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2024-10-29 19:42:56Jacob had never been to the office but he sure knew who was sitting on the other side of the office table. Lydia. Her reputation is a big one in the King’s family. She was like their legal cleaning service. Her job, since Mr. King himself was a child, was simply to take care of the dirty jobs legally.
She steals a peep at him, the computer screen reflecting on her glasses, “Miss Madi will be there soon,” she said, her voice void of emotions.
Technically, she’s still Mrs. “How long do I...” Jacob tried to ask but was cut short by how fast she returned to her screen, typing—only God knows.
Jacob checked his time again for the fifth time since he entered the office; it was already an hour past the scheduled time, and Madi wasn’t there yet.
“Of course,” Jacob whispered.
“She’d be here soon, Mr. Jacob,” Lydia repeated.
And in no more than five minutes after the last words they shared, the door opened.
“Let’s get started,” Alex said, dressed in his signature navy blue suit, white shirt, and red tie.
“You are welcome, Mr. Alex.”
Jacob, with a wrinkle on his forehead, turned to Lydia. “What is he doing here?” he asked.
“Mr. Alex…” Lydia was trying to explain when Alex interrupted.
“Come on, I am only here to make this easier, not for you anyway.” Alex said with a smirk on his face, “You see, we cannot have you waste any more of our time before signing those divorce papers.”
"Sorry, what do you mean by we?” Jacob asked.
Alex bent down, his face close enough for Jacob to feel his breath. “Yeah, we. Madi and I.”
The mockery on his face. Jacob recognizes it. The first time both men met was at Madi’s cousins’ wedding. Madi said Alex was drunk and he didn’t mean all that he said but Jacob disagrees. Alex wasn’t even drinking alcohol; it was a fruit juice cocktail, which Alex eventually spilled on his white shirt and called a mistake.
Thinking of all that now was enough for him to put a punch on Alex’s face.
“Mr. Alex, please, can you have your seat?" Lydia points at the second chair opposite her.
Alex smirked and looked at Lydia. “Of course," he said, and sat down.
“We are here for an agreement to dissolve your marriage with Madi King,” Lydia said, facing Jacob.
Jacob interjected, “Lydia, she’s not here.”
Lydia turned to Alex, expecting him to say something.
“Does it matter if she is not here? I don’t have all day, Lydia; he signs it, gets the stupid check, and we all go our fucking different ways.”
“...and I want to see my wife before signing,” Jacob said, still facing Lydia.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Alex said, facing Jacob. “Your wife?”
“Mr. Jacob, you don’t have to see her to sign the papers. It’s not compulsory,” Lydia added.
“I am not going to sit here and sign these papers without my wife, and if I may ask you, Lydia, what is he doing here? I am not married to my wife’s co-worker for god sake.”
“Co-worker?” Alex laughed.
Lydia leans forward to Jacob and says, “Mr. Jacob, like Mr. Alex has said, he doesn’t have any more time for a delay. You’d have to sign the papers.”
“Am I missing something here? Sorry, but who is Mr. Alex to call the shots here?” Jacob asked, “He is a colleague at work, and this is my family’s issue. Me and my wife. So please help me make sense of why her colleague is here making decisions on when my divorce papers will be signed!” He didn’t know when he raised his voice.
"Because I can, Jacob," Alex chuckled.
Jacob is looking at Lydia. “I will not do anything until Madi is here, and she looks me in the eye and tells me it’s over.”
“Then you can look at me,” Alex chipped in.
“Mr. Jacob, we are beating around the bush,” said Lydia. She pushed the files a little further toward him.
“I am not signing until I see her,” Jacob insisted.
“I said." Alex slammed the table, jumping to his feet. “Look! At! Me!” he shouted, grabbing Jacob by the collar.
Jacob’s eyes turned blood red, and his hands were tightened to a fist even as he could hardly breathe. He wanted to do it. He could right now. Put a punch in the asshole's face.
“Alex!” Madi shouted.
They both turned and Madi had arrived.
Alex slowly loosens his grip and his blood-rage face fades into a smile—a forced smile. He rearranged the squeezed collar and turned to Madi. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Has he signed the papers?” Madi asked Lydia.
“Madi, you cannot pretend I am not here,” Jacob interrupted, “Please help me make sense of why Alex is here.”
Madi didn’t reply. She didn’t even look to him.
“Come on now, boy.” Alex interjected, walked towards Madi, and said, “You should have figured." He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her lips. “You know what they say: one man’s loss is another man’s gain.”
Like cold water down his spine, like a gunshot through his heart, like the end of everything, yet nothing felt as sharp as a stab on his back.
