Episode Ten
1622 Words
Chapter Ten
Marie's POV
I woke up to a weak body. How long had I slept? That thought soon vanished as soon as I set my eyes on my pillow.
I knew something was suspicious about the pillow. It wasn't the normal fluffy foam but a hard/soft one. It was just as comfortable as any other pillow out there.
Wait...that was my boss. How did I end up sleeping beside him?
While I was still wondering how I ended up here, my eyes caught a small scar on his chin. It was so small that it required rapt attention to notice.
That scar was familiar. I had seen it somewhere.
"I'm a perfect guy, with perfect features."
"Is that so? Hm! Let's see...aha! You've got a scar on your chin. It's so small and not too obvious."
My heart began to beat so fast as though it would fall out of my chest. He is the one-the father of my triplets.
I remember telling him he wasn't as perfect as he thought he was.
Did he know I was the one all this while? Oh my! If he did know, then I don't think he would treat me the way he always had.
With an impulse, I stared down at my Virginia region and sighed in relief. Nothing happened. Then back to his face.
Now that I looked closely, I could see the resemblance he had with my kids-all three of them. How did I not notice those sea-blue eyes? All my kids had the same eye color.
God! I think I'm going to pass out. The man I had been searching for over the past five years of my life was my boss. My annoying and arrogant boss.
Now I see where Kelvin got that fearless, nonchalant attitude from.
I was supposed to be happy. I should be rejoicing, but I felt sad. I didn't know why, but I felt the urge to disappear and go far away from him with my kids.
Oh Lord, please don't let this man recognize me. I was staring so deeply that I didn't notice his eyes were wide open.
"What? Enough staring already. I know you've never seen a perfect and good-looking person before, but your state is surprisingly making me uncomfortable," his voice resonated and pulled me back to reality.
"Um...I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable," I said, my face flushed red in embarrassment. And surprisingly, he smiled.
For the one month I have worked with this man, I had never seen him smile at anyone, more or less me.
"How long have you been awake?" he asked while his big palm landed on my head, stroking my hair backward. Why was he doing that? It felt really awkward.
"For...a while now," I responded, and he nodded.
"Alright, let's get going. Your mom and sister are expecting you," he said, and I nodded.
"But before then, what would you like to have?" Who knew Lazarus Grey was such a gentleman? What made him change his attitude towards me? Anyway, I don't care. It was better this way.
"Nothing, I'm not hungry," I responded.
"Are you sure? When was the last time you ate?" Good question. When was the last time I had food?
Maybe I was a little hungry.
"Oh! Anything would do," I answered with my face bent downwards, while he chuckled.
I wasn't a shy person, but around him? Oh no!
After having lunch, we hit the road.
"Um...sir, is it okay if I asked...about what happened?"
"Sure, you got involved, so you deserve to know what was going on," he responded, and I smiled inwardly.
I don't know, but I really liked this version of Mr. Lazarus. Very approachable and cheerful.
"What throne was Mr. Brandon talking about?" I watched as his expression changed. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.
"I'm sorry if you....." I didn't bother completing the statement. He went mute, and I knew the rest of the drive would be silent.
After a while of forty minutes, he broke the silence.
"He wants to take over the company. He wants me to step down as CEO so he can merge it with his," he said.
I turned to him as soon as he spoke. I had more questions, but I decided to keep them to myself. I knew he wasn't going to give me any response.
"You have more questions?" he asked. It seemed as though he could read my mind.
"What is your relationship with him?"
"Brother. He is my brother."
How possible? They had two different surnames.
He could see the confusion in my eyes and decided to elaborate more.
"Half-brother. We share the same mother but different fathers. Mom's father was a famous business tycoon. She was the only child, so all his wealth and businesses were passed down to her. She split it accordingly between the both of us, but Brandon is the greedy type. He also feels he is the eldest and should get the larger share. So here we are. I have given the Enterprise to him," he said.
So sad.
"Sorry about that." I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know what I was saying sorry for.
"I am a nobody to you. Why did you give up your Enterprise to save my head? I once heard you say that the Enterprise is everything to you."
I wasn't sure what I was expecting as his response, but I was curious.
"I..."
"And..."
We started at the same time.
"You go first," he said, and I nodded.
"And what did he mean by 'YOUR PRETTY HUMAN'? He also said something about you going insane."
"Well, what kind of person would I be to have you killed in the name of keeping my Enterprise? I did say it was the world to me, but I have a conscience. Plus, even if I let you die, Brandon wouldn't leave my neck. He would use that against me too, thereby tarnishing my reputation," he explained, and I nodded.
Nothing special. Just conscience and reputation.
Why was I even expecting something more? I couldn't even understand myself anymore. I wanted to go far away from him, and I also wished to hear that I meant something more to him.
Could it be because I found out he was the father of my kids?
"And about his words, Brandon is a weirdo. He says things that have no meaning. Sometimes he talks out of context."
I wasn't satisfied with that response, but I took it.
"Oh yeah! That reminds me. I told your mom and sister that we were out on an impromptu business trip and that you were careless and forgot your cellphone at the office."
What? I could never be that careless.
"I didn't know what to tell them. If I told them the truth, then they were surely going to be worried as hell. I had to come up with something to back why you couldn't call to inform them. So don't give me that stare."
Sigh. He was right, though.
"And please let this be between the two of us. Don't tell it to anyone."
"Alright. But...are you leaving the organization?" I asked.
I know I said he was heartless and all that, but I couldn't have Brandon as my boss. He was way worse than Lazarus could ever be.
"No, I'll fight for what belongs to me and also keep an eye on you. I won't just give up. I'll call you when I get back into the office," he said, and I felt a bit relieved.
"Stay safe and take care of yourself."
We were at the front of my home. The journey was a long one.
I hugged him. I didn't know why. I think it was a sign of my gratitude towards him. He smiled and bid me farewell.
---
"Momma, you're back! I've missed you. We thought something bad happened to you."
Immediately I got into the building, Kira ran towards me and threw me a big, fat hug. I hugged her back tightly.
The thought that I might not have been able to set my eyes on them again hit me, and I began shedding tears.
I couldn't let anyone find me this way. Quickly, I wiped the tears from my face.
"Mommy!" Kelvin and Kealden chorused as soon as they set their eyes on me.
They gave me a hug also. Words could not describe how happy I was.
"Grandma, Aunt Carrie, Momma is back!" Kira, the usual hyper one, ran into the sitting room to inform Mama Gracie and Carrie of my arrival.
"Look who is back from a 'business trip,'" Carrie said, making bunny ears with her fingers and also laying emphasis on the words "business trip."
I got confused.
Mama Gracie had a gracious smile plastered on her face.
"I'm glad you finally found a lover."
What? Lover? What gave her that idea?
"Come give me the full tea of how you spent your business trip," Carrie said, dragging me away from everyone.
"Momma has a lover? Yay! I can finally have a daddy!"
What now?
"Yayy!" all the kids chorused.
How did they know what having a lover means? They were just five.
"This is the 21st century. Kids know everything," Carrie said in her defense because I suspected they must have heard something about it from her.
"Alrighty, KC Squad, go upstairs and focus on your homework, while Mommy and I discuss adult issues," Carrie said, and they all obliged.
"KC Squad?" That's new.
"Yeah, it's our squad. That's the least of my problems now, though. Tell me about it."
Huh! This is going to be a long afternoon.
- Writer
