Love & Business: Part II

There For Him

I watched Hunter feed Blaze as I put on my jacket to head to work. "Are you sure you don't want me to do anything for you before I leave?"

He blankly stared at the black tiles while holding the bottle in Blaze's mouth. Last night was the first time I saw Hunter be vulnerable, ever.

Last night, he spared me no details. We just cuddled in a comfortable silence for the rest of the night. All I knew was that his mother, Margret, overdosed. However, I wasn't going to push him to tell me. I'll gladly wait until whenever he's ready. Hunter is a very closed person and I don't want to push him out his comfort zone unless it's absolutely necessary. 

"What I want is for you to stop pitying me," he said sounding a bit irritated at my constant questions.

I nodded and gave him a slight smile. I was just like this when my mom died at first so I fully understood. I walked over and kissed them both before leaving.

I wanted to do more but I needed to respect Hunter's wishes. His mom was heartless. She hadn't even contributed one bit to Hunter's upbringing yet she somehow convinced him that he owed it to her to give her money now and then. If she didn't leave in the first place, she wouldn't have died from drugs. Hunter wouldn't have thought all this was his fault.

Before I knew it, I had reached work and was seated in a board meeting.

"Okay, let's begin." Mr. Samuel stated. "Mrs. Lodge, will Mr. Lodge be coming?"

I shook my head as I watched my acrylic nail that had broken this morning. "No, he will be absent today."

He shook his head and started laughing. I tilted my head in confusion. Was he going mad? Why was he laughing out of the blue?

"I've never seen a CEO miss so many board meetings before. It's like he has zero interest in this company. These kids nowadays eh?" he said and I watched as some of the board members nodded their heads in agreement. This only heightened my anger.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves, speaking about your majority shareholder like that. Present or not, I don't care. Mr. Lodge is absent because he's dealing with personal matters which I didn't feel the need to explain to you because he is your boss!" I started.

"I'm not speaking to any of you as his wife but as his colleague and your boss as well. Please have some respect for the co-owner of this company. He is the hardest working individual I know. If it weren't for him, none of you would be getting praised for being the board members of the highest-ranking company in the world. I suggest all of you shut your mouths before you have to worry if you'll have a job tomorrow!"

They all put down their heads in shame. I stood up.

"Have the meeting without me. All of you disgust me." I said before walking out.

When I walked out, I saw Lynda, Kennedy, Sabrina, and Moya talking with Jannette at her desk.

"What's are you guys doing here?" I asked with a smile. I was still pissed about what just happened but I didn't want to treat them harshly for something they weren't a part of.

"I came and met them here," Moya said as she put her hands up in surrender.

"Let's go to a party!" Sabrina said sounding a bit tipsy.

I shook my head as I walked into my office. "I can't. I'm at work, it's the middle of the day, oh and I'm at work!"

I would also feel completely bad partying while knowing Hunter is at home suffering. I decided to leave that part out because Hunter didn't tell anyone and I was not going to reveal his personal business.

"Please Sophia. Do it for Sabrina. Her breakup is really hard." Kennedy said as she closed the door after everyone was in.

I sat down at my desk looking at an email I had just gotten. I was trying not to get irritated because the last time I checked, none of them were CEOs who were a week behind in work.

I sighed. "Guys, I can't go."

They all looked at me with sorrowful expresses. I knew they didn't believe me and thought I didn't care. Who knows, they're probably going to find one of Hunter's exes on the side of the road and gossip about me again.

Sabrina started to cry before rushing out. Lynda sighed before mouthing 'sorry' to me and followed Sabrina out and Kennedy gave me a sad smile before trailing behind them.

I turned my head to see Moya sitting on the sofa, re-twisting a twist that had unraveled. She wore blue ripped jeans with a black oversized graphic T-shirt.

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged nonchalantly.

I narrowed my eyes at her. She definitely had something to comment on. "What do you think about my friends?"

"The young one is kind of annoying and selfish if you ask me but the others are aight I guess. I'm surprised you keep company with people like that," she said bluntly. 

I sat in my chair speechless. Although Sabrina and I weren't close, I still gave her chances because she was younger than all of us and still maturing. She was only twenty and I remember I acted worse than that at her age.

"Didn't you say you were busy? Go on. I'm only here because today's my day off and I don't know what else to do."

...

I kicked my shoes off my feet as I closed the door. Today was a rough one. Moya left after an hour to pick up her younger siblings from their school.

I went into my bedroom where I saw Hunter fast asleep with Blaze sleeping right next to him as well.

I sighed as I watched their sleeping figures. I wanted to take away Hunter's pain just as how I wished someone would've taken away my pain when my mother died. Sadly, this wasn't something he nor I could just pay to disappear, it had to be healed over time.

I'm glad that Hunter wasn't that close to his mother because I wouldn't wish that type of pain on anyone, not even my worse enemy. 

Hunter had some papers in his hands. It looks like he was attempting to do some work but gave up. He always tries to distract himself by doing work but he couldn't even do that so he choose the second-best option, sleep. I frowned as I ran my hands through his messy, dark hair.

"I'm so sorry Hunter," I whispered as I gently kissed his forehead. I quietly took the papers from out of his grip and walked to the office to do his work. The least I could do is help him just like how he helped me when I just had Blaze.

He was there for me, now it's time to be there for him.

AN: Poor Hunter :(