Family (It's What You Are) | Port Orthos 2

chapter 5: marius's private life

chapter 5: marius's private life

~marius~

       It's not often that I answer my personal cell phone whenever I'm at work. In fact, the only time I do answer it is if Fawn is calling. Not because I'm biased towards Fawn, but because he only calls me if there's something he really wants to talk about and would rather not wake.

       So when his number appears to be calling, I don't hesitate to answer it. "Hey," I say.

       "Hi," Fawn says. "So I want your opinion since you're also Fern's father."

       "Is Fern okay?"

       "I'm not sure. I mean, she is for the first part, but... You know how I decided to stay home today to keep an eye on her?"

       "Yeah. Did something happen?"

       "She had another meltdown. Not as big as yesterday, but still a big one. This time it's because she had something on her lunch plate that she didn't want to eat. I just... I think there's something else going on with her. Something worth getting checked out. I know she's only two, but..."

       "Hey, I trust your judgment," I say. "It was a bit worrisome to see her have her meltdown yesterday when nothing happened. Well, I'm sure something happened but nothing we noticed."

       "So you're okay with us taking her to a child psychiatrist or someone?"

       "Yeah, of course."

       "Okay, I'll look for someone and make an appointment. I'll let you know. Should I try aiming for the weekend or a time you can come?"

       "No, take any time that's available. I can always take any time off, so whatever is the closest will be the best."

       "Got it. I'll start looking for someone now and will leave you to your work. I love you."

       "I love you too."

       Shortly after we hang up, there's a knock on my office door. I tell whoever it is to come on, though I can only assume that it's Clark considering it's about the time I have a meeting with Sean Medina. Clark always lets anyone I have a meeting with into my office.

       Sure enough, it is Clark. "Sean Medina is here."

       "You can let him in," I say.

       Clark nods before he lets Sean into my office. I stand up from my desk as Sean walks over and shakes my head. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he says.

       "You too," I say. I gesture for him to sit on one of the chairs close to my desk. The moment he does, I sit back down.

       "I have to say, I am quite impressed to see you build your business up from such a young age," Sean says. "How old are you now? Twenty-nine?"

       "Twenty-eight," I correct. 

       Sean nods. "Like I said, impressive. So I'm sure you're aware that the reason I wanted this meeting because I have a proposition for you."

       "Yes, I'm aware. What is the proposition?"

       "So I have a daughter. I'm sure you know her. Amber Nevada."

       I nod my head at the familiarity of Amber's name; a singer I have met on a few occasions, normally at fundraisers and charity events. She is new to entertainment industry, having only released one EP and is slowly making her way up the charts. "I've met her. I wasn't aware that she's your daughter, though."

       "Yes, I intended it that way," Sean says. "Amber wanted to make her own name and didn't want to just be known as my daughter. People might accuse her of buying her way to fame instead of actually being talented, and she is very talented."

       I definitely get where Amber is coming from. It's one of the reasons I decided not to go back to my parents' company once I, sort of, mended my relationship with them. I want to grow on my own and not get everything handed to me just because I'm their son.

       Unfortunately, people have pieced together that I am their son and accused me of using their money to build my business up, even though it's far from the truth. I had to learn to ignore all those rumours.

       "Unfortunately, she's not getting the publicity she hopes she would have been getting at this time," Sean continues. "People these days are more interested in relationships and scandals and feuds. That is where you come in?"

       "How so?" I ask.

       "Simple. I would like you to enter a relationship with Amber. Just for publicity though."

       I have to admit, out of all the possibilities of what Sean could proposition me, this was not something that came to my mind at all. 

       Before I can decline the proposition, which I definitely will, I ask, "Why me?" solely because of my curiosity.

       "Well, you're young, you're single," Sean says. "And nothing will catch the media's attention more than a young CEO and a new singer dating."

       My name has somehow caused the media to gain an interest in me, so they've been trying to find out about my private life. They've yet to find out about Fawn and our daughters, and I intend to keep it that way. Fawn is a very private person. He doesn't even have social media. I know having the media's attention will make him vastly uncomfortable, so I stay silent about my family.

       Not only that, but I also want to keep it away from the media. A lot of the things I do with my business is constantly being told by the tabloids. I would rather go home and spend time with my family without every single moment being hunted down by the paparazzi.

       I don't tell Sean my reasons for not wanting to accept the proposition, not wanting to risk my dating life being leaked to the media. So, I just say, "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline."

       "Oh? Why is that? Wouldn't you want the publicity?"

       "Not really," I say. "I just so happened to catch the media's attention, but I don't care much about it. I get why Amber needs to because her career will depend on record sales, which will only happen if more people know about her, but this wouldn't really benefit me in anyway."

       "Is there anything I can say or do that will change your mind?" 

       "I'm afraid not."

       "Well, I don't want to pressure you to accepting if it's not what you want. But if you ever change your mind, feel free to reach out to me."

       I nod, though I don't tell him that I will likely not be changing my mind. I know for a fact that Fawn wouldn't be okay with this and the last thing I want is for him to feel uncomfortable. Even though it will just be for publicity, it won't be easy for anyone to see their partner pretending to date someone else, especially with Fawn's history with being cheated on.

       For my wellbeing, as well as Fawn's, staying away from this proposition will definitely be best in the long run.

__________________

sean: "you're young, you're single"
marius: *has been in a relationship for four years and has two daughters*

lol you thought.