Silence is Golden

14. The Blessings of Motherly Love

My jaw tensed. Taking a step forward, I forced myself to look straight ahead. Prying open my mouth, I said the words that I thought I would never utter in my life... 

— Just a small taste of the Ambrose POV you'll be getting if we win the 2nd Round! More info in the author's note at the bottom.

And now... the chapter!

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I felt the floor sway under my feet. Her words rocked me to the very core of my being.

Mother?

She was his mother?

Apparently she was. And do you know what was the only thought that my extraordinary, profound and intelligent mind could come up with as a reaction to this profound revelation?

NothiswifenothiswifenothiswifeYesYesYesYes! Andnothismisstresseither! Yesyesyesyipee!

I am really profound, right?

'Your...son?' It was more of a croak than a question.

The woman nodded, slightly bending in the knees. It was not quite a curtsy – it was a far more regal gesture of greeting.

'My name is Samantha Genevieve Ambrose.'

'Linton,' I mumbled, automatically bowing my head in return. My eyes were fastened on the little woman in front of me, while I tried desperately to imagine Mr Ambrose having fit inside her once. It was quite absolutely impossible. 'Mr Victor Linton. Delighted to make your acquaintance.'

'How do you do, Mr Linton. And may I ask what position you occupy under my son?'

Immediately, my mind flashed back several months, to a dark hotel room in Egypt, the messy double bed, and all the positions I had occupied under Mr Rikkard Ambrose. Thank God that my face was too tanned to really blush. Still, I could feel my ears burning.

'I, err, am Mr Ambrose's private secretary.'

Very private, on occasion.

'I see.'

'And you...' I still couldn't stop staring. 'You really are his mother? Are you sure?'

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. 'I was there at the birth, you know. Yes, I'm quite sure.'

If my ears had been burning before, they felt about ready to explode now. 'Sorry! I didn't mean...! It's just, Mr Ambrose always seems as if he were chiselled out of some mountain, not made out of flesh and bone.'

'Yes.' The proud light shining in her eyes undeniably confirmed her words. She really was his mother. Or she was crazy enough to think she was. I still wasn't sure which was more likely. 'He has grown into a strapping young man, hasn't he?'

That's putting it mildly.

'That's not the only reason why I was surprised,' I dared to say. 'I've been with Mr Ambrose for quite a while now, and he has never mentioned a mother. Now that I think about it, he's never mentioned any family.'

Pain shot across her face like a bolt of lightning. She concealed it fast, but it was there, and it was real. This was no imposter or madwoman. This was a mother in agony.

Oh crap! What am I going to do?

'Never?' she asked in a whisper.

'Never.'

She closed her eyes for a moment. 'Well...no. I imagine he wouldn't.'

When she opened her eyes again, they were moist. But she had not let the threatening tears spill over. And, to judge by the stubborn set of her chin, she wasn't going to.