“Dimitri, I need you to go over this blueprint again and give me feedback by this week Thursday. It’s the proposal from Mr. Wu Cho you sent to me some weeks ago” he handed the Blueprint to Dimitri.
“But Dad, I already told you how profitable it would be if we considered his proposal. You didn’t go through them?” he asked with a slight frown on his face.
Donald smiled and adjust in his seat looking straight at his son’s eyes.
“Son, I wouldn’t be in the seat forever. Anything could happen and might not make it and I need my son to take over from me” he spoke.
Dimitri sat up in his seat looking alert and making the frown gracing his feature deepen.
“Are you okay Dad? Is everything fine?” he was worried already.
He can’t lose his Dad, not now, not ever. What will happen to his Mum if such happens? They are so in love and attached together. It will be heartbroken for her. Not just her but him. He is not sure he would be able to bear it if anything happens to his Dad or his parents generally.
He still hasn’t gotten over Cade’s death and he knew how badly it transformed him. His Dad can’t go, he can’t leave them. He prayed in his heart that his Dad was okay and wasn’t going to leave them.
“Be cool son, look at your face. You are turning pale. Easy son” he said with a laugh then cleared his throat “nothing is happening to me. I am healthy as the day I was born, dont bother too much”
Dimitri still not looking convinced tried to relax a bit. He said he was okay and he should believe him. His Dad was fine.
“I am saying this because I will be resigning soon and I need you to be able to take decisions by yourself without coming to me, although I am not saying I wouldn’t advise you or guide you in any path, I just want you to stand on your own
“You are a married man and have started your family already, kids will come when you wish to have them but now that you are newly married, I want you to be able to balance your family time with your business life. You should know when it’s time for work and when it’s time for pleasure.” he cleared his throat and continued.
“Look at me, I am a very busy man. I have businesses here in the US and back home in Spain and you see how well I handle being there when it’s business time and when it’s family time. I want you to do that. I dont want you to neglect your family and focus on work too.
“You should be able to tell so and so is good for the business and your family.” he sighed and stood up from his seat then walked to where his son was sitting and sat on the chair beside him.
“I know when what happened to Cade happened, I wasn’t really there, I didn’t even ask how you were coping. I knew it wouldn’t change all the things that happened in the past but…” he sighed again and put his head in his hand before raising it up to look at his son.
“I want you to be happy, son, and to be independent so you can teach your kids how to be. When you face a phase in life that could maybe break you or your family I want you to be strong-willed and not let it tear you apart.” he shook his head.
“Life isn’t a bed of roses, so is marriage and business. You have to lay those roses yourself” he placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a light shake. “I believe you wouldn’t make rash decisions, and I want you to start now. I wish you luck son.” he stood up and walked back to his seat.
When he settled he took some other documents and handed them over to him. “Here are some of the documents I want you to study, you will be attending meetings and so on with me till I retire and finally hand over the company to you.”
“Okay, Dad” he took the files and opened them to see what lies ahead of him.
“Your Mum is one of the reasons I am retiring, I want to stay with her more and go on vacations and all.” he chuckled and he looked up from reading the documents with a smile on his face. “She always wanted to travel the whole world when we are still old and our children are big enough to handle things when we are gone” he looked at his son and Dimitri could see the pure love his Dad had for his Mum.
“I love her so much,” he said, looking at the pen on his table and bitting his lips to fight off the smile.
He loved his parents’ love life, loves how good they are together and how much they love each other. Even blind people can see the genuineness in their love for each other.
That was his plan with her till she did what she did to him and look where that led him to. Since that incident he made a decision that loves isn’t for him, it can be for everyone else but not him.
“Although I am quite proud of you” his Dad interrupted his train of thought and he looked at his Dad again.
“For?”
“How, you and your wife’s relationship going. I know your union was arranged but I was quite surprised when Kingsley told me you both are in love”
He resists the urge to roll his eyes and instead cleared his throat then nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, she is a beauty,” he replied.
“I know right? I was happy you apologized to her for what happened that day we introduced you both. In a relationship you have to know when you are wrong and apologize when you are even if you aren’t, just for peace to reign and let your significant other understand they are in the wrong and sort out your issue
“That helped me and your mum for the past 30 years we have been together. I am glad things are going well for you both” he said and Dimitri just nods already feeling the need to leave.
Dimitri was about to stand when his Dad spoke up again.
“I and your mother were arranged to be married too”
He looked at his Dad and furrowed his brows.
“Unbelievable right?” he chuckled. “I was once like you back then, and my parents thought marriage will be the thing that will set me straight and all. Well, it did work as you can see… let me not bore you with me and your mum’s story, you should be leaving now” he cleared.
He nodded and packed the documents properly.
“I will look at this and get back to you on my analysis” he stood up and buttoned his suit jacket then took the documents handed over to him.
“Okay son, thank you”
He nods before turning to leave. He was already tired and needed to rest. It has been one stressful week and he needs his bed at the moment.
After they came back from their so-called honeymoon, there was a pile of workload waiting for them both. He has been busy assisting his Dad with the business even Audriana has been busy. Going to the University she teaches at and organizing her father’s company also.
They haven’t even had the time to talk or anything, not like he wants to. When he was sure she was okay and has gotten over the little incident from their honeymoon, he busied himself with work, work, and work.
They rarely saw each other aside when he is ready for work and she is just waking up or at night when she is having dinner alone and he is just coming from work then he would busy himself in his study till she had gone to bed.
He checked the time on his watch and saw that it was still 7 pm and went back to his office to kill some time. He was going to stay here and do some work so that it would lessen tomorrow’s workload.
‘Or you just want to be here till she falls asleep so you don’t have to see her pretty face’ he shook his head at the thought and got busy.
***
“GOD I am so tired and famished,” she said when she got into their home.
She placed her bag beside the couch on the floor then sat on the couch and put her both legs on the couch before leaning her back on the handle of the couch.
She closed her eyes for some minutes before opening them when she felt a gaze on her. A bit startled she let out a squeak and moved to the other side of the couch with her palm placed on her chest.
She tried to even her breathing and when she felt cool she looked back up but he was gone, then her gaze went up the stairs and saw him going up till he disappeared.
‘What a man,’ she said.
Then took off her shoes, picked her bag up, and went up the stairs to their room. She stood in front of the door and took deep breaths in, closed her eyes, and let out the breath before opening her eyes.
It has been weeks and it felt like yesterday. She still hasn’t had the courage to enter their room without knocking or so. She wonders why she feels irritated whenever she wants to enter.
It’s not like he was going to shout at her or send out, they are married for crying out loud. ‘Well, not your regular married couples’ still she shouldn’t feel this way.
Nodding her head and taking in more deep breaths, she let her hand form a fist and raised her hand to knock.
Suddenly the door burst open revealing her fine-looking husband wearing a white body-hugging t-shirt and sweatpants.
His gaze fell on her and his eyes traveled from her golden wavy hair which was let down to her cute face to the rest of her body then back up. His gaze did linger on her chest area before he sharply took in deep breaths then looked away.
She looked at him and cleared her throat, gaining his attention again.
“Hi,” she said but no response from him “ho-” she was cut off when he brushed past her, then down the stairs.
She watched him go down the stairs and her mouth twisted to the side in annoyance.
“So much for being just friends,” she said under her breath and entered her room.