Chapter - 14
'God! Why? Why today of all days?'
"Alex?" Margaret was confused as to where Alex was lost.
"Miss Cole, Why are you here?" Alex asked, averting his eyes from her chest.
"Why do you think?" Margaret asked.
"I don't know, but I got to go," Alex said and tried to run away.
"Where?" Margaret was not going to let him leave so easily.
Alex was regretting coming out. He was better off settling the dispute between his parents than stand here in front of Margaret face to face.
"Father asked me to run some errands for him. I better get going, or I will be late," Alex said and again tried to run away, but this time Margaret was prepared for it. She had her arms interlocked with his, not letting him leave.
"I won't let you run off. Not before you tell me what's wrong with you?" Margaret was not one to budge.
"What's wrong with me?" Alex acted all surprised, "There is nothing wrong with me," Alex was all innocent.
"Alex, don't make me ask again. You have been avoiding me like a plague," Margaret said, "Tell me what's wrong."
Alex knew one thing now. He can't leave from here without being rude or spouting nonsense because there was no way he can be honest with her, "You want to know what's wrong?" Alex asked, raising his voice.
Margaret was surprised by his sudden outburst. Even the onlookers were amazed when they saw a handsome young man yelling at the infamous Margaret.
'Lovers quarrel? Maybe she cheated on him. Poor guy, maybe he didn't know about her,' Everyone had thoughts along these lines.
"Alex, calm down. There is no need to yell. I am right here," Margaret was still calm. She had been accustomed to such rumours, "Now tell me, what's wrong?" Her voice was so soothing that Alex wanted to let it all out.
But Alex steeled his heart, "What's wrong is that you are talking to me when I could be watching N*****x," Alex said, this time a bit softer.
"What?" Margaret was confused as to what he was saying. She didn't notice that because of his nonsense, her grip had loosened, and without wasting this opportunity, Alex made a run for it.
'What in the world was that?' Margaret could only stare in the direction Alex left, thinking about the nonsense he blurted out.
'I guess I need to pay Rutherford's a visit soon.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Huh...huh...huh..." Alex walked inside the house, panting for air. He thought that his parents would be resting by now, but they were waiting for him in the living room. When they saw Alex out of breath, they began bombarding him with questions.
"What happened?"
"Why are you panting?"
George hurriedly opened the door to look outside, but no one was there. Martha made Alex sit and bought water for him.
After Alex had relaxed a bit, Martha asked again, "What happened?"
Shaking his head, Alex said, "Nothing, I was being chased by a dog, and I tried to shake it off."
"Really? A dog?" George raised his brows, not believing Alex.
"Maybe it was a bitch," Alex said, pondering.
"Well, whatever it may be. As long as you are fine, everything is good," Martha said, putting an end to the topic. Then she eyed George, who sneakily left the room and went to their bedroom. But he didn't close his door. He stood by the door to peep through the crack and listen to what they were talking about.
"Alex, want to accompany me for a drink?" Martha asked.
"You want to drink? I have never seen you drink, well not at home," Alex asked, astonished.
"Why? Can't I drink? And moreover, I am just talking about beer," Martha got up and went to the kitchen to get one.
"I will have a coke," Alex said from behind.
"Here," Martha gave him the can and sat beside her.
"Tell me about your interview. About that company," Martha asked, taking a sip from her beer. If she wanted to guess the issue with Alex, she had to know all that happened with him today.
"Mom, There is no way to describe that company in just a few words. Everything there is on a different level, be it the reception, offices, cafeteria, sets or the staff. You name it, and it won't disappoint you." Alex enthusiastically told her about Theation, "As for the interview, I would say I didn't bomb it, but it didn't go as I would have liked it to."
Martha could feel that Alex was not very much concerned about his interview, and nothing must have happened to him in the company as he looked so vibrant talking about it. 'So what could it be? Is it about a girl?' Martha looked at Alex, who was busy telling her about 'Theation', but she was not paying any attention to what he was saying.
Then she remembered George talking about a girl, 'What was her name? Ummm... was it Georgina? No... not that. Aah... Jessica... Jessica."
"Did you get to see Jessica?" Martha asked.
