Chapter Eight.
1723 Words
Clyde's POV.
“Over there is the head of Linklines. And… the lady in the blue suit next to him is his secretary.” Neil droned. I zoned out and cast glances around, my heart thumping against my chest.
All I could think about while we walked towards the conference hall was Genesis.
Michael was my son. I didn't know why, but I was certain of it.
“Are you okay, boss?” Neil asked, staring at my furrowed brows.
“Yes, I am okay, Neil,... but I'm sure I'll decide which companies I'd like to work with here in San Francisco. Just focus on putting together enough experienced hands for the team we're looking to build.”
“Okay, boss,” he replied, taking the hint that the conversation was over.
The air was thick with murmurs of conversation around us, the atmosphere utterly different from Los Angeles.
There were no familiar faces and the occasional stares my presence would have amassed was absent.
This suited me, but not as well as I thought it would.
I clenched my jaw, ignoring the feeling of unease creeping up my spine. I wasn't bothered by the unfamiliar atmosphere, it was the thought that Genesis was somewhere among this crowd swarming into the hall.
Reflexively, my eyes searched the unfamiliar faces conversing along the way, and I saw her.
My breath caught in my throat and I couldn't look away.
She looked gorgeous. Her hair was swept back elegantly, and she was clad in a tailored dress that hugged her in the right places. But her appearance wasn't the only thing that struck me. She looked…different. Poised and confident.
Adrian leaned closer to whisper something in her ear and she smiled softly before replying. My stomach clenched and bile rose to my throat. My palms closed tightly, and I wanted to punch something…or someone.
As if she sensed my gaze, she looked across and our gazes met.
For seconds, her eyes glazed over with surprise and hurt, but her expression turned cold in a jiffy. She looked away and turned to listen to Adrian saying something.
Like fate was playing tricks with the seating arrangements, I was ushered to a seat two rows behind her and I watched as she held her shoulders rigidly, her gaze never faltering as speaker after speaker mounted the stage.
I tried to focus, but my gaze kept drifting towards her. Memories that I had tried to bury clawed their way to the surface.
Rome.
“Don't you think this is wrong, Clyde?” She had asked one night as we both rode down the high of powerful orgasms.
“Wrong?” I asked, stroking and sniffing her hair.
“You're my boss and this is wrong…”
“Tell me you don't feel right about this,” I drawled in her ears, my palms caressing her boobs as I covered her mild protests with my mouth.
After what felt like an eternity, the last speaker was ushered off the stage with a round of applause and luck shone on me.
Someone approached Adrian and they moved away to speak.
I turned to Neil. “Wait for me in the car, I have to talk to someone first before we leave.”
Neil hesitated, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Of course,” he said finally, rising to his feet.
As he walked away, my attention shifted entirely to Genesis. I walked purposely towards her.
“Let’s talk somewhere more private, Gen,” I whispered behind her ears. She gave me a murderous stare and I followed my request with a “Please.”
She stood up and started towards the garage. My eyes caught her swaying hips and I felt a tightness in my groin. Memories of nights I had spent gripping those delicate hips came rushing.
“What do you want, Clyde?” She spun around, her tone harsh.
The speech I had spent nights rehearsing in my head suddenly vanished. All I could come up with was the truth. How I was broken because of what Ariadne had done, and I couldn't bear to love her as the broken man that I was.
“Yeah, but you still went back to Ariadne that same night, didn't you?”
“That was a mistake. I can explain it–,”
“I don't want to hear it! Stay away from me, Clyde Grayson.” she snapped, walking off.
Desperate, I played my trump card. “I can't do that, Genesis! Not now– not when you're the mother of my child!”
She froze then walked back to me and whispered menacingly, “I don't know what you think you know, but my son is not yours!”
My heart skipped a beat at this.
“That's a lie, Genesis. I was the only man you were ever with.”
Her phone suddenly buzzed, and she rummaged through her bag, picking the call.
I watched her brows furrow as she introduced herself as Michael's mom.