He stumbled a step backward; his face was struck by shock. “Madi?” he could say. He wanted to say more, to ask why but it all didn’t make it past a wonder.
“Mr. Jacob,” Lydia called.
"Don't,” Jacob whispered, ignoring Lydia, “don’t tell me you...” He looked Madi in the eyes, to Alex grabbing her by the waist, "You two?”
“Mr. Jacob!” Lydia called again.
“I am sorry, Jacob, but I have made my choice,” Madi said firmly.
“Mr. Jacob!” Lydia called again. “You need to sign these papers now. She’s here and is that not what you wanted?”
"Is that what this has always been about, him?” Jacob feigned a smile.
Madi broke away from Alex and took two steps closer to Jacob, "Jacob, please just sign and don’t make things harder than they seem.”
“You are not answering me,” Jacob countered.
“That’s the thing, Jacob.” Madi raised her hands and said, “I don’t owe you an explanation of what I am doing with my life. Or I who choose to be with. I can do whatever I want and be with whoever I choose to be with, Okay?”
“No, you don’t mean that. You don’t mean what you are saying.”
"Lydia, this fool is wasting our time,” Alex shouted as he walked ahead Madi towards Lydia's table, picked up the document, and stretched it to him. “Sign it goddamn it. Sign the fucking papers! Now!”
Jacob stared at the papers as all the memories they’ve shared flashed through his mind.
“Take it,” Madi said in a voice a little louder than a whisper, “and the money too, please.”
“Afterall, I heard your sister needs chemotherapy,” Alex chipped in.
Jacob hate to admit it but Alex is right. It might be able to do something. Take her to the best doctors, or some specialist in the field. He collected the papers and signed.
“Good boy,” Alex whispered as he watched him signing the documents.
Lydia received the document and studied it a little then looked above the papers to Jacob, “Mr. Jacob then it’s official. You are no longer married to Miss Madi Kings.” Lydia brough the check and placed it on the table, “That’s a check of five hundred thousand dollars.”
Chmotherapy for his sister and maybe enough funds to start up his business finally but “Keep it. It has never been about the money.” Jacob walked out.
“What a dramatic piece of shit” Alex laughed as he walked him out.
“Is that all?” Madi asked Lydia, “can we go now?”
“After you sign too,” Lydia said, dropping the document on the table facing her.
“You didn’t sign?” Alex didn’t hide his confusion.
“I wanted him to do it first.” Madi grabbed a pen from a cylinder container from Lydia’s desk.
Walking out of the building knowing he just lost everything felt worst than he had feared. How could he have seen it coming, Madi and Alex and of all times when he lost his job. Maybe he should have taken the money. Maybe it was a bad idea afterall. But it felt right yet bad but mostly right.
Someone was standing by his 1999 model ford. He looks familiar. Jacob kept walking till he reached the car, “Excuse me?” Jacob pleaded trying to open the door.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t say anything.
"Listen, man, I don’t want no trouble. I just want to go home.” Jacob couldn’t stop staring at the scar on his forehead. Something about them seem really familiar.
“Jacob, Jacob Jacob”
Jacob knew that voice, “Mrs. King?”
“Did you sign the papers?” She didn’t appear to be happy to see him. But he wasn’t bothered because she had never been.
“Yeah, I did.” Jacob said. Now he recalls where he knew the man behind him. Mrs. King clean up team— the not-so-legal one.
Mrs. King smiled and the clean up team behind Jacob put a punch to his ribs. Jacob fell to the ground, curled up as the pain travelled everywhere.
“Good,” Mrs. King said as she changed her bag to the other hand, “Did you take the money?”
“No.” Jacob coughed, “I didnt’ take any money.”
“You are not lying now, are you?” Mrs. King asked, stepping on his fingers.
Jacob shouted as he tried to lift her leg from his hand but the guy behind gave him a kick.
Jacob shouted, “I didn’t!”
“You lying son of a...”
“Mom!” Madi called, interrupting her, “What the fuck Ray?” She pushed the huge guy back.
Lifting her feet from his hand, Mrs. King said, “We were just talking.”
Jacob grabbed his hand with the other hand and dragged himself to the car. “I did…ask her!”
Mrs. King looked to Madi, expecting her to say otherwise but she didn’t. “I must say, I am a little disappointed, Jacob,” Mrs. King said. “Now let it be the last day I ever see your face again. If not, I’d have Madi put a gun on your head herself.”