"Jessica? No, mom. How can I meet her? She is the big boss of such a big corporation, and I applied for a measly position in the PR department. There is no way she will get involved with something so trivial," Alex said, shaking his head in denial.
"Is that so? But from what I heard from George, all the applicants are screened by Jessica once before they are appointed." Martha said.
"That may be the reason why her company emerged as one of the best in just a few years, unlike certain someone who just hires his employees based on their appearances". Alex said with a bit of sarcasm towards his father.
"Shsssh... don't say that out loud. Your father might hear us," Martha hushed him.
At the same time, Alex's phone buzzed. When he looked at the screen, there was a message from his father. He secretly opened the message to read it.
"What are you doing, son? I have been doing all that because of you. I am not at all worried about your brother. I am pretty sure that when he is back, he will bring a girl and introduce her to us. All I am doing is making sure that when you join the company, you get to have the time of your life". In the message, George put all the blame on Alex. He was certain that if it was about Alex, Martha won't make a big deal out of it. Otherwise, she won't let him live neither in peace nor piece.
"Ohh... really?" Alex heard Martha's voice in his ear.
Alex was so startled by her breath in his ear that he hurriedly turned around, and he ended up kissing her cheeks, barely touching her lips.
None of them moved. Alex couldn't help but take a deep whiff of how good Martha smelled. On the other hand, Martha's brain also went into a frenzy to even think about what to do next when she can’t even comprehend what was happening.
Alex was the first one to come to his senses after a few seconds. He pulled himself back and flustered, he hurriedly walked upstairs to his room. Only then did Martha moved. She touched her lips and slowly turned around to look the way Alex left. This was not the first instance today. There was an awkward moment between them in the morning too.
After standing there for a while and pondering over only God knows what, Martha picked up Alex's phone, which he left there in a hurry and made her way to her room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the room, George was waiting for Martha. As soon she entered, George asked, "So how was it? Did you find anything?"
"Huh..." Martha was snapped out of her thoughts, "Well, I don't think it has anything to do with the company. It might be something trivial. I guess he will figure whatever is going on with him on his own".
"That's good to hear". George said when he saw Alex's phone in her hand. George was scared shitless when his gaze fell on it. Trying to avoid any confrontation with Martha, without asking any more questions, George made his way to the bed.
"Let's go to sleep". George said, pulling up the blanket over him.
"By the way, I heard something about the requirements to join your company". Martha said, still standing by the door.
George froze when he heard it. Only one thought was going through his head, 'Alex, you really got your father into deep trouble.'
* * * * *
Chapter - 15 The following days passed by, and a game of hiding and seeking began started Martha, Margaret and Alex. Whenever Alex came across anyone of them, they tried to talk to him, he would slip away from there as fast as he could. To avoid Martha, Alex would leave the house early in the morning in the guise of hitting the gym. He would only come back when he was sure that nobody would be there. As for Margaret, although they lived next to each other, the association between her and the Rutherford's was only up to the level of greeting each other whenever they crossed paths. Alex was the only one she had a friendly interaction with. So she can't just walk up to Martha or George and ask about Alex and his whereabouts. Like this, five days had already passed, and like always, Alex had just slipped into the house after making sure that none of his parents was at home. First, he cleaned himself up, then ate what M
Chapter - 16"You? Why are you here?" Alex asked, looking at the person in front of him.Martha also followed behind him, and she was also surprised to see the person at their doorstep."Margaret?" Although Martha was surprised, she didn't forget to smack Alex for Asking such a silly question, "Why would you say such a thing, instead of inviting her in?"."I..."Martha glared at Alex, making him eat his own words."It's alright, Mrs Rutherford. I was just here to give you this," Margaret said and forwarded a small bag towards them."What is this?" Taking the bag from her, Martha asked. Inside it was a bottle of wine."I got this bottle as a gift from my friend, but you see, I am not a big fan of wine, and since I live alone, there is no one I can share this bottle with," Margaret said, "Then I thought maybe you and Mr
