The loud cry of my alarm rose me from the dead. I clumsily stretch out my arm and reach for it on the bedside table, silencing its loud shrill. Normally, I would snooze it for thirty minutes, which would later become an hour, as I had no place to rush to. Now that I was out of the unemployment sector and representing a whole company, I knew giving myself more time to sleep would mess up my schedule for the day. I open my squinting eyes in protest and lift myself off the silk beddings. I walk to the window and draw the curtains, surprised by how dark and foggy it was outside. I stretch my body and stagger to the bathroom to clear my gut and freshen up. Lucas had promised to drive me to the conference location, and I did not want to delay him as I knew how busy of a man he was. I take a quick hot shower from my head to my toe, allowing the water to drip from my curls down the rivers of my back. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I was shocked that my eyes did not bear ugly bags u
I had three back-to-back meetings with private investors who were interested in my textile company, and as I planned on how best to have a merger with China's best textile company, a call came through from Vivian. I rarely ever put my phone on silent during meetings because I only had four contacts on my phone: Aunt May, Jacque, Vivian, and the recent addition, Charlotte. I never expected any of them to call me lest it was an emergency, so this call caught me by surprise. The bad kind… I swiped left, declining the call and returning my focus back to the meeting. Whatever Vivian was calling me for was surely less important than a ten billion-dollar-worth merger. After the meeting, I called her back. “Hello?” “Really Lucas? Since when do you decline my calls?” “What is it, Vivian?” I asked, my rising anger being laced with impatience. “Gee- okay…I just wanted to see if you wanted to have lunch with me at Le Bernardin. My mouth craves some seared foie gras, and Jacque said the chef
After the meeting was over for the first day, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. I call for a cab and head back to the house, hoping to catch some sleep before I could carry on with my docket for the evening which mostly included calling Terrence, calling my father, calling Kerrington, and calling Rita. Those few calls would end up covering all the catch-up with all my special people as my father would literally have the entire family including Aunt May, huddle together to receive updates as if I was a news broadcaster. Rita was currently working at a fashion house in Los Angeles. She had always been fascinated and passionate about fashion, and she managed to finally live her dream through design after she got some connections, all thanks to her partner, Luisa, who worked there too. I was so happy for her, and our face times were our only source of connection, at least until I could save up enough to visit her in LA. The distance back to the house seemed longer as more people
I stood at the entryway of my house, thinking of how best to throw her a surprise. I had not had a chance to welcome her royally into the house and back into my life. I summoned Jacque as he had often worked with my party planners and hence had some ideas on how best to create a dreamy surprise for her. I did not know much about the planning aspect of surprises and did not bother learning either. “Oui Monsieur, you called,” he said, making a half bow. More times than I ought to, I prohibited him from saluting me whenever I called, but Jacque insisted on performing his etiquette rites as a form of respect and honor. Seeing that my words were falling on deaf ears, I conceded defeat and instead glowed in the glory. “Yes, Jacque! Kindly oversee the preparation of multiple delicacies for Charlotte. I would like for us to welcome her into our abode the Lucas Benjamin way. Order the freshest and finest from the groceries store and get her some red wine, it’s her favorite.” A smile crept
“This is quite an extravagant surprise, I must say,” words finally came out of my mouth. Jacque was standing beside me, his eyes cast on the table before us, ensuring everything was set where it was supposed to be. “Thank you, Lucas. Really, you didn't have to.” I added, sharing eye-contacts him. He moved away from Vivian as if she was suffering from a deadly illness, and stood near the rails, his hands in his pockets. “It was no bother,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders calmly. I could not keep my eyes off them, as they stood on the higher floor, together. Vivian left the vicinity and disappeared into the right wing where her room was. I shifted uneasily as we all watched her leave, giving her her moment to grace us with her astonishing beauty. I was envious of her, truth be told. She was a successful lady with a lot to admire – her confidence, her arrogance, her self-awareness, all these were traits I lacked. I admired her clothes, she always seemed to look flashy and on-tren
I had a piece of everything I could devour, and the satisfaction that I felt afterward was one for the books. The juices in every bite and the crunch in every pastry were exactly what I needed in my life. Jacque poured me a glass of vintage wine from France which contained some espresso and chocolate flavor, leaving my tongue craving more of the tannic drink. “Thank you, Lucas. This was amazing!” I told him, looking at him as he sat casually on the seat, barely touching his food. His eyes were cast on me still, which made me feel naked again. “Lucas! Did you hear me?” I asked, concerned. Still, he did not shift his eyes, which were now traveling down my chest. I hit my fork lightly on the fork, which made him snap back to the dining room. “Huh? Sorry! You said something?” He asked, embarrassed that he had been caught red-handed. “Are you okay?” “Yeah, yeah, don't mind me. I'm good.” He cleared his throat, changing positions on his seat. He was sitting across from me, and his
