'Well, what am I supposed to say to counter that?' Mirabel thought to herself as her eye followed them.
"Thank you," was all she whispered out and then the two adults returned to the table.
"Our boy is well-cultured," Jorge observed,
Mirabel was also touched, for she did not have to tell her son what to say. Collin had acted on his own and in a very endearing way. She had to thank her friend Flora for this; for raising her son in such a way. However, Jorge's use of 'our boy' did not go unnoticed to her and she was more touched by that statement.
She had no idea what to make of the man she had married. He engaged in a contract marriage with her but was being overly courteous as well as generous to her and especially her son. What did he aim to achieve from all of that?
After a brief pause, Mirabel asked, "You look at me with such familiarity. Do I know you? I do not think that we have met. Have we?" She asked him yet again as her first time had gone unanswered. He turned his full attention to her, and that made her avert her gaze.
She was still unused to a man of his looks and calibre giving her much attention, but she did not want to care. "Let's go to my study after breakfast, I'll answer any question you have then," she nodded and grabbed a sip of the exquisite coffee she had been given.
A couple of maids arrived then and started setting the table for their breakfast.
Mirabel did not think that she would ever get used to the type of meals served in the household. There were fruit pancakes, bedevilled eggs, freshly squeezed fruit juice, some croissants, and mixed fruits.
"Collin, come have breakfast, sweetheart," she called out to him,
"Thank you," she raised her head and said to the maids who had served the food. The girls smiled widely in return and excused themselves.
Collin sat by her, and she loaded his plate. He ate with relish, but Mirabel just nibbled on her food. This did not go unnoticed by Jorge.
"Do you not like the food? Should I make the chef make a different meal set for you?" he raised his hand, and Mr Benny appeared almost immediately for his instructions, but Mirabel immediately added,
"Oh no, no, it's okay. I just do have much of an appetite this morning. Please do not worry the chef about this."
With a flick of his finger, Mr Benny retreated, but Jorge said, "Worry? You will not be worrying them about this. Isn't this what they are paid for?"
He nodded and then said, "Maybe, I should just fire him then; if a five-star chef cannot make you eat, then I am not sur-" before Jorge finished his statement, Mirabel took a glass of strawberry juice and gulped it down.
"Oh-" was all Jorge said but dropped the case of firing someone. He heaped up his plate and also concentrated on his meal. The meal continued in silence until they were done. Mirabel then helped Collin clean up the small crumbs in his mouth.
"Shall we?" he asked after she was done.
"What of Collin?" she asked,
Jorge looked at the boy for a bit and then replied, "Let him come along for now, as the first order of the day involves him."
In the study, a few minutes later, Mirabel and Collin both sat facing Jorge in a sitting area. The place was more like a home office than a study. A large airy place with lots of natural light streaming through the glass windows. It occupied almost a fourth of the third floor.
Large bookshelves covered one part of it. They had ignored the desk and its chair and sat at a place with settees so that they could be comfortable. There was a small centre table with papers stacked neatly on it in front of them.
"Ok, so Mr Collin Tony Thebes" Jorge started and looked straight at Collin, " … what do you think about me becoming your father forever, from now on?"
Collin looked to be in deep thought, but a slow smile spread across his face, and Mirabel looked at Jorge Trimshaw a little helplessly. She was happy at that thought as even though Jorge talked to Collin, he had his eyes somewhat on her as if seeking her approval as well.
'Was this man the same one who had a bad reputation for being a womanizer?' she thought to herself because no matter how much she thought of it, it did not match one bit! He seemed more like a loving- family man in the few short hours she had met him.
'Was this how he wooed the women?'
"What of the contract? When it-"
Jorge interrupted her instead, "I would like to address that with you alone, but I would like your thoughts on this proposal as well…"
Collin looked at his mother and then nodded vigorously to Jorge. As he saw no negative reaction from his mother replied in his childish voice, "Yes, I would love that!" the excitement was evident from Collin's demeanour as he struggled to sit still. He had always wanted a father.
It wasn't like he did not like his mother and aunt, but all the other kids around him in their neighbourhood had fathers, and he had always felt slightly jealous when they talked about them.
Mirabel had reservations because she only thought of what was best for her child in the long term and not at one moment only. She was in a contractual marriage and wished deep in her heart to protect her boy. But…
"Okay, buddy, I want to talk to your mother alone for a bit," Jorge stated, but the response from Collin was a little unusual. He went quite a bit because something a friend had said sometime back popped into his tiny head. Did he answer prematurely?
He had only wanted his mother and then blurted out with a serious face, "Mummy is for me only! You cannot have her! Becoming my dad does not mean that you get my mum to yourself!"
Jorge did not miss a beat, "Of course!" Jorge responded with a gleam in his eyes that had Mirabel shaking her head at both men in the room.
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