CHAPTER 21
A towering figure stood right there at the window obscuring the bit of light rays from the dying sunlight that evening, his phone hung loosely in his hands as he kept still, listening to the caller at the other end-Antonia, He had a gloomy expression over his face filled with anxiety and animosity.
“Are you certain everything is fine?” He questioned.
There was a bit of expression from the other end as a long moment of eerily silence followed suit, when the answer came it seemed satisfactory as he let out the breath he had been holding for a long while.
He gave an imaginary kiss as his hands dropped to the sides again, and he let out another sigh.
It had been two days after the banquet and he still couldn’t get over the feeling he felt deep in his soul, while one part was yearning to be with Antonia, a woman who was doing a lot to prove her worth, and the other half lies with the mother of his children, at such he was torn between two different situations that held his reputation at stake and the other …
Two rasps came from the door, and he turned to see his secretary at the door.
“Sir, the meeting is in ten minutes.” She muttered.
From the number of times he had run his fingers through them, it didn’t seem much as he was prepared.
“I’d be there at fifteen.” He muttered without looking.
She barely nodded her head as she made her way out, he listened to heels with ricocheting heartbeats, if there was anything he needed at this moment, it was most definitely to get out of this here. He needed to speak to Tonia badly and make certain she was indeed fine.
He made a call just as he was walking out and made reservations for the evening.
The sudden thought that he had promised to go see one of the boy’s baseball games occurred to him, kissing his teeth- He took out his phone and texted quickly.
Would be arriving late for the game, caught up at work…
He stared for a while at the text while standing at his door, he hoped to himself that it was convincing enough.
Most definitely, Laura would be blowing her head out of proportion when she gets the text, reluctantly he clicked send before walking out of his office…
***
In the conference room, a soft wind breezed through leaving behind a cool mixture of
fear and anticipation buzzing through a silent Christian.
He had been at the meeting only physically, as his mind had drifted off on several occasions enough that Damien had to nudge him.
The meeting ended quickly as most of their conversation was centered on the audit that would be coming up in a few weeks, or at least that was what he could make out of the endless presentation by the HR.
Soon after the other trio left the room, he was all there almost alone in the room serenity except for the presence of a very curious.
He ignores the other man’s presence as he rolled his sleeves and lited cigar-
Christian’s body heat filled the entire room as his inked forearm reached beside Damien and
grabbed a glass, before setting in on the counter next to him.
“You look quite distracted today…” Damien spoke while he poured himself half a glass of Martini.
Christian arches a brow looking straight at him questionably, as though telling him it wasn’t his damn business.
Damien , ignorant of the hidden flare in Christian eyes, continued speaking.”You barely said anything today, that is quite out of the ordinary.”
“Can’t you just see I am not in the mood to speak!” He snapped.
Tensed, Damien ‘s gaze focused on busted knuckles on Christian’s tanned skin as that looked like he must have punched at a wall while at his office, a feeling of anger rolled off the latter as he hated the fact that his emotions were so transparent.
“I am fine.” He puffs out a smoke finally
Damien would have gone on with asking but had a different thought as he fell all quiet.
A phone beeped with a notification, and both men stared at the Reservation number that popped up on the screen, from De les Vegas, one of the most prominent restaurants in New York.
Damien spoke again. “You got a date?”
By now, Christian was standing up to his feet and adjusting the sleeves of his shirt as he did.
“Yeah.” He answers Damien ‘s initial question before fixing him with a quick look.” How do I look?”
*****
A gray night mixes up with orange streetlights blurred beyond the drips of drizzling rain running down the glass of his car.
Christian’s phone flashed and buzzed in the console, again. Ironically enough it had been Antonia calling for the past twenty minutes to remind him that she was waiting.
He finally picked up and told her to wait for a while as he was just a few minutes’ drive away. Outside the window, the rain was falling like it never had before.
Christian sighed and ran a hand through his hair focusing on the road, the phone rang again this time it turned out to be Laura.
For a minute he almost hesitated picking up, when the phone rang up for the third time in quick succession, it crossed his mind that she most definitely had been calling for a different reason.
“Hello?”
“Christian!” Laura’s voice came from the other side with a mixture of shock and anxiety.
Listening to her ricocheting heartbeat that was audible from the other end, his car screeches and stops abruptly.
“What is the problem?”
He could barely hear what she was trying to say amidst her heavy sobbing and gasping.
” Laura, what is the problem… ” He pauses. “How are the boys?”
A periodical gasp escaped from her lips as she tried controlling her emotions, she took two deep breaths as she struggled to find enough courage to speak and when she did, it was in four words.
” He is dying, Christian.”
Instantaneously, a sharp wave of pain filled his chest as he made a U-turn.