Chapter 5 Five

*****Still on flashback*****

His mother starred at him with a menancing gaze. She was ready to rip him to shreds if he could not find a solution to his problem.

Darting his gaze here and there, in the most annoying ways. So his mother thought, her gaze intensified.

She could not have stared at him no other way. He had only one duty, and that was to come down for breakfast in time.

Silence filled the massive hall. It was so silent, you could actually hear the maids breathing in their corners,watching how the drama unfolds.

As if under a spell, the duo were having a staring contest. Unyeilding, they both stood transfixed onto the same spot. Each sending a messages only they could understand through their own eyes.

They were in a world of their own. A world were the mom strangles the son, while repeatedly smacking his head hard with a cutting board.

Then someone cleared their throat. "Ahem..." And as if snapped from a trance, they blinked severally.

"In case you haven't notice, the board would be here soon and you have been standing there for more than thirty minutes." He said fuming with rage and folding the newspaper he was once reading while gently placing it in the table.

As if planned, their heads turned simultaneously to the wall clock hanging at a certain point in the massive hall.

"Sit down. I have no time for your nonsense, we have trivial things to discuss and we have less than minutes to spare" he snapped at them.

They had wasted all morning doing nothing but chasing themselves and getting in each other's throats.

To say, he was the least favorite person Jayden liked although they were related.

They both sat slowly. Not wanting to stick a bone at his throat. Obviously.

Soon maids arrived and started dishing out foods onto their plates. Different delicacies on the table, from vegetables to junk foods. All in expectant of their guests

They all are quietly. The only sound coming out of the room was the clattering of their plates, and the faint mubbling from them asking to pass one thing or the other.

"Jayden" his father suddenly called and all attention was on him. They stopped eating and waited for him to speak.

He wiped his mouth in the most sophisticated way before speaking again.

"The board of directors and also some investor's from my company would be heading here today. As you know, the company has only been dating well due to the investments of this people. And you are my only son, which makes you the owner of the company."

"And? Look dad, I get it okay. So why is their coming have anything to do with me?" He looked disinterested. Anywhere would have been better than here.

"It has a lot to do with you boy. Do you wish to see me go bankrupt?"

"And what would you going bankrupt profit me? Last time I checked, I don't survive on your money" he snapped

"Matilda, look, look at how your son's talking to me. Is this how you train your kids?" His fury burned right through his big, sad eyes.

"Jayden" she scolded him while giving him a Stern look before turning to face her husband. " He is your son too you know? Stop pushing him around and calling him my son like I was the one that got myself pregnant"

"Well, what do you want me to expect,,huh? When you keep pampering him. He won't even look at me in the face, heck, we couldn't even have a conversation without us ending up with an argument" he growled maliciously at her.

One thing though, he was jealous. That was for sure. All this time, he was jealous of their mother, son relationship.

"Look," sigh "I just want to have breakfast and leave this fucking house, so please, get in with it. I have things to do and places to go" she pleaded while rubbing the corners of her eyes.

Jayden just sat there watching. He was anxious, whatever was going to come out of this man's mouth was not good news. To him anyway.

"I found a way to keep the company going and it has to do with a big investor, Mr Kyle. Natasha's father. I managed to convince him into investing into the company but, on one condition"

"And what condition is that?" Jayden spoke this time around. He was curious and needed to know more about this condition and how this concerned him in anyway.

Silence. His father was not speaking therefore, making the room filled with suspense and anticipation.

"Well out with it will you? Do you intend to keep us here all day?" His mother interjected.

There was confusion in his eyes, as if contemplating if he should tell them or not.

Sigh. He only let out a tired sigh. "The condition is, you have to marry Natasha."

He dropped the bombshell and the duo couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

"What?" They both said and stood up at the same time.

"Seat down. It's not like it's the end of the world is it? It's only a marriage offer, you know Like a contract marriage or something. It's the only way to save the company" he stated neutrally and shrugged as if he hadn't said anything.

"How could you say such a thing Matthew? How could you just think of your company first before your own son" she was displeased with her husband. Annoyed, he just bargained his son's happiness over his.

"It's the only way Matilda. There is no other option and besides, I don't have a choice. I would do anything just to keep that company running and you know it" he said hitting the table with his hands.

Jayden was in shock at his father's words and so was his mom. He looked at his face and tried studying it, he was looking at his father with a different gaze.

"Even my own happiness?" He had to ask him. He had to ask this man he called a father. And as expected of him, he looked away.

His father looked anywhere but him. Hurt, sad, his heart was in pain. He felt it hard to breathe.

"I am not getting married and I am not selling my life because of your stupid company is about to go bankrupt" he snapped. He won't sit back and watch his father wreck his life. No, not ever.

"And why not? It's only a stupid marriage Jayden and look you are not even getting younger, you would save yourself the stress of looking for a wife in the future."

He still could not believe the words his father was spouting. His mother was clenching and unclenching her fists so hard, he was afraid she was going to do something sinister.

"And of all people, it had to be Natasha?" It would have been better if it were another person. But Natasha? The school's slut? The one who had slept with almost all guys in school. Except him, of course.

"And what is wrong with Natasha?" He asked his son who was looking at him like he could kill him any moment from now.

"I am not getting married to anyone. I won't, even if it brings your whole company down. I wouldn't" he said. Firm in his word.

"Look here Jayden, you would get married to Natasha whether you like it or not. What is so bad in a business marriage, huh? I got married to your mom through a business marriage and see how it had gotten us. We have you?"

Jayden sneered at his father's words and scoffed "you call this marriage? Oh, please, I have seen better marriages than this. And don't you dare think, that I didn't know what is going on between you two. I know you don't love each other and that the only reason you had me was so you could escape your parents watchful eyes"

"And so what? At least we benefitted from each other even if, we couldn't love each other till this day" he protested. He was trying to convince him.

"Like I said before. I . Don't. Care about your company." He shouted, banging his fists real hard on the table. "I have always made my money on my own. I don't need your stupid money to survive, I can live fine on my own and you know it. The only reason I stay in this house, is all because of mom"

He pointed to the woman who was now sitting on the chair, her eyes had a Faraway look in them. They indicated that she was no longer with them.

"You think your little modelling and with your singing career you can become something?" He sneered at Jayden tauntingly. "Face reality Jayden. Without me, without my surname, without my company, you would have never made it anywhere. You are just like my shadow Jayden" he spat viciously at his son's face.

"No you are wrong. I am nothing like you, and am not, and will never be your shadow because unlike you, I worked for my own hard earned money. I strived for success. But you, you had to sit back and wait to inherit your father's wealth. So technically, all these things ain't yours. You are only adding to your father's wealth because you never made things from the scratch. That was where you failed and I succeeded. You are the one behind someone here and clearly you are the person still in the shadow of his father" he barked angrily at his father

His father gwaked. He was just told off by his son.