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"What did you say to him?” Christine attacked him while Victor was having a conversation with another guest. Victor smiled at the guest. “Sorry, if you will excuse me?” The guest nodded and walked away. “What did you say to Jacob?” Christine asked, her voice not as loud as the first time. “I don’t understand what you mean.” Victor looked around, as people were already looking towards them. “But if you haven’t noticed, you are ruining your wedding and ultimately the reputation of the Prescotts.” “You are a full-time asshole, aren’t you?” She shook her head. Victor laughed. He took a step forward. “Listen, Christine. There should be at least sixty people at this wedding. Half of them are investors and, if you must know, nobody cares about gossip more than investors. Funny, I am not even an investor and I already know you argued with Jacob before he left. If I were you, I’d focus on holding on to the little respect this wedding still has left.” “Victor,” Christine poi
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“You leave,” Victor said. Jacob shook his head with his eyebrows lowered. “What do you mean by leave?”Victor pressed his lips down. “hmm.” He took a step closer to Jacob. “I’d double whatever she has given you,” Victor said. “I’d give you twenty million dollars if you leave now.” Jacob dropped his head. Money…“What do you say, huh?” Victor shook his hands in his pocket. “It could be yours right now.”Jacob raised his head. “Money,” he said. “It’s always about money, isn’t it?” Victor raised his eyebrow and said, “I’d tell you what? Forget about the twenty million dollars. I’d double that. Forty million dollars. It could be wired into your account immediately.” Jacob dropped his head, lifted it, and leaned towards Victor with his eyebrow raised, “If you will excuse me, I have a wedding to finish.” He was about to walk out when Victor called him again. “Everyone has a price.”Jacob nodded, backing Victor, “Well, meet the first person you will know that doesn’t.” He started to walk
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Chapter 12
“Madi” Alex tapped her from behind. She slowly turned to face him. Her face has gone pale from what she just saw. It was one thing to hear about it and it was another to see it. “We are leaving,” Mrs. King said, looking at Both Madi and Alex, “And…”“Lady King?” Mrs. Prescott called, walking up to her.Mrs. King turned slowly, pretending to have a smile on her face. “Lady Prescott?”“I’d love for you to meet Christine and her husband.” Mrs. Prescott looked to where the couples were and they were already swamped by another family. She turned to Mrs. King “Well, when they are a little less occupied.” “And we’d love to,” Mrs. King said, “but sadly, we have to be on our way already.” “Oh, so soon?” Mrs. Prescott frowned. “Yeah, something came up,” Mrs. King forced a smile, “But, hey, I promise I’d come visit you one of these days.”“Are you okay, Madison?” Mrs. Prescott asked. Madi smiled. Mrs. Prescott must have caught her still staring at the couple. At Jacob. “Yes,” she said, "Yes
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“Mrs. Prescott,” she said as she approached her.Mrs. Prescott, holding a glass of red wine between her fingers, helped close up the gap between them. She also had a smile on her face, one that seemed to have been plastered on it for a while. “Where is your mother?” Mrs. Prescott asked.“I am right here, Lady Prescott,” a voice teased from behind her.Just perfect—a lovely reunion, Madi thought. “I didn’t quite see you there, Lady King,” Mrs. Prescott teased back.The three women soon started to talk about random things from old times. Mostly two women. Madi was more or less just there because she had to; she laughed when she had to and spoke only when she had to. After all, she could not relate honestly to what they were saying. It's always about them talking about knowing each other's kid when the kids were still young, perhaps when the kids grew their first tooth, and when one came to the other's house and something totally not funny—yet they'd laugh- happened. "So, Madi,” the at
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“It’s your wedding,” Bob said, “not mine?”“Just answer me, goddamn it!” Jacob shouted. “Red or brown tie?” He went to the mirror and placed each on his neck to see which went the best.“That’s not even red, Jacob; that’s like oxblood or something,” Bob said, biting his hot dog.“Really, but Franklin said it's red.” Jacob said as he turned to him, “Are you serious? The best time to eat is now.”“What?” He said with a huge chunk in his mouth, “I am the best man , not the best woman.” The ketchup from the hotdog dropped on his white shirt. “Aagh, fuck.”Jacob turned back to the mirror and sai
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Jacob sat with his hands clenched together in a corner of the giant sitting room. Different artworks, probably from the eighteenth century, hung on the wall: angry-looking paintings and heavily bearded sculptors of philosophers. But of all the paintings and sculptors, there was one that he could not get his eyes off. It hung slightly at a height of roughly three feet. The painted man had a fierce look that was not so different from the rest of them in the room, except this one was not from the eighteenth century. He looked different, except for the windpipe he held in his mouth. And the face looked like... “That is my father,” Christine said. Jacob turned. She was standing by the door frame. “I did not realize you were there.” “He looks scary, doesn’t he?” Christine said as she stretched a document to him before getting seated. “You know,” she continued, “sometimes I think it’s his fault I never found love. I mean, look at his face.” She laughed, then looked at the portrait.
