He was mute and glued himself to the chair while his father continued with his work as though he was not there. He looked down forlornly and could feel his tears flowing freely and often sobbed. At that juncture, he remembered Valerie and the brief moments they shared before her disappearance and sobbed bitterly.
Nevertheless, each sob pricked his father's heart because he hated to see his vibrant and fearless son in a miserable state. Instantly, he stopped work and attended to him.
"Son," he called out despondently.
He did not answer but cried his heart out. His father was waiting for him to calm down before he would continue to placate him but he called out in despair, "Dad."
"Yes, Son," he pouted and answered.
"I can't do it. I apologize if I will disappoint you but that is my stand," he said without looking up.
He expected him to flare up but he did not. Rather he persuaded him further, "It is okay. I will give you time to think about it. Give me your answer twenty-four hours from now."
"There is no need for that, Dad. My answer will remain the same even after eternity."
"You can leave," his father ordered and he left dejectedly.
In Mr. Garfield's Bedroom
"Oh, my God! She must be a good girl," Charity, Brian's mother exclaimed after her husband informed her about Jane's visit.
"That is it but our son is not seeing it that way. He is still mad at her for accusing him falsely," Mr. Garfield stated and explained what transpired between him and Brian in the office.
Charity sat up from the bed and declared, "He must be joking. Which man would let such a good girl slip off his hand."
"I'm glad that you are seeing reasons with me. Anyway, I gave him twenty-four hours to think about it."
"Twenty-four hours is too long. What if another man comes for her and she forgets about our son," she said and got up from the bed.
She put on her footwear and hurriedly walked out of the room. Her husband followed her at once and they got to Brian's room together.
In Brian's Room
After his discussion with his father, he closed for the day and returned home. He refused to speak with anyone nor have his lunch. Unlike him, he did not check on Leonard as he often did at lunch and he decided to call him. To his perturbation, he did not pick up his call.
"He must be busy with work," he said to himself and continued with his work.
"What is going on?" He asked himself after work when he did not call him back and called him again.
He waited for him to pick up the call but he did not. Since the disappearance of Valerie, Leonard took it upon himself to ensure that he was not despaired by being alone for too long. When he did not return his calls, he was disturbed and took it upon himself to check on him.
"Where is your boss?" He asked Brian's security guards when they opened the gate for him.
"He is in his room, Young Master," one of them answered him.
He gave him a searching look to see if he could get any clue about Brian but got none.
"I see," he said and drove to the apartment.
He got out of his car and studied the countenance of the guard at the door before he walked into the parlor and answered the cook's greetings perfunctorily.
"Where is he, Mr. Cameron?" He asked at once.
"He had been in his room."
"Huh!" he mumbled and took a step.
"Kindly inform him that he had not had his lunch," he pleaded, and that gave Leonard more concern.
"Okay," he responded, walked to his room in a jiffy, and pushed the door open without knocking.
"What?" He screamed when he saw him sitting on the ground and in a bad state.
"You are at it again, Guy. For how long will you mourn her?" He reprimanded him and sat on the couch.
Brian could not respond. Rather, his tears began to spill again. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke, "It is not what you think, Guy."
Leonard moved closer to him and asked, "What do you mean? What is the problem?"
"She deceived my father and he believed that we were engaged and about to get married."
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" He inquired curiously.
"Jane of course. My father believed her."
"Jane and your father? How is that possible?"
Brian gave him a rundown of his discussion with his father that afternoon and he felt like killing her.
"She has convinced your father with her sly trick," he pointed out angrily.
"That is it and he would not listen to my explanation."
"I can imagine how you …"
He stopped and Brian jolted when the door suddenly opened.
"It is good that you are here, Leonard," Charity, who just barged in, stated without greetings.
"Good evening, Mrs. Garfield. Good evening, Mr. ...."
She interrupted him, faced Brian, and continued, "Your father has acquainted me with Jane's forgiveness and your refusal to accept it."
