Josh’s Pov
Chapter 14
Despite my father’s best efforts to ruin my night, everything was going according to plan. The party he threw for me was going without a hitch, and Jessica was by my side all night. All of the crucial people that needed to be there were there.
I’d made certain to replace all of Thalia’s father’s royal snitches with mine. There was nothing to be concerned about, and I had no sabotage to worry about.
I utilized the party to rename the company, as we were about to embark on a new chapter in a new company the following week. Gentex group of companies was the new name, and it was a public company with a slew of tiny businesses under it, rather than the one-man show that had been INc biotech.
The public despised the one-man show, but more than half of the shares belonged to me and my future children, and they were protected by clauses that only I could amend. At the very least, my late father-in-law taught me one thing. The idea made me laugh.
I felt a hand on my back and turned to see a gorgeous face dressed in a Luis Vuitton gown, her hair wrapped behind her back. Every male at the party was lusting after her.
I was the guy on top of the world; I let them watch but not touch; she was mine, and at the end of at long night. I planned to bathe in between her legs while they all returned home to their freezing beds, imagining what it was like.
“Are things going as planned at the party?” Her voice was soothing to my ears as she inquired.
“More than I hoped.” I said while I placed a kiss on her cheeks. “To be honest, I was expecting a public protest, but it appears that everyone is on board.”
They all knew the Harvard nutcase was going to wreck the company. You are the right man for the job, they all knew it was going to be you.”
I burst out laughing at her response. “You gave them hope,” she added and kissed me passionately.
I liked how she always continuously emphasized the importance of branding Thalia with Harvard; I suppose it was a subtle jab, but it worked. Harvard was a haven for brilliant minds, and the fact that Thalia had graduated from there was a slap in the face.
“Anyway,” she replied solemnly, “we need to talk.”
“About what?” I inquired, confused.
She said, “Sharon, your mother.”
I turned around to see my father staring at us from the opposite side of the room, my face clenched up. I immediately realized he had spoken to Jessica behind my back. As I loosened my ball tie, anger welled up within me, and the room grew hot all of a sudden.
Jessica had always made it plain that she disliked my mother, which was why my father turned to her, hoping for her to change my mind. I had a good idea of what she was going to say next.
“You should put her in a facility,” without a care in the world, she declared simply. She was a no-nonsense individual who didn’t like to mince words, she was always direct.
I gritted my teeth and said, “Can we talk about this later, now isn’t the best time.”
“However, you opted to make your decision without informing me,” she replied, as she folded her arms in annoyance.
“I haven’t made any decisions because mom is already staying with my father.” I responded in a stern voice. I was giving her all the signs that I didn’t want to talk about the topic but she seemed like she
was ready to wage war.
We’re getting married this weekend, Josh, and your father will most likely take one of his girlfriends to a resort or country, leaving your mother alone. Please don’t tell me you’re bringing her in to live. with us.” She inquired further.
I gazed at her, irritated, as thoughts of Thalia asking me to bring my mother in with us after we married flashed through my mind. Before I began comparing the two women, I hastily shoved the thoughts aside.
I couldn’t figure out why Thalia always appeared whenever I had a disagreement with Jessica. Maybe it was because she never disagreed with me, never fought me, talked back, or made me angry. She was a cardboard box that I could command to stop breathing if liked to, I guess I missed that.
I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Jessica shouting my name. She finally caught. my attention by snapping her fingers over my face.
“Please don’t ruin a perfect night, Jessica.” I said as I walked away. “Josh, Josh, Josh!” she called out, but I ignored her. People started staring at her; she was simply garnering unwanted attention and giving the guests something to talk about. I guess I would be sleeping in a frigid bed tonight, just like most men, instead of the warm thighs I had envisioned.
I noticed one of my board members standing in a corner, so I went over to him and we started talking about growth, anything to keep my mind from wandering. My father and Jessica had the intention of sabotaging my beautiful evening but I was not going to allow them.
I was certain she was going to run crying to him; their obnoxious friendship was grating, to say the least. They always found a way to group up on me on anything I opposed. Before I could finish my contribution, I observed my father and a furious Jessica approaching me.
“Great,” I thought to myself as I excused myself from the party; they couldn’t even wait for the party to end. They both trailed behind me as I marched directly to Dad’s office, enraged.
“What the heck are you two up to?” I yelled at them. My veins were about to rupture out of my head. as my face turned red “You couldn’t wait for this lovely celebration to end!”
“Calm down, son,” Dad said.
“No, you have no right to say that; it’s entirely your fault.
“Before you and Jessica tie the knot, we need to make a decision,” he said and commanded me to take a seat with a high voice.
I was enraged as I strode around the room, chucking my ball tie from my neck and tossing it to the floor.
“Believe me when I say that all I want for you is the best. I don’t want you and Jessica fighting in the first week of your marriage,” he explained.
“Then keep múm in your house; after all, you’re not the one who does everything. The nurses are in charge of everything,” I responded.
He signed and put his hands in his pockets, saying,” She has been in that condition for five years. I’ve been with her through those five years. I stood by her and held on, but it’s time to call it quits and get my own life.” he replied shamelessly.
I turned to face Jessica after staring at him, puzzled. She shifted her gaze away from me. My father was the most shameless man I’d ever met; the entire five years he had cheated on my mother over and over that I lost count of how many times I caught and confronted him.
“You may leave her if you want,” I replied, not wanting to debate.
“I’m not abandoning her, Josh; I’ll pay for the institution and visit her every day even if she does not recognize me.”
“Yes, Josh, we’ll be going to see her every day,” Jessica finally responded.
“Would you want me to abandon you after only five years if this was our situation?” I asked her.
“Josh, that isn’t the point; you’ll be too preoccupied with setting up the company as a result of this takeover. It won’t matter if she lives in a home or lives with us. You will not have time to look after her.” she said as she walked over to me. “All I want is a conducive home for my children to grow up.” she added.
I was taken aback as I looked in my father’s direction. “I thought you said we should wait a year before starting a family.” I asked.
“I’ve changed my mind; we can start making one right now; you’re right; we should have one sooner rather than later.”
I had no idea if she was bluffing or not, giving me confused feelings. As she drew closer to me in a seductive manner. I watched my father walk out of the room. “This isn’t a joke, Josh,” she said. “We can try right now.”
“But you just signed a modeling contract?” I stammered.
She unzipped me and pushed me onto the chair, saying, “F**k it, Gentex needs heirs and not photos.”
“Jessica, the visitors?”
As she knelt and roughly began stroking me, she whispered, “We’ll be very quiet.”
I thought I was sleeping in a cold bed but that was not to be. What she stated was jumbling in my mind. I had always wished for children, I loved children but she had previously advised me to wait because her career was just beginning to take off.
I’m not sure if the prospect of moving in with my mother swayed her opinion, but I didn’t care. Maybe she and my father were right, putting mom in an institution was not a bad idea. I’d be paying. her visits and sending her flowers every day. As a wave of indescribable pleasure washed over me, I thought to myself.
