My Wife, My Man?

Chapter Eighteen

"Love never ends." 1 Corinthians 13:8

Jack stood there burning with anger. He feared his inability to keep it under control would lead to an argument between them. Hence, he looked at the ground, exhaling a little to allow chilled air to circulate throughout him. He knew there was absolutely nothing he could say that would change his father's mind. However, he was unwilling to accept defeat so easily.

He directed his gaze back to his father. "Dad," he sighed. "Please," he almost pleaded, "I can't do it. Staying away for this long will hurt my marriage; it's hurting me. I can't even focus! How do you expect me to work like that?!"

Daniel brought his hand to his face and briefly closed his eyes. He exhaled and, slowly opening them, saw the sadness in his son's eyes. He had never seen him like this and, even if he didn't show it, it worried him. Something about that marriage felt wrong; he could never put a finger on what exactly it was. Perhaps it was simply his hatred for the lower-class woman his son decided to settle for which raised the suspicion. He could never accept Perli for a daughter-in-law and could only hope Jack would be freed from whatever charm that held him hostage.

He placed his hand over Jack's shoulder. "Look," he sighed, "I know it's hard for you, but you know how hard I have worked and how hard you have been working to get us to this point. We can't just be throwing it all away. Right now, things are a bit unstable. The transition of ownership and management between you and I is still being doubted. So, you need to stay just for a little more time. She's your wife and she will understand."

Jack rubbed his nape while exhaling noisily. He couldn't get himself to agree; his heart wouldn't let him. Working with his mind constantly wondering what was happening to Perli was only going to frustrate him. Why was he being forced to choose? He sighed. At the same time, it was difficult to say no to his father. So, giving in, he looked down and mumbled a half-hearted, "Okay."

"Good..." A small smile elevated on Daniel's face. He patted Jack's shoulder like a father when proud of his son. "You made the right choice."

Jack gave no response. He felt too angry; too disappointed that he couldn't put his marriage before anything else.

"Oh," Daniel spoke while heading for the door. "Your mother wants to see you. I will send you the location where we should meet and please bring the lovely Natalia with you."

Out of compulsion, Jack nodded briefly and watched his father leave the room and shut the door behind him. The next few moments left him indecisive about what to do next. He wanted to scream out his frustration; to break something so that he wouldn't bottle up all the anger he felt. Grabbing a glass of water from the table, he threw it against the wall. The glass shattered and dropped to the floor, leaving a liquid imprint on the wall.

The door immediately swung open. Jack turned to see Jenny's concerned face.

"Sir," her voice masked the same concern. "I heard a noise," she paused as she noticed the broken pieces of glass on the floor. "Is ever—"

"Everything is fine, Ms Jenny," Jack couldn't refrain from sounding dismissive. "You may leave."

A small and awkward smile shaped her lips as she nodded. She turned to leave but quickly stopped. "Sir... Uh-hum... Wait." Her finger was raised as one who had a question.

"What is it Ms Jenny?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Nevermind." She appeared to have thought better of what she wanted to say and dashed out of the room before he could respond.