The next day…
“Are you sure about this?” Alicia asks for the umpteenth time as their car pulled over at the parking lot of Mr. Dante’s mansion.
“You don’t have to be nervous, babe. Everything will be fine,” Max assures her, and she nods her head as they both hop out of the car. They stride to the entrance door and ring the doorbell. Moments later, the door pulls open, revealing a woman in her mid-sixties. She’s Mr. Dante’s housekeeper.
“Good day, ma’am Cleo,” Max greets her politely, and the woman smiles at them warmly. Madam Cleo used to be Maxwell’s nanny after the death of his mom years ago. After Max moved out of the house to build a family of his, the woman had to take on the job of helping Mr. Dante out with the house chores and also cook for him.
“Please come in,” She opens the door wide for them, and they both walk inside. The sparkling neat large living room welcomes the both of them. It has been a while since they were last here and the place is only getting more beautiful as time went by.
“Mr. Dante will be with you shortly. Do you need me to get you anything? We have jollof rice, meat…”
“No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry,” He says to her politely, and she nods her head while having a smile dancing on her lips. It has been a while since she last saw him, and seeing him now makes her so happy.
“In that case, I’ll leave you two to wait for him then. Call me if you need anything,” She says to them before she finally walks away, while Max and his wife sit on the couch and await his dad.
A few minutes later, Mr. Dante’s footsteps echo down the staircase.
“What a surprise visit. You didn’t tell me you were coming,” He groans tiredly as he plunges himself onto the couch like he just dropped a heavy load off his shoulders.
“Good day, dad,” Max greets him politely.
“Good day, dad,” Alicia follows, and Mr. Dante only nods his head in reply.
“I’m sorry for not informing you beforehand… I just wanted to surprise you,” Max replies, trying to be as polite as he can.
“Alright. Do you need anything? I’ll call Cleo to get you two something to eat…”
“No, dad. We’re fine,” Max says, and Mr. Dante stares at him for a few seconds before he nods his head.
“Alright. So, to what do I owe this visit? The Max I know will never come to visit for nothing, so you must’ve come here for something important… May I hear what it is you have come for?” Mr. Dante says sarcastically, reclining on the couch. Now, he got his son.
“I came for this, Sir…” Max finally announces as he drops a brown envelope on the center table, pushing it to his front.
“Is that money inside? My son has finally learned to take care of his dad. That’s a good way to start the day,” Mr. Dante chuckles teasingly as he reaches out to the envelope and opens it.
“Alicia is pregnant,” Max announces before Mr. Dante could reach the paper, and the man stops abruptly.
“Hmm?” Confused, he squints his eyes questioningly.
“She got sick lately, and when we went to the hospital, the doctor suggested that we do a medical test. We got the result yesterday morning,” He explains to his dad, but Mr. Dante only stares at the paper in his hand, with an unconvincing expression on his face. For some reason, he doesn’t believe this news he just heard. What if he’s trying to use his brain? This could be a fake pregnancy result, right?
“Are you this desperate to get the company, Max?” The man asks, dropping the paper on the table, and their hearts sink into their stomachs.
“What are you talking about, dad?” He tries as much to cover up his nervousness and not look suspicious. He’ll be doomed if this man finds out that he’s trying to trick him.
“Why should I believe you?” Mr. Dante asks him, and he scoffs unbelievably
“Now, that question is confusing. Why should you believe me? The test result is staring back at you and you’re still asking me…”
“You’re not talking to a fool, Max. You may think you’re smart, but remember that I’m your dad, and I am smarter than you are. What games are you playing?” The man asks with a hint of seriousness resounding in his voice.
“I’ll ask again, dad… What are you talking about?” Max asks for the second time, playing the innocence card.
“You think that I’ll believe your wife is pregnant, just because you provided me with this? Not that this paper can’t be forged, so why should I believe you?” Mr. Dante asks with a smirk dancing at the corner of his lips.
“I’m not that desperate, dad. Yes, I need this company so badly. It means so much to me, but you think that I’ll cheat you to claim it? You think that I’ll go to the extreme length of faking my wife’s pregnancy to gain it?” Max fires at him angrily.
“Do you ever trust me as your son? Do you ever trust me at all? Do you see me more than a desperate man that needs nothing, but the family’s inheritance?” He sneers as he glares at his dad with anger rushing through his vein. As much as he knows the truth deep inside him that this man is right, he just needs to sound as much convincing. This is the only chance that he got, and he has to make use of it wisely.
“Max…”
“You don’t believe me? It’s fine. How about you take us to the hospital and do the test yourself? I’m sure the doctor won’t trick you too, will he?” Max finally concludes, and Mr. Dante sighs. At first, he didn’t believe his son, but not after all this. He wouldn’t have dared ask him to do the test by himself if he was lying, right?
“Meet me at the head office, 10am on the dot tomorrow. The lawyer and all the shareholders will be there. We’ll finish up everything and the properties will be transferred to you,” Mr. Dante finally announces, and Maxwell’s eyes widen in disbelief. Is this really happening? Like his dream is finally going to come true? This is the best news he ever heard in a while, and he can’t be less happy. He intertwines his fingers with Alicia’s that also looks extremely happy…