you, you will regret sharing the same womb with me” Miguel soliloquized.
- Writer