Her words injured his feelings and he called out in despair, "Mom."
"Don't call me. Why do you want to deny me the chance to have a good daughter-in-law, Brian?" She asked with an emotional voice and Brian was emotional as well.
He tried to get up and console her but his father stopped him with his words, "I wonder what you are thinking, Son. At twenty-five, you should have been married by now. Do we deserve to be treated like this?"
Nevertheless, Charity was not through with her admonition, and she blurted out, "If I had another child, I wouldn't have minded, but now, my only hope wished to cause me pain in my old age."
Such helpless remarks from his mother about not having another child always incapacitate him and he pleaded, "It has not gotten to this, Mom."
"What do you mean? You don't want her to have a good daughter-in-law and you said it had not gotten to this. When do you intend to get married?" his father made clear.
"Take it easy, Mr. Garfield. We can talk …,"
"The annoying thing about you is that you are not in a relationship."
"Exactly. I never knew that he broke up with his first love and the only woman who loves him."
"Can you imagine that? If you still consider me as your mother, you must not allow this golden opportunity to pass us by," she sobbed.
"Let's leave, Wifey. Whether he accepts her or not, we are not going to accept another woman from him apart from Jane," he declared and inched towards the door.
Now, Brian was up and tried to console his mother, "Calm down, Mom. There must be a way out."
"Bang," his parents banged the door and left.
Brian shuddered at the sound of the door and Leonard got up.
He held him and emphasized with a killing intention, "Guy, this is your life and we must fight for it."
He looked at him with his wet face and Leonard made him sit down before he continued, "Let's proceed with the wedding plans. We will speak her language after that."
"What do you mean?"
"She had convinced your parents with her lies and they won't believe anything that we will say. I propose that we accept their choice and strike immediately after the wedding."
Now, Leonard's looks were scary and Brian perceived that he was up to an expensive game. Instantly, he asked him, "What are your plans?"
"Nothing much but to poison her drink on your way to your honeymoon. She would have died before you arrived. Eye for an eye," he pointed out.He was mute and glued himself to the chair while his father continued with his work as though he was not there. He looked down forlornly and could feel his tears flowing freely and often sobbed. At that juncture, he remembered Valerie and the brief moments they shared before her disappearance and sobbed bitterly.
Nevertheless, each sob pricked his father's heart because he hated to see his vibrant and fearless son in a miserable state. Instantly, he stopped work and attended to him.
"Son," he called out despondently.
He did not answer but cried his heart out. His father was waiting for him to calm down before he would continue to placate him but he called out in despair, "Dad."
"Yes, Son," he pouted and answered.
"I can't do it. I apologize if I will disappoint you but that is my stand," he said without looking up.
He expected him to flare up but he did not. Rather he persuaded him further, "It is okay. I will give you time to think about it. Give me your answer twenty-four hours from now."
"There is no need for that, Dad. My answer will remain the same even after eternity."
"You can leave," his father ordered and he left dejectedly.
In Mr. Garfield's Bedroom
"Oh, my God! She must be a good girl," Charity, Brian's mother exclaimed after her husband informed her about Jane's visit.
"That is it but our son is not seeing it that way. He is still mad at her for accusing him falsely," Mr. Garfield stated and explained what transpired between him and Brian in the office.
Charity sat up from the bed and declared, "He must be joking. Which man would let such a good girl slip off his hand."
"I'm glad that you are seeing reasons with me. Anyway, I gave him twenty-four hours to think about it."
"Twenty-four hours is too long. What if another man comes for her and she forgets about our son," she said and got up from the bed.
She put on her footwear and hurriedly walked out of the room. Her husband followed her at once and they got to Brian's room together.
In Brian's Room
After his discussion with his father, he closed for the day and returned home. He refused to speak with anyone nor have his lunch. Unlike him, he did not check on Leonard as he often did at lunch and he decided to call him. To his perturbation, he did not pick up his call.
"He must be busy with work," he said to himself and continued with his work.
"What is going on?" He asked himself after work when he did not call him back and called him again.
