Temptation Of The Knight ✔

Chapter 11: The Offer

"Fabian! It's been a while, my friend." The man, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, approached him with wide arms and a bright smile.
"Gerbert!" (Jer-bare)
Gerbert ushered Fabian towards the couch after they exchanged a pound hug.
"How is your health now?"
"Fit as a fiddle!" Fabian proudly said and Gerbert chuckled.
"I had a last-minute meeting to attend, hence you had to wait. I apologize." As they sat down, Gerbert apologized.
"I understand, my friend. I appreciate you taking time out of your hectic schedule to see me."
"I owe you so much, Fabian, how could I not when you needed my help?" Gerbert said sincerely, and Fabian smiled gratefully at him.
"How about a cup of tea?" Gerbert asked pouring some freshly brewed tea in a cup and Fabian nodded, "Thank you."
"Four spoons of sugar as always?" Fabian panicked as Gerbert asked, picking up a spoonful of sugar.
"No! No sugar! Judith is going to murder me if she finds out I had so much sugar!" Gerbert chuckled as Fabian exclaimed.
"I believe your little girl is all grown up now?"
"She is now 27 years old." Fabian proudly said accepting the cup of tea from Gerbert.
"I last saw her when she was leaving for the Air Force. What is she doing nowadays? Still in the Air Force?" Gerbert exclaimed as he walked down memory lane, and Fabian nodded.
"She was flying for Delta Airlines but now she's working with me. I believe your children's are all grown up too? How is little Trista?" Gerbert shook his head in response to Fabian's question.
"Little Trista is all grown up now. She's leaving for college next year. When she leaves, the house will finally be peaceful." Fabian laughed as Gerbert sighed.
"Why? Is she a troublemaker? When she was younger, she was such a sweet little princess!" Fabian exclaimed.
"That little princess grew up to become a demon queen. She has all 5 of her brothers and me wrapped around her little fingers. Everyone yields to her commands. Except for her mother, of course. Only Cressida has the power to tame her." As he concluded his words, Fabian and Gerbert cracked up laughing. As time passed, the two old friends talked about everything they had missed during the years they had been apart. They didn't even notice as time passed by blur.

"Fabian, I am willing to invest in your company. I'll help your company in recovering to its formal glory. But I need to ask something from you before that." Gerbert began speaking earnestly, and Fabian frowned.
"I'm listening," Fabian said in a restrained tone and Gerbert sighed.
"My eldest son, Drazhan, is currently in charge of our company. He expanded our empire and established his own businesses all over the world without my help, and I'll soon be retiring and giving over everything to him. Drazhan will have to handle everything because none of my other offspring want to take over."
"I understand, but what can I do in this scenario?" Fabian inquired, perplexed,
"Please let me finish first," Gerbert replied politely, and Fabian nodded.
"He'll be 30 this year, and at his current rate, I'm concerned he will end up alone in the future."
"What exactly do you want from me, Gerbert?" Fabian inquired again, his brow furrowed with skepticism. Gerbert sighed and paused.
"I ask for your daughter's hand in marriage for Drazhan." Fabian's eyes widen in disbelief as Gerbert hesitantly expresses his thoughts.
"What?" Fabian exclaimed.
"Please don't get me wrong. I'm not asking for your daughter's hand in exchange for the investment. I had summoned you only to discuss the investment and our respective firms. But, to be honest, I've been looking for a bride for Drazhan. I never saw him bring in a girlfriend, nor did I ever find him in a serious relationship. But he's getting old and I want him to settle down." Gerbert sighed and started speaking again,
"Your daughter is all grown up now, and I know she is an amazing young woman. After all, she is your daughter. I know she and Drazhan will make an excellent couple based on how you mentioned her." Gerbert said with a warm smile, and Fabian hesitantly answered, "What you are saying is correct, Drazhan is a fine young man. But I can't just tell her to marry someone like that. She may have her choice, or she might like someone else. The same goes for Drazhan."
"I'm aware of that, Fabian. I'm just asking you for her hand, you go talk with Judith, I'll talk with Drazhan and if they agree they can meet each other, get to know one another. And if they end up liking each other and agree for marriage, we can tie their knots. What do you say?" Gerbert cheerfully asked and Fabian nodded.
"In that regard, you are correct. We can talk to them about it, and if they agree, they can start dating."
"And then we'll be in-laws!" Gerbert heartily laughed and they shook their hands hugged each other.

They spent the next few hours going over their work and making plans for Fabian's company. The last few years were terribly challenging for Fabian and Judith, as the company's stock sank precipitously and continued to fall until they lost investors and partners. Fabian began investing his own money from his savings account and following the sale of private properties. Judith quit the Air Force and joined Delta Airlines, putting her whole earnings into the company. They were determined to keep them from going bankrupt at any cost. He couldn't bring the company back to its former grandeur from there. Later, when his board of directors attempted to force him out of his own company, which he had built from the ground up with his own sweat and blood, his heart couldn't handle it anymore and failed. He was in a coma for over three months while Judith took care of everything on her own. From giving financial support through her job to overseeing all work despite having little to no management knowledge. Nonetheless, she did not let the company fail while her father was in the hospital. Fabian cannot express how proud he is of his little grill, nor can he express his gratitude to God for blessing him with such a wonderful daughter.

