Fate in Captivity

Chapter 12- The Closure

(Aubrey)

We are still standing here at the parking lot, staring and weighing who would talk first between us. he already said something and in a usual conversation, it is now my time to answer and voice out my thoughts, I want to say something, my mind definitely was sure on about what it should say, but my voice won't come out, it feels like there is something restraining it from coming out. I just let out a deep sigh and silently get in the car, I decided to take silence, much safer than voicing out my thoughts, if that would lead me into deep regrets, I should say. I saw him following me with his stares and just eventually get in the car. He began driving, usually he would say something arrogant and that is the time I would answer an opposition to his arrogance, an opposition that would continue the conversation even if it was just some nonsense subject conversations, at least the atmosphere is not awkward as this one. 

"Do we have to continue this type of silence?" he asked to me and I just looked at him. 

"It's up to you." I plainly answered. 

"I haven't called mom, I don't know if she is still there." he said to me and I did not answer him. 

"Aren't you too quiet?" he asked to me and I just looked at him only. 

"I don't have nothing to say, should I yell in here?" I sarcastically answered to him and he just chuckles. 

"That's the real Aubrey that I know." he answered and I just rolled my eyes. 

"Call your mom, let us go back if she is not available today." I firmly said to him and he began calling his mom. 

In just three rings, his mom immediately answered and of course in a high cheerful tone as the usual. 

"Mom! Where are you?" he asked to her, sounds like a huge momma's boy to me. 

"Chilling with my friends, why?" his mom answered. 

"Aubrey and I were on the way to the company. I offered her a tour, she haven't been there." he explained to his mom. 

"Really?! Then meet me here at the hotel across our company. I would like to introduce her to my friends." she suddenly said and I was surprised. I looked at him and signaling him that he should decline that suggestion as I am not ready for some social interactions at this time of the day. 

"Of course! We would love to!" Julius exclaimed and his mother ended the call. 

"What have you done?" I asked to him in disbelief. 

"What did I do?" he innocently answered to me and I just scoffed. 

"You want me to mingle with those women?" I said to him and he started laughing. 

"Mom would always love to boast you to everyone she knows. You became her daughter and she abandoned her own son." Julius jokingly said to me and I just chuckles. 

"I am not used to those kinds of conversation. I don't have those interesting stories they loved to gossip with." I answered to him and I felt that he held my hand after he parked his car in front of the hotel's entrance. 

"What are you doing?" I simply asked to him and looking at out hands stuck to each other. 

"Directing a show." he answered and grinned at me. He get off and I put off the seatbelt around me. I was about to open the door for me, but he already did it and smiled at me while offering his hand as my assistance. 

I looked at the people around us and they were looking like there is really some show going on and there were actors recording the scene. I just accepted his gentle attitude and he intertwined his hand on mine- like we are really a great couple in the making. We entered the hotel and people are greeting us especially the employees of this place. We directly head towards the huge café located in middle of the ground floor. We entered and his mom cheerfully waved at us, being the great and caring son like he is, he also waved at his mother and showed our hands clasps to one another. I forcedly put it down as people are looking at us, I just smiled at his mother as soon as we arrived at their table. 

I looked at them, his mother has three companions and they were all the same age as his mom. I just smiled at them and greeted them in politeness. We sat down but Julius was still holding my hand tightly like a child scared to be lost in the crowd. 

"Is this your soon to be daughter in law?" A woman asked and his mother softly chuckles. 

"Of course, she is gorgeous, right?" his mom said and they nodded in agreement. This is very embarrassing. 

"Aubrey, introduce yourself to my friends." his mom said to me and I looked at them. 

"I am Aubrey, owner of Imperial department store." I introduced myself and gave them my call card one by one. 

"Imperial? That huge department store at the heart of the city? That was amazing!" another woman was surprised and gave me a compliment for it. 

"Thank you for your kind words." I just answered. 

"So, if your son got married with her, can we also have the benefit for it?" another woman asked and Julius' mom just laughed. 

"Come on Elsie, don't ask me that in front of the owner itself." his mom answered. 

"Just tell your name and you can buy everything we got." I intervenes and they exclaimed in approval and excitement. 

"You sure is not only beautiful but also kind, Julius must be so proud of you." That Elsie woman said to me again and we just smiled. You just don't know the true score between us. 

"I am afraid that we cannot stay any longer, we planned to give her a tour today, so if you would excuse us, we should be on our way." Julius said and they acted disappointment. 

"Just call me and I would to attend your needs." I just said to them before we finally left. 

"You looked so great, dear." his mom said and clings his arms on mine. 

