Six Years Later, He's My Boss

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ambelyn woke to the sensation of someone gently shaking her shoulder.

"Mama. Mama, wake up."

She blinked her eyes open slowly, as she was disoriented for a moment by the unfamiliar ceiling and kept blinking, trying to remember where she was and if she had been kidnapped without her notice.

Then everything came rushing back to her, as she processed it—Wednesday's apartment, the divorce, the new job that she had managed to get.

She turned her head to find Iniko standing beside the bed, already fully dressed in his school uniform.

"Baby?" She pushed herself up on her elbows, squinting at the clock on the nightstand.

Six-thirty in the morning.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"I got ready for school," Iniko announced proudly. He did a little turn to show off his outfit—navy blue pants, white polo shirt, and the school sweater with the St. Augustine Academy crest embroidered on the chest.

"See? I brushed my teeth and everything."

Ambelyn sat up fully, her heart squeezing at the sight of him, so adorable and innocent.

His dark hair was slightly damp, combed neatly to one side. His face was scrubbed clean, and she could smell the minty toothpaste on his breath when he leaned in close.

"You did all this by yourself?" she asked, reaching out to straighten his collar.

"Yep! And I ate cereal too. The kind with the marshmallows that Aunt Wednesday has. And look—" He held up a small plastic container filled with various pills.

"I organized my medicines for today. The white one is for breakfast, the blue one is for lunch, and the pink one is for after school. I remembered, see?"

Ambelyn's vision blurred with sudden tears as she batted it away, trying her best not to let her son see her crying this morning, he would only get worried and think he did something wrong.

Her five-year-old son had gotten himself ready for school, fed himself, and organized his own medications—all because he was so desperate to return to a normal life, so eager to be a regular kid like the rest of his classmates again.

"Come here," she said softly, pulling him into a fierce hug.

"You are the most amazing, responsible, wonderful boy in the entire world. Do you know that?"

Iniko giggled against her shoulder, as he hugged her back saying.

"Mama, you're squishing me."

"I'm allowed to squish you. It's in the mom handbook." She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, studying him carefully. His color was good—not the grayish tinge he sometimes got when he was overtired. His breathing seemed steady and he looked healthy.

"How do you feel? Any chest pain? Dizziness?"

"I feel good," Iniko insisted.

"Really good. The best I've felt in forever. Can we go to school now? Please?"

Ambelyn glanced at the clock again. "School doesn't start until eight-thirty, baby. We have plenty of time."

"But I don't want to be late. What if Miss Chen gives away my seat? What if all the good spots at the reading corner are taken?"

The anxiety in his voice was real. Ambelyn realized that after months in the hospital, after having his entire world disrupted, Iniko was clinging to the idea of school as something stable and predictable, something that he could return it, and everything would be exactly like he left it.

"Tell you what," she said, smoothing his hair back from his forehead.

"Let me take a quick shower and get dressed, and then I'll make you a proper breakfast. Not just cereal with marshmallows—real food. And then we'll head to school with plenty of time to spare. Sound good?"

"But I already ate—"

"Cereal is not breakfast, it's dessert pretending to be breakfast," Ambelyn said firmly, climbing out of bed, stretching her body as she continued speaking.

"You need protein and vitamins, especially on your first day back. Non-negotiable."

Iniko pouted but didn't argue further with her, agreeing with her.

Ambelyn ruffled his hair and headed for the bathroom, her mind already racing through everything that needed to be done before they left.

The shower was quick but scalding hot, washing away the last traces of sleep from her body.

As she stood under the spray, Ambelyn mentally cataloged her concerns about sending Iniko back to school.

St. Augustine Academy was a prestigious private school—the kind of place where the Blackwood name carried weight. Thomas had insisted on enrolling Iniko there despite Ambelyn's concerns about the competitive atmosphere and rigid academic expectations.

The problem was that Lucas Blackwood—Thomas and Veronica's son—also attended St. Augustine. And while the boys were in different classes—Iniko in the genius class, Lucas in remedial courses that his parents paid extra to keep quiet—they shared the same homeroom and locker area because of their surname.

It was a situation that was ripe for disaster.

Ambelyn dressed quickly in jeans and a simple sweater—she didn't start at Thorne Industries until Monday, so she could afford to be casual today since she would be at home all day, worrying about her son and if he is having a good time.

When she emerged from the bedroom, she found Iniko sitting at the kitchen table, his small hands folded neatly in front of him, his medication container placed precisely beside his empty cereal bowl.

"Ready for real breakfast?" she asked, opening Wednesday's well-stocked refrigerator.

"I guess," Iniko said without much enthusiasm since he felt it would be a waste of time.

"But we should hurry. I really don't want to be late."

"We won't be late, I promise." Ambelyn pulled out eggs, cheese, and vegetables. "How about an omelet? With toast?"

"Okay." Iniko swung his legs under the table, his feet not quite reaching the floor.

"Mama? Is Lucas going to know? About you and Mr. Thomas not being married anymore?"

Ambelyn's hands stilled on the egg carton as she tried to think of how to answer this. She should have known this question was coming.

"He might," she said carefully, turning to face her son as she continued speaking.

"News travels fast, especially at schools like St. Augustine. But baby, if anyone says anything mean to you about it—if Lucas or anyone else tries to make you feel bad—I want you to tell your teacher immediately. And then tell me when I pick you up. Okay?"

"I don't care if they know," Iniko said, his voice firm in a way that reminded her painfully of herself earlier this week. "Lucas is mean anyway. He's always mean. I'm glad we don't live in the same house anymore."

Ambelyn's heart clenched. "What do you mean he's always mean? Has Lucas been bothering you at school?"

Iniko shrugged, suddenly fascinated by the placemat in front of him. "Sometimes. He says stuff. Like how I'm not really a Blackwood because I'm sick and weak. And how his dad says I'm not worth the money it costs to keep me alive." His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Is that true, Mama? Am I not worth it?"