However, before Josh could react to her provocations his father beat him to it, calmly yet imposing as he spoke clearly without hesitation facing his wife.
"Geneva, I've been by your side all these years but accusing an innocent man of actions you're unaware of just because you don't like him due his has different preferences, is off limits. Here is where I draw the line. You wanna keep playing this game then you gotta find a way to cover the fees for this excuse of a lawyer with your own money, your cards will be cut just like you did to our son because of a tantrum of yours."
The elegant old male, stood calmly, walking to the door without any rush, dialing someone on his device on his way out of the meeting room.
It took Josh's mother a full minute to realize her husband wasn't baffling this time when the closing door cut off her sight on the male at the other end of it who stood erguid with device in hand whilst her lawyer was too astonished to even move a finger.
The woman yelled out as she ran to the door, her whole pride left behind as she opened the door, "Gerald. You can't do this to me. I'm your rightful wife. How am I supposed to survive?"
Rushing out of the room after her husband, slamming the door closed once she was out, the loud echo resounding within the cold room.
Josh's best friend patted his back giving him thumbs up to reassure him they wouldn't give up even if they were to carry on with the litigation against his defendant, "Even if she follows up we'll win this case. Chin up,man! He'll be fine, I promise", mouthing the last sentence when Josh turned to look at him bringing a smile to the latter's face even if it was there for a fraction of a second.
Frank spoke again, this time addressing the elder lawyer across the table as if to find out why he remained even after his clients were gone, "So colleague, would you keep the trial on even if your fees ain't covered? It doesn't sound like a good business."
These words irked the elder lawyer who frowned, snapping out of his thoughts, resuming his posture as he spoke, "The lack of manners in this place is distasteful. I'm doing this to keep the family name up high. I don't need it as someone like you who would sleep on the streets if you wouldn't have gotten this job because of him, 'college'."
Josh lifted an eyebrow as the elder man's mindset, somewhat, ran in the same line as his mother did, especially because she still believed his friend used him.
"What do you win with it if it's not money? It's obvious my father ain't gonna pay a penny of this clownery. Why don't you tell us who hired you to begin with? What's the real reason to drag them down?"
Josh's voice resembled the arctic ice and so did his gaze which bored into the man's skull shards of ice falling from a frosty cavern, beside him, his friend crossed his arms eyeing the elder lawyer suspiciously..
The elder man's answer didn't hide how evaside he acted, avoiding the young male's gazes on him which felt like frostbite on his skin, refraining from offering more information on the matter. "We'll meet in court next time."
The lanky older man in suit stood up with slow movements, bowing at the young males across the desk, straightening up as much as his hunched back allowed him to, taking small steps as he made his way out of the room.
-"I don't know about you, but it seems like someone else is moving the strings."
His friend, Frank, declared as he stared back at Josh, noticing how a deep frown creased on his bare forehead.
Josh commented upon his friend's words with a flat tone, "I don't fancy anyone into this sickening game of theirs. Who and why? My bets were on my mother's sick obsession to keep me on leash as if I still were her child but not anymore."
-"Maybe one of her 'friends', you gotta find out so we could reach a covenant not to sue if you still want to keep your brother-in-law's from getting dragged into this mess destroying their small business."
"I'm afraid that's still one of her goals, but why Teo, he hasn't hurt her nor anyone else. It's a flimsy whine of hers… I'm sure of it, just how lucky can I be that she picked him out of all the people in this immense world to hate on?"
His friend shrugged his shoulders, not knowing if the only reason for her to hate on someone would be just the fact they got close to her son in certain way or those whose did had other preferences, whatever it was the case she needed to open her close mind, so he offered his input on the matter seeing how uneasy his friend was.
- "Let's say you are lucky enough for her to not know the one who seduced the boy was her own son. She'd have burnt this building if she were."
Josh smacked his friend's back who wiggled his eyebrows teasing him, "Oh, give me a breather. Someone might have heard ya. They ain't gone yet."
Frank shook his head as he knew this can't be avoided anymore, his voice sympathetic to give that push to his friend to open up to his parents, "You have to come clean sooner or later. So why not now?"
Josh rubbed his forehead, elbow on the desk, his voice expressing how exhausted he was for prolonging it more than necessary, "For Teo's sake it's better if she doesn't before we convince them from retreating the lawsuit. It would be endless if I do it now."
Frank understood his friend's situation, nodding he still let out his thoughts as he gave him the same advice he has been giving him since they joined college and he found out about his preferences, supporting him and even cheering him so he could be honest with his family.
"You know you would've been off the hook if you had told them back then that you're gay, don't you think so?."
Josh covered his face behind his hands as he wanted to do it before his mother were able to set him up with a random woman she thought would be a good match for him.
"I know… I had a plan, if the moment called for it. I can't just go there and be like: Hey, mom, dad. I'm strongly attracted to men to the point I might even consider settling down with one."
Just then a loud gasp was heard, followed by a loud thud by the door, which caught them off guard as Josh and his friend stared at it, just to find his father holding the door open and his mother at his feet like a lifeless doll on the floor lying unconscious.
"Joseph… Will you do what now?"
His father questioned him, utterly speechless staring at his pale son whose mouth was hung agape.
Josh's friend pushed a button on his desk to call his secretary so they could bring someone to pick up the fainted woman, speaking next as the latter seemed at a loss for words.
"Mr. Johnson, I consider it prudent to help Mrs. Johnson first before getting into this matter."
He intended to divert their focus towards the woman who didn't show signs of moving, buying Josh some time to come out of his stupor.
Somehow, it worked as the elegant elder male turned around, finding the spot where his wife stood minutes ago empty, fast looking around just to notice she was at his feet, soon kneeling to pick her up as a secretary rushed up to them.
"Oh my Goodness! I'll bring the first aid kit."
The young secretary said in a state of panic seeing the unconscious woman being scooped up like a doll by her husband who hooked an arm beneath her knees and one on her back holding her carefully to not make her fall.
"Thanks, Dylan. Please."
With these words still floating on the air the young male rushed back to his desk to fetch one from it, getting back at them when they entered the office.
Minutes later in Josh's friend's office his mother laid on the sofa whilst his father held the woman's head on his lap patting it, Josh pacing back and forth, rubbing his temples as his friend gave them some privacy so they could talk privately.
"Couldn't you wait a little longer before dropping that bomb?"
His father questioned him, not surprised, just concerned about his wife's current state, which got Josh halting his step, lifting his head to meet his father's firm gaze, the tension so thick due both had their own reasons to be worried about as they had to talk it out yet.