CEO’s REDEMPTION

CONFESSIONS. THE BACK UP FORCE

“Was I too hard on Ellie earlier, love?” I ask as we rest on the bed, Jerol’s arm caressing my belly while the other one is caging my shoulders to him, our faces almost touching.

“I did not hear everything, but I know that spoilt brat of Monzano. She thinks she can control the world.” He says, snuggling to me.

“She is such a pain.” I whimper.

“Did she insult you. Did she say anything to hurt you?” He queries, worry and concern detectable in his voice.

“Nothing I can’t handle, love. But, don’t you feel anything? Like the need to defend her? Get close to her?” I implore, burying my eyes into his.

“Why would feel that way?” He responds, stroking me with his hands.

“For your child, Jerol. Are you not excited to learn that your baby is still alive?” I ask.

“I am. Believe me, love, I am. My conscience is clear and at peace now knowing that I did nothing wrong. But there are so many things that don’t add up.” He says, faintly.

“Like what?” I ask.

“Like why she lied. Why she made me feel so guilty for something that was not even there. Why she is still with my brother. Why she returned just now. She is capable of raising the child on her own. So, why bother me?” He explains, and I get his point.

Some things do not add up about this story, and those two people bleed something close to danger for me. They don’t seem trustworthy at all.

“Do you have doubts that the baby might not be yours?” I query.

“I don’t know, love. I do not want to draw assumptions that will bring regrets later on. That is why I want a DNA to be sure.” He says.

“I understand. I am with you all the steps of the way. You know that, don’t you?” I implore, nuzzling his jaw.

“I know, love. And I am so grateful for your backing and this gift you have given me.” He smiles, rummaging his hand through my belly. “I still can not believe that this happened. How did it even happen?” He whispers, and I smirk.

“Well, we can call it a miracle, love. It took me a lot of cogency to believe it too. I was in denial, confused, and lost. I did not know how to take the news, or how to tell you.” I respond.

“But you knew the news would blow my mind. Why did you hesitate to tell me?” He pleads.

“I knew you would be elated to have a child, but with your contracted wife? I did not even know what exactly you felt for me, Jerol. But there was one thing I was sure of.” I say.

“What?” He queries.

“That I would not for any reason deny you the chance to be a father. I was just waiting for the right time to tell you the truth and wait for your reaction and decision.” I say.

“Thank you wifey, for always putting my feelings before yours. But I need you to stop now, okay? Whatever happens, talk things through with me as soon as they unfold. Can you promise me you will do that, love?” He kisses my cheek, turning my chubby face into a red tomato. “I don’t want you to be going through anything alone. We are a team now.” He adds after the kiss, browsing my eyes.

“Sure, love. I promise. There won’t be any secrets from now on.” I assure him, and he gives me a sweet kiss which I welcome and relish with every nerve in me.

We are a team. A strong team bound by true love. This sweet, stubborn and boundless love will be our weapon against all the obstacles we shall face on the way. We are never gonna let each other go.

“So, can I ask you something personal?” I ask when we break the kiss.

“Sure. Anything.” He responds, summoning all his notoriety to me.

“What is the deal between you and your brother?” I ask because curiosity is about to choke me.

I mean, why would his brother elope with his fiance? And if I understood perfectly, it is like this Grego and Ellie had an affair before. Then he caught them and they resolved the issue, or so he thought, until his fiance vanished into thin air. Were they fooling him all along?

“He is my half-brother. We don’t share the same father, and we have never gotten along well since childhood. He is always insecure about me being the real heir of the McCall empire. Why that is so, I have never understood why. I mean, I have my own empire. Even if my father leaves me with nothing, my children will never lack anything. I am not interested in my family’s inheritance.” He stops for a moment.

My husband is such a rich tycoon, huh?

“But my father has always made it clear to Grego that he will leave him with nothing if he doesn’t work. And that is where we all crash with him, because the guy wants everything handed to him on a silver platter. He has never worked all his life. He only survives from his allowances and that is all.” He says.

Huh! So, the guy is responsible for his own plights yet he is angry at the whole world for his own flaws and misfortunes? What sort of a man in this era sits his arse down and waits for the inheritance? How will he manage that empire if he knows nothing about working? This one is of a kind, ooh! Stupid kid! He doesn’t even deserve to be called a man because real men work their ways up the ladder. Like my man here. I am so proud of this gentleman.

“His insecurities are unwarranted. How does he expect to run the business if he does not know how it even works?” I mumble.

