Accidentally in Love

2: On the Other Side of Town

At the same time that Alice was settling into life as a single mother and having her best friend move in--in place of her now absent husband, on the other side of town Forsythe Pendleton Jones II was sitting in his penthouse suite in the grand Marbella Hotel, sipping on a brandy and listening to his beautiful, but very controlling wife, Gladys, complain about how the hotel numbers have been down and they need to do something to bring in business. He's half ignoring her rant--he doesn't really give a damn about an updated spa, which according to her is really going to be the game changer.

"Forsythe?! Are you even listening to me?" She walks in front of him, hand on her hip in annoyance. 

By right, she should look downright irresistible to him. I mean, after all, she is donning a lacy black and white satin lingerie set with a matching black satin robe. But for whatever reason, Forsythe Pendleton Jones II has little to no excitement over his wife of almost 16 years. 

He nods, pretending like he was on board with everything she just rattled off. Gladys sinks down into the couch next to him, "Hey, baby. Look at me--what's wrong?" 

Forsythe (or FP, as he was known only by very close friends as--for that nickname was just not sophisticated enough) shrugs and rests his hand on his wife's thigh, "My father flies in for a visit tomorrow--I guess I just got caught up in that."

Gladys rolls her eyes, "Ah, Forsythe Senior stopping by to check in on us, no doubt. To make sure we haven't burned his precious hotel down yet." 

Gladys and his father never got along. Right from the start he thought that young Forsythe made a mistake with her, that he should have married someone more refined--from a wealthier background. The only reason he and Gladys had gotten together in the first place was over a revenge plot to get back at the man who edged a twenty-something Forsythe out of the position of Senior Vice President of the Maracay Hotel Group that he had been after. As retaliation of being passed over for the promotion, he attempted to gain the attention of the man's fiance, Gladys, who was more than willing to drop her old beau for a chance at the hotel owner's son.

Gladys has always been exceptionally cunning, and had trained herself to be the dignified wife of Forsythe Pendleton Jones II, that everyone knows her as. Their marriage had been a decent one--they had produced two children, a now thirteen year old son, Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, known as Jughead by all of his friends (for whatever reason, his parents will never quite understand) and a little girl, eight year old Forsythia, known as Jellybean by almost everyone (that was a cute nickname, at least). 

The union really began to decline when Forsythe was diagnosed with cancer and Gladys had to take care of him, the two children, and run the hotel alone. Luckily, he recovered, but learned he would be unable to have anymore children, much to the disappointment of Gladys, who was dead set on having three. 

Now, she uses their history against him, as a type of blackmail if he isn't giving her what she wants. "I took care of you for all those months and this is the thanks that I get!?"  was one of her favorites. 

Forsythe wants to still be in love with his wife--he really does--it just feels like an impossible task, especially when she's in one of her moods, which nowadays is nearly every day.

"I'm going to head downstairs--check on some things..." he mutters, quickly standing and heading out the door without another word. Gladys lets out an angry sigh, waiting a few moments before deciding to follow him.

He enters the lobby of the hotel, spying a blonde woman sitting at the bar. Forsythe makes his way over to her, grabbing the stool next to her, "I thought you weren't going drink anymore..."