Stupid plan

The sound of footsteps drew Mrs. Stark attention off the dining table, and she glanced at the doorway to see Noah walking in, his face emotionless, and she could sense that he was still mad about yesterday.

“Good morning, son.” Mrs. Stark greeted him happily as she stood and walked over to him, hugging him.

For a moment, he stiffened in her arm, but when she squeezed him just a bit tighter, he relaxed slightly and hugged her back, murmuring, “Morning.”

“You must be hungry. After all, you spent all of yesterday stuck in your room. Come sit down and eat. I made Charlotte prepare a healthy breakfast for you to replenish your energy,” She said, letting go of him and gesturing toward the table.

“Why? So I can be fit to manufacture offspring for you guys.”

“Noah,”

Dragging a chair back slightly, Noah narrowed his eyes before sitting down and resting his elbow on the table, resting his face in his palms with a sigh.

“You act like this is a terrible thing to build a family.” Mr. Stark stated, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward.

“Because it is. Because there is no way in this life I can balance the two. I either fail at being a father and a husband or a businessman. I can't have both.” Noah replied, glancing up at them.

“Who said so-”

“You guys. Nancy raised me. Do you know how many birthdays you missed because you had some work dinner? I kept getting degree upon degree, yet you guys are still not in any of my graduation photos. I don't want to bring a kid into this world to traumatize them.”

The dining room grew cold, and the faces of his parents turned pale, and without raising his head, Noah mumbled, “I am thirty now. I have learned to work through that issue. But I see myself in you, father, and I don't want to live through the trauma of watching my child go through the feeling of disappointment that I had to endure.”

Tears started rolling down Mrs. Stark’s cheeks, and her sobbing echoed throughout the room. “Noah,”

“I am fine now, mother. I don't hold any resentment towards you two. I know you only did what you thought was best as parents,” Noah said, his voice becoming soft and gentle as he stood up from his seat and moved over to his mother, reaching out and wiping away a tear that had rolled down her cheek.

“Then you will do the same for your child. You will do what you think is best as their parent.” Mr. Stark said firmly.

Frowning at his father, Noah said no words, but his anger was apparent as a bright light flashed across his gray eyes.

“You will continue or break the circle, but you cannot chicken out of it. Got it?” Mr. Stark calmly said, but the authority in his voice was evident.

Letting go of his mother, Noah sighed, knowing that the look in his father's eyes meant he wasn't getting his way and that it would be wise for him to agree.

“Alright,” Noah answered, sighing in defeat. “Can you two at least allow me to get to know this girl before you force me into a loveless marriage with her?”

“We can arrange a dinner date with her parents this evening to officially introduce you two to each other.” Mrs. Stark hastily said, smiling sweetly, her expression warm.

“No!” Noah uttered firmly. “I don't think anyone here knows me as your son. Is it the same with her and her family?”

“Well, you know your father keeps your identity a secret to ease your path to success and reduce the risks of his enemies becoming yours. That's why the two industries have different names and identities, to protect the secret.”

“I know that mother, and that doesn't matter. I want to know if you have placed a face to my name for these people.”

“No. We thought it best for you to agree to the marriage proposal before we make a move and reveal your identity to the public. Now that EXAT and FOXZ are both standing strong and the expansion of the companies is secure, there's no need to protect your identity anymore.”

“You said I have a year to produce an heir, right? If that's the case, allow me to do this my way. I refuse to suffer in a loveless marriage with some stranger that I don't even know. Please, at least allow me to do this my way?”

Intensely, Mr. and Mrs. Stark looked at each other, and they could tell Noah was serious about this. It was evident that he didn't want to get forced into anything he wasn't willing to commit to, and knowing that they had pushed him enough already, they decided they shouldn't press further.

“Okay, son.” Mr. Stark finally agreed, rubbing his forehead and giving up.

“Since this is going to be a year thing, I need a place to stay, and someone trusted to assist me when needed,” Noah announced, looking directly at his father. “Someone skillfully trained and experienced. A guy who knows this country's ins and outs...”

“Rhodes will be perfect for that. He has served this family loyally for years, and his loyalty has been beyond question.”Mrs. Stark said as she glanced over at her husband before looking back at her son. “I will get him now.”

With a faint smile on his lips, Noah nodded and said, “Thanks, mom.”

After Mrs. Stark left the room, Mr. Stark looked at Noah with sad eyes and said, “You are being emotional about this right now, but later on, you will see the bigger picture, son.”

Too drunk on his feelings to respond, Noah ignored his father's words and reached for the plate of toast, squeezing his eyes shut for a second when he heard Mr. Stark's sigh.

A while later, Mrs. Stark returned to the room with a middle-aged gentleman that seemed to be around the age of Mr. Stark with dark brown hair, tanned skin, hazelnut-colored eyes, and broad shoulders.

“Noah, this is Rhodes .” Mrs. Stark introduced them with a small smile, taking her spot next to Noah, who immediately stood up and shook hands with the man. “He mostly serves this family in the shadows, so your identity with him by your side should be safe.”

“Hello, sir,” Rhodes responded politely, offering him a warm smile, which Noah reciprocated instantly. “Welcome back home.”

“Rhodes knows all about the Carnell family. If you have any questions you might need, refer them to him. I trust him with everything.” Mr. Stark said, and Noah shot him a thankful glance before turning to look at Mr. Rhodes with a neutral expression.

After everything was said and done, a while later, Noah and Rhodes left the moment the Uber that he booked online showed up a few distances from the penthouse, where Noah had made sure that he and Rhodes were standing before it arrived.

“Are you Chris, my Uber pick-up?” Noah asked, staring at the driver curiously.

“No, I am Pete. Did I get sent the wrong address?” The Uber driver replied in a confused tone; his brows knitted together.

"No, it was my mistake. Hi, Pete, I am Jack.” Noah said, introducing himself to him.

“Okay, are you getting in or not?”

“Yes! yeah.”

Taking a deep breath, Noah walked over to the back door, opened it, and sat in the passenger seat.

After getting the suitcases in the trunk, Rhodes joined Noah inside the car and closed the door behind him, staring at Noah with an intrigued expression.

“So, where to, Jack?” Pete asked, staring at his rearview mirror.

“Rhodes, give him the location of a cheap motel,” Noah replied, staring straight ahead.

“Si-”

“Jack,”

Seeing the warning in Noah's stare, Rhode knew to let go of the formality and go along with whatever game his new boss was playing.

“Take us to ‘Nam motel,” Rhode said, looking at Noah.

When Pete eyed Noah in the rearview mirror with a hesitant look, Noah added, “Take us there.”

Turning to look ahead at the road, Pete muttered, “Yeah, alright then.”

As he laid back in his seat, Noah shut his eyes, frowning slightly, and thought, ‘One way or another, I am going to make you two let go of this stupid plan.’