Chapter 26
Bryan’s POV
The moment I push the door open, my phone begins to ring inside my pocket. I close the door quietly behind me as I bring the phone out to see my father’s name on the screen.
I am just coming from the conference hall, with the executive of A&A Construction Company. I am planning a partnership with the company and we are close to signing the deal.
Eric’s issue has been on my mind since I woke up this morning. I am still indecisive on what to do about him. I haven’t decided yet, whether to tell father or to just fire the idiot and solve this problem myself.
I haven’t seen him in two days and I asked my private investigator to monitor his moment. I haven’t gotten any feedback yet and I am curious to know what he has found now.
Father’s call now is making me debate on whether to tell him everything. I take long strides to the swivel chair and slouch in before picking up the call.
“Father”, I greet politely, ransacking my drawer for the file to work on after the call.
“Bryan, are you back with Emily?” His question catches me off guard, making me stop pulling out the file and opening my mouth agape.
What the hell happened? How did he know Emily and I met recently? Did she call him? Is this part of her plan?
“Bryan…”
“Of course not”, I declare openly, shaking my head. I haven’t thought about last night’s drama since I woke up. My head has been filled with the contract I want to sign today and the problem I am having with Eric.
“You are not together?” He asks again to confirm.
“No, we are not”, I assert. He remains silent for a while and I begin to wonder what happened and why he is suspecting that Emily and I are dating. I am sure she has a hand in this and I blame myself for being stupid and allowing her to persuade me to the club.Original from NôvelDrama.Org.
“There is a picture of the two of you on the internet”, he announces to my amazement. I shove the file out of the drawer and dump it on the desk angrily.
“What the hell!”
“And a picture of you and Celine”, he adds. I squeeze my eyes shut. I could hear the hint of excitement in his voice when he asked if I was dating Emily.
Now, I can also sense the disappointment. I can’t believe father still wants me and Emily to be together after all these years. It is so glaring to the eyes that this girl isn’t who she is. She is not as innocent as she looks.
If she is innocent, why does she keep coming back to me, making me do her bidding because she has something to use against me?
I am so sure this picture is out because of her. She planned this.
Father didn’t mention Celine initially because he didn’t like her and didn’t want her to be my wife as much as he wanted Emily to be.
Celine is better than Emily in all ramifications and my curiosity to know what the newspaper entails suddenly fills me up.
“I will call you back”, I say to him and hang up. Picking the intercom, I call Stella and she picks up at the first ring.
“Get me this morning’s newspaper; New York Times”, I inform and drop the landline without waiting for her reply.
****
“Celine and I are not together”, I explain to my father for the umpteenth time. I haven’t told him or my mom about my child and the fact that Celine is in my house as my son’s nanny. I want them to be back to see things for themselves, so I can also explain that there is absolutely nothing between us.
The Newspaper in front of me is adding to my anger and I almost fling it away when my eyes land on the picture of Emily kissing my cheeks. She is a f***ing manipulator and I have learned a lesson. I wonder what the public would say now.
First, it was the news of Helena’s death and the fake news of a relationship with Emily. Then Celine came into the picture. She was named the Billionaire’s Secret Wife.
When she disappeared, it got to the media and I was called a divorcee.
Thinking about it now, I believe Emily is behind it all.
“Why were you with Emily last night then?” He demands with a low tone. I close my eyes again and rub my fingers on my temple, feeling a sudden ache in the head. I owe no one any explanation.
“Father, I have something important to tell you”, I inform him.
“Is it more important than your relationship life?” He questions and I growl in frustration. “I am doing this for your benefit. You need to have a stable relationship to rule out the scandal…”
“What scandal, father?” I roar. I don’t want us to go back to the past. I know what he is talking about. It is about Susie and Helena.
Helena was pregnant twice before we picked a wedding date. This is what he is talking about. I thought we have gone past this issue already.
My father has always wanted me to be the perfect son, perfect businessman, and perfect billionaire.
He wanted me to be perfect in all my dealings but there are no perfections in anything that has to do with my relationship life. He still wants me to make amends and turn my imperfections into perfections.
“Father…” I call but he interrupts me.
“Aren’t you going to do anything about it? Do you want to lose the title of the youngest billionaire?”
I groan, deciding not to talk to him about Eric anymore. I will do things my way. I hear my mother’s voice from the background and I know she is behind it all.
My Father gave up on my relationship life ever since Celine left but my Mother persisted till two years ago when I told her to her face that marriage isn’t for me.
Without uttering any more word, Father disconnects the call and I lean backward in the chair, my gaze shifting to the newspaper.
It reads. “The youngest billionaire is back to dating again. Emily is the lucky girl.”
The other caption about Celine reads.
“Who is she? A mistress?”
I twirl in my chair, so I won’t be seeing the newspaper again. I will call Stella later to come and put it in the trash bag.
I am thinking about everything happening and what to do to avoid getting questions from investors when I hear a faint knock on the door. I don’t answer until the second knock comes in. I grant the person the permission to enter and turn back to face the door.
Eric comes in with several files and I lean forward in anticipation of good news but the look on his face says otherwise. I notice the worry on his face and the frown. I need no soothsayer to tell me it is indeed bad news.
“Did you get the files?” I ask, without mincing words before he can sit opposite me.
He shakes his head sadly and drops the files on my desk. Before he can say anything, I yell at him. “What then is the essence of coming in here without my complete account?”
The sorry look on his face is suddenly replaced by a defiant one. I clench my fist on the desk, struggling to get a hold of my anger. Nothing is working. My headache has increased and my mind is in turmoil.
“I tried to look for a solution…”
“What fu****g solution?” I hit the desk in irritation. It is glaring to the eyes that this is beyond his abilities.
He can’t head a Department because of his incapabilities and inefficiency. I see no reason why he should still be here. I was exercising patience all along because of my father but I am done.
I exhale deeply and point to the door.
He arches his brows in confusion and I shout in impatience. “You are fired, get out!”