“I have absolutely no idea what is stored in that guy’s big head. I don’t know what he uses to think, or if he even thinks at all.” Jerol responds, sounding pissed off by the story of his half-brother.

I am too.

So that is why this Grego did not check on his brother even just once. Because they are always at odds? Because of envy and detest? He surely must loathe Jerol so much for him to have the guts to steal his woman!

“What about him, and Ellie?” I ask, hoping I am invading too much of his privacy. But there is nothing like privacy for two lovebirds like us, right? His problems are mine, we solve them together. And his joy is my joy, we share it together, right?

“There was this one time I caught them together at a friend’s party. It was a surprise to even see them together because I had not introduced them. I got suspicious and confronted them, but they denied the whole thing. I did not want to make a big fuss about the issue so, I just let it go. I never saw them together again and so I convinced myself that I was being judgemental and irrational for nothing. Until she disappeared.” Jerol explains.

It is funny how he is not getting affected talking about Ellie now. I guess he really feels nothing for her.

“Did they disappear at the same time?” I ask.

“My brother had left for Dar-es-Salaam a month before Ellie left. But I suppose it was all just a plan.” He responds.

And if it indeed was a plan, then what are they hiding? There must be something. Something smells fishy.

Is there a possibility that…

A knock on the door startles us, and whoever is knocking is so irritatingly annoying and impatient. Who dares to knock on our bedroom door so loud and unceasingly?

“Ma’am? Sir? Ma’am? Please open up!”

Huh! That is Terry’s voice. What could be the urgency because she is not this rowdy? I peel myself off of Jerol and hike to the door, Jerol following suit. He must be burning with anxiety like I am.

I open the door, taking a step outside. Before I can ask Terry what the matter is, an unfamiliar figure greets me from downstairs in the sitting room. A middle-aged man with a very ominous stand greets my eyes. He is cruising his eyes around the house, and there are some three more men in black suits behind him.

I don’t like the site or this man. He seems kinda dangerous to me.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“He forced his way in, sir!” Terry says, heaving heavily from perhaps running up here.

I glance at Jerol past my shoulders who is also shocked as I am.

“Who is he?” I implore.

“The man who will make you understand that you can not treat me like garbage!” We all snap to that voice as this witch, Ellie, emerging from behind us. “Don’t tell me you are so dumb that you can not even recognize a public figure.” She adds with so much mockery.

So, he is her father? She already reported us to him? That was pretty fast and childish? What is she? A five-year-old?

“What do you intend to gain by this?” Jerol asks.

“My rightful place. I can’t stand being treated like trash, and since you both are so stubborn, then my father will do the explanations on my behalf.” She responds, shrugging her shoulders and smiling for the whole world.

“Well, you, just made things worse for you!” Jerol says as he pulls me downstairs.

I don’t care to see how that bitch carries herself down. What baffles me the most is what Jerol is planning to do.

This bitch is just a bad omen! A real witch!

“Good afternoon, Mr Monzano!” Jerol greets once we reach the sitting room, his arm wrapping around my waist and Mr Monzano’s eyes did not fail to capture that.

Before responding to Jerol’s greetings, he throws a quick glance behind us. Annoyingly, he shakes his head and walks past us, almost nudging me aside as he brushes past me.

“Dad!” Ellie speaks, extending her hand to her father for some aid as she strides the last sets of stairs in extremely exaggerated labour.

She is such a drama queen!

They walk past us together, and rack before us.

“What brings you here?” Jerol asks the infuriated man.

“Your disgrace towards my precious daughter summoned me here, Jerol.” He retorts coldly. His vocals are raw, chilling, and dreadful, just like his composure.

“Your daughter is pretty fine here. If she is not comfortable with what my wife and I offering her, she is always free to go back to the comfort of her matrimonial home and stay with you. I have no problems regarding that whatsoever.” Jerol responds, shocking the old fool.

“Are you saying my daughter, in her condition is not welcomed here?” He implores.

“How can she not be welcomed when she is already here?” Jerol challenges.

“She is not being taken care of. That is what she told me and I have confirmed it with my own eyes!” Ellie’s father roars.

“Then take her with you, with all due respect, Mr Monzano!” Jerol retorts back.

“Hell no, way, Jerol! Her place is right here and I have come to make that point crystal clear to you!” Mr Monzano affirms, as if he is addressing his followers or servants.

This man, ooh! He is just her impossible daughter! How can he force his way here to order us, huh? Doesn’t he have any shame or respect?