Ch. 4: Coincidence

“My son, you are ready. More mature than I could ever have hoped you to be. Find a wife. I’ll give you a year, I can get your grandfather to allow you to lay low and manage your own until then. If you haven’t found a wife by then, let’s hope your grandfather would still find peace knowing that you will have a love like we imagine for you.”

“Thank you Father.”

With that, Derreck stood up and walked out of the study. He was determined to marry a wife that was not at all bothered by the money or the benefits, but a wife that would love him, despite all odds. She also had to be able to stand on her own two feet and defend him when he needed her to. Derreck received the blessing from his father that he needed; nevertheless, he had to find a wife. Derreck walked out of the home and walked next door to his home. When he walked in, one of his body guards greeted him.

“Senior Gray.”

“Jared.”

“Sincerest apologies sir. We are supposed to keep you in our sight at all times. When you asked, we kept a safe distance, but still made sure to be there if you needed us.”

“I am grateful for your services Jared.”

Derreck made his way into the long hallway that led into the dining area. There was a beautiful marble table near the window, adjacent to the kitchen. Above it, there was a beautiful chandelier that sat high but had unique markings. On it, was a frosted glass with embossed dragons lined with gold, providing a different level of creativity. The kitchen was HUGE! Inside the kitchen was very open and spacious. The stove was created specifically for him. It had 8 burners with a griddle in the middle and had a very wide range above it with the fan and microwave attached.

Across form the stove, was the island and it was picturesque. Solid marble countertops, traced with flecks of gold; above it was the pot rack. It was high enough so that he wouldn’t bump anything if he had to cut vegetables. Derreck didn’t have a personal chef, as he insisted on making his meals all by himself, so he got to cooking. He made some vegetable soup in a red broth with some rice and baked chicken. Once finished, he took a seat at the island and thought about the events from that day.

As he unfolded the events in his mind, Derreck paused. He finally realized that the coat he had been wearing was missing. Flustered, he tried to remember where it was, then reality struck. He had never received the coat back from Leah. With this thought, a small smile appeared on his face as he thought about her; he was going to get his coat back tomorrow. Just then, Joshua, Derreck’s little brother, walked into the kitchen. He was about to speak, but noticed the faint smile that appeared on his brother’s face; he was shocked.

“Brother.”

“Joshua, have you been causing trouble lately?”

“Not at all Derreck. What’s that smile on your face about?”

Derreck just realized that his smile was still evident on his face and quickly replaced it with an indifferent expression. Joshua awaited his brother’s response.

“Nothing. Why are you awake? Shouldn’t you be asleep for school in the morning?”

“Derreck, I’m 14, not 6.”

“That doesn’t mean you can be awake all hours of the night.”

“Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

Derreck had completed his meal by now, so he turned his head and arched his brow at his little brother. He patted the bar stool next to him, indicating for him to take a seat.

“What’s going on little brother?”

Fidgeting with his hands, Joshua didn’t know how to approach his brother with the situation. Derreck knew that whenever Joshua fidgets, he’s nervous about something. His interest was piqued even further upon noticing his brother’s anxiousness. Joshua spoke slowly but with hesitation.

“You know how we wanted to know more about our birth mother right?”

He paused, awaiting his brother’s response.

“Go on.”

“Well, I couldn’t find much except for the fact that her name is Janice. Up until 10 years ago, she disappeared without a trace. I couldn’t find anything further after that. I’m not sure if we should pursue it; seems like she doesn’t want to be found Derreck.”

Joshua ached for his birth mother, but how could he know if she wanted him or his brother. They both sat in silence for a while before Derreck spoke up again.

“Got it. Let’s put it to rest then. If she wants to be found, something will put her in our path. Don’t worry little brother, I’ll find you a sister-in-law soon enough.”

“Really? Then I take it you had your talk with dad.”

“I have. He’s given me a year to find a wife. I had my conditions, but nonetheless, I have a year to marry, or at least be engaged.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be a problem for you Derreck, since you receive a lot of attention!”

“Well little brother, it’s not the attention I want. You should head up for bed now. Aimee, please take Junior Gray to his room.”

