As the front door creaked open, servants were suddenly lined up to receive the master of the house, Mr Jefferey Smith whom they respectfully greeted as he walked past them, not sparing a second of his time to acknowledge their gesture. To him, this was their job and they were fairly compensated for a job well done. His briefcase was handed to a maid by the new driver, as Sophia's father has already been fired from the job, who immediately retired back to the car to properly park it in the garage. The briefcase followed behind Mr Smith, but as he changed course from his bedroom to the living room, the briefcase continued its trip upstairs in the firm grip of the maid.
Before stepping fully into the living room, his eyes caught glimpse of his beautiful wife sipping from a glass as his face lit up with a smile that shows how fulfilled he felt to refer to her as "his wife". She, on the other hand, was deeply engrossed in the book she was reading as she snacked on the small piece of cookie in her grip.
"Darling, guess who I met today?" He called out as he walked into the room, taking a seat besides the beautiful woman and snatching her glass of juice from the table to also take a sip.
"You meet so many people in a day that it is impossible to keep track." She teased, stroking his arm lovingly as she dropped the book face down on the table; her own way of welcoming him back home from his long day at work.
"Yeah, that's true." He smiled, nodding his head as he dropped the glass back on the table, "Well, I met Sophia again."
"Who is Sophia?" She asked with raised eyebrows.
"The girl that took me to the hospital a week ago." He smiled, probably aware of what must have been going through her mind some seconds ago.
"Oh! That beautiful angel of a girl!" She gasped with her face lighting up with a smile, as though Sophia was in the room with them."Yes, and she was even more beautiful today." He teased even more.
"Really?" The jealousy buried in every woman whose husband calls another female beautiful resurfaced, as her face twisted in a disapproving look.
"And did I even tell you about the mix-up at the hospital?" He asked with an excited laugh.
"What mix-up?" She asked in return, her face now completely ridden of the disapproving look she had on.
"The doctors had thought Sophia to be the girl I had told them about-"
"Isabella?" She chipped in, fighting back the laughter that was already on her lips."Yeah, and they had the intensive screening tests conducted on her as well." At this point, he couldn't stop the giggling.
"Really?" She chuckled lightly.
"And she was extremely healthy and fit, with a strong genetic makeup that can guarantee us lots of grandchildren." Mr Smith said softly after a minute of silence, shocking his wife who wasn't expecting such statement, in the process.
"Wait! Are you insinuating what I think you are insinuating?" She asked in a whisper as though the maids might hear her and spread rumors.
"I know her father, and I can have a detailed background check conducted on her to make sure she is safe for our son, but the truth is, watching her sit across the table from me made my heart pound excitedly with joy. I could almost taste the future with me sitting with her and my grand kids for lunch." He said in a daydreaming manner, ignoring the visible panic in his wife's voice as he, himself, knew how his son would react to this marriage talk.
"Why were you both even having lunch together?"
"Her father was my driver and he owe me money. She had come to plead on his behalf for some more time to pay up." To that, she nodded in understanding, taking another sip of her drink.
"But still, do you think Damien would consent to this?" She finally asked the question on both their minds.
"He would not have a choice, my dear, because he has not given us a choice either." His voice was stern, but his expression had to soften as he stared at his wife who held a worried look.
"Welcome home, master Damien." The loud voice of a maid at the door announced the arrival of the "man of the hour", as both couple exchanged a somewhat surprised look.
"Speaking of the devil." Mr Smith whispered softly, as his wife laughed lightly to his remark.
"Damien love." Mrs Smith called out, her attempt at letting him know where she was for him to properly greet her.
"Am I safe?" The smile on his face was slowly fading as his eyes caught glimpse of his father sitting on the same sofa with his mother. He did not hate his father, it was just that they both do not see, eye to eye.
"Of course, you are." She smiled widely, stretching out her arm for a hug; one which he gladly obliged.
Both men stared awkwardly at each other for a minute, "Was work good?" Mrs Smith asked in an attempt at lightening the mood.
"Work was fine, mum." was his short reply
"So if this meeting is not important, I'd like to retire to my room to rest. I had a long day." He added almost immediately, turning on his heels as he was ready to leave for his room.
"Oh! yeah. You need all the rest you can get considering how you'd be married soon." His father said in a loud voice.
"Excuse me!"
"You don't have to be excused because what you heard was absolutely right."
"You must be kidding." Damien chuckled uneasily.
"You can think whatever, Damien. Arrangements are already being made for the wedding to happen." His father replied coldly.
"This is a joke. It has to be." His eyes were on his mother as he spoke, pleading silently that she said something just like she always did whenever he (Mr Smith) brought up the marriage talk.
"You are the only son and child in three generations because we all got married late in life and messed with our chances of having more children-"
"...but work is-" He half yelled, only to be interrupted by his father, just like he (Damien) did.
"...work can adjust itself this time around. I need to at least see my grandchildren before joining my parents and as you have made no move to actually find yourself a wife, your mother and I have done that for you."
"If this is about me the drama with Vanessa and the media, then stop it. I already assured you both that I'd fix everything so stop with this expensive joke of yours. It's not funny."
"Baby-" Mrs Smith called out softly, already sensing the incoming heat from the high tone of the angry men.
"Mum, don't tell me you are in on this as well?" He said pleadingly, guilt over his inability to actually have a say in the issue as he had yet to handle the media scandal he was dealing with.
"Darling, it's for your own good."
"Don't pacify him, Elizabeth. You over indulge him in all his excessive nonsense and that is why he turned out to be this spoilt brat that now have to deal with a sex scandal." Mr Smith half yelled, rising to his feet and oozing of undiluted anger.
"Whatever you want to say is fine dad, but I'm not having any part in this marriage of a thing." He said a bit softer than his usual tone.
"Then be rest assured about having no part in the inheritance and the company."
"W-what are you saying?" He stuttered.
"I have been planning on retiring for a while now and having you completely in charge of the chain of businesses as I help you from behind the scenes-""And let me guess, if I refuse to marry, that plan of yours suddenly disappears from your mind?" He said in a scornful tone, smiling angrily to himself."I knew you are everything but stupid. And yes, I'm so glad we are on one page about this."
"Dad-""Why don't we all cool off from the stress of today. Let's all go upstairs, take a bath and by tomorrow, we'd talk about this with a fresh mind." Mrs Smith chipped in with a suggestion that was met with Damien's angry walk upstairs to his room as Mr Smith settled back on the sofa with his wife, not willing to let anything tamper with the quality time he had planned to have with his wife.