I stayed in my room, thinking about Charlotte. She had enjoyed the surprise I had Jacque prepare for her, which filled me with contentment. As I lay on my bed, I could not help but anxiously wonder where our date tomorrow would be. As much as I had looked forward to having a swim with her, this other option was much better. We had not heard a serious conversation since her arrival, and I felt both scared and hopeful that we would get a chance tomorrow. I made a mental note to ask my assistant to find the best restaurants to take her, as I rarely ever put much thought into dates. When I moved to New York, my heart was still broken by the distance between Charlotte and I. When girls tried to flirt with me on campus, I would bawl them away disinterested. When Mark and I became close, he often tried showing me the tricks of dating, assuming that I was just scared to confront girls. The truth of the matter was that I was not interested in anyone else but my Lotte. As late as I was in pr
I opened the door to see Vivian leaning on my door frame with a bottle of scotch in her hand. She seemed pretty drunk already, and if not for her slight stagger, I would have failed to notice as she perfectly applied make-up did not give any hint of insobriety. She smiled when our eyes met, and I could not help but ponder on whether she had heard my moans before. For how long had she been standing there? “Hi Vivian, how long have you been standing there?” I voiced out my thoughts unconsciously, worried about what she might think of me. “Oh, why darling? Were you having a sex chat?” She laughed, as she staggered into my room, not awaiting a welcome. As much as I admired her, I despised how socially intelligent she was. “No, I just-“ “Don’t fret about it, honey! It’s acceptable.” She fell on my bed, which sprang her up as soon as she landed as if her weight had taken it by surprise. I walked towards her, shutting the door behind me as I heard another door along the hallway open.
“Did you all think that I was going to let you off so easily, huh?” Vivian shouted from behind. The crowd gaped in surprise as they watched her stagger to the front, knocking down some of the arrangements that had been placed symmetrically on the ground. She was clearly drunk. “You and your family came to ruin my life and you think you can escape that easily!” Vivian laughed out loud, devilishly. “No, honey! You got it all wrong! Vivian Kent never accepts defeat.” Lucas stomped over to meet her in the middle of the aisle and with all his strength, he pulled her back all the way to the end. She was screaming and wincing in pain, demanding him to get his hands off her. Lucas was not about to do that. “Let me go, Lucas! I will not tell you again!” she shouted loudly. Before she could utter another word, a louder roar was heard from the left side of the audience. It was Terrence. Jenny had invited him for the wedding, and as a form of respect, he had taken the first plane to Atlanta to
The wedding setup looked as beautiful as the Heavens were imagined to look. The aisle divided the white seats into half, leading up to the altar that overlooked the Chattahoochee River. The sun had just risen, covering the surface of the water with its orange rays, as if contributing to the wedding theme.At the front, the couple’s family had designated seats and the planner had even left a seat for Aunt May as per Jenny’s wishes. The peach and white flower arrangements were placed along the sides of the aisle creating a romantic and lush aisleway from the entrance all the way to the altar.White florals and pampas grass had been used to create a modern eclectic boho feeling that was highlighted by the rustic wedding arch at the altar. From the sight of the venue, it was clear to see Aunt May’s presence around them, and their influence on their lives. Rita had gone out to inspect the venue for the umpteenth time in a bid to calm Jenny’s anxiety down which left her running around and
Lucas had bottled up all his wrath until the moment he heard Charlotte’s voice, calling out for Noah. He turned his head swiftly towards her, stunned by her interference in their direct family matters. This was a thing that Lucas felt he had to do alone, and now that the control was off his hands, he was unsure of what to expect.“What is wrong with you, Charlotte?” Lucas asked her, pulling her down to her seat. She was reluctant to go back down.“Noah, wait, this can’t end like this,” Charlotte said, her focus directed entirely on Noah and not the man who was currently tugging at her arm. The guard was about to walk him back to the seat but Noah resisted. He remained rooted to the floor.“Noah! We came here to tell you that you didn’t have to die sad and guilty anymore. Lucas came here to let you know that as much as you hurt him, he did not want you to carry the weight of your sins to the grave. It’s the first reunion in decades, it was definitely meant to be difficult. But it was n
