Alex's face turned a deep shade of red, a vein pulsing visibly on his forehead. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"You shut your damn mouth, Austin!" Alex shouted, his voice trembling with rage.
He stormed towards Austin, his eyes blazing. "How dare you? You think you're so high and mighty because of your bastard children? At least I have some standards!"
Austin smirked, clearly enjoying his brother's outburst. "Standards? Is that what you call hiding behind your cold facade and treating your wife like dirt? You're the real failure here, Alex."
Before Alex could react, Robert stood up, his authoritative presence commanding the room. "Enough! Both of you! This is not how we solve our problems."
"Austin, stop talking. Ava intentionally wanted to cause a riff between you." Vivian added.
"I know you will favour him, but he won't escape this one; he has to step down. We need someone who is able and that can perform as a man to move the Langford forward, not an impotent."
Ava's heart was pounding in her chest, but she felt a strange sense of liberation. For the first time, she had spoken her truth, and there was no turning back. She never expected his brother Austin to take the matter up. Why was he so concerned and fought his brother?
She knew much about the relationship between him and his brother; all she knew was that Alex was always cold to them.
Everyone stood up to Alex. His mother's eyes railed down his trouser. She wanted to touch him, but Alex yanked her hand off.
"Did you believe what she said too?"
"I watched you grow up, and you didn't have any complications or accidents that could make you less of a man."
"Then why did you want to touch me?" he roared.
"Christmas is over; you all should go back to your house," he yelled.
"I believe her; Ava is a good girl, so if you don't prove to us that you are a man, then consider losing the company to your brother, Austion, until I am able to convince your other brother to come back home." Robert said.
His expression darkened, and he snarled, "You can't do that. You know this company was nothing but an ordinary building; I revived it from zero to hero; no one dares take it from me now!". His voice sent a shiver down the spines of everyone.
Ava was voluntarily shaken; for the past three years, she had never seen him angry like this despite being cold to her. She started regretting her action; if she had known, she wouldn't have accused him of being impotent. She thought they would just stop humiliating her, knowing the problem was not her alone.
Roberth was unfazed; he knew Alex took his father's commanding attitude; he could not be impelled by his son's aura. "Watch out, son! You know how much I keep my promises; if you can't prove you are a man, consider stepping down after the holiday. I will have you voted out," he threatened.
Alex surrendered when he knew how serious his father was: "Alright, I will assist Ava in getting pregnant; next year, you will hear the cry of a baby."
"Oh, I see. I know where the problem is now. It is true you can't do it as a man; you want to fool me by getting another man for her."
"Maybe he will hire me." Austin snickered.
Alex's heart is clenched; there is no escaping route for him. There's a flick of jealousy in his eyes as he gives his brother a disdainful look.
"What the hell do you want me to do? How do you want me to prove that I am a man?" he growled. His body was shaking violently.
"Take her inside and show her you are a man." Robert commanded.
"That will never be possible; I can go down on my wife in the presence of everyone; it is humiliating, and I won't subject my wife to that." he roared.
"Have you forgotten that she humiliated you first? So show her what a man is; I want to see your love bite all over her neck, or do you want news to have you as the headline tomorrow? Alex is an impotent," he chuckled.
"No media dare do that," he roared.
"Everyone, I will be going with my family. Merry Christmas," Claire's husband said, trying to excuse them.
Claire frowned and retorted, "We can't go now; until we clear the accusation she made against my brother, would you be happy having impotent as a brother-in-law?"
"Me and my child don't belong here; we will be going; you can stay," he pecked his wife and walked away with his child.
Robert patted Alex on the back and said, "The stranger among us is gone, so get to work; don't forget you are doing this to secure your position at Langford."
Ava faced the other side; she believed Alex would never lay on her to prove her accusation right, not knowing she had just set a trap that she would not escape.
"Ava, meet me in my room," he said.
Alex retreated to the bar and gulped an alcoholic drink.
Ava was dumbfounded; she couldn't believe Alex would invite her to his room for the first time after three years. She stood fidgeting, not knowing the horror he would unleash on her in the room. She never wanted it like this; she accused him of being impotent so that he would feel the same pain, not to have sex. If she had known her statement would lead to having sex, she wouldn't have said it.
"How could he break his promise? So he was just lying; he loves his company more than the woman he longs for,' she thought as she stood numb.
"What are you waiting for? Is that not what you want? Consider losing this marriage if your allegation is wrong; get inside and meet him." Vivian threatened her before she pushed her over.
She almost tripped, but maintained her balance and walked dejectedly inside.
Her eyes caught a portrait of a lady inside his room; it was an old picture taken with black and white carema.
"Get your eyes off her; she is not a gold digger like you," he scowled.
"I don't know you are this smart; you purposely made this day to achieve your aim; you won, but trust me, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Get on the bed and turn off the light; I don't want to see your disgusting features," he commanded.
"Please, Alex, I never want it this way. I give up now. Let's pretend that we did it, and I will take the blame for the accusation. After today, I will disappear from your life." She said this, trembling on the bed.
"Smart whore, do you think my father will not know? You are such a fool thinking that I can fall for another trick of yours," he said as he started losing his belt.
He came to a halt and handed her a pill. Take this now!" He roared, "A vile woman like you will never give me a child."
She collected the pill and took it with water.
"Haaa!!!" She let out such a painful moan that the wall of the house almost collapsed.
Robert Langford smiled gracefully.
Vivian and Claire gritted their teeth in annoyance, waiting for Ava to come out and vent their anger.
"This is the last pill; take it and go far away; I don't want to see you in my life."
He made sure that she took the drug before he stormed out of the room with annoyance; he was sweating profusely, like a Christmas goat.
His eyes were reddened like a lion, ready to fight.
Robert walked to him and patted him on the shoulder. "Well done, boy, you are just like me," he smirked.
Alex looked cold and muttered, "By the time I come back, that woman should be gone, or else I will do something unthinkable." He shot his father a dead glance and walked out of the building.
"Where do you want her to go?" he asked.
"Hell is a place," he responded.