“Yes Senior Gray.”

She respectfully bowed to Derreck and ushered for Joshua to walk with her to his room. Derreck got up and walked over to the cupboard and grabbed his scotch that he keeps in his private stash. He grabbed a crystal glass and proceeded to pour him a double neat. He sat in the dimly lit living room with his thoughts. Derreck spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.

“Jared, please lock and arm the house.”

“Yes Senior Gray.”

With that, Jared double-checked to make sure everything was locked and armed. He stayed near his boss’ side in silence. Once complete with his scotch, he made his way upstairs after placing the glass on the coffee table and entered his room. He owned the master suite in the house and a master suite it was! There was a double king-sized bed in the middle of the room, constructed of cherry wood. Next to it was a large-sized night stand. Derreck sighed deeply; he was tired of sleeping in this big ass bed alone!

He walked into the bathroom and took a shower. His bathroom was very large; it had a double vanity, 2 stand-alone showers with a bench and an oversized bathtub. Right next to the bathroom was his walk-in closet. Sure, the Gray’s had money, but it meant nothing if he couldn’t spend his life with someone.

After taking his shower, Derreck walked out of the bathroom dressed in black satin pajamas. He walked over to the left side of his bed, placed his phone on the charger and laid in the darkness. It was now 4am. Derreck couldn’t sleep and the only thing his mind rested on, was the woman he met just hours earlier. She was different; not like any other woman who would throw herself at him. She seemed to not know who he was or she didn’t care. Derreck tossed and turned for another hour before finally drifting to sleep.

The next morning was Friday. Leah got up around 7am, since she had to work, but she decided against it since she didn’t want to show her face at the company. Then again, why shouldn’t she show her face? Why gave those scumbags the pleasure and satisfaction of thinking that they had won?! Though her heart was still broken, she decided to go into the company. She went down to the lobby and purchased a pants suit, a coat, a small purse, some makeup and some heels. The best way to let them know they haven’t won, is to look the part!

She went back up to her room and dressed for work. She put on makeup to cover the puffiness from her eyes; although the swelling went down, the puffiness and the redness still remained. She used some concealer to hide them away and put on some simple makeup. The pants suit that she purchased was a curvy set; the pants and the blazer were both purple, while the blouse was white. The heels she had gotten were also white, to accentuate the color of the pants and not add a gloominess to it. She had some of her jewelry from the previous night, so she knew she had to collect her things from the Jackson residence and figure out a place to stay for the time being. She curled her long black hair and let it flow down her back like a waterfall.

She placed her coat over her body, placed her things in the clutch that she had just purchased and walked out of her room. She made sure that the door was closed completely behind her, before making her descent down to the lobby. As she was exiting the elevator, she paused, noticing the handsome man standing at the desk. When she paused, their eyes met and he walked over to her slowly.

“Mr. Gray, what a coincidence seeing you again. Were you looking for me?”

He smiled faintly before replying.

“I was Miss Jackson, but not for harsh reasons. I realized when I returned home that I didn’t have my coat with me. Do you still have it?”

“Oh shoot! Yes, I do. I can grab it for you, if you don’t mind waiting here?”

“I’ll come up with you.”

“Sure, follow me.”

They made their way over to the elevator and pushed the 25^th floor. As the elevator gently made its way to the 25^th floor, Derreck couldn’t stop himself from staring at the woman, who had seemed to make a turnaround. He admired her spirit and her change in attitude was definitely different from the previous night.

Ding!

They had approached the 25^th floor. Leah unlocked the door to her room and walked inside. She walked over to the coat closet near the television and grabbed his coat from inside. She passed it to him and gave a warm smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Gray for your kindness once again. I didn’t mean to trouble you last night. We can head back down together, I have to head to work now.”

“Where is your workplace, I can take you there.”

“Nonsense! It’s on the other side of town, besides, I’ve troubled you enough!”

She smiled warmly once again and attempted to walk out, but he grabbed her wrist gently. With her back turned to him she replied.

“Mr. Gray, we really have to stop meeting like this. I can manage from here.”

She turned to face him, her piercing blue eyes were like daggers to his soul.