"I'm looking forward to hearing from you, my friend," Gerbert said shaking hands with Fabian as they stood outside Gerbert's office building.
"I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible." Fabian chuckled,
"I'm sorry I can't come to see you off at the airport." Gerbert apologized and Fabian dismissed it.
"There's nothing to worry about. I hope to see you soon."
"Hopefully you will." As Fabian got into the waiting car, they said their goodbyes. Gerbert's driver dropped off Fabian at the airport, and he was soon on his way back to California.


"Dad! You are back!" As Fabian entered their home in the morning, Judith cheerfully hugged him.
"How are you holding up, little dove?" He inquired in a rich voice, as he placed his suitcase on the floor and sat down on the couch.
"I suppose everything is OK at work. I mean, I know I didn't make any mistakes?" She inquired, and Fabian laughed.
"I'm sure you didn't."
"How did things turn out?" Fabian sighed, losing his tie, as Judith eagerly inquired.
"He agreed to invest, and we devised some business concepts. He will be paying us a visit soon." Fabian chose not to tell her everything right away and instead decided to inform her about their plan later. He is not sure how she'd react. Judith did get back together with Owen, so Fabian is unsure what her answer will be. Even while he first liked Owen, the vibe Owen gave off later irked him. And Owen did leave her in a situation like that and decided to come back again. Fabian also noticed Judith's love for Owen fade in throughout the year, she doesn't seem to be as happy with or as excited about Owen as she did before. Perhaps Drazhan would be a good match for her, but that decision is solely hers.



The ringing of a cellphone filled the silent room, jolting Judith awake. When she saw her Aunt's name flash across the screen, she took her phone off the bedside table and frowned.
"Hello Aunt Stella?" Judith replied in a scratchy voice, then a distressed and terrified voice came through.
"It's Abigail, Jud!" Stella's voice cracked, and Judith sat up straight on the bed.
"What happend?"
"S-she is gone Jud. She left us!" Stella burst into tears, and before Judith realised it, tears flowed down her cheeks. Her grandmother, Abigail Grace Stella's mother-in-law, was like a grandmother to her. Abigail, her only Aunt Stella, her husband and their two kids, and her father Fabian were her only family. Their bond was close as they had noone but each other. Judith dried her tears as she prepared to tell her father the news. Judith could only hope that her father would take the news well. She can't bear such misery all at once.
After hanging up the phone, Judith got out of bed and walked out of the room quietly. She took a few big breaths and came to a halt in front of Fabian's bedroom door. She raised her hand to knock on the door but came to a halt when her eyes fell on the clock on the wall. It was 3 in the morning, and her father had arrived after a long journey. She chose not to wake him and inform him in the morning. She returned to the little living room and sat on the couch. Sleep didn't come onto her eyes for the rest of the night, and her grandmother's memories kept her awake.
"Judith?" When Fabian shook her shoulder, she was jolted out of her reverie. She has no idea when the morning dawned or when her father woke up.
"Dad!" She exclaimed as she hugged her father, and Fabian held her tightly. "What happend, little dove?" As he sat down, he questioned, perplexed. "Grandma, Dad. She is no longer with us." She barely uttered and felt Fabian's breath hitched. The morning passed as they consoled each other and decided to visit Abigail's house, which was a few hours away. Their entire family was gathered when Judith and Fabian arrived. Judith's aunt, uncle, and cousin brother.
While they were all preparing for the funeral that was the next day, a large number of people began to visit them. Abigail was always willing to help anyone in need. Everyone ran to her when they were in distress, and Abigail always helped them with a smile. All of those people for whom Abigail had stood in their moment of need were now there to console her family and say goodbye to her.

"Judith?" Stella called her name, and she turned around. "Yes Aunt?"
"Can you try and call Zoey? I can't reach her." Stella inquired, and Judith responded with a nod.
"Isn't she aware of Grandma?"
"I informed her, and she was meant to arrive today." Stella appears to be concerned.
"Don't worry, I'll try to reach her."
Judith tried calling Zoey hundred times but couldn't get through, so she decided to leave a voicemail.
The next day, dressed in all black, Judith and her family gathered at the church for Abigail's funeral. Judith held herself up as her father, aunt, and others grieved. She greeted everyone who came to the funeral and consoled her father and aunt. Judith kept herself from breaking down as they needed her and she needed to be strong. In the midst of all of this, she attempted to call and reach Zoey. But she was still unavailable, and Judith became increasingly anxious and frustrated.

Judith was pacing impatiently outside the church as the funeral ceremony was about to begin and Zoey hadn't arrived yet. When she heard footsteps approaching the gate, her attention was drawn to it. When she saw Zoey's plight, Judith began to boil inside. Her hair looked like a strom had blown through it, her makeup was smudged, and Zoey was dressed in a little dress.
"Zoey! What is this behaviour? I and your mother tried a thousand times to reach you! Your grandmother died, and you showed up to her funeral dressed like this!" Zoey stared down as Judith snarled in wrath. Judith felt a pair of eyes on her and glanced over Zoey's shoulder. When she recognised the person in the driver's seat, she stormed down the pavement towards the car, and Drazhan got out.