Chapter 3

Thomas:

“So?” Mum asked looking at me the second I entered the house. I forced myself to breathe normally and gave her a calm smile as I nodded, I had to make her believe that I didn’t care, that it didn’t make a difference to me.

“It is done, you don’t need to worry about her calling anymore either” I said kissing her cheek before walking past her to my bedroom, it was a long day, then what happened this evening disrupted whatever sense of peace I believed that I wanted to have. Checking my phone for any calls, I glared at the thing for a second before throwing it on my bed, running my fingers through my hair. Who was I kidding? I was checking the phone to check if SHE called, but after what I said, how I had insulted her. Yeah, I doubt the girl would ever look at me again, let alone call me.

My bedroom’s door was knocked and I glared at the door for a second before calling ‘come in’, my little brother entered the room with a soft smile on his face. He knew that the girl meant something to me, that I actually liked the girl rather than just wanted to spend the night with her for fun. Yet, I was forced to make her think that I simply wanted her for pleasure when I never looked at her that way. Sure, I knew that it was bound to happen, but it would be on different circumstances and in different conditions.

“I take it you did what mum asked you to do?” Daniel asked and I sighed nodding at him to walk inside, the two of us sat on the edge of the bed as he waited for me to explain what happened.

“Unfortunately, yes. The girl probably hates the day she met me after what I told her, but there’s no going back from this now” I said running my fingers through my blonde hair, Daniel nodded at me and put a hand on my knee squeezing it gently. Him and I were the only two siblings that were of the same mother and father in this family, father being known for his constant marriages in the future has two daughters, our older step sisters. Them not being of the same mother didn’t effect our relationship, no, not in the slightest. Our eldest sister, Jasmine, doesn’t even see her mum, the woman left the girl without a fight when she was five and hasn’t asked about her until the girl turned twenty and SHE was curious to know who her mum was. Lilian’s, father’s second daughter, mum kept her friendship with father despite their divorce. They were both business partners and knew that their divorce shouldn’t cause an issue between them, sure, there was the heat of the beginning of their divorce. But they were fine a while after that. Finally, there’s mum, she’s the one woman that managed to hold a marriage with father for more than six years, she’s been married to him for the past twenty-five years. Me being her eldest son, I was born three months after they were married.

Not wanting to lose me, she kept the fact that she was pregnant from father for six months until she was sure that she was pregnant with a boy and that there was no way father would tell her to lose the child, the two had no more than a secretary and CEO affair back then, which ended up as a marriage when I came along, Daniel was born eight years later. According to mum and dad it was an ‘accident’ since father’s eldest daughter, it was a bit of a surprise to us as their relationship was hitting rock bottom back then, not like it was doing any better now, but anyway. Dani was the most spoiled in the house, and for a reason, he was the youngest. However, we made sure to tell mum and dad NOT to bring us anymore children when Jasmine was thirty and the two of them wanted to try and fix their marriage. Mum’s way of holding a marriage was ‘bring him babies’ he’d forget he was angry a few months later. But that wasn’t the case this time.

Mum and dad’s marriage had hit rock bottom years ago and if they were married now, it was for two reasons. One, me and Daniel, father would end up losing us instantly as we wouldn’t leave our mum with nothing on the streets like he did to his first wife, or how he had treated Lilian’s mum before leaving her, the woman was rich when she married dad. Her brother owns companies, her father was my dad’s business partner when he first started, she and her brother had inherited their shares in the company after the man passed away. Therefore, she didn’t end up as Jasmine’s mum as she already had what supported her, she didn’t need father to do so.

The case would be different now, I had noticed mum and dad on a verge of divorce when I was eighteen the first time. Having threatened father that he would lose both me and Dani if thought of it, he never mentioned it again, or at least mum hasn’t told me about anything. Their marriage was nothing but a contract which was on a piece of paper, and of course, media.

Their wedding was the perfect love story for the media. Everyone envied them for it, everyone saw them as the loving couple who had no problems, father got mum countless presents and they would show them off to media and to anyone who had eyes to look at them, which was mostly everyone. They made sure that they were the center of attention, it gave them both publicity and investors for father’s business, mum had her foundations to take care of, which were also on the media, she was their ambassador in those foundations, and father took care of the businesses, the women who were part of the foundation were always eager to have their husbands having shares with father’s business and work. It was a simple social media cycle.

“What are you going to do now?” Daniel asked and I shook my head, I didn’t know what I’d do. With mum’s issue, I refused to end up marrying someone that they chose for me as to ensure that their businesses ran properly, which is what I knew was what they expected, more specifically, mum expected, father couldn’t care less. I could marry whoever I wanted, if she didn’t know something, she’d simply have to learn how to do it, he didn’t find it as a big deal as long as I was happy, the girl didn’t give a hard time, and most importantly, wasn’t a thief.

It was known among rich men that their wives sometimes tended to pretend that they were buying things from expensive outlets, only for their husbands to soon find out that his wife and the outlet salesman or woman had a deal, a business partnership to be more specific. The salesman would get shares of anything that was sold, therefore, he benefitted in pretending that the woman had bought something and she would be taking money in CASH which was something that no woman married to a billionaire or millionaire generally carried. She had a credit card and the accountant usually calculated whatever was and wasn’t spent. It was to ensure that no extreme high budgets were sold and to know where the money was going if needed.

“I honestly don’t know, a part of me regrets what I did, a huge one. But I also know mum, if I didn’t do it, she would’ve made the girl’s life hell and I can’t afford that” I said pulling on the roots of my hair. Daniel nodded and sighed, he had school tomorrow and it was already late and the kid was here with me rather than getting ready for bed “Dani, you need to get some sleep, you have school tomorrow as well as an exam”

“You remember my exam schedule more than I even do” Daniel commented and I chuckled standing up and nodding at him. He sighed but nodded getting up as well, I pat his back and smiled at him. The education that this boy had, how polite and innocent he was, I was amazed by it, the kid never, and I mean NEVER caused trouble for mum or dad. He was the most disciplined between us all, Lilian too. Her mum and uncle had made sure that she remains in her best behavior, unlike Jasmine who had a bit of a drinking habit, and me. Well, when it came to me, the number of times dad had to pay to get news out of the media or to keep me off media were countless. Though I didn’t really care, I was basically being my age, but explaining that to mum and dad who cared about their media figure was somewhat impossible.

“I’m your big brother for a reason. Now, go and get some rest, we’ll talk tomorrow” I said softly and Daniel nodded, I hugged him before he walked out of my room leaving me alone with my thoughts. I didn’t really know what to do or say, but I knew one thing, I had lost something beautiful. Mum knew what she cost me, and she knew that it broke me, but the woman had her own perspective and I wasn’t going to come and change it now.

Checking my phone one more time, I shook my head at myself at the false hope that I gave myself. It was pointless, I knew that, but I couldn’t help it. However, I wasn’t surprise with the result.

No calls, or messages.