"Thank you, ma'am." I answered and she suddenly remove her arms and looked at me in displeased. 

"I told you, you should call me mom." she said and I just chuckles. 

"Right, sorry mom." I given up and just called her the way she wanted. She smiled at me now again and start clinging her arms again. 

"Mom, are you abandoning me?" Julius suddenly intervenes and just pouted for his mom. 

"Shut up, Julius. I already lived with you for almost 20 years." his mom said and I just laughed. 

"That was disappointing mom." Julius answered and acted like he was sad or upset. 

We walked towards the building for their company. We entered and as usual, employees are greeting and bowing at them. They just smiled and even nodded when someone was doing it, so I also did the same thing as theirs. Here in their company, they have their own elevator directing to the floor of their offices, at the highest floor of this building, it has three offices for each one of them. Especially now that Julius was still not the president and his parents were still have that title, or should I say his dad. We get in the elevator and I was surprised when I saw the number of floors they have here, it was a total of twenty floors, much like some hotel buildings but for the fact that they are only a clothing brand- this place is sure huge than I have expected. 

We get off and the floor looks so bright, mainly because of the huge glasses around the floor that acted like the huge windows from the outside of the building. The bright sunrays from the sky also contributed to it  knowing that we are at the twentieth floor, feels like I could even touch those clouds. 

"This is the president's room, his father's office." mom said and she opened the door. His father was sitting by his huge desk and currently doing something with those documents. 

"Honey, Aubrey is here." mom said and Julius' dad looked at us. 

"Aubrey! It is good to see you again!" his dad exclaimed and lightly hugged me. 

"The pleasure is mine, sir." I answered nonchalantly. 

"Did we already told her that she should now start calling us mom and dad?" Julius's dad said and asked to mom. 

"I already told her but she was not listening to me." mom answered and I just chuckles. 

"I am sorry, I am not used to this kind of scenarios, mom and dad?" I said and slowly said those last words, like I was specifically emphasizing those to them and they just laughed. 

"That's it, much better than earlier." dad said and we just laughed. I don't know why am I doing between then, trying to look good and pretending I am definitely alright with everything. 

"I think I should now have some time alone with her, you are scaring her." Julius suddenly said and I just looked at him as I scoff. 

"Just admit that you wanted to go on a date with her." dad said and Julius laughed. 

"I tried dad, but her protection shields are difficult to infiltrate." Julius answered and his dad laughed in return. I don't know how much I should exercise my jaw line for this. 

"You can do it, son. I already got your mom with my determination." dad cheered for him and Julius just said farewell and dragged me outside the office. 

"You can now let me go." I firmly said to him and we stopped walking. He looked at me and slowly letting my wrist go. 

"How could you be so cold with me but when you are with other people your face looked like was about to explode from smiling." he said to me and sounded like he is complaining. 

"I believe you already knew the reason for it." I plainly answered and start walking. 

"Let us have a serious talk." he suddenly said and dragged me at the rooftop, much cliché places for dramatic scenes, huh.

"What do you want us to talk about?" I asked to him as soon as we reached to top and forcedly remove my hand from his grasps. 

"About us, our past selves." he answered to me. 

"If it is just about that, we don't have anything to talk about." I was about to leave when he grabbed my hand again. 

"I lied to you that day, Aubrey. I know I should not let you humiliated from that huge crowd but what can I do?" he said to me and I somewhat felt his genuine feelings. 

"Really? Why do you have to lie?" I asked to him, hoping I could hear some good excuses from him. 

"I already knew from that time that I was about to have an arranged marriage to a woman that I don't know. My parents won't tell me the identity of the woman, they only said that it was for the success of the company. I don't have any choice." he answered to me. 

"You see, I am not hurt when you rejected my feelings, I already admitted and expected it at the back of my mind that there is no way you would like me back. But you ignored my dignity, my courage to confess to you that day, I lived those final years of school life in humiliation, people would taunted me, they were saying that I was shameless, overconfident and there were some involving my family. How could I not get mad at you?" I continuously said to him. 

"That is why I felt apologetic with you. The moment I discovered that you would be my arranged wife, I want to be good to you, to make up with you." he said to me and acting like pleading.

"Julius, I get your point and I told you, I already forgave you. But the wound would still be here, don't wait for it to be cracked open again. We can continue that arranged marriage but don't expect me to act like nothing happened, we could have our own lives even if our fate were already entangled. You don't have to jail yourself for the thought that you should do something for me- I am okay, and I would be okay alone." I firmly said to him and left him hanging. I don't want any drama, if he wanted closure just to keep him going forward, I would give it to him. 

Just closure to make things normal as possible. 

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