What the hell was going on?
She suddenly staggered, grabbing onto me for support.
“What's wrong with Michael?” I demanded once she got off the call.
“He's in the hospital,... I have to go,” she trembled, running towards her car in a frenzy.
“You can't drive in this state, Gen. Give me your keys,” I insisted.
We both scampered into the car and I drove off speedily to the hospital.
The nurse at the reception directed us to the second floor after I introduced us as Michael's parents.
“He's going to be okay, madam. He has a vision issue. He was playing with another kid, and she stuck an object in his eye by accident.”
It all felt like a cruel joke. The first contact I would make with my son was when his health was threatened.
“So what’s gonna happen to my son, doctor?” Genesis asked shakily.
“Luckily, it's not life-threatening, but it could affect his ability to see. The best treatment will be using stem cell treatment from a match.”
“Okay, doctor. How do I become a match?” she asked.
“All we can do right now is test both of his parents and, hopefully, we get a match out of both of you. This is his father, right?” He asked, pointing to me.
This was the moment I had waited all week for. Since I stalked her i********: and laid eyes on the little boy, all I could anticipate was the moment Genesis would admit that Michael was my son.
“Yes, doctor. He's Michael’s father.” she answered, her eyes boring into me, daring me to say a word. I nodded, lost in silent thoughts as we all walked down to the lab.
I paced around the hallway as we waited for the test results.
Adrian Chase walked briskly out of the elevator, just as the doctor came out of the lab with the test results.
“Jesus, Gen, I'm so sorry. I got your text.” Adrian said, enveloping her in a hug.
My jaw tightened and I gritted my teeth. He suddenly noticed me.
“Mr Grayson, thank you for making sure she got here safely. I'll take over everything from here.” He said dismissively.
“It's fine, Mr Chase. I think I'll stay.” I answered, staring down at him coldly.
The doctor cleared his throat, “I'm sorry, Miss Simone, you’re not fit to be a donor as your stem cells are not a match, but his dad here is a perfect match, thankfully.” He announced with a smile.
Adrian stared at us in confusion.
“Clyde is Michael's father, Adrian.” Genesis clarified, averting her gaze.
“What th–” he got himself in check and muttered a soft “ohh,... okay,” and sank into the nearest chair.
“Let's go get you ready for the transplant, Mr Simone,” the doctor said.
“Grayson. It's Clyde Grayson.”
The doctor mumbled his apology and ushered me down the hall.
Three hours later, I stood in the almost empty hallway, staring at Genesis’ head bopping as she slept uncomfortably, with her head lolling down her side. She looked tired, and my heart tightened as I thought about how many times she had gone through situations like this alone.
I tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
“It's done, Gen. The doctors are monitoring his recuperation.” I said softly, taking a seat beside her.
“Where did Mr Chase go?” I asked.
“He got an emergency call from work so he left a while ago.”
“You should get some rest too, Gen. I can stay here till you get back.” I offered.
“No, he's my son. I need to be here when he wakes up. You've already done enough for us already. Thank you for your help so far, Clyde.” she said, offering a small smile.
“You don't have to thank me, Genesis. Michael is my son too, and I intend to be in his life from now on.”
“Are you kidding me right now, Clyde?” She suddenly flared up. “Michael is my son. MY son. Not yours. While I do appreciate everything you've done for us today, this doesn't give you the goddamn right to waltz your way back into our lives.” she yelled.
“Genesis…”
“No, don't talk! Two years ago, you talked and I listened. Now you listen! You were not here when we needed you the most, so if you think you can just walk into our lives when you please, think again!” she was damn near screaming on top of her voice now.
Every word drove the knife in my heart a little deeper, and I wished I could do things that would make her take back those words.
“Don't make this hard for me, Gen.” I moaned in frustration. She took a seat and ignored me as we waited for the doctors.
The elevator door chimed, and I stood up expecting to see the doctor, but someone else sashayed out of the elevator.
Ariadne!
What the hell was she doing here?
- Writer
