Business Only

Brian

I thought about Oliver's own situation, and it was difficult to contain the expression of pity since he seemed to be the only one who couldn't perceive that his own wife, Martina, was a snake and didn't seem to love their daughter, little Eloá, at all.

Douglas and I had tried to warn him about that fact, but he seemed enchanted by his wife, not realizing that she had a different demeanor in his presence than who she truly was.

When she was in front of her husband, Martina spoke with a high-pitched and sweet voice, pretending to love her daughter. But we had already seen her without Oliver around, and she was extremely malicious, treating her daughter with genuine contempt.

I didn't want to go through something similar, and I would not put myself at risk in any way. In addition to my own experience, I could still witness my friends.

"I greatly appreciate your honesty in your positions," I said.

"But you're going to do what you want and how you want," Douglas was right.

They had been my friends long enough to know that nothing could deter me from an idea once I was determined.

"Can I count on your help?"

"If you're set on it, all we can do is support you," Oliver said as he got up from his chair, pulling me into a "men's" hug.

"That's right, my friends," Douglas said, being the next one to embrace me. "We'll be uncles, Oliver!"

*****

I arrived home well past 8 p.m., which was usual for me since I always stayed late at the company. But for a few months now, I had been feeling that something was missing in my life, and the prospect of having a child was causing increasing anxiety.

Coming home to a child, who would be cared for and loved by my aunt, just as she had raised me, would be a wonderful feeling, and I was certain it would bring a new vigor to my monotonous life.

"Good to see you home, Brian," Aunt Melanie greeted me as I entered the living room of the upscale apartment we shared in New York.

"Good evening, Auntie," I replied, kissing her on the cheek after dropping my briefcase on any random armchair and collapsing onto one of the sofas, a dark green hue that matched the beige curtains and the spacious, elegant living room's carpets.

My aunt was a woman of simple tastes but appreciated all things beautiful and valued organization. She took care of me with great affection, just like a mother would. The mother I never had.

"I was waiting for you to have dinner," she said.

Upon hearing that my aunt had not yet eaten, I picked up my briefcase again and hurried towards the stairs leading to the second floor of our triplex. I didn't like it when she chose to delay her dinner to wait for me.

"I'll take a quick shower and be right down."

I took a quick shower and soon returned to the living room. We proceeded together to the dining hall, where we liked to have our meals, despite the table easily accommodating twelve people while there were only the two of us.

I loved my aunt because she had always been by my side, supporting me in every moment, even when she didn't agree with my choices.

"Have you told the boys about your decision yet?"

The "boys" were Douglas and Oliver, whom she treated as if they were still teenagers and not men in their thirties, which they actually were.

"I gathered them this afternoon to tell them," I said. Seeing her inquisitive expression, I understood that she wanted to know more than that. "Both of them don't agree that this is the best way, but they will help me in this new endeavor."

I had decided that it was time to expand our family, to generate an heir to carry on the legacy I had built with great effort and dedication, but I had no desire to get married in any way. I didn't even want a long-term relationship because I was more than satisfied with superficial involvement with women who piqued my interest.

My encounters were purely about sex, and I had no intention of changing that, let alone involving a child in the equation. I could never be sure that the woman I chose to start a family with would be a good mother to my child.

I disliked uncertainty, taking risks, and shooting in the dark; it wasn't an option for me.

"Is that what having a child is called now? Endeavor?" My aunt disagreed with my idea of having a child through artificial insemination with a stranger, but I wouldn't be swayed from my decision, and I told her exactly that. She knew me well enough to know I was telling the truth.

But I could never disrespect the person who had always treated me with so much love, sacrificing even having her own family just to take care of her nephew. She was my only family today, aside from my friends whom I considered as brothers, and for that reason, I would always treat her with affection, even when we disagreed, like at that moment.

"That's what I'm calling it, Aunt," I said, reaching for her hand and holding it gently. "I ask that you understand me, but if that's not possible, I would still appreciate your support."

My aunt took care of our home with great care and had always been incredibly loving towards me, raising me since I was just a baby. My mother abandoned me on my father's doorstep without ever contacting us or showing any interest in her abandoned child.

My aunt and my father were the most important people in my life, and they had shown me so much love. It was only fair that I returned that love. After my father passed away ten years ago, it was just the two of us, and she continued to take care of me as if I were a teenager, despite being a thirty-two-year-old man. But I loved her, and I wanted to count on her help in raising my child.

"I will always support you, Brian," she replied, returning the affection in my hand. "I wish you would find a good woman and start a family together. But each of us must make our own choices."

"Thank you, Aunt," I said, kissing her cheek.

"I can't wait to have a baby in my arms again," she spoke, filled with emotion.

"Soon we'll have a child here with us," I said confidently. "I'm sure it won't be long until I find a woman who meets the requirements I desire and who can then conceive my heir."

"She will be conceiving your child, Brian," my aunt scolded me. "This won't be just another business for you, and we won't treat it as such. That's all I ask of you, my nephew."