The two doors opened simultaneously and Noah Benjamin limped out into the hall. The orange jumpsuit he wore was baggy around his frame and his face was time-worn, cutting him out to be a man of the age. His grey-white hair was wizened and straw-like, and his beard was patched up around his face, almost covering his entire skin. From afar, his eyes appeared sad and worn, but I could tell they lit up when he saw eyes as he neared. He tried fastening his pace towards Lucas, but his unsteady feet could not let him hurry.“Lu- cas,” he called out as the guard behind him helped him to his chair. I was rooted to my seat, still holding Lucas’s hand for support. His eyes were lasered on Lucas whose face seemed totally disinterested in whatever the old man had to say.“Lucas, my son. Is that you?” he called out again. His voice was weak and rough, and he seemed to be using the remaining energy in his bones to call out for his son. Lucas still did not respond.“I never thought I would ever see
The prison area was fenced six feet high with electric barbed wire all around the huge parcel of land. There was pin drop silence all around the neighborhood which made me feel like we were entering the devil’s study room. My eyes were focused on the front gate which was past the field where many men stood outside, staring at us while murmuring to each other. I drove to the front gate where manned guards stood with huge firearms around their torsos, their fingers ready on the trigger. A tall slender man approached me on the driver’s side, requesting for our identification and purpose of visit. After a long process of security checks and document verification, we were let inside.The field was bigger from the inside than it seemed outside. We parked next to the main block. I had taken three days to assure myself that I needed to do this now, but as we parked outside, all I wanted was to turn around and go back home. I sat there silently; my mind froze from the world outside my body.
The dress that Rita had designed for Jenny fit her like a glove. Clearly, it had been tailored just for her. She stood in front of the mirror for a while, her eyes filling up with tears as she stared at her reflection in utter disbelief. It was still taking a while for her to come to terms with the fact that she was about to become Anthony’s wife.“You… you are so beautiful, my baby,” her mother cried out from her bed. Jenny watched her reflection in the mirror, forcing a smile on her face as she nodded. The beauty before her had left her dumbfounded. Jenny had never fancied a big white wedding like her sister Charlotte did when they were young, but she always hoped to find a good man to settle down for as long as life allowed. And here she was, getting what she prayed for and more.Charlotte stood up from the seat in the corner and walked over to her sister, standing bedazzled by her side. She put her arms on her shoulder and looked into the mirror. Her face was wet with tears of joy
But I just need to make sure that as we move forward, we won’t end up regretting anything from the past…Charlotte’s words kept ringing in my ears as I sat through a meeting with Korean investors in the afternoon. The three men all dressed in matte black suits were interested in investing in the petroleum company that Mark and I ran. As they discussed business and partnership matters, my mind revolved around my past which seemed to follow me everywhere I went.I knew Charlotte did not mean to force me to meet Noah, but deep down, I knew I needed to shed off the skin, and that meant meeting him even if it was for the last time.“Thank you, Mr. Benjamin. We look forward to our next meeting,” one of the investors said as he stretched out his hand to shake mine. They were all standing up, which stopped my train of thought and brought me back to the four-cornered office.“Yes, thank you all too. Let me show you out,” I said to them as I walked around my table and opened the door for them.
One week laterJenny, Rita, and I were all together in my apartment, surfing through the internet to find the best event planners for her upcoming wedding. Jenny seemed calmer than I imagined she would be. However, as her support system, we still insisted on being by her side just in case that changed abruptly. The anxiety of being both married and a mother was bound to spill out from her soon, and we did not want her to go through it all alone.“Do you think I should invite Terrence?” Jenny asked. I looked up stunned, noticing how all the eyes were fixated on me in wait for my response.“I don’t know, do you want to invite him?” I turned the focus around.“I don’t know. He was once a part of this family at some point, so I just thought it might be cordial to have him around,” Jenny said.“Mh,” I sighed and immediately returned my attention to the tablet screen in front of me. I did not want to dictate her audience, but I knew agreeing to her question meant that I was the one inviting
The rest of the time on the island went by smoothly, and before we could create enough memories to last us a lifetime, it was time for each one of us to go back to the real world. “Did you have a great time?” I asked Charlotte while we were still in bed. It was half past eight in the morning, and the ship captain was scheduled to come to pick us all up at noon. “I had the best time of my life, Lucas. Thank you for everything,” she responded. “You don’t need to keep thanking me for doing the minimal things for you. you deserve so much more,” I told her. I kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly under the sheets, not willing to let go of her anytime soon. She smiled warmly. “We did not discuss how this works from now on. Kerrington Publishers had just launched earlier this year, and hence we don’t have any branches in New York, or anywhere else for that matter. And it would be selfish of me to ask you to live with me in Atlanta since you are mostly based in New York. I don’t want