He waited for him to pick up the call but he did not. Since the disappearance of Valerie, Leonard took it upon himself to ensure that he was not despaired by being alone for too long. When he did not return his calls, he was disturbed and took it upon himself to check on him.
"Where is your boss?" He asked Brian's security guards when they opened the gate for him.
"He is in his room, Young Master," one of them answered him.
He gave him a searching look to see if he could get any clue about Brian but got none.
"I see," he said and drove to the apartment.
He got out of his car and studied the countenance of the guard at the door before he walked into the parlor and answered the cook's greetings perfunctorily.
"Where is he, Mr. Cameron?" He asked at once.
"He had been in his room."
"Huh!" he mumbled and took a step.
"Kindly inform him that he had not had his lunch," he pleaded, and that gave Leonard more concern.
"Okay," he responded, walked to his room in a jiffy, and pushed the door open without knocking.
"What?" He screamed when he saw him sitting on the ground and in a bad state.
"You are at it again, Guy. For how long will you mourn her?" He reprimanded him and sat on the couch.
Brian could not respond. Rather, his tears began to spill again. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke, "It is not what you think, Guy."
Leonard moved closer to him and asked, "What do you mean? What is the problem?"
"She deceived my father and he believed that we were engaged and about to get married."
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" He inquired curiously.
"Jane of course. My father believed her."
"Jane and your father? How is that possible?"
Brian gave him a rundown of his discussion with his father that afternoon and he felt like killing her.
"She has convinced your father with her sly trick," he pointed out angrily.
"That is it and he would not listen to my explanation."
"I can imagine how you …"
He stopped and Brian jolted when the door suddenly opened.
"It is good that you are here, Leonard," Charity, who just barged in, stated without greetings.
"Good evening, Mrs. Garfield. Good evening, Mr. ...."
She interrupted him, faced Brian, and continued, "Your father has acquainted me with Jane's forgiveness and your refusal to accept it."
Her words injured his feelings and he called out in despair, "Mom."
"Don't call me. Why do you want to deny me the chance to have a good daughter-in-law, Brian?" She asked with an emotional voice and Brian was emotional as well.
He tried to get up and console her but his father stopped him with his words, "I wonder what you are thinking, Son. At twenty-five, you should have been married by now. Do we deserve to be treated like this?"
Nevertheless, Charity was not through with her admonition, and she blurted out, "If I had another child, I wouldn't have minded, but now, my only hope wished to cause me pain in my old age."
Such helpless remarks from his mother about not having another child always incapacitate him and he pleaded, "It has not gotten to this, Mom."
"What do you mean? You don't want her to have a good daughter-in-law and you said it had not gotten to this. When do you intend to get married?" his father made clear.
"Take it easy, Mr. Garfield. We can talk …,"
"The annoying thing about you is that you are not in a relationship."
"Exactly. I never knew that he broke up with his first love and the only woman who loves him."
"Can you imagine that? If you still consider me as your mother, you must not allow this golden opportunity to pass us by," she sobbed.
"Let's leave, Wifey. Whether he accepts her or not, we are not going to accept another woman from him apart from Jane," he declared and inched towards the door.
Now, Brian was up and tried to console his mother, "Calm down, Mom. There must be a way out."
"Bang," his parents banged the door and left.
Brian shuddered at the sound of the door and Leonard got up.
He held him and emphasized with a killing intention, "Guy, this is your life and we must fight for it."
He looked at him with his wet face and Leonard made him sit down before he continued, "Let's proceed with the wedding plans. We will speak her language after that."
"What do you mean?"
"She had convinced your parents with her lies and they won't believe anything that we will say. I propose that we accept their choice and strike immediately after the wedding."
Now, Leonard's looks were scary and Brian perceived that he was up to an expensive game. Instantly, he asked him, "What are your plans?"
"Nothing much but to poison her drink on your way to your honeymoon. She would have died before you arrived. Eye for an eye," he pointed out.