Jerome glanced at his son and saw the tears in his eyes.
“Jim, is this true?”
“You think I am lying?” Elena snapped. “You think I would be acting crazy over nothing?”
“No! I just don’t see any reason why Ben would do that.”
“Are you defending him?” She gasped, failing to believe her ears. “Wow! Your son is right there, suffering and you’re busy defending someone that has hurt him. What kind of father are you? Instead of you to be protecting your son, you’re busy defending that good for nothing gold-digging bitch!”
“He’s my son too!” He snapped.
Elena felt a shiver run down her spine, a tingling sensation that spread like wildfire. She stood there, feeling the energy leave her. Jim on the other hand sat there, trying to process what he had heard from his father.
“Ben is my son.” He said in between breaths. “Right now, I don’t want what happened six years ago to repeat itself. I lost one of my sons to a senseless act of anger and I had no idea where he had been the last six years. I told him so many hurtful things and he probably hates me right now, Elena. Not a day passed by that I didn’t wish I could turn back the hands of time and resolved the issue between my sons. Maybe, just maybe… we wouldn’t have reached where we are.”
“Are you serious?” Elena snapped.
“I have never been so serious my whole life.” She knew from that look on his face that he wasn’t joking. “Parents are supposed to be the guide for their children and I failed my child when I was supposed to do that. My son for the last six years grew up without me. I don’t know what happened and how he got into the company.”
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“He hurt your son.” She yelled, furiously pointing at Jim. “Just look at him over there. Does he look fine to you? Does he look like someone who wanna hear what you’re saying? You’re defending someone who is hurting him?”
Jerome sighed and moved to his son, sitting together with him on the couch. He took his hands and rubbed them sweetly.
“Jim, I am so sorry that you’re going through this.” He said softly, staring into those teary eyes. “But you need to understand that not everything is as it seems. It’s probably not what you think. Don’t think too much about it. Don’t make a mistake and mistrust your husband.”
He leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
“I love you so much!”
Without getting a word from him, he stood up and left without saying a word to his wife. In anger, Elena sat closer to her son, staring into his eyes.
“Don’t be so stupid as to listen to your father.” She said harshly. “He’s not thinking straight and if you ever think of entertaining that bitch, history will repeat itself and you’ll be back in this house.”
Jim snorted. “Never! I will not allow Ben to return to our lives even if it’s the last thing I do, mom. I will not allow my father and him to reconcile. As far as I am concerned, I am the only legitimate Henandez and I only have the right to the Henandez wealth. My father already said he’ll will everything to me and that is the way it will remain.”
He stood up and angrily rubbed his tears.
“Ben! These are the last tears that I’ll shed because of you.” He vowed, clenching his fists at his sides. “It’s time I started protecting what belongs to me, starting with my husband. I’ll make sure that I hurt you where it hurts the most. Get ready for me.”
Hearing her son’s words, an evil swept across Elena’s face. She knew it was only gonna be a matter of time before she drove Ben to where he belonged. That was a promise.
***
“Of course,” Ben said excitedly as he stared at the laptop screen. “I am looking at it right now and can’t believe that Leah has already been sold out in just a day. This is crazy.” He laughed.
‘We’ve just recorded the highest sales in a day for any brand since the start of this company.’ Gustavo said happily on the other end. ‘And it’s because of you. Thank you so much, Ben. Thank you for being a part of this company and all your hard work.’
“You don’t have to thank me. You’re the one that gave me an opportunity to show case my skill and it paid off.”
Gustavo laughed on the other end. “Okay, let’s not get emotional. I’mma go and then I’ll meet you later. Take care.’
“You too.”
He cut the call and began checking out the reviews on the website. It seemed like everyone loved the new brand and were asking for more. He was so happy that he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
Ben was in his office, feeling like he was on the moon. His eyes crinkled at the corners, lines etched by countless smiles, as if happiness had left a permanent mark on his face, a map of joyous moments lived. As he was still reviews, he heard a knock on the door and he immediately told the person to come inside.
Ben didn’t even raise his face. He knew it was his assistant.
“Janine, you did very well to come in. I have something that I want you to do.”
“Ben!” A shaky manly voice spoke.
Ben felt a shiver run down his spine, a tingling sensation that spread like a wildfire. His eyes quickly moved up and when he saw him standing there, he felt his heart miss a beat and his breaths seize. Without even realizing it, he quickly stood up as his breaths returned, harsh and shaky.
“Dad!” He said abruptly.
Jerome’s heart pounded like a wild drum, the rapid beats reverberating through his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins fueling his anticipation. Laughter bubbled from deep within him as his arms slowly opened up and tears built in his eyes.
“Ben, my son.”
“Don’t call me that.” Ben said harshly, pointing at him. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you even get here? Get out before I call security.”
“Ben, please, my son… I need to talk to my son. It’s your father.”
“We have nothing to talk about.” His voice was dull and distant. “I was just caught off guard when I called you dad. I could no longer see you the same way as I did years ago since you broke all ties with me, Mr. Henandez.”
Jerome’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. The world seemed muted and colorless as the memories of all the sad things he had said to his son burdened him all over again.
“Ben, please, I understand and I am so sorry.” He tried to move closer but the boy stopped him. “I was angry and I spoke out of anger. There was a lot that was going on at the time and….”
“I don’t wanna hear any explanation from you.” He snapped, furiously rubbing a tear that was going down his cheek. “Have you forgotten so soon? Have you forgotten what you said to me? You regretted that I was I born. You wished you hadn’t met my mother. You wished you hadn’t brought me into your home or showed me the same love as you did your son. Isn’t that right?”
Jerome’s eyes held a distant longing. His eyes reflected a vast expanse of emotions too complex to be contained within a single tear.
“Ben, please, I have gone through a lot these past few years. If you give me a chance, I will make it right.”
Ben burst into laughter, more tears decorating his face.
“Wow! You think you’ve been through a lot?” He asked, pointing angrily at him. “What about me? Do you know what happened to me after I left the house? Do you know where I was? Do you know what happened to me after David left me for your precious son? You’ve got no freaking idea so please…”