Rose of Sharon |Courting Trouble BK 2|

Chapter 21 (Part 1)

“We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today. - Dale Carnegie.

Dominic could not believe it. When had this happened? The women in his life were all ganging up to conspire against him and the revelation was so shocking that all he could do was laugh at himself. He should have been angry but he could not help but feel impressed.

"Alice?" He looked up at his wife who was still perched on the arm of his seat. 

"Sorry darling." She said as smiled back at him. "Some things really can't be help." She said quite naughtily, cradling her now obvious pregnancy even as she winked down at him. "If it helps, blame it on the hormones." She suddenly laughed and all he could do was let out a sigh. Of course she would say that. He suddenly laughed. She was virtually untouchable now that she was carrying his child.

"I won't even bother to ask you." He turned to his mother who seated across from him. "Though, what I am wondering is this, what are you planning to achieve with this move?"

"You are stubborn as ever." The old woman told him. "Why won't you just call her and apologise first, then we can go on from there?"

"You forget that she was the one who walked away! I didn't chase her away, so I have nothing to apologise for."

"Well then. You leave me with no other choice."

"And that is supposed to somehow scary?"

"It should be." She said smiled. Her hand lifted from her lap producing a file that until had remained hidden. "I am stepping down from the board. Now, you either get your act together or there will be no company to run without Katrina."

"You wouldn't."

"I can and I already have." She said as she got up from her seat. "In fact you will find all the details there. Alice can explain it to you, but you understand. Now get that phone and call her. I do not care if it is going to be as your daughter or as your partner. Just make it that call!" The man huffed as he reached out for his phone to do what he had been told.

"You should know mother. I do not appreciate this blackmail."

"And like I told Katrina, if it keeps the family together then I really don't care what you think about it. I am an old woman Dominic and my joy is in seeing my family together." The man huffed, but went ahead to do as he had been told. His mother owned the controlling shares of Maracheli industries and he didn't even want to think what she had written in this new folder.

As always, he found Katrina's number in speed dial and went ahead to call her. The women around him stood still as he made to call her, but after several rings his call still went unanswered. Was she still that mad at him or had something happened? He gave his mother a look knowing fully well that Katrina had never been one me to ignore his calls.

"She is not answering."

"Then you keep trying,"  the old woman smiled as if she was aware of something that he was not. "If that doesn't work, you can always drive down to the capital and have a word with her. Oh, wait! You do have a chopper!"

"You are not being serious!"

"Why? Because the great Dominic Maracheli cannot humble himself for the sake of his only daughter?"

He looked to his wife for help.

"It's actually a boy." She smiled at him despite promising to keep the gender of their child a secret as punishment to him for having missed one their sessions. He gave her look, not sure,  wether to be elated by the news or to strangle her for playing with him when she knew what it was that he wanted at that particular point. "Oh that?" She suddenly feigned enlightenment and he could only huff in return. "She is probably at the clinic right now." She smiled as she finally reassured him. "How far along is she now? Six, seven months, eight months pregnant?" She patted at her own belly for added effect.

"Why are you two ganging up on me?" He suddenly frowned. It had been that long since he had last seen his only daughter? Had four months already gone by and he had not noticed it? Sure, his people updated him on her status every day, but it was not the same as actually seeing her and talking to her. He missed her and as the two women looked at him pitifully, he knew what it was that he had to do. He picked up the phone and dialled her personal cellphone again.

Her cellphone went unanswered and then he tried her new home phone. That too went unanswered and he found himself worrying as he searched his directory for his son's in law personal number. Finding it, he dialed it and thankfully, the man picked up his call at the first ring.

"Hallo?"

"Ryan! Thank goodness you picked?" He breathed out not caring how it sounded to him.

"Uhm...is everything okay?"

"Is it?"

Ryan furrowed his brows as Katrina mouthed at him all the way from the doctor's table.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Your father!" He whispered back and had pleasure of seeing the shocked expression that was now on her face. "A moment please, let me go out and take this." He covered the mouth piece as he directed his words to his wife and their doctor, before walking out into the corridor to speak to her worried father who even then was still rumbling.

"Is Katrina okay? Why is she not picking up my calls? Ryan? Ryan!"

"Sorry, I had to move away." He said as he moved out to the hallway.

"Move away from what?" His father in law insisted.

"She is seeing the doctor so-"

"Is she okay?"

"She is. It's just a routine check up." He smiled, pitying her old man for all his worrying. "She is okay Dominic." He reassured him again. Unlike his own father, he knew that this man cared for his daughter and despite their little fight that had been dragging on for ages, these two missed even though their pride made it seem like they didn't.

"Good, I tried to call her and..."

"She was not available? Well she can't get to her phone right now, but I will tell her that you called."

"No, don't do that." He said as he thought of how it would suddenly look. Ryan wanted to tell him that she was going to find out about it either way, but what her old man told him next had him surprised as well. "No, don't. I will come to see her myself. Have a good day Ryan." With that, the man hang up the phone and returned to his wife and his mother who were grinning at him with smiles that could only be referred to as wide.

"Well?"

"So you are now going to see her?" His mother completed his wife's sentence.

"It seems that way."

"Then, I will come with you?" He looked at her distended belly. "No...you should rest."

"Really and who is going to keep Ryan busy as you get to talk to her?"

"He can-"

"Darling, I am sure you know that they are back together now and I need to stretch this tired legs of mine."

"Do I guess that is decided. His mother smiled even as his wife finished harassing him. "I will have the car brought round so that the two of you can leave right away. I will also call the housekeeper and tell her to prep the penthouse for your stay." With that she left leaving the couple and Alice smiling quite wickedly at her husband who was at loss for what to say.