Chapter - 17Alex followed behind Margaret to her door. No one spoke a word all along. Margaret in the front would occasionally look back at Alex, thinking on how to bring forth the matters she needed to clarify. On the other hand, Alex looked everywhere except at Margaret. He wanted to turn around and run away as fast as he could.When they reached her door, Alex finally spoke, "Well then, Good night Miss Cole," Alex greeted her and hurriedly turned around to leave.But Margaret had it enough, and the dam of her patience finally collapsed. She could not take this game of silence anymore. She grabbed Alex by his arm, pulled him towards her and pinned him against her door. With her arms on either of his side, she even blocked his escape routes."Wha... What do you want? Why... ar... are you doing this?" With his back against the wall and nowhere to escape, Alex nervously asked. Being a movie buff, he
Chapter - 18In the morning, when Martha walked out of her room, there was no sign of Alex. At first, it was unusual, but she has grown accustomed to it for the last few days. She had gotten used to seeing Alex making breakfast the first thing on most of the mornings for the past one year. But after that day, she has realised that Alex was purposely avoiding her.The day after that awkward incident, when Martha did not find Alex up and cooking, the first thing she thought was that Alex might be having one of those nasty nightmares. Nervous and worried, she hurried to his room only to find no one there. She then went around the house to look for him, only to find no clue at all. This was odd. Even if Alex was going to go outside, he would have left a note to make sure they knew where he was and what he was up to.Clueless, she went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. There she found a note stuck to the refrigerator.
Chapter - 19Parking the car, Alex soon joined Martha outside the mall. The mall was one of the largest in the city and was quite popular because of the number of residential areas close by.Walking inside the mall, the first thing Martha did was complain like a typical mother, "If you had a girlfriend, why would I be here? Ahh... I am not getting any younger, but I still have to help my son buy clothes".Everyone, from the employees to the customers, when heard Martha grumbling, was surprised.'So this handsome guy is still available, the almighty sure is kind,' that was the thought most of the girls had in their mind.'Woa... man. This chick's his mother? Bullshit... it must be a prank, no fucking way it's possible. At max, she is his older sister,' this was what the men thought. Being into a MILF was a right and duty of every boy out there, and if she was som
Chapter - 20 Monday, The most awaited day for Alex finally came. He got up earlier than usual, prepared breakfast, and by nine o'clock, the whole family was ready to leave for work together. After breakfast, when Alex and George were waiting for Martha to come, George dragged Alex to the sides. "Son, listen to me and listen very carefully". George said. Alex had never seen George talk to him with such seriousness. He nodded and forwarded his ear towards him, listening to him attentively. "Work hard". George said. "Yes, Dad," Alex nodded in affirmation. He was going to do that even if he did not say that. "But don't just focus on work". George continued, "I don't want you bringing work to this house. The moment you do it, I will throw you out of this house, no questions asked." George warned Alex. "Uhh..." Alex was left speechless. He looked at George with the strangest expression he could come up with. "Why are you looking at me like that?" George asked with his brows raised.
Chapter - 21When Alex joined Martha and George outside, they were already being accompanied by Margaret. 'Yet another coincidence?' Both Martha and Alex are beginning to doubt that. They have come across each other three times in the last three days, which, if they were to take into account their past interactions, was very unlikely to happen.'Was it a coincidence?' Certainly not. Margaret has been waiting for Alex to leave his house on her lawn. Margaret, who had a habit of generally lay back and rest through the day after spending most of her night out, for the last few days, has been cutting back on her sleep just to have a chance of conversation with Alex."Good morning, Alex," Margaret greeted him when Alex approached the three of them."Good morning, Miss Cole," Alex greeted back."So? Excited for the big day?" Margaret asked."A bit, more nervous, I
Chapter - 22After meeting Susan, Alex was waiting for the elevator when someone tapped on his shoulder from behind. When he turned around to look, he found a girl about the same age as him, smiling at him. With a round face and shoulder-length hair, the girl could be considered tall, as she was able to reach Alex's shoulder. Though she was not on par with Margaret, she was just a notch below, or maybe she was just not his type.Alex looked at her for a while, trying to guess if he knew her or he could have met her somewhere, but having no recollection of her, he could only apologise."Sorry, but do I know you?" Alex asked apologetically."Ehhh.