Give and Take

Chapter 23_Good, Good News

The group of men surrounded the long, brown table in the conferences room. They were smartly dressed in their nice business suits. They weren't ready for business but they looked like they were.

It was a board meeting.

The Mister had called the impromptu meeting, telling everyone that there was something  important that needed to be said.

Everyone sat down quieting, waiting for the Mister to start talking. Gabriel and Jonathan both sat on opposite sides of him, staring as if they would've died if they'd looked away.

The Mister cleared his throat. "Good morning, gentlemen." He waited for everyone to say their greetings before continuing. "This company has been run by me for so long, and it's about time that I retire from the position of CEO. Not that I'm unable to work no more, but the privilege of watching my successor manage the company while I'm still alive."

The tension in the room grew as the Mister spoke. The room was as silent as a graveyard. Everyone wanted to know what he was driving at.

"My grandfather passed this position over to my father who passed it over to me. It's not as easy as it looks, but I've managed with all honesty. And today, I'm retiring, turning the company over to my son," the Mister said. His eyes went from one person to another. 

Jonathan wasn't really paying attention. He had been ready for this moment since he'd been in exile. This was the moment that Gabriel had tarnish his reputation for. The moment his mother had told him to come back home for.

Gabriel did deserve it. He had been more friends with his father than Jonathan. Besides, he was his father's favorite child. It wouldn't be a shock if his father decided to entrust the company to him. For the records, he was competent.

"Believe me, I'm not making this decisions because I'm pressured. But Jonathan David really deserves to take over, and that's why I'm turning the company over to him," the Mister said, causing a major shock in the room. "Meeting dismissed," he informed the board when everyone were done clapping.

The smile that had been on Gabriel's face faded. All the color ran out of his face.

His dad must have made a mistake. Maybe he had a headache. A turmoil or something. He had to be sick in the head somehow.

The members of the board walked out of the room. All of them had shook hands with and congratulated Jonathan before leaving.

"Dad, you can't do this," Gabriel said, his voice shaking. "I've worked all my life to succeed you. I've given you every reason why I'm worth this position.

You told me I'll make a great head. What happened to that?" He had to man up.

The Mister looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Gabriel, but Jonathan is really worth this. I know you've proven to me that you can take good care of the company, but Jonathan is my legitimate son. It would've been disrespectful to my marriage, my family, to turn the company over to you; when my legitimate child is equally functional," the Mister explained.

He loved Gabriel so much, but he felt he was doing the right thing for the company. It mattered more than how he felt for Gabriel.

"It has always been that— me being a wedlock.

You should have let the board vote on that." Gabriel was holding himself from jumping the man. He felt like punching something.

"The board has nothing to do with this. This is a family tradition," the Mister explained.

Jonathan just sat down, watching them talk. He hadn't been able to speak since his father made the announcement. He didn't know if he should've felt sorry for Gabriel, or been happy for himself.

"Damn family tradition. You just never accepted me. You pretend to love me, but deep down you don't. I know it's that witch that you call your wife bewitching you to make such a stupid decision," Gabriel fired.

One thing he didn't know how to control was his anger. He said and did whatever came to mind when he'd been angry. He wasn't very different from Jonathan when it came to that.

"Hey, don't talk about my mother like that. Show some respect," Jonathan finally spoke up. He wasn't about to let Gabriel disrespect his mother.

"Shut up gay boy," Gabriel stated.

"What did you say?" Jonathan didn't mind beating him in front his dad. His little brother needed to be thought some lessons.

"You think you and your stupid mom can fool me? We all know that your relationship is fake." He smirked. "You'll regret this dad. Because this will be the last David to rule this company. Watch and see if this bitchass son of yours will have a child." He stumbled out of the conference room.

"Don't make me regret this," the Mister said to Jonathan and walked out of the room.

Jonathan sat alone. Suddenly, he felt a burden on his shoulders. He didn't know if he was absolutely ready for the task.

The one man whom he'd been living for was finally entrusting him with something of great importance. He didn't know how to feel about that. He didn't feel ready.

*****

Emily had done all the tests that she needed to do. She sat in the waiting area for her results.

She had read James' message over and over. She was reading it again when she was called into the doctor's office.

He hadn't moved on, he was still waiting, like she had thought. How was she going to tell him that she was with another person without hurting his feelings?

She didn't expect him to come back when she was already in love with Jonathan. She didn't know what happened, but she stopped thinking about leaving Jonthan. Leaving him had been the initial plan.

Though she loved Jonathan, she still had feelings for James. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to be the reason he stopped believing in love.

If it ever came to choosing between the two of them, she told herself she would choose James. Her feelings for him were stronger. He knew her better. They'd spent good and bad days together. They had plans for the future together.

She wasn't going to let the money cloud her head. She had to leave Jonathan before things got out of hand. She had to find a way to leave him without hurting him.

Emily kept thinking until she entered the doctor's office. The woman was seated behind her desk. She had on a white coat and glasses that Emily assumed was for her sight. She was a young woman herself.

"Have a seat," she gestured to the empty chair.

Emily sat down. The doctor was about to start speaking when Emily's phone started ringing. Emily went for it in her purse and asked the doctor to excuse her for a moment.

"I'm in the doctor's office already if that's why you're calling. I'll call you back when I'm done." She ended the call with Jonathan and placed the phone back in her purse.

She was wondering why he had sounded so excited when she had answered the phone.

She faced the doctor again and waited as the woman went through her files. The woman was taking too long and it got Emily a bit worried.

"Is Everything OK?" She asked, squinting her eyes.

"Yes. Perfectly fine. All of your test but one is negative," she answered, smiling at Emily. She passed the brown folder over to Emily.

"Which one is not negative?" Emily asked, opening the brown folder